Talking photography & what really matters

When I started my freelancing career as a photographer I've been told that in Sydney it is not easy to network with other photographers, they've got their own circles and they rather stay there than be open towards the newbies. Hm.

This thought comes back each and every time I come across a photographer who I get the chance to have a chat with. From my experience as long as I am open and not afraid to talk about what I do, how I do it - even if I know that some of it might not sound or be cool and fancy - the other photographer will be just as open and honest and friendly as I am. (And then we laugh together about how we battle between 2-3 jobs to make sure there's enough $ on the table to fund our businesses)

I went out with the girls last night. At the bar we've been directed to sit in an area which must have been reserved for someone before because there were only a few people sitting there. It also seemed to be the chilling spot for the photographer too who I happened to start chatting with. We ended up talking for a long time, it was probably more than what a noisy bar is designed for, but if you let me talk about photography then good luck to you; it will be a long one so you better get comfy and get yourself another drink before I start! :)

I really hope I didn't dominate the conversation too much or bore him. I think I let him talk too because however I really don't remember how long we were sitting there chatting, but I got this really sweet text message from this same photographer a little later:

"It was nice talking photography with you, it's great to see the passion you have, I'm sure you will be very successful."

I believe that if you leave the smoke and mirrors at home, keep your focus on what you love and talk about the bumps and holes too on that road you are on towards becoming a successful artist; people will be more interested in you and your work and encourage you much more. They might even look up to you and start to believe that only talking about the flash equipment or the next big thing on the market are not the things that will make anyone a bigger and better artist/business person.

What you really need in whatever business you are in is passion for what you do. It really is that simple.

Keep this in mind and thank me later. ;)

Daydreaming & learning to slow down

I often find myself daydreaming. The kind when you suddenly start thinking where you are at in life, what you do and what you are heading towards. (Yes. All the heavy stuff :))
Recently, I found myself in the office in the late hours of the night way too many times sorting images, uploading files, catching up on emails and so on. And then I go home, I realize what time it is - but first time in my life it doesn't bother me to live this way. That's what assure me that I'm at the right place. At the right time. And I shouldn't complain. Ever really.

I often find myself in a place where I am just happy for no particular reason. That's when I smile and feel that something tickly inside that I have no words for. (Mind you it might be just because English is not my first language.)

This afternoon I was shooting an apartment at Milsons Point, facing Luna Park. My client asked me to take some lifestyle/location shots so I wandered around the peer and found this:



I walk too fast. I keep myself busy all the time. And I mean; ALL the time! I get home at midnight and I still have things to do on my mind. And I must admit; I love it this way. However, shots like the above always remind me to stop and just take in the moment. (Sometimes I force myself to count to 10 if there's no other way to stop my head spinning...)

Remember: life is too good to miss out on the beautiful things. Stop. Take it in. And smile. :)

Have a great weekend World!

x

That special place in my heart - Bondi, Sydney, Australia

If you've ever been to Sydney, you probably came to check out this iconic beach. You may have been amazed by it or - like me back 5 years ago - a bit dissapointed that it's not like how you imagined. Bondi has got its reputation good or bad, but one thing is true: when you live in this area you definitely get introduced to a new face of it sooner or later.
I love my lazy Sundays. I love the walk along the coast to Coogee. I love the coffee from Gusto. And because it is one of those Sundays today, I'll get my bikinis on and head down to the beach and remind myself how great life is. Down Under. :)

Adorable baby session - Miss Sophie

One of my big love in photography is shooting babies (as you probably have seen it from previous posts) and last Saturday I thought I will try the "baby posing" (is there such a thing or did I just make that up in my head? How all those super-cute sleeping baby photos are made??). Well, Miss Sophie who was only 7 days old then thought she will be awake the whole time I'm there... Not to mention that she doesn't like to be naked, so my big plans on the cute sleeping baby photo didn't quiet work out as I planned..
At the end I still managed to come up with some lovely images and this session has reminded me again: photographing babies can't really be planned... :)







And while Miss Sophie had a break between shoots her big brother kept me company.. :)

Second shooting - and why you should go for it!

This blog post goes out as a massive thank you to the fab American photographer, Mike Larson.
I can't post photos from this wedding as it was Mike's gig (and his photos are sure way better than mine would ever be), however I definitely wanted to dedicate this post to him because the experience of the day I was assisting him provided me with more to learn than any books could ever do!

Firstly: when you hear you should do second shooting/assisting at a wedding even if you don't get paid for it, you should do it without hesitation! If you get the chance to work with someone like Mike, you will take more with you than the dollars you could make!

Secondly: I am not a wedding photographer and don't think I will ever be. But I truly believe that all photographers should gain experience shooting weddings, learn what works and what's not - from photographers who specialized in weddings.

And last: It was a long, wet day but I enjoyed every minute of it regardless of the amount of sand in my shoes or getting wet holding up the reflector, above the couple's head :)

Thanks Mike for being patient and cool even when my battery died..

Who's Mike? Check out his website...

When a fairy tale comes true...

My friends got married last week. Yes; it was one of those fairy tale dreams to come true. Even since I've known them they were planning when and where to get married (and I've known them for a few years now :)). These 2 people are truly like pea and a pot and if you'd known them you'd understand why it took them sooo long to finally tie the knot. They are one of the most awesome couple I know and I feel super lucky to have them in my life.
Their wedding perfectly reflected what they are like; there were candies, lots of beer and champagne, one of the best views in Sydney, delicious food and many, many fun people. Probably one of the longest celebrations also, but like I mentioned before: if you'd known them you'd understand it why :)

I wasn't their wedding photographer, but volunteered to do the pre-wedding shots of the bride and some others along the way.. Here are some of my favorites :

Sarah&Chris Rhoads are coming Down Under! - The VOICE Workshop

And again; thanks to Twitter I just discovered a something amazing! When I saw that there is a contest for a Sarah Rhodes workshop in AUSTRALIA and there are no entries yet however there was only a day to go till the end of it I though: it would be crazy for me not to go for it!
It's pretty rare to have anything organised to Down Under by American photographers who are wanting to share the love for photography and support emerging fellow photographers - well, not that I know of many anyway - so I felt it is my chance to go for the spot in this sold out workshop which will be held in Canberra soon. In a nutshell: the workshop is called VOICE which stands for Vision, Openess, Inspiration, Creativity and Experience. The concept behind VOICE centers around finding your unique voice as an artist, developing a market niche, staying inspired, being remarkable for your clients, and building a brand experience.

Getting creative help from my dear friend Elena in a form of a crazy fun brainstorming session at her house on a Thursday night, we recorded all the footage for the project. (Massive thanks to her and her flatmate, Helen for their input!) Now I just had to put the plan in my head into the tricky World of video.. I'm not all that good with making these things and having absolutely no spare time in my hands I needed help. And there was Matt!! (Who I am extremely grateful for giving me a helping hand and get the finished product together for me, so I didn't run out of time with my submission. :)

And there it is. Sticked on the www.GetTotallyRad.com/blog, for everyone who wish to see what me and the other contestants come up with..
In less than 24hrs, Sarah Rhoads and her husband Chris will choose the winner... I am crossing my fingers that it will be mine - however there are some other great entries there.

BUT! Even if I don't win; this contest just got me and my 2 friends to do something together that we've never done before! I loved every second of discovering how our creative minds can work together! It was awesome guys!

Much love to all who has been part of my creative journey!

You can see my entry here: