Ethan's 2 year old session

This little boy was an absolute delight to take photos of ... an ABSOLUTE delight! Cute as a button, happy to engage with his Mummy & I, and with big brown eyes to die for.

Eighteen months ago I photographed his big sister, for her 2-year old photo shoot, and for Ethan's session we tried to re-create some shots, to create a wall of pictures to adorn the family home (and with another baby to join the fold in a few weeks time, this wall of cuties sitting at the piano will be quite the feature!).

Eth & I sat and played trains to start with, whilst his Mum (one of my most precious friends) had a wonderful catch up chat. These truly are the best parts of my job, and by the end of the session I knew all the names of the Thomas the Tank crew.

Boys and their toys ... to get Eth up at the family piano, some of the engines needed to take a ride too ...

She likes jumping in muddy puddles

I will say, up front, this wasn't easy.

Mud, everywhere. On her clothes, in her hair.

But I did it! I let her get into the mud and I sat back and watched her have fun. This was definitely a lesson in 'letting go' for me.

Oozing between fingers and toes, stirring, piling up and singing as she went.
Making mud pies, jumping up and down like Peppa Pig in muddy puddles ... giggling as she went.

 She had a most fabulous time and this Mumma learnt to take a breath and just let it be.

 

In a previous guest post over at Capture That Kid! I explored some handy tips for taking photographs of children. Capturing them in a natural, un-posed way will make for great photos.

The advantage of taking photos whilst playing in the mud, finger painting etc is that they are also less likely to run away - which is usually one of the biggest challenges in trying to take photos of them.

These are wonderful keepsakes - so I encourage to let your children get down and dirty, and you stand back with a camera and clean towel!

Saturday morning {Rebecca Doyle Photography}

My girl & I had a quiet morning at home, hung out in our PJs & danced.

She then pretended it was my birthday ( I was turning 4) & made a pretend cake ...

It was a dress up kind of day ...

I love how she loves to play dress ups ...

 

 

Memories, Dreams and Reflections - 2012

Was it really 12 months ago that I last posted my year in review, a la photo style?  Perhaps it is the constant tiredness from trying to wrangle a three year old, or the way I feel like I am ageing as my little girl is growing up so very fast before my eyes, but I am sure this year has flown by quicker than those before.

It has certainly been a busy year, as we have tried to fit in lots of work, fun, play and relaxation (oh, I did already mention I have a 3 year old, so there really wasn't so much of that thrown in). And in amongst that mayhem, and as 2012 has drawn to an end, I am again enjoying the luxury of pausing and looking back on what made the year what it was. And at the same time, I feel the need to enjoy this year ahead even more, create more special times, grumble less at my small child who tests boundaries on an hourly basis, and well, perhaps sneak in some of that relaxation too.

So, in a photo summary for you all, I would like to share my 2012, Memories, Dreams and Reflections, and encourage you all to stop for a moment and do the same. Perhaps not via photos, or even written word, but allow yourself the time to look back and thank 2012 for making you who you are.

But if you are keen to reflect via photos, PLEASE head over to Ashley Sisk's fabulous blog and link up!

1. Me

2. I Love You

I just don't think words could ever, ever express how much .....

3. Still laughing

Cold, wintery day outside, girls looking for some fun. What did we do? Home-made photo booth fun.

4. Winter wonderland

5. Birthday

I did say to myself at the start of 2012 that I should start baking more - it is something that I enjoy but don't seem to do that often. So I kicked off January with a carrot cake for my husband's birthday. And of course once I made it, and we sang, and he blew out the candles, no one was allowed to eat a piece until I took some photos!

6. Friends

Living interstate from our immediate family, my little girl misses out on seeing her two cousins very often - but I love how they so fondly think of each other and always seem to hit it off when they do get together. A couple of weeks ago we headed 'home' for a flying visit to celebrate an early Christmas with family.

My heart melted when I walked around the table and managed to catch this little scene below.

7. I was inspired

Having successfully completed a 365 photo-a-day at the end of 2011, I started off 2012 searching for a similiar challenge. And whilst I unfortunately didn't complete the "Let's Do 52" for 2012 because my plate started to get incredibly full during the year, leaving me feeling oh so overwhelmed, I was thankful for the parts that I did choice to participate. Having themes suggested, and then your own interpretation encouraged is a great way to get your creative juices flowing.

Here was my take on the theme 'Open'.....

8. Spring fever

I love blossom!

9. Travel or vacation

2012 saw my husband and I celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary, and as a treat, we headed back to our home town of Melbourne for a couple of nights. So rare are nights out on our own, that the bonus of heading 'home' was the availability of grandparents only too willing to have a couple of nights with Tara.

We slept in, went out for brunch, headed to the football, shopped and dined out. Such a treat - we love Melbourne, we miss Melbourne and loved sitting in cafes and restaurants and 'catching up'.

10. Summer days

There isn't much better than the days stretching into the evening, late sunsets and warm air.

11. A day in my life

Much to my delight, Tara has taken to getting her hands stuck into some cooking and baking with me......

.... I'm just working on harnessing her enthusiasm when she has her hands in flour ........

12. All smiles

13. Autumn harvest

14. Family or home

My loves ...

