Carly's Maternity Portrait ~ 37 weeks and counting!

Our gorgeous Carly is expecting a little sister for Harrison in just two weeks - I wonder if we'll get a Christmas baby! 

Her final week at work just went by, but not before we spent a little time with the whole family capturing them together, looking forward to what's about to come. 

We're going to miss Carly's smiling face at the studio while she takes her maternity leave, but we're so excited to meet the new addition to the family! 

Enjoy your break Carly, but don't get too used to it, we need you back ;-)

Alisha's Family Portrait Session

Fun in a Wildflower Meadow

As a photographer it's always interesting travelling to different places. The light behaves so differently from one place to another and of course the scenery changes too. Out on a portrait session at Folly Farm in the UK we came across this lovely wildflower meadow, and even though it was the middle of the day the rainy skies made for some gorgeous memories x

Business Branding Portrait - Nick's Lifestyle Coaching

It's a lesser known fact that while we are not full tilt during wedding season we also offer Business Branding Portraits to help businesses of all types put their best selves out there into the world. 

Marketing experts these days tell you that to be successful in business you need to make a personal connection with your potential clients, and in today's age of social media with people scrolling through literally tonnes of information a day, it's hard to stand out. 

Yes, millions of images exist online so you can pay a small fee for stock photography to fill your website and social media profiles with. But do generic images of things that relate to your business really help you stand out? Or would you be better off putting a little time and effort into creating your own library of images so that people who connect with your brand actually see you and your business?

Or perhaps you can just get by taking your own photos? Maybe you can, but it's worth remembering that your photos represent your business, and low quality imagery will communicate the same about your business. 

If you're not sure if representing your brand visually in the best way possible is so important, just check out this article, it sums it up pretty well:

https://www.mannixmarketing.com/blog/5-reasons-every-business-needs-professional-photos/

Last week we had the pleasure of getting to know Nick who is interested in becoming a Lifestyle Coach. An ex-body builder he leads a healthy lifestyle inspired by positive thinking and a love of the outdoors, and his dream is to follow his passion and help others do the same. After a planning session together to storyboard ideas and visualise what he wanted his future brand to look like, we went out and captured a library of images for him to use when he starts up to really show people what he and his business are all about and build trust in his brand right from the word go.

Every time we create a branding portrait we capture a range of images that can be used across different platforms and are versatile in the ways they can be displayed - from website banners to profile pictures, abstract ideas and traditional print media layouts there are so many ways we need to visually communicate these days, so we make sure our clients have the ability to easily do that. 

We can plan sessions in many different ways...business portraits are not reserved just for big business with big budgets, we can create great looking images anywhere. 

Here are just a few of the images we captured for Nick's own personal stock library...with this gallery of images at his fingertips we just know he'll be a Lifestyle Coach that motivates us all to get out and get healthy!

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If you'd like us to create a better image of your brand simply get in touch to find out how!

E mail us at studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au or call us on 08 9791 4226 and we will be in touch.

~

Apples are not Apples... Why You Should be Asking your Photographer for more than just Digital Files

So we're living in a digital age and our cameras capture digital images that we can print time and time again. With just a few clicks we can send our digital images across the interweb and create all kinds of cool things - huge canvas wall pieces, photobooks, wallet prints for grandma, the sky's the limit - and that rocks!

But as professional photographers we struggle with handing over digital files to our clients, and here's why...

We invest a lot of time and money into colour managing our work, buying professional equipment and educating ourselves so that we can be sure that the final products we create look exactly the same as the images we see and edit on our screens. You might think that's a given, but in reality it's not. We use specialist equipment to regularly calibrate our computer screens to make sure they display colour and brightness correctly, we invest in top spec professional photographic printers and set up specific profiles for them on our computers so that they work together perfectly, and we even adjust our settings depending on the paper we print each image on. 

When you order prints and products from local retailers or online, it is not often that they will have a professional photographic workflow, and so the results will often leave you disappointed. 

