"Never work with children or animals"

I must have heard this a thousand times! It's something I have a think about every now and then, because surely it's a special kind of crazy that loves to photograph children being themselves, and if there is a loopy dog or a disainful cat in the mix it's even better? I've had a few days off now, and the luxury of taking the camera out of my hands, along with the daily grind of the business, has meant time to examine what I do, and why. I got into this career by fluke. I'm not someone who's been the photographer-type all my life. I've always loved story-telling, yes, but didn't realise I was going to do it in a visual fashion until relatively recently with the birth of my first child. What I AM completely and utterly passionate about is kids. I don't claim to be an expert in much, but this is truly my life's work.

I remember attempting to understand Morgan when I got home with him as a newborn, falling for the strange but popular notion that they're tiny aliens that we have to 'learn'. Morgan was my best teacher though, and quickly taught me that he was just a tiny, needy and helpless human who needed me, and most of all needed me to be instinctual... and confident about it. I couldn't absorb enough about him and how he would grow, and my love of learning about child development developed from there. I read a few books, then chucked most of them! We never looked back. He is now a gorgeous almost-teenager (thirteen days and counting) and although he has his dirtbag moments, I'm just as excited about the new frontier to explore with him :)

The reason I'm talking about this is that in my world, there is much talk about 'photographic style', 'business models', 'products and pricing' etc, in order to differentiate ourselves from other photographers. That's ok, and I've figured that part out as part of running a business. What I think gets missed sometimes though is that when you hire a children's photographer, fundamentally you will want someone who's great with kids. Someone who knows the developmental milestones to watch for, or be able to recognise a particular cry in a newborn. I've had the great privilege of patting many a baby to sleep, talking endlessly about breastfeeding, putting hair in pigtails, bandaids on knees, seeing first steps and watching as a very proud six year old pulls out a tooth (something I'm sure they know grosses me out!). Even if I was a child psychologist, or perhaps a child-care worker, I wouldn't get to be part of what I am now. I get to be part of all this AND create story-telling images of that child's life for them to treasure long after they're watching their own child's first steps. This really is less about the photography for me, and more about your children.  I think that makes all the difference.

Tomorrow I'm officially back on deck, and it's knowing that I get to go out and create something special with the kids that has me excited. January looks like a load of fun with the Summer Sessions about to start. There are still some places left, but you'll need to be fast. Any time I don't book will be spent with at the beach with my soon to be thirteen and ten year olds. If they'll be seen in public with me...

(and just to prove that there's something to photograph in any mood...some of my old favourites of my boys.) I look forward to seeing you and  your family in 2012.

Simone xo

PS, if you were photographed in 2011, don't forget to check out the last post!

Happy 2012!!

I don't know about any of you, but I'm so glad to see the back of 2011. It was another one of those rollercoaster rides of a year that I won't forget in a hurry! The highlights were working with so many gorgeous families though, and in tribute I've put together a slideshow of my favourites. If you or your family were photographed in 2011 by me, you're in there. Fingers crossed I haven't missed anyone!! Wishing you an amazing 2012. I can't wait to see what this year brings.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dmEOyeoWJw&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Simone xo

Twas the night before Christmas

and the Hanckel household is all still up at 9:30 pm! I think we're all too excited :) I didn't get to organise my Christmas cards this year, every year it gets harder and harder, so I'm adding a photo I took of Morgan and Toby in October. The days are fast approaching that they won't sit still for me ever again, so I make the most of it when I can! This will have to do as a virtual Christmas card :)

As something extra, I wanted to add this gorgeous video that went viral a few weeks back. Anyone who's seen how a portrait sitting goes with children will understand why my mouth was hanging open at the sheer cleverness of this! They're all so gorgeous and co-operative. I'd love to see the out-takes!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWq60oyrHVQ[/youtube]

I want to wish everyone a beautiful and blessed Christmas, and a fantastic 2012. Much love to you all.

Simone xo

Summer Sessions!!