15. Celebrate

For my birthday, earlier in 2012, I received an iPod Touch - I downloaded a few puzzles and games for Tara (who was still a couple of months from turning 3), and witnessed her picking the concept of these up within a period of about 3 1/2 minutes. Switching between apps, tilting the iPod up and down to make Dora slide down her rainbow slide .... amazing!

A few days after 'my' new present, my Dad had been visiting ..... oh what fun was it to see her 'teaching' him the tricks of the technological trade.

Her expressions were fabulous!

16. Let's do it again

There is no doubt, somedays with Miss 3.5 see me constantly worn out and scratching my head as to how to deal with this curious, energetic, cheeky, boundary-pushing poppet of mine. I love her beyond words, adore my time with her, but still struggle and hope against hope that I am raising the best little girl that I can.

One thing that has evolved over 2012 is her 'companionship' - no matter if she is being defiant and cheeky, she is still a great companion. We hang out a lot, and often enjoy taking books out to a cafe, sitting and reading and chatting. I love this time so much with her, and am in all honesty, blessed to have her as my little companion.

17. I miss you

I live interstate from my family, and no doubt about it, I miss my Mum ... and as you can see, l'il T certainly does too!

Here she is waiting at the airport for my Mum to arrive.

18. Beautiful

19. Dress up

She requested a super-hero/magic cape, so we went to the shops to buy some material. Given the choice from the whole store of what to buy, pink and sparkly was chosen ...

20. Close up

21. Holidays

This year was the first time my daughter really 'got into' the Easter holiday, and as a family we had the most fabulous time creating some Easter magic.

22. My favourite

A few quiet moments to soak up some sunshine and caffeine goodness ...

23. Don't ever change

Many mornings there is the battle over what to wear. I am trying to live by the mantra of 'pick your battles' ... some days this is so hard because honestly,  DAILY defiance from the little Miss can be hard going.

But the fact of the matter is, this little girl has incredibly well developed independence, and a sense of self, combined with a remarkable degree of self-confidence that amazes and impresses me no end.

This, I know, will stand her in good stead as she matures, sets out in the 'real world' and copes with all around her.

24. Just because

We had a happy Sunday, enjoying the sunshine that has arrived with the start of Spring....

.... she made me a birthday cake of dirt in the backyard and sung me a very unique version of "Happy Birthday" (it's not my birthday - but that didn't matter)....

I taught her how to roll a frisbee on the ground and we planted some flowers......
...
And on this day, Tara taught me how to play a new app that I had installed on my iPad and did her own hair .....

 

This little girl of mine is growing up right before my eyes......

 

25. Hopes and dreams

.... I want to skip carelessly through sun-soaked fields

I want to feel happiness fill me to the brim, as if I might burst .....

I want to continue feeling the love in my life around me, embracing me.....

..... I want to express my gratitude to all in my life, for the precious reason they are there.

Linking up with -

Photographing fireworks on New Years' Eve

I must admit, I really do love a fireworks' display.

Fireworks are usually used to celebrate and mark a special occasion, and what better way really - with stunning fizzes, pops and splashes of colour across the sky.

I don't know about you, but whenever I see something that looks pretty spectacular, my trigger finger gets itchy and I need to grab my camera and try and capture the beauty that is before me.

Creating spectacular fireworks photos is easier than you might imagine, and with these following tips, you too will be able to capture some stunning fireworks photos for New Years' Eve.


1. Manual settings are a must
If you haven't had much of a play with your manual settings, New Years' Eve is YOUR night to shine! What a fun way to explore the possibilities of your camera and take control over your shots.

Here are some basic settings to try, and please feel free to test them out and work out what best works for the situation you are shooting in.

Aperture - f/8 - f/11

ISO settings - keep this low. An ISO of 100 will create images with great crispness.

Using 'bulb mode' will allow you to keep the shutter open as long as you're holding down the shutter button - hit the shutter button when the firework is launching and release once the burst has faded.

Oh, and no flash! Just because it is dark outside, please don't think you need to use your flash. Using your manual camera settings will allow you to control the pop-up flash.

2. Remote control
If this is an option for you, I would suggest using a remote for your camera to release the shutter button and to eliminate any movement you may create on your camera. If you don't have a remote, the self-timer button would be my next preferred option.

3. Use a tripod
To allow you to capture the movement and colours of the fireworks with great clarity, you will need to use long exposure camera settings, and therefore, fixing your camera in a still position is a must.

4. Plan ahead ... and be ready
Getting to the fireworks venue early, and knowing where the fireworks will be booming and fizzing in the sky is important.

Consider what you want to include in your image and the perspective you are after - encorporating local features can add to the attraction of the image.

Once you have picked your vantage spot have a play around with your camera settings, and manually focus your camera before the sky becomes too dark.

It pays to keep in mind that the early fireworks are likely to have less smoke in the air, and therefore less haze in the photos. So get there early, set your camera settings, take a few test shots, and be ready to fire away when the first firework is lit.

Have the confidence to try some different looks and styles, and capture the different effects that fireworks have as they blaze across the sky.

 

 

 

As 2012 draws to a close, I wish you all a New Year that dawns with the promise of new and wonderful things, lots of love and special experiences. And if you do head out tonight with your camera (and tripod) in hand to capture some fireworks photos, please post a comment below and let me know how you went.