Treasured Moments Blog-alogue

Jillianne & Todd - slideshow

2010-03-15T21:15:00.002+11:00

Jillianne & Todd are a fabulous and fun couple who were married on 6th March. I had so much fun and everybody was just wonderful to work with. Jill & Todd congrats on your wedding and thanks for allowing me to be a part of your very special day. I cant wait for our Trash session!
Enjoy your slideshow :)

Ken & Tracy - Secret Wedding!

2009-12-22T12:18:00.004+11:00

I had a secret. I was going to be photographing a wedding on Dudley Beach, and it was a SECRET!

A couple of weeks ago i had an email from Tracy asking me if i was available for a portrait session on 20th December. Yes i replied. I heard nothing back until about 6 days ago. Was i still available? Yes i replied, and procedded to book Tracy's portrait session in. Oh bye the way Nic, it's a wedding and a secret! is that ok?
Umm... YES!!!

And so began a brand new friendship with Tracy & Ken and an exciting time of them disclosing the details of their wedding and keeping a secret that i was bubbling over with enthusiasm for.

You see, only 3 people besides the beautiful couple were in the ' know' about this secret. Katie, the celebrant, Daniel the incognito guitarist, and myself.

As Ken told me the plan for the morning he let me know he had his own little secrets that he was keeping form his bride as well as all their families.
Ken had secretly changed his vows. He was to sing a funky little song to Tracy, and be joined by strolling beach clad guitarist Daniel Arvidson.

So a wonderful morning of suprises and love was spent on Dudley Beach. A couple and their Familes were united in a beautiful and joyous ceremony that i will forever remember.
Ken & Tracy, thankyou so much for allowing me to be a part of your most romantic and beautiful day. Your love for each other is an amazing force that i am certain will shine forever.
Here is your preview slideshow, enjoy!
Nic xx

Sarah & Adam - Wedding

2009-12-11T06:54:00.004+11:00

Sarah & Adam are a beautiful couple who were married at Catherine Hill Bay Bowling Club, 21st November 2009. It was a hot day but perfect for a beachside location to say their vows, followed by a laidback style celebration at 'Catho' Surf Club.
Thanks guys for allowing me to be a part of your special day!
Here's a slideshow from their day, hope you enjoy:)

Dungog High YR 12 Formal 2009

2009-12-09T12:41:00.005+11:00

There's a slideshow i put together to commemorate the Dungog High School Yr 12 students formal evening. This slideshow is no longer available to view online however
High res copies are available by contactimg info@tmpg.com.au

The evening's event was held at civic theatre, Newcastle and was a fabulous night. Everybody looked so amazing in their finery.

To all concerned, thankyou for allowing me to capture and share your memories with you. Mitch and i had a fabulous night!
I hope you all Enjoy!
...treasure the moments...

Goodbye Anissa & Georges!

2009-11-04T06:36:00.004+11:00

My lovely friends Anissa & Georges return to Belgium this week. I haven't known them for long.. just a few months when we met at the Latin Dance classes i attend.

About a month ago i did a sunrise beach shoot with them ( you can check more about that here)

I decided to make a small farewell slideshow of them from their photo session. The song 'Lost' is their chosen bridal dance track which they will dance to when they marry early next year.

I'm going to miss this fun young couple so much, and maybe our paths will cross again somewhere in the future! Let's hope so anyway.

Enjoy:)

Richard & Renee: Wedding

2009-10-16T12:07:00.002+11:00

Richard and Renee were married October 3rd . This beautiful couple make me laugh everytime i meet with them and the wedding was just as much fun.
Thankyou guys for allowing me to capture your special day !

Check out the preview slideshow below!

New Blog

2009-10-12T10:09:00.002+11:00

TMPG has moved blog homes. You can find any future wedding, engagement or portrait blogging here
This current blog will continue to run but more for personal input.
That's it, no image, just that little bit of important info.
Nic :)

Wedding - Teresa & Brett - Mega Post

2009-10-08T19:57:00.014+11:00

Well this one's going to be a bigger blog post than usual, featuring the wedding of Teresa & Brett.

All i can say is THESE GUYS WERE FUN!

The wedding took place on September 26th at Rafferty's Resort, at Cam's Wharf in Lake Macquarie.

The start of the day was quite worrisome with our second dust storm in the area within 3 days. I spent many hours in the morning prior to the start of photographing Teresa watching the sky, checking weather updates and just hoping all would be well.The ceremony was taking place right on the edge of the lake, and the winds were not being overly kind, but atleast the rain held off!

Teresa & Brett, thankyou for inviting me into your lives to capture your special day. It's one i'll always remember with a smile on my face. You are beautiful people to be around.

Here are some of the images captured from the day and it was hard to pick just a few to show. Enjoy!

The beautiful bride, Teresa

Now Brett decided to do something a little bit different for his wedding - he wanted his own bit of limelight with a special arrival at the ceremony...by boat! Yes.. even though the winds were gusting i set off with the guys for a trip across the lake and back to give the boys a special arrival to the cheers of the gathered guests. It was choppy out there but so much fun!

Here are the boys on the boat.. now i know it looks calm here...we were infact being sheltered by Pulbah island for a few photos before heading back into the winds and chop to head to the ceremony.

I love their special little cufflinks!

The view of the guests awaiting , from the boat

and check them out.. the boys grand entrance!

I have to say the weather really was great in the end.. the skies were SO cooperative!
This was so funny... please note NO PELICANS WERE INJURED DURING THE MAKING OF THESE IMAGES!. Really the guys just ran very slowly out towards the pelicans..i mean how fast can a bride run in a wedding dress and heels on a jetty?!

There was plenty of fun and laughter to be had during our photo session time and i can't wait for Teresa & Brett to see all the fun in their images.

The whole day was fabulous but the reception was just as wonderful if not better...

Teresa & Brett opted to do a different style of dance rather than a traditional bridal waltz. I wa sso impressed with their routine the came up with themselves- complete with a little Michael Jackson and an awesome hat! Check Brett out!

Wedding - Mr & Mrs Smith ( Melissa & Brett)

2009-10-07T12:41:00.011+11:00

Melissa & Brett were married on the balcony of Belmont 16 foot Sailing Club on September 19th,2009 - a beautifully sunny day!

Well it has been a whirlwind of activity for me over the last couple of weeks but here at last are a few previews of their day.
Melissa & Brett thankyou for allowing me to capture your special day. You guys are just such a sweet couple!The love radiates from you when you look at each other!

Enjoy:)

Nic

I love the flowers!
The beautiful bride, Melissa

This was a real crack-up moment!
These ladies are all just so lovely!
The gentlemen...
Handsome groom, Brett
I LOVE the look af anticipation Brett had on his face as he avidly watched and waited for Melissa to make her appearance..

You can just tell how much this couple love each other.. ♥

♥'n this dance shot!

Votemypet- Votes URGENTLY needed for Miss Piper!

2009-09-29T10:26:00.003+10:00

My sister's dog, Piper Jane is in a competition and needs your votes urgently to regain her #1 position. PLEASEEEE if you can spare a few minutes to vote it will all help so much!

2 days to go need heaps of votes! If u can please visit Piper's Profile and go to piper jane's photo wall! A blue box vote will help but if u click on the thumbs under each of her pictures she gets ...more votes!

We want to get back to No.1 locally!!! All votes much appreciated!!!! Please tell your friends too! Voting ends midnight on Wednesday!!! Thanks for your support!

Miss Piper will gladly give as many puppy kisses as you can handle if you're up for it!

Miss Meg - Sleeping Beauty Waltz

2009-09-28T06:58:00.004+10:00

I've been photographing dance students the past week, and this is one of the beautiful young dancers; Meg.
This is a montage of ballet i have put together from her photos and it will go on display at the upcoming dance concert in a few week's time.

These dance montages will be on offer for students next year that would like something memorable that goes way beyond the regular photo. They will not be restricted to ballet students, but also to the jazz/funk/tap students as well.
Perfect for a large metallic print or a canvas wall art.
Isn't Meg beautiful!?

My Beautiful Birthday Flowers

2009-09-25T13:11:00.005+10:00

Yesterday was my birthday and i spent a good few hours of it with Miss Tina of Tina Moore Promotions- Performing Arts Studio, to photograph day 3 of her students in their gorgeous costumes ready for the upcoming annual concert.

I was so suprised when a group of young dancers and Miss Tina came out of the dance room with this beautiful bunch of flowers and singing happy birthday to me! Wow what a fabulous suprise :).. a big THANKYOU to you all! So very thoughtful of you Miss Tina!! -( Miss Tina is just such a wonderful lady xx)

Check these beauties out...love!

Nic

Busy , Busy, Busy!

2009-09-24T21:48:00.004+10:00

Well it's been a hectic week once again, but even more so this week. It started with the wedding of Melissa & Brett on Saturday,and then madly getting a head start on editing those images. Squeezing in bridal consults throughout the week as well as 3 days of dance students photos. Add some formal shopping with my son Cameron for his special night next week,and getting ready for another wedding this coming Saturday between Teresa and Brett.. yes a different Brett ;)

So after all that i'm quite tired.. but still no rest for the wicked .... double it all up again next week..minus the shopping, but add a bit more chaos to the dance days and we have another huge week to come.

Not to mention a trip to Sydney on Sunday.....yep..i'm tired!

But before i get ahead i'll just post a quick shot of my daughter Shennae, becasue i really don't like posting and not leaving an image to pretty up the page. This is one of her dance routine constumes and i'll try to post some more later.

Make sure to come back for a sneak peek at Melissa and Brett, and then Teresa and her Brett to!

I'll squeeze them in soon i promise!

Ancient cultures : Miscellaneous

2009-09-14T14:51:00.007+10:00

Well i hope you have enjoyed viewing a sneak peak at the past. Just seeing these artifacts first-hand really makes you stop and go WOW, makes you think of how much time has really gone past, makes it all real instead of just something you hear about.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and i'm now planning a trip to the Austalian Museum in Sydney to view their visiting exhibition of Ancient Egypt!

You can bet there will be more amazing ancient cultural images to come soon!

I'll end this series with a few miscelaneous artifacts that were not housed in their categories as they are new aquisitions to the Museum of Ancient Cultures.

I won't try to guess which civilisation they came from, though some i think i am fairly close...

enjoy :)

Tiny little trinkets.. so cute.

I'm not sure what these are, but i think they are little game counters or some form of currency , and they have tiny but very detailed little etchings on them that i couldn't photograph to show you. If you look very hard you can make out something on a couple of them.
a detailed little plaque

Giddy Up!

This is a small section of a pillar that stood about 2 meters tall. Its a prism shape and the etchings are on all sides.

Ancient Cultures: Near ( Middle) East

2009-09-14T14:46:00.004+10:00

Well not much from this category, sorry to say, but more pretties for you to look at:

This one is a little lamp

i love this die! How amazing that such a little item from thousands of years ago is still used in almost the same form today!

Ancient Cutlures: Cyprus

2009-09-14T14:35:00.003+10:00

Well i pretend to know nothing of ancient Cyrpus... so just look at the pretty pictures ok?

This one is an ancient brick.

interesting looking container
this guy cracks me up!

This is a glass ingot. How pretty it is! The glass blowers would heat it and turn it till they made glassware such as this :

This is one of my favourite pieces. i don't know why, but maybe becasue it is quite different to most of the other artifacts. it reminds me of a medieval helmet.

Ancient Cultures: Greek

2009-09-14T14:18:00.005+10:00

I wish i knew more about the ancient greek history. So much amazing facts to learn.. will give me something to do when i have some spare time.. right! Actually i probably know a little more than i realise through my love of reading historical novels and watching epic style movies. I seriously will have to try to learn more though.
I found the Greek artifacts particularly appealing, the artwork and statuary very classical in design.
Enjoy :)
so classical
This one is Zeus. For some reason it scares me.. maybe it's the blackened out eyes...

reminds me of a cherub and makes me smile
lovely craftsmanship

reminds me of the statues of Easter Island for some reason

These coins depict Alexander the Great

Ancient Cultures : Rome

2009-09-14T13:37:00.009+10:00

My second favourite would probably be the ancient Roman culture. I guess because i know a bit more about it than the Greek , Cypriot and Near East cultures that were on display. The Greek ancient culture would come a close 3rd, but this post is all Roman.

Most of the artifacts were from Pompeii. We had a 'hands-on' where we actually got to hold a few real artifacts. One of those was an actual piece of Mt Vesuvius and some of the pompeii- destroying pumice!

This strange looking little article is actually a brooch. It has a piece missing, but it was actually used to hold togas on etc...so , basically a very ancient safety pin!

Look at the details in the workmanship on these pieces.. LOVE!

This one is so cool! ( well i think so anyway) Amid all those letters and symbols it says my name! Can you see it?..NIC

This was my all time favourite piece in the whole Museum collection: A Roman coffin.
It's made out of lead and as you can imagine will weigh a ton! it is going on display in the main musuem area sometime soon. I love the intricate details, the whole shabby yet robust look of it...almost a delicate lacey look...yep.. my fave!

Ancient Cultures : Egyptian

2009-09-14T13:06:00.007+10:00

Ok here is the first batch of my Museum of Ancient Culture images, and first up is my fave - Egypt!
Egypt is an amazing culture loved by many, from the mummies, the heiroglyphs, papyrus and artifacts of all types.

Now just to warn you, there is some hideously grotesque yet absolutely fascinating mummy shots here. Morbid curiosity will make your eyes feast on them yet you'll be screwing up your nose in distaste.. Oh yeah! Now to be nice i will start off with images of non-scary looking artifacts, but those that can't wait to see the mummified heads, then scroll to bottom of Egyptian images ;)

I wont show all of the images from the Eyptian series here, but you can check them out on my personal Facebook page.
Anyways no further introduction neccessary.. let's get on with the Egyptian artifacts!

Enjoy!

Amenhotep iii

some weaving

This one is an amazing display: It's a few feet long and a couple feet high.... and amazes me how well preserved it is..fabulous!

This is the front page of a newspaper dated FEB 1912. It's front page article is all about WW1. What makes it even more special? This particular paper belonged to Howard Carter, about 10 years before he discovered King Tut's tomb.
King Tutankhamun
A Mummy
OK.. now here comes Mr Grotesque and his mate. Ready?.........

scroll........

scroll.....................

TADA!...........................................

Ancient Civilisations!

2009-09-11T11:05:00.005+10:00

Yesterday i had an amazing time photographing and viewing artifacts from ancient civilisations, at the Museum of Ancient Cultures, Macquarie University, Sydney. It was fabulous to be able to indulge my love of ancient history ! Reading about these cultures, or viewing on t.v is one thing, but actually seeing them first hand was just the best!

