So as the School holidays come to an end and I reflect on the wonderful memories that we have created. I just don’t want it to end… I must love the school holidays more than the kids. That must mean I am still a kids at heart ( and in mind). But I really have loved doing lots of different things with these 3 little gems and these gems mother. I have snapped off many photographs from our adventures and have so many stories to tell, yet the time just slips away so fast and I barely get to post any of my family photographs. While doing a family portrait last week, and talking with this particular family about all the fun adventures they were having over their holiday break, I challenged myself to start by posting some of my family photographic treasures and then follow up with some stories. After all being a professional photographer does put in me in the best seat in the house to take beautiful portraits of my own children. Well here is three little gems of mine, just being themselves. Hopefully you can see the inner happiness and the joy they have spending time together as a family. Hope these holidays never end!!!!
Don’t you just love Christmas. Its a great time to be together with family and share some good fun and create some wonderful memories. Of course there is a greater meaning and spirit to Christmas day, and as a family we take a little bit of time away from opening presents and filling up on food and goodies.
In our family we take a bit of time to go through the Christmas story and reflect on our feelings before we begin seeing what Santa has placed under the Christmas tree. Of course it is a joy to watch our children, with excitement opening their presents, and it such a blessing to see them interact and play with their Cousins, Aunties and Uncles and Grandparents.
Christmas day goes by in such flash and it then the 365 day cycle builds up again. I hope we take more than one day to enjoy our family and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Here is a few photographs from our Christmas day celebrations including the annual rushed Desmond family portrait.
Its about that time of year that I take a well deserved break. Well I think I deserve the break anyway. Not only has a massive Photography season been completed for the year, there has been all the windups from the kids school and of course the Christmas season has been upon us.
This year between Christmas and New Years my immediate family and their children congregated together in the South West for a magical week of camping in Siesta Park halfway between Busselton and Dunsborough. And I do mean magical. The weather and company was fabulous and we couldn’t have asked for a better week away. It probably all didn’t go to plan, however we all made a go of it and enjoyed the the summer rays, the cool nights, the sparkling crystal water and some pretty sensation cuisine.
Here is the first glimpse from our big holiday together. Can’t wait for next years camp.
We have some Mormon or Latter Day Saint Missionaries (LDS) serving full time in our area here in Greenmount Ward. Missionary work is a tough slog. I know from my own 2 year experience about 20 years ago how hard it can be. One of the most challenging things is the separation from family and loved ones. Luckily at Christmas time the Missionaries are privileged with Skype calls (only phone calls back in my day) to their families.
This Christmas time we have been hanging out with the Missionaries a little. The other night they came carol singing with us and earlier in the week we rode our bikes out to play some sport with them on their P-Day (preparation day).
The other involvement we have been enjoying (not) is getting up at 5:30am in the morning to take them on a walk/run/hike through the beautiful John Forrest national park. There is nothing better first thing in the morning as the sun comes up, than running through thick overgrown Australian bush on winding and hilly tracks with the possibility of an Australian dugite snake waiting around the corner for you. Its one of those adventures you just live for.
Seeing as it is Christmas the Missionaries are after some photos to send home to their families and so I was fortunate to roll off a few shutters from my camera for them. Well one broken Elinchrom light later and maybe a slight riff between the Elders and Sister (what Mission doesn’t have that) and we have a lovely set of images for them to enjoy from their Mission. As their families are from far and wide include USA, Tonga, New Zealand and Straya, I thought the best way to show might be through this blog post.
Merry Christmas to all their families and loved ones. Be assured that they are doing well and are well looked after.
Anzac day is one of those special occasions, you know the ones. The ones that bring a smile and a tear to your eye at the same time, where silence for a small moment feels like eternity and can help bring back countless memories and emotions in the blink of an eye.
