Port Elliot Mini Sessions

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Wow!

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What an amazing response we have had for our latest Mini Sessions – It is a delight to meet new families, especially those who have been waiting patiently for these Mini Sessions for many months now, to see those who have travelled hours just to be at the session, and to meet our newest families on the Fleurieu!

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We have had many requests for Mini Sessions in specific areas of Adelaide and South Australia.  If you would like to suggest a location for future Mini Sessions drop us an email at info@headinthecloudsphotography.com.au – we LOVE to hear your ideas!

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Thank you to all who were involved in Sunday’s Mini Sessions at Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliott.  And a very special Thank You for trusting us about the weather.  It was magnificent!  We could not have asked for a better day and it was a fun adventure shooting at a new (and absolutely beautiful) location.

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Here is what you have been waiting for…. your First Glimpse at your images…..

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Mini Sessions are the perfect way to capture your family portraits without the commitment of a full session.  They are an excellent way to keep your portraits updated yearly to capture all of those moments and quirks about your children – memories that fade so quickly.  Why not keep them forever?

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xx Kate & Merryn

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‘ Every day..

I think of you.

And I’ve got a million

smiles to prove it.’

- Marin McKay

I speak of my love for my grandparents often as well as their love for eachother.  I posted about them on their 60th Wedding Anniversary here. And at a very sad time here.  From these two posts I received so many messages, comments, emails and phonecalls from people all around the world sending their love, compassion & prayers to my beautiful Grandnan and Grandpop.  I had not anticipated this at all and I am so grateful for all of your lovely messages, I am sure they contributed to the peace she felt in her last moments.

Gently and peacefully last Wednesday morning Grandnan passed away.  Her Dementia was so severe that she could no longer eat or drink and her body was shutting down. We were told on Tuesday that it was likely to be soon but she fought all day Tuesday and all through the night.  I have no doubt that she waited until Grandpop was able to return to her side before she took her last breath.  I was fortunate enough to have been by her side, along with my Mum and Grandpop.  While I have always been afraid of death, I felt nothing but the pureness of love as she left us.  Grandpop held her hand while Mum rubbed her back and whispered to her ‘It’s okay, you can go to sleep, it’s okay’.  It was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced.  I am so privileged to have been present for this moment and I truly believe that she knew we were there with her.

Yesterday we celebrated Grandnan’s life at a very special funeral service.  We were expecting family and maybe another 10 people to be there and were honoured and humbled that people from all parts of Grandnan’s life just kept arriving, one after another until we were jam packed full of people. I know that Grandnan would have been so grateful.

My Mum and Uncle Alan shared memories of Grandnan’s life and I read a few words on behalf of all her Grandchildren. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do and I cried the whole way through.  Right when I thought I couldn’t do it, I could hear mum Mum whispering to me ‘take a deep breath’ and then my brother appeared by my side.  I would not have had it any other way.

“Grandnan was a light who touched us all.

She showed us how to be strong while still being gentle and loving.

She taught us that everybody deserves happiness, no matter what their circumstances.

She told us never to go to bed on an argument.

And the most wonderful thing she gave us was the opportunity to witness what 62 years of marriage looked like and the beautiful family that grew from that marriage.

We will always be grateful for the day Grandnan rattled her St Johns Ambulance collection tin in the street right under Grandpop’s nose.  For it is this day that their journey began and the reason that we live the lives we now do with the beautiful family we are so lucky to share it with.

Thank you Grandnan.  We will always remember you.”

I consider myself to be so so lucky to have a family who give so much love and this was very evident yesterday.  You can just feel the buzz in the room when we are all together.  Here are a few memories of my Grandnan:  this is at her surpise birthday party, with my cousin and I (Im on the right) helping her blow out the candles….

and holding my baby Charlee when he was less than 12 hours old, this photo will be special to me forever.  Grandnan was always happy with a baby in her arms. So happy and so proud.

Grandnan and Grandpop doing what they loved – dancing together at my wedding in 2005.  Even in her very last weeks, when nobody else could even get her out of bed, Grandpop would take her favourite music to the nursing home and have her dance around the hallways. He has a beautiful heart. This photo is how I will always remember them together.

