Golden Light Photography - The Blog

Solomon

2007-11-23T14:19:00.000+09:00

My friend Barb had a baby just recently. His name is Solomon, and he is so soft and snuggly. I'm glad I have friends with babies, so I can get my baby fix! You've got to agree though, he is highly adorable.

Sisters

2007-11-16T18:43:00.000+09:00

This is a new favourite of mine. Can you hear the giggle?

Baby Storm

2007-11-16T18:12:00.000+09:00

It was great to catch up with Chris and Penny again after photographing their wedding a year and a half ago. Their new baby Storm needed portraits, and I was thrilled to be able to step in. Storm is such a cutie!

Chris wanted some portraits in his workshed - a very cool idea, I thought.

Mummy show-off time

2007-11-16T16:39:00.000+09:00

Last year I took my first good portrait ever of my four boys. It only took me five years to get. I decided it wouldn't be another five years until the next portrait.

It was our family holiday. Apart from one boy needed a trip to the emergency department at the hospital, another boy getting a bee sting (his hand blew up like a balloon), and it raining/pelting down much of the time, we actually had a marvellous time. Although it meant we had to extend the trip by a day, I made sure we had time for a portrait session, even if it was cut way short by the sun going down. Here are a few photos from the session. I have other favourites too, but don't want to swamp you with proud mummy pictures.

Feedback

2007-11-16T16:04:00.000+09:00

Thank you, Julie and Stuart, for this lovely letter.

hi Jane
Just wanted to thank you again for the amazing and beautiful photos. We've been having fun looking through them over and over. We have so many favourites I fear we will have huge amounts on our wall; there will be no wall left!
The children are just adorable the way you have taken them, capturing the essence of their inocence and the fun they had. The photos of my parents are so precious I haven't had any like these in a very long time, if any at all. You truly have gift from God and we hope you continue in your work.
Thank you for capturing the finer details that go unnoticed and are so hard to remember without the photos - now I can. Thank you for making our special day so memorable. We hope to see you in the
future.
with our best wishes and God Bless you
Julie and Stuart Reid.

Jenny and Neil

2007-11-16T12:50:00.000+09:00

When I first met Jen two years ago while photographing her boys, I told her I'd love to photograph her wedding, as she was so gorgeous and bubbly. I'm happy to say I recently had the pleasure of doing so.
Here's a little sneak peek of your photos, Jen. I look forward to sharing the rest with you next week!

Julie and Stuart

2007-09-17T19:09:00.001+08:00

Julie and Stuart's wedding was such a pleasure to photograph, with a plethora of gorgeous children, warm and caring family and friends, and a laidback and totally in-love couple.

Thank you, Julie and Stuart, for inviting me to be a part of your wedding day!

30% OFF Canvas Sale!

2007-08-01T12:04:00.000+08:00

I have had so much interest in my canvas prints lately that I thought I would treat my clients with a very special 30% discount on all canvas prints purchased in August.

Can you remember when you first saw your portraits and thought that you would love to have one or more of them big on your wall as a canvas print?

I will never regret choosing to have a gorgeous 30x40 inch canvas made of my four sons. It is very special to me, and will still be special when my boys are fully grown. It is a piece of our family history now!

All GLP canvas prints are made with premium quality canvas, have a protective lacquer, and are stretched and ready to hang.

Canvas prints may be ordered from any GLP portrait session or wedding that was held between January 2004 and July 2007.

Orders must be placed and paid for by August 31st 2007 to receive the 30% OFF discount.

CANVAS PRINTS (sizes in inches)
12x18" -- usually $330 -- for August only $230 -- save $100
16x24" -- usually $440 -- for August only $310 -- save $130
20x30" -- usually $660 -- for August only $460 -- save $200
30x40" -- usually $990 -- for August only $690 -- save $300
40x60" -- usually $1300 -- for August only $910 -- save $390

I will be happy to help you with your order. You can contact me by email at jane@goldenlight.bur.st or by phone on 0428 381 712. I look forward to talking to you again soon!