The Dawn service scramble
For the past few years we have been getting up early in the morning to attend the dawn service at Blackboy hill. This site was once a training camp for the early Anzacs, and holds a special place in history. Our kids have ben eager although very tired to get up and go to the dawn service, and we see many of our family and friends there. There is also a fantastic group of volunteers that put on hot drinks, scones and Anzac cookies for the people braving the cold mornings.
Well this morning wasn’t that cold, but due to baby having a rough night, we had a bit of a sleep in. In fact Baby, Kembry and Mesha didn’t get up at all, While Cumoram and I scrambled for the door to get there before it finished. This year seemed to be even more packed than previous years, but it was great to see such wonderful support.
Marching with pride
After attending the Dawn Service, the family and I caught the train into the city to watch the Marching Parade. This was an event that we would attend regularly when we were younger, especially when my Grandpop was alive and would March with the other returned soldiers. We would march with him often, which was a great delight to us. Dad really got into it too and so Anzac day has always been a special day for us as a family.
One year I went to March and took my younger cousin Paddy out with me to be alongside our Grandpop. Well the West Australian newspaper thought that would be a great shot and so they snapped a picture of us to be published in the paper.
A portrait of my Grandparents
Another great memory is of a very early portrait I did of my Grandpop and my Grandma sitting together at Langley reserve after the march and while we waited for the main service to begin. I loved that moment and still have the photo I took of them those many years ago. I had given them a framed picture of it as a gift and it was the one thing I asked to have back from them when they passed away. It holds a very special meaning to me.
This year we found a spot to watch the parade down by the Bell tower. We met with friends Tim and Jess Batten and took in with us Jessy Fallon. Jessy and Cumoram road their scooters around most of the time, but Kembry and Jairom had great joy sitting and watching the soldiers and marching bands in full motion. I snapped a few pictures of the day and processed them as Black & White images. I love black and white photography especially on days like Anzac day. Its a great way to show expression without the colour distraction.
As I saw these men and women march, I saw many things in their faces. Many carried scarring of what they had been through or what they had seen. They also had a look of dignity and pride. As I looked at their expressions I wondered what they thought now. I hope they have a place in their heart of peace and joy, knowing that what they did those many years ago has been of great benefit to us and our kids. Because it has. We live in a land of peace and plenty, where we have liberty to choose. Our freedom is our greatest blessing. Sometimes we moan and groan of our circumstances, but we are so blessed and have so much. And we OWE so much to those who have fought for our freedom and prosperity. To all those ANZACS and all those affected by the sacrifices of their family in the past, I would like to say THANK YOU….. LEST WE FORGET.
I hope these black and white photographs tell a story and find meaning in your heart
Just a quick preview of some pics from Anzac day 2012. A full blog of images soon. LEST WE FORGET!!!
We photographed this beautiful bridal couple as they celebrated their Wedding day in Sydney with an intimate LDS temple ceremony and a Samoan cultural reception. The album planning was done via skype, to assist with their wedding album changes.
Once the family photographs were completed, the small bridal party chauffeured by the grooms parents had the Bridal portraits photographed, firstly in a vacant field in Campden, then on a beautiful horse property not far around the corner.
The weather and light was stunning and comfortable, with most of the wedding images captured using natural light.
Family and guest attended from many parts of the country including Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. Distinguished guests also journeyed from New Zealand and Samoa.
Even the very impressive Photographer (lol) and his lovely assistant came all the way from Perth. The Bride and Groom later honeymooned in Samoa.
Click below for the the latest Album Review – The current version has 40 double page album spread (80 face page sides) and plans for a metallic acrylic album cover.
Bunbury Family Photography – Incredible session prices
Bunbury family photography sessions are available for south west families. Do you live in the Bunbury region and are you looking at getting that next special family portrait on the wall?
Dezire Studios is renowned for their high quality presentations and family photograph collections.Your family portraits are not just pictures; they are a story of life, love and laughter.
South West home
For many years Dezire Studios was primarily based in Bunbury and serviced the South West region of Western Australia. Each year we offer a little something back to our old South West home.
