Photography thrills

It was quite exciting to get a newsletter today from Swell Sculpture Festival featuring a photo I took there.  Always a bit of a thrill to see your work somewhere being appreciated.  Funny the sculpture was by  "Shelly Kelly" and the pic was by me "Simonne Kelly"  No we're not related haha.

I am also feeling quite upbeat about the coming weeks where I have a couple of cute kids/family shoots to do and have been thinking about locations/props etc in advance.   I love kids shoots because kids are so honest with their expressions plus it's so much FUN!  

I am thinking my camera and I need some time together this week for sure - I have a few fun filters I want to try out.  Think the flu is starting to subside thankfully have just been left with the grandpa cough and wheeze now lol sounds worse than it is.  

Today is a good day for blogging thanks to the flu Ash bought home from kindy and then shared with me. Kids are thoughtful like that.  I can't even find the motivation to go back to bed haha but somehow want to write.  Must be the Nurofen plus.

I loved this little story and had to share it - so true!

When Jack London had his portrait made by the noted San Francisco photographer Arnold Genthe, London began the encounter with effusive praise for the photographic art of his friend and fellow bohemian, Genthe. "you must have a wonderful camera...It must be the best camera in the world...You must show me your camera." Genthe then used his standard studio camera to make what has since become a classic picture of Jack London. When the sitting was finished, Genthe could not contain himself: "I have read your books, Jack, and I think they are important works of art. You must have a wonderful typewriter." - Anonymous

Props Galore

Well I am on the lookout at the moment for props!  Portraiture props actually.  I am the creative type so love to make my own headbands, hats etc but lately I have become rather interested in all things vintage.  Off to Better Buys Southport I went today to find some genuine vintage things.  Not a lot in the budget but this place was great.  You could really spend time in there on a rainy day like today!  I ended up picking up  a couple of cheap funky vintage items and am very happy with them.  (You will see them soon popping up in my portraits).  I had been to the usual lifeline type shops earlier in the week and found a couple of things but really had to sort through a lot of junk to get them.

Then I went digging through the cupboards to see what I already had.  I found "Big Ted" the teddy mum bought for me when I was 1, who is still wearing the VERY 70's brown/orange overalls my grandma made for him.  2 very cute minky blankets, and the baby blanky my nana made for me when I was born.  Not a bad loot!

The idea I have is to have two areas of props - some nice vintage things and some bright, funky things so I can vary the photos a bit.  I get bored easily (the reason I don't have a tattoo) so this should keep me occupied for the next little while.

I have a few people lined up to photograph in the next couple of weeks so I hope this weather starts to clear a bit.

Image below taken at Bond University,  Props: some balloons and the pettiskirt that I picked up from ebay.  Then to give the vintage look It was desaturated and a texture put over the top in photoshop.  

Rainy Days

Firstly let me introduce myself:  My name is Simonne and I am a wife and mum of two gorgeous girls Charli and Ashlee, (& a dog we rescued from the pound called Ralf and two guinea pigs.)  Charli is 4 going on 21 and Ash is 20 months.  These two cheeky monkeys were my inspiration for wanting to learn photography in the first place.

The girls - oh and that's not my house by the way - I like to keep some sort of standards haha...

I have started a few Facebook community pages because I love to connect with other photographers.
Here they are:

• Photographers page - a brand new page where you can get better at photography and get heaps of helpful advice, tips, links etc.

• Gold Coast Photography Locations - Sharing the best photo locations on the Gold Coast/Northern NSW.

• Camera Gear (buy/swap/sell) - Buy swap and sell your camera and related gear for free on this Facebook Page - get your friends to like the page for more exposure to your ad.

I am sitting at my computer and it's raining on the "sunny Gold Coast", I really want to get out with the camera but it's just too wet.  This rain is sending everyone a bit mad including my two kids (alright the cupcake didn't help either).  It's a good chance to go through some of my photos though and it's quite interesting to see how far I've come.  I remember the awful feeling of really not knowing what was a good image and closing my eyes and submitting it anyway for some constructive crit.  Sometimes I fluked one and sometimes it was a blooper but that's how we learn.

These days I am feeling pretty confident with it all and like to play with different things.  My latest gear has been simple and very cheap - filters.  I'm amazed what you can get from china on ebay and just how cheap it is.  Occasionally the quality is not so good (with zoom) but for those just wanting to have  play its a very cheap way to try out some things before spending much.  I have noticed some things are just as good though like remote triggers etc, and on top of that they are about 95% off the price of the generic I looked at in store.  From China.  Including postage.


Props are also very cheap and easy to make or buy from 2nd hand shops/ebay.  It's amazing what a pair of glasses or a hat can do for a portrait.


For me right now its all about taking the next step in my photography.  Thanks to the Graphic Design course I have good basic knowledge now in the Adobe Suite, which I think is important for photographers in this day & age.  I have started up my facebook page and am in the process of getting my website together which is very exciting.  I am looking forward to the future with photography, we have become quite close!

My 1st Blog!

Alright peeps I have finally taken the plunge in to the unknown - the land of blogging!