Courtney, Ashley, Rusty & Sophie ~ Bunbury Maternity & Newborn Portrait

When Courtney got in touch to enquire about booking a maternity and newborn portrait I got a little bit excited. I always love newborn baby cuddles, but when Courtney let me know about her fur baby Rusty and how she wanted to include him in the sessions I was over the moon. I'm a self confessed crazy dog lady and in our house our dogs are part of the family, so I love when clients feel the same way I do and they get to be part of the amazing things that happen in our lives.  

Not only did we have Rusty joining us on both shoots, but when it was time for the newborn session baby Sophie's nan, aunts and uncle also joined us. It was an epic session with so many people plus a pet (who behaved perfectly by the way ;-)), and a gorgeous baby girl who fought sleep at every moment, but never shying away from a challenge I kept shooting and captured some very special memories of a proud new family. 

Oh, and if you're wondering why Sophie is sleeping surrounded by a tool belt - well daddy's a chippie of course ;-)

Enjoy the gallery, and remember that if there's anything different you'd like to do for your next photoshoot just ask - we are always happy to create the kind of memories that have the most meaning to you! 

Jo x

~

Find out more about our maternity and newborn portraits here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

Aimee & Russell ~ A Caves House Yallingup Wedding

This weekend we spent a wet and windy winter's day with Aimee and Russell to celebrate their wedding. If you're going to get married in winter, Caves House is a great choice of venue with it's cosy fires and art deco heritage architecture, and it was the perfect place to shelter from the rain before we made the most of the gorgeous grounds when the sun peeked out (even just for a brief time).

The styling of the day was simple vintage with lots of handmade touches. The ladies had been busy the night before the wedding creating their gorgeous protea bouquets, and Aimee's dad had spent months growing the centrepieces which sat on top of lace mats crocheted by Aimee, little touches that personalised the reception in the Yallingup room. The venue looked classy and elegant, just as Aimee had planned. 

Our blushing bride looked lovely in her Lost in Paris lace dress, which was sourced from recycled fabrics! The dress had a uniquely pretty pattern , including some gorgeous "wings" in the back. Aimee made little Maddison's super cute flower girl dress herself, and the bridesmaids outfits suited the style of the day perfectly too. The awesome Jenna at Belle Couture for Hair & Makeup finished off the ladies' look with super pretty, natural makeup, while the boys looked effortlessly dapper in their suits. 

Thanks for a lovely day, we were honoured to be there to capture it for you - enjoy your beautiful memories! 

~

If you're planning a wedding and you love the beautiful memories we created for Aimee and Russell, you can find out more about our wedding photography and films here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/weddings/

~

The Makings of the Day

The Venue: Caves House Hotel, Yallingup

The Dress: Lost In Paris

The Jewelry: Earrings custom designed by Birdy and Clementine

The Hair: Innovative Hair Design by Kara

The Makeup: Belle Couture for Hair & Makeup

The Entertainment: South Sound Events

The Cake: Sweet Stylin by Summa Taylor

Imogen & Paul ~ A Chandelier's on Abbey Wedding, Margaret River

We love it when couples celebrate their personalities in the styling of their Big Day. From the Harry Potter books in wooden crates to the fireman helmet nestled on top, Imogen and Paul added so many gorgeous little touches to make their wedding uniquely "them". We especially loved the cute figurines on the wedding cake and the choice of cars... Paul loves old classics, Imogen loves Kombis, so instead of one winning out over the other, they just had both. Down South Luxury Limo's chevy and Kape Kombi's van were a pretty unusual pair, but they looked cute together and we just loved what it said about our gorgeous couple, celebrating their differences...after all isn't that what a happy life together is all about?!

Chandelier's on Abbey provided a beautiful backdrop for the day, it looked amazing and Carleton couldn't have been any more helpful in making sure everything was perfect. We wouldn't have needed to go anywhere else all day, but being in Margaret River Imogen and Paul asked for some photos in the vines, so the team at Windows Estate very generously let us pop down the road to spend a little time there before the party back at Chandelier's, which finished off the day perfectly.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Roberts, thank you for choosing us to capture your special day. We left feeling very lucky to have such lovely people as our clients :-)

~

If you're planning a wedding and you love the beautiful memories we created for Imogen and Paul, you can find out more about our wedding photography and films here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/weddings/

The Hart Family ~ Bunbury Lifestyle Newborn Portrait

We just love capturing the first days of a newborn baby in their own home with their family around them. Lifestyle sessions are a great choice for families who want to capture relaxed, natural moments of family life, and for newborn sessions they are especially great when there are other young children involved, because little ones tend to be more comfortable in their own environment and not overwhelmed or over excited like they can be with a visit to the studio. 