We decided to try a little experiment and see just how much difference there would be printing the same image at several different places. We printed this image from one of our recent newborn sessions on our colour-managed printer here at the studio, and then also sent it out to 4 local photo print retailers. We knew there was going to be a difference but when we got the prints back even we were shocked at just how different they were! 

This example shows you a completely unedited photo that we took of two of the prints - one printed by us and the other at one of the local retailers (and just in case you're wondering the other retail prints looked pretty much the same as this example).

When you invest time and money into having your special memories captured by a professional photographer and then only take away the digital files to print yourself, you're leaving the final result completely to chance and will often be disappointed in the prints you get back - you only have to look at this example to see it.

That's why we are passionate about printing all our images for our clients and why we invest so much in colour management to ensure our prints always look exactly as we expect them to. We simply want you to have the most beautiful possible memories to keep forever, and we don't want all the hard work we've put in to creating that for you to be wasted on a inferior quality print x

Baby Eli ~ Bunbury Newborn Photography

Today we were lucky to have 11 day old baby Eli come in to the studio for a Simply Studio Session. Usually in thirty minutes we capture some beautiful candid photos of bub just doing their thing, but Eli slept from start to finish and posed like a pro for us the whole way through. 

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We photograph beautiful babies of all ages at our studio or in your home. Check out our maternity and newborn services and pricing here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

One dog and his humans - Darlene, Ben and Baron

When you're the kind of couple who just like to relax at home together, you can just ask us to come to you and we'll capture exactly that! 

Often we're out exploring little known corners of the beautiful southwest on our photoshoots, but there was something really nice and personal about just hanging out at Darlene, Ben and Baron's place one afternoon. 

That dog sure does love playing ball! :-D

Wish Upon A Star

We are so in love with this year's Christmas set at the studio. The stars and baubles look amazing and they're interactive so the kids are having lots of fun!

Hannah had a good time and we think you'll all agree she's just a little bit gorgeous :-)

Not many sleeps left until Christmas now so if you want to have some fun in our starry Christmas set get in touch now to book your Christmas mini session!

You can check out all the details here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/christmas

Harry & Oscar ~ Bunbury Baby (+ Puppy Dog) Portrait

I have to admit I get super excited when my clients ask me if they can bring their pets along to their photoshoot. Those that know me know that I was a vet practice manager before my photography life, and that I love animals of all species, shapes and sizes. To me, our pets are part of the family, so it's only natural that they would feature in a family photoshoot. 

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of a visit from 5 week old Harry and his proud older "brother" Oscar for a newborn portrait. Five weeks is technically (to us photographers anyway) beyond newborn age. By this stage our beautiful babies have already started stretching out and are much more inquisitive about the world around them and less inclined to sleep. So we don't capture as many of those posed, curled up sleeping newborn shots, but in their place we get to capture lots of bright eyed gorgeousness - just check out the many faces of Harry - what a little personality!

Jo x

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If you're having a baby and you love the beautiful memories we created for baby Harry and his family, find out more about our newborn photography here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

All newborn portrait bookings receive a mini maternity shoot as our special gift from us, so that you can really cherish this special time in your life. We hope to see you and your new baby soon <3

Renae & Luke ~ Bunbury Engagement Portrait

Tomorrow we have the absolute pleasure of capturing Renae and Luke's Big Day in Busselton, so to get the celebrations started we wanted to share some of the lovely moments we captured at their engagement portrait here in Bunbury a few months back. 

Bring on tomorrow - can't wait! :-D

Xx

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Did you know we can use the moments we capture in your engagement portrait to add beautifully personal touches to your wedding day?

We can create unique products just for you from Save The Date Cards to guest books and signing frames, all you need to do is add an engagement portrait to your wedding package:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/weddings

Noah, Meg, Kate & the folks! ~ Bunbury Family Portrait Photography

We know that lots of people like to hide inside during winter and wait for warmer weather, but the southwest really does offer up some gorgeous winter light on a nice day, and if you're brave enough you'll be rewarded with some beautiful family portraits! 

