But, like many I suppose, I had a fairly torrid year, with a few highs and many trying times, But I survived and am still here to tell the story and finally share with you all a cross section of stuff I have captured and created and experienced. I met so many lovely people throughout the year, tripped here and there and got a bit drenched from time to time... and I have to say, every time I had that camera in my hand I was well... loving it...
2011 is shaping up to be an amazing year with so many beautiful couples and families to spend time with. My only dilemma is having enough time to fulfil everyone's requests...
JANUARY
2010 really didn't get off to an ideal start, I guess you could say... see, I ended up stuck in Wagga Base Hospital for 10 whole days... in a room with ONE television per FOUR people... 10 days is a long time with no television!! Thank goodness I had facebook and youtube on my iPhone... anyways, the result was me having my appendix removed, not cos I didnt get to watch television, but cos I kinda needed them out... my view for the time I was in hospital follows...
and yes, I was horrified I didnt get to touch up my toenails before I went in...
FEBRUARY
Well, as you could have probably guessed February was pretty quiet, seeing as I had just had major abdominal surgery and all, the doctor suggested that I 'rest' ... But, when you have three children (and are moderately hyperactive), your version of 'rest' is somewhat different to the doctor's version of 'rest'... so I 'rested' and did only ONE photoshoot, and only took my big boys to five swimming carnivals... trust me... thats resting in my household...
Here's one of the Special Mr K... this was the third time (I think) photographing he and his sister (and mum)... he is such a spunk, I'm sure you'd agree...
MARCH
March, what can I say... March was busy... March was tough... and looking back, I'm not quite sure how I didn't implode... In just a matter of weeks, I had the opportunity to shoot two amazing weddings, I had three trips to Sydney for my Son to Compete at two State Swimming meets, and a State Athletics meet, and unexpectedly and tragically we lost my Uncle Darrell to a massive heart attack... Even though I was so frantic, emotional, crazy...etc... I produced some of my best and emotive work... thus far...
Kel and Andy... well, they were really cool... I loved every second of their wedding, was so funny... I just wish I could repeat the stories that were shared throughout the day without incriminating myself and a few in the bridal party... classic... check out some snippets of their day...
Sarah & Neale well, this one was kinda special for me to shoot... cos you see... I used to babysit Sarah and her twin, Emma, when they were little and I was young. They lived 3 doors up from us... so it was truely an honour shooting this, even if it did make me feel REALLY OLD! Oh, and Sarah and Neale own Cafe Borellas in Albury... be sure to head there for some delicious goodies!!
SWIMMING -
See, some of you may know, many of you will not... My Eldest Son, Riley, is a bit of a fish... he has taken to swimming like nothing else, and it is amazing to see someone so comitted to something at such a young age... and before you roll your eyes, and think 'Right she's one of THOSE mothers'... think again... HE wakes me up EVERYDAY at 5am to train... yes, EVERYDAY!!! anyways, in March, Riley was still only 9 years old. In March Riley gained his first top 10 finish at a state meet (Speedo sprints) finishing 5th in the 50m breast stroke, an amazing feat for a bush kid who had only been swimming competitively for just over a year... To put things into perspective, Riley was THE ONLY country kid in the top 25, the rest of them were city kids... trust me this is AMAZING!! also in March, Riley blitzed the competition at the school and wassa district school carnival, winning everything, including the senior events, and broke two district swimming records in the 200IM and 50 breast and also smashed the Riverina Regional 200IM junior boys record by 10 seconds on his way to state. at the NSW PSSA meet, he swam in 7 events... a huge load for a little boy! his dedication and commitment is something I am totally in awe of...
This is him off to Marshalling... SOPAC (sydney olympic aquatic centre) aka the pool where the olypics were held is his favourite pool...
Him out front at the speedo sprints... gaining a 5th place overall.
REST IN PEACE UNCLE DARRELL
Darrell on the right with glasses on.
APRIL
Only 2 weeks after the sudden passing of his brother, my father got Married... It was nice to celebrate something after what seemed to be trouble, after trouble... It was a beautiful day, and of course, I captured the moments for my dad and his wife Lucy to have forever...
The Brady bunch, or should I say Fraser bunch... My sisters and I, with dad, lucy and her 3 children...
