christmas wonderland

There is a small number of special people who created our local Christmas Wonderland. They constructed it for the first time last year and this year is even bigger and better. So much to see. I'm going back again with my kids next time (lol. it was just me this time). Lots of interactive displays, trains whizzing on their tracks, tunes playing and a couple of very jolly fellows singing out HO HO HO.

I've used no flash to retain the ambient lighting which looks sooo much better in these shots.

Prepare for a few, small,  a smorgasbord of images.

my fave

the entrance

what greets you when you walk in over the bridge

the deer move and he HO HO HO's

 HO HO no 1.

 one of the train sets.

 glows

 Thomas the train

 where the kids visit Father Christmas

 HO HO no 2. he gyrates a lot.

 the Aussie outback Christmas complete with Red Back Spider

 there's a bubble machine with this display

The fairy garden. Each one is individual and all are hand made.

If you get the chance, you really should go in there. And drop a gold coin donation in the chimney of the house at the beginning of the bridge!!

family get together

When a sister returns with her family to visit, a bit of a reunion results  :OD

I was asked to come in and shoot some family pics to remember the occasion by. I haven't asked the grandparents if its ok to post their faces here, so I wont show them, but the their two daughters and their families were delighted to be "Blogged and FB'd"

Thank you to you all.

couple more over at Tiff Firth Photography on Facebook.

abc feature

Thanks to Emma Pedler who works at ABC Radio my photo of  the wave clouds has been featured as one of the images from yesterdays weather phenomenon on Eyre Peninsula.

thanks Emma.

click here to see the slideshow. click on the 'big picture version' and the play button to get the audio as well.

wave cloud over Nth Block

Saw this phenomenon just over an hour ago and scrambled to get my camera out in time. I had to put the Ute in 4WD to get to the spot to have wheat in the foreground.

The rain we've had has given everything a rich intense colour and the light is awesome outside today. I would so love to be on the Western coastline right now!!!

I might even send this one in channel 7 for their weather segment!!

Annie reckons the clouds and the hills are copying each other lol.

FC @ Kindy

Life has just been mad lately. What with the very unseasonal rain which is just disastrous for cereal and legume croppers. Believe me, it's making the farming fellas sooo not happy. I'm a bit lucky with Kym. He looks for a positive spin on most things and I'm the worrier, the fretter and the reality checker!!!

I had a huge weekend with the 'End of an Era' - Karkoo celebrations. I was asked to shoot the school concert on Friday night and the day on Saturday. And Saturday was putrid indeed. 40 degrees C, North winds and just plain horrible to be out in. It was also the first blast of Summer and we haven't any heat whatsoever leading up to then, so it felt just hotter than it was.

I had previously arranged to set up inside the library to have some control on lighting. The aircon really struggled towards the end with over 120 people coming in for their class reunion shoot.

Everyone was so wonderful and helpful considering the conditions. My hat goes off to the committee who put in sooo much work and had all the little details down pat. For example, a lady who was in the 1925 class mentioned about having raspberry cordial when she was little as school and how one of the committee members gave her a glass of it during the celebration lunch on Saturday. Its just such a pity that the weather wasn't more pleasant for the people who travelled such a long way and for the tireless committee.

I'm not able to show any of those pics but they are for sale on the Memorabilia photo disc that people ordered over the weekend. This disc will also have the concert, the dinner (photos by Elise Moroney), the displays, and the class reunion photos.

All the processing is done and the class reunion photos with all the names of everyone are just waiting final approval.

I've a photoshoot tomorrow, one on Wednesday, and 3 next week and that's it until Feb. As well as all the mad Christmas festiveness, get togethers,the Traders night, the Footy club Christmas tree, the odd birthday here and there, and hopefully a harvest that will be in full swing, time will fly.

This year was to be our Firth family Christmas with Kym's family at Blackpoint. We wont be done with harvest by then, so we'll be staying put or visiting my brother who lives a bit closer than Blacky. This is only the 2nd time in Kym's and my's 13 years of being together that harvest wont be finished by Christmas.

  :(

Father Christmas did swing by the Kindy today for their last day. He was going to be arriving in an open top red vintage car but seeing as it was raining so steadily, this was canned last minute and Kym drove in the Jolly Fella in the Fire Truck.