WOW! Talk about mind blowing. When you look at the workmanship of the hand crafts, the coffins, the coins. We may have come a long way in the past few thousand years but you can't deny that those ancient beings were gifted and clever.

I was fascinated by it all....The Egyptian collection was most likely my favourite, as i definately love anything egyptian, but closely followed was the Roman and Greek, not to forget the Cyprus and Middle Eastern collections.
I was able to have a hands - on with Pompeii!.. Can you believe it? I was holding actual pumice that destroyed pompeii all those years ago... as well as a little of Mt Vesuvius, crusafixtion nail and terracotta lamps and beautiful glass. All of this from thousands of years ago. It really makes you think!

I'm still editing the photos and i'll upload a few of my faves in their own group of cultures. Make sure to check back and see them soon!

Working on a New Template set.

2009-09-09T09:35:00.005+10:00

For those that don't know i've expanded things a litte at TMPG by now offering album template sets for photographers. The templates are PSD files that allow for some personalisation and size changes and are available for both Coffee Table stlye album ssuch as Momento, Asuka, WHCC and siilar, or for premium albums such as flushmount or hinged coffee table stroybooks, available at a variety of vendors for professionals.

I've got 4 album sets currently on offer ( 2 coffee table and 2 flushmounts). I'm working on number 5 right now which is once again a coffee table style template set perfect for a beautiful young lady's senior portraits , and many others. It's a beautiful earthy album which will be sure to delight. It's coming soon, but for now if you'd like to check out the other available album sets, head on over to TM Designs

As you will see i've been a little busy and there will be more to come as i get time. Next offering will be sure to include something masculine for the guy's albums! Seriously i haven't forgotten about you!

♥Shennae♥ @ The Jetty

2009-09-06T08:42:00.004+10:00

Yesterday afternoon was so lovely it felt wrong to waste the sunshine. I headed off down to the local Swansea Jetty with my daughter, Shennae ♥, for a very quick session, just because.

Thankyou to the crew of the lovely boat that docked right at the end of the jetty just as i had set the lighting and was about to shoot! It was very kind of you to move the boat when you realised what we were doing :)

So here are a couple of my faves... just a few fun ones for the album.

Nic

Gas Grunge

2009-09-03T13:36:00.007+10:00

Well today was the first day in ages that i have been out and taken some shots just for fun. I will admit i didn't spend a great deal of time on my trip but it was still great to be doing a shot just because i wanted to and only to please me. If i pull out one shot i'm lovin from a quick view in the camera i'm happy. The rest i rarely even edit once i've got my ' Nic pleaser'
So here it is.. the Nic-pleaser...i call it Gas Grunge.... my fave from the day.

Nic

Ok sneaking in another one ;)

The Chair!

2009-09-02T11:37:00.005+10:00

TMPG has aquired a new photo prop and i can't wait to use it!
Meet.. The Chair. Not just any chair, but the chair!
Isn't it devine? I was out having a little shopping trip for neccessaries and just stuck my head in one of my fave shops and found this amazing chair!
Instantly my creative juices began to bubble and my brain was overflowing with images to be made!
I did resist the impulse to buy it there and then, but after a few hours of trying to forget said chair, and said chair not letting me i had to make a return trip yesterday to purchase it.

Now i just know this gorgeous chair is going to feature in many an upcoming photo shoot. Definately got plans for a portrait shoot with my daughter, Shennae, and it might even make it's way to a couple of Formal bookings later this year ;)

So what do you think? Lush huh?

Branching Out!- New Album Templates on offer

2009-09-02T11:22:00.007+10:00

During my recent absence, i've been a bit creative and started to offer Album templates for photographers. TMPG has branched out and the new TMDesigns is running a seperate blog specifically for designer gear.
there are 4 new templates on offer at present. 2 Wedding and 2 suitable for portraits. Designed for either coffee table / magazine style abums or flushmount style storybooks. There will be more and more on offer as time allows so if you're interested in purchasing album templates check out the current offers at:

http://treasureddesigns.wordpress.com/

There's another lovely portrait style album in the works to be released very soon!

Nic :)

I'm Back!

2009-09-02T10:50:00.006+10:00

Have you missed me? Wait, don't answer that!
It's been a lengthy time between blogging once again, for which i truly apologise. Soccer commitments have kept me extremely busy among other things, such as family shoots, and albums to create. I've also expanded my albums to include downloadable templates for photographers. But more on that in a seperate post.

Well soccer season is just about over and i am wrapping up all the odds and ends of other unfinished tasks before the wedding season hits! And THEN i'm going to talk about being busy! But i promise that all the upcoming events will feature here on the blog and even though i will be busy i will be blogging!

Photographing kids on a large scale such as i have been doing just doesn't allow for showing them on the blog due to privacy issues so that is why they have not been featured here.
Anyway, this is my re introduction post, and i'll add a few tidbits seperately.
But i can't finish without an image, so here is my son Kiel's 'Soccer Hero' for 2009

Nic :)

Latin Dance

2009-07-24T17:02:00.002+10:00

I've begun learning Latin Dance...and it is so much fun!
For the last 2 months i have been attending weekly Latin classes with Craig and Tina of Tina Moore Promotions at the Swansea Center. Soon they'll be moving to The Caves Hotel. here's the promo poster.... if you've ever wanted to try this style of dance.. even if you have never danced before.. then you should just come along!.. Believe me, i'm pretty ordinary/ below average on the dance skills but i do enjoy dance night!

New Canvas Supplier

2009-07-24T10:02:00.005+10:00

I am happy to report that Treasured Moments Photo-Graphics has a new canvas supplier.
i just received my 30x40 inch demo print and it is absolutely STUNNING! the workmanship is superb, the finish and overall quality simply fantastic!
So if you are thinking of having a portrait session, i urge you to consider having a Textured Art Print by TMPG or standard canvas as a purchase.. they ROCK!
You won't be dissapointed!

This is the print i ordered featuring my 3 children and very minimal textured artwork added.... Aren't they beautiful!!?

School Formals Photography Packages!

2009-07-16T08:32:00.003+10:00

You might think you have ages yet, but those end of year School Formals are fast approaching. By the time you get through the next semester, and final exams you will be ready to Glam up and PAR-TAY! This is really a very big milestone- then end of schooling for many, and the onset of adulthood and responsibility! So why not take this opportunity to have a special reminder of this time of your lives?
So while you are looking gorgeous in your formal attire , treat yourself to a photography session and capture those Treasured Moments!
You can have your photo session in your own home or the beach is always popular, but don't forget the beautiful Lake or surrounding areas.

Don't delay.. call and organise your formal session now to avoid dissapointment. Only a limited number are available!

click to enlarge

Roses for my Mum

2009-05-13T08:10:00.004+10:00

Here are some of the absolutely gorgeous roses from my parent's garden. Dad brought them when he visited last week and i just had to take a few photos. I wish that a photo could also capture such things as smell. The perfume emenating from these can only be described as Heavenly.. and so Mum...enjoy.
I Love You. I Miss You.
xxx

Lynette & Jason...Sizzlin'

2009-05-13T08:02:00.003+10:00

My beautiful friend Lynette and her new husband Jason came out with me for a little sizzling photo fun in Newcastle for a wedding after session. We hit the grounds of Newcastle Town Hall as well as Civic Park for some sexy and loving imagery. Lynette's sexy black boots looked awesome teamed with her wedding gown.
Check these hotties out!
xx

Guiding Light

2009-05-13T07:53:00.003+10:00

This photo is one i've been wanting to capture for a while now. Being early for my Christening session the other week i decided to drive around the block when i saw the spire from this church rising high in the air. I knew it was going to be perfect for my image with the sun backlighting the cross so wonderfully.
And so i'd have to say this i am extremely happy with it;) It has such a feeling of Devine Guidance to it.

