swim

Now that the warmer weather is here at last, we find ourselves at the pool quite often. I love photographing water has it has such sublime movement. Without any encouragement I had Sean help me out for this shot.

Roll on Summer.

bubble bokeh

My new addition to my kit arrived yesterday. Prime lenses are da bomb.

Canon 35mm f1.4L II. Its sublime...

... and I took it out for a test drive in the late afternoon light yesterday.

In the latest Scrapbooking Memories is a LO called Love (pg 75) by Lizzy Hill that really caught my eye. I've kept coming back to it and looking at it wondering how did she do that background.  I contacted her and she very kindly explained how to achieve it, and that led me to this idea with the bubbles in the photo as I really wanted the bokeh look.  (The LO isn't on her blog yet as its been removed from public display because of its publication.)

Thank Lizzy. These photos happened because of you. x

winding up

Since 2009 I have photographed over 150 families to capture a moment forever frozen as a memory for those families to keep.

With my deteriorating right shoulder issue (the surgery this last August hasn't been 100% successful) and ongoing tendinitis in my right elbow that's no longer able to have cortisone injections, and my right wrist that I continuously strap when I'm using a keyboard a bamboo tablet, or when I lift the camera, I feel sadly that the time has come to windup the Family Photography side of my business. I have 2 more families to photograph on my books and then that's it. I'm done.

Commercial photography however will continue as that's sporadic and I should be able to handle that.

Every now and then I must put myself first, instead of a poor third or fourth, and now is one of those times.  I'm so guttered, and its taken quite some time to come to this decision without feeling guilty that I'm letting someone down.

So now that I've made the decision, its time to put the word out there in social media.

Every blog post needs an image and this is a recent shot from my favorite family.  I have seen this family in front of my lens every year since. It was a lovely 24 degrees on the beach that day and a hot 37 when I got back home. I know where I rather be on that particular day.

I'd like to thank all those who have left such wonderful supportive comments love and hugs, both here on my blog, on my facebook page, down the street, txts and emails, over the years. Without you I would have never started and continued on this journey, and its been such an awesome ride.

With much love

Tiff Firth Photography

time for yourself

LO #5 from #scrapshack2015. The ScrapFX chip circle was the perfect size to fit with the doily in the embelly cluster. I don't use gauze very often and I don't know why. I do love how it softens lines and pulls in a colour.

thankful

Another lo from #scrapshack2015.  Even though I was only there from Saturday night to check out on Sunday, I still smashed out 6 Layouts. I was stoked. I hadn't laughed so hard for ages. My tummy muscles were still hurting on Monday. 

This LO is another fave from that weekend. The Wilna Furstenberg print cut file is so rich in colour and printed beautifully on Bazzil Linen cardstock.

sunshine

I used vellum and the lovely cut file from Wilna Furtensberg for this lo. This lo is all soft, delicate and feminine.  Just divine.

looking forward

Funny how you don't see things until its from a different perspective.   I've only just noticed how crooked the bottom word of the title is.... no matter. Its done now and I've moved on

The beautiful print/cut file is from Wilna Furstensberg's Fall collection. Its devine.

Second lo completed at #scrapshack2015 last weekend.

patience

My first Lo completed at #scrapshack2015 and I think its my overall favourite. At first I couldn't find a fish that I just knew I had in my stash. I have had it for years and years and I just couldn't find it. Amy popped up with one and the whole colour scheme revolved around that.

The saying "patience is waiting without complaining' is one of Kym's classic quips of wisdom.  

I took the kids for a 30 min photoshoot down a creek in a secret spot I know. They jumped at the idea as it meant me standing in a running creek and getting wet (right up to you know where) and they stayed high and dry.

Mind you it did cost me the regulation payment of an icecream.  Love those kids.

#scrapshack2015

What a chock full weekend. After getting Miss Annie packed up and popped onto her first flight of her China student exchange trip, I headed off to #scrapshack2015.

I missed Friday and Saturday but got there for Saturday night and Sunday.  And I smashed out 6 layouts in 24 hours. Man it was so good to feel that scrappy vibe again. I've not really scrapped since the beginning of the year as the photography side of my life was busy, as well as my photography trip away to Africa for 3 weeks, hosting the Chinese exchange student here, shoulder surgery as well as juggling life in general.

#scrapshack2015 was all about chilling out, cocktails, getting some girl time, laughing to your belly hurts and a bit of scrapping.

The above pics are shamelessly pinched from Amy's Instagram. 

The ones below are mine.

https://instagram.com/tiff.firth/

I'll pop up a LO tomorrow. ;)

annie's china trip

With long awaited enthusiasm, Annie flew out last night to head off on her trip to China. She and 3 other students from Port Lincoln and the two teachers stayed in Adelaide last night and the entire group of 10 students with the same two teachers all gathered at the Adelaide Airport International check in desk this morning at 6am.

Annie and I have had lots of discussion, ideas, tips and thoughts about her trip. About keeping her passport safe, how to spread her money in different areas around her so if one lot goes missing/stolen then all is not lost. How to use an ATM, an eftpos machine, keeping her backpack safe while in a country who's people's personal spaces are much smaller than Annie is accustomed to. About brushing her teeth using bottled water, about not having ice in her soft drinks, how to use her phone with WiFi while in Flight Mode, so her data is not used at all during her travels. Which app we can use to communicate with - no such thing as Facebook messenger, Viber, Skype and other such apps in China. The communist government prohibits any use of it. And most importantly how to use a Chinese squat toilet with confidence.  I hope she comes across this experience at least once just so she can say she's had a go. Other things like taking photos with her phone as much as she can, and to make sure she's in some of those photos to place her on location. To buy postcards of the places she has visited for her Powerpoint talk when she's back. To write all her impressions in her travel journal for reflection later in her life.

Her group travels together for 6 days, then she goes to her host family in Zibo City (15 million people.) This is where Sophia lives. Sophia stayed with us back in August as part of her School trip to Australia. Annie's visit to Sophia's family is part of the reciprocal program. I've been chatting with Sophia's Mum via WeChat and they can't wait to have Annie stay. I'm so happy about that. Sophia goes to a middle school that has 3000 students. They have classes of upto 60 students. Everything is regimented, there is no room or time for individualization. School starts at 8am. They return home at 11.30 for a two hour lunch break/siesta, return by 1.30 and finish the school day around 4.30

After the 6 days with Sophia, the Aussie group goes travelling again for another 6 days before coming home. Beijing, Shanghai, Zibo City, Great Wall of China, Terracotta Soldiers, Panda Sanctuary, the Olympic Stadium and much much much more are in store for Annie.


As she left I said to her "No regrets Honey, and stay safe."
One of the parents took this photo and sent it to me after Annie had left. What a gift. I can't thank him enough.

The Facebook post that accompanied this picture has had so many wonderful empowering messages for Annie. Thank you to all of you for them.

There she goes. Bon Voyage Darling. Soak up every second of it.