Fly | Photo Contest

My "fly" photo submission in the Epiphanie Camera Bags + My Four Hens photo contest! http://bit.ly/junephotocontest

This picture was taken when I worked for as a Photographer for The Shepparton News - a newspaper publication. It took a few goes to get this right, but the girls was so happy to keep on 'flying' until we got it!

Mini Me

Maeve is almost three months old. She is an amazing, little human being. So clever & affectionate.

While I was laying next to her on the floor today, I watched her. I watched as she gazed around the room. She kicked her legs, blew some bubbles & made a few funny noises. Then she turned her head to me and our eyes locked. She smiled, I smiled and then we both giggled.

She's a mini me. I see myself in her. Just like me, she's impatient. She's also very cheeky and laughs at the simplest things. She's a happy, little girl. 

As you can imagine, we've had quite a few photo shoots! And, I must say... I have the most beautiful girl in the world.

Chris x

our little ray of sunshine

Maeve is lighting up our lives, in so many different ways. 

The smile she gives me when I walk into her room in the morning, to the way she stares into my eyes after a feed. She leaves me feeling so happy.

I must admit, it's been a big last couple of weeks. It's a massive change. You go from being a couple, to a family, and there's this tiny human being who is so dependant on you. But, I feel as though we've adjusted to this change very well. It almost feels natural to me, like Maeve's been in our lives for a lot longer than two weeks. 

Each day we learn something new about each other and each day my love grows stronger and stronger for her. 

I remember playing with dolls when I was young, imagining being a Mum. And, now it's here. I am a Mum and I love it. I'm taking in each day & every moment, it's all going so fast already. 

And, I'm taking lots of pictures too : )

Chris x

meet Maeve

Our new little addition, who we have waited so patiently for, finally arrived on the 13th of February. 

Her name is Maeve. She is beautiful. She is our little munchkin who we absolutely adore. 

I'm taking a little time out now to get use to being a Mum, but we are still taking bookings...

So for those who wish to make an enquiry, please don't hesitate to shoot us an email. We make take a little longer to reply, but we will get back to you.

Thank you xx

Chris x

Dear Baby, please arrive safely

Before you ask, I'll tell you - I'm feeling great! A little anxious, sometimes tired, still overwhelmed, super excited and overall, happy! 

It's four weeks until the due date of my first baby. So, that makes me 36 weeks. Ahhh!

My husband and I have prepared the nursery. It's all ready. We've had 9 months to prepare! It's been a beautiful transformation to what was formerly our guest room. We painted the walls in a natural, warm colour. We replaced the blinds and fitted the light bulb with a glass light shade I had in my room when I was a child. We repainted the cot, which was given to us by my sister and her husband. And, we made our very own shelves which now hold books & toys - all waiting to be read and played with. 

I love the nursery, I'd have to say it's my favourite room in the house. It makes me feel content, relaxed & happy - all feelings I hope our baby will feel too. And, lucky for me, the rocking chair is perfectly placed next to the window. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time is this chair. Being able to see outside and watch my chooks wander through the grass is important to me. And, there's a spot next to the window for my two dogs - they like to listen in when I'm reading to the bump!

I have to admit, this whole pregnancy has gone so quick and I'm hoping this last month doesn't feel as though it's dragging on forever. As I'm technically on "maternity leave" now, I'll have to take advantage if this time and I suppose, relax. Lucky I'm into the summer sports (can't wait for the Aussie Open to start!).

While things may be a little quiet now, I'm sure they'll be super busy in the next few months. And, we'll be bringing you more pictures from our weddings we have from mid March. 

I'll keep in touch,

Chris x

Paw a Little Love 2012

Our 2012 Paw a Little Love calendar has finally arrived and is now available to purchase.

PALL began last year, and we had our first calendar come out in 2011. I love animals, in particularly dogs and I wanted to help out the South Gippsland Animal Aid. I already have two dogs of my own, so I knew adopting was out of the question. We have donated our time, money and efforts to put together this calendar and we couldn't be more proud!

With your help, we can all make a difference and help out these furry creatures. 

Each calendar is $25, with $5 from each sale going to SGAA. 

There's only a limited amount of copies available - so if you'd like to order your own, please phone or email christina@chrisppictures.com.au

Thank you!

Chris x

doing it for the kids

This week I met some pretty inspiring students. They were eager to learn & up for a challenge. 