Christening of Sophia Andrea

2009-05-13T07:46:00.005+10:00

Little Sophia looked adorable on her Christening day at the Croatian Catholic Chapel of St Joseph in Tighes Hill.....that was until her little head was doused with the waters of her ceremony and her protests were loud.
Here are a couple of this gorgeous little girl.

The Beautiful Vicki

2009-05-13T07:30:00.004+10:00

Well it is catch up time again with my blogging, sorry.
Here are a couple of images of my beautiful friend Vicki.
These are late in posting as they were actually a lovely 8 am family shoot at Caves Beach on Anzac Day...sorry Vicki, but better late than never right? ;)
xx

Lest We Forget

2009-04-26T19:53:00.007+10:00

Yesterday was ANZAC DAY, April 25th. A day of rememberance for those who made the supreme sacfrifice so that we can live in a country as free and as wonderful as it is today.

My home town of Swansea holds an annual march along the main street of town and ending at the R.S.L Club for a mid morning service to honour those we remember.

Here are a few of my favourite images taken during the service.

The Ode

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest We Forget.

Wedding of Megan & Kurt

2009-04-23T13:12:00.006+10:00

Last Saturday was the wedding of Megan & Kurt. You might remember seeing them earlier this year with their beach engagement session.

Well things didn't start off looking quite as good as i had hoped when i injured my leg and had it elevated and on ice for 30 minutes prior to starting the shooting for the day...Thankyou to my sisters puppy Piper for including me in your extremely vigorous game with your action ball...that thing hurts!

Anyway, after icing and keeping the swelling to a minimum before strapping, off we set for our day.... and straight into bucketting down rain!..not just heavy rain - it was pelting! Things didnt look like they were going to go according to my plan at all.

However.......Mother Nature did decide to play fair after all and whilst the day wasn't the brightest it did not rain on us at any time during our outdoor sessions for which i am truly thankful!

Anyway enough from me, take a look at a small sneak preview of Megan and Kurts images from their day.

Ceremony held at The Anglican Parish of Mount Vincent

Photos taken on location at Pellango Estate Vineyard

Reception held at The Tree House, Brunkerville.

The beautiful bride, Megan

And the handsome groom, Kurt:

And here are a couple special shots from out at Pengallo Estate.

Kangaroo Valley & Fitzroy Falls

2009-04-12T08:43:00.008+10:00

Last weekend my family all travelled down the South Coast to Nowra to celebrate my nana's 90th birthday. It was a very quick trip down but we did do a little sightseeing on the return trip back via Kangaroo Valley and Fitzroy Falls. I hardley ever get to travel down the coast so i made sure to get a few photos this time round with plans to try to make a nice holiday down the way in the future.

So here are a few of my favourite images.. i love Hampden Bridge, gorgeous sandstone with turrets.. As you can tell it is a historical bridge and there is a little historical museuum/ village there to be explored too. That has to wait till next trip as we just didnt have a great deal of time to spend there unfortunately.

The countryside was just beautiful to view...and i sat back watching and thinking of my pioneering ancestors and how their land would have been very similar to this as it was only within 20 kms of Kangaroo Valley. I wish i could have seen more photos of the land and the beautiful old home that belonged to my family...

After leaving Kangaroo Valley it was a short drive into Morton National Park for a stop at Fitzroy Falls. Once again a short visit but we did take one of the walking tours dor a few different views of the waterfall. What gorgeous scenery all around us, surrounded by mountain ridges and the smells of the bush.

Be sure to click this one to enlarge.. a beautiful panoramic view of the National Park

Vote Vote Vote Please Please PLEASE!!!

2009-04-09T18:50:00.002+10:00

A quick last dash for voted cos i forgot t put this on my blog before now.....

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE FOR SHENNAE!? EVERY SINGLE vote counts and needed EVERY DAY.. only a few days left.. keep us smiling please! :D

http://www.kismetdigital.com.au/MissCountryGirl/Maitland_Voting.html Enter the details : Shennae 209521 and your email address.. you can only vote once per email address but if you have several use them please!

THANKYOU!!

Moi

2009-03-31T15:40:00.006+11:00

Well after an extremely horrible start to the year, there are a few positives to come so far. Firstly i bought a new car for me.... something i chose, i wanted, i would love.

And so what did i get? a Hyundai Santa Fe yeah baby! I totally LOVE my new car... i've got my new pesonalised plates on it now, ( biz plates of course;)) I'm planning on having the windows nicely tinted and my biz URL chroming up the back window...Yay it's fun pimping my car just a lil bit :)

So here's a couple pics... sexy ride huh!

And the other part of my Moi post is my own pics i had taken by Karen at Bewitched photograph. Karen was good enough to let me edit them in my chosen style.
At the begining of the year i made a promise that i would have some photos of myself taken very soon. I promote the necessity of photos to preserve our memories of loved ones, but would i let anybody take a photo of me? Noway! Now i am more than happy behind the camera , but not infront of it! Anyways after a lovely new haircut off we set...poor karen had to put up with me and i am extremely happy with my faves which i've added here.
so now not only am i an "eye" i do actually have a whole face to go with it ;)

Consider that self promise fulfilled!..and get this.. i even got them printed..wow i've outdone myself!
Nic xx

Disabled Surfers Australia

2009-03-31T14:28:00.005+11:00

Well what can i say? I'm a slacko blog poster again, the month of March has basically gone and i havent posted anything lately! I've been extremely busy with various projects: Surf Club , Swansea Development Squad , Family portrait sessions, Disabled Surfers and i'm sure i've left stuff out.. oh yeah.. jumped in front of the camera myself for a change!

So i'm not going to try to catch up on all of that, but i'll post a few bits n pieces:

Each year , for the last 3 years, i have been asked to photograph the DSA Hunter region- Disabled Surfers Australia. It is always such a delight to be a part of this day, and seeing the look of wonder and joy on the faces of these not so able-bodied people as they enjoy a day of surfing. Smiles run through the whole crowd, from the paricipants to the carers in charge of making this day a fabulous event.

Here are a handful from this year's day, taken at their "home" of Blacksmith's Beach. Do check out their website and maybe even take the time to attend an event come next season! It's a great cause and followed up by a bbq afterwards.

Valentine's Day Wedding - Natalie & Bill

2009-02-21T22:41:00.006+11:00

Natalie and Bill chose St Valentine's Day to say their vows to one another, at St Phillips at Waratah, followed by a reception at Burwood Bowling Club overlooking Dudley Beach.
The perfect date for love, however Cupid's friend, Loki had decided that a day of continual rain would be a nice touch!.. Well thanks to you Loki ( God of mischief for those who don't know).

Natalie made a beautiful bride and did not let the weather dampen her spirits.. those spirits might have been the only dry thing in site!

A beautiful ceremony , wonderful people and followed by a fun reception made for a fabulous day.

Thankyou Natalie and Bill for allowing me to be a part of your special day. May you always be blessed with love.

Nic xx

The Marriage of Pamela & Chris

2009-02-07T15:13:00.009+11:00

Yesterday , amid scorching heat, Pamela and Chris said "I Do" under the shade trees of lakeside Rathmines, N.S.W.

