ARTIST. BUSINESS WOMAN. MUMMA
By the look of the photos on the banner above - I wear a lot of black. It's true. I do.
I am regularly asked how long I have been a photographer. The short answer is: I always have been.
As a very young child, I would trawl through the photo cupboard in the lounge room of our family home and would regularly take a photo album to bed in lieu of a bedtime storybook. I wished for my very own camera for so long, and at age 7, Santa delivered. My parents unwittingly invested so much of their hard earned into the development of my career through the regular developing of 24 exposure film. I am ever grateful that they never stifled my creativity and passion. (or if they did, I conveniently blocked it out) My Mum has boxes full of some of my first family sessions, which featured my toys, and once I got a hang of the self-timer, I usually jumped into frame as well. Then in 1988, my "newborn photography career" kicked off with the birth of my baby brother. Though, it’s evident from the photos – I wanted a sister.
I photographed my first wedding at age 17. Ben (a guy that I worked with) and his stunning Swedish bride, Jessika, (both of whom were well over 6ft, and I am barely 5ft.) They hadn’t booked a photographer, so, confident, teenage Josie threw her hand up for the task. In hindsight, my bold offer makes my palms sweat a little, as it’s a fair responsibility to document someone’s wedding day. However, the reality is that there are 2 arenas that I have always been reasonably self-assured when it comes to. They are people & photography. Ben & Jess were over the moon with their photos. I will never forget the buzz that I felt sprinting from the print shop, back to the office with the printed photos to show Ben. My first client delivery. I was hooked.
I am very passionate about photography. Photos actually. I am passionate about photos. I love taking them. I love having them. I love documenting life through imagery. I love that my images tell a story. I love that the story carries different meaning from one viewer to the next. I love zoning out and capturing beauty in the world at my feet, in particular unexpected beauty. I love how in tune I am with light in any given environment. I love how observant I am of colours and how they create a much larger picture.
What I love most of all, is capturing interaction between people. Unspoken communication, that could never be voiced in words, and can only be told with pictures. Creating works of art, that tell a story of connection between loved ones. The energy that I draw from creating, whilst fulfilling, often leaves me feeling tingly and unable to sleep, which bodes well for a self-employed commercial photographer, as there are plenty of late nights editing and processing.
Additionally, I am a mum to three incredible humans.
One of whom looks almost identical to the little me, of many years ago. She is fearless, self sufficient, flamboyant and emphatic.
One has a razor-sharp sense of humour and is almost always inappropriate, yet he is completely altruistic and compassionate. He's reached the age where I am no longer Mummy, Mumma, or even Mum. I'm "Bro"
One is a born leader. She is immeasurably intelligent, high achieving, responsible and reverent. Also - as above, refers to her mother as "Bro".
They make me strive for the most remarkable things in life. I want my children to be as proud of their mum, as I am of them and their achievements.
I also quite enjoy (though I am not all that good at it) throwing a bit of weight around at Crossfit. Several years back now, I gave it a crack to boost my fitness in preparation for an obstacle race that I had my eye on. Nowdays, Crossfit, coupled with obstacle/adventure racing are well and truly in my blood. I schedule my life, 12 months in advance around a racing calendar and adventures. Haha.
Anyway, that’s a tiny slice of me. I welcome a chat and love a good laugh. Drop me a line. Tell me what you are passionate about. Happy to put our heads together and chat about ideas in order to create beautiful images of you and the people that are important to you.