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Near the top of my list of yummy-things to eat there is definitely a space for fresh strawberries. Mmmm! So what better place to do some cute portraits than at a strawberry farm?
On Saturday 28th July I will be running a series of mini-sessions for children. The sessions are designed for kids of all ages, from standing toddlers who love to explore through to tweens who love a little adventure. With one week to go, I have four spots booked and two remaining so please email me at maddie @ ettaphotography.com.au if you would like to save one for your cuties! The sessions are $350 each and include a mini album and five digital images of your choice (chosen from your private online gallery). There is also the option of a wintery woodland location (same day) complete with a cute teepee and some vintage chairs.
If you can’t make this date but would love to do a mini session in the future, please email me and I will pop you on the waiting list for the next one. But for now, here are some images from a recent strawberry picking adventure to get you inspired. If you get a chance in the next few months, make sure you take a trip out to the delicious Rolin Strawberry Farm for some beautiful fresh strawberries – nothing better than picking your own straight from the field! Have a wonderful weekend! Maddie
You may have heard through the grapevine, that I won’t be taking any new wedding bookings. Yes it’s true. It was a big decision for me (and sad too – I adore weddings!) but I felt that to go to the next level of growth it was time I needed to choose to either shoot only-weddings or let them go. As much as I want to be able to do it all (and have a young family!) it was time to refocus. So after some deliberation, I have decided to opt out of shooting weddings stories. Sad, but a good choice for my work life balance for 2013. And thankfully, many of the lovely brisbane couples getting married, will also have babies, parties and creative business ventures, so I may be able to meet them anyway!
I still have more weddings to shoot this year which I am very excited about – so you’ll definitely see some of those on the blog soon! But that aside, those who know me well, know that I adore celebrations. So to satisfy my love of a good party, I now have a special package for personal party photography – to capture the story of an event – the atmosphere, the details, the fun (from $400). With all the amazing party ideas on the web these days, more and more people are creating wonderful, unique events and the details and fun times there also deserve to be remembered! So if you’re throwing a party sometime soon – I’d love an invitation to capture the fun! Here is a few shots from a recent first birthday party – good times and one very creative mummy! Have a great weekend! Maddie
If you ask any Brisbane wedding photographer who has been busy this year, I can almost guarantee that they’ve photographed a wedding in the rain in 2012. I’m not sure what it is with weddings and rain this year, but it’s definitely been a wet few months! And on the wedding day of Luke and Leanne, the skies were yet again grey and gloomy with a definite coolness in the air. With an outdoor ceremony (on Leanne’s parent’s property, complete with a wedding arch made by her dad!), an alternative ceremony was not really an option. But although the clouds remained and the mountains around us told of rain falling, we didn’t actually get a drop until the very last moments of sunset just before heading to the reception venue. It was almost as if a giant umbrella was held over the top of the property to keep us all dry. It was truly a beautiful day, full of fun and romance and I LOVED capturing their story in the cloudy, wintery weather (which gave us some beautiful hints of autumn colour!). The happy couple spent their honeymoon in the maldives which would have been awesome (and warm!) and I can’t wait to catch up with them later this month. Congratulations again xx
Please note: I am fully booked for weddings this year and no longer booking weddings from 2013 as I focus on portrait and commercial photography (and more time with my cute family!). If you like what you see in the remaining wedding posts for the year and would love this for your portrait photography, please drop me a line and I’d love to chat x Maddie
Earlier this month I entered several fine art prints into the APPA’s – the Australian Professional Photography Awards – and last weekend they were finally judged. I scored two SILVER awards for the images below – very exciting for me! I had planned to enter the state QPPA awards in February, however in the end I had to let it go due to family and client commitments. But then the national APPA’s approached and it all fell into place, even if it was a little daunting to go straight to the nationals for my first competition! To enter is a fairly big investment in time and money and you never really know just what the judges will like each year. So it’s great to know that my work is rated highly at a national industry level – as well as loved by all the awesome people like you who follow my work! Your kind words and comments are always very appreciated. And a big thank you to my lovely clients Bek and little Elias (and his parents) for allowing me to capture these moments in their lives xx
