Back Again!

Well, it's been a while since I last posted here...and I'm not really sure what I want this blog to look like.  Maybe just some personal stuff but also a place where you can see some of the work I do, you know, just in case you like my style and want to collaborate with me on any projects of a photographic nature.

So maybe I'll start with a shoot that happened last year in the little town of Te Aroha.  Here you will find an artist with an absolutely amazing talent of turning junk into art.  When I visited his studio, Adrian was working on a sculpture of a bull - a commissioned piece of art, which was inspired by the bull of Wall Street.   You'll also see sculptures of his dotted thoughout the main street of Te Aroha.   Go check out Adrian Worsley Gallery next time you visit New Zealand...his work speaks for itself.

jayesh's wedding shenanigans...

...backtracking to the day of the wedding when everyone was getting ready...nothing beats having a house full of 19 people enjoying the lead up to the ceremony!  The most stressful moment for the boys was getting those ties tied properly but they ended up looking quite the part and they even got away on time!

no wait! - the speech was also in its final draft stages and being worked on throughout the morning. I reckon it must be a family trait to leave speeches till the last minute?

Anyway here goes...

the wedding!

Well Jayesh and Jess got married yesterday in a very memorable ceremony (no one will forget his speech in a hurry!)   Their photos were captured by a lovely New Zealand girl Lottie Hedley who is a super talented photographer http://www.lottiehedleyphotography.com/ so I left my camera in its bag and enjoyed the ride.

I did however have to snap a few shots of their first dance which was such fun to watch - well done Jayesh and Jess!!

My family is growing...

painting daze...

I reckon that by now, I have pretty well painted most of the inside of our house - no joke.  The almost final hurdle is the room affectionately know as the "school room" thanks to years of homeschooling!    Taking a break from hours of sanding I thought I would grab the camera and take a couple of shots of stuff around the room - just for fun.
The height chart is something I don't really want to paint over just yet - but the dilemma is how to leave it there without making it look like a piece of wall I forgot to paint over...still working that one out.  The door to Elise's bedroom is testimony to how well she keeps it tidy - waahaa!!

spontaneous boonah

Shayna and I jumped in the car and took a detour to Boonah.  The sunset was pathetic so light trails became the next option.  Will need to take another detour out that way soon to this little place called Aratula - blink and it's gone.  But oh my goodness, does it have the best second hand shop/shed around!

how gold is the coast...

a few days break with family to the coast - what is nicer than sun, surf and the beach!

a little surf, a little sun...

...over by Manly is where Kashelle and I will be heading on Saturday to photograph a wedding.  We spent a few hours checking out the area and the conditions.  If it is an overcast day we could have an amazing sky as a backdrop.  Once we discovered the gazillion crabs scuttling along the tidal flats, well there was no stopping Miss T and we got distracted - a bit.

to new zealand and beyond!

finally getting around to editing our new zealand skiing holiday with family and family.   these are a few highlights of the time spent together, but not so much of the snow...the love of skiing surpassed (for once) the love of photography!

the jump....

jayesh clocked up another year of life and to celebrate he courted death!
naa - just joking!
jess shouted (kiwi terminology) him a tandem parachute jump, and mitch was more than happy to come along for the ride
that's one thing crossed off their bucket list
somehow i think they will do it again!

the birthday, the beach and the bump

So charlotte turned 20!! and being a holiday...we went to the beach.  Just for the day.   We probably ended up spending as much time in the cafe across the road as on the beach.  Good food, OK coffee, shelter from the wind and a play area for Tarquin - perfect!

Trying to play Settlers of Catan on a cell phone on the beach was a logistical nightmare - that's when the towels came in handy.   Made sure we captured Kashelle's 17 week baby bump too.

The weather was warm enough, but the wind cooled things down somewhat.  Not much swimming was accomplished but it was a  relaxed and totally fun day nevertheless...