The last photos I took of Grandnan were a few weeks ago.  Even though she could not even get out of bed, you can clearly see the love between my Mum, Grandnan and Grandpop. It shines like a light bursting from their hearts and reaching for eachother.

In the moment that Grandnan passed on, one thing shone through to me so clearly.  It really does not matter where we go in life. What matters is who we go there with. Because in the very end, all there is is pure, genuine love.

RIP beautiful lady.

xx Merryn

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‘You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.’

- Eleanor Roosevelt

When I arrived home at 11pm Sunday night after two big days of photographing two of the most amazing weddings we have ever seen I flopped down on the couch, muscles aching, overtired and whispered to my husband ‘I LOVE my job!’

Kate and I say this all the time. We are so blessed and so grateful that we get to share all of those special moments in peoples lives – the one’s they want to remember forever. And with our passion, with our photos, we are able to help them do just that.

Sunday’s Wedding at Longview Winery in Macclesfield was just magnificient.  I first met Skye and Dave over a year ago and instantly I knew there was something different about these two.  I still can not pin point what it is exactly.   I’m not sure if it is the way they are so clearly and so passionately in awe of one another.  I’m not sure if it’s the way that Skye does a shy little giggle when Dave looks in her eyes, even after so long.  Or if its the way that their wedding was so personal and reflective of their love, the way that every time they locked eyes during the ceremony they had to look away so they could *just breathe*.  Or the way they both made absolutely beautiful speeches at the reception and they made the speeches to eachother, looking deep into the others heart as they spoke.  It is all of these things. They asked me on the day whether I became ‘de-sensitised’ after seeing so many weddings’ and I had to tell them that it is the complete opposite! That by the time Sunday came around, I felt like they were mine, like they were my friends, my family and like I was there celebrating with them and yes, shedding a tear or two during their ceremony.

Sunday certainly was a very special day.

We began by meeting Skye at the Homestead at Longview Winery where we photographed her preparing for the day….

The image below on the left is a very special one. Sadly, both of Skye’s parents are no longer with us.  Skye put her Mum’s wedding dress on for a few photos (and then changed back into it later for a another special moment for her family).  She looks like an angel.

Then a short walk and a decision to test the Adelaide Hills weather and keep the ceremony OUTSIDE!  (Go KATE!!) …. we arrive at the ceremony….. could they be any more in love?!

After the ceremony A big bus arrived – the bus that Skye was working on the very first time Skye and Dave met……

We then headed off to Strathalbyn Railway Station – one of my favourite locations to shoot at!

We then piled into our little car – Videographer, Kate, myself, Skye and Dave and went to our favourite Cafe – Appleseed Cafe – who kindly stayed open especially for us and treated the bride and groom to a muffin topped with chololate love! (I think Dave liked it!)

We had such a wonderful afternoon. SO much fun. Back at Longview Winery we drove around the vines as the sun went down and captured even more of the love between these two lovely souls….

And I think these last images of the night really sum up Skye and Dave and their love for eachother.  A love which Kate and I were so privileged to photograph….

I would like to leave you with this last image which was my favourite little touch to the whole day – and just seemed to wrap up Skye in one small act – making that extra effort to make sure Dave knows how much he is loved.  I just adore this so so much.

Thank you so much Skye and Dave for choosing us to share your day. It was extraordinary.

xx Merryn

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“One should believe in marriage as in the immortality of the soul.”

- Honore de Balzac

There are a few professional bodies who support the photographic industry. The Australian Institute of Professional Photography is one of the best known associations. The AIPP supports members in achieving excellence and promotes the profession of photography. So, in essence, you can be sure that a photographer who is a member of the AIPP upholds strong ethics, professionalism and provides superior quality work. And I’m sure that anyone who has seen Merryn’s work would say she certainly encompasses these traits.

It’s not the kind of group you just pay your money and suddenly you’re a member. There is a full portfolio assessment which, in Merryn’s case, was assessed by Masters of Photography and critiqued. It is quite  a process, but I am super, super proud to announce that Merryn is now a fully accredited member of the AIPP! Congratulations darl! ….

It also gives Merryn the right to use their logo, so here goes!

