Get better- not bitter

Surfing around on facebook, I came across a talented photographer in Oklahoma- Dina Weiher. But it wasn't just her photos that impressed me- it was her philosophy on photography that has really pulled me in- and inspired me to write this! With todays cameras and lenses so readily available, fairly cheap and pretty easy to use, everyone can be a photographer! And lets face it- these days just about everybody is! And then the claws come out. I used to be friends with a very talented photographer, and watched as she grew from nothing to the super star she is today. But I also bore witness to what none of her fans saw- all the toes she stepped on, the backstabbing and the lying that she used to get to where she is. And as soon as I picked up a camera, I too was black listed. Photographers are a very "cliquey" (hahaha!) group! As Dina said in her blog, it's like they are guarding secrets worthy of the Templar's! I don't pretend to be a professional, I am continuing to learn more and more every day. I love photography, I love meeting new people, and I feel blessed each time I am asked to help capture a family's memory. But I also love when you can find photographers that are willing to teach and share their knowledge, or to learn 'together' with. And while there are many photographers that are not confident enough in their own abilities to share and mentor, there are a few little gems around (Tayana Photography being one of them!). So- rant over, but hopefully you can take a little bit of this raving with you in  everything that you do- get better, not bitter! :)

Best friends are for life....

Annabelle & Chloe

With Christmas so close, I've been so busy with children and family photos- after all, what better present to give to your loved ones? It's always nice when you get repeat customers, especially when they're as fun as these 2 sisters- Annabelle and Chloe. Annabelle surprised us all with some 'modelling' poses, which was soon copied by her little sister giving us all a laugh. Its shoots like these that I really enjoy!

And finally, my kids with the girls, loving each others company!

Remember, if you're stuck for Christmas ideas, gift vouchers are available- $100 for session and DVD of photos!]
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Baby Boy

If you follow me on Face book (Here!) you will know that I've been so excited to finally share these photos of you of baby Lukaz- firstborn to Elly and Billy! I first met Lukaz when he was 5 days old, but it was late afternoon, and he wasn'[t really interested in being photographed. So a few weeks on, we tried again, and he was a perfect little angel for his mummy- allowing us to get some pretty great shots- including a few Christmas inspired ones! I soon found out though, that there was no such thing as a 'quick' newborn edit, and have a new found appreciation for how much time and work goes into editing newborns! But I hope that you'll agree- its well worth the effort!

 Toes! Every little Spot you can see is a reflection of a perfect little toe in a crystal!

 I Love the little pout here! :)

And lastly- a photo of Lukaz @ 5 days old- what a difference a couple of weeks can make!

If you've just had a baby or know of someone who has (or maybe you or someone you know is expecting- don't forget maternity shoots!) what better gift than some quality photos at very reasonable prices! $150 gets a newborn photo shoot (usually 1-2hrs, but as long as it takes to get the 'shots') and a DVD of approximately 10 edited, high-res images to use however you like, time and time again! Contact me through my web page or Face book, or email contact@rainbowphotography.com.au

Danielle & Family

Wow. Almost a month since my last post! And trust me, it hasn't been because I've been slacking it- I just have simply not had the time to keep up with the blog! These are going back a bit, but I thought I may as well start playing catch up from the very beginning! I met Danielle at work, and was lucky enough to be asked to photograph her with her lovely family! You can't even tell that Danielle had just come off a 12 hour night shift! The magic of coffee... :)

THE Family! Part I

Yep, I'm new to this photography 'business'. I took my love for photography a step further, and have attempted to photograph families (amongst other things) on the side. And I have quickly learnt it is NOT easy! Especially when trying to capture large groups! Another thing I have learnt, is that the people your photographing really influence your shots- a lot!

 Kelly contacted me a few weeks ago, and I felt such a warm and bubbly personality from her just by exchanging a few emails. Little did I know that the shoot of her and her family would turn out to deliver some of my favourite photos ever! And I put it down to the people! Kelly's whole family were so warm and caring! It was lovely to see the large extended family having fun together- and I think it is reflected in these photos!

And this is only Kelly's 1/2 of the family... Her hubby's is still to come... ;)

Lake Cootharaba Sailing

Yay for Summer! I love winter- I'm a snuggly kind of person- but it's so hard trying to keep kids entertained. In Summer though, we're lucky enough to be able to hit the beach/river and just relax while the kids run wild! This weekend marked my sons first trial run of sailing. The price difference between hoity toity Noosa and that of Lake Cootharabas Sailing Club was unbelievable- so we headed up to the big lake (and I'm so glad we did... as you'll read later on!)