I met these students at Newhaven College's Arts Fest! It's a week long festival where the year 9 students get to explore & learn about different arts. From film making, to body art, African drumming and dancing, to drama, painting & a few others, including photography - and that's where I come in. 

I was invited to teach the students about photography - and to those students who weren't overly interested in photography, well it my aim to get them interested!

I began each class with a short story about how I began my photography career. I showed a few slideshows & then shared my knowledge on photography. It was inspiring to see the students who took on the information and really pushed themselves to be creative. I was blown away with what they came back with.

I really enjoyed sharing my knowledge & stories with these students. I hope I've inspired at least one person along the way and hopefully they may take the same path I have & become a photographer - cos there's no better job in the world : )

Here are just a few highlights from the week. As you can see, the students really did produce some real gems. 

Chris x

baby, you'll be here soon

It doesn't feel like a lot of time has passed since we shared our secret with you all... but gee it's gone quick!

We're well over half way now and yes I have a serious bump sticking out now! It's an amazing feeling. I still feel blessed every day, especially when I feel the little critter wiggle around inside me. Some people have asked if it's an active baby... well, to me it is! It's the first time I've had a little human growing in my belly and I feel it all the time now, especially throughout the night. The interruption of my sleep has already begun, it usually wakes me up at about 2am and has a little dance and wakes me up again at about 7am - think it's the baby's way of telling me it's hungry! 

I am totally loving this experience. I feel so lucky, so happy and so so so excited to meet this little person. 

Over the next few months we are very busy, so I know time will just continue to fly on by. That's good though. 

Chris x

days like these

People often ask me - what do I love most about being a Photographer?

And, in one sentence, I can't answer it. There's more than one reason why I enjoy what I do. 

I love being able to make people smile. I love meeting new faces. I love capturing the moment. I love being able to be as creative as I want to be. I love making people happy. I love laughing along with you. I love a challenge. 

And, I love how my job allows me to be outdoors, amongst the sunshine & the fresh air... Especially on days like these . . .

Of course, I could go on, but I don't want to bore you!

Enjoy,

Chris x

Corinella beach 4.10.11

girls just wanna have fun!

One of my friends, Christine, is a Makeup Artist . . . an excellent Makeup Artist - she's always looking beautiful!

She asked me to come along to one of her makeup sessions - you basically get to sit back, get your makeup done and learn a few things along the way.

I have to be honest, I don't know a lot about makeup. So, I jumped at the chance... and didn't I learn a thing or two. 

Christine uses Bodyography Professional Cosmetics. She's told me about the product before - she insists it's the best thing she's used. And, from my experience I think it's pretty good too! 

The girls wanted to try a "going out" look for me. I had the dark eyes done, with blush pink lips. I felt like a little celebrity. How a bit of colour can make you feel more beautiful, especially when you're 5 1/2 months pregnant!

Christine runs these makeup sessions regularly. So, if you think you need to learn a little about makeup - give her a call and she'll be more than happy to help you out.

And, for all you ladies looking for a Makeup Artist for your wedding day... I highly recommend Christine. Not only will she make you feel comfortable & relaxed, she'll have you looking a million bucks too!

Chris x

contact details:

Christine McDonald ph: 0420 243 037

feeling a little concerned

Since our new blog has been live, we've had almost 10,000 views! That is amazing! We have people viewing our site from all over the world and I'm very thankful to those who enjoy seeing our work and regularly check out our blog. Thank you!

However, I'm feeling a little concerned . . .

For some reason, quite a few of our blog followers aren't leaving comments. I'm unsure as to why? Are you a little shy? Or, do you prefer to stay quiet? 

I thoroughly enjoy receiving feedback - it inspires me to keep on being creative. I want to know what you, as a blog reader, likes to read, what you like to see. I want to find out a little bit about you, and get to know who you are. 

So, I strongly encourage you to come out of your shells and leave a comment when you feel like it. It will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you again to all of you who do hop on and have a look. I hope when you see our pictures, they make you smile. I love what I do and I'm thankful I get to share what makes me happy, with the rest of the world.

Chris x

little bits of spring

The last couple of days I've been inside, on my computer. Editing photos, replying to emails, organising photo shoots, booking in weddings, & designing our 2012 Paw a Little Love calendar. 