Portrait photography sessions are normally an hour-and-a-half adventure. They are a very intimate and special experience. Your portrait will be candid and natural and will capture your lifestyle and personality.
Let Western Australia’s premier on location portrait specialist tell your story with a set of beautiful family photographs that you will treasure for your family heritage.
Big Promotion
As a special for Bunbury and surrounding areas, Dezire Studios will be running a special promotion in the beautiful month of April.
Family Portrait session fees will only be $50 (a huge saving from the standard $175 fee). Plus families will receive 30% of our wall print range. Your only commitment is the purchase of either a wall print or family lifestyle album
Book Now
The session fee includes an on location family portrait session and a same week viewing session to choose images for your wall.
Family portrait sessions will be held between the 15th – 17th April 2015. There are 5 sessions available only so book now to avoid disappointment.
Preparing Digital entries for Photography competitions –
Judging digital entries for photography awards can be a complex process. The main reason is for the diversity of art and the subjective viewpoint that can be taken for each an every photograph.
Since being involved in judging photography award I have seen a variety of different elements that can influence the way in which a photograph is judged.
Film V Digital
Early on I saw may film produced photographs presented as a print for judging. This meant that the final presentation including printing choices of paper, colour and even size came into consideration.
The art of printing
Printing is an art in itself and always has been. In this day and age printing has taken on a whole different meaning with so much control moved from the darkroom to the digital darkroom.
Each year when preparing for the professional photography award, countless hours are consumed on fine tuning the final print. Test printing is not just a thing of the past.
Paul Dowe of Paul Dowe Galleries, my close business associate would tirelessly in producing magical print results to match our photography skills. In some way I believe this is the complete photographic process.
A Digital world
Apart from professional photography awards, where most of the entries are printed, most photography competitions call for digital entries. This encourages more entries from participants because of the low overhead cost of producing the final image.
We use digital cameras now and work in a digital darkroom, so it makes sense in many ways for the final presentation to digital too.
Challenges in Judging digital entries.
My personal opinion is that there are some challenges with judging digital images. The first being, that as a judge there is just so many more entries to judge.
Often I am finding that entrants are presenting not only their best work but also images they are not sure of hat they want critiqued for personal feedback. It’s a great way to broaden you skills.
The other challenge for digital entries in photography competitions is the viewing platform.
Photography in a new direction
In professional photography circles, photographic prints are presented under a specific and constant light setting. Photographers work hard to reproduce the most please results to be viewed under those lighting conditions.
Photographs are carefully printed and prepared so that the judge and other viewers can enjoy the image that has been created and compare the image evenly against other entries.
Getting it right for the screen
With digital entries it becomes more difficult to reproduce the image on the viewing screen identically as seen on your screen when editing.
As a Photography judge it becomes more difficult to determine what is correctly exposed, how much detail is actually within the black and whether an image has good tonal range. ( I will share another post on these elements soon).
Keeping with the rules
These elements are an important consideration when judging photographic quality and are just as important as rule of thirds, leading lines and generally good exposures. In it is in the final control and detail that we are able to micro adjust and lift the quality of the photographs we take.
Tools for finer results
Professional photographers and accomplished amateur photographers alike are taking correctly exposed photographs with sound compositions and refining those more precise techniques to present beautifully crafted photographs.
Learning the secrets
Tools like Photoshop are important in the final process. Dezire Studios and Paul Dowe Galleries combine to teach people the finer tips in photography and image making, including the important printing process and preparing digital files for photography competitions (and facebook album galleries too).
You can check out some of our photography workshops and the accompanying critique and training sessions here at Wildlight tours.
My Birthday girl reminds me that families are forever.
I heard some tragic news late last night after I had finished judging a camera club competition. The baby of a friend and previous wedding client had passed away after a very short life. I send my warmest regards to the grieving mother and she sent back to me a beautiful and insightful message. She encouraged me to ‘hold my babies tight” and showed amazing bravery in talking about the peace she would have with her the rest of her life from the small moments her son had been with her.