Come to the Cafe

2007-07-11T12:24:00.000+08:00

I am pleased to announce a new display of my canvas prints at Cafe 7 (Landsdale Forum, 127 The Broadview, Landsdale). It's a lovely family friendly cafe, with truly scrum-diddly-umptious food. I can thoroughly reccomend it!

Like taking candy from a baby

2007-05-04T14:39:00.000+08:00

This portrait session was fantastic - the family was so much fun and wonderfully easy going. I can't wait to show them the full set of portraits!

Sweetness

2007-05-02T22:24:00.000+08:00

I'm getting a little tired of using the same words all the time to describe my young clients - adorable, sweet, gorgeous, beautiful, delightful... it's all a bit sugary after a while. What I need is clients I can describe as grumpy, uncooperative, ugly or downright unpleasant, just for a change.
Unfortunately these two children were not in that category. If I commented on them I'm afraid I'd have to drag out the sugary words again. I hope I don't give anyone toothache!

Fly

2007-05-02T19:19:00.000+08:00

As we all know, if you hold a balloon and you aren't careful, you might just float away. Right?

Only a large canvas will do

2007-04-30T19:43:00.000+08:00

I seem to get all the clients with adorable children. Ella was no exception. I will have to have a canvas printed for my office when I have one printed for Ella's Mum and Dad, as this portrait is too perfect to pass by.

Here are some more from Ella's session:

Feedback

2007-04-16T09:38:00.000+08:00

It's a pleasure and an honour for me to photograph such a special occasion as a wedding. It's an added bonus when I recieve emails like this. Thank you for your feedback, Grace!

Jane,
your photos are amazing. Amazing. We had so many good ones to pick from, hardly any that we could consider duds. So we had to select the best from the a great selection, and so far the best is over half the pictures! We have to go through them again to fit the so called 'best' into an album.
I want to extoll your virtues for a moment. The creativity and the way you have applied your eye to framing of each shot, shows that you are an artist, not just a person who takes pictures. I have many artist and artistic friends, all of whom have been so positive about the pictures. One friend whom I met up with recently immediately asked who my photographer was and asked for your card - which I will be passing on to her the next time I see her. (one picture reminded her of a ManRay picture!)

I can only praise God for how our wedding turned out. I think Clay was sweating it abit that we didn't have a photographer till so late in the piece. I waited because I would have rather had someone I knew, whose creativity I could trust, rather than a standard wedding photographer. It was disappointing that there is a lot photographers out there but few that really could express the heart of creativity that I desire in a photograph. When the friend of a friend I had hoped would take it (she does photography out of love, but isn't full time in it) said she couldn't do it, God provided someone even better. I was not surprised in the end to find that you are a sister in Christ! Thankyou for having compassion on us and fitting us into your holidays and into friday, your usual non work day. We are so happy with your work, and are happy to recommend you to all of our friends.

God Bless you and your family.
I just wanted to know how joyous I am when I look at the pictures.

Grace Buckley

Baby baby baby

2007-04-15T20:33:00.000+08:00

I enjoy the cuddles as much as the photography during baby sessions. I was happy to help this little bundle get to sleep when she got tired during her session. I don't think I'll ever lose that automatic baby rocking motion!

I look forward to seeing you again when you have learnt to sit, Stella! It's a pleasure to watch you grow.

Tony and Cynthia

2007-04-15T19:16:00.000+08:00

Tony and Cynthia were so much fun! A happy couple with a great family, tears flowed freely and hugs were readily available. The dj didn't need to work at getting the guests dancing, and Tony and the boys showed they could really move! I know brides are always lovely, but Cynthia made such a pretty bride - she never stopped smiling.

A few important details from the day -
Dress: Lisa Ho
Ceremony: Queens Gardens
Reception: Bells
Laughs: Tony and his mates

I've been gone

2007-04-15T17:11:00.000+08:00

In March I went to the United States on a professional development trip. This is my excuse for not updating this blog (and I'm sticking to it!). The trip was a whirlwind tour of Atlanta, Boston, Milwaukee, Chicago, Peoria (Illinois), Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Phoenix (Arizona). I stayed with photographers in each place, learning, sharing, and photographing. Each place was so different and fascinating. North, south, east, west, city, country, warm, cold - so much variety. Here are a very few random photos from along the way. I will add more as I get a chance to look through them.

