**EVOLVE IS NOW FULL!  Thankyou!

That title makes me sound like I’m selling rugs.   We’ve had some last minute places come up in the Evolve Workshop that begins this week.  While we do normally adhere strictly to waitlists, there just isn’t the time to navigate Spam Filters and wait for email responses to one-by-one offers as I have limited weeks left in the year to fit workshops in and must get started!.  If you would like to participate and are ready to register and pay today, please email Fran asap.  As anyone who’s contacted us about workshop places in the past knows, this is a great opportunity to jump the queue.  (Evolve is the advanced course, runs for 4 weeks and is $295 USD).

Loving:

The “favorite websites” you all sent in! Wow! Sooo many amazing places I hadn’t discovered yet..I’m still going through the comments and compiling a list but I thought it might be a good thing to include them in a permanent page here?  Such a wonderful gathering of all things interesting and pretty.  I’ll add that to the “to do” list :)

That my printer and I are finally one.  We’ve had our differences this past week and today we’ve made up.

That my week guest judging at IHeartFaces has begun!  Please do say hello if you’re over that way :)

That it’s school holidays and we’re sans routine.

And not:

That my Spam Filter caught so many of the favorite website comments!  I know it makes sense that it would but I didn’t think of that, did I??  Wading through the Spam Comments Folder to rescue the legitimate ones was most umm, informative.

That I’m so far behind on email.  I’m sorry to those of you who are waiting to hear back about all manner of things.   I do hope to climb Inbox Mountain one day very soon.

That it feels like a thousand years since I visited the spa or bought a pretty frock.  Shabby Chic is not cute when it’s referring to one’s state of being.

Happy Monday :)
S x

Because it’s Friday.

Because Evolve is about to launch!

Because I have the house to myself and I’m loving it.

Because I can.

On one condition.  Can you please tell me what your most favorite website is?   I need inspiration and some new-comers to the daily line up.  Anything creative and whimsical and quirky.  With or without stuff to buy.   Great design, good reading, pretty things.  In exchange I’ll give away a set of Eye Candy Actions :)  Leave me a comment and I’ll pick a random next week (Even if you’re not in need of actions but know a pretty site, please let me know!)!

In other exciting news, next week I’m guest judging at IHeartFaces!   The lovely Angie invited me around to look at some pretty pictures and chat photography – I could hardly say no!  She’s already asked some great questions so I’m looking forward to what next week will bring :)

Can’t have a nakie post so here’s Ivy and her supercute toosh.

S x

ps. Evolve place offers go out tonight.  PROMISE.

ETA:  Because the comments have URL’s in them, a lot more are going to Spam so if you get some weird message, don’t worry..I still get it – I just need to approve.  LOVING the great links shared…keep them coming! S xx

If you’re a workshop participant, you’ve no doubt met Fran.  Well her birth name is Fran, I know her as the WonderFran.   We met via email some time back and then I was lucky enough to do a shoot for Fran and Poppy..just us three girls hanging out one gorgeous Gold Coast afternoon..you might recall I shared some pics back then.

Since that time, Fran has become not just  a dear friend but my right hand woman.  She keeps me sane by organizing workshop emails, 2nd shooting for me and frequently reminding me of what is not possible in any given 24 hour period.  All this while running her own photography business, Lumin-essence,  and making more beautiful children.  See?  WonderFran totally fits.

Recently I had the joy of photographing her fresh bundle of joy, Leo.  He not only has the cutest name on Earth,  he’s astoundingly gorgeous too.  I couldn’t not share him with you too.

S xx

I’m hanging out washing. Taking in the crisp of the air and the blue of the sky which today seem strange and new and amplified. Only a little bit earlier on this clear August morning, it seems my waters broke.   Not in a dramatic dear God get an ambulance the baby is coming kind of broke but enough to make me gather my pink rose pyjamas and clary sage oil.  I ring her Daddy at kindy.  Come home quickly, I say.  And quickly, he does.

We travel down the highway.  Forty minutes of excited chatter & nervous imagining.  The knowing that we’re leaving our home a family of four for the last time.   It’s my due date but more significantly, it’s the date Crayton’s mum left us, three years earlier.  It feels right that I would be birthing on this day.  I’ve waited so long to meet her. I am ready.

“You’re not ready”, the midwife tells us.  Not yet.  And still not after seven hours of walking and talking and willing and wishing.  I ring my far away sister.  “Please come.  Please bring your blue cohosh and your massage hands and your calm.  I need you.  Come quickly”.   And not very quickly at all it seems, she comes.

We walk that entire hospital. Inside and out.  Moon shining bright, up stairs and down hills.  With gritted teeth and willpower, real labor begins.  It’s ten pm.

I sway. In her Daddy’s arms I’m rocking and breathing and almost believing I can do this.  I’ve forgotten to unpack the oil.  The soft music has been switched off.   It’s one am.