Chris and his groomsmen looked very handsome ,

Tears were flowing with the ladies...but plenty of smiles too!

The super cool '57 Chev

Pamela was absolutely radiant!

A beautiful ceremony- bride crying, mums crying, sisters crying, guests and photographer crying- yes i shed a tear at witnessing such a beautiful event.

Thankyou Pamela and Chris for allowing me to be a part of your very special day!

Treasure those moments.....

Love Nic. xx

Florals

2009-02-02T10:44:00.004+11:00

One of my beautiful friends came over to visit with me last Friday and she brought along this gorgeous bunch of flowers with her... as well as a delicious honey roll. Isn't she the best?!
Thankyou Vicki !!! Mwuah!

So while there was nothing left of the honey roll to share with you, i do have some photos of the beautiful flowers.

I decided to do some nice close ups, so some of these will have a slightly abstract feel to them.
Enjoy!

Venus & Moon January 2009

2009-01-30T21:12:00.002+11:00

After a busy week of catching up on plenty, and getting the kids back off to school, i could use a bit of relaxation, so this post is purely for that!
This is Venus - currently the only visible planet in the night sky, sitting prettily above the Moon.
i find this a soothing image to look at after a busy week......so hopefully you enjoy this too!
Nic :)

Megan & Kurt - Engagement

2009-01-21T07:40:00.005+11:00

I headed out with Megan & Kurt on Monday night for a fun engagement session. We started off at Caves Beach where the clouds decided to thicken and hang about for most of our time together, however i did manage to pull some colour out of the sky towards the end ;) Regardless of clouds and lack of sunshine we still had a fun time on the beach before heading to some Lake Macquarie destinations to end the session.

This one is just too cute and one of my faves of the day!

Make sure you come back to check out Megan & Kurt's wedding images in April!

Wedding - Lynette & Jason

2009-01-17T13:46:00.006+11:00

Last Saturday i was very honoured to be a part of Lynette and Jason's wedding day, which took place at Belmont Golf Club with the ceremony out on the 11th tee. I had a lot of help on this day so some of the below photos were taken by Karen- my fabulous friend at Bewitched Photography. THANKYOU again Karen!

Lynette and Jason are such a wonderful couple..And ofcourse.. LOVE was the theme of their day...

I had to add this shot of the infamous 'spreadsheet'. Jason was a very, very involved groom and made sure everybody knew their duties..it was a very comical joke amongst those that knew of it....love you Jason you're fabulous!

So here are a few of the shots..i must add that Lynette is Godmother to my son Cameron, and is a very special lady indeed...just check out how gorgeous she is in the pics to follow :)

I adore this shot, Lynette's radiant face just glows with excitement!

A hill and blue skies means a must have JUMP shot!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:30:00.004+11:00

Happy New Year everybody!

I hope everybody had a fabulous, fun and safe night. Mine was spent quietly at home till 11.30 when we headed down to Swansea Bridge to watch the midnight fireworks...and they sure didn't dissapoint.

Wow where did the year go? It seems to go faster and faster each year!

What are your hopes and wishes for this new year? Did you make resolutions and ..more the question.. Will you keep them?

Personally i made none...mainly due to the fact that i never seem to keep mine either!

Well the new year is off to a very warm and sunny start....i'm thinking a nice quiet day with plenty of swimming is on order...

I'll end this post with a lovely little New Years sms that was sent to me by several very special people in my life.................

2009 is at the door.......Remember,

Life is short;

Break the rules;

Forgive quickly;

Kiss slowly;

Love truly;

Laugh uncontrollably;

And never regret anything that made you smile!

To those that sent that sms to me..thankyou! You mean the world to me.

Take care in 2009!

Taronga Zoo- Animal Kingdom Expressions & Emotions

2008-12-29T13:41:00.011+11:00

Yesterday Morning , bright and early , we decided that a trip to Taronga Zoo was our activity for the day. Kiel had never been to the zoo so it was time to show him his beloved elephants and other exciting critters.

We didnt really think this decision through i have to say...cos it was absolutelyfreakingHOT.. and who in their right mind goes trekking round hills and stairs in that sort of heat?..

We did. (In our defence i must say that at the time we made the decision to go it was a lovely pleasant morning and not at all uncomfortable.)

The ferry trip across the Harbour was wonderful.. cool seabreezes whipping our hair around and a beautiful big blue sky overhead made for a lovely trip. None of the kids had ever been on a ferry before now so i was even more pleased the weather was so perfect. Kiel was also wanting to see the Sydney Opera House......we missed seeing it last time we were in Sydney much to his dissapointment.

Now on to the critters...........

The zoo didnt look to have changed much since were there last... i think it must have been a good 10 years or more that we were last there.

Off we set to see what animals were present today..

Among throngs of people all vying for the spot you MIGHT catch a glimpse of a critter....a hot and tired critter..sleeping the day away.

There were a few displaying some character....

My faves were the lion...he atleast was interesting to watch as he gazed around his yard. You can't blame him for not doing much else.

I also really enjoyed the Chimpanzees.. their facial expressions are just so amazing!

A particular Gorilla mother made my eyes tear up.. just watching her expressions as she fed her youngster, i had to wonder what type of human thoughts would be running through her mind.

She looked sad, fed up, hot , bothered. and a little angry!

The little 10 week old baby Pigmy Hippo was so adorable!. I was lucky enough to catch her going for her daily exercise and swimming lesson... she's learning to be a big hippo lol. Totally cute!

There were many more i loved... a few dissapointments as well. We really would have loved to see some tigers but they didnt seem to be in evidence..never mind.. i guess it has to be expected.

Enjoy the rest of the critters............

Froggies!

2008-12-27T00:01:00.004+11:00

I Love Frogs.

Especially Green Tree Frogs.

When my Dad suggested to me to bring my camera gear along today when we had our Christmas get together i was really keen to see the lil froggies he mentioned were living in his orchid house.
There's lil tiny baby ones about as big as a thumbnail, and a few slightly bigger ones, but all of them were very cute. They camouflage extremely well amongst the orchids, but we managed to find a few....so here 's a few from today.

Enjoy:)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:01:00.003+11:00

I just want to take this opportunity to wish everybody a wonderful and happy Christmas!

Wherever you are, and whatever your plans may be, i hope you have an enjoyable time, full of love and laughter, with your families, loved ones and friends.
Please be safe out there, and let's bring in the New Year with a bang!

Peace to all....
Nic xx

SnuggleBunny

2008-12-20T18:31:00.005+11:00

Don't you just love the way kids sleep at times?
I have to laugh at the funny ways i've seen my kids sprawled out in bed, and this time i actually got to take a quick shot of Kiel...taken on my phone so the images to begin with are pretty bad quality...(makes me laugh when the sales people try to sell phones as 'you-beaut must have cameras'!.. as if!)

Anyway.. Kiel likes to snuggle up in bed with me if he wakes up early in the morning..a little 4 o'clock bed buddy lol.
I woke up yesterday morning to find him spreading his arms and legs in all kinds of directions , so i quickly took advantage of my fabulous phone-camera (NOT) and grabbed these few before he woke up.
I couldn't risk getting out of bed to grab a proper camera or else he would have moved, ... as it was one click of the noisy shutter and he rolled over.
Just for fun.. and because one day soon he'll grow out of snugglebunnies with me:(

Such a little angel face..all squished into the bed lol

Twilight.....Claims another Victim

2008-12-15T11:10:00.003+11:00

Yesterday i saw the current mega-movie sweeping the globe- Twilight.. and i'm hooked just like everybody else who has read the book/ seen the movie/ wants to do either or both!