A parents special role
It made me ponder the special and beautiful role I have as a parent to 3 amazing children, and the sacred responsibility I have in raising them and seeing them become an asset to their owns families in years to come and the community they live in.
Eager to enter the world.
Today is a very special girls birthday. Yes, today is my only daughters 8th Birthday and it has been a long way coming. I think she has been 8 for about 5 or 6 years now. I vividly remember the day she was born, especially because this young lady was in a hurry from the outset. We raced to the hospital and barely had time to get the camera out let alone park the car. In the panic I drove into the wrong hospital and eventually parked in a doctors reserved car park. 15 minutes later we were blessed with our second beautiful child.
Her 1st precious moments of life
Since then it has been a roller coaster ride and a half, with many wonderful and amazing memories. This young princess of ours is hilarious. She has an amazing personality and is fun and adventurous.
Her own comedy show.
Many times she has brought us to tear from laughing so hard. I love her extroverted approach on life. Times like while travelling in Kununurra and staying at a caravan park and I would take all the kids into the toilets to have showers before our day’s activities. Kembry would run up to one of the used cubicles, look underneath and start a conversation with the very embarrassed person using the toilet.
Protective Mother Hen.
She is also very kind and always thinking of everyone especially her brothers. She is a protective mother hen of her little brother, carrying him like he is her own son. And we love the playful games and activities she plays with her handsome older brother. I just love the way they cackle and laugh together so much. It has been a pleasure to travel with them on family and work trips.
So many beautiful memories and even some challenges ( I’m sure when she is a teenager there will be some more too). But today I just want to take some time out to remember my birthday girl and how wonderful families are.
Much more than just a Pinnacles photography workshop, this extended day tour is packed with locations to shoot at all day.
Our first stop for the day is Wedge Island, famous for it’s Cray fishing, tin shacks and pristine beaches. We then head up the coast to Jurien Bay for lunch and some time to shoot in and around Jurien. Next stop is an afternoon shoot at the Pinnacles with plenty of time to explore and shoot. Then to top it all off we will travel south to a large section of sand dunes for a stunning dunes at sunset session.
A follow-up critique session will be held on a separate night for the group to share their images and learn from each other.
Workshop details:
limited to 20 places only
Saturday 16 May 8.00am – 7.30pm (day tour)
Thursday 19 May 7.00pm – 9.30pm (critique session)
Note:Tour cost includes return travel to and from Ellenbrook, morning and afternoon tea, photography tuition and Pinnacles National Park admission fees. Lunch will be at participants expense.
Each Wild Light Photography Tour is prepared and accompanied by multi award winning travel and documentary photographer Brook Desmond and multi award winning landscape photographer Paul Dowe. Their knowledge and experience will be shared and they will both be at your disposal on each tour or workshop and is followed up with a critique session.
Photography competitions are big thing these days. With the massive amount of digital photographs being taken everyday there seems to be an award up for grabs in just about everything.
Photography competitions everywhere.
Not only are there professional photography competitions like the Aipp’s annual Australian Professional Photography awards, each month camera clubs are holding photography competitions and even airlines and magazines are giving away great prizes and awards for the best or most liked photographs.
Top Gear to end your day.
I’m winding down from a pretty big day, munching on some Baklava and watching an old episode of Top Gear. It’s not a bad episode either with Jeremy testing out a Porsche and Mercedes as a getaway car in a duel against a specialist Irish army firing shots at him while driving. For some reason though I feel inspired to write a blog post about photography competitions and how to win photography awards.
Motives for entering photography competitions.
I have been entering photography competitions for quite some time, and it’s a challenge I really enjoy. Of course the challenge brings on nerves and stress even. So why do I enter competitions and why aspire for photography awards?
I really began seriously entering photography competitions after becoming a professional photographer, so some of initial my motives may be different from what they are now.
I was sure that once I started winning awards (if I was good enough) that my professional career as a photographer would rocket and my Photography Studio would book out like crazy.
A Learning curve.
