Melbourne Wedding, Engagement, Newborn and Baby Photographer » newborn

NEWBORN JOY | CHLOE

Narrelle — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:44:19 +0000

Yesterday I had the joy of photographing sweet little Chloe, a seven week-old baby doll. At seven weeks of age Little Miss Chloe still weighs less than Alicia-Rae did when she was born. Before you go thinking Alicia-Rae came in to the world ready to contend the heavy-weight title for newborns, she was actually spot on ‘average’, at 7lb 5oz. Chloe was simply a beautiful little peanut, who was in a hurry to meet her mummy and daddy, weighing just over 4lb when she arrived. She’s doing so well now, even treating her mummy and daddy to 5 hour stretches of sleep overnight. They’ve gotta love that.

Chloe was fast asleep when she arrived, the hot weather here having a natural calming effect on her. But, like most babies her age, she was busy sorting out her sleeping routine and thought it would be more fun to be awake for the session. But that’s ok. I love capturing the wide-eyed innocence of newborns, the eyes that don’t quite focus and so appear to be looking at you both intently and softly at the same time. And I love the interaction between mummy and baby, and daddy as well if he’s keen to join in. I actually think I’m more in my element when baby chooses not to sleep, which is just as well given my run of late.

And yesterday I had the joy of seeing a beautiful baby doll who was adored beyond doubt by her parents. Their faces lit up with each movement, each smile. They doted. They coo-ed. They loved. I watched, and I smiled at the wonder of new life and how it touches those around it. I marvelled at these third-time parents and how it was just like the first time for them. The newness had in no way become old, and it was beautiful.

Thank you Lisa and Troy for the honour of photographing your precious little girl. It was a pure delight.

All this laying down and being adored is so tiring…

And I just adore this one, how Chloe’s face is tilted up searching for her mummy, making that sweet connection.

Narrelle x

TO MY FRIEND

Narrelle — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:59:27 +0000

To my dear friend Anna. It’s probably late at night as you’re reading this, just as it is as I type. Hopefully it’s quiet where you are, and you have a few brief moments to yourself. I know how rare those moments can be, and how needed.
I just had to tell you how beautiful your little girl is. Sincerely, honestly, incredibly beautiful. You’re a very lucky mama.
And I just have to say how lucky your little girl is to have such a sincere, honest, incredibly beautiful mama.
Two peas in a pod.
Love you.

Give your precious little princess a hug from me. And take one for yourself while you’re at it.

Nelly. xx

Me, and facelifts.

Narrelle — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:54:50 +0000

If I have one pet peeve, one that’s bound to push me to the limits faster than the rest of my pet peeves put together, it’s people telling me I look tired. I think it’s a given most days, with young children, that I’m going to look a little worn out around the edges. But if I’m that tired, physically, that it’s etched itself into the lines of my face for everyone to see, I’d be pretty sure that I’m already aware of the fact. I don’t need random strangers bringing it to my attention, as if I need to be made aware of just how little sleep I had the night before, or how cranky I’m feeling. And if, by chance, I’m not actually feeling tired the surest way to change that is tell me I look tired. It’s like letting the air out of a balloon – buoyant to flat in two sharp seconds. Pfffffftttttttttttt. Thud.

I confess that my attitude on any given day is ruled by whether I’m having a good hair day or a bad hair day. Or just how black the bags are under my eyes. If I feel good about how I look, then my day generally gets off to a good start. I’ve always stated that if I were to have one plastic surgery procedure done it would be an eye-lift, and whatever it does that smooths out the permanent pouches. If they were that bad. Which they’re not. Point is if they ever got that bad that looking at them every morning would cloud my mood then I would do something about it. I’m all for feeling good about myself.

That leads me to the real reason for this post. Well the other real reason, now that I have that confession off my chest. I’ve been organising a facelift, of sorts. Not for me, physically, but for my business. It’s a bit like my baggy eye phobia. I’ve been looking at my blogsite, and my logo, and marketing materials etc lately and they haven’t been exciting me. In a way they make me feel tired. Not because I am tired but because the image of how I think I should look and how I actually do look don’t quite match. Still with me? I feel fresh, and vibrant, and joyful, but then I look at myself (my ‘stuff’) and I don’t quite feel it. It affects my mood and how I run my business. So I’m doing something about it. I’m removing those bags, and getting myself a facelift.

I’m not quite ready to reveal myself just yet, there’s a couple of nips and tucks to be done. But not many. And I don’t even have any bruising. I’m tellin ya – I got myself a pretty good ‘surgeon’ and she’s done an awesome job! But one day soon you’ll pop around to see me and won’t quite recognise me. I’ll be the same, but different. Better. Fresher. And more like the real me. I can’t wait for you to see.

And whilst I didn’t take this photograph for this purpose, it speaks to me of where I’m currently at. Good times ahead.

