Melbourne Photographer | Wedding and Portrait Photography | Kids Photography | JD Blog » Portraits

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.

Movember Promotion just around the corner

JD — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:53:52 +0000

We have a huge Movember promotion coming up soon with a great portrait special available on for the month of November. You can buy a voucher to the value of $225 for only $20 which can be used for 6mths – all proceeds of the vouchers going to the Movember foundation.

There is going to be some funny & interesting things of our Facebook page coming up, as well as prizes & giveaways so click on the link & like our page to be a part the Movember action – you won’t be disappointed.

Spring, blossom, fun

JD — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:33:40 +0000

SPRING!!! – perfect for outdoor portraits – it is a beautiful time of year as everyone transitions out of the dull wet winter and get’s pumped up for the summer months ahead.

Shane & Vanessa were after a family portrait shoot at home but it had to be a specific time as a tree in the front yard with the most beautiful blossom only lasted about a week and that was one of the places where they wanted some nice family shots. As it turns out the evening we organised the shoot the weather was perfect with a soft setting sun, no wind and the tree if full bloom.

We have heaps of shoots lined up for the school holidays to take advantage of this beautiful time of year – can’t wait!

Photoshoot for vintage kids clothing line – Baby Takes A Trip

JD — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 05:03:12 +0000

I know quite a few of the readers of this blog are mums so I thought that I would share some images of a recent shoot I did for the vintage clothing line ‘Baby Takes A Trip’. I swear kids have better clothes to choose from than us and you won’t find more unique kids fashion than this range – beautiful vintage inspired clothes at very reasonable prices.

My daughter Lola is one of the models and is lucky enough to have quite a few Baby Takes A Trip outfits in her ever expanding collection.

Be sure to check out their website ‘Baby Takes A Trip’ and get your orders in early as the stock will run out fast.

Check out some of the images below.

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!