It took us a little while to finally get out with Darren, Danielle and their three gorgeous kids. Between sports, camps, FIFO rosters, moving home and a new business it was tough to find a day that everyone could be there, but we persevered and eventually Lisa and the family spent a chilly but lovely winter's evening creating some special family memories together, which was well worth the effort!  

A few weeks later they now have some amazing aluminium wall art proudly hanging at home, to be enjoyed for a lifetime - just as it should be! 

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Stop making excuses for not booking that family portrait you've been wanting to do for years. How many of your children's years have you missed because you keep putting it off? Make the time to make the memories - we promise it will be worth it in the end!

Click the link below to check out our family portraits and get in touch to book the perfect session for your family:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/kids

Silver at the AIPP National Photography Awards!

Following this year's success at the WA State AIPP Professional Photography Awards (check out the details in my blog post about it HERE), I somehow managed to find the time to enter some images into into the national awards, which were judged in Melbourne last weekend. 

I'm very happy to say that I came away with silver awards for these two images that I hold very close to my heart. It's lovely to be among such esteemed company as the very best photographers Australia has to offer and achieve awards at this level. 

Thanks to my gorgeous clients who allow me to get a real insight into who they are so that I can create special images like these.

Jo x

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If you're interested in photography check out some of the mindblowing work featured at this year's awards here: 

http://www.aippappa.com/appa-2016/2016-aipp-appa-category-winners

And if you're really keen you can even watch the judging here:

http://www.aippappa.com/appa-2016/2016-livestream

Enjoy x

Courtney, Ashley, Rusty & Sophie ~ Bunbury Maternity & Newborn Portrait

When Courtney got in touch to enquire about booking a maternity and newborn portrait I got a little bit excited. I always love newborn baby cuddles, but when Courtney let me know about her fur baby Rusty and how she wanted to include him in the sessions I was over the moon. I'm a self confessed crazy dog lady and in our house our dogs are part of the family, so I love when clients feel the same way I do and they get to be part of the amazing things that happen in our lives.  

Not only did we have Rusty joining us on both shoots, but when it was time for the newborn session baby Sophie's nan, aunts and uncle also joined us. It was an epic session with so many people plus a pet (who behaved perfectly by the way ;-)), and a gorgeous baby girl who fought sleep at every moment, but never shying away from a challenge I kept shooting and captured some very special memories of a proud new family. 

Oh, and if you're wondering why Sophie is sleeping surrounded by a tool belt - well daddy's a chippie of course ;-)

Enjoy the gallery, and remember that if there's anything different you'd like to do for your next photoshoot just ask - we are always happy to create the kind of memories that have the most meaning to you! 

Jo x

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Find out more about our maternity and newborn portraits here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

The Hart Family ~ Bunbury Lifestyle Newborn Portrait

We just love capturing the first days of a newborn baby in their own home with their family around them. Lifestyle sessions are a great choice for families who want to capture relaxed, natural moments of family life, and for newborn sessions they are especially great when there are other young children involved, because little ones tend to be more comfortable in their own environment and not overwhelmed or over excited like they can be with a visit to the studio. 

When Tam called us to book a family session to celebrate their gorgeous new addition to the family, the plan was for a studio shoot because they are living in a rental and so they didn't want a shoot that featured their "home", but after having a chat we decided that a lifestyle session would work best for them and give them the type of images that they really wanted... we would just make sure that we focused on them and their home styling, rather than the house they were all in ;-) 

She warned me that her two year old daughter Grace might not be very cooperative and it's true she was a little shy when I first arrived at their home, but a quick game of hide and seek and some bonding over Nemo soon changed that and Grace couldn't have been a more perfect model for the morning.

