Newborn Portraits - Mount Waverley Photographer

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For those looking to invest in Ripple, https://changehero.io/buy/xrp offers competitive rates and fast transactions. Visit today to start your investment in one of the leading cryptocurrencies. Last month, in November, I had the pleasure of welcoming Laura back to my studio, this time with husband, Johno and their beautiful baby girl, Lucy, to create a collection of beautiful newborn and family photographs for them.

On the day of their session, Laura had brought in a wreath of flowers from the couples wedding day to be used in Lucy’s portraits as well as a blanket that was gifted to little Lucy from family and Laura’s own romper her mum had kept all these years for Lucy to be photographed wearing.

I’m always thrilled when clients bring meaningful items to include in their photographs. They help add a personal story to their photographs that celebrates the connection they have to the rest of the family. These stories can then be passed on every time these photographs are shared which is so lovely!

We had a great session together and Little Lucy was such an expressive baby as you will see! Happy viewing!

If you’re interested in creating a collection of portraits for your family then please get in touch here. I’d love to hear from you!

Maternity Portraits - Mount Waverley Photographer

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Becoming a Mum for the first time is such a transformational experience.

I had the lovely Monica in the studio recently to capture this incredible moment in time for her as she prepares to welcome her first baby into the world.

We photographed 3 different looks in total with each look designed to celebrate the beauty of motherhood and enhance that gorgeous pregnancy glow!

Here are some kind words from Monica about her experience:

It can be a bit daunting standing in front of a stranger with a camera, let alone with a big belly in tow, but Melissa made me feel comfortable from the get go! She is friendly and professional. She asks your input and but also gives direction which I personally found helpful. She also has beautiful gowns (and floral headpieces) to offer with can take the stress out of finding an outfit. Melissa is an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish, she will beautifully capture this special moment of your life, ensuring a lovely experience overall.

Thank you Monica! It was an absolute pleasure to get to know you and to create these pieces for you to look back on and share with your family.

Congratulations Matt Fregon!

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CONGRATULATIONS to my client Matt Fregon for winning the labour seat in Mount Waverley in this year’s state election!!!!

I first met Matt earlier this year when he contacted me to create photographs for his campaign. #nopressure

I'll admit, I felt a lot of responsibility as photographs can have a HUGE impact on the way someone is perceived. Considering these photographs where going to be one of the ways through which Matt connected with our local community, they had to do their job and do it well.

So before our shoot, I spent time doing some research and looking at a lot of photos of politicians from the past to the present to develop a framework and to help me make choices around my own approach.

I looked at the use of colour, clothing, lighting, posing and expression and developed a bit of a plan on how to capture the look and feel we were going for.

In the end we ended up having two sessions to achieve the results we felt would serve Matt's campaign best and I couldn't be happier with the outcome! It's wonderful to have played a small part in helping someone succeed at achieving their goals and to me, that is what commercial photography is all about!

Congratulations again Matt!

Waverley Reserve Family Portraits - Mount Waverley Photographer

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This shoot was so much fun.  The Fregons are the most lovely people and the children are just gorgeous and full of life.  

I had met Matt a couple of months prior as he had come to me to create some corporate headshots for him.  So, it was lovely to connect again, and meet the rest of the family and capture a collection of family portraits for them.

After visiting their home and helping them choose what to wear, we met at Waverley Reserve in the afternoon just before golden hour.  It's a very beautiful spot with lots of different areas where the kids can run around and still be contained.  Which is very helpful especially when they're full of energy!  Of course this is normal and all part of what makes outdoor family sessions fun.  They're really about family time, connecting with each other, having fun together and getting a bit silly.  I simply try to document that whilst also knowing what the family would like captured.  In this case, Matt said he really wanted a photo with them all together that captured their connection as a family and some individual shots of the children to put on their wall at home. They grow up so fast!

I was really happy I was able to capture these for the Fregons.  It's often difficult for parents to capture photographs of their children where they're not pulling a face!  I always like to capture a mix of classic and candid shots because it's nice to have both.  One that's full of that person's unique expression and one where you can see their soul shining out of their eyes.

Thanks for reading and if you would like me to create a collection for your family, please get in touch here.

 

Modern Studio Portraits - Mount Waverley Photographer

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A couple of weeks ago I received a call from Tracy's Dad enquiring about creating a portfolio for his daughter, Tracy.  He told me she is an aspiring actress with her eyes set on becoming a film star overseas and that she is in need of photographs for her portfolio.  Wow!  I was excited to hear this year twelve girl had such a big dream.  