Georgia - the pretty and the not so pretty:

Boston treated me to a snow storm, which was highly exciting, as I'd never experienced so much as a flake before.

Nevada and Arizona were wide, open, prickly, rocky and very very beautiful.

The Winners!

2007-02-16T18:25:00.000+09:00

It is time to announce the winners of GLP's 2006 Portrait of the Year Competition, but first I'd like to say thank you to all the people who voted. It was an exciting competition, with the number of votes being very close all the way to the end.

And now, congratulations to the winners!

In third place, receiving a $100 GLP gift voucher, is baby Stella -- portrait #1.

In second place, receiving a 12x18 inch print (worth $150) and a free portrait session for a friend, are Immie and Xavie -- portrait #9.

In first place, receiving a 16x24 inch canvas print (worth $440) and a free portrait session for a friend, is Tekani -- portrait #8.

Congratulations again to the winners!

If you have booked a portrait session this year make sure to look out for one of your portraits in GLP's 2007 Portrait of the Year Competition in 11 months time. :)

2006 Portrait of the Year Competition

2007-01-30T10:47:00.000+09:00

Cast your vote!

I have selected my top ten favourite portraits from sessions during the past year. (They are numbered below in this post - just scroll down.) It's now up to you to select the best image of 2006 by casting your vote. There will be prizes for the families represented in the top three portraits:

FIRST PRIZE: 16x24 inch canvas print (worth $440), plus
a free portrait session for a friend

SECOND PRIZE: 12x18 inch print (worth $150), plus
a free portrait session for a friend

THIRD PRIZE: $100 GLP gift voucher

Cast your vote by sending an email to jane@goldenlight.bur.st with VOTE and the number of your favourite portrait in the subject line. Only one vote per email address will be accepted, so tell your family and friends to come and vote too!

All voters will recieve a complimentary 8x12 inch print from sessions held between February 18th and April 30th.

Voting closes 11:59pm Wednesday 14th February. Winners will be announced Friday 16th February, 2007.

Rules and Regulations:
-- Only one vote per email address will be counted.
-- Prizes will be awarded to the portraits with the most votes respectively.
-- Free sessions must be held between February 18th and July 31st 2007
-- GLP gift voucher may be used on session fee and/or prints.
-- Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash or alternate goods. All prizes are transferrable.
-- The "free portrait session for a friend" must be used by someone other than the family represented in the winning portrait.
-- Prizes must be redeemed by 31st July 2007.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Happy voting, and remember - invite all your family and friends to come and vote, and have all your votes in by Wednesday 14th February!

Oscar

2007-01-29T23:30:00.000+09:00

Oscar is special to me. I was there when he was born.

I was there for his first portraits.

And now Oscar is one. He has grown so quickly! I hope to meet up with you again soon, Oscar!

Three little girls

2007-01-29T22:51:00.000+09:00

I'm not sure if I've said it before, but I love photographing girls. Having four boys myself, it's such a novelty to be able to play girly games and think pink. These three girls were a delight, and I look forward to watching them grow.

Clay and Grace

2007-01-29T20:19:00.000+09:00

Clay and Grace chose gorgeous Shelley beach in Dunsborough as the location for their wedding. It was a real pleasure to join them there.

The mellow vocals of Jazz/Funk singer Jono McNeil (from Perth band "The Roast") set the tone for the reception.

The catering at Wise Vineyard restaurant looked fantastic. I hope you were able to sit and enjoy your meal, Grace and Clay!

Grace emailed me yesterday to say:
"...we had a wonderful day. Thank you for being so wonderful, accomodating and passionate about capturing the day. You certainly went above and beyond anything we could have expected.
Thankyou so much. We are excited about the prospect of seeing our pictures.
God Bless you
Grace"

Thank you Grace for the kind words, and I look forward to presenting you with your photos soon!

