Baby Bump...

I LOVE maternity shoots, they are one of my favourite to do. I think it's the awe that there is a human being underneath it all! A maternity shoot is what really kick started my biz back in San Diego, just before I came out here...

That was about a year ago, their baby is about to be one! Happy Birthday, T! Incidentally, Robert is the one who designed my logo for me and I love it!

So when some lovely neighbours referred me to Patricia and Kris for a maternity shoot, I was so excited! So, so, so excited!
So, off we trotted to the beach. Patricia and Kris were great and open to anything. This will be their first child. It's a magical time. I just love the curves of the belly...

Some classic Black and Whites...

Look how fab-u-lous Patricia looks.

Got to get a silhouette with the cave frame...

A lot of the images are in timeless Black and White, but we got some colour in there...isn't the sea just gorgeous...it was a perfect morning for a shoot...

We had a lot of fun. Poor Kris got the soaking! All in the name of art and great memories!

The lovely parents-to-be...

I am excited because they opted for my Motherhood Session so I will be doing a newborn shoot with them too. Am I lucky or what?! Yippee!

I heart Faces

I interrupt what I said would be a maternity post for a weekly competition on the new I Heart Faces blog (reason being is there is a limited time to enter). Get yourself over there and join in!

This weeks theme is BW and who would have guessed I would choose this image? As everyone (all 10 or so of you!) who reads this knows (since it's been posted twice in colour and BW and now a third time) it is my fav ever image of April...but I think it is perfectly suited to the BW child faces category, if I may so myself :o). Thank you dear (10 or so) readers for putting up with me!!!
I Heart You!

For anyone else who hasn't seen it...This was taken quite recently on a day outing with a couple of other local photographers. Our kids were the subjects. I had the image in my mind and when I saw this in the viewfinder, I knew I had gotten exactly what I wanted! It is really not set up at all, just 'April, stick this hood on your head' and that was it! Her hair just fell so perfectly for the shot. Lucky me! It was taken with a Nikon D300 and a 50mm 1.8 lens and edited (barely) using Picnik...
* I want to point out that this is NOT real fur...no, no, no!*

A splendid tea party...

Anyone for a cup of Rosy Lee?

I recently went up to the British wine and tea shop with some friends here on island. (Thanks for the above photo of me, Rene!) They actually thought I would know about scones and tea and all those British things. But, I had to disappoint them. I grew up in London knowing more about Mcd's and Wimpy burgers and Woolworths, than high tea! That was for the snobs down the road LOL. So this cafe was recently featured on Okinawa Hai. Someone had come across it because there is a geocache (is that the right word for it?) on their land. It is up past Nago, surrounded by lush forestry. For directions, see the actual post on Okinawa Hai. Actually, one of the ladies I went with was Kelly, the 'To Eat' editor. Here we all are...

Here we are again with Stacy instead of me. Kelly's son's expression says it all. 'This man can't half talk!'

So, back to the start! We arrive and are greeted by the most animated man I have come across in a long time. The self proclaimed, Mad Hatter, John, welcomed us into his crazy tea house in the forest and we gratefully obliged.

We were then greeted by friend and comedy sidekick, Terry, who was another great talker and joke teller. He was actually mid joke when I took this photo! He's really concentrating on the punchline!

Can I say we were laughing the whole time we were there? Well we were! I mean, look at these guys, they are just pure energy. Feeding off each other like good friends should.

So for the food. We were offered quiche and chicken tandorri or 'you'll get what you're bloody given' or words to that effect!!!

Drink wise...I, of course, the Brit was the only one who opted for mango juice instead of tea and that caused Mr. Mad Hatter to tell me off (in the nicest way possible, of course)! 'YOU WANT WHAT?!!!'

We did not get to converse much with their wives who were busy in the back. Which doesn't surprise me, us Brits like to talk and you could not get a word in edgeways with these 2! It was seriously like walking into Faulty Towers or something!

Recognize the style of the sign?

It was designed by the artist Ralph Steadman . (Fear and loathing in Las Vegas artist). Ralph and John apparently go way back. John actually used to be a commercial photographer back in the day in London. Looking around the bright and breezy place there was a lot of art pieces done by Ralph and children's books too.

I will definitely bring the family back here (if I can find it!). April would love a good conversation with Terry using cocky rhyming slang. It was so great to see and chat with some Londoners. For this one afternoon, I felt like I had come 'home'. We had a great time! I even left with a copy of the wine menu... 'go on take it darling, I have more'!

Bidding us farewell (John's wife, Maki, on the left)...These 2 can't even keep still for a photo!!!

See you soon, toodle pip for now (Maternity shoot photos coming next!)...

New Baby...ohhh rahhhh.

Remember Carrie, Hubby and New baby B from their Birth shoot?
Well, time flies and Baby B is now 6 weeks old! Bright eyed and bushy tailed!