But after my early experiences I discovered that photography competitions were far more valuable than this.
Some of my first print and image entries were not quite on par, so attending these competitions became a great learning tool. I was blessed with viewing hundreds and even thousands of other entries and coming away with a mindful of ideas and inspiration.
I began looking very carefully at images that were judged successful and the components that made these images stand out.
I then took these back to the drawing board of my own imagery and mastered techniques to lift the standard of my competition photographs.
Those awful judges.
After much success mainly within professional photography competitions (Click here for a list of my most recent awards), I have been sought after for judging opportunities, where I can score other photographers prints and provide the all important feedback required to him the photographer improve their ability and standard of photography.
This was what became the most important thing for me in entering photography competitions: the opportunity to hear feedback on my photographs from someone other than my clients, my kids and my mum.
Photography is objective.
Photography is objective and so too are photography competitions – judging is completed by experienced photographers in certain genres of the art or industry. This means that just because a certain judge doesn’t like the image, the photographer isn’t any good. And just because the image is well received, does not mean that there is room for improvement.
Judges in photography competitions often have their preferred style of work. They often are only experienced in certain fields or techniques. I learned very early on when competing for photography awards that I should never take a judges opinion personally or become discouraged because they didn’t like my photograph. Most of the time is a matter of taste.
Tips and tricks.
When I am judging I am photography competitions and looking to hand out awards. There are a certain few things that I look for personally. There are styles that I prefer, that other judges might not prefer. I will blog about tips and tricks to photography competitions and winning photography awards in another blog very soon. Hopefully it will help you out the next time you enter a photography competition.
By the way the Porsche was shot the least in Top gear episode and the Baklava was very yummy.
Silver award winning print from professional photography awards
Come join us on a Penguin island adventure. Its the perfect Photography course for beginners and advanced photographic enthusiasts looking at extending their photography skills and playing with their new digital cameras
Explore the unique island setting of Penguin Island. This tour is for the early riser, and includes an exclusive session on the island from 6.30 – 9.00am for shooting the sunrise and exploring the unique habitat on the island.
Included is a penguin feeding session and unlimited trips to and from the island for the day. Brook and Paul will be on hand to assist and instruct one on one throughout the morning.
A follow-up critique session will be held on a separate night for the group to share their images and learn from each other.
Workshop details:
Saturday 11 April 6.15am – 10.30am (photo walk)
Thursday 16 April 7.00pm – 9.30pm (critique session)
Each Wild Light Photography Tour is prepared and accompanied by multi award winning travel and documentary photographer Brook Desmond and multi award winning landscape photographer Paul Dowe. Their knowledge and experience will be shared and they will both be at your disposal on each tour or workshop and is followed up with a critique session.
What good is there in the West Australian government closing remote communities? Absolutely none!! Closing remote communities is wrong.
What I have come to believe, through my experiences, as a professional travel photographer is that culture is important and difference is ok. My journey through remote communities in outback Australia is no exception.
Photography in remote communities
I’ve got to admit, I have witnessed some wonderful things. I love photography, and I love documenting events and occasions. My lens and camera sensor are the tools that allow me to document and illustrate people’s life stories.
For the most part my camera is used to photograph couples getting married or families having portraits taken for their family history. But often I find myself telling the story of everyday people and their every day life.
Turtle hunters search for food in remote communites
Protesting the foreclosure
In light of this week’s protests against the foreclosure of remote communities, I have decided to share a series of experiences that have led me to personally believe that this is a terrible mistake.
I want to share more of my stories and experiences from my time living in remote communities. I was fortunate enough to document with my camera the lifestyles of these amazing people and this amazing culture that we are still privileged to see living here in Australia.
Photography Exhibition
The photographs I was able to produce from this exploration were exhibited as a body of work at the Australian Professional Photography awards. The reception for the exhibited portfolio was overwhelming. The series of images and photographs were judged and awarded national runner-up photographic album of the year.