Narrelle x

{ Melbourne Portrait Photographer }

Sneaky Peek | Baby Liam

Narrelle — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:34:37 +0000

He made me work nice and hard this one. I personally think he knows a good thing when he’s got it, and was enjoying all the extra cuddles. I can hardly blame him for protesting every time we tried to put him down and sneak the nice, warm blankie off him. I’d have been the same. But what’s great about these bubs that don’t do quite what we expect them to is they keep me on my toes. And I get to capture them as they are, which I just love – it really is at the heart of my photography. As much as I love the posed, sleepy, deep breath *sigh* inducing photographs of newborns, and as much as I will aim to capture some of these each session, it just doesn’t always work. Baby rules the roost as far as these sessions go, and I simply follow their lead. Happily.

What I love about this session was the connection between little Liam and his mummy and daddy. I adored watching him search them out, and engage with them. I love how laid back they all were, and how comfortable and natural they were as a new family of four. And I felt grateful to be able to record a brief moment in their lives, as they were. As I look through the images from the day I know that’s what they reflect. And that makes me happy.

Thank you so much, Natasha and Andrew for having me over. It really was a pleasure to spend time with you all – you have a beautiful family. And you would seriously have to be amongst the most relaxed and calm people I know (which comes in handy when I get thrown out by roadworks on the way and end up running half an hour late…. please tell me you weren’t stressing in secret… ) Here’s a few of my favourites so far. I just love the first shot – I wish I had one like this with my own children.

And don’t you just love these little feet. I just wanna munch on them!

I hope he slept well after I left, guys. It would be pretty typical.

Narrelle. x
{ Newborn Photography Melbourne }

.New Life.

Narrelle — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:11:29 +0000

What better way to bring in a new season by capturing the beauty of a new life. A tiny, sweet, precious, kissable new creation.
Annabel’s mum booked me for her newborn session back at the end of June. It’s great to work with someone so organised, but it meant I had to wait 2 whole months to meet their beautiful little daughter. I guess they’d been waiting a lot longer than me though.

It was an absolute pleasure to capture Annabel in the first week of her life. As both mum and dad commented, and I’ve seen countless times, it’s incredible how much they change even in that short space of time. I love walking away from photographing a newborn knowing that I have captured a stage in their life, a brief moment of time, that is far too fleeting. Those few hours, though, have been stopped still, to pause and relect on. To wonder apon. To marvel at. For all time. How incredible is that. It fills me up with such joy, surrounded by warm and fuzzy butterflies.

Admittedly I was a bit fearful at the start of the session that we weren’t going to get the shots we were after. Miss Annabel had decided that the strange lady in her home was much more interesting than sleep. She kept us on tippy toes for a good long while before she figured I wasn’t that exciting after all, and drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep. She was as good as gold, both awake and asleep, and we managed some beautiful images of her after all. So many actually that I had trouble sorting through them and decided which few to share here for mum and dad. I’ve narrowed them down to these for now – can’t wait to hear what you think of them Emma and Stuart. She really is beautiful. Truly. You’re very blessed.

Narrelle x

{ Melbourne Newborn Photographer }

McHappiness

Narrelle — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:09:37 +0000

Happiness is…. why a Happy Meal, of course.
I have to admit – McDonalds is BRILLIANT at marketing. All of you out there with kids older than mine are nodding your heads and wondering why it took me so long to figure this out. Alicia-Rae, who is not yet two, only has to catch a glimpse of those golden coloured arches and she’s yelling at the top of her beautiful lungs, “Donnells!!!”. And Jaedon’s the same, within the first nano-second of their television advertisements. It’s little wonder us parents don’t stand a chance.
My parents had it MUCH easier. I grew up in Tasmania and, I kid you not, we didn’t have a McDonalds in our city until I was 19. Seriously!. So, yes, you all have permission to let the Tasmania jokes roll now and, for once, I’ll let you get away with it (I’ll probably even join in). I’m not sure I even set foot in one of their buildings up to that point either. This was before the days of budget airlines, when Ansett was still TAA (gasp – am I that old), and a trip across the Tasman via air or sea would set us back a small fortune. So we certainly didn’t frequent the ‘mainland’ just to get our hands on a Big Mac.
I was a bit of a laughing stock sharing this example with friends last night, but it made me wonder what our kids will think when one day they realise their mummy is older than McDonalds. That she was here before the internet, before cable TV, wii, digital cameras, central locking, cordless or mobile phones, CDs and DVDs and automobiles. Ok, I’m kidding about the last one but, seriously, how old am I going to feel when an angelic little voice says to me, “mummy, back in the olden days, you know… before i-pods were invented…”. Maybe it’s nature’s way of exacting revenge. I know for certain my mum will smile when she reads this. I’m sure I made her feel as if she was there when they built the pyramids, on more than one occasion.
It’s scary how much the world has changed in the last 10 – 15 years. And do these things really make us happier (I vote yes to the internet). And I guess I vote yes to McDonalds. Not because of their Double Quarter Pounders with Cheese, or their Caramel Sundaes, or even their Hot Apple Pies. But because they make my kids happy. At the end of a day, filled with all the fun things they can list, a trip to McDonalds just tops it all off. And it makes me feel like the bestest, most fun mum in the whole wide world. Even if it only lasts until the last of the fries is polished off.

{ Children’s Photographer Melbourne }

Macro Monday

Narrelle — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:10:12 +0000

A new post, two days in a row. Woohoo for me!

