A little girls courage inspires us all!

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I recently had the pleasure of meeting Jessie through the Maple Leaf Mission who was born with BPES (Blepharophimosis syndrome or BPES-Blepharophimosis Ptosis Epicanthus Inversus). Jessie has endured several surgeries now to try and correct this and is such a brave girl considering all she has had to endure. She was quite shy when I first met her but really put herself into the photo shoot which was fun. It was great to see a little of her mighty personality peek out.

Blepharophimosis is a condition where the patient has bilateral ptosis with reduced lid size, vertically and horizontally. The nasal bridge is flat and there is hypoplastic orbital rim. Both the vertical and horizontal palpebral fissures (eyelid opening) are shortened.

Jessies Mum and Dad and big brother were present for the shoot too (Machaela, Kenny, & Jordan) and they were such a nice family I have to say. Jessie is very lucky to have them.

Kenny, Machaela, Jessie, and Jordan

Building self esteem with photos

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It seems like an absurd thing for people with low self esteem to think a photo can help build esteem. Especially when you take into account that perceived physical flaws seem to always jump off the photo at you. Hey I have been there myself and sometimes looking at a photo of yourself can be traumatic unless you are a super model. But of course even super models look at pictures of themselves and all they see is their flaws. It’s human nature.

But one of the things I have experienced with green screen portraits and kids in particular that these kind of photos really help them see themselves differently. I have seen kids of all ages see one of our green screen creations and absolutely burst with excitement. Here is a photo where they not only look good but they look they way they wished they did in their minds, imagination or play time. Continue reading →

Couple celebrate 86 year Wedding Aniversary

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In the day where marriages seem to last only a short period and over 50% of all marriages end in divorce it is heartening to hear of a couple that has made it a staggering 86 years as man and wife.

A couple who married in India in 1925 could be the United Kingdom’s longest married couple after celebrating their 86th anniversary.

The BBC reported Karam Chand, who was born in 1905 in northern India, and Kartari, who was born in the same area in 1912, married at a young age. Continue reading →

Ballarat Baby & Child Expo has a Green Screen day!

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What a great day Ellen, Yvonne, and myself had bringing the fun of green screen photography to the Expo. Thanks so much to all those parents who stopped and had a chat and better still entrusted their precious children to the care of our camera.

Using chroma key to take photos is loads of fun and you can create Hollywood type masterpieces in the process. Look out for our page on children’s parties coming soon!

Couples spending more on weddings despite GFC!

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Despite a shaky global economy and local retailers hurting from a drop in consumer spending, the average Australian couple splurged an average of $36,200 on their wedding day in 2011. This number is up 6.5 per cent from the previous year.

The $36,200 figure comes from an IBIS report into Australia’s wedding industry, and included all associated costs from ring design, wedding dresses, photography, flowers, car rental, ceremony and reception.

The report signifies just how much importance Australians place on weddings. That same amount of money could alternatively be used to purchase two first class, round-the-world tickets stopping in four continents. It could also be put towards a sizeable deposit on a first house or to fully purchase a new family car. A new Holden Commodore, for example, can be purchased for around $36,000. (More From Yahoo!7 Finance: Australia’s Hottest Suburbs Under 500k)

Weddings are currently a $4.3 billion industry in Australia, employing over 54,000 people in 10,400 businesses. However, according to IBISWorld, the wedding industry is shrinking as “indicated by a number of factors including declining industry value added, a drop in the number of operators, the falling number of marriages per capita and a contraction in the average spend on weddings.”

Ten ways to keep the costs of your wedding down

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Cutting costs does not always mean that you need to cut out the beautiful things you want for your wedding. Cost cutting is all about making smarter choices and knowing the tricks of the trade! Here is a list of simple ways you can cut thousands of dollars from your budget!

1. Keep The Numbers Down: The best way to cut costs is to keep your guest numbers low. Avoid inviting people you hardly know and don’t feel obligated to put “and guest” on the invitation. This is your wedding day and it should be filled with people you love not your Uncle Joe’s new girlfriend who would rather be out with her friends. The cost of each guest is not just a meal it is also alcohol, bomboniere, centrepieces etc. Keeping the numbers down and not inviting people just because you feel obligated can mean the difference between an Off The Rack budget dress and the couture gown of your dreams or more money for your honeymoon! Continue reading →