Having not yet read the book, all i knew was that i was going to see a vampire movie, but i was so suprised to find it less of a "i want to suck your blood" type movie and more a love story...an entwining of two characters to make a passionate and modern love story that doesnt suck your blood, but sucks you right in! I found myself grinning away during certain scenes in the movie and hoping that all eyes in the cinema were watching the screen as they should be and not noticing my grinning face as love and passion unfolded on screen.... yep i am a sap.

Now if the storyline wasn't enough to achieve that result, then main character Edward Cullen certainly was! That golden eyed hypnotic gaze was riveting, and for a "cold skinned being" he is absolutely freaking HOT! Those eyes.. wow.. the chiselled features.. wow..i want one..yes i want a vampire.. not just any vampire.. i want THAT one.. Edward Cullen!

Needless to say i am now anxious to read the series...I have to wait in line behind my kids ...but the next book i read will definately be the first of the Twilight series.
Here's a couple of movie promotional pics to pretty up my blog entry today... and if you are unsure ( why?) of going to see the movie.. JUST DO IT!

Carols by Candlelight 2008

2008-12-14T08:23:00.006+11:00

Last night was the 4th annual Carols By Candlelight in Swansea, presented by the Combined Churches of 2281, held down at the Foreshore of Swansea R.S.L

What i saw and heard at last nights was excellent. I wasn't there for the whole event ,but for the time i was present it was highly entertaining.

The carols performers were vibrant and fun.. sorry i don't have the name of their band at the moment but i'll update if i can get it.

Ofcourse Santa was putting in an appearance....he arrived on a Harley i believe... (yep missed that part.)

Super Hubert provided his crazy entertainment.....seriously crazy !

The Special guest performer of the evening was Catherine Britt. I have to admit i'd not actually heard of her prior to last night, as she is a country singer and i'm not much of a country fan...

however, she was brilliant and i found her performance fabulous.. and even with an electricity failure meaning total sound and lighting were lost mid performance, it was amusing and she was a good sport in trying to finish the rest of her song.

Here are a few shots taken of Britt and her band....

Fireworks!

2008-12-13T23:12:00.005+11:00

Wow this is a first for me.. actually a double first.... one because i am blogging freshly captured and processed images without letting a day (or several ) put me behind and secondly....because i have FINALLY captured fireworks yay!

I have been trying to do this for a few years now, but every event that comes along with fireworks something prevents me from getting out there with my camera and photographing them.. well not this time..i've done it.. i can scratch this off my list ;)
Well.. actually no i wont do that.. cos i absolutely love fireworks images so ofcourse i'll continue to try to capture many more.. but here are my first, taken at the Swansea Carols by Candlelight tonight.

After a rainy and miserable start to the day, it turned out very steamy and hot this afternoon, so sitting down by the Swansea Channel with the gorgeous night breezes was fantastic. Add to that a huge and glorious golden moon sitting low on the horizon.. ..a purely magical way to end the day.

Enjoy :)

Family Love in the Vineyards

2008-12-13T11:09:00.006+11:00

Saturday was stinking hot but i spent a wonderful few hours up in the Hunter Valley Vineyards with Heather, Cole, their gorgeous son, Zo and Heather's sister Emma.

It was sort of a combo of family photos and couple session, but the whole thing, while being extremely hot was a lot of fun.

We were asked to leave one of the picturesque estates, but i did manage to snap of a few pics before being shoo'd away. It was dissapointing as the grounds provided lots of interesting photo opportunities, but leave we did.

Here are a few of my faves of this group of wonderfully warm and beautiful people.

Such a beautiful, fun and loving couple.

Feeding Cole's nose some baby grapes LOL

Dynamic looking couple.

I love the love in this between Mum and Child,

And the lovely sisters.

Newcastle Jet's Fan Day.. Tarek Elrich

2008-12-13T10:12:00.007+11:00

A very pleasing sight at the Newcastle Jets Fan Day was Tarek Elrich mixing it with a couple of young fans and having some fun on the super slide... Way to go Tarek! That's what Fan Day is about... players having fun with the fans .

I was very impressed that Tarek actually stood up from his autograph signing spot at the table to have his photo taken with Shennae and Bree ... a beautiful smile Tarek, Thanks for the extra effort!

Newcastle Jets Fan Day

2008-12-13T09:39:00.008+11:00

Righto, i'm behind on sharing on my blog once again, so here are a couple of catch up posts from the last week.
This one is from the Newcastle Jets Fan Day held last Friday evening.
My daughter, Shennae is dancing this year for the first time as a member of the Jet's Bomber Squad. They do these awesome hiphop dance routines during the halftime break at all Newcastle Jets home games as well as different support event for the Jets throughout the season.
So here is a few..... ok maybe a lot ....of pics i took of 'Nae dancing last week at the Fan Day.

And this is her partner in crime, Bree...they were having lots of fun on the big slide and jumping castle, as well as extra dance performances out in the crowd.. such hams!

Kiel had a ball... took enough time to get his face painted and then spent the rest of the time on the giant slide and in the jumping castle maze.
..my lil monster xx

AKA.....The Troublemaker!

2008-12-03T05:56:00.006+11:00

Did anybody take note when i said i only had the troublemaker to photograph? No? ..well look at this face..... i have to love it lol.

This is Kiel.. #3 ..........aka the troublemaker.

Delightful smile isnt it?.......for some reason he kept pulling this face during our photo session. Oh well at 8 yrs old it's still cute!

OK.. so on to some more images of Kiel.
This one is his 'photo face'.. the one he pulls to look cool and like a model LOL.. I love this kid!
I wish he didnt squint his eyes up though.. they are small enough as it is to photograph GRR!

Mr Handsome

2008-11-27T07:55:00.004+11:00

Here's Cam the man, my 16yr old son.. he is so grown up now! And handsome too!
Just a couple of quick shots we managed after school the other day....still need more pics of him for my project.

That's almost 2 kids photographed , now the little troublemaker to go lol.Oh.. and group shots... hmm What fun!

Somebody Give Me a Big Stick!

2008-11-23T16:51:00.003+11:00

And i mean BIG! PLEASE! OK i ventured out in the horrible weather again today to try and get atleast a handful more images of Shennae. The wind wasn't quite so bad which was good, however the rain decided to join us today so once again session cut short but atleast i got some nice ones. While processing these i kept thinking.. man.. my daughter is going to have so many boys after her.. i mean look at her she is gorgeous!.. so.. the reason for asking for the big stick is evident isn't it? Look out boys! I'll use it! ..... so here is today's faves:

Check out these baby blues! Trouble.. oh trouble yeah!

Blown Away!

2008-11-22T20:19:00.010+11:00

Below is a solitary image i got from today's attempted photo session with my daughter. I actually fired off 3 shots before packing up and coming home. This was my shortest ever photoshoot.. a grand total of 4 minutes!

The weather was just horrible! Huge gusts of winds came up and created havoc. GRRR. 'Nae got blown off her stool.. Cameron was attempting to hold my light stand and was getting sharp things smashed against his legs from the wind and my car tailgate was up while i was setting up my gear and it almost got blown off my car!..

So what on Earth do you call this crazy weather? I mean here we are almost hitting Summer and i've had goosebumps all afternoon.. absolutely crazy. Please bring on Summer!!!

