Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

July 22, 2018

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I have been a little busy lately shooting a range of local restaurants and cafes in Toowoomba for the Cancer Council fundraiser event ‘Toowoomba’s Largest Girls Night In’. Now that is finished I can get back to some personal projects and in the kitchen. This weekend I asked our daughter Amy what should I cook this and she requested Orange and Poppy Seed Cake. I had plenty of oranges and I wanted to shoot on a new plate that I had bought a little while ago but not used as yet. I had intended to shoot it on a new background that I had purchased from another photographer which is a large piece of ply covered in a beautiful blue grey wooden floorboards. But I only just realised as I was starting to write this blog I had totally forgotten this. Oh well more opportunity in the future.

I found this recipe in the Marie Clare edition. This book has never failed me and it is normally very simple to follow. No need for complexity. Just simple goodness.

Radiant Miracles Maternity Shoot

May 27, 2018

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Radiant Miracles Maternity Shoot is for a friend of the family who is soon to have their first bubba and I was pretty chuffed to create some of the images to remember this time in their lives. This gorgeous mumma gives so much to others and it was nice to show her how beautiful and radiant she really was. I do not do strictly maternity shots and I was a little out of my comfort zone, but that is what it is all about…constantly pushing yourself to learn and find other areas of interest.

My whole aim is to show women just how beautiful they are when you can get them to relax and really show me who they are on the inside. We are constantly putting up a face in life. But the ones we love truly get to see us and it is that cheeky smile or glint in the eye which lets me know I have got them. I have managed to find what drives them or where their real passion is.

It is not easy for anyone to let down their guard especially when I am asking them to do things they may not have done ever before. So I take this as a privilege and hold it very a high level of respect. Women have such a stigma about their bodies at the best of times let alone when a little miracle is growing and creating changes to our bodies.

This shoot was also for her partner so we wont be showing all of the images ;). If you like my style by all means let’s have a chat. Maternity Gorgeous bump Read more →

Soy Kaffir and Lime Grilled Salmon

May 26, 2018

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Soy Kaffir and Lime Grilled Salmon

I have been wanting to find a piece of black or gray slate tile or server for a while now. I just love the texture and the way it is unstructured similar to the characteristics of wood. I had seen one in town a couple of weeks back but thought nah I would wait a little. But I went last week and do you think I could find it or even remember where I may have seen it? I was shopping with a friend and said oh well I must just not meant to buy it right now. And blow me down this morning I was having my cup of tea in bed and a garage sale notification came up which was just around the corner and it was arranged by a house stylist and she was clearing out a lot of her items.

So I managed to pick up two small slate servers for $2 each. BARGAIN! So yes my inspiration was peaked and I had been wanting to make up one of my favourite marinades/syrups by Simply Ming cookbook and the authors of Blue Ginger for a while now but had no real reason to. The Soy – Kaffir Lime syrup is simply divine and better yet it calls for me to use my Kaffir lime tree and some of my Tahitian limes.If you have read my other food safaris you will know I love to use parts of our garden as it seems to make the experience so much more rewarding.

So I wanted to have a clean serving of rice so oiled my egg rings and pushed in tightly the cooked rice and then began to make the syrup.

Food Photography is a passion

May 20, 2018

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Food Photography is a passion

Food Photography is a passion that is for sure. To begin a session there is so much prep work. Finding a recipe, buying the ingredients, deciding what props to use and the colour scheme. This is all before deciding on the lighting and the lens.

Today I started a session with the sole purpose of finally prepping some old crates and wooden boxes which I purchased from a swap and sell ad. They are a little worn and tired but I could see the hidden gems.

Everything I have I try to serve a dual purpose. Whether it is a napkin that has two different sides. Or a bowl that can serve as a stand as well. These boxes were not strong enough to serve as a seat or to stand on so I decided to make them multipurpose backdrops. As you can see from the photos below I had fun creating a range of surfaces to hopefully support many future shoots. I did’nt even sand them back or hammer in the loose nails. I thought it added to the rusticness. This first image is of a delicate little box and I think you can just make out the stamping in it. It is an old ETA table margarine with vitamins box. That made me giggle. Margarine with vitamins. The other one is quite a bit bigger. So one side I painted a solid grey blue, one side I oiled and the other a white wash.

Welcome Reuben into the Ross family

April 13, 2018

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Welcome Reuben into the Ross family

I had the fantastic chance to spend some time with Sam and Daniel to help welcome Reuben into the Ross family. This would have to be my first lifestyle newborn family shoot. I had met Sam through Toowoomba’s Mumenpreneurs and asked if she wouldn’t mind me coming in and taking some photos of her new family with the understanding I really didn’t know what I would capture. Being able to go without the stress of a paid client I could relax and just enjoy the pure energy of the home.

