Porscha the Explorer

Every age has it's gorgeousness. Newborns are soft, flakey little bundles of divine, 9 month olds are gummy, drooly, sociable and smiley, and a toddlers are utter explorers. Porscha was no exception, and she covered every inch of this park that she could! This age is about their new, exciting, freedom-filled world! I loved chasing Porscha (and Bailey!) around, and capturing her as she got to just run and run. Ok....toddle which is even better, those little toddly legs are super cute.

Happy 1st Birthday Porscha!!

Simone xo

Through the Looking Glass - update

Well!! After a fantastic shout-out in Adelaide Matters last week, the response to my book project has been overwhelming. I've done nothing but answer phone calls and emails for the last week, and as such, now have above and beyond enough families for the book. It's been wonderful seeing how many people are this passionate about their town, and the ideas that have been shared have been so inspiring. I'm going to have a ball photographing them all.

Thanks so much for the astounding enthusiasm and support, and for those that missed out, stay tuned...in planning this book, a few ideas have planted seeds and more books may be in store. All of this is a dream come true, I always wanted to have a book with my name on it!

Simone xo

Introducing Charlotte Persia

isn't her name divine? I was warned that Charlotte is feisty (love a girl with spirit!) but she made a complete liar out of her parents and practically performed for the camera.  Such a clever girl, and just so beautiful. I hope you enjoy Charlotte's modelling debut, I think she has a career ahead of her...

xo Simone

Marcela and Isabel

and I hope I've spelt their names correctly!! I recently had the immense pleasure of photographing these beauties when I was in Sydney recently. They're so beautiful, and so different! Isabel is the teeny, fine featured one, and Marcella was the bigger (slightly!), more rounded sweetie with big pouty lips. They did an amazing job of being photographed, it's a lot to ask when you're 9 days old, and we managed to get some incredible images to remember them when they're so fresh and new.

and check out the sibling rivalry already. Of course Isabel hadn't really just decked Marcela, but it's funny nevertheless!

Much love to you all, and kisses for your baby girls.

Simone

It's nearly Mother's Day

and I want to send my love to all of the mums out there that I've met, photographed and spent hours with, enjoying their children. To all of you that became mothers for the first time this year, those who expanded their hearts to add another baby and those of us who are in the thick of motherhood and enjoying their beautiful family...Happy Mother's Day. I hope you're treated like a queen, kissed and cuddled within an inch of your lives, and that you get time to pause and appreciate what you've created. Simone xo

Through the Looking Glass

I'm excited to announce a really special project. It's been rattling around my head for a while to do a book on what it's like to be a child in Adelaide. A selection of the memories and locations that are iconically South Australian. This book will explore what makes an Adelaide childhood unique, from apple picking in the Hills, to swinging on a Hills Hoist, to a milkshake in the Central Markets. We'll be shooting very conceptually, with a nostalgic feel (hence the title!) so the families that come onboard with the project will be contributing some ideas that they felt were part of their own youth. We'll be discovering our town through the eyes of the children, and creating images with an iconic and emotive feel. The book will be an amazing piece of art in itself, and the plan is to launch the project with an exhibition of the individual images at my studio/gallery.

How to be involved? Call the studio to arrange your sitting and we'll start planning a shoot that will suit the project, and incorporate some of your own stories. Our standard sitting fees apply, and for participating you will receive a limited edition copy of the book (and my undying love and affection!).

I look forward to hearing about those things that make you feel like a kid, and being inspired.

Simone xo

Announcing a really special competition...

which is a bit of a first! It's autumn...finally! Hands down, it's my favourite time of the year and I want to shake things up a bit. I'm always on the look out for new locations, so I can keep things unique and interesting, and realise that a lot of you would have special little places that you love, that might be the perfect backdrop for your family portraits. It might be the a park, somewhere you love to go walking, or a place that you've been meaning to visit. It doesn't have to be somewhere grand though, you'd be surprised how the small, out of the way places can lend themselves to amazing works of art. One of my favourite locations is along the side of the road in the Hills! Please keep in mind, some of the beautiful places around Adelaide, such as Carrick Hill, charge fees for photography in their grounds, and others are private property that need specific permission. Avoiding such places, no matter how fantastic, is preferable. Unless you have special access of course! Locations that are within the Adelaide Metro, or immediate Adelaide Hills are preferred. Not only for the travel time and expense, but also for the fact that small children don't handle a long car ride, then an active photo shoot all that well.

So, here's the competition. Inspire me with somewhere really cool and tell me why it means something to you, and you could win

One Location Sitting and a 16x20 inch Signature Print, valued at an amazing $925.

The best three responses will win, and also feature in my winter studio window display.

Entries are to be in before midnight on Friday, March 26th, and I'll contact the winner via email. You can add your entry here in the comments, email me at simone@simonehanckel.com.au (put 'Location Competition' in the header), or join the Facebook page, and comment there. Don't forget to add an email address.

The fine print! Bookings will need to be held before April 30th, and are limited to one individual family group (no extended families). Prize is not transferrable to cash, or product substitution. Normal booking conditions apply. Locations must be within Adelaide metro area and immediate Adelaide Hills.