Merryn Gomez – Accredited Member of the AIPP

Kate x

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“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place … I’ve found it has little to do with things you see and everything to do with the way you see them. ”

Elliott Erwitt

You may recognise Little Miss J and Baby R from their session a few weeks ago…. I was lucky enough to be asked back to meet the rest of the family and had a ball photographing these lovely children (and pretty cool parents too)…  after umming and ahhing over where we could go that was close by to get an outdoors location I discovered their own private trail leading down a hill to a tiny little clearing with a creek running through it topped off with a rustic timber bridge…. heaven!

This family are just gorgeous, I feel like I know them from somewhere… they made me feel so welcome, like an old family friend there to catch up. And these kids were amazing – ‘K’ was just as excited about the gorgeous photo locations around their property as I was…. I have a feeling we may have a budding photographer here….

The whole family shots were fun, I must have looked so silly trying to get Miss J and Baby R to look at  the camera at one point I was laughing so much at myself I couldnt hold the camera still =)

and finaly….

Hope you enjoyed the rest of your day, and also hope it didn’t hurt too much Little K – Im sure the lollipop helped!

Thank you for inviting me into your home again.

Mxx

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“Families are the compass that guide us.

They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”

- Brad Henry

Our feet are sore but we are so excited to be a part of such a fabulous event for Adelaide couples. Absolutely packed full of priceless information for those planning their wedding…. Cakes, venues, celebrants, live music, flowers, jewellery, fashion parade and the grand special guest, a diamond valued at $1,300,000!  (Jonathon, that would be a lovely anniversary present!)

We met some really lovely people, booked some amazing weddings and are looking forward to getting to know all of our Winter Wedding Expo couples a lot better!

Will post some more about this experience and the people we have met including lots of ideas for your wedding when we get home!

Thank You Adelaide for such a great response and for all your warm and fuzzies. We really really love our job.

xx M & K

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‘They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel’

- anonymous

What a day I had! First up meeting the lovely Kate and her two smallest children, Miss J and 8 week old Master C. Once I negotiated the driveway, a hidden world opened up in front of me – a beautiful home nesteld in the tree tops of the Adelaide Hills was their own little hideaway. It was just gorgeous!  Master C was not very fond of me and did not want to be left without his mums comforting arms around him so we worked with him and captured some tender moments between Mum and Master C. 

….and the divine Miss J who was such a character! Besotted by her little brother but no idea of the force behind a toddler! She just wanted to smother him in kisses but the poor little guy just didn’t appreciate it like we did!!

Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous girl. Beautiful whispy hair. Inquisitive eyes. She wanted a part of everything! I think I need to hire her as my assistant!

Thanks for a great morning! I will be in touch with your gallery very soon. I hope you had a more relaxing afternoon! (More relaxing than me at all the toy sales….. crazy!)

xxM

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‘The bonds that keep family close are the same no matter where they are.’

- anonymous

Today our little girl turned 2. 

I know I’m biased, but I think she is totally gorgeous. We’ll be doing her ‘two year old shoot’ this coming week, so I’ll show you just how gorgeous then … 

We had a little celebration at home on a very wintery and wet day … but it was warm and toasty inside, and she had a ball … 

For those who know Iliana, will know her obsession with food. It is total and unyielding. Show her food, and it will be gone in a flash. She’s a 4 weetbix in the morning kind of girl. The only time she really fights is if one of her older siblings has either taken her food, or is eating something that she wants. So needless to say, she LOVED her party food …. and the chocolate eggs and marshmallows from Great-Grandpop! …

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A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it.
Jerry Seinfeld

Last weekend Merryn and I had such an awesome time shooting 16 families over 5 hours for our ACOCP fundraising session … 

A huge thank you to all those who donated to the ACOCP … you galleries will be available very shortly  … 

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You don’t choose your family.  They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.  ~Desmond Tutu

I spent the better part of today with this family. They are gorgeous in every single way (and make a mean hot chocolate). After Master ‘C’s early surprise arrival and missing out on their maternity session then waiting (and waiting) to be able to take their amazing little man home, I finally got to cuddle him today, lots and lots of cuddles. Enjoy your sneak peek. I will be in touch very soon.

We have had a fabulous response to our Autumn Mini Sessions so far – over half full already.  Thank you to everybody who is supporting us to support the ACOCP. If you are interested in a Mini Session and haven’t booked yet, please email us with your preferred time.

xxM

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“Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children,

and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love.

Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children.” 

- Rosaleen Dickson