Welcome Madison Lee

My lovely friend Candice recently welcomed her first daughter ... making her sweet little family now a beautiful FIVE.  I photographed her family just five short days after Madison was born, which was perfect because all she was interested in was eating and sleeping and was phased when her adoring big brothers fussed over her. 

Candice is a warm, easy going and light hearted mama to her beautiful babies.  If she felt flustered during my visit, I couldn't tell.  She easily comforted one child while tending to the needs of another all while cradling her sweet girl in her arms.  Candice told me how Madison immediately fell into place within their family, how even after only five short days that they couldn't imagine life without her in it.  Just as it should be. 

Babies are always, always a blessing, and I think should be welcomed into a family just the way beautiful Madison has been - with open arms, hearts full of adoration and celebration at her arrival.  These four are certainly smitten with their new family member, she will never be short of a cuddle, a soothing voice or barrels of fun when she's old enough to run around with her brothers.  What a lucky little lady indeed!

When I asked Candice if I could share a few photographs from their session on my website and blog, she hesitated a moment, which sometimes happens and is always respected.  Sharing my work online is important to keep my business going, to show my work as it evolves and grows, to show off the beautiful people I am invited to photograph - and I am always grateful when clients allow me to share their memories.  But they're just that, these photographs belong to my clients more than they do me, so if a client feels strongly about keep their photographs offline, I'm happy to oblige. 

Candice did agree to allow me to share her photographs, but with the caveat that I only share a handful.  This beautiful mama bird wants to share only a glimpse at her session - and her brand new party of five - with the world, she wants to keep the rest of them to herself.  Which is absolutely perfect.  I'm grateful to have been invited into their home to document this precious season in their life.  Welcome Madixx

---

All photographs shot on Pentax 645n with Porta 400 (black and white have been converted after scanning the negatives).  Processed and scanned by AllChromes in Brisbane.

In home lifestyle sessions are a beautiful way to document your family.  A Full Service session is $400 (more information can be found here) and I am currently taking booking for June onwards.  Please call me on 0452 394 908 or email me at hello@reneetrubai.com.au to book your session. 

Waiting on Baby Marsh | Brisbane Maternity Photographer

Meet my beautiful friend Angie ... we have been friends since we were twelve years old, beginning grade eight together - both sporting very high, unmoving fringes typical of the early 90s, and I'm sure I remember that Angie's was always far more impressive than mine.  We spent a lot of time after we finished high school too, especially around the years her eldest daughter, Crystal was born.  We haven't seen each other in person for years now, and the first thing I realised when we met up for these photographs, was that she has not changed a bit since our teen years.  Both in her gorgeous looks, and in her kind and easy-to-laugh nature. 

Her little man kept Angie and Tim waiting right to the very end of our hot and humid summer in Brisbane, and even choose a super special day to be born, he made his grand entrance on February 29th.  One thing is for absolute certain, life for this little man will be full of so much laughter and a heck of a lot of love, not just from his parents and his siblings, but from his extended family too, especially a great gaggle of cousins to grow up surrounded by to play with and guide him through his years. 

Here are a handful of the photographs we made late on a Sunday afternoon at the City Botanic Gardens in Brisbane.  Working through these photographs to choose the few I wanted to showcase for this blog post, I couldn't help but grin the whole time, the joy you can see on their faces here is almost as real as it is in person with these guys. 

Another thing Angie & Tim's little boy will have are two doting back up mums in his big sisters.  The parenting this little man will receive is evident in these genuinely lovely girls.  Most teenagers are a little aloof or uninterested in hanging out with their family during a photo session, and while they weren't super keen on having their photo taken together, they did without complaining though.  They might not believe me now, but one day when they're older I know they'll appreciate it as much as their mum does now. 

Thank you, Angie and Tim for asking me to photograph this really special time of your life, it was a genuine pleasure spending the afternoon with you.  I can't wait to meet and snuggle your little boy, and hope your days in the coming weeks are full of sleep, milk-fuelled naps and lots of visitors popping over to cook you dinnerxx

What's in store for 2016...