When Tam called us to book a family session to celebrate their gorgeous new addition to the family, the plan was for a studio shoot because they are living in a rental and so they didn't want a shoot that featured their "home", but after having a chat we decided that a lifestyle session would work best for them and give them the type of images that they really wanted... we would just make sure that we focused on them and their home styling, rather than the house they were all in ;-) 

She warned me that her two year old daughter Grace might not be very cooperative and it's true she was a little shy when I first arrived at their home, but a quick game of hide and seek and some bonding over Nemo soon changed that and Grace couldn't have been a more perfect model for the morning.

Being an "outsider" noticing all the little details that you live with every day, us photographers sometimes find little gems that you might not think of too, so being in your home can enable us to capture more personal images with meaning, like capturing little Eve with the toy cat that her sister Grace gave her as a birth gift - the cat is the same size as her now but it won't take long before she's running around the house with it making it look ever smaller as she grows <3

Such a lovely family who gave me the privilege of sharing in this special time with them, this one has to be up there with my favourite shoots of the year so far :-)

Jo x

If you're expecting a baby and you'd like to chat to us about how you can perfectly capture their arrival, just check out our maternity and newborn portrait page HERE and get in touch!

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

Emma + Ben ~ A Dunsborough Wedding

We don't have favourites here at the studio, but if we did this would be one of them ;-)

If, as a woman, you ever find a man who looks at you the way Ben looks at Emma, marriage is the only answer. He must have known she was "The One" pretty early, because he never asked his sister what she thought of Emma, a story which was told during their ceremony and had us all teary eyed. 

A gorgeous day from start to finish, we never had to travel more than five minutes on foot to find beautiful spots for photos on the grounds of Flametree Wines and the Wyndham Resort Dunsborough, and the day was simply filled with relaxed fun, laughter, and love <3

Check out more of our weddings and find out about our photography & films here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/weddings/

WA Family Photographer of the Year Finalist!

Last month I entered the WA AIPP Professional Photography Awards for the first time ever, at the behest of a good friend. I have always been a proud member of the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography), because in an industry that doesn't require a licence to practice, I believe it's important to be part of a professional body like this that holds its members accountable and gives consumers the confidence in booking a photographer who they know will be experienced, technically excellent and professional in their business practices as long as they book a pro who is AIPP accredited (to find out more about what it means to be an AIPP Accredited Photographer click here: http://aipp.com.au/about/what-is-an-accredited-professional-photographer).

So the annual AIPP Awards are in essence the pinnacle of Australian Professional Photography. Every year photographers enter images for judging by their peers, creating a great space to develop and grow as creatives. I had never entered before because the awards require a lot of time, which with a busy studio to run and two under 5's in my house is not something I have going spare. But this year I decided to get involved, and I entered the Family Category.

Let me tell you it was such a great experience and I'm so glad I took part. I travelled up to Perth to watch the judging (which is open to the public so if you are interested in photography I would highly recommend going and seeing the hugely inspiring work being created by photographers in this state) and I am very happy to say that I was awarded three Silver Awards and was a Finalist (which puts me in the top three!) for WA Family Photographer of the Year!

You can check out all the winners and their amazing work here:

http://stateawards.aipp.com.au/WA/2016-WA-awards

I'm feeling very inspired after seeing such talented work, and I look forward to thinking outside the box to create some more unique and inspiring work myself in the year to come.

Here are my Award Winning Images for 2016 with the story of each one, which all have a special place in my heart so I'm very glad to see them do well. 

If you'd like to feature in your own award winning image, book your portrait with us and let's see what we can create together. Just give us a call on 08 9791 4226 or e mail studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au to book your session now!

Jo x

About this image:

This image features the gorgeous Carli and Shae, who's wedding we photographed last year. When they came to meet with me about their Big Day they asked if we could forego the engagement session we usually include in our wedding pakcages, and do an underwater trash the dress shoot instead, as they have lived their whole lives in and on the water and it would have special meaning for them. So we planned and prepared and I spent an afternoon in scuba gear (with my lovely assistant Bianca) at the end of Busselton jetty and this is what we got, which I was super happy with. Evidently lots of other people liked it too as it went viral and was published around the world! I'm absolutely stoked my fellow professionals also recognise it as an award winning image, and I hope it will be the start of a new journey to always challenge myself and be up for doing something different!

