It's Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas to you all - may you have a wonderful day and may the blessings of God be with you throughout the coming year.

Guess Who's Coming to Town?!

Not long ago I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing someone we all know well.  He has different names depending on where you live in the world:  Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas or Papa Noel, to give but a few - yes, it's the twinkly-eyed man himself - Santa Claus!

I met with Santa and Mrs. Claus while they were getting ready for the big event and was able to photograph him while doing the laundry, darning his loooong red socks and sitting down to have a nice cup of hot cocoa.

It was so much fun chatting with them and getting to know them!  Santa's a great guy (as we already knew!) and he's also graciously allowed me to share some photos with you.

So coming in December, I'll be posting a photograph of Santa every day (except for Sundays!) on my Facebook page.  Come and join us for the fun!

Order Your 2014 Dog Calendar Here!

Atlanta's temperatures are surprisingly cool for this time of year, but here on my blog the CAREing Paws Fundraiser Thermometer is heating up!

Our goal is to raise $2500 for Georgia animal therapy group CAREing Paws and we're using the 2014 Dog Calendar to do it!  Each calendar sold earns $5 for CAREing Paws - keep track of our progress on the thermometer at the top right of this blog.  Come on folks - help us help this group of wonderful people serve those in need in our community!

Here's how you can do it:  click on the link below to order your calendar.  At the end of each month I'll place a bulk order for all the calendars ordered in that month and ship yours to you the following month.

Calendars make great gifts and yes, it's coming up on that time of year - it'll be here before you know it!

SORRY, THE 2014 DOG CALENDAR IS NO LONGER FOR SALE.

The calendar costs $19.95 + Tax (GA State: 7%), Shipping & Handling.  Thanks for your help in supporting these 'Four-Footers'.

   

A Passion for Learning

Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Chicago IL USA

This week I was in Chicago for Skip Cohen University's Summer School, an annual photography conference that gathers many of the great photographers of our day into one place, to teach others in the field.

Industry icons such as Joe McNally, Clay Blackmore, Roberto Valenzuela and Ryan Schembri joined many other well-known photographers in heading up the list of instructors for SCU 2013.  We studied topics such as lighting, posing and fashion, for family, child and wedding portraiture, as well as fine art, marketing and the business of photography.

All this so that we can get better at doing what we do, for you our clients.

So what do a bunch of photographers do at night after class?  We hit the town - with our cameras.  We learn from and teach each other; because we love what we do and get a kick out of helping others improve their skill.

It's all about learning, progressing and improving the photography industry as a whole.  As Anthony J. D'Angelo said: "Develop a passion for learning.  If you do, you will never cease to grow."

Spirit of Happiness - A Love Story

Just recently I was honoured by the opportunity to photograph a friend's wedding.  This sweet couple were full of smiles radiant enough to outshine even the brilliance of the sunny June day.  Their joy was infectious and all who were gathered to witness this special event were caught up in the spirit of happiness that enveloped the bride and groom.


Here are a few of the photos from their day.

Mutts & More Festival ~ Cumming GA Pet Photographer

Dog lovers!

This coming Saturday, 16 June 2012 is YOUR day!  

Or rather, it's your dog's day.  

The Humane Society of Forsyth County 

(which, by the way, is a No-Kill Shelter) 

is holding its 

2nd Annual

and us lot at

Southern Kiwi Photography

are teaming up with them.

Come on down, bring your pooch and visit us at our photo booth for a photo of you and your pet!

Now, you know that pretty much nothing in life is free...  but we're not asking much.  Bring a can of pet food or something from the HSFC Wish List

and we'll give you a 4x6 print of you and your pup.

If you arrive empty handed, no worries - just $5 will do.

All proceeds, whether goods or monetary, will be donated to the Humane Society of Forsyth County.

Help us help our furry friends!

Where:  Fowler Park, 4110 Carolene Way, Cumming

When:  Saturday, 16 June 2012

Time:  10am - 4pm

Admission to the Festival is FREE!

For more information visit the HSFC Website

Photo Shoot - Santa!

The photo shoot with Santa at Elf Central (click HERE) was a whole load of fun.  Here are some of the kiddies that came in to meet the whiskery guy and let him know what they'd like him to bring this year.

Photos with Santa!

Remember the Family Fun Fall Festival $5 photo booth?  We're doing it again with another special photo shoot - this time with Santa! Yes, that's right:

$5 Photos with Santa!!!

Join us at Elf Central, 

Saturday 10 Dec 2011

10:00am - 4:00pm

You want some uninterrupted time for Christmas shopping without kiddies underfoot running rampant in the toy store, begging please please PLEASE can I have that toy???!!!!  Am I right?  We have the solution to your problem.  

Drop your littlies off at Elf Central where they can make crafts, have lunch and a whole load of fun with their fellow elves, as well as having their photo taken with Santa.  We'll print a photo for you right then and there, for only $5 - and if you want another one, we'll give it to you for $7.50 for the two photos!

Register with Elf Central to reserve a spot for your children for the activities and daycare.  Please note that you do not need to leave your children at Elf Central to have their photos taken with Santa.

Elf Central

(The Learning Centre)

450 Brannon Rd, Cumming GA 30041

Ph: 678.455.8614

Email: elephantdirector@hotmail.com

Website: http://cumming.tlechildcare.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElfCentral 

Holiday Photos

Yup, it's coming up on that time of year again - already!  And for your Christmas or holiday season photos we now have greeting cards available.

Book your individual or family photo session now to make sure you get your greeting cards on time!  And watch this space for more information on our $5 Santa Event in December.

Fall Festival Photos

Saturday's Family Fun Fall Festival was a load of fun! The day dawned overcast and cool, which was great for those of us setting up booths. The sun made an appearance around noon and heated things up nicely. Unfortunately I didn't get to see many of the other booths, but I heard a lot of good comments about the festival from folks coming through our booth.

Most of the vendors are set up and the first fun seekers start coming in, drawn by a friendly purple elephant and the smell of hamburgers.

This young man came in for a photo with his sister and cousin, to give as a gift to his dad.  Such a nice kid; he showed a generosity and maturity I'll never forget.

 

 This little guy is the teeniest goat I've ever seen.  He's not fully grown but the folks at the petting zoo told me he won't get much bigger.  He has the cutest little bleat to go along with his mini size.

The lone calf steadfastly ignored anyone and anything, including a camera lens poked down over the fence at him.

Fall Festival

It's almost here!  The Family Fun Fall Festival is this Saturday, 17 Sept, from 1-4pm.  Food prizes, a bouncy house for the kids, crafts - there are over 40 vendors!  (Click HERE for their Facebook page)

But wait, there's more!!!  Southern Kiwi Photography will be at the Festival and we're doing  

$5 photos!  

That's right - visit our studio booth at the Festival and we'll take your photo and print it right there for only $5.  We'll be right next to the petting zoo so we can also capture a photo of you or your child with the animals.

PLUS - if you reserve a future sitting while at our booth, we'll give you a credit for the cost of the Session Fee toward your prints.  That's a $65 value!

See you at the Fall Festival this Saturday!

Saturday 17 Sept, 1pm-4pm
450 Brannon Road, Cumming, GA 30041   MAP
(Just around the corner from The Avenue Forsyth)

The Taming of the Shrew

If you think Shakespeare is something best left gathering dust in the bookshelf, you're missing out on a treat.  The Shakespeare Studio breathes life into the plays and in my mind, this is more along the lines of how Shakespeare himself would want his plays presented.  The TSS cast and crew put a lot of energy and humour into their portrayals of these works and it's a great experience for all.

These photos are from their most recent play - The Taming of the Shrew.  The simplicity of the set was a fantastic counterpoint for the creativity of the costumes, which had their own simple elegance.  The actors come fully prepared and undergo an intense two-week period of rehearsals for each play.  Don't miss out on their next performance: Hamlet, which opens this Thursday, with shows on 4-6 August and 11-13 August, at The Dancing Goat Theatre in Alpharetta (Johns Creek), GA.  Further information can be found HERE.

Jazz Festival

Having finally beaten Google/Blogger into submission, I can now upload photos.  Seems like a lot of people are experiencing this problem.

The Jazz Festival is an annual event held over Memorial Day weekend in Piedmont Park, Atlanta.  There's plenty of food to be had (I seem to have a theme going with these last two posts...) but what all the squillions of people come for is the music.  Atlanta put on lovely weather for the event and people played with frisbees, soccer balls and dogs, or just sat and listened to the bands.

Chilling out, ready just in case...

These two guys were awesome.  I found them right as they called it quits, dying in the heat.  After much "pretty please"-ing and promises to put photos of them on this blog, they laughingly agreed to let me get some shots of them.  Thanks guys!

Flavours of Forsyth

What a week this has been!  Last Thursday's food festival in Cumming, GA was a huge success.  The huge carpark on the Ronald Reagan Parkway side of The Avenue was put to good use with a multitude of vendors selling their wares.  A gentle breeze wafted mouth-watering aromas, drawing folks in from all over town.

  Dogs of all sizes came along to enjoy the sights and smells.

  "Please sir, I want some more."

 What better place to eat than outside in the warm sun?

 

I love the sound of a prop plane.