Whilst my eyes furiously work away at the screen in front of me, my ears closely listen to the sounds of spring. I can hear birds whistling, not just any old whistle. It' a beautiful tune... I look out my window and I can see a male trying to impress a little lady. How sweet. I can hear lawn mowers off in the distance, and bees buzzing around my blossoming tree. 

I had to take a break and wander outside for a moment. While I can't bring you the sounds of spring, I can bring you what I can see.

This is how I see spring.

Chris x

Remember this guy?

Paw a Little Love 2012 calendar is currently in the making . . . 

We are so excited to be bringing you gorgeous new faces into your homes. 

We had an amazing response and lots of positive feedback with our 2011 calendar. With your help, we raised $650, which was proudly donated to the South Gippsland Animal Aid.

This year, we're hoping to do it all over again! 

Please stay tuned and we'll bring you all the updates you need. 

Thanks to very cute Gus for being our cover boy this year. Wonder who we'll get to meet this time around?

Chris x

our next chapter

Like a book, our lives are written. There's a beginning, middle and an end. And right now I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle.... getting ready to roll on into the next chapter. And I'm more than excited!

For the past few months my husband and I have been hiding a little secret from the world, but now it's starting to come out (literally!). In less than six months we welcome our first baby into the world. And while the thought of pushing out this little human being scares me, I simply cannot wait to hold this little treasure in my arms.

Once this baby arrives I will be taking a short break from work. However, I will be back into the swing of things so don't think we're not taking wedding or portrait bookings!!

Looking forward to sharing this upcoming chapter with you all . . .

Chris x

a little getaway

Winter is still here. The rain clouds linger above my head and the bitter breeze flows past my face... What better time to head north - a place where it's always warm!

It was time to go and visit my very best buddy. She lives in QLD (lucky girl!). It was a spur of the moment decision to pack our bags and fly up, up and away. And, I didn't forget my camera either. 

I'd always promised my best buddy I'd take some family portraits for her and the time finally came around. (We will be posting their photos soon :) )

We enjoyed sight seeing, hanging around with our best mates and eating some scrumptious food! We were lucky enough to go to Mt Tamborine, where we got to see some beautiful things. 

Here's a little snippet of what our eyes got to see .... 

Thanks to our amazing friends for having us : )

Chris x

there's something else in the air

Ah, the sun has decided to crawl out from behind the clouds. The cool winds from the south have slowly moved along and there's something else in the air. 

The last few days have been beautiful. If you know me, you'd be well aware of the fact that I'm not a winter person - I don't like the cold weather, nor do I like being forced to stay indoors whilst Mother Nature drops her buckets of rain on top of us. 

I like to be outside, soaking up the sunshine, breathing in the fresh air. I like to open the windows in my house and allow the sweet smelling fragrance of the new blossoming flowers into my home. 

I'm excited because there's only officially one month left of winter. And, I can already see spring starting to poking it's head out. 

It said hello to me when I found this daffodil emerging from it's bud. It also said hey when I went to the lemon tree and found tiny, new flowers beginning to grow.

Chris x

as far as the eye can see

We were out on the road yesterday. While the weather wasn't too kind to us, we managed to find that tiny bit of blue sky. You know that one, you've seen it before. It slowly crawls out from behind the dark clouds and says hello. 

It was perfect timing. We wanted to visit the Inverloch beach and the rain just stopped, like that. 

As I walked over the sand dunes, I could smell the fresh ocean air. It flew past me and as I caught it, I smiled. My eyes gazed into the surf and it was calm. The waves slowly licked the shore and dark, gloomy clouds hovered above. I could only look as far as my eyes could see...

It was a peaceful moment. It was lovely.

Chris x

smile!

As I sit on my chair, in front of my computer, I slowly sift through hundreds of photos... 

I'm editing, it's late, but I went out and enjoyed the sunshine today so now I'm making up for it. 

The sounds from my tv travel through my house and into my ears - the news is on. It's sad news. There are so many horrible stories. It really is sad...

As I sift through my photos I come across happiness. It makes me smile. I love when my photos make me smile, then I know they'll make you smile too. 

I met this young boy and his mum earlier in the week. From the hour and half I spent with them I could see how much they all mean to each other and it was beautiful to see. 

This little boy's name is Oscar. As you can see, a cuddle from mum is the best thing in the world - it makes him smile. 

I can't wait to share some more photos with you from this shoot... 

Chris x