Closing remote communities destroys the oldest living culture
Living off the land
For 9 weeks we lived in one of these remote communities in Arnhem Land Northern Territory, which is very similar to the remote communities being closed in Western Australia . Ramingining is about 8 hours from Darwin.
This was a rich and memorable experience for our family, one that we will treasure for many years to come. For me personally it was exposure to the oldest living culture.
My family and I arrived in this remote community with many life experiences. We had previously travelled to countries all over the world and had spent 7 months exploring outback Australia, living in our camper trailer.
Nothing could prepare us for the once in a lifetime experience of living with Yolngu people in East Arnhem Land.
Although we came as complete strangers to this community we were warmly welcomed. The first thing we noticed is that things were different. Remote communities operate completely differently from the mainstream living conditions we had ever lived in or visited.
Was this a bad thing? NO, certainly not! And yes, there were things that we were not prepared for at all.
Families living on remote communities have much to teach modern culture about resourcefulness and hard work
Cultural differences
My personal curiosity really set in and I became determined to discover more about this land and the people that dwelt here. One of the first things we noticed is that our languages were different. However, rather than me making efforts to communicate in their language while in their land, the people graciously made efforts to speak to me in English.
From this point on I made an effort to try to learn some of the basics of their language, and I wanted to experience living the way they did. Of course, I know I wouldn’t be able to fully accomplish this during my short stay, but I wanted to make an authentic and genuine effort towards it.
The more effort I made, the more receptive the people became to me. They were already so happy, friendly and kind, but now they viewed this as an effort to educate me on their culture and their way of living.
Nothing wasted, Nothing taken for granted.
Within the first few days I gained an appreciation for their culture and lifestyle. Here, I discovered a community that were truly grateful for every breath of life they had. Nothing was taken for granted.
Just like my city suburban community, there were problems, some similar and some different. But what was completely different was the people of these remote communities live for life, they all contributed in some way to their family, people and community. They were resourceful and showed gratitude. Gratitude for their land, for their food and for life in general.
Another stolen generation
Why is this radical step being taken in this day and age and with all these years of disastrous failed policies as evidence? What good do we think we are doing for these people in the remote communities? What other problems are we going to open ourselves up for in the future when hindsight proves these policies to be a failure again?
After all, isn’t it owed to the people of these remote communities that they can abide in their original lands according to their tradition, as their forefathers have?
If we refuse to call it an invasion over 200 years ago, what do we call this now?
One thing is for sure, I know that the people making these decisions have never set foot in these remote communities personally. And if they have, their eyes were blindfolded so they have yet to experience the rich and rewarding experience that can await them. No one who has experienced this would ever dream of closing these communities down.
Basketball is a tough sport, and I’m glad to be involved in coaching and developing kids sport. Today I coached my son and his friends school basketball team in a big tournament.
It was nice to take off my professional photographer hat and work with some wonderful young sporting talents. The final of this basketball tournament was played with 3 of our Binar Sports kids representing their schools in a tough and epic battle. (4 Binar sports kids in the Championship grade won their team MVP awards
In the earlier games between these team mates two tight draws had been completed. It all came down to the Grand final and in front of a monsterous crowd these kids put on a epic show.
By full time the scores were again drawn and so the match went into overtime. With the pressure on and with barely anytime to go on the game clock and with scores still level, a sickening and accidental head clash between two rival players (who are friends and team mates outside of school) took place.
The result was a couple of sore heads and for one player a quick trip to the hospital. I’m sure their friendship will always stay the same, and what a great show of sportsmanship form all players, coaches, staff and students involved
The incident came at a critical time with this young key player (My son) having to drop out of the action while his team mates narrowly lost in overtime.
In the end everyone is ok and after a couple of days swelling and a couple of black eyes, this little champion should be back in the thick of things.
.JPG)
Explore the unique island setting of Penguin Island. This tour is for the early riser, and includes an exclusive session on the island from 6.30 – 9.00am for shooting the sunrise and exploring the unique habitat on the island.