When I walked into their house, I saw some really nice framed BW images and seriously thought they were some past images and wondered who did them, as I got closer and actually saw the contents, I realized they were MINE! I know that might sound silly, but sometimes (always?) we women are our own worst critics. So, I was actually looking at something as if it wasn't me and it looked good! On an extra note, it's always good to see my images printed and realize that the colour/contrast is all good not just on a computer screen!

Carrie had a total vision in mind of hubby's arm and baby and when she told it to me, it literally went straight into an image in my mind. Talk about on the same page.

B was not really playing the game of 'sleeping baby being photographed and molded into position' and that's OK and sometimes happens (especially when they are that little bit older). You just work around it. I never have a set time frame with new baby shoots, they are calling the shots, you better believe! However, I think we still got the 'money' shots we were after! What do you think?

A Mother and Baby moment...

Pure Love...

Thanks for a great morning and I am glad I didn't fall off the ladder, nor that we didn't get arrested for 'European behaviour' LOL

On another note:
*Please check out my website for updated packages*
*Referral Plan and gift certificates also offered. Gallery Wrap pricing coming soon*

Zen and Photos - personal

I forgot to post some more recent personal blog stuff, so here it is...
I was very glad to see my Eisa Girl image in Feb's issue of Okinawa Living Magazine. Here's Loubie showing off the magazine. He can barely contain himself at the excitement! And the thumb half came out to hold the magazine! My Mum (virtual wave) will like it, I already send the magazine to her sometimes anyway...
My little baby boy has also changed what he is going to be when he grows up from "A YMCA worker, like my Mummy" (last years) to:
Right before Albert left, April had her first piano recital. She was nervous but did great. She's only been playing piano for 3 months, a lesson a week. My Mum, of course, thinks she is going far, Elton John far! Look at that expression of concentration she's got going on!!! She played 'Start Today'.
After, we went to the cafe there. The buffet was closed so we sat down to eat. We were so hungry. The shocker was the bill. About $80 for not so great food if you ask me (which you didn't but since you are reading this I could've lied and said 'oh yes, we had such a beautiful dining experience at the Renaissance, the food was just simply delish', but I won't!)
Anyway, it was our own fault. I knew we were going to pay a crazy amount. Oh well. Lesson learned! Always learning, that's the name of the game!
Here is the view from the top of the Renaissance. Now, you might understand the menu prices! Thanks, Cathy, for lending my your lens!

Here are some very cool Zen Teachings, sent to me by my old NZ friend, Kim, who is about to drop (a baby!). I thought they were very funny.

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me,for I may not follow.
Do not walk beside me for the path is narrow. In fact, just piss off and leave me alone.

2. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night .

3. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.

4. If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.

5. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

6. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

7. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably well worth it.

8. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

9. Some days you are the bug; some days you are the wind screen.

10. Good judgment comes from bad experience ... and most of that comes from bad judgment.

11. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

12. There are two excellent theories for arguing with women.. Neither one works.

13. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

14. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

True, true! And there's one from a 'proper' list of Zen Teachings...
'What anybody else thinks of you is none of your business'. That's a hard one!

See you next time, more personal ramblings and a newborn and a maternity shoot coming soon...)

My Babies...

are growing up...
I had to share this image again in BW (it's got to be an all time favourite of April) and I love it just as much in Black and White (if not more?)...

The two of them sometimes get along just fine...

April is a great model for me and my obsession! She sees me coming and rolls her eyes, but today she was in the mood for modeling!

She 'borrowed' my earrings and she did have a LOT of brown lipgloss on, you can see the remains of it after I made her wipe it off (thanks for asking, April!)...She looks like a gypsy girl in this shot!

The dandelions are really popping up at the castle ruins...

as for Loubie...well I can sometimes catch a few of him too...

A second after this he was off...

Here are some arty photos of the dandelions and one more sakuka (sakura). I was using my telephoto lens with a close up 'lens' (looks like a filter) attached...

Boosted up the colours...

so, who gets the last laugh today?
Why, Harry Dog, of course!

Sakura Sakura

Goes along to the Hips don't lie song by Shakira (Shakira!!!)

Oh baby when you bloom like that
You make a photographer go mad
So be wise and keep on
Reading the signs of my exposure meter!!!

Yes, I realize you are wondering how weird I am!!!

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Sakura is Shakira! Then, I was looking through wii games on Amazon and saw 'sakura sakura' so I googled it and low and behold there's all these sakura songs going on. Here's the link to one...http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=xPH_HTVwOoQ
Anyway, I never made it to the actual festival up in Nago, but a cherry blossom up close is a cherry blossom up close. Here are a few of my favs...I'm sure I will get more up here one of the days (in fact I took a few more yesterday at the ruins that are still in the camera)!

Speak to you soon :o)