I’m celebrating a major milestone this week. Ten years ago I photographed the first baby that I hadn’t given birth to Little Harriette was only one day old and was the beginning of it all. I can’t imagine how many beautiful babies I’ve photographed since, and it’s daunting to look back on all the hard work the last ten years has been behind the scenes. A huge thank you to all the gorgeous families I’ve met, I love love love my job and can’t wait for what the next decade brings.

As if to celebrate my milestone with me, the universe delivered some fantastic news this month. Digital Photography Australia Magazine featured an article on my work (some pics below) and it looks amazing! I was asked to do it earlier this year, but had forgotten all about it until it hit the news stands It’s for their latest Black and White issue and I talk about…surprise surprise…specialising in black and white photography. Go get a copy!

It’s nearly Mothers Day and I can’t wait. A whole day to myself with my beautiful boys is just bliss. I hope everyone has a beautiful day!

Simone xoxo

This week I’m part of a fantastic, creative idea that showcases some of the amazing children’s photographers around the world. Every week has a creative challenge, with this week’s being ‘monochrome’. How could I resist being part of that? A group of us post on the blog with our version of the challenge and then link to the next photographer for you to visit. It’s such a fantastic concept, and shows how diverse we all really are You’ll find the previous post in the carnival here by the lovely Lisa Maksoudian.

I’m often asked why I photograph solely in black and white. This was a choice I made very early on in my career as I explored monochrome and what it meant to shoot without colour being dominant in the image. I found that I was drawn expression, symmetry, texture and lines far more than I was interested in the brilliance of colour. For me, deconstructing a scene to its barest elements, with an emphasis on the beautiful subjects, is the perfect medium. I can’t imagine shooting any other way. Black and white, to me, is like singing a cappella. The clear, simple tune shines and moves you, without the need for other instruments.

So the images I’ve chosen for this blog carnival are incredibly special. This is my dear client, and friend, Maria and today we say goodbye and pay tribute to her beautiful life. I hesitate to post about her on my blog, as it’s usually for promoting what I do, but this post, about the beauty of black and white photography, is the perfect way to say publicly that I love and miss her. We have a very privileged position, being photographers, to engage with families that otherwise may not have crossed our paths. I count myself very blessed to have known and loved Maria and to document so many of her important milestones. All my love to her family and loved ones. xoxoxo

For a different and gorgeous spin on monochrome, it’s over to the fabulous Rebecca Muldrick of Darling Art Photography of Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill Child Portrait Photographer. Her blog post is fantastic!!

Simone xoxo