Getting ready for your Maternity Photo Shoot

Spring is a time for new life and new beginnings. We thought we would use this time to give you some photography preparation tips if you are getting ready to welcome a little one into the world. One of the many questions we get asked as photographers is how to prepare for a maternity photo shoot.

Here are some of our suggestions:

1. The best time for a maternity photo shoot is when you are at least 32 weeks pregnant. You want your stomach to be big!

2. Get to know your photographer – whether it’s before the photo shoot or on the day, it’s good to take some time to get to know each other so you will both be relaxed during the photo session.

3. Your photographer will have ideas and suggestions on how to pose and what to do. However if you have an idea of what style of photography you like (eg: formal, close ups, garden setting etc), let your photographer know what you prefer. Think of positions you do (or don’t) want for your photos and don’t be shy to let your photographer know.

4. We always advise people to wear what clothes which accentuate your stomach (and of course ones which are flattering and you are comfortable in). Avoid black or dark colours as this hides your shape. Also avoid bold patterns and brand names as this could be distracting in the photo. You may like to have a selection of clothes and try a few different styles during the shoot. Don’t wear elastic pants or skirts as the elastic will leave a line on your tummy (That’s if you want bare tummy photos).

5. If you have any props (maybe something special to you or for your baby) get them out for the photo shoot. 

6. Relax and enjoy your photo session!

Lady Martin's Bath

A bit of Blue Mountains History...

The Blue Mountains bush is full of history and intrigue. Hidden along a bush trail one could stumble upon fascinating evidence of a past era.

Lady Martin’s Bath is one of these. Tucked away in the bush this pretty bath is filled from a spring with clear cool water. It is 12 feet  x 5 feet  x 4 feet deep and was thought to be built by stone mason Paddy Ryan, as part of James Martin’s home. James Martin QC ( the same James Martin that Martin Place in Sydney is named after), was Attorney General in 1856 and 1857 and Premier from 1862-1872, and he owned land in the Blue Mountains. He intended to build a grand home overlooking the mountains and during excavation, a spring was found and the bath made. It was named after James Martin’s wife, Lady Martin, however she never used the bath, and ultimately James Martin never completed his grand home.

In fact the bath was the scene where a murder took place, when in 1896 Frank Butler shot and buried a mineralogy student, Arthur Preston, and buried him in a hole near the bath. (Butler was eventually caught and hanged in Sydney in 1897).

Now the bath lies mostly forgotten in the bush, but the spring still bubbles away with crystal clear water. Ferns and moss sprout around the blocks of stone lining the bath. It’s a cool, quiet and intriguing place.

Ref:http://springwoodhistorians.blogspot.com.au/2011_05_01_archive.html

DH

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

 

Yesterday in the Mountains we had the most snow I have seen in all the 14 years I have lived here. At our place we ended up with 5 inches - without a word of exaggeration. We thought it was great and lots of fun was had in the garden. The baby bunnies in the next block must have had a terrible shock. This one ventured out for a quick snack then headed home- and stayed there!



 

 

My dogs each took to it in their own way. The German Shepherd bombed madly around the garden. Little Ruby followed me around until snowballs built up on her long haired paws and I had to take her in to de-snow her. My old boy Oscar showed his age and ventured out, had a bite of the snow then went back to bed and stayed there.

 

 

 The spring flowers and the lemons on the tree must have had a shock! Scroll down to Dilshara's spring post and its hard to believe I'm writing this a couple of weeks later.

On a photographic note, many of these photos were taken with the iPhone, mainly using Hipstamatic - the greatest app on the planet in my opinion. A post on Hipstamatic to follow soon. I can't say enough how good it is to have a quality mobile phone camera on hand for days like these. I did use my Nikon but a lot of water had to be wiped off it and it can be inconvenient, especially mucking about with dogs and kids in the snow. The iphone went in and out of my pocket all day. A quick wipe on my jeans and all was good. Also, the tiny lens was much easier to keep dry than the enormous surface area of my Nikon 18-200mm lens. On this occasion fun was more important than quality. And with the vintage charm of the Hipstamatic images I think a whole other dimension is added.