The kids loved him. Sean being the clown that he is tried to keep his serious face but FC wouldn't have that.
lol

I haven't scrapped since my last LO was picked up, but I have been asked to write an article for Scrapbooking Memories which will appear mid 2011. Just need to get started on that one lol. So other than looking longingly at the tubs that have my stash, I just haven't had a moment to get into it. Once everything settles photo wise after next week and the processing for them, I should be able to get into it a bit before we head away for our annual holiday.

roll on harvest!!!!!!!!!!!

northern cloudscape

Every now and then Mother Nature shows a jaw dropping display of cloudscapes.

I was lucky enough to have the camera on me at the right time before the thunderheads rose over top of the Strata nimbous cloud which hid a bit of the impact.

This is straight out the camera with only a tweak on sharpening and crop. The colours are as they were.

live your life

Yes. Yes. Yes.

The scrapping tonight flowed like warm honey. And it felt good. NO, better than that, it was friggin' great.!! I am so much happier seeing the end result with this one.

Journaling says  'live your life without boundaries Annie. don't let anyone box you in, categorise you or put you behind a fence you can't fly over. seize life Annie. it's yours for the taking.'

can now reveal after publication in Scrapbooking Memories

I also want to give a really big shout out to Tiff Sawyer, Tatum Woodroofe, Kerryn Lenworthy, Kathleen Glossop and Fran Tynan. Some of the few 2011 Masters announced today. I either have met these wonderful artists irl or  conversed with them online. What an awesome crop of talent this year and I'm just more than a bit chuffed that I 'know' a good number of them.  (note that they were all in blog hopping list previously except for Kerryn who I've just added)

I did have a go at The Masters this year and didn't make the final cut. But that's ok, it was fun and challenging to create under pressure. I can't show you any of my entries yet as there is a very small remote chance that they may qualify for a Honourable Mention. Well see. I'm not losing any sleep over it.

:O)

heart stealer

Well it's been many, many weeks since I've been able to sit down at the scrap table and give it my full attention.

And man, scrapping didn't come easy. I struggled. I'm doubting myself. I'm not satisfied with the end result, but its done. Time to move on to the next one tomorrow and find that elusive flow.

:O)
t

o christmas tree

until the hot weather comes and harvest starts I am decidedly not feeling as if Christmas is not that far away.

The kids and I had an unusual day today. We spent the whole day home. We didn't have to be anywhere so we didn't. No photo shoot appointments, no visiting, no nothing. And it was wonderful.

PJ morning, late pancake breakfast and Christmas Tree decorating!

the H ladies

I had 4 ladies visit me last weekend for their 'rural' photoshoot. The weather held and the breeze dropped out just in time. I had a ball with these ladies who brought in new ideas into their shoot. Love that!!!!

thanks ladies. enjoy your sneak peek.

more over at Tiff Firth Photography on Facebook.

the divine Miss M, little Miss Z and Master M

This family has the biggest bluest eyes I've seen yet. All three children have swimming pools for eyes and when I applied a BW treatment on their images, golly gosh, they are just startling!!!!

Little Miss Z has perfected the sucked in top lip that's just so damn cute, especially teamed with that wide eyed innocent look.

This shoot is Part A of a two part series. The Part B is when I have all the children together and a variety of other shots that I haven't yet caught.

Be memorised by their eyes.

more over @ Tiff Firth Photography on Facebook
;o)

more trash the dress

In between processing a photoshoot I had a quick play with one of the shots from 'trash the dress' Part A.

Part B is when the dress will really be trashed!! just waiting for the right day.

I've aged this one and scratched it up a bit.

another to add to the 'trash the dress' album on Tiff Firth Photography over at Facebook

swim

Well I have a load lifted off my shoulders today.

All the processing for the Graduation shoot is done, CD's burnt, labelled, parcelled and posted. Emails sent and and sneak peeks on Facebook completed. I originally gave myself up to 2 weeks to get all happening, but I've managed to started from Saturday and finished this morning. 5.5 days. I have the flattest, shiniest butt from sitting in front of the 'puter for so many hours late into the night. Most nights were at least 1.30am before I got to bed.

I've 2 more photoshoots to get thru so there is no rest for the wicked ;op  And a very large assignment next weekend.

Because I've had the camera in my hand A LOT lately I very nearly didn't take it with me to the pool for Annie's class swim lessons today. I just couldn't be stuffed.

I should be spanked!!! And hard.

Being busy with other people's children is no excuse to neglect my own as far as taking photos go. After all taking photos of my kids for scrapping is what lead me down my current path of photography.