About this image:

This has to have been one of my very favourite shoots of all time. All those who know me know I'm a crazy dog lady, and Jasper and Gallifrey are just the most fantastic dogs!

We had lots of fun in the studio creating some amazing art, and this shot was actually an out take that I just fell in love with. I mean who ever gets a photo of one dog poking her tongue out at another? ;-)

New Studio Backdrop!

This week we added a gorgeous new backdrop to our collection at the studio so I couldn't resist giving it a quick test with my girls. I just love how these shots sum them up, Erin the gentle soul and nurturing big sister, and Eve my blue eyed cheeky mistress. They really love each other to bits which makes my heart melt, I hope it stays that way! <3

I’m loving the new backdrop too, it’s a gorgeous wheat colour with lots of depth and just helps to create a really beautiful soft look. 

Whenever I take photos of my girls I look at them in awe of just how fast they're growing up. If you've got kids and you haven't updated your photos recently why not take advantage of our Simply Studio Sessions. Just $75 for a midweek 30 minute studio photoshoot including a gorgeous 8x12" print, and as if that's not enough from now until September our friends at Southern Picture Framers will even frame it for you!

Book your session with us and have WA's Family Photographer of the Year finalist capture the different stages of your children's lives. We have lots of beautiful backdrops to choose from for a look you'll love, and plenty of experience with kids of all ages to make sure you have a great time :-)

Simply call us on 9791 4226 or e mail studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au to book

 

Baby Alessandra - 13 days new

Thanks to our joint promotion with Body Firming and Beauty, Kelly and Paul brought their gorgeous baby girl Alessandra to see us for a newborn shoot to capture her early days. She was such a beautiful baby and the session went like an absolute dream :-) 

It was especially lovely to be able to create some memories for her family, many of whom are overseas. At 13 days old she was so alert, with bright shining eyes checking out the world around her. Kelly and Paul were also doing super well as new parents and their relaxed approach was definitely rubbing off on their baby girl, she was just so happy to be here!

We have lots of gorgeous blankets, headbands and props at the studio and we are in our element when we can just use them subtly to style our images while always keeping focus on making baby the star. It never ceases to amaze us how different all babies are, even from day dot. They are full of personality and we love getting to know them and all the little idiosyncrasies that make them unique, those are the memories we really love to capture!

**********

When you book a newborn portrait with us it's up to you if you want to leave it to us to style and create some gorgeous memories for you at our studio, or spend time planning the details with us and get us to come to your home or somewhere special. Just check out the options and pricing here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

Newborn portraits are ideally booked within the first ten day's of bub's arrival so just get in touch and Chat to Us about when to book in!

Baby Alessandra - 13 days new

Thanks to our joint promotion with Body Firming and Beauty, Kelly and Paul brought their gorgeous baby girl Alessandra to see us for a newborn shoot to capture her early days. She was such a beautiful baby and the session went like an absolute dream :-) 

It was especially lovely to be able to create some memories for her family, many of whom are overseas. At 13 days old she was so alert, with bright shining eyes checking out the world around her. Kelly and Paul were also doing super well as new parents and their relaxed approach was definitely rubbing off on their baby girl, she was just so happy to be here!

We have lots of gorgeous blankets, headbands and props at the studio and we are in our element when we can just use them subtly to style our images while always keeping focus on making baby the star. It never ceases to amaze us how different all babies are, even from day dot. They are full of personality and we love getting to know them and all the little idiosyncrasies that make them unique, those are the memories we really love to capture!

**********

When you book a newborn portrait with us it's up to you if you want to leave it to us to style and create some gorgeous memories for you at our studio, or spend time planning the details with us and get us to come to your home or somewhere special. Just check out the options and pricing here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

Newborn portraits are ideally booked within the first ten day's of bub's arrival so just get in touch and Chat to Us about when to book in!

Eve's 18 months!

Today my beautiful baby girl is 18 months old! Eve is such a beautiful, vibrant, cheeky little trouble maker. It's amazing how opposite she and her big sister are, but we wouldn't have it any other way! 