 

 The afternoon brought a few surprises - most unwelcome. The sheer weight of the snow ripped whole branches off trees up and down the street. Two of our favourite trees were stripped of their main branches and we lost a couple of others too. I guess Aussie trees weren't made for snow! I've never seen it happen in the UK, but it made we wonder what happens in the Snowy Mountains of NSW and Victoria each year. Hmm?

I wanted to include some photos of the town, but when my daughter and I headed out a quick thaw was starting and trees were dropping snowballs all around us. There were lots of giggles and darting out the way, but when I noticed the number of branches snapped from the gum trees I thought better of it and we headed back to our power cut home to boil a pan of water (love a gas cooker) and have a hot cuppa.


My little girl fell asleep in the afternoon in a very uncustomary way. I figured she had so much fun in the snow she was pooped - or should that be snooped?

    LB

Kevin Rudd's Oak Tree

Today was a beautiful day in the Blue Mountains and one where its residents had the opportunity to be part of history. It was the day that the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd arrived at the Corridor of Oaks in Faulconbridge to plant his tree.

The Corridor of Oaks

The idea of the Corridor of Oaks in Faulconbridge, situated in the appropriately named Jackson Park, was created by Joseph Jackson who also donated the land on which this park lies. An avenue of Oak trees has been planted, each tree representing an Australian Prime Minister since Federation. Each tree is to be planted by the Prime Minister of the time or their closest living relative, the first tree having been planted in 1934. Given Kevin Rudd's abrupt departure from leadership, he didn't get the chance to plant his tree until today - 8 October 2012.

There was a happy crowd in attendance this morning to continue this important tradition in the Blue Mountains.

The day began with three wondeful speeches of Welcome to Country acknowledging the traditional owners of the land. They thanked Kevin Rudd for saying "Sorry", obviously a personal and meaningful event to them and a significant moment in Australia's history. 

The event continued with speeches from Mayor Daniel Myles , followed by Senator Doug Cameron and finally the Hon Kevin Rudd MP.

Kevin Rudd began by insisting that it is the Indigenous people of Australia who accepted "the apology" who should be thanked and not himself. He went on to pay tribute to the many great Prime Ministers of the past who he said had acted in times which were much more difficult than now.

This certainly was not an uncomfortable memory of a past leadership but a celebration of his time as Prime Minister and an acknowledgement of the memorable and important things that were done throughout his time.

Finally it was time for the tree planting:

Starting with shovelling some dirt....

Then a few poses for the crowd...

Then the tree went in...

All in a day's work...

The event ended with the happy mingling of the crowd gathered, many photo opportunities and well wishers taking the opportunity to shake Kevin Rudd's hand.

DH

Portrait Luncheon Fundraiser

To be able to use our photography to support those less fortunate than us is a real privilege. The Chundikuli Girl’s College Old Girls Association (CGC OGA) Sydney, recently gave us this opportunity.

We were pleased to be part of the Portrait Luncheon Fundraiser. Tickets were bought for this event and the 4 hard working hosts (volunteers from CGC OGA Sydney committee) put on a banquet lunch, even hosted a game, sing-a-long and also had a lucky door prize! Our (Mind’s Eye Photography), contribution was to provide a free portrait photo-shoot and photo to everyone who attended the function.

This fundraiser was in support of the IDP (Internally Displaced Person) Children – the many orphans and children affected by the civil war in the country of Sri Lanka. The CGC OGA holds many events such as this, raising funds to support these children and their Alma Mater, Chundikuli Girl’s College, in the north of Sri Lanka.