I did run back into the house for something else so I grabbed the camera bag as an after thought.

And I'm very glad I did.

year 12 grad shoot

THE 2010 GRAD PHOTOGRAPHY SHOOT

I am so very relived that the weather was kind last Friday, as its been fairly crappy for photography during the day ever since.

Laura and I have had a number of team meetings, a trip to the Port Lincoln Hotel to scope out the pool deck,  planning for A, B and C sites in case of inclement weather, and of course to have an idea of how we would capture the Grad's photos. I was to shoot the images of the students, their family and partners. Laura caught all the accessory shots, and close up details.

The not knowing of the weather really chewed me up in the days leading up to the marathon shoot. I wasn't sleeping very well at all, I was talking A LOT in my sleep and I was checking out the Elders weather site often. So with a hugest sigh of relief that day was perfect. The location was perfect. The ladies looked their glamorous best and the gentlemen were very suave.

After starting the day at 12.40 and finishing at 7pm, Laura and I were stuffed. The schedule called for a student and their family to be on site every 20mins. We were flat out and we kept it all on time. I was thrilled with that we finished at exactly on time before moving to the Boardwalk.

With all the individual shots done, the Grads met at the Boardwalk under the Morton Bay Figs in front of the Lincoln Hotel for the group shots. The formal ones were completed and we all kicked off the shoes and headed onto the beach.

This is one of those beach shots that I am comfortable in popping here as it doesn't show any faces.

Between Laura and I we've been processing flat out since then. I have a 2010 Year 12 Grad album on my Tiff Firth Photography wall on Facebook. As I obtain the permission from each Grad I'll pop an image of them into that album, so it will be growing over the next few days.

I would really like to say the hugest thanks to Laura for jumping into this assignment with me as there is no way I would have done it without her help. And we made a GREAT team!!!!!!!!

snap happy - most outstanding photographer

I had a wonderful afternoon this afternoon. I was very fortunate enough to collect this today.

One of the Year 12 students organised a Community Photography Exhibition as part of her Art curriculum. So I entered a few images. The judge, I'm told did not have an easy job with so many entries and a lot of talent showcased. So to come home with this award was a wonderful surprise. I guess I'm feeling validated. And it tells my DH that what I'm doing behind the camera is something a bit more serious than taking a few snaps.

Thank you so very much K for pulling together an awesome exhibiton that exceeded beyond all expectations, to the Cummins Op Shop for sponsoring the awards and to the other worthy winners.


And tomorrow is another project I've had brewing for a little while. The Year 12's are having their Graduation and I'm shooting the photography for this formal event. I am so very grateful that Laura agreed to come on board to be part of the team, otherwise there is no way I would have taken this on.

I've hired a venue to shoot the images. Looks the weather will be perfect, thank goodness after today's cool day and dampness. I've been writing a list of stuff I need over the last few days to make sure I don't forget anything. We start in the middle of the day and should finish by 7pm. I'm going to knackered by the end of it all. And I'm looking forward to Laura and I heading out for a swish dinner afterwards.... if either of us have the energy.

trash the dress... a couple more

A couple more peeks of the Trash the Dress shoot from last weekend.

These two are all about the boots. I wanted the bride to wear thick chunky knee high boots for a bit of attitude in the images. Thanks to Cummins DressUps we found the perfect pair. My first thought when I saw these were Franknferter from Rocky Horror Picture Show would have worn these.

Many many thanks to Sarah for letting me shares these shots of her for our TTD shoot

I'll be adding a few more over time on the Trash the Dress Album for Tiff Firth Photography on FaceBook.

a photoshoot at the twilight end of the day

This day could have not been more perfect. Gentle sun, stunning sunset and even the sea as part of the backdrop.

As lady luck would have it, Mr B broke his arm that day and he had just come home from having it plastered. He was such a trooper. He still give me a smile when I asked. It would have been hurting like hell. I take my hat off to him for his patience with me.

I'm pretty damn proud of this set of images for this family.

More over at Tiff Firth Photography

Jessica Sprague - Inspiration Everywhere

I've just joined this free class from Jessica Sprague.

go have a look.

t

P's in a pod

I had a visit from these guys last week. It's wonderful to see them again and to marvel how much the boys have grown from one year to the next.

Thanks Mum, enjoy your sneak peek.

I do believe that Granny Sue would like to scrap these!!     wink. wink.

more over at Tiff Firth Photography