To mark the occasion we spent a quick 20 minutes in the studio capturing the girls as they are, one loving life in a tutu and twirling like a princess, and one trying to eat a bubble stick.

(I don't know if other photographers get this but I find my own kids by far the most challenging to photograph ;-))

Love you to the moon and back my beautiful girls xxx

Jo 

P.S. If you're a mum and you want some forever memories of your gorgeous children, check out our Simply Studio Sessions: 

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/simply-studio-portraits

A Day in the Life...On the farm with the Bailey Boys

We love just hanging out with the kids and letting them be themselves - it’s when the best memories are captured, don’t you think?

We teed up a shoot with these boys while dad was away at work, so that we could have an amazing aluminium wall set ready and waiting for him on his 50th birthday. The reveal at the studio was an amazing moment!

Teleah's Maternity Portrait

Thanks to our joint promotion with the lovely team at Body Firming and Beauty, beautiful Teleah came to see us recently to capture her baby bump less than a week before bub's arrival!

Teleah was absolutely glowing and we are happy to report that just a few days after her portrait session she welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world :-)

If you're wondering if your baby bump could look as gorgeous as this then the answer is Yes! What an amazing thing our bodies do as women during pregnancy, and everything goes back to normal (well, almost ;-)) so quickly you really should capture your amazing bump before it's gone. We are passionate about helping you remember the amazing changes your body is going through, and we use our skill and experience to shape the light and capture you in a way that will make you feel empowered and beautiful, no matter what size or shape you are!

Just check out our maternity and newborn portraits to find out about booking your own session, or let the team at Body Firming and Beauty pamper you with a luxurious pregnancy massage and receive a voucher for a Simply Studio Session with us as their special gift to you :-)

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/baby

Aneta & Brett's Winter Wedding

Sometimes people just sparkle, like our gorgeous bride Aneta. We met Aneta and Brett at the Ferguson Valley Wedding tour just over a year before their Big Day, and over the coming months we had the pleasure of getting to know them and their beautiful children Thomas and Emilia through lots of catch ups and a very family oriented engagement shoot that included creating a film for them (where we got to find out what really makes them tick). By the time the wedding came around we already felt like we were sharing a special day with friends, and we knew it was going to be a fun celebration. 

Being at the start of August, their wedding was always at risk of getting a little rain, but thankfully we planned for the possibility and Aneta went out and bought super cute gumboots for her bridesmaids while we supplied some umbrellas for fun out in the rain at the bridal party shoot! 

The ceremony was moved indoors to the lovely atrium at Abbey Beach Resort, which is a great undercover option when the weather isn't so wonderful. The ceremony was just gorgeous with Brett getting teary as he saw Aneta walking down the aisle, and there were some funny little personal additions to the vows... we never knew Brett was such a lover of spinach ;-)

Once the pair were husband and wife the skies cleared and we were super lucky to get some lovely sunshine out on the bridal party shoot in the Tuarts. The whole bridal party had a great time and got stuck in, giving us some of our funniest wedding memories in recent history with their efforts. The vision of Aneta's bridesmaids throwing her veil up in the air then ducking behind a log so we could get "the shot" still makes us giggle ;-)

We're sure their good mood was helped hugely by the way the team at Down South Luxury Limousines looked after them - what a five star service those guys give! 

Back at the reception the grand ballroom look fantastic, and coupled with some great tunes by Rock'n'Roo DJ and our photobooth full of props everyone was ready to party. That night we saw some of the funniest guest dancing on record, and it was really great to see such a wonderful celebration, complete with Polish tradition and Australian humour. 

Congratulations Brett and Aneta, thank you for sharing your day with us. We look forward to many more memories to come!

Aneta & Marta's Christmas Milestone Mini Session

We love a good challenge here in the studio and with three small kids all super excited about Christmas we sure got one!

We had great fun  with Emilia, Thomas and Aniela, playing with baubles and bubbles, practicing dance moves and singing Christmas songs. 

Thanks for coming to visit us guys, we look forward to seeing you next time!

Xx

If you'd like your own Milestone Mini Session (to celebrate Christmas or any other special time in your lives), just check out our Milestone Mini Sessions and get in touch to book!

Introducing First Days Films!

Today is Jo's gorgeous baby girl's first birthday! We can't believe how quickly this year has gone, all of a sudden this beautiful little baby has turned into a toddler!

To celebrate Eve turning one we are launching a new product - we hope you like our new First Days Films!