First surprise of the morning was catching up with my mothers cousin (who happens to be commodore at LCSC!!) and his son! They come up from Bribie was to sail every weekend, and have promised to take us out on their big yacht when they next bring it up! It was great watching them scoot around in their little boat "Screw Loose" though. It was REALLY windy, so they were really moving! It was so windy though, that they decided not to take the learners out on sail boats today, but piled them into 2 rubber dinghy's and took them out on the lake in them instead. I've mentioned before that Jaxon is a very quiet and introverted young boy, but he's slowly beginning to come out of his shell. Which is why I was so proud when he jumped onto the boat and took off without a second thought!

So off they went, ducking around the sail boats out in the middle of the lake. The guy in charge -Charlie- (big hair and big beard- I'm sure you'll spot him!) taught the group some basic marine rules while they were out there- but it looked like a pretty good learning environment! Meanwhile, we were left to soak up the sunshine (when we could find areas out of the wind!) and build sandcastles, while watching some of the action from the other boats.

They were out there for over an hour before they finally started heading in. The boat Jaxon was in turned around and helped out a fellow who had capsized and was having trouble getting himself up right, but they finally made it back to shore.

I had to laugh when the stopped and everyone jumped out to push the boat in- Jaxon was the smallest there by far- but he jumped out with the rest of them to do his bit! I swear he would have only barely been able to touch bottom! But before I knew what was happening, most of the group was back on shore, Jaxon was back in the boat, in the DRIVERS seat, and was driving the boat back out to the middle of the Lake again...

Going...

 ...Going...

Gone!

They had headed back out to the same fellow they had helped out earlier- he was fairly new to sailing and the winds had picked up pretty bad that they had actually called in all the other boats and stopped sailing for a while. This bloke was having a lot of difficulty trying to get back in! So my Jaxon was in the rescue boat! :) They were out there for another hour or so trying to talk this guy back in! I was worried that Jaxon was going to be bored, and not want to come back again because it was all too much!

Just as we decided to order some food for lunch, the boat came roaring back in at full speed! Jaxon was being cuddled by the woman on the boat, and I thought it was just because he was freezing! But when they jumped out of the boat carrying him, I soon found out it was a little more than that! He had been holding onto the handles on the rubber boat, when the sail boat rammed them (rammed is probably a little too strong... perhaps 'bumped'!) into them, and Jaxons wrist was caught in the crossfire! He was very tough, and I was very proud of him, but he couldn't move his fingers, and there was a bit of worry about broken bones. A quick visit to the hospital, and he was given the ok! Once the shock wore off, the movement in his fingers and wrist came back! My proudest moment? Bundling Jaxon up into the car, and even though he could barely talk, he was nodding furiously that he loved every second of the morning (up until the accident!) and that he would be back next weekend! And now that he's alright, he's still talking about it, and can't wait to go back!

Now earlier I said that I was glad we had chosen  LCSC over Noosa- and to begin with it may have just been because of the price- but the way that every one out there wanted to help Jaxon was amazing. All very friendly and helpful! But the icing on the cake- Charlie (big beard, big hair remember?) went out of his way to find mums phone number to ring us and check up on Jaxon. As it was Jaxons first day, we hadn't signed any paper work or anything, so he had to do some great detective work to find us! We can't wait to go back!

~Melissa & Bailley~

 So here I am still trying to play catch up with my blogs! I loved this shoot! Having a 'mummys' boy myself, I have a soft spot for mother & son photos! We took over a local Sunshine Beach park, and just let Bailley play! Between the swings, slide and a few bottles of bubbles (that's bubbles, not bubbly!) we had a great morning. Although a few bottles of bubbly wouldn't have gone astray.... maybe next time! :)

Hannah's Bump

This shoot was taken a few weeks ago, and you may have seen a couple of these shots leaked out through my Face Book page. I have just been so flat out with everything, that my blogging has become  a little scarce. Well, time to change that! Meet Hannah- and Hannah's bump! Hannah was around 34 weeks pregnant here, so she will be due very soon! Hopefully we'll get to meet the little one on this blog.... :) We had a great time shooting this. I was a little worried about the harsh midday sun down the beach, but we managed! Thanks for letting me share your bump with the world Hannah, and we all look forward to meeting the newbie! :)