Personal Journey and Adventures of Nina

After a few hours of shooting, set changes, outfit and hairstyle changes, we decided to blow off some steam. Just in the casual shirt she came in, Shelly sat for some fun natural shots. We were trying to get the fan going to blow back her hair but it was a mess and we just ended up laughing. The real fun started when Shelly began pulling some amazing expressions. It strikes me how beautiful she remained even when she contorted her face so!

Professional portraits for your high school dance or dinner? I wish they had thought of this when I went to high school! Although I remember it vividly, I do not have one image of my year 10 formal. What a fabulous idea! 20 years from now, these kids will love showing these happy snaps to their kids. They will reminisce about what they wore, how great they looked, who their friends were and how much fun they had! I had a wonderful time and all the kids were amazing! They just fell into their poses for the formal shots, each guy and girl looking as though they had stepped out of a magazine! Sometimes the formal consists of a dinner but tonight we are dancing away at Home Nightclub at Darling Harbour, downtown Sydney.

When I stepped onto George Street from Wynyard Station for the first time in 15 years, I was astounded at how much downtown Sydney had changed. I was heading to a function so in a hurry but I promise to spend more time wandering the streets and offering you a glimpse into my favourite city in the world! Bird Cages in Angel Place... A little European Flavour...

What do you do when your studio is all set and your client postpones?? Grab your daughter and her girlfriend and make them model for you...or not! Please...not another photo shoot! Really not working for me! Model becomes photographer... You can imagine that the daughter of a photographer can, be less than enthusiastic (i.e. when not being bribed with toys or money), about spending yet another  minute behind the camera so I asked her to become the photographer...she took some pretty cool shots. I love it when children take over the camera. It gives me a perspective that I wouldn't have normally considered! The reactions they receive are also different to what I might get. Altogether it worked out pretty well.

I am well aware of the old adage, never work with children or pets but I find the challenge they present, half the fun! What's a little Hedgehog poop among friends... Puppies are like children in that they grow up so fast. Their features and expressions alter as they mature. As with children, I recommend that you take as many images as possible to record this evolution. The pet can be a little nervous on set at first so a little coercion helps. After the pet has a little sniff around, I give them a tasty treat. Once I get a few photo's on the card, I give them another treat and a break. They end up quite enjoying the experience. In fact sometimes, they do not want to leave! Combining pets with product photography provides an extra challenge. The brain child of my friend, Alina, we approached this shoot with juxtaposition in mind - Mary K's "Satin Hands" against the grainy skin of the Bearded Dragon and the wiry spines of a Hedgehog against Redk

What to do with a Tween boy? Not too much actually. Little James was brilliant at having his own fun. His mother had prepared him well and he was relaxed and completely comfortable in front of the camera - the perfect subject! Rather, it was I who experienced difficulties. Of the technical kind, that is. I had tested my lights the day before and they had worked well. A tricky setup where I am sending my USA lights through a converter and battery pack but apparently I had blown a fuse and didn't realise it. However, we managed to make it work.