MAY
Another busy month... lots of family shoots, a shoot with awesome and inspirational personal trainer Christine Zadel and a ballroom dancing comp... yes, a ballroom dancing comp... My middle son Liam is a little ballroom dancer, he is amazing and quite disturbingly he already has the little hip swivel that is a must in ballroom... He had his very first competition back in May, and well, we really didnt expect much from he and his partner, as it was their first time and they were competing in the 13yrs and under age division, and they are only 8 years old... anyways... Liam did exceptionally, bringing home not one. but eight, yes, EIGHT trophies, 3 firsts, 3 seconds and 2 thirds... The Jive, Cha-Cha, Rumba and quickstep are his faves...
This is he and his partner doing 'The Quickstep', isnt he a spunk! All the ballroom ladies were gushing over him... apparently he has the 'classic' ballroom look - handsome & clean cut with excellent posture.
May is an amazing month for outdoor portraits... I LOVE colour, especially Autumnal tones, the gardens are my absolute favourite spot come autumn time... as you'll see the colour and light was amazing...
The Broderick-Ross clan
Aren't they cute... ??? I love these guys, and Ariane is the BEST hairdresser in Wagga... These guys also became engaged in December and I am also pleased to say that I have been asked to photograph their upcoming nuptuals in 2012... YAY
EM, NICK & AVAH
so cute... such a loving little family...
The O'Conners
MY FABULOUS FRIENDS
Best PT in Wagga...
Christine Zadel...
look her up if you need some motivation to get fit!!
This is Chris before she got stuck into her training for her Body building comp... there's some more of christine, 2 days after her comp... ripped... is an understatement...
JUNE
June... initially I couldn't even remember what I had done in June... My Bad... but once again, I met some new faces, and photographed some old friends... it was cold and wet, but that didn't dampen my spirit... just my socks...
The Nolte's
These two little girls were just like dolls, perfect features... and they were perfectly behaved... and i'm sure you'd agree that the little one looks just like a cabbage patch doll - stunning!!
The Roach crew
fun! fun! fun!
The A-man
I first met this little guy when he was just 5 months old... his eyes still get me... now, just like they did then! have you ever seen anything so blue?
Miss I & miss W
they are just beautiful souls...
Oh... I was also asked by a friend of mine to comission his a few new york themed pieces so he could give his wife something special for her birthday... New york, modern and bright, was pretty much the brief... here is the result... if you can imagine, full size these prints measure 100cm x 60cm... Art mounted metallic prints... stunning... even if i do say so myself... I am available for commissions... just ask...
JULY
Yes, as you can guess July was yet another busy busy month... It was super cold, but as you know, the cold doesn't affect my work at all... so I soldier on with my brave clients to get the best out of them and me... As you will see we managed to get some pretty spectacular stuff... even if I do say so myself. I had a couple of commercial jobs in July as well... and I am sure you'll see a few of the images around from time to time...
Also in July, my son and I trapesed around the country side for swimming, attending the ACT short course championships, and the victorian short course championships, amongst other meets... now, just incase you're wondering... Swimming is actually a year round sport, if you're lucky enough to have indoor facilities... and we also headed to Sydney AGAIN for yet another State event, this time, PSSA (primary school sports association) State Cross country. As we really don't get to holiday as such due to our numerous trips away for rep sport, we decided to make it a treat for the boys and stay at the swiss grand at Bondi... it was awesome... FREEZING, but awesome...
WINTER
Yep, it gets pretty cold in this part of the world... it was around 11am when I got this shot and it was still only 2 degrees... the Fog on this day was amazing, almost looked like a great big rolling cotton ball ploughing over the city...
During winter, just before the snow falls we like to head up the hills... The boys Love going to Adelong Falls, a ruined gold mining settlement at Adelong... its an adventure for them, ruined buildings, mining equipment, etc... a boys adventure heaven and a photographers paradise...
THE 'G' KIDS...
They are a cool bunch of kids... I have known them for a few years now... and, I wanted to put these up, cos sometimes the out takes are as sweet as the 'good' shot... see to get ONE pic like the one below...
you get about 25 of these...
with kids, it truely is the luck of the draw!
and when things (almost) go to plan...
FAIRIES AT THE CIVIC PRECINT
It was FREEEEEZING... The kids were classic, and cracked me up the whole time, and did the usual not wanting to look at the camera, or do anything that the 'camera lady' said... but seriously, that happens more often than not... so instead of getting in close, I chucked on the big lens and got some beautiful shots... from afar! As I am sure you'll agree the head full of ginger ringlets is amazing!! I loved shooting these guys and hope to 'play' with them in the furture...