Tradition says it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day, and that a rainy wedding is great for fertility. So if that’s the case, these two are bound to have an amazing marriage (and lots of children!). On the day of Aaron and Jess’s Brisbane wedding it didn’t stop raining all day. It really was non-stop dreary, drizzle. But the way that these two rolled with the punches, is a true testament to their character and love. To be able to smile in the midst of undesired circumstances is one of the best things you can take into a marriage. Life un-doubtedly throws us many curveballs over time and to be happy, you need to learn how to smile and appreciate what you DO have right where you are. And that’s certainly what they did! Jess had dreamed of sun-filled images, but as we unfortunately didn’t even get ONE ray of sunshine during their wedding day, it’s almost as if Jess took on the role herself. She was just like a ray of sunshine – beautiful, happy and lighthearted and her handsome groom was relaxed and in love with his bride. Together they MADE something that felt like sunshine, and it was a pleasure to capture their day! With these attitudes, their days are sure to be filled with fun times and pretty rainbows (whether real or created!). Here are some of my favourite images from their day – enjoy xx
Ceremony at Broadway Chapel // Location Photography at GoMA and the State Library Grounds // Reception at Victoria Park // Dress from White Lilly Couture Park Road // Bride’s shoes by Alan Pinkus // Suits by Tommy Hillfiger // Rings by John Jacobsen // Hair by Leigh Mostyn Styles of Brendale // Makeup by Embellished Makeup // Bridesmaids by Light in the Box // Flowers by Daniela of Pink & Purple Petals
I have been wanting to share these images for a few weeks now. I’m pleased to introduce you to Ava & Jake – new little twins and an adorable pair at that! I had so much fun capturing them. There was hardly a boo from either the whole time and the session was filled with grins and cuddles between them. You can really sense that they have become little buddies already!! How exciting for their parents to have a boy and a girl, the best of both worlds – and sure to be fun in the years to come. Congratulations again to this beautiful family. Please enjoy below a few of my favourite images – such a happy pair and a beautiful family! I bet it’s a busy house over there at the moment, but I’m also sure when it’s all going great there is double the joy! Maddie x
Lately I’ve had an increase in couple session bookings which has been fun to plan and prepare for. It’s exciting for me to meet new, wonderful couples – there is nothing quite like capturing the loveliness of love. The awesome thing is that this type of shoot doesn’t just have to JUST be for engaged couples. I’ve captured the love of dating couples, couples celebrating their anniversary, special birthday sessions and even simple, private vow renewals.
This engagement shoot session was used as a basis for a creative wedding invitation design, and the styling was pure and simple. It was with my favourite couple models (aka. my sister and her fiance!) and there wasn’t a great deal of planning or props. A boy and a girl in love. A sheet. The sun. And a pretty forest by a river. Simple, sweet love.
When enquiring about couple portrait sessions, I’m often asked what to do or where to go for the shoot and as an added complimentary service to you, if you would like it, I love to offer my suggestions to help make your image collection unique and perfectly about you. I’ll ask you a few questions about yourselves and then I’ll provide you with a fun list of ideas to inspire you as we plan your session. Or as always, you can come to me with your ideas and I’m happy to run with those too! I’m looking forward to sharing more love story images in the next few months. Enjoy.
When I shoot a family portrait, I approach it like I am a ‘fly on the wall’. I want to come on an adventure with your family, where you all just ‘be you’. I want to follow you while you do something fun together. Go to the beach. climb a mountain. Visit the library. It might be a tradition you’ve done for years or it could be a new experience you want to take together. Whatever it is that tells the story of your family, that is what I want to capture for you.
For this cute family, the plan was a sunset picnic in a forest. The talented mummy, Tash of Whimsy Petite Styling created a gorgeous vintage picnic ‘look’ for her family and together they shared afternoon tea, read books and played hide and seek within the forest. It turned out to be a bit of a teddy bears picnic for the girls and they had lots of fun giggling and telling me about their little friends. It was also nice for mum and dad to have some images together too – aren’t they gorgeous?
While this shoot was more of a styled glamourous shoot, you can really take your ideas any way you want to. It can be styled like this one (Tash is available for bookings to plan and style your photo shoots), maybe something adventurous like a mountain hike or it can be even as simple as a morning spent at your place – pikelets, pillow fights and snuggles on the couch with your kids favourite books. The awesome thing about these type of ‘lifestyle’ shoots is that you don’t need to be afraid – because you can pick something that makes you feel relaxed. You can have fun and enjoy the time as this season of life is captured for you (and generations to come). I can’t wait to meet you.