The waves come and go and I’m not very sure any more and when I reach a point where I can no longer do this, I move to the bath.  Angie tells me how well I’m doing while I’m pleading for it to be over, for her to be out, for anything to make it stop.  I contemplate drowning myself. It is six am.

And then she is.   Black hair, olive skin, eyes wide open.  Finally, she is.  I can barely hold her, I can barely believe.  My dear, darling girl.   My Ava.

Today, you would have become six.  I can not greet you with a special hug. I cannot sing to you this day. I will not make your favorite breakfast nor see you open your gifts.  It the day of your birth, but not a birthday, as we know it.  You can not celebrate beside us but even still, we will forever cherish the day you came to be.

Happy Birthday, Superprincess Ava.

Love Mummy.

xxxxxxx

I know from your previous post that you mostly use a 50mm and a 24-70mm is that with canon? Or do you stray an go for sigma or third party lenses? Any other favorite lenses?

All of my lenses are Canon. I’ve only ever bought one third party lens and I just didn’t love it.  Personally, I recommend spending the extra and getting the very best glass you can afford.

Before that fabulous canon 5d camera…what did you use?

I’ve always been a Canon girl..The 300D first, then the 40D, the 5D and then I upgraded to the 5D Mark 2.  Lately I’m loving Nikon color though..we always want what we don’t have!

Maybe from time to time you could give lens/settings/etc and then tell us what you used to post process it!! Those of us with your actions might love to hear this! I know I would!!

Sure, I will certainly try to remember to include that info!  The image above was:

f2.8, 1/5000 sec/ iso 100  (24-70 2.8 Canon lens)

Post processing – Toy Camera, Mini Makeover and Buttersnap actions.  (Eye Candy Actions)

My love and eye for photography leads everyone around me to suggest i take it to the next level but i’m still very much in the learning process. i’ve done a few shoots outside of my friends and family but i’ve never accepted any money because i don’t feel as though my photos are exactly “professional quality”. so my question is, how did you make the jump from just enjoying/learning photography to doing it professionally as well?

This is whole chapter in Evolve & always a very hot topic in the workshop forums! I can tell you that every single person considering going into pro photography has similar questions & concerns when starting out.  In brief, this is my advice:

When you find people outside your immediate circle of family and friends are requesting photos and/or asking what you charge, it’s time to start charging.  Photographers are notoriously critical about their own work so don’t wait for a day where you expect to wake up and feel convinced you’re good enough to be paid..that only comes after people start paying you!  You have to just take the risk, make the jump and run with smoke and mirrors until it feels more natural.  Start calling yourself a photographer.  Put together a logo and a small website – even if it’s just a blog. You don’t need to have an expensive website and a huge array of images to begin.  With each shoot you do, you will gain more confidence but the hardest part is believing in yourself and that just comes with time and experience.  Evolve includes a lot more information and practical resources for getting started so that may interest you at some point.

I’d love to know how you made the jump. I know a lot of people who find it difficult to make that leap..

I closed my eyes and ran :)   I was extremely nervous the first year or so of shooting real clients and often felt like I was only pretending to be a photographer!  I think everyone has periods of doubt about their own work and abilities but I’ve learned over time to accept it as part of the job.  There are good weeks and bad weeks and inspiration comes and goes.   If you’re at a point where you feel you probably should be charging, then you definitely should.  Just do it!  I am thankful every day that I took the plunge and put my fears aside..I have the best “job” on Earth.

When are you moving to SoCal?? Haha.. you know you want to! I think at least you should come back & do an in-person workshop! In Laguna Beach of course.

Not a day goes by where we don’t talk about the notion of moving to SoCal!  It wouldn’t take a lot of persuasion!  And yes, I also imagine a day I’ll do in person workshops..Here or there or both :)

I would really like to see a photo straight out of your camera and then the same photo after you have ‘photo shopped it..

Sure!  Here’s the photo I posted of Ivy the other day – I’ll share a little about the processing..

While shooting into the sun is perfectly natural for me (I rarely even think to turn the other way), it does mean a little extra work in processing.   In order to keep color in the sky, I needed to under-expose which means some lightening of the subject is required straight up.   I also had to spend a little time working with the slight “banding” you see in the sky. (Where there obvious color shifts, a result of shooting JPEG in SRGB color space and often made worse working in PS in 8 bit mode).  I did this with some noise addition and gaussian blur.  The only other adjustments from there color shifts and sharpening – all via Eye Candy Actions Zap and Softly.  I use layer masks the whole way through my processing to tweak where-ever needed.  Being the flare junkie that I am, this was a favorite from the set that day :) Hope this helps!

If you’re still with me here, just one last admin thing…Fran has major ongoing issues emailing people with AOL and Comcast accounts from our Eye Candy address.  If you have either and are waiting to hear back re a workshop, can you please send through an alternative email address?   It’s frustrating for us and no doubt disappointing for those who miss out on place offers due to over-zealous SPAM filters.. Thankyou!!

S x