isn’t her name divine? I was warned that Charlotte is feisty (love a girl with spirit!) but she made a complete liar out of her parents and practically performed for the camera.  Such a clever girl, and just so beautiful. I hope you enjoy Charlotte’s modelling debut, I think she has a career ahead of her…

xo Simone

Yikes!! Last year I had an exclusive birthday special, with the promise that I’d do something this year as well, as it’s the big 40! Well, to celebrate the denial, horror and grey hairs that being 40 means, I’ve decided to essentially repeat last year’s offer. This year I’m offering for my former clients to purchase their session prints in two different sizes. Either all of them in 4×6 for $450, or all in 5×7 for $550. My clients will know this is an enormous saving. This offer is open to those who have ordered from their sitting already, and it’s restricted to one shoot only per set. If you’ve had more than one sitting, you can buy each set individually of course!

This offer is open from now until July 14, which is my actual birthday so if I don’t respond on that day it’s because I’m at the pub

Contact me on 83402838 or simone@simonehanckel.com.au

Simone xo

and I hope I’ve spelt their names correctly!!

I recently had the immense pleasure of photographing these beauties when I was in Sydney recently. They’re so beautiful, and so different! Isabel is the teeny, fine featured one, and Marcella was the bigger (slightly!), more rounded sweetie with big pouty lips. They did an amazing job of being photographed, it’s a lot to ask when you’re 9 days old, and we managed to get some incredible images to remember them when they’re so fresh and new.

and check out the sibling rivalry already. Of course Isabel hadn’t really just decked Marcela, but it’s funny nevertheless!

Much love to you all, and kisses for your baby girls.

Simone

and I want to send my love to all of the mums out there that I’ve met, photographed and spent hours with, enjoying their children. To all of you that became mothers for the first time this year, those who expanded their hearts to add another baby and those of us who are in the thick of motherhood and enjoying their beautiful family…Happy Mother’s Day. I hope you’re treated like a queen, kissed and cuddled within an inch of your lives, and that you get time to pause and appreciate what you’ve created.

Simone xo

I’m excited to announce a really special project. It’s been rattling around my head for a while to do a book on what it’s like to be a child in Adelaide. A selection of the memories and locations that are iconically South Australian. This book will explore what makes an Adelaide childhood unique, from apple picking in the Hills, to swinging on a Hills Hoist, to a milkshake in the Central Markets. We’ll be shooting very conceptually, with a nostalgic feel (hence the title!) so the families that come onboard with the project will be contributing some ideas that they felt were part of their own youth. We’ll be discovering our town through the eyes of the children, and creating images with an iconic and emotive feel. The book will be an amazing piece of art in itself, and the plan is to launch the project with an exhibition of the individual images at my studio/gallery.

How to be involved? Call the studio to arrange your sitting and we’ll start planning a shoot that will suit the project, and incorporate some of your own stories. Our standard sitting fees apply, and for participating you will receive a limited edition copy of the book (and my undying love and affection!).

I look forward to hearing about those things that make you feel like a kid, and being inspired.

Simone xo

which is a bit of a first!

It’s autumn…finally! Hands down, it’s my favourite time of the year and I want to shake things up a bit. I’m always on the look out for new locations, so I can keep things unique and interesting, and realise that a lot of you would have special little places that you love, that might be the perfect backdrop for your family portraits. It might be the a park, somewhere you love to go walking, or a place that you’ve been meaning to visit. It doesn’t have to be somewhere grand though, you’d be surprised how the small, out of the way places can lend themselves to amazing works of art. One of my favourite locations is along the side of the road in the Hills! Please keep in mind, some of the beautiful places around Adelaide, such as Carrick Hill, charge fees for photography in their grounds, and others are private property that need specific permission. Avoiding such places, no matter how fantastic, is preferable. Unless you have special access of course! Locations that are within the Adelaide Metro, or immediate Adelaide Hills are preferred. Not only for the travel time and expense, but also for the fact that small children don’t handle a long car ride, then an active photo shoot all that well.

So, here’s the competition. Inspire me with somewhere really cool and tell me why it means something to you, and you could win

One Location Sitting and a 16×20 inch Signature Print, valued at an amazing $925.

The best three responses will win, and also feature in my winter studio window display.

Entries are to be in before midnight on Friday, March 26th, and I’ll contact the winner via email. You can add your entry here in the comments, email me at simone@simonehanckel.com.au (put ‘Location Competition’ in the header), or join the Facebook page, and comment there. Don’t forget to add an email address.

The fine print! Bookings will need to be held before April 30th, and are limited to one individual family group (no extended families). Prize is not transferrable to cash, or product substitution. Normal booking conditions apply. Locations must be within Adelaide metro area and immediate Adelaide Hills.

Simone Hanckel Photography is now on facebook! Our fan page is going to be a bit of a secret clubhouse, somewhere for the cool kids to get information, sneak previews, tagged photos from your own shoot, and super secret squirrel offers. We’re very excited about this, as it means you have the opportunity to share exclusive peeks of your images. All you have to do is join! Go to the Simone Hanckel Photography Facebook Page and become a fan. We’d love to see you there. xo

In honour of Valentine’s Day, I want to share the pregnancy photos of a fantastic couple I had the pleasure of photographing. These guys epitomise the meaning of love Their obvious affection for each other, their delight in the baby that is coming, and their willingness to celebrate all this by having portraits taken was really inspiring. It was a privilege to document their story, and I look forward to photographing them again with their new little one

My Valentine’s Day this year will be doing something for my boys to show them how much I love them, it’s a blessing to have such a day to pause and make someone feel special.  It doesn’t have to be grand gestures and roses!

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Simone  xo

and a huge thank you to everyone for the fantastic year that was 2009 I’m in the process of pulling together a slideshow of the past year, so I’ll post it when it’s done.

In the meantime I wanted to show two very special families from last weekend. Saturday night saw me heading to outside of Angaston to photograph a family on their incredible property. We didn’t have enough time to cram all of the amazing spots in, it was such a playground for a photographer! I found it such a delight and privilege to record their lives on the farm that’s been in their family for generations.

Sunday saw a marathon effort to get two incredibly special little boys to co-operate. Trying to get the two of them asleep together without them throwing fists in each other’s faces was a job! We got the shot in the end, though… (and I had to add the fur baby, Moet )

So, if last weekend is any indication of what 2010 is to bring, I’m thrilled. I can’t thank my fantastic clients enough, it’s their stories that are the inspiration.

xo Simone

of an amazing shoot that was held tonight! I promised I’d do a sneak peek, but knew if I didn’t do it now it would never go up This Christmas season has been especially busy but it’s been wonderful to make the most of the beautiful mild days. A nice change from the horrendous hot weather a few weeks ago!

This was an incredible shoot…thank you so much for being the perfect models

xo Simone