In particular, this Portrait Luncheon  raised money to fund much needed building and infrastructure for the school, given its large intake of IDP children. The principal of the school, Mrs.Dushyanthi Thuseetharan writes:

“This is the college's major undertaking after the cessation of war in 2009. As you are aware, we do not receive any funding from the government for infrastructure development. In the past, the NGOs came forward to grant funds but now their focus has shifted to Vanni and hence we are unable to get any funds from them. Now the number on roll has increased to 1604 after the intake of children from displaced families. These children were taken in without any kind of donation on which the school usually relies on for any school development projects. In 2012, we increased the admission fee and the term fees but as most of our students come from displaced or lower middle class families, we couldn't increase much. Further, the cost of living has gone up and we had to increase the salaries of the teachers, to keep them at CGC without joining the government sector where salaries have been increased by 15%. So for any infrastructure projects we have to solely depend on the funds we receive from old girls and well wishers.”

We all had a great time at the Portrait Luncheon Fundraiser and thank the hosts for this opportunity to use our photography for a worthy cause. Below, are some of the portraits of the guests at the Fundraiser.

The four dedicated CGC OGA hosts!

Ted Green

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Ted Green for The Mountains Blueberry. Ted, who showed me his mining memorabilia and told me many mining stories, is now a self published author of the Explosion trilogy. Ted is currently making a flim about his mining experiences and has shared his story in the latest edition (Sept/Oct) of The Mountains Blueberry.

DH

Spring Gardens

Eastern Spinebill

With warm sunny days and clear blue skies, the Blue Mountains is bursting with colour. Celebrate spring by visiting some of the beautiful gardens open to the public.

This weekend (15-16th Spetember) as well as next weekend, gardens in Hazelbrook and Woodford are open. On the weekend of the 29-30th September, Yellow Rock opens their gardens to the public. Of course, the well known Leura Gardens Festival runs from 29th Sept to 7th October.

All gardens open support a worthy cause - click on the links to find out more. We hope you enjoy the beautiful surroundings, spectacular flowers and abundant birdlife in this amazing part of the world.

It's A Dog's Life

If there is reincarnation, I want to come back as a well-loved pet dog…in an English home! As a kid I never had a dog- and neither did anyone on our street come to that – so I loved the day each year when our gas fire was serviced by a technician who always brought his West Highland terrier and while he toiled to keep us warm over winter his little dog would let me follow him all over our house- up and down the stairs, under the dining table. As an adult I discovered how the occasional local pub had its own dog that would sit by its master's side, occasionally doing a tour of the room to see what titbits it could pick up. That’s just how life is for dogs in the UK. Dogs really are companion animals.

On my trips home to the UK I always miss my dogs left behind here in kennels or with a house sitter. And, I always look at the local mutts strutting their stuff and reflect on how much happier my very sociable dog Oscar’s life would have been as a northern hemisphere mutt. Yes, I know Australians love their dogs--- but here we are just not allowed to love them to the same extent. Not allowed in parks, on beaches, inside cafes, outside cafes – some don’t even set foot inside their owners' homes! Never before have I seen the extent to which pooches are accepted as ‘wo/man’s best friend’ as on this recent trip to the UK.

My brother’s family now have a dog and it goes everywhere with them. We took a lovely trip to Cornwall in early summer and never in my life have I seen so many dogs in one space, and, I might add, not a dog poo to be seen. In my youth, dog poo lined the streets and shoe scraping was a regular occurrence. Not so now. People do scoop poop! And this, hand in hand with well socialised dogs welcome almost everywhere makes for a lovely landscape! The narrow, winding Cornish streets were the adventures of Hairy Maclary come to life.

This cafe not only allowed dogs inside but had biscuits for them too!!

Now, is this perhaps a step too far?:

My very bold sister-in-law wanted to try on some clothes so, without a ‘by your leave’, in she pops to the changing room, Ted in tow. Hilarious!!! Poor old Ted didn't know which way to look. Made for a great iPhone opportunity for me and raised a few smiles in the shop.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my selection of happy dog shots.  I so wish this could happen here. A quiet beer at the local with a dog at your side – doesn’t get much better in my opinion. Ah well, here’s hoping….

LB