Gorgeous curves

2007-01-01T16:21:00.000+09:00

Really, what is more lovely than the pregnant female form?

New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-01T15:04:00.000+09:00

It's the first of January. It's unavoidable - I can't help but think about those resolutions. I have a few, although I hate to call them resolutions, as they tend to fall by the wayside if they get a label like that.

In 2007, I want to:
- Photograph my own children and family more, even if they are terrible snapshots.
- Exercise more (what sort of list would it be if it didn't have this point?).
- Treat my clients as I would want to be treated - with great service, reasonable prices and fantastic results.
- Spend more time with God, and be a friend to others.
- Update my blog more often!
- Worry less.
- Laugh lots.

For Christmas one of the things my husband and I gave our four boys were tickets to the Cat Empire concert on Dec the 28th. All six of us are big Cat Empire fans, so it was very exciting, especially as this was the first under age gig in ages (which meant the boys kept having to miss out). I took my camera, not so fussed about having photos of the band, but wanting dearly to document the boys enjoying their first rock concert. The security guards spotted me with my camera and told me to put it away or they'd confiscate it, as it was "a professional camera". I pleaded my case with them, saying I just wanted photos of my family, that I knew my boundries and wouldn't get photos of the band that were any good. They kindly turned a blind eye for the rest of the evening, and true to my resolution for this year, I got some terrible snapshots of my boys in the dim of the twilight, having a fantastic time dancing and singing to the music.

So how about you? Do you have big plans for 2007? Whatever you have in store, I wish you all the very best, full of life, love and adventure.

A delight

2007-01-01T14:45:00.000+09:00

I make so many little friends in the course of my work. I would have liked to stay and play a lot longer with these two delightful children.

Brothers

2007-01-01T14:26:00.000+09:00

Chalk, Snails and Pussy Cats' Tails

2007-01-01T14:08:00.000+09:00

That's what childhood is made of.

Family

2007-01-01T13:46:00.000+09:00

This family was fantastic, and didn't complain when I asked them to stand in the weeds. It's great to be trusted!

Fiona and Charlie

2006-11-06T18:32:00.000+08:00

After thunder storms in the morning the threat of a rather damp wedding passed, and by the time the guests started arriving at the church it was turning into a lovely day.

Charlie and Fiona were a fantastic couple - lots of laughs and fun. Fiona's dress was a gorgeous alternative to the traditional white, and despite Charlie's protestations to the contrary, he made a very dashing groom.

The rings. (Charlie had to change hands after the ceremony as his ring somehow ended up on the wrong hand!)

The family I could have photographed all day - so many faces full of character.

Thank you Fiona and Charlie for inviting me to be a part of your wedding day!

Ballerina

2006-11-06T17:28:00.000+08:00

This little ballerina was a delight to photograph. I had so much fun playing with her!

Dandelions

2006-10-09T13:29:00.001+08:00

So fluffy and fleeting. A lovely weed indeed. I keep feeling the need to photograph them...

Green Hills and White Clouds

2006-10-09T10:19:00.000+08:00

Jazz pianist Tom O'Halloran is flying in from Sydney to launch his album "Green Hills and White Clouds" on the 30th October at the Perth Jazz Society gig at the Hyde Park Hotel. I'll be there, soaking in the fresh, warm, gorgeous sounds. If you are a jazz fan at all I reccomend getting to this gig, or at least grab yourself a copy of his CD as soon as it's available. (You can email me if you're not sure where to buy the album.)

I had a great time photographing Tom and his trio for this album, and although we went through a lot of concepts for the album design, the hard work paid off and I am very pleased with the final results.

Void Album

2006-09-03T10:43:00.000+08:00

The incredible jazz fusion band VOID recently released their first album. The four band members are based in Perth, but have spent much of the last year in various cities around the world, playing gigs and studying music. I had the pleasure of photographing these awesome guys before they left last year and their new album features some of those photos.

