I read somewhere we apparently don’t view photographs as art, we are much more likely to pay for a painting or illustration and put them on our wall instead.  I love art as much as the next person but wonder why we don’t place as much value on photographs, particularly when they have such personal content? Is it because we are in them and are too shy to put ourselves on the wall?  Do we think they will outdate over time?  Are we content to keep all of our memories on our iphones these days?  I hope not!  I’m sure there is truth in all of those things but maybe we just need to start treating our photos more like art – after all, that’s what they are – and along with that think outside the box about how we display them?  I’ve definitely been a bit of a traditionalist in the past and usually printed and framed my photos, but for my last display I wanted to go in a different direction and turn my images into something that was a bit more arty and fun.  What do you think?  Not everyone is going to go for a collage like this, or have the right house for it, but what I love about photography is that there are just SO many different things you can do with it. Definitely have your traditional photos on the wall, they are timeless and always will be, but don’t be scared to mix it up a little and do something different with your images too!  My favourite products at the moment are my images printed on stone and framed in recycled timber.   They are low-energy, eco-friendly, unique, and so beautiful!  Again, maybe not for everyone, but they definitely turn your photos into more of a work of art, and maybe they are the sort of products we need to start thinking about in order to place more value on our images.  I’ll blog about those soon too so everyone can see what they look like.  Anyway, enough rambling – for someone who is a crap writer I hit you with way too many words sometimes, I’m sorry

Has anyone gone outside the box?  Would love to hear about or see what others have done …  Tell me about it here or even better post it to my FB page.  Fi x

PS.  My house is not often that tidy.   In face, I had to photoshop a few cobwebs from the ceiling.  Well I can’t help it if I’m short!

Ooh and by the way, can’t post this without crediting the lovely Laura who took our beautiful family photos last year which I used for the collage.  Love your work Laura!

Sarah & I grew up living next door to each other and doing ballet lessons together from a young age, and lost touch when my family moved to a different suburb when I was about 10 years old. We recently found each other again, and I’ve discovered that Sarah has turned into one of the most talented children’s illustrators around. Her work is just absolutely stunning and she is having her first exhibition which opens next Friday in Diamond Creek (yes, a bit of a drive for all us CBD folks but worth it!). If you can’t make the drive, you can view samples of her work on her website,www.popcornblue.com. I can’t wait to get a few of her prints up on Gus and Poppy’s wall, they are magical!

In my haste to get my last blog post up (it wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t rushing!) I completely forgot to give a shout out to Sally at Little Lulu for being lovely and agreeing to lend me the wooden bed I used in the session below.  I’ve been wanting to use it ever since eyeing it off in her front window months ago and she didn’t hesitate to loan it out when I enquired about using it (nor did she ask for a fee, this blog mention, or anything else). Sally has the cutest shop on Carlisle street and it’s always my first stop when I have to buy a present for someone.  The shop in the image below is for littlies and there is a sister shop next door that stocks all sorts of gorgeous goodies for big kids!  So Sally, you may never even read this post but thank you – I love Little Lulu and I LOVE your props!  Fi x

(Image taken on the Panasonic GF2)

Growing up I was a real tomboy.  Having two older brothers didn’t help.  My mum was always struggling to get me out of my jeans and not much has changed.  On the inside though I’m a sucker for all things pretty. For anyone else that loves pretty things, check out Style Me Pretty.  It’s a great blog from the US which offers endless inspiration and ideas for weddings, whether you’re high end or on a budget.  And if you’re not planning a wedding it’s worth a browse just for all the eye candy (of the wedding detail variety).

Wow, what a month it’s been! I have been busy moving house so the weeks have gotten away from me and I haven’t posted for a while. After five fun years living amongst the trees in leafy North Warrandyte, my family has picked up and moved house to East St Kilda. Whilst I miss the trees, I am loving being back in the inner suburbs, surrounded by great parks, cafes (my caffeine intake has gone up dramatically in the last month!) and people! However I am most excited by the fantastic photography locations I now have at my fingertips such as the beach, parks, and some very cool alleys. There are endless awesome spots which I am dying to get my camera down to! I have a few portraits coming up in the next few weeks where I plan to use some so stay tuned …

I thought this fun shoot was a lovely post to finish on before I go on maternity leave. Yes, for the next few months I’ll be taking a break from shooting to look after a hopefully very well behaved set of twins – yes twins, a boy and girl! – which are due to arrive into my life in 10 days. (I have been madly trying to finish up as many jobs as possible over the last couple of months, thus the lack of recent posts, many apologies!). But stay tuned as I will hopefully have time to blog a few shots in between all the feeding and cleaning I’ll be doing.

Thanks to everyone who has sent me lovely messages and well wishes over recent months. I will still be checking my email and phone messages on a weekly basis while I’m on leave so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have an enquiry or for any other reason, I will respond to you!

Just a quickie to let everyone know that the office will be closed for the next week while I take a short break! I’m back at my desk on the 7th and will respond to all emails/enquiries then. Have a great week!

Welcome to the first post of my new blog! I hope you enjoy what you see here!