Anyway, this is it.. ........"blown away Nae! "

Maybe tomorrow will provide better conditions.

And an additional processing style:

Off To Camp!

2008-11-18T08:41:00.000+11:00

Yesterday my little man, Kiel, went on his first camp/overnight school excursion to The Great Aussie Bush Camp
He'll be gone for 2 nights and 3 days and i am sure will have a ton of fun! He is looking forward to the planned activities, in particular archery .

He's been very excited in the last weeks leading up to the camp. He packed his own gear on Saturday, which i repacked Sunday so it would all fit in his luggage neatly. It is amazing how folding clothing creates more room!

Anyway, although excited , he was a little subdued when i took him to school Monday morning to board the bus. He still wanted to go, but realisation that he was going to miss his Mum set in.
It's ok Matey.. I miss you too! Loves ya buddyboy! Have a great time!

Now for the pics... taken on my Hiptop phone. Not too bad i spose. Kiel waiting while all the luggage is stowed on the bus...

With his buddy,Brian. I am sure this cheeky pair are going to have a fantastic time!

And off they go!

Hunter Valley Gardens

2008-11-15T10:26:00.001+11:00

Yesterday i took a day off to visit Hunter Valley Gardens with my parents and my sister. Mum loves roses and her and dad have a nice collection planted at their new home, so i thought it was a good time to go and visit the Gardens with Mum while they were in bloom. They have over 30+ varieties at present and i am sure Mum would like more!

I have been so busy this year and i wanted to just have a few hours and visit with my family, so off we went the 4 of us .
Unfortunately, due to me having school hours to stick to i didnt have a great deal of time to look around but it was a nice visit regardless. The temps reached about 32 degrees - it was a stinker, so i dont think we would have wanted to walk around much longer than we did anyway.

I am going to go back again when i can have a fuller day, as now i've been twice and still havent had a proper look i dont think.. besides i didnt get to visit the Chocolate shop in the village!

My Mummy and Daddy ...( loves you both!)..Thanks for the day out everybody.... and sorry mine was very rushed trip.

My sister, being her usual entertaining self!

A panorama view of the Rose Garden.

A couple of closer views of roses i liked.

This gorgeous, shady covered walk is i think my fave place in the whole Garden. I want one just like this in my backyard. Please. I know i'd make the effort to spend plenty of time relaxing out there!

And these are my fave little details - little birdbaths with floating flowers. It doesnt matter what type of flowers either.. i just think they are beautiful positioned through the covered walkway area.
Last time i visisted the Gardens they had Camelias floating instead of the current seasonal roses.

Had to include the Agapanthus... I do like these flowers a lot and i am waiting for my first to bloom in my front garden

The Itallian Grotto.. very nice .

This is a super-huge , and i mean SUPER huge Magnolia.. it was really lovely . I'd never seen one like that before.The flower was larger than a dinner plate. Massive
The lovely waterfall
We wandered through the Storyland section where the nursery rhymes are set out. For some reason I just really liked this sheep-dude!

And just because i like to be different here is an artistic representation of the image above.

Carley & Adam ~Wedding

2008-11-04T17:55:00.000+11:00

Carley & Adam's wedding day was fabulously sunshiny blue and hot! Gorgeous surroundings and those blue skies made for very colourful images when combined with the bridal attire of red.
The wedding took place at Nelson Bay, and the elevated positions gave us stunning views all round.
Take a quick sneakpeak at some of the images taken on the day, and check out their 'baby' Maverick...he looks so gorgeous in his doggy top hat n tux.

Carley and Adam, you guys make a beautiful couple and were such fun to work with as well as a fun bridal party, albeit a few cheeky fellows in there. Made for great times. Wishing you blessings in your marriage,
...........love n laughter, treasure the moments.
Nic.

Adam and Mav

Carley.. isnt she stunning?

feel the love!

Nat & Bryn's Wedding

2008-10-22T15:44:00.000+11:00

Nat & Bryn's wedding day was a lot of fun with beautiful weather conditions and a beautiful couple - making a wonderful day. The whole bridal party were such fun and very easy to work with, albeit a few cheeky personalitites in there- groom included! Actually it was hard to capture a moment when Bryn wasn't smiling all day long.. It's so great to see!

Honestly , you guys were brilliant to work with and made my job so enjoyable.

Anyway.. on to a few images:

Nic

Natalie: Isnt she beautiful?

The guys: Can you spot the cheeky ones?

Bryn: Watching his bride approach down the long plaza walk

Natalie: watching Bryn , watching her.

The very photogenic and fun bridal party

Nat & Bryn, thankyou for letting me be a part of your special day.
Love ' n Laughter
..................Treasure the moments.

Boys will be.. Boys

2008-10-21T13:49:00.000+11:00

.. or is that monkeys?
These guys.. ok one or two in particular were extremely amusing to watch as they got up to all sorts of antics on the dance floor. And once they knew they were being watched they turned it on even more!..Lot's of fun.. like watching monkeys behind the glass at the zoo. ( No offense intended guys!)
The funniest thing... after i snapped off this shot from the other side of the glass window and preceded to show them as they eagerly awaited with faces ( and .. err.. fur ) pushed against the glass window for me to show them.....little did they know, that the term photographers use for looking at a shot in the back of a camera is known as " Chimping" .. i kid you not!
Hilarious.

So just a little lesson to all those aspiring entertainers out there.... when there's a camera about.. LOOK OUT! LOL

Great fun,

Nic

New: Sexy & Sophisticated Album

2008-10-16T19:18:00.000+11:00

A couple of months ago i added the new Asuka deluxe version of their Coffee Table book as an album option in my wedding packages. Today i received my sample album , so here are a few pics to show it off.
It's sleek.
It's sophisticated.
It's elegant.
It's sexy.

This beautiful album comes in it's own designer cover which doubles as a box. Beautiful ,glossy and sturdy....mmm. I like it!
This is the back of the cover.
Side view shows couple's name. This box is about an inch in depth and is just lovely! It opens up like a clamshell.
Plain black leather-like cover. Sleek! Comes with silver hot stamped names. An upgrade to full leather is available.

So there's a quick preview of my latest sample book. Definately gotta see this one first hand..
Oh and you may have recognised that gorgeous couple featured in this book.. that's Jess & Shane's wedding i photographed in September.Watcha think guys? Looks pretty schmickooooo!

Hiptop!

2008-10-14T12:06:00.001+11:00

Yesterday i decided to purchase a must-have new phone to keep me up to date and completely in contact wherever i go. A bit of a 'yuppy' indulgence purchase.....but seriously ....I did need it..
Now i can keep up to date with those all important emails, can direct clients to parts of my website without having to verbally do so..quick click into album companies for updates .... yadda yadda yadda... there. Justified. Even if only in my eyes.

So while it might seem like a bit of a 'toy' right now with having these cool features at my fingertips 24/7, it really is going to be helpful while i am on the road for extended hours. You know.. somebody might desperately need me and has only managed to try to contact me via email.

So i signed up for my new Hiptop Scarlet phone (toy) and while i was at it added one in my purchase for my daughter, who was asolutely OVERJOYED to receive it. You know, cos .. all the kids at school want one... and OMG now i have one!!! So does my eldest son.. but ..never mind, he can have my old phone ;) .. it was less than a year old anyway.
Now i'm not playing favourites here!... Cameron got a really shmicko laptop for his birthday this year so he has no room for complaints!

C'mon Mum -Hurry UP!