Leading into this new year, I decided to spend some time thinking about not only what I wanted to achieve in business - and how that aligned with my family life - but also what my current and future clients wanted from their experience working with me.  I also added in a few extra 'fun-to-haves' that I'm so looking forward to rolling out over the next few months. 

In addition to my 12 Months, 12 Families project, my other business project for 2016 is '366 Faces'.  I guess it's more of a goal really, I'd like to photograph 366 different faces before 2016 wraps up.  And it's a goal that really excites me - if you're reading this, I hope you'll be one of them!

I'll also be adding two more specialised session options, Love Manifestos - which are your intimate love story told in both your words and my photographs then collated and presented in a custom made book.  This session has my heart.  It means so much to me and to the couples I've worked with to date.  Appropriately (or perhaps, a happy cliché?) I'll be launching this session properly on Valentine's Day. 
The other is Hear Her Roar.  This is simple for me, I want to show women the strength of their own beauty.  When we're busy with life, bogged down in routine and schedules, when we're aging, when we're taking care of everyone else and stretching ourselves too thin it's so easy to forget ourselves and our unique, astounding and individual beauty.  I'm going to be on a mini mission to give you a moment to revel in your own lovely self, and make a beautiful photograph of you, for you. I'll launch this session offering in March. 

The biggest thing for me personally, is that I have now decided to offer print-sized digital files as a product option when ordering from your session.  It's personal for me because I very sincerely believe that a photograph isn't a photograph until it's printed.  So I've never offered the option of the intangible digital file before, it seems too fragile to me and in my personal opinion, completely defeats the purpose of having photographs taken.  BUT I also know how important it is for some people to have those digital files in their possession and because I believe that these photographs are ours, I will respect that need.  It doesn't mean you'll walk away empty handed though, if you opt for my DIY session, you'll walk away with your digital files and a full set of 6x4 proof prints in a beautiful wooden box.  I think it's a great option to keep everyone happy.  My usual session remains, with an order credit factored into the fee of which you can spend as you see fit, including digital files - be it the full set or an individual file. 

Lots happening, and I can't wait to get stuck into it! 

If you want to hear more about one of the new session offerings, if you want to be one of my 366 FACES for 2016 and help me reach this fun goal, or if you want to book a DIY session to nab that set of digital files, I'd love to hear from you! 

Tell me, what do you have in store for 2016?

Renee x

Welcome Walker

It was always the plan to make some newborn photographs of little Walker, but when Mardee suggested a few more posed option, we brought our date forward to when he was a sweet 7 days old.  By this stage, Mardee and I had been texting all week - which mostly consisted of me trying to come across as supportive and available while giving them newborn-fog space I know you need in those days ... I'm not sure I pulled it off.  Mardee had let me know that during that week, Walker had slept a solid 5 hours, through the hours that count - the midnight to five am kind.  Bravo!  What a little champ they have on their hands, he's sleeping like a super star, feeding like a super star and somehow managing to style his own gorgeous head full of hair!

There's a lot of 'in between' moments during a newborn session, time for nappy changes and milk top ups, settling and burping, rocking and sweet talking them off to sleep.  These are my favourite moments to photograph because after I pack up and head home, that is the sort of stuff that keeps on keeping on with life as a newborn. 
Once Walker was sound asleep, and I was settling his little feet into the photograph above, something happened that has never happened before during a session.  I heard a small sob behind me.  I turned around and my beautiful, strong, ballsy, no-BS, hilarious, kind, independent, go-her-own-way friend was having a quiet cry at the sight of her little boy.  I adore thinking back on that small moment, I had to sort of ignore it at the time or I would have joined in with her.  This time of life is magic. 

Daddy's are pretty great at settling their newborns off to sleep - it's generally the no milk factor - but I think it's a degree of no-fuss as well.  Pete was no exception.  He put on some tunes, rocked Walker and snuggled him with some skin to skin time, which resulted in one my favourite newborn photographs, ever. 

After you become a parent yourself, it is such a treat to watch your friends become parents right alongside you, to snuggle their babies, to change a nappy so that it means one less they'll have to do, to compare experiences, learn new things, recommend and loan great books and build on the little village you already had, only now it feels stronger and more bonded.  These guys and their little family of five, have always been an integral part of our village and I'm so pleased we're a part of theirs.  Being the person that is standing right alongside them documenting these first days, is an honour.

Twelve Months Twelve Families

For 2016, I've set myself a few different projects to document the year - both personally and professionally.  I'll introduce all of the projects over time, but first up is my Twelve Months Twelve Families project for business.  I'm looking for twelve families to showcase for each month of the year, and after a quick Facebook announcement I have already accepted a handful of families for this project, but would like to lock down my twelve families for the year, before the end of January.

The gist of the project is this ... I ask for you to allow me to photograph you in the way I envisage, which means I want to get to know you and your family a little before hand so we can keep our focus on connection instead of posing.  It also means I'd like to influence the manner in which you style your family for your session while still keeping the look inside your own personal style bounds, as well as come to a mutual agreement on a location that both suits your family dynamic and gives the project some diversity.  In exchange for all of that, and your signing permission for me to use your photographs and words throughout the project and my website, you'll receive three print-sized digital negative files of your choice and the opportunity to purchase additional photographs and products at 25% off the full price. 

My reasons for this are two-fold, 1: a project keeps my momentum going and gives a focus to a period of time.  2: I want to flesh out my portfolio with the kind of work that makes my heart happy which in turn reflects my business and artistic pursuits more accurately.  Bonus reason - I really hope to meet some wonderful people throughout the year. 

If you'd like to hear more, or have some questions, please click through to the contact page or email me hello@reneetrubai.com.au I'd really love to chat further with you about this project and your involvement.  Please share it around your South East Queensland friends and family too, the more the merrier! 

A note on my definition of family... for me it means sharing your life with another person/s.  Full stop.  I'd love to represent that definition of family to it's fullest, in all the beautiful forms we experience it in.  I'm looking for diversity here.  Brand new families or well established families, same sex or opposite sex families, blended families, one parent or two, conventional families, alternative families ... I want to hear from you all with the only common factor being genuine connectedness and loving respect.   Let's chat ...!

Walker's Birth Day

I doubt there's a more intimate space to be invited into than that of a woman birthing, but my dear friends, Mardee and Pete invited me into theirs. 

In the previous twelve days leading up to Walker's birth, Mardee passed those 'overdue' days by posting an hilarious exchange of willpower between herself and her unborn child entitled "conversations with an overcooking baby".  I'm sure she felt frustration at her due date coming and going, and then disappearing by weeks, but those of us on the outside didn't see it.  All we saw was a beautiful, take-it-in-her-stride outlook while waiting for her baby to decide to make his grand entrance. 

When Walker did arrive (with a little nudge from the medical professionals), he came without wasting a moment.  Pete phoned me at 3am with the words "she's eight centimetres!!"  Their hospital was over an hour away so I jumped in my car with the mantra "a centimetre a minute" running through my head.  Half way there Pete let me know that it was all over and I could turn around to head home if I wanted to, but I offered to keep coming in and document this time bonding with their son.  I parked my car just as the very first glow of daylight was peeping up over the horizon, my heart was pounding as I walked in, so thrilled to see my wonderful friend as a very brand new mama.  She was a gorgeous combination of elated, exhausted, astounded and proud as she lifted the blanket that covered them both and introduced me to their son, snuggled peacefully on her bare chest, with "this is our little boy".  And here he is...

Walker Forrest Cunningham wasn't officially named for a few days afterwards, which I think is pretty awesome.  Probably because we took our time deciding with our kiddies.  He's lovely.  They've hit the jackpot with this beautiful little man with a head full of thick dark hair, who loves his sleep (as much as a newborn can), loves his milk and a snuggle.  And though she probably would never believe it, Mardee is a very natural and maternal mother to him.  As it always is.  I think back to the text messages we were exchanging nine months earlier, Mardee was telling me all of the symptoms she was experiencing and wondered if I thought she was.  We'd had this conversation in the previous couple of months, but this time I was certain, and I think she was too, even if she didn't say it aloud.  All those months of waiting for a positive test, all those months of waiting for this precious bundle to grow, and then the longest of all - waiting those very long twelve days when she surely wondered if he'd ever be born culminated in this one soul-shaking, dreams-coming-true morning. 

Thank you for inviting me into your sacred space and sharing in a little of this moment with you both.  Your little Walker has a special place in my heart. 

9 Fun Ways to Document the Year Ahead

This time of year has us planning for a year a little better than the last - even if we had a great year, we all want to make all our days count and do our time here justice.  Concerns I hear often are comments around not taking enough photos, taking photos inconsistently throughout a year, or if you do take enough of them - what do you do with them?  When it comes to documenting your family life (to me, the word family means sharing your life with a loved one - it doesn't always have to be about the kids!) having a little project in mind is a great way to keep you on track to make sure you finish your year with it well documented and preserved.  

Here are 9 Fun Ways to Document the Year Ahead, I take no credit for these projects, you can find information all over the internet about them, I'll link to some throughout ... before you panic about 'projects' and all that word entails, the basic tools you'll need are two things - something to take your photos on (your smart phone, a point-and-shoot, a DSLR or a lovely film camera - the best camera is the one you have with you - so let's not over complicate things), and a plan decided on before January 1st.  If you want to go a step further, a computer to keep your image files organised and backed up on would be handy.  Here we go...

1.  A 365 Project

Go big or go home, right?  This is the ultimate project when it comes to documenting your year.  It's as easy as it sounds, take one photograph for every day of the year.  You can choose a theme for the year, a focus for the year (your partner, child, pet, meals, weather, travels etc).  You can take your photograph at the same time every day, regardless of where you are and what you're doing.  Or you could jump on over to the Fat Mum Slim website or Facebook/Instagram pages and follow along her Photo-A-Day prompts if you'd like a bit of a creative nudge.  I will attempt a 365 project next year, there'll be a blog post explaining all in the new year.

2.  Project 52

This project is popular amongst parents - a portrait of my child, every week for a year.  I first heard about this via Practising Simplicity and I attempted it with my kids last year, but felt burnt out by the pressure I heaped onto myself to complete the project, which is why this year I'm going with project #3.  This is a fun way to watch your family grow, it isn't as much pressure as a photo every day, and can be as literal as one single photo each week.  When I was working on this project I added a line or two of text each week about what my children were doing/learning/saying/behaving. 

3.  A Portrait A Month

This one doesn't really need any further explanation...  This is the project I've decided on to document my children this year, one portrait that shows their spirit, their growth and the seasons of their fourth and sixth years.  I do find the more frequent projects a little overwhelming, so this one sounds perfect for me.  I envisage these 24 portraits presented in a slim album at the end of next year.

4.  A Roll A Month

For my fellow film photographers out there, or those wanting to dip their toe into a little film photography, this is a slow-paced, no-pressure and light-hearted way to go.  Shoot your way through a roll of film each month - be it 35mm, medium format or instant film (check out the instax cameras - they're loads of fun!).  Explore a new film type each month or practice a new skill while documenting your year.

5.  100 Happy Days

This is a fun project, I love that it has a joyful intent behind it too - document a portion of your year with a focus on Happiness for 100 days - gosh, it's an easy sell, right?  I gave this a shot and made it most of the way through.  And even though I didn't finish it, I really enjoyed the experience.  My focus was on happiness rather than people or things, so it was an easy win, inspiration wise, and it genuinely made a positive difference to my every day.

6. Remember December/January Photo-A-Day

Dedicate an entire month to documenting your family with photography, Remember December is a wonderful project for documenting the end of the school or work year and the build up to Christmas and New Year.  January is a great opportunity for families with children on school holidays and parents taking time off work with them, it's Summertime in Australia so we have long, easy, hot, fun-filled days to indulge in.  The final week marking the beginning of the school year.  To me, documenting either of these two months, is all about documenting the magic of childhood for our kids. 

7.  Photo Friday

A little like #2 but without the 'portrait' focus.  Friday's (Fri-YAYs..?) are great days in most people's books, so I imagine an early mark from work meaning icecreams in the park with the kids or a sneaky Friday drink in the city.  Sunny beach shots on those all too infrequent long weekends, or an early morning coffee as we prepare to get through just one more day.  Some people choose to do a flash-back-Friday (#fbf) too for a bit of fun.

8. One Moment

Ronnie at Life Captured has some really beautiful examples of documenting just one moment in time ... like planning and preparing well to document every hour on the hour for one entire day from waking to bedtime, or documenting one entire week in great detail - while you may choose only a photo or two, this is a great opportunity to add some text about your life, right now, or document one time of day for an entire season, or the year - what does 10am look like at your place every day?  Or breakfast time?  Or bathtime? 

9.  Holidays, Rituals, Traditions

These projects sound like fun, and would be something really special for your children to look back on in years to come.  Holiday's are pretty obvious - be it a family holiday away for a week or a holiday that is special to you each year, like Easter or Christmas.  The idea of documenting rituals is so unique, take the idea of something that is seemingly mundane - getting ready for your day - you get up, take the dog for a run, shower and get dressed, grab some breakfast, kiss your love and head out the door to take the train to work.  Document all of that for a week, a month, a season.  Traditions - do you gather as a group of friends for football finals, or is your grandmother going to teach you how to make her Christmas cake, or do you have family games night once a month?  All of that is gold when it comes to preserving, and celebrating, our year with a photo project.

There we are - 9 Fun Ways to Document your year ...! 

Now that you've got a few projects to chose from, have a think about what you'll do with all of these photos at the end of your project. 

A photograph isn't a photograph until it's printed.

There are oodles of photo book companies online, and I'd recommend you source a company geared towards a more professional product in place of department store printing.  A few I'm happy to recommend are:
Artifact Uprising (based in the USA, postage is a bit on the steep side but you can store your book projects in your account then order and ship in bulk.
PicPress - Australian based with a great variety in quality and affordability.
Blurb - I've not used this company before, but have heard a lot of great reviews.

While these projects, and completing them with printing are relatively simple, here are a few extra hints and tips to help you on your way:

• Smart Phone:  If you're going to shoot with your smart phone, research and have a look at a few editing apps.  There are some great ones out there, and the rule of thumb is to use a light touch - let the app do it's thing, don't go too crazy with altering it too much.  My favourite is PicTapGo, but you can use VSCO for a film look, Little Moments (iPhone only) and or the Photoshop app
• Organising:  Keep it simple, but have a plan to stay organised from the get go.  A simple folder on your harddrive with your photographs grouped into month (for 365 projects) or the images renamed for ease of sorting at the end of the project.  If you're using a smart phone, I'd still recommend backing up to a harddrive, however you can also add folders to your camera roll to group your project photos into.
• Hashtags:  If you're going to share your project via social media, I'd recommend creating a unique hashtag to help group your photographs - like #365Renee2016
• Text:  Do you want to add text to your projects?  Like the other tips, keep it simple - a notepad and pen in you handbag or sending yourself emails from your smartphone is all you need to use.  Just make sure all your notes are dated.
• Exist in Your Family's Photos:  Hand that camera off to someone else every now and then so that YOU exist in the documentation of the year to come.  Regardless of how much you like being in photos or not, it's more important that you're just in them

And that's it!  I'd really love to hear what your plans are to document your life next year.  Do you have any questions about these projects?  Send me an email, I'd be happy to help out.  But most of all, enjoy this.  If it's not clicking for you, change it up to make it work for you, these are ideas, guidelines, a starting point, document your life, your way ... and then print it beautifully xx

Thank you, 2015

This year has been my best year in business yet.  My first session of the year started off with a bang, meeting the beautiful and genuinely kind-hearted Tongatua Family and finished up with the very brand new Everist family.  Between these two families I have had the privilege of celebrating and preserving the personal moments in the lives of many new friends.  I'm so grateful.  Alongside making photographs for these families, I've grown my own skills with the growth of this little business.  I've narrowed down the work that makes my heart tick, I've been bold about pursuing work like my First Days sessions and dedicating an entire space on the internet to my Nourish, Milk Drunk Love Stories. And all of it has been all kinds of wonderful! 

For all of this, for your trust in me and my work, for those of you cheering me on from the sidelines, I want to offer my sincere thanks. 

Wishing you all the happiest of New Years! 

Waiting for Baby Frost

As of yesterday morning, we are no longer waiting for Baby Frost.  Just two short days after we met to make these photographs, tiny and clearly impatient Harry decided to make his much anticipated arrival.  Thank goodness mother nature held out for us, because after postponing previously due to summer storms, I'm not sure that Harry would have waited any longer. 

Late Sunday afternoon we met at Wellington Point.  I asked Alyca and Matt to think of somewhere on the water near them that would be suitable for our session, because I know they spend a lot of time around the waters edge.  We kicked off our shoes and wandered down to the sticky mangrove-edged sand and played really.  This family of three, more on the cusp of becoming four than they knew, walked around muddy pools looking for treasures, chatted about their little boy on the way, and indulged in a fair few snuggles-come-tickles under the blanket made for Lyla by her great-grandmother. And when Lyla needed a break to head to the playground with dad, Alyca and I worked together to make a few portraits of her in-full-bloom pregnant form.

Lyla, (as you'll read further on) wasn't into having a conventional family photo taken, and while it would have been nice to have amongst their collection of photographs ... wow, I'm sure glad she protested so much, because look at what we made instead. 

I have never photographed a child who I couldn't win over, even just for a few seconds to take the sort of family photograph that everyone likes to have - three beautiful smiling faces looking down the lens of my camera.  But, I hadn't met Lyla before.  Dear, spirited Lyla - who is also as adorable as can be, as spirited children usually are - beat me.  The choc-chip cookies didn't help sway her, she took one in each hand and off she went.  I'm far from disappointed though, I'm impressed!  This gorgeous little lady, who knows exactly what she wants and what she does not, will be a force to reckon with as she grows up, so look out world.  Spirited children make for the most capable, confident and intriguing adults.  Probably not much help to mum and dad first thing in the morning right now, but enviable nonetheless.  

One thing Lyla will have on her side her whole life, is love.  And not just oodles of love lavished upon her, but she has the very best example of a really kind, completely joy-filled and loving relationship in her parents.  I didn't pose these two much, it was a very vague sort of "snuggle up together, feel free to have a kiss" and that was that.  Look at them.  It really brings tears to my eyes every time I look at these photographs, the love between them is obvious and powerful.  I don't think I have ever overheard so many I love you's being passed back and forth as I did in this session.  It's magic, and they're truly some of the lucky few. 

I know that today, this little family will be bunkered down in hospital marvelling at their new son and wondering how lucky they are to have these children.  I know that they will have already learnt how in an instant, that your heart is not divided, it only grows with a new baby.  And I know that they will be as awesome at parenting two children as they have been at parenting one. 

And I hope they know I will take them up on their offer to visit soon to be introduced to their son, and indulge in some precious newborn snuggles.  xx

Tilly - Seven Months

Purchasing a new-to-me camera that I had my eye on for some time was a bit of a thrill, but it was so much more fun to run some test rolls through it with some of my favourite people and clients.  You've seen miss Tilly here before, baking away at thirty-five weeks in mama's tum, but at seven months old now, this happy little cherub is delightful.  When I arrived at their home, Tilly was doing donuts in their living room in her walker - entertaining herself to no end.  I was pretty entertained too. 

After photographing two babies of this age in quick succession, the sitting up but not yet on the move age, reminded me how much I enjoy them!  Kids at this age are jolly - easily to laugh, great little snugglers and taking everything in with such a lovely sense of wonder.  I'm enjoying this age even more so than the really special newborn days - this age is all fun!  And boy can you see that written all over mama Megan's face - motherhood suits her so beautifully and as predicted, she is taking it all in her stride and revelling in these happy days. 

In-home mini sessions like this are a great option for little loves, like Tilly. It's quick - around 15 minutes of actual shooting time - and we have a pretty little set of photographs showing if Tilly in all her loveliness before she grew too bored me. This session is also a little bit of a moment in time placeholder.  We gave Tilly a couple of her favourite toys, which will be replaced before you know it by new favorites. The way stylist- mama Megan has dressed Tilly in a favoured gold sparkled outfit and the way Megan has styled her bedroom, are other subtle time keepers. When Tilly is an adult looking back on photographs like this, it will be those extra elements that add to her story of babyhood. 

2016 seasonal mini sessions dates are open for bookings now. Click through to the contact page to request more information. x 

Pentax 645n  |  Kodak Portra 400