The band members are Troy Roberts - sax, Tom O'Halloran - keys, Dane Alderson - bass, Andrew Fisenden - drums. Dane and Andy are in Perth again and can be heard Thursday nights at the Llama Bar in Subiaco, playing with the band SLY. VOID albums can be purchased at this gig or by going to www.void.tv. I can thoroughly reccommend it!

More info on the guys from Void:
Jazz Australia
Void at JazzWA
Dane at JazzWA
andrewfisenden.com
troyroberts.com
Perth Jazz Society program - scroll down for Tom's own CD release info
Void at MySpace
Andy at MySpace
Troy at MySpace

Don't forget about...

2006-09-01T17:25:00.000+08:00

...GLP's referral program!

Many of my clients are excited to show off their prints and tell their friends about what fun their session was, so I find that their friends will often end up booking a session too. To say thank you for this I like to reward both the referrer and the referee with a complimentary 6x9 inch print. If you are a friend of a client, make sure you mention it when you book your session so I can reward you!

A hat full of cuteness

2006-09-01T17:04:00.000+08:00

I entered a competition...

2006-09-01T16:11:00.000+08:00

The Isis Centre for Women's Action on Eating Issues Inc ran a national photographic competition recently as part of Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week. I read the competition guidelines and was intrigued. I'm not really one for entering photo comps - I think about it but have never actually entered one (perhaps I'm too lazy). But this one sounded quite different. What sort of images could I create for such a competition?

My friend Monica helped me out. She had recently shaved her head for the Cancer Council's Shave For A Cure, and was very happy to shave her stubble off again for this photo shoot. The stark baldness helped with the feeling of being exposed, uncovered, vulnerable, that I wanted to convey.

The Competition guidelines were as follows:

We invite everyone to submit images that reflect the challenge, the heartache, the joy of being a woman in a variety of ways:

* The challenge of living with a mental health issue;
* Showing women's struggle with body image and societal pressures;
* Illustrating key conceptual features that reflect the universal experience of being a woman; and
* Capturing the joy of being a woman.

The photographs we submitted were:

CONSUMED

UNDESIRABLE

DISPLACED

The middle one? That was fun. And messy. For those who are wondering, the white stuff is cornflour mixed with water, ie: "goop". Great fun for kids to play with - it is solid if you slap it and runny if you dribble it. It hoses off the pavers easily if you play with it outside, and you can just sweep it up when it's dry. ...Anyway, enough Mum talk, back to the photo. We shot a lot with the goop, but this one spoke to me the most about... well, I think I'll just let you listen to it yourself. I guess it spoke to the judges too, for they selected that one for third prize!

I have a confession to make

2006-08-29T22:27:00.000+08:00

I love kids' portrait sessions. Okay, so that's not much of a confession. The confession is that I often get so involved in playing and making photos and being silly and getting to know my new young friends, that I don't want it to end. "What shall we do next? Let's explore the yard! Let's make up a story! Let's do some cooking! Let's jump on Mum and Dad's bed!!" How can anyone want that to stop?

I think I must have one of the funnest (is that a word?) jobs in the world.

Transformers & tea parties

2006-08-29T22:02:00.000+08:00

Brother and sister together.

Charlie

2006-08-28T11:58:00.000+08:00

Three weeks ago my dear friend Charlie was sick. My boys knew Charlie was sick, so they asked their class to pray with them for him that day at school. I went to his home and his family and I sat around his bed, terribly sad, fearing this was to be his last day. Then after a while someone said "Hey Charlie, want to go for a walk?" and we were amazed to see Charlie struggle out of his bed and walk to the door. His strength seemed to return by the minute, and it wasn't long before he was trotting happily down the street to the park!

I am pleased to announce that Charlie made a full recovery.

New Website!

2006-08-21T12:06:00.000+08:00

Those of you who have visited my website before will have noticed some changes around the place. I thought it was time for a spring clean and an update. I hope you enjoy looking around GLP v.2! There are a few rooms yet to tidy up, so they are locked, but I will work on having them open as soon as possible.