I rocked up to their home and was greeted by Zander and Corbin at the front door. They proudly told me they were having their photos taken today and were quite excited. Next I met Daniel who was holding little Reuben and I quickly realised I had forgotten how tiny they were, Sonny and I have two of our own but they are teenagers now. All bundled up and asleep laying on Daniel’s shoulder.

So I quickly got out my camera and it was on! Action stations and moments to capture left right center up down and everywhere. It was so thrilling to run around and keep an eye out for moments. I noticed they had a Staffy named Indie and she was a blue. We have a staffy a chocolate brindle staff and they are just the most loyal dogs and love kids. So we went outside and played with some bubbles. Kids always love bubbles. I love how their little cheeks fill with air and they think the harder they blow the bigger the bubbles. Lol. Even Indie got into the game and jumped everywhere trying to eat the bubbles.

Black & White Rim Light Photography

January 25, 2018

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Sensual Contemplation

Sensual contemplation is how I would sum up my afternoon with the lovely artistic Kiarn. I wanted to test my skills and create some moody yet sensual Black & White Rim Light Photography which was different to my personal style of light and airy or food. Sonny has been doing amazing work out in the field and in the studio whilst on leave however that is for another session.

Basically this is rim lighting and the purpose is to allow the shapes and touches of light escaping around the body to create the outlines and give a suggestion only. We used a range of light modifiers on our strobes to play and craft the light. You will see some are soft and the shadows fall of gradually and in other areas the light is crisp and forms a sharp outline to kiss the body.

Black and White with a 50mm

January 1, 2018

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This will be an ongoing Black and White with a 50mm blog for a while just showing little snippets of our life. So if you would like to stay up to date please use subscribe using the link on the right.

Thank you for joining and being a part of our family through photography.

Australia Day – Highfields Pioneer Village

Sonny and I decided to go to the Australia Day celebrations at the local Highfields Pioneer Village. It is a purely volunteer run tourist attraction where various machines and cars, tractors etc are restored and maintained. They dress up in the period of time which is pretty impressive considering it is January and the temperatures are pretty hot. thousands of people come to see this place once a year and all they ask for is a gold coin donation which is amazing considering what they put on. You can buy woodfired damper and have billy tea.

In keeping with my quest for black and white with a 50mm I took a series of images showing some details. I felt really sad to see these old cars purely a remaining skeleton. I wonder what stories they have to tell. Who drove in them? What journeys did they go on?

Black and White 50mm - Highfields Pioneer Village car in grass

Summer Food Photography

December 31, 2017

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So I said I would have some fun with Summer Food Photography. Oh how I love bright coloured foods I ended up playing with. The clouds were playing havoc with lighting but I got there I think. The coloured placemat does wonders with the watermelon. It makes me feel so much cooler just thinking about a slice of chilled watermelon and juice.This is an image I would find appealing after a workout or a day in the garden.

And how can I not go past using the seasons best berries with some gorgeous cream. I ended up sitting the berries in icy water for a few minutes just before I styled the plate to give that wet dewy look. I really need to get a fine dropper so I can strategically add water drops exactly where I would like. The berries were so juicy and bursting with flavour and yes I did eat the props as my daughter was not up yet to eat it for me.

New styling props create inspiration

December 30, 2017

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I recently started watching a Creative Live online course presented by Food Photographer Andrew Scrivani and instantly wanted to go out and purchase some new props for food photography projects. It was a great time to purchase said items with all the Christmas Day sales.

So off I went with the intent of buying a couple of linen tea towels and napkins. Hmmm that was where I went wrong. Having a set intent. I was doomed to fail in my quest from the start. What I ended up coming home with was some cool finds. Lots of textures and base props. Tomorrow I am hoping to do some food photography to show all these cool pops off. So will have to wait and see.

Toowoomba School Formals

December 28, 2017

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Toowoomba School Formals – This is just the beginning

It was Toowoomba School Formals time and we were asked to capture four beautiful young ladies. What a special time for families to see their young children all grown up and graduating from High School. The anticipation of the future and the what ifs and what nows was electrifying. The beautiful old cars were in someways just as much a factor as were the dresses and the preparation. Toowoomba is very lucky to have such a range of vehicles at their disposal.

Sonny and Kat Photography were privileged to capture these moments for the families to document this momentous milestone in their children’s lives.

Each of these young ladies were all different in character and wanted different themes which is great. As you can see the one in front of the Empire Theatre was a controlled shoot. Believe it or not but we arranged to meet up at 11pm!!! to get this shot. So there was no traffic and it was after the graduation celebrations and just before the after party. There were lights and reflectors going everywhere. It was so much fun to create an art piece. This young couple were both music and art lovers and it was fitting to create this for them.