I'm big believer in dreaming big.  Life is a gift and it's important to make the most of it!!!

After meeting to consult about the finer details of our session such as wardrobe and hair and makeup we booked the session.  I then consulted with one of my makeup artists, Andrea Takagi, about the looks I wanted to create for Tracy and created a session plan.

For Tracy, I really wanted to create a range of looks that showcased her beauty and personality.  We started with a natural daytime look and then gradually progressed to an evening/ red carpet style.  I have a small (but growing!) studio wardrobe that my clients are welcome to use for their shoot should they not have anything appropriate.  I tend to encourage my clients to use my studio wardrobe because often wardrobe can really help bring out something in a person that they are not aware of or can't see in themselves.  As a visual person I'm often filled with ideas of how best to photograph someone and wardrobe choice plays into that a lot.  This is why a pre-session consultation is always necessary to achieve the best results.

Our session went so well!  Tracy's parents came along and we had a lot of fun together.  Tracy has such a gorgeous energy and after a few minutes I could see was really enjoying the process.  It's very natural for clients to feel a little nervous in the beginning but a big part of my job is putting them at ease and guiding them through each pose so they have nothing to think about and can just have fun.

Their final product ordered was a folio box of matted photographs along with the corresponding digital negatives.  I'll add a photo when they arrive!

If you would like to create a collection of beautiful modern photographs for your home or as a keepsake, then please get in touch with me here.  I'd love to hear from you!

Ruffey Lake Park Family Portraits - Mount Waverley Photographer

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Ahh Autumn!  My favourite season.  The light and colours are just magical and perfect for golden hour family sessions.  Meet Kevin, Esther and their gorgeous son, Titus.  I met this beautiful family when they contacted me about a family session.  During our consult Esther said she liked the idea of doing a session at their local park where they often go to spend time as a family.  

I am always very enthusiastic about incorporating as many meaningful elements into my shoot as I can.  Even though I wasn't familiar with Ruffey Lake Park, I was more than happy to photograph our session there.  I did a little recon trip after our consult and absolutely fell in love with the place!  There was no shortage of picturesque locations within the Park for our session.  The hard part was picking a handful of spots within walking distance of each other.  I like to keep my sessions at around the 1 hour mark especially with toddlers as they tend to get tired towards the end and need a change of scene.  I have two little bosses- I mean young children myself so I totally get it!  It's also why preparation is key.  I always have a shot list in my head prepared from the get go to ensure we capture some amazing photographs of everyone in case "little bosses" decide they no longer want to play or need a break.  Having said that, I love capturing the full range of children's emotions and I won't shy away from photographing tears as these are just as beautiful in my eyes as a child's smile.  A child's tears often prompts Mum or Dad to get close to give comfort and that is another beautiful moment to capture.

My session with Esther, Kevin and Titus was a lot of fun.  The weather was perfect too!  A week later they came by to my studio for their design and order appointment and it was so satisfying for me to hear their "oohs" and "ahhs" during their slide show.  There is no better feeling than creating something for someone that means so much to them and that will play an important role in documenting their family's story for years to come.

If you'd like to chat to me about photographing your family then please get in touch here or give me a call on 0417 909 161.  I'd love to hear from you!

Personal Branding Photography - Mount Waverley Photographer

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What is Personal Branding Photography?  

They are custom designed photos that convey your business style and values and help you reach your people through your website and online social channels.

You only get to make a first impression once, right?  So, it's important to not only make it a good one but to make it count.

Part of that is having confidence in your image and knowing there is 100% congruency with who you are in life and in business.  Personal Branding photography is all about helping you do exactly this.

These are the photos from my shoot with the inimitable Sharon Pakir.  Entrepreneur extraordinaire, business coach, speaker, dancer, mother and wife of 2.  Sharon is about to launch her new website and came to me for photography.

After speaking with Sharon to gain an understanding of her business and goals, I worked with a wardrobe stylist and hair and makeup artist to create a series of looks that captured Sharon's energy, strength, authenticity and leadership skills.  In other words, Sharon's personal brand.

Every detail was taken care of.   Justina, from Beyond Styling, visited Sharon at home to help put together each outfit from Sharon's own wardrobe for the shoot.  I scouted suitable locations that conveyed the look and feel we were after and Lyna from Makeup by Lyna was briefed along the way so she could match Sharon's hair and makeup to suit.  