BIBS AND BOBS...
Some bits from a commercial shoot...'they' approached me as 'they' liked my 'non-commercial' more 'artistic' and 'emotive' approach to my photography... 'They' liked me because I was different to everyone else around... and hearing that made me very happy, because I strive to be different to those around me, not as a point of arrogance, but as there is nothing to be gained personally or professionally from being the same as or copying other people or their work... Sure, I look at the work of others for inspiration... but I have never tried to emulate anothers work, rather I draw on inspiration I have gathered from all aspects of my work, training, experience and eductaion...
This last shot was my favourite from this session... As I was heading back to my car at the Magpies Nest restaurant, I heard the warbling and looked up to see 3 magpies in the tree... beautiful!
WINTER SWIMMING
Riley decided he wanted to swim at his first ACT short course championships... he only wanted to swim the 50 & 100 Breast stroke events... so we went and he performed excellently, winning his first two state medals in a very competitive field with kids from all over the NSW, ACT and Victoria... 2 bronze... Riley also competed at the Vic short course championships competing up 2 age divisions and finished a credible 5th the breast stroke with 3 other top 10 finishes.
BONDI AND STATE CROSS COUNTRY
We're from the bush and whilst we head to sydney a dozen times per year, we are basically stuck at Homebush, so the kids don't get to see the ocean very often... This time we decided to make it a bit more special and stay at Bondi Beach. Yes, I know Bondi in the middle of winter isn't too exciting, but, to us country bumpkins and especially the children, it didnt make the beach any less spectacular...
look... even the Bondi lifeguards were there....
The Toddler...
Jumping waves is awesome!
the middle child...
aaaand... the state cross country... ironically the state 'cross country' is at a race trackin Sydney... its pretty much flat... But I guess to some in Sydney, the western suburbs really is considered 'country'... hahaha...
AUGUST
In august I travelled to Balranald, which is about a 4 hour drive west of here, to Photograph a Debutante Ball... It was fun, the debs and partners were fabulous... I had a great time.
SEPTEMBER
Family portraits and the wedding of Nic and Will...
Nicky and Will
It was a beautiful september afternoon...
beautiful light
and
beautiful people...
what more could a photographer want?
OCTOBER
I almost sound like a broken record now... We were off to Sydney again for sport... This time it was State athletics... For the Big Boy to run in the 800m... this time I was lazy and we stayed at Homebush... and there at a BIG hotel right across from the aquatic centre was where I discovered THE most appalling interior decoration EVER... now... you might be thinking what does this chick know about interior design & decoration... well... I have actually been an Interior designer for almost 10 years now... I still do it now and I am available for consultations... anyways... I am all for Avante-gard or bespoke design... and making your mark on the world of design is certainly something anyone working within this design field or any creative field strives for... but seriously when your 3 year old gets scared of the curtains you know either you have inflicted your taste upon your child or they are reeeeaaaallllly BAD!! and by BAD I mean scary, horror movie or crime scene bad... I was so appalled with the interior of this place that I sent the manager an email... You're probably rolling your eyes thinking right... she's obviously overreacting and not everyone will interpret this the same... and yes I know all about reception theories and understand quite well that not everyone will interpret a situation the same... but honestly, this stuff is horrendous and the board who allowed this to enter their 300 room facility needs to be terminated immediately... I'll let you make your own decision... but think of this similar design on wall panels as well... sigh...
Luckily, the view THROUGH the wondow was better than the thing framing it...
State Athletics - Homebush
Start for the jnr boys 800m
The boy on the home stretch...
RENOVATIONS
I think I may have mentioned, but i am also an Interior designer, I also purchased a 'fixer-upper' a couple of years ago and since I am a fussy individual it too me 18 months to select my wall paper... In october, I pulled up my sleeves, and wall papered and painted my Loungeroom... I am very much a subscriber to the do as I say, not as I do philosophy... so dont think that my personal taste influences my design work...
That white strip on the right hand side of this image is actually my Floor to ceiling cut quartz fireplace... probably the main reason I had to have this house - right or wrong!!