Being an "outsider" noticing all the little details that you live with every day, us photographers sometimes find little gems that you might not think of too, so being in your home can enable us to capture more personal images with meaning, like capturing little Eve with the toy cat that her sister Grace gave her as a birth gift - the cat is the same size as her now but it won't take long before she's running around the house with it making it look ever smaller as she grows <3

Such a lovely family who gave me the privilege of sharing in this special time with them, this one has to be up there with my favourite shoots of the year so far :-)

Jo x

If you're expecting a baby and you'd like to chat to us about how you can perfectly capture their arrival, just check out our maternity and newborn portrait page HERE and get in touch!

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

WA Family Photographer of the Year Finalist!

Last month I entered the WA AIPP Professional Photography Awards for the first time ever, at the behest of a good friend. I have always been a proud member of the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography), because in an industry that doesn't require a licence to practice, I believe it's important to be part of a professional body like this that holds its members accountable and gives consumers the confidence in booking a photographer who they know will be experienced, technically excellent and professional in their business practices as long as they book a pro who is AIPP accredited (to find out more about what it means to be an AIPP Accredited Photographer click here: http://aipp.com.au/about/what-is-an-accredited-professional-photographer).

So the annual AIPP Awards are in essence the pinnacle of Australian Professional Photography. Every year photographers enter images for judging by their peers, creating a great space to develop and grow as creatives. I had never entered before because the awards require a lot of time, which with a busy studio to run and two under 5's in my house is not something I have going spare. But this year I decided to get involved, and I entered the Family Category.

Let me tell you it was such a great experience and I'm so glad I took part. I travelled up to Perth to watch the judging (which is open to the public so if you are interested in photography I would highly recommend going and seeing the hugely inspiring work being created by photographers in this state) and I am very happy to say that I was awarded three Silver Awards and was a Finalist (which puts me in the top three!) for WA Family Photographer of the Year!

You can check out all the winners and their amazing work here:

http://stateawards.aipp.com.au/WA/2016-WA-awards

I'm feeling very inspired after seeing such talented work, and I look forward to thinking outside the box to create some more unique and inspiring work myself in the year to come.

Here are my Award Winning Images for 2016 with the story of each one, which all have a special place in my heart so I'm very glad to see them do well. 

If you'd like to feature in your own award winning image, book your portrait with us and let's see what we can create together. Just give us a call on 08 9791 4226 or e mail studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au to book your session now!

Jo x

About this image: This image features the gorgeous Carli and Shae, who's wedding we photographed last year. When they came to meet with me about their Big Day they asked if we could forego the engagement session we usually include in our wedding pakcages, and do an underwater trash the dress shoot instead, as they have lived their whole lives in and on the water and it would have special meaning for them. So we planned and prepared and I spent an afternoon in scuba gear (with my lovely assistant Bianca) at the end of Busselton jetty and this is what we got, which I was super happy with. Evidently lots of other people liked it too as it went viral and was published around the world! I'm absolutely stoked my fellow professionals also recognise it as an award winning image, and I hope it will be the start of a new journey to always challenge myself and be up for doing something different!

About this image: This has to have been one of my very favourite shoots of all time. All those who know me know I'm a crazy dog lady, and Jasper and Gallifrey are just the most fantastic dogs! We had lots of fun in the studio creating some amazing art, and this shot was actually an out take that I just fell in love with. I mean who ever gets a photo of one dog poking her tongue out at another? ;-)

About this image: Recently a client and friend called and asked if I could take some family photos for them. Her father-in-law was not well and they were expecting Ray to only have a few months left with them. So I fit them in to a busy day of shooting and took lots of photos with the family all together. As I was leaving I noticed how many photos of his family he had in his home, so I asked him to sit in his chair amongst his loved ones and captured this shot. I'm so proud that this has achieved a Silver Award at the State Professional Photography Awards. This Award is to honour Ray who sadly passed away just a week after the shoot, and I'm very happy to have been able to capture these memories for his family before it was too late.

New Studio Backdrop!

This week we added a gorgeous new backdrop to our collection at the studio so I couldn't resist giving it a quick test with my girls. I just love how these shots sum them up, Erin the gentle soul and nurturing big sister, and Eve my blue eyed cheeky mistress. They really love each other to bits which makes my heart melt, I hope it stays that way! <3

I’m loving the new backdrop too, it’s a gorgeous wheat colour with lots of depth and just helps to create a really beautiful soft look. 