2008-10-12T19:34:00.000+11:00

What do you do when you want to take some pics of your daughter, who just doesnt want to have pics taken at that time ??? ( I interupted her chatting online..such a horrible Mum i am)
Well i decided to make her sit through just a few before i gave up. Atleast i made some effort.. can't say the same for somebody else.. not mentioning any names!

Just to prove i kept my word and would take more pics these holidays.......

Yay i actually got a smile from her for this one.......

Album Design Awards

2008-10-08T13:14:00.000+11:00

Remember ages ago i mentioned i had won awards for album design? And once again i neglected to follow that up and post about the trip away to collect them. Sorry. (But i have been busy!)
Anyway, on a photography forum i participate in , it seems another member discovered an advertisement in Australian Photography Magazine sept 08 edition announcing the two first place winners.
So here is the advert.. that's me on the right and Kirsten on the left. Woohoo fame! LOL

Nic

Testing the Light - My Kids

2008-10-08T12:46:00.000+11:00

Well i'm doing better at this blog update thing, and for taking pics of my kids when i say i'm going to for that matter!
Here are just a couple i did yesterday, just quickies while testing some new equiptment. I'm still aiming to get out and do a nice beach session with them again, but i'm running out of available days during the current school holidays.
Anyway , here they are...Cameron, Shennae, and Kiel. The last pic of Kiel was at his request.. he wanted to look a bit broody.. who knows why?
Thanks for looking!
Nic

A Thursday Lunch Outing

2008-09-26T15:38:00.000+10:00

These photos of my kids were taken last school holidays and i am only just getting around to posting them now.. and we are on the eve of yet another set of school hols! Yeah yeah i know i have been slack in keeping up my blog..
Anyway, here they are.. all taken in my hometown.. just a few snaps while we ate lunch out - al fresco style, complete with seagulls.
I'm plaaning on getting out much more these hols to grab many more pics of my babies.

Jessica and Shane: Wedding

2008-09-26T14:44:00.000+10:00

Jessica and Shane were married on 6th September- on a day that can only be described as Mother Nature having a 'Hissy fit!' Rain, extremely strong winds.. more rain and floods! Jess and Shane kept their chins up throughout it all, despite endless problems. Here's a couple of images from their day....
May you always be happy in your love,
Nic

Wedding: Lisa & Ben 1/3/08

2008-03-10T18:16:00.000+11:00

Well all i can say is Lisa & Ben's wedding was beautiful and a blast! A totally relaxed day and a bridal party that just wanted to have fun, made my job so easy.
You know the saying "there's always one in every crowd"? well there was definately at least one in this bridal party! Those guys sure made me laugh, and it was an indication of the party animals to emerge later that night;)
Fun and frivolities on the dance floor and a night that seemed to end all too quickly.

Lisa & Ben, it was such an honour to be a part of your wedding day and i wish you all the very best for the future... you have a beautiful, loving foundation and wonderful family support.....Treasure the Moments.

Thankyou, Nic xx

Jets Fever!

2008-02-23T16:32:00.000+11:00

The 2007/2008 season of the Hyndai A-League has been my introduction to football ( apart from my son playing rooball). And what a season it has been. From the very first game i attended in the beginning i was well and truly hooked! I remember walking to EAS from where i had parked my car and hearing the Squadron in full voice for the first time...it immediately spread a grin across my face that lasted all game and i havent looked back. I'm a fan...well and truly. I've attended every home game bar their first, and travelled to their derby's against the Mariners at the CC. I've been caught up in the atmosphere and here we are right now on the eve of a major Grand Final Derby! All i can say is this has been the perfect year to become involved and i only wish i had been from the get-go.
I've photographed many of the games from the sidelines.....but this means you dont really get to see the game played as everybody else does. Looking through the lens just isnt the same as watching the game...but it has it's own rewards in taking home 'souvenirs' to view at leisure. So some games i opted to just watch and appreciate ....it's now such a hard desicion on game day: Do i shoot or watch? If you'd care to view some of my Jets images you can check them out here in my event galleries: http://www.pbase.com/nicbenson/galleries . I'll add more shortly.

I'm all set to head off to the Big Game tomorrow at SFS.... i simply can't wait! We jump on the supporter bus @ noon. It's been an exciting and nailbiting Finals series & I've only just recoverd my voice after last weekends Prelim. And i fully expect another week of scratchy , throaty noices instead of my usual voice for the coming week. Hopefully recovered just in time for next weekend's wedding! I've decided to leave the camera gear at home...settling to take a little P&S camera just to capture the atmosphere.

So look out for my next blog entry - post Grand Final. Whether it be with jubilation or commiseration the highlight of the season is going to well remembered!

To the team and all involved i wish you the very best of luck in tomorrow's game and thank you for the season and giving me another passion. You've done us proud!
GO THE JETS!!!!!!!!!

Nic

Wedding: Nicolle & Peter 9th February 2008

2008-02-23T15:55:00.000+11:00

I just want to say that Nicolle & Peter are such a beautiful couple, and i had the honour of being a part of their special day on february 9th. The day started full of rain clouds and patches of blue sky were visible from time to time throughout the day. The inevitable occured however and it was pouring by the time the bridal party were ready to leave for the ceremony set at the Japanese Gardens in Gosford. By a magical stroke of luck, or a blessing from above; whichever way you choose to look at it, the skies cleared and we had a fabulous ceremony outside in the gorgeous surroundings. It was obvious to all just how happy and in love these guys are. A Beautiful couple, a fabulously fun bridal party and a blessed event. Thankyou Nicolle & Peter for allowing me to share your day & may you always be blessed with such love.
.............Treasure the Moments.
Nic

Multiple Award Winner!

2008-02-23T15:35:00.000+11:00

I'm going to start off by sharing my fantastic news and hope this is the start of a fabulous 2008!
Xmas Eve i recieved the best news: I am now a Multi Award Winning Album Designer! WOOHOO!

In October/November i had entered a competition: ' The 2007 Photographers Shootout in Album Design.' It was open to all Professional Photograhers & Designers in Australia & NZ, sponsored by Timeless Albums in QLD together with Peter Williams of Turning Heads Photography in QLD.

There were two categories open for entry :

Best Digital Wedding Album
Most Cutting Edge Digital Album

I decided to enter both, not really knowing how i would fare against the rest of the entrants.

After a few weeks we were notified.. right on xmas eve....

I discovered that i had won in both categories!!!

1st Place in the Most Cutting Edge category and Highly Commended in the Best Wedding Album category.

I cannot begin to tell you how stoked i was to hear of what i had achieved! In actualy fact just being 'stoked' is a huge understatement! It took me over a week to really let it sink in....i've acheived something i'd never even thought possible!

There is an Awards Presentation coming up shorlty in QLD, where i will receive my prizes and i cannot wait to experience it all! Would you believe i've never flown before so that will be my first time in an aeroplane too.

Anyway, i'll update this with some images once the Awards Presentation has taken place....i cant wait!
Nic :)

Welcome to Treasured Moments Blogalogue!

2008-02-23T15:28:00.001+11:00

Welcome viewers to what i hope will prove to be a fun and interesting spot to stop a while and catch up with what's happening in my world. I have to admit this is my second attempt at blogging, with my first failing dismally.. so much so that i had to start again...... and here we are at post #1. I do promise to try to make this interesting and keep it updated with new content.
I've been really busy of late and have quite a bit of sharing i can do... so let me just catch up on my year to date with a few opening posts to get the ball rolling.
Nic