OCTOBER FLOODS
Flash flooding in and around wagga was quite devastating, whilst Wagga itself was relatively unscathed by this flood event, many towns surrounding wagga werent so lucky... The Rock, Culcairn, Yerong creek, Tarcutta, Adelong, to name a few were extensively damaged by this flooding... below are a couple of images I grabbed at the murrumbidgee in wagga.
THE CLARKES
October gave me the opportunity to meet this lovely little family...
PRINCESS PERFECT
A friend of mine, another work from home mum, decided to go full on into the business world making these amazing little outfits for all the perfect princesses out there... The shoot was fun, and considering we had so many little kids to shoot, it all went beautifully... You can look up Stacey and Princess Perfect on facebook where you can place orders... She also frequents the Muddi boutique markets here in wagga who are also on facebook...
IT'S SHOW TIME!!
Liam and his partner were asked to participate in some Ballroom exhibition dances at the Wagga Show.. they'll be there agian in 2011, so be sure to check them out!! We always coordinate their outfits, cos a big portion of ballroom is their presence... if they look good they're in front from the get-go... and they look fantastic!
NOVEMBER
ANAPHYLAXIS IS NO JOKE...
When people talk about allergies moatly all they get in response from people is a blank stare or a rolling of the eyes... see the problem is many people don't understand allergies and often mistake an intolerance for an allergy... Quite simply... An allergy is an immune response and an intolerance is a chemical response to an overload of a particular chemical... Unfortunately for me dealing with allergies are not a new thing for me and my family... but Eric, my baby, in november suffered an ANAPHYLACTIC reaction to an as yet unkown trigger... just incase you arent aware an anaphylatic reaction is a full system response... all bodily systems are affected and if left untreated will result in a system shutdown and death. Eric was at childcare when this occurred, and within 10 minutes his consciousness was being affected and his breathing was starting to become compromised... he had never had an allergy before... It was scary, but like I said it isnt a new thing for us, as my eldest son suffers anaphylaxis and allergies as well... In eric's case upon arrival at the hospital ER he was given Adrenalin and two doses of steroid plus anti histamine to reverse the reaction... the following image is quite disturbing, but just incase you havent seen what anaphylaxis looks like, this is it 2 hours AFTER medication... his face was twice the size as it is in this image, and his bottom lip was twice the size of the top and almost burst... his little body was covered from head to toe in an angry itchy red rash, he was drooling and was floppy... Its a hard thing to deal with, but getting yourself frantic and hysterical doesnt help anyone in this situation... calm, focussed and in control - its the only way to be. Not knowing what has triggered his reaction is hard, we can't control his environment as well as we could if we just knew... Not knowing what to avoid means we have to be within 20 minutes of a hospital at all times and carry adrenalin with us 'just incase'...
CUTE LITTLE FAMILY
in the morning, same day as Erics reaction I actually photographed the following family... a beautiful loving little bunch. The kids were really cool too!
CHRISTINE ZADEL
photographed just 2 days after her body building competition... FIT!
BONNETT STEER WEDDING
I don't think I have ever seen a more tight knit bunch of people before in my life... the love between these guys was amazing... inspiring, really... The day started off promisingly, the sun was shining, there was a light breeze... lovely... then... out of nowhere... the clouds came rolling in and then just as the bride pulled up... the rain came down... just a small amount to start... then it was coming down in barrell loads (not buckets)... everyone and everything was DRENCHED! and I mean DRENCHED... and that rain didnt let up for 4 hours! so basically what that meant was all our prior plans and selected locations for photographs had to be scrapped... but you know... thats kinda why I never make fixed plans... cos sometimes, just sometimes, NOTHING goes to plan... I like the challenge of thinking on the run... so, we just headed indoors - simple, really... except, everyone was still soaking... the good thing was that the B&G just laughed... cos really there was nothing else left to do... seriously... they had arranged for the entire wedding party and the guests to take a ride on the miniature trains at the Botanic gardens here in wagga... most of the guests bailed but the bridal party jumped on... and just made sure that they had a blast! 
DECEMBER
then as we know it was time for christmas...
DECEMBER SWIMMING
SO, THAT'S PRETTY MUCHED SUMMED UP MY 2010
XOXOXO
NOW, 2011 SHOWS SO MUCH PROMISE... STAY TUNED FOR MY DAVENTURES IN PHOTOGRAPHY, DESIGN AND FAMILY.
1 comments:
Awesome as always Bel, especially love the fairies - I'll be checking the bottom of my garden
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