Our First Days Films are literally short films starring you. They include beautiful photos and video all rolled into a cool film so that you can remember all the little details of your baby's arrival long after your memories have faded away.

You can check out the story of Eve's arrival in her very own First Days Film, and if you love these short films as much as we do you can book one for yourself!

For a VERY limited time, these films will be on offer for just $500, including a one hour lifestyle newborn photography & video shoot, and a short film of your new baby just like this one. Of course we will work with you to tailor your film so that it is just what you want!

To find out more and book your First Days Film, just call the studio on 08 9791 4226 or e mail studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au

You can also check out our newborn portraiture HERE!

Sharn, Josh & Thomas

A little while back we had the good fortune to meet Sharn and Josh after their lovely friends bought them a gift card to come and enjoy a couples shoot with us. 

During their pre session planning we found out that Sharn & Josh have a beautiful puppy dog Thomas, so booking Jo for their photography was a perfect match because of course our very own crazy dog lady thought it was a great idea to include him in the shoot!

What a gorgeous afternoon it was, and what a very photogenic this trio turned out to be. Now with an engagement we are just waiting for news of the wedding date!

Sharn, Josh & Thomas

A little while back we had the good fortune to meet Sharn and Josh after their lovely friends bought them a gift card to come and enjoy a couples shoot with us. 

During their pre session planning we found out that Sharn & Josh have a beautiful puppy dog Thomas, so booking Jo for their photography was a perfect match because of course our very own crazy dog lady thought it was a great idea to include him in the shoot!

What a gorgeous afternoon it was, and what a very photogenic this trio turned out to be. Now with an engagement we are just waiting for news of the wedding date!

Harriet's First Birthday

A little while ago the very gorgeous Harriet turned one, and even at her young age she's already been through more than most.

Last year my very good friend Rachel and I both found out we were pregnant and due to have our babies just a week apart. We were looking forward to being belly buddies when at 25 weeks things changed for Rachel and she was rushed up to Perth where she gave birth to her new baby girl. I can't even image how scary it must have been for her and her family, but Harriet was born safely much to the relief of everyone. Being born so early things were a little complicated, and Rachel and Harriet spent the remainder of the year living up at King Edwards hospital while hubby Ben took leave from work to look after their two older children. 

It's been so inspiring to watch them just get on with everything with a smile on their faces, still enjoying life and everything it has brought to them. Thankfully Harriet has done amazingly well in her first year, and she is a beautiful happy little girl. When she turned one recently we celebrated with a Confetti party for her, and then we had a little fun in the studio to commemorate the occasion. 

Check out the super special doll Harriet's holding in some of her photos - it's a preemie baby handmade to be exactly the same size and weight as she was when she was born!

Congratulations on turning ONE baby girl. Here's to many more super fun birthdays, you're a lucky girl to be born into such a loving family and they are blessed to have you :-)

~

If your kids are celebrating a special milestone or you just want to capture them as they are now, check out our Milestone Mini Sessions!

Amari's Baby Portrait

We know that newborn portraits are super special and we love capturing babies when they're brand new, all curled up and sleeping, but babies change so quickly and we have to say that we loved having 3 month-old Amari in the studio recently.

The difference between a 3 month old and a newborn is huge, and we had so much fun capturing her cheeky personality and all the clever things she could do like holding herself up on her tummy, getting to know her hands and feet and smiling for mummy. The bond between new mummy Summer and her baby was just beautiful to see, thank you for sharing a little of yourselves with us and we hope your beautiful artwork is hanging proudly on your walls at home! 

Pssst....Capture your little one's growing up with our super special Milestone Mini Sessions. Just check out all the details here:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/milestone-minis 

Maddison's 1st birthday Cake Smash!

A little while ago this gorgeous little girl celebrated her first birthday, and mum Nel wanted to remember the occasion with a cake smash! 

Maddison had a mini mouse party for her birthday so we styled the shoot pink, black and white to suit the mini mouse theme, and mum even made a special t-shirt to complete the look.

As is usually the case with cake smashes, it took Maddison a little while to figure out what to do with the big pink cake that mum and dad put in front of her, but she had fun checking it out and got herself good and messy in the end. 

Happy birthday beautiful girl, we hope to see you next year for your next milestone :-)

Pssst... If you'd like to capture a special time in your little ones lives just check out our Milestone Mini Sessions:

http://www.thephotographyboutique.com.au/milestone-minis