I’m still having fun with my macro lens – my other babies (the glass ones, that is) are probably feeling a bit neglected. But what can I say? Not that they’d understand anyway….
So, I’ll just get on with sharing some of the results shall I …

Happy Monday all. x

Creatures of Habit

Narrelle — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:52:13 +0000

It’s probably our fault, but perhaps it’s just a part of their personalities. Well, Jaedon’s at least. He THRIVES on routine. But, as I said, we could be the cause of that.
As a baby, as little as 3 days old, we had him on a routine. He slept at certain times, had appointed slots in his schedule for feeding. The only thing he didn’t do to plan was poop. That was free for all. But it worked great, for all of us. Alicia-Rae fell into almost exactly the same routine, by herself. We didn’t have to enforce anything on her. And both of them were sleeping through the night by 8 weeks of age. I’m not preaching routine here, by the way, just using it to get to the end of my story.
Now we have at least one very particular child on our hands. Especially when it comes to bed-time. Everything has to be done to routine. His pyjamas go on. The trains are tidied up, and Sodor Island packed away for the night. The alpahabet song is played on his toy piano (which is placed in it’s exact positioning on top of his box of trains). The shadows of Jaedon and daddy, dancing on the loungeroom wall, are said goodnight to. Teeth are brushed. Stories are read. Drinks are had. Prayers are said. Kisses are shared. And it’s the same thing. Every night. But we love it, and are very grateful for it. As soon as the pyjamas are out, he knows where things are headed. He might not like it, but the pull of routine is too much for him. Hence we rarely have trouble getting him, or his sister, to bed. At 7:30pm.
It’s my favourite time of the day. Not (just) because they’re going to bed, but because I love watching them and their quirky little ways, knowing what comes next. It makes me feel all bubbly inside with happiness. And the joy of being a mother. And I do need that sometimes.
Last night I finally got around to capturing their rendition of the Alphabet Song on the piano (with a bit of help from daddy). I’ve watched it a dozen times already and it still makes me smile. So I thought I’d share it here. If it brings a smile to a single face, or reminds just one woman why it’s great to be a mum, I’ll be happy.
*And just as a side-note… Jaedon definately gets his singing ability from me.

Have a great weekend all.
Narrelle x

{ Children’s Photographer, Melbourne }

Never wOrk with children Or animals…

Narrelle — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:51:04 +0000

…well, that’s what they say. But I have to disagree.
Obviously I work with children a lot, and occasionally animals get thrown into the mix as well. And I enjoy every minute of it. I think it’s great when pets are incorporated into a session. Often cats and, more commonly, dogs are the first ‘child’ in a family. It’s nature’s way of preparing us for something that, let’s face it, we can never actually be prepared for. So they’re often an integral part of the family and, rightfully so, deserve their place on the wall alongside their Mum and Dad, and their brothers and sisters.
I recently did a session where their two dogs were as much a part of it as the rest of the family. The great thing about dogs is they can’t say ‘cheese’. Only thing is they won’t do much else on command either. But these two were perfectly well behaved. Though I’m not sure they’d say I was their favourite photographer if you pressed them. I did get a growl or two. But I think there may have been some smiles in there somewhere as well.
And this session has actually turned out to be one of my favourites. There are lots of little ‘moments’ in there that I absolutely adore. And I believe this is what my style is all about. For me it’s all about capturing those points in time that will matter 10, 20, 30 years down the track.
So I begged mum and dad for permission to share their gallery on here (actually, I just had to ask nicely – they were very happy to share), and I’ve compiled it into a little slideshow for you all. If you have a few spare minutes to watch, simply press the play button below.

I really enjoyed putting this together. And I’ve sat and watched it over and over. In fact, I love them so much I’m thinking of putting one together for each of my clients from now on so they can send the link to all their friends and family, or embed it on facebook if that’s their fancy. What a great way to share the love.

Narrelle x
{ Baby Photography Melbourne }

I’m twittering!

Narrelle — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:42:37 +0000

Yep. I’ve decided to see what all the fuss is about. I mean, how else do I keep up with how Jon is feeling after breaking up with Jen.

I’m not the most technolically gifted, so I haven’t yet figured out how to integrate it into my blog in a cool, attention grabbing kind of way that makes you look at it and think, ‘Wow – that looks fab!” so for the time being my updates are at the top of the page, in the welcome section.

Go ahead. Follow me. You know you want to.

And just because I can’t post without adding a photo or two, and this will show you just how much I need to add pictures, here are the couple of self-portraits from my 52 Pieces of Me challenge that I’m doing this year, that I’ve missed adding along the way. You’ll also see one of them as my new provile pic.

Week 10

Week 11

I promise you – I don’t have a love for taking my own photograph. I actually hate seeing my face plastered on the screen here. Or anywhere for that matter. But it’s been good for me. It’s teaching me a lot about being comfortable in my own skin, which I’ve never been great at. So if you notice that I haven’t posted any for a few weeks, give me a nudge. It’s probably just me feeling too silly and embarrased to post them, which is what I’m trying to overcome. And if you have any ideas for a portrait or two, feel free to let me know. I need all the encouragement I can get to keep going.