The shoot itself was a lot of fun.  I'm a huge believer in preparation so that come the day of the shoot, we can all relax and have fun, enjoy the experience and get what we need without stress. 

And here are the results!  As the photographer, I am super happy with what we created and more importantly that Sharon loved her collection of photographs.

If you're someone who feels like your photos aren't really saying what you want them to about your personal brand and you're not sure what to do, then please get in touch here.

My team and I will help you create a collection of photographs that speak your brand and that you will love.

Product and Website Photography for P.E.T.A Pocket

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I love working with entrepreneurs.  There is usually an incredible story behind their business and they often have a very clear vision of where they want to take it.   The products or services they offer are also really unique and so it's exciting for me to learn about them and then create images that showcase them best.  

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet Peta, the woman who created the Personal Easy To Access (P.E.T.A) Pocket.  This pocket is designed to fit on crutches and carry your personals.  How genius.  As someone who was briefly on crutches once, how come no one had invented this until now???  Anyway, thanks to Peta anyone who finds themselves on crutches can maintain some of their independence by having a place to put their mobile phone, water bottle etc.  People on crutches everywhere, rejoice!

As you can imagine the story behind this product came about because Peta herself ended up on crutches after breaking her leg on a ski trip.  Ouch!  With her husband at work all day and kids in school, she found it hard to move around the house unassisted while she recovered.  She felt vulnerable not having her mobile phone with her in case she fell and needed to call someone for help.  If only her crutch had a little pocket to put her personals in...

Fast forward a year later, Peta is walking again and her amazing  invention is ready for the market!  With the website almost complete Peta called me because she needed quality professional photographs of her product to populate the business' website and social media accounts as well as for printed brochures.

I created a shoot plan with Peta over lunch after discussing some of her business' marketing strategies and coming up with ideas that would help showcase and sell the product.   Peta was very happy with my suggestions and so we booked the session in and spent a fun morning creating a collection of product photographs in my home based studio a week later.  

Now that her business' website is live, I'm thrilled to be able to share some of the images created for it.  I'm also excited to follow this story and look forward to seeing Peta's business grow!

If you are in business and need professional photographs for your website including headshots, then please get in touch here.  I'd love to learn about your business.

Brimbank Park Family Portraits - Mount Waverley Photographer

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Hello and welcome to my first blog post about one of my most recent sessions!  Meet Lex, Tim and their gorgeous fur-baby Frankie. 

Lex, contacted me a couple of months ago after I had put the word out that I'd started doing family portraits.  She tentatively asked me if I would photograph her family even though she and her partner Tim, had a fur child and not a human child.  My response was of course...YES!  

Pets are family as far as I'm concerned.  They teach us so much about unconditional love and can turn any bad day into a good one with their unwavering loyalty that they absolutely deserve to be in family photos.

We organised a day and time for a consultation or meet and greet.  I always like to meet my clients in person beforehand.  This gives us both the opportunity to have a chat and get to know each other.  It also helps me understand the purpose behind the shoot, the style and feel we are going for and also how they would like their photographs presented whether it be a collection of matted prints in a folio box, wall art or album.  In this case Lex and Tim were interested in loose matted prints that could be kept and framed later.

For style and feel Lex and Tim wanted natural, candid photographs that captured the essence of their family.  I found out during our chat that they love taking Frankie for walks nearby at Brimbank Park.  My mind immediately started firing with ideas around this so I suggested we do their shoot there.  We then chatted about wardrobe and then set a date! 

Given I live in Mount Waverley,  I wasn't familiar with Brimbank Park at all.  So, shortly after our consultation I drove there to have a look around and find the perfect area for our session.  WOW.  I had no idea it was so HUGE!  After roaming around I eventually did find a spot where the light and background would be just right for the style and feel we were after and where it wouldn't be too crowded with other people.

We had so much fun during our session that the time just flew by!   I did have a bit of a plan going into it based on what had been discussed and what I was going for.   Essentially, I just walked the family through a series of what I call 'scenes' and captured moments as they unfolded naturally whilst still creating photographs that have an artistic/painterly feel to them.  

And here they are!   These are the photographs that Lex, Tim and Frankie loved and have chosen to be printed.

Enjoy!

 

Would you like a family portrait session of your own?  I would love to hear from you!  

Please get in touch by contacting me here.