The Summer Holidays are coming! To celebrate my recent win of SA Family Photographer of the Year, I decided to dedicate the whole of January to some fantastic, conceptual Summer Sessions. the details are in the flyer below! Each sitting will be a fantastic experience for your kids, a gorgeous memory of what summer feels like, and the coooolest photo ever. There is nothing like a project and some silliness to get kids involved and having fun. I'm really looking forward to this! So, pick which activity sounds like your family the most, and ring me to book in! Don't forget, gift certificates for this make the perfect Christmas gift :)

Simone xo

2011 AIPP Epson SA Family Photographer of the Year!!

How's that for a mouthful? This last week has been spent helping organise, and participating in the AIPP Epson South Australian Professional Print Awards. In other words, this is our state's big daddy photography awards, and as I'm on the State Council of the SA AIPP, it was a mammoth undertaking. We had a wonderful time, fantastic judges from both Adelaide and interstate, and some incredibly beautiful images up for judging. So, the fantastic news is that I managed to not only score 6 merits out of the 8 images entered (one gold, one silver distinction and four silvers), but I also won the category of SA Family Photographer of the Year. This particular category is only two years old, but was created to recognise those of us who strive to create excellent work, every day for our clients. To be awarded for that is beyond my wildest dreams.

This is the winning portfolio, and I couldn't be prouder. Each image has a gorgeous family, and even more, a gorgeous story behind it. It says it all about how I approach photographing your children, and the real winners are the children who have beautiful portraits of what their childhood looked like.

A huge thanks to the AIPP, especially my fellow members of the SA Council and the esteemed interstate judges. A huge hug and a kiss for every one of my beautiful clients who allow me into their lives to record their family history. It's a privilege and a joy.

Simone xo

A day in the life...

of the divine Charlotte Persia :) I photographed Miss Charlotte when she was born, and I got such a kick out of seeing her up and toddling. Over the course of the sitting I commented that I loved the way we were getting a real sense of what Charlotte's day is like, so she deserves a special blog post to represent that. Life as one year old Charlotte is pretty lovely...

Simone xo

Unguarded

It's been a long time since I photographed my own children with anything other than the phone or point and shoot. They're 12 and 9 now, and having grown up acutely aware of the camera, have decided enough is enough! A new lens meant that I had the excuse to rope them in for a few test shots, but as you can probably tell, they weren't super happy about it... The centre photo is real life around here...the unguarded moment. As always, with any photographs taken around our house, the cat features heavily. From the swishy tail in Morgan's pic, to happily taking centre stage (and all the cuddling he can get) in the middle photo. He's a rubbish model though, being cross-eyed means he's never looking at the camera properly!

A reminder for those who have received the newsletter, that files from all non-current orders are being archived on Sept 30 and will incur a retrieval fee for print orders. There is 30% off any reprints until then, so contact me if there are any images that you've been meaning to purchase!If you aren't getting the newsletter, by the way, you can sign up here.  NEWSLETTER

Simone xo

A passionate career | blog carnival

It's blog carnival time again, and the topic this month is Love and Passion. It seemed obvious..create a post showing how passionately my beautiful families love each other. Easy! However this month's post coincided with something that was about me. A career milestone that I wanted to talk about anyway and one that is the reward of living a life with passion. Last week, with a group of fantastic and talented South Australian photographers, I went to Perth to attend a national conference and the annual awards judging. This year was special, as I was finally able to submit a portfolio to be judged in order to attain my 'Master of Photography' status. It all seemed too daunting though. I had too much on my plate, a newsletter to compose, orders to organise, children to chase around with a camera... but I managed it, pulling together the portfolio of prints required in order to go for my Masters. This process has been a long one, with three years of consistent and nerve wracking print judging, countless prints submitted, a lot of lovely awards along the way and a very healthy understanding of my gifts and failings as a photographer. It wasn't something I could miss to put the final stamp on it all, and of course I'm very glad I did. We had to submit 12 images, and at least 10 of them had to be awarded a silver merit or above. I'm beyond proud to say I did it and can now wear the mantle of Master Photographer with pride :)  Below is a selection of the prints entered, with some of them being amongst my favourites ever.

Making your living out of something you're passionate about can be amazing and enviable (although not without it's challenges!). I get told all the time how blessed I am, and it's very very true. I love nothing more than recording an element of childhood that will forever remind that family of what life with young children was like. It's the most amazing job I can think of, and perfectly tailored to my strengths. My love of interior design, child psychology, art, black and white photography and spending time with lovely people have all converged into this incredible career. I don't take any of this for granted and can't wait to see what the next major goal will bring. My thanks go out to the families that are my inspiration, and without this sounding too much like a cheesy acceptance speech, this is for Maria. One of our last conversations was about how thrilled she was for me about my career, and one of the photos of her and her daughters won an award that contributed to this journey. I know she's cheering me on :)

For the next fantastic photographer in the blog carnival, head to Toronto newborn, baby, maternity and family photographer - Heather Rivlin's blog. I've always loved her pure and beautiful work :)

Simone (Master Photographer! :)  ) xo