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Baby Dax – a new addition to the family

JD — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:53:15 +0000

As some of you may be aware – if you follow us on Facebook my wife recently gave birth to our second child little baby Dax. The first few weeks has been quiet a different experience from when we bought Lola home. It is similar in so many ways but I think that is why it is so different, with Lola we were running blind and learning as we went as you do with your first – not knowing if we are doing things right and following every bit of parenting advice to the letter of the law. This time around there is a certain comfort in knowing that we have done this before and survived, it is amazing how everything just comes back to you like it is sitting at the back of your brain just waiting to be recalled for the next baby.

I remember being quite nervous bringing Lola home, I would go in and check on her if she hadn’t woken or made a noise for more than 20mins just to make sure she was ok. On occasions I ever poked her just to be certain. This may have something to do with the fact that she was a terrible sleeper and rarely spent any time in her cot those first few months.

In many ways Dax is the total opposite of Lola, he is a boy, bigger, a great feeder and a good sleeper but yet they have some many small similarities when they cry, smile etc that you know they are cut from the same cloth – and both exceptionally cute!! – Below is both of them at around 1 week.

Bringing Dax home has really reminded me how fast the last two years has gone from when Lola was born and how quickly they grow – I am determined to make more of an effort to take it all in and enjoy the moments as they grow which includes plenty of photos!

Below are a few photos I have taken of Dax in the first few weeks and one of Lola because I couldn’t resist.

What will 2012 bring? A new direction.

JD — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:27:43 +0000

At the end of last year I took stock of what was a very busy and fulfilling year both personally and professionally and asked myself what I could change to make it better in 2012. What I decided is that I needed a better work/life balance and to somehow find a way to work less hours and spend more time at home – having children really changes your perspective on life!.

In the busy months I was spending up to 70hrs a week working 7 days and that’s just neither healthy or sustainable so I decided big changes were necessary in 2012. We started the ball rolling late last year with a business coaching session to help work out the direction of the business and where we were headed. The last 4 or so years we have been roughly 65% weddings and 35% portraits and we have decided to flip that to be roughly 30% weddings and 70% portraits. Big change I know but one I am really looking forward to.

I love photographing weddings but doing 45+ a year plus portraits plus running a business really does take it’s toll. When I shoot a wedding I invest quite a lot of time and energy into each one with meetings, pre wedding shoots etc to make sure that each couple gets a unique and amazing experience. Now I don’t want to compromise this so instead of changing our systems and style I am cutting back the amount of weddings I do.

Now doing more portraits is a challenge that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into with the help on Sarah who came on board late last year. We have already photographed heaps of families, couples , pets etc and seeing the finished works of art leave the studio is a great feeling.

We have some big news to share in the not to distant future about the portrait side of the business and it will be announced here first once it is all finalised.

With the way Facebook is being used these days I am going to keep the blog going for general musings, thoughts, news and personal posts. If you want to see our latest shoots etc on a weekly basis go check out our facebook page

No post is complete without a photo so below is one of a recent portrait shoot I photographed

This is why I love my job, this is the third shoot I have done for the Hoen family – one for each of the girls when they were 18mths old. They are all beautiful and unique in their own way, this image for me captures each of their different personalities in the one photo – love it!

Families, kids, couples and the year that was 2011

JD — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:15:19 +0000

I blog about weddings quite a bit and everyone knows the connection between the bride & groom and the objective of capturing the celebration and love of them on their wedding day. Portraits are a different story – people tend to get their family or kids portraits done to document a time in their life to look back on. This year we have tried to change this with our portraits and try shooting them more like a wedding. This might sounds strange but I have been spending more time with portrait clients before the shoot and on the shoot to get a real connection between the family or the subject and the camera. In doing this I am getting some really strong, stirring and emotional images that aren’t just a documentation of a person or family but a window into their personalities and connection as a family.

This has created some of the most beautiful portraits and I love the thought of these images clients are purchasing owning pride of place in their houses for years to come. The fact that they aren’t your typical boring family or kids portraits makes them timeless and artistic and because of the emotional connection even more valuable to the family.

2012 we are going to explore this style of photography and invest more time in making it even better. I think if you aren’t growing and evolving as a person and an artist you are going backwards so it is important to keep evolving my style and moving the business into new directions.

2012 is going to be an exciting time for JD Digital Photography, we are going to be taking less wedding bookings to make way for more boutique portrait sessions. As far as weddings go we are almost 90% booked out for next year and the portraits have also started booking up quickly early next year so if you are thinking of booking either in don’t leave it too late.

I know this post is primarily about our portraits but I have photographed over 40 amazing weddings this year and I can honestly say I have enjoyed every one of them. I will hopefully get time to do another blog post on the weddings before the years out to showcase some more images of these amazing couples.

Here is a few images from some recent shoots we have completed over the past couple of months.

Lola – model in the making or photographer?

JD — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:30:04 +0000

I have been slack in taking photos of my daughter Lola lately so on the weekend I spent a few minutes playing with her and trying to get a few nice images. What I found is that because she has been photographed so much and is that little bit older it is a much harder task now – as soon as I bring the camera out and fire off one frame she runs towards me to check out the back of the camera!

To get around this I gave her my holga to play with while I took a few snaps

and this is what I came up with – technically not the best photo but I love it and is one of my favourite images of her – maybe she will take after her dad!

Below is an example of what it is like to photograph her now – the first image is a quick one I snapped when she was playing on my camera bag and I didn’t think she was paying attention. The second image is just after this when she realises that I am shooting, notice the cheeky smile just before she runs over to check out my handy work on the back of the camera.

Hawaii – Part 1

JD — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 07:01:34 +0000

Well after an amazing 12days abroad I am back in the studio and into the swing of business life trying to catch up on all my email and phone calls etc. I thought that I would do a quick update on how Hawaii was and a couple of images to wet the appetite before posting the pre wedding and wedding images from Kara & Cliff’s Wedding.

Things I learn’t from Hawaii

Traveling with a baby is a lot different than traveling as a couple

I love the ABC stores (convenience store) 12 coronas for $12 can’t go wrong

Shaved ice is the best!

An ocean view room doesn’t always mean a view of the ocean!

Hawaiians are very laid back

The hula is much harder to do than it looks

The yard house is my utopia – 120 beers on tap served in half yard glasses – can someone say messy!

The nappies in Australia are the best, they were so thin in Hawaii that we had to put two on Lola at once overnight.

overseas weddings rock

The weather was perfect everyday and we had such a good time exploring the island, shooting the wedding, meeting all Kara & Cliff’s wonderful family & friends and enjoying our first holiday as a family. I didn’t get as many shots of Lola as I had hoped but below are a few to check out – we found a mini hula outfit and couldn’t resist taking some photos of her in it.

Keep your eyes on the blog for the wedding image to come!

The Year that was 2010

JD — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 03:49:16 +0000

As you can see from the state of my diary in the picture below 2010 was a very busy year! I am still trying to convert over to an online diary but can’t quite let go of the old way so my new years resolution is to fully convert over next year!

We photographed so many fantastic couples and families this year and had an absolute ball capturing their memories so I would like to thank all our loyal customers and friends a wish you all a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

We have already booked most of next year out in regards to weddings and the first two month of next year are filling up with portraits so if you have anyone wanting to book in tell them to get in quick.

This year saw a big change and update in our website that was really well received and next year the blog is getting a major overhaul to step into line with the website. It will be more user friendly and funky so keep you eyes out for it!

Below is an image of the Christmas cards we sent out to our family and friends of our babies!

See you all in 2011