If you encounter any difficulties or loading issues while visiting my site, please drop me an email and let me know so I can have them straightened out.

My boys

2006-07-25T10:21:00.000+08:00

A photographer's children are not necessarily the most photographed children in the world. My four boys aren't very friendly with my camera (from over-exposure to it when they were younger, perhaps?), so getting anything more than family snapshot can be a real chore. My five yr old Caleb, for instance, freezes into a silly pose or a grimace whenever he sees the camera pointed his way. He won't unfreeze until he hears the shutter click, either. Because of all this, I didn't have a great portrait of the four together... until two weeks ago.

My mum and I took the boys to the beach for a walk. I took my cameras, determined that today would be the day for a portrait. They played, and I took snapshots...

Then I got serious.

If you come to my office you will see a gorgeous 30x40 inch canvas print of this portrait hanging on my wall. This little image just doesn't do it justice - you've got to see it big! (Can you tell I'm a proud and happy mum?)

Red

2006-07-25T10:06:00.000+08:00

Monica's last fling before having her head shaved for the Cancer Council's "Shave For A Cure" involved a gorgeous red dye... It's a pity she didn't do it earlier!

A moment

2006-07-25T09:41:00.000+08:00

A couple of months ago I was working in my office when I turned around and saw my Callum sitting like this. How could I resist grabbing my camera? It was a reminder that sometimes the best images are totally unplanned -- you just have to be ready for them when they appear before you.

Chris and Penny

2006-07-25T08:22:00.000+08:00

When I met Chris and Penny I knew their wedding was going to be something special, and I wasn't disappointed. They are one totally in love couple, and needed no encouragement to get snuggly! Everything about the day was beautiful - the day, the people, the venues... I could rave on, but I'm better at talking with pictures than words. :)

Thank you Chris and Penny for inviting me to be a part of your day!

I love wedding season!

2006-07-24T19:51:00.000+08:00

When I started this news blog I was determined to update it regularly. Well... that hasn't happened. Sorry! So I'm going to try to catch up a bit, starting with weddings...

Because I don't accept bookings for Saturday weddings, I have to turn down many of the couples interested in my work. (If you are engaged and have yet to choose a date, consider a Sunday wedding!)

My weddings so far this year have all been for adorable couples. Here are a few images from three of them:

Jazz

2006-07-24T19:18:00.000+08:00

Tom O'Halloran invited me into the recording studio last month to document his latest album. It was loud, but a good kind of loud! I'm looking forward to hearing the album when it comes out, as the three trio members were in different rooms for the recording, so I only ever got part of the musical story, so to speak. Here are some images from the session.

Baby's First Year

2006-02-13T16:50:00.000+08:00

Babies grow and change so fast! Record their growth with beautiful, natural photographs in their own environment, where they can be most comfortable and happy. Baby's First Year is a collection of portrait sessions designed to document your baby's development through each of the main stages -
Newborn (0-3 weeks)
Smiling (around 3 months)
Sitting (around 6-7 months)
On The Move (around 12 months)

Book your first three sessions, and your "On The Move" session is FREE!

Referral Program

2006-02-13T16:26:00.000+08:00

Many of my clients are excited to show off their prints and tell their friends about what fun their session was, so I find that their friends will often end up booking a session too! To say thank you for this I like to reward both the referrer and the referee with a complimentary 6x9 inch print. If you are a friend of a client, make sure you mention it when you book your session so I can reward you!

Beginnings

2006-01-30T20:59:00.000+08:00

It's kind of corny, but January has been full of beginnings. Every day I see weddings and babies as I work on client orders. I even dreamt I had a new baby myself last night. James just laughed - but although our four boys make our family complete, there's always a little part of me that yearns for another tiny one to cuddle and adore. I love beginnings. (Stands to reason - I'm an obsessive starter of projects but not so great at seeing them to the end. Just look at the kids' playroom. The new shelves and wall paint will look fantastic when they are done... maybe... one day?)

Jack is one of the adorable babies I had the pleasure of photographing late last year. Such a sweet, contented baby, and cuddly as anything!