Whenever I take photos of my girls I look at them in awe of just how fast they're growing up. If you've got kids and you haven't updated your photos recently why not take advantage of our Simply Studio Sessions. Just $75 for a midweek 30 minute studio photoshoot including a gorgeous 8x12" print, and as if that's not enough from now until September our friends at Southern Picture Framers will even frame it for you!

Book your session with us and have WA's Family Photographer of the Year finalist capture the different stages of your children's lives. We have lots of beautiful backdrops to choose from for a look you'll love, and plenty of experience with kids of all ages to make sure you have a great time :-)

Simply call us on 9791 4226 or e mail studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au to book

 

Baby Alessandra - 13 days new

Thanks to our joint promotion with Body Firming and Beauty, Kelly and Paul brought their gorgeous baby girl Alessandra to see us for a newborn shoot to capture her early days. She was such a beautiful baby and the session went like an absolute dream :-) 

It was especially lovely to be able to create some memories for her family, many of whom are overseas. At 13 days old she was so alert, with bright shining eyes checking out the world around her. Kelly and Paul were also doing super well as new parents and their relaxed approach was definitely rubbing off on their baby girl, she was just so happy to be here!

We have lots of gorgeous blankets, headbands and props at the studio and we are in our element when we can just use them subtly to style our images while always keeping focus on making baby the star. It never ceases to amaze us how different all babies are, even from day dot. They are full of personality and we love getting to know them and all the little idiosyncrasies that make them unique, those are the memories we really love to capture!

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When you book a newborn portrait with us it's up to you if you want to leave it to us to style and create some gorgeous memories for you at our studio, or spend time planning the details with us and get us to come to your home or somewhere special. Just check out the options and pricing here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

Newborn portraits are ideally booked within the first ten day's of bub's arrival so just get in touch and Chat to Us about when to book in!

Eve's 18 months!

Today my beautiful baby girl is 18 months old! Eve is such a beautiful, vibrant, cheeky little trouble maker. It's amazing how opposite she and her big sister are, but we wouldn't have it any other way! 

To mark the occasion we spent a quick 20 minutes in the studio capturing the girls as they are, one loving life in a tutu and twirling like a princess, and one trying to eat a bubble stick.

(I don't know if other photographers get this but I find my own kids by far the most challenging to photograph ;-))

Love you to the moon and back my beautiful girls xxx

Jo

P.S. If you're a mum and you want some forever memories of your gorgeous children, check out our Simply Studio Sessions: 

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/simply-studio-portraits

A Day in the Life...On the farm with the Bailey Boys

We love just hanging out with the kids and letting them be themselves - it’s when the best memories are captured, don’t you think?

We teed up a shoot with these boys while dad was away at work, so that we could have an amazing aluminium wall set ready and waiting for him on his 50th birthday. The reveal at the studio was an amazing moment!

Teleah's Maternity Portrait

Thanks to our joint promotion with the lovely team at Body Firming and Beauty, beautiful Teleah came to see us recently to capture her baby bump less than a week before bub's arrival!

Teleah was absolutely glowing and we are happy to report that just a few days after her portrait session she welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world :-)

If you're wondering if your baby bump could look as gorgeous as this then the answer is Yes! What an amazing thing our bodies do as women during pregnancy, and everything goes back to normal (well, almost ;-)) so quickly you really should capture your amazing bump before it's gone. We are passionate about helping you remember the amazing changes your body is going through, and we use our skill and experience to shape the light and capture you in a way that will make you feel empowered and beautiful, no matter what size or shape you are!

Just check out our maternity and newborn portraits to find out about booking your own session, or let the team at Body Firming and Beauty pamper you with a luxurious pregnancy massage and receive a voucher for a Simply Studio Session with us as their special gift to you :-)

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby