pixel magix blog

{family} ~ “look at this mess”

pixel magix — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:31:55 +0000

we weren’t always friends …

i was (a bit) of a wild child, (a tad) rebellious and (just a little) disobedient … and nannie was a very strict, extremely traditional catholic mum, who insisted on your absolute best with total dedication and without excuses.

there have been disagreements, falling outs and months without speaking.

but over many years, and through the adoration from a bucket load of children and one divine, irresistible daisy baby - this incredible woman (with stories of her past rivalling a colleen mccullough best seller) has devoted and committed her time, patience and love to our non-conformist, slightly insane and often stress-city family.

we could not do what we do or be where we are or manage each single day - without you nannie.

you enforce the need for routine (or i would drown in laundry)

you encourage extreme patience (who else would mix flour and rice and leaves into patty pans with daisy and actually bake them and possibly even eat them)

you enliven us with wisdom (remarkably by uttering but a single blunt comment from your stool in the kitchen)

and above all

you honestly and without exception

love and care for each one of us in our happy home of 8

happy mother’s day nannie

coffee?

{studio} ~ favourite day of the whole year

pixel magix — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:08:08 +0000

{family} ~ chloe’s wedding day

pixel magix — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:27:41 +0000

this cousins photo was taken 10 years ago … chloe is the little poppet with the pink hat and hiding a bob of red hair.

today the cousins - who will no doubt look a whole lot more attractive but still display the remarkably different personalities evident - will be celebrating the blessed and joyous wedding of chloe to daniel.

chloe is the baby in her family, the dainty little girl who arrived after two burly boys. a ginger haired, precious bundle who was wrapped and dressed in pink.

her happy young life was filled with school, sleepovers, fights with her brothers, work, a gothic stage, fights with her brothers, water skiing, camping, four wheel driving and fights with her brothers.

with sparkling blue eyes, lush red hair and a sprinkling of freckles she became the most strikingly beautiful young lady.

as a young mum, chloe embraced her pregnancy with maturity, responsibility and sheer happiness … she simply glowed … we waited until the 11th hour of a magical orchard to blossom to capture this incredibly sublime moment in her life.

the birth of isabelle was overwhelming and miraculous - and with her parents by her side - this brave young woman became a mum and a family of two.

isabelle is chloe’s ginger haired, precious little bundle wrapped in pink … izzy lights up her world … chloe’s eyes glisten with a new sparkle; tears of devotion and pride and a mother’s love.

daniel swept chloe off her feet.

this handsome, kind, gentle, funny man loves chloe, he makes her laugh, he is devoted to caring for his ginger haired, blue eyed beauties and he completes their family of three …

today - beautiful gorgeous niece of ours - is your wedding day.

we are so completely thrilled and beyond excited to be sharing today with you, daniel and dear little isabelle.

lets get that frock on!

{ever after} ~ richard and louise

pixel magix — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:00:06 +0000

the stunning cape lodge in yallingup was the venue for the wedding celebration of this gorgeous couple, richard and louise.

this was our first wedding in the picture book grounds of cape lodge, what an incredible luxurious location. the grounds, accommodation, service, staff, wine, and menu were all 5 star.

richard and louise were married in the golden afternoon light in the garden by the lake, and then the bridal party travelled by buggy through the grounds for location portraits.

the laughter and wine flowed freely and all too soon we returned to the restaurant for a gourmet 5 course dinner and a non-stop dance party.

it was a pleasure to spend such a beautiful day amongst the friends and family of the most kindest and sweetest couple we have ever met.

{ever after} ~ aaron and deanne

pixel magix — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:58:10 +0000

being the third wedding we have been invited to capture amongst this funny and fabulous group of friends (the first being dan and janelle and then ian and cara), we simply could not wait to meet up with aaron and deanne in dunsborough.

clear blue skies and and a very hot sun greeted us at picturesque wills domain - our first wedding at this beautiful venue - and we were joined by the lovely mel from digital wedding videos with tunes by jamie hook later in the afternoon.

it was simply the most enjoyable, emotional, sweetest day that ran like clockwork - we love an organised bride more than chocolate (well, nearly) - and being in the fine company of brad from down south luxury limousines guarantees an effortless afternoon of location portraits.

click the slideshow link to view more gorgeous images … hope you love the music aaron and deanne … and big waves to all the crew

{ever after} ~ robert and sara

pixel magix — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:33:25 +0000

a lovely, intimate, early morning wedding …

robert and sara were married in a pretty catholic church which is in the unique grounds of Gracewood God’s Farm in wilyabrup, near margaret river. the couple then joined immediate family and a few close friends to celebrate at lamonts for lunch.

we met rob and sara at injidup spa retreat for portraits before the ceremony, such different light along this part of the coastline earlier in the day, and so peaceful without the tourists.

travelling with us to the church rob and sara were met by rob’s family priest, who flew in from the eastern states to officiate.

the simple, heartfelt ceremony was enhanced by the beautiful voice of paige trantham, we could seriously listen to this young lady sing and play forever.

we so enjoyed this wedding, especially the added bonus of arriving home at 1pm

{family} ~ “can i please come fishing?”

pixel magix — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:01:44 +0000

it was so difficult to return home after our holiday. this is the second year we have stayed at aqua resort - a pocket of paradise on the geographe bay strip of resorts in busselton. the huge self-contained apartments, with pool and lawn and peace and space and beach, are ideal when combining the personalities of 9 people in close proximity for one week a year. surprisingly - or should i say shockingly - the week drifts by without any major disagreements amongst the crew and choosing a chalet with its own heated plunge pool was an absolute blessing (no requirement to look “presentable” whilst supervising daisy swimming)

i love this week so, so much. i float through the house as if on prozac - no tiff or whinge or request affecting me - calmly and with a glowing motherly smile encouraging and boosting and praising. being “on holidays” is such a great feeling. (this may - of course - partially be due to my current holiday addiction to this most refreshing, wonderful, slightly alcoholic cider )

for the past 4 years we have taken all the children on a holiday after Christmas for a week - my choice of location.

2012 is mike’s choice. and we are camping. as much as i love camping (i do babe, i really do) the thought of camping with all these maturing and opinionated young people, in the bush, without the spa, the gleaming marble kitchen, the plunge pool, the toaster that beeps softly when finished, the latte machine, the deck that gathers all traces of sand before entering the house, the massive king size bed draped in crisp 400 thread count white sheets - causes me to add a few cartons of that lovely alcoholic cider to the shopping list.

and - as we were reminded this year especially - the children are making their own plans. they are not children anymore, 3 of the oldest we barely see as they come and go out the front door, calling back to me from the gate an inaudible description of where they are going, who they are going with and when they will return.

so the 2012 ‘camping extravaganza’ mike is planning may not include the entire contingent of this brady bunch. which is quite sad to think 2011 may have been our last year.

because there may no longer be mornings like this.

unplanned early morning fishing trips. with bare feet and plastic bags for shell collection. with quiet chats between an inquisitive 6 year old and her patient 18 year old brothers. with sandcastle competitions between the one who insists on building and construction precision and the one who decorates with twigs, and green AND white seaweed and wins on artistic merit. and the reluctance to leave this salty, tranquil space that contains so much quiet acceptance of each other that i cannot begin to describe how it warms my heart.

i so love that one single week away.

{family} ~ hold on a minute

pixel magix — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:03:50 +0000

this week, on a blog i love to read, a photographer, wife and mother of four shared her views on life as all three and balance …you can find it here.

http://tarawhitney.com/justbeblogged/2012/01/breathing-room/

i often wonder if the perception of a “stay at home mum” or “work at home mum” or “small business owner mum” is one of sleep in’s, and working in your pj’s, having coffee with friends, lunch dates, walks along the beach, cricket in the backyard, zumba, and quality family time.

some of which does occasionally occur, except the zumba :)

many of my photographer friends - at this time of the year - after intense Christmas delivery demands, weddings during normal holiday periods, the heat, school holidays, 6 weeks of school holidays, the heat, abundance of wedding enquiries and meetings after holiday engagements, the heat and back to school stress … feel overwhelmed.

immensely grateful and appreciative but overwhelmed and a little tired.

this year, 2012, mike and i agreed to take time out, 3 weeks.

to sleep in, edit in our pj’s, have coffee with friends, go on lunch dates, walk along the beach, play swicky wicky in the backyard, think about joining zumba and try to regain some quality family time with our family and most importantly to re-energise.

i have loved every single cotton pickin’ minute, especially when my normal week days proceed exactly like this:

04.30am alarm
04.31am coffee
04.32am answer emails, shift emails, peruse emails, sort emails
05.30am coffee
05.32am facebook
05.45am (totally dependent on facebook content) hang out load 1 of washing
05.50am coffee with son number 1
06.05am wake son number 3
06.06am coffee with son number 3
06.07am make 3 crib/smoko eskies and 2 school lunches
06.30am wave goodbye to son number 1
06.31am shootq, online data and bookings, invoices, payments, calendar
06.50am take son number 3 to work
07.02am coffee and chat with nannie
07.10am wake daughter number 2
07.15am hang out load 2 of washing
07.20am clean kitchen round 1 of breakfast
07.25am wake daughter number 3
07.26am cuddle daughter number 3 and convince she will have fun at school today
07.40am make daughter number 3 breakfast, convince she needs to eat it, feed daughter number 3 breakfast she doesn’t want
07.50am clean kitchen round 2 of breakfast
07.55am coffee whilst ironing clothes to wear, showering, convincing daughter number 3 she will have fun at school today
08.00am wake husband
08.05am request daughter number 2 take off eyeliner, lengthen shorts, hurry up, state i have no idea where her shoes are and yes she will do sport today
08.06am comb one million knots from daughter number 3’s hair
08.10am listen to daughter number 3 read or spell or count
08.11am wake son number 2
08.20am husband takes son number 2 to work, daughter number 2 to high school and daughter number 3 to primary school
08.21am facebook
08.29am coffee with nannie
08.35am clean kitchen round 3 of breakfast
08.40am hang out load 3 of washing, curse washing, demand children not wear any more damn clothes
08.45am sweep, tidy, make beds, tidy, put every ones crap back in their rooms, tidy, spray glen 20 and decide that is enough
09.00am husband returns, makes lattes, sip latte and savour the luxury of a coffee machine and a husband who makes lattes
09.05am edit
11.59am make nannie and husband lunch
12.20pm return phone-calls, make phone-calls, check and answer emails
01.50pm panic - one hour until children begin to return home
01.55pm coffee
01.56pm edit
02.55pm run out the door with deliveries, postage, banking to complete before school run
03.10pm pick up daughter number 3
03.20pm pick up daughter number 2
03.30pm groceries, butcher, liquor
03.50pm bring in 3 loads of washing, fold 3 loads of washing, curse children, chuck washing at them
04.10pm son number 3 arrives home from work
04.11pm make afternoon tea of betty crocker quality - or from a box with her name on it
04.15pm coffee or alcohol or alcohol in coffee
04.20pm play barbies, shops, families, hairdressers, fairies, art and bloody craft with daughter number 3
04.45pm convince or bribe daughter number 2 to finish game with daughter number 3
04.50pm husband leaves to pick up son number 2 from work and buy groceries, meat, alcohol i forgot
05.00pm son number 1 arrives home from work
05.10pm prepare dinner of nigella quality
05.25pm husband arrives home with son number 2 from work
05.30pm run bath for daughter number 3, wash hair, blow dry hair, plait hair
05.45pm smell daughter number 3’s hair and cuddle her
06.00pm alcohol
06.15pm set dinner table, serve dinner, applause
06.45pm watch daughter number 3’s after dinner performance, play, game, comedy skit, applause
06.59pm demand sons 1,2, and 3 have showers, daughter number 2 do homework
07.05pm clean up from dinner with nannie and husband and various disgruntled children
07.20pm marketing!
07.55pm sons number 1 and 3 go to bed, begin to convince daughter number 3 it is time for bed
08.15pm convince daughter number 3 it really is time for bed
08.18pm convince daughter number 3 she will have fun at school tomorrow
08.22pm cuddle daughter number 3 until she falls asleep, bless her
08.23pm rest my eyes, just for a moment
09.30pm wake up as husband sends daughter number 2, protesting loudly, to bed
09.31pm say goodnight to nannie
09.32pm facebook
09.40pm receive a mighty dose of second wind and return to marketing!
10.15pm icecream
10.30pm agree with husband all the worthy tv shows are on late
11.30pm tell son number 2 to turn off music, tv, laptop and go to sleep
11.35pm bed
11.40pm snore (apparently)
04.30am alarm

note to add: this ‘normal day’ running sheet does not include the play overs, the hair cuts, the doctor/dentist/chiro appointments, the client meetings, the weekday bookings, the networking lunches, the training seminars, the sporting commitments, the school discos, or the bazillion birthday parties young miss daisy loves to be invited to.

but i am still so thankful to this sweet, enthusiastic, clever, encouraging, handsome, dreamer of a man for the path he chose for us nearly 7 years ago.

because if i was not in love with this work every weekend

i would not be able to attend of any of these unforgettable moments during the year

or fill my heart with moments like these on our holidays

so if i am slightly slow in replying to your email or your voice mail until 20th january 2012 - please be understanding.

i have one more week - 7 days - to enjoy the sunrise and a coffee with my mum, to take daisy to build sandcastles at dusk, to ask the boys how their day really was, to have coffee, and iced coffee and milkshakes with the girls, to look for a blasted zumba class, and to laze on our deck, with angus and julia, while mike cooks dinner with a drink and a laugh and listen intently (or cringe) at his latest idea.

this is our holiday

{ever after} ~ craig and ainslie

pixel magix — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:34:55 +0000

gorgeous sweetheart couple craig and ainslie booked us a lifetime ago for their wedding at abbey beach resort, and since that day have seen us in action at various weddings they attended as guests.

pressure was on

the vivacious ainslie included 5 nieces and nephews in the bridal party and they all performed their duties with enthusiasm and lots and lots of giggles.

this was another scorcher of a day in busselton, so we retreated to the esplanade to shout a round of cold drinks while we photographed in the dark, historic corners of this old pub.

travelling back to abbey beach, i knew we must stop and place blue on blue with those unique and striking bridesmaids dresses.

this crowd, with more than a few travelling from narrogin, certainly know how to party

{ever after} ~ jeremy and lea-ellen

pixel magix — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:11:21 +0000

jeremy and lea-ellen travelled from lake grace to caves house in yallingup (an aboriginal word meaning ‘place of love’) to celebrate their wedding by the sacred quarry.

jeremy and lea-ellen enjoyed casual, refreshing post ceremony drinks on emily rose terrace - which was a perfect idea on such a hot day and perfect for greeting and chatting with their guests.

this laugh a minute bridal party - with one sweet, gorgeous flower girl - arrived at stunning abbey beach resort for the reception, joining a huge contingent of travellers from new zealand and the great southern.