Wedding Photography, Family Photographer & Baby Photographer in Sydney

How Would You Like To Be In Mum’s Good Books for AGES?

Sunday 9th May is Mother’s Day! This year you have the chance to WIN MUM A HOUSE CLEANER FOR A MONTH!

(Note: If YOU are a Mum, you can enter the competition too!)

How To Enter:

Register your Family to be photographed for the ‘Our Family’ Book – a unique fundraising initiative to raise $50,000 for Sydney Children’s Hospital.

Entries Close 7th May 2010 – Register Below!

For more info visit the ‘Our Family’ FAQ page.

For More Chances To WIN:

Tell your friends about the ‘Our Family’ Book Project!

When they register AND mention your name, you will receive another entry in the competition!

Register Here and Go In The Draw To Win!

All registration fees and proceeds of book sales will be donated to Sydney Children’s Hospital.

Complete the form below to register your family for the ‘Our Family’ book.

Join celebrities such as Brad Fittler (NRL Player/Coach), Pete Evans (My Kitchen Rules), Sophie Falkiner (TV Presenter/Model), and Jaynie Seal (Channel 9) in the book!

Be photographed and immortalised in this beautiful book, and share what family means to you!

Important things you need to know:

- To be eligible to win, you must register and pay your registration fee on or before 8th May 2010.

- The winner will be drawn on Mother’s Day 9th May 2010.

- Your Our Family Portrait Session must be taken by 30th June 2010.

- One entry per family only (You will receive one additional entry for each friend who registers)

- Prize includes 1 houseclean per week for 4 weeks at the same house.

- Prize valued up to a maximum of $800 total or $200 per week.

- Israel Smith Photographers will choose a reputable cleaner to undertake cleaning.

“My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.”
- Charles Kettering

This month’s quote is a timely reminder to forget about the past and spend your energy on things that take you forward in life!

So images are called Happy Snaps because we happily snap away at moments that capture our attention – right?

And because 99.9% of us are using a digital camera (or phone) these days, it makes it even easier because we’re not paying the cost of developing them all.  But the cold hard reality is now most people just have loads of happy snaps (good & bad) on their computer.

This tip is designed to help you weed out the not so good, and keep a documented orderly record that will allow you to create a little history of your loved ones. And more importantly to enjoy them more frequently than just on your computer.

1. Ensure you have a complete Master Copy of all the images you’ve taken on a disc (see Tip 1)
2. On your computer where you have saved the original files, create a new sub folder under each month called Faves or something similar (eg. 1. Jan 2010/Faves)
3. Go back to your originals folder & look at each image you’ve taken. If it’s one you really love, copy & paste it into the Faves sub folder
4. At the end of the year (or when you desire), you’ll be able to create a rich history of all your favourites by looking at each of the Faves sub folders
5. Another good idea is to choose your favourite one or 2, and print them off so you can enjoy them now!

Please note – this tip is provided as a guide for the average household. It is not designed for a photography enthusiast, semi professional or professional!

Janine & Andrew’s day was glorious – the sun was shining over the Lily Pond at Centennial Park as this gorgeous couple exchanged their vows in front of 165 family & friends. They followed their romantic outdoor ceremony with a fun filled reception at The Centennial Parklands Restaurant. Of course, the beautiful grounds of Centennial Park was the backdrop for their locaiton photos.

Janine describes the theme of her wedding as “Simple, elegant, inspired by 1930’s glamour with a contemporary twist … Neutral tones with small injections of colour for fun and energy.”

Below is Janine & Andrew’s favourite image and a couple of our favourites from Janine & Andrew getting ready – return soon to see Janine & Andrew’s complete Real Life Story.

Angela & her family had a relaxing lifestyle portrait session in the family home. After our March e-news Angela contacted us & suggested we share her family portraits because she believed it was important to show that its never too late to have your family portraits taken.

Angela recently invited us over for some yummy cake & coffee and to show how her stunning portraits have added the perfect decoration to their beautiful home. With Angela’s permission, not only do we share with you her portraits but how she has used them to decorate different parts of their home.

We just love these 2 relaxed portraits of the whole family. It’s really clear they have reached a time in their life where they are enjoying their time together and loving their home!

Angela really wanted some beautiful shots of her & Gary together which she could display in their room. Together we designed a stunning frame of 3 shots of Angela & Gary relishing each others company. The frame now proudly adorns their bedroom wall – you can see it in one of the shots of the bottom.

Ah so this is what it is like when your children outgrow temper tantrums, have developed their own sense of self and just as happy to be on their own as they are with mum & dad. (So many years still to go for us….)

Here Angela proudly opens her doors & shares with you their wonderful home & how their portraits have become the perfect compliment to decorate their home.

The above image just does not do this justice. Angela chose to have this family portrait (see the second image from the top in the real life story) mounted behind Acrylic. We had it printed on metallic paper to bring out the colours & add some shine and mounting it in Acrylic makes it a spectacular feature in this room.

Margaret & Tony were given a Portrait Gift Certificate by a friend. The Gift Certificate was the perfect impetus for them to have their family portraits taken.  Here is what Tony had to say about their portrait experience:

“What a great experience we had with you guys. We had a terrific  time during the photo shoot and I thought the viewing session was warm, friendly and luxurious . We would be more than happy to refer you to anyone, as your professional attitude coupled with the exceptional talent is a perfect recipe.”

Margaret & Tony chose to include their much loved 12 yo border collie & 15 mth old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross. You can sure tell they are very much a part of the family!

We just love that Margaret & Tony chose this image of the two of them as one of their favourites. It’s so easy to become obsessed with the wonder of our kids, that we forget about the wonder of being a couple. This image is special to us too because it epitomises how we want to feel about each other when our family has this age.

One night it surprised us when Indrani asked us to excuse her from the dinner table so she could go to the toilet. It was at this point we should have realised she was up to something.  Anyway, after being in the bathroom for quite some time, she finally told us:

“I just flushed my necklace down the toilet so it can go out to sea & someone else can find it. That was a really kind thing to do wasn’t it?”

We are VERY proud and excited to announce that Rugby League Legend Brad Fittler and his wife Marie have agreed to become Ambassadors for ‘Our Family’ - our limited edition book project raising funds for Sydney Children’s Hospital. (For more info on ‘Our Family’ click here.)

Brad Fittler (Rugby League Legend) with his wife Marie and their children Demi & Zach - proud Ambassadors for 'Our Family'

We photographed Brad & Marie and their two children Demi & Zach late last year, simply because they wanted some professional portraits of their family. After having a great time on the shoot, we asked if they’d help us promote the ‘Our Family’ project, and graciously they agreed!

On the shoot, Demi & Zach went crazy running around their backyard, riding scooters, kicking a footy, and wrestling me while I tried desperately to capture some beautiful portraits of them.

I realised very quickly that they had energy to spare (I wonder where they get that from? Dad?) and were only going to co-operate if I got playful with them and had as much fun as possible!

Brad Fittler playing horsie with his two kids Zach & Demi with wife Marie making sure Zach stays on!

Fortunately I was able to capture some very appropriate portraits of them playing with Brad & Marie, as you can see here!

Honestly, I needed a stiff drink and a lie down after this portrait shoot… I have the utmost respect for Marie and Brad for keeping the kids under control most of the time! (Although I do wonder… is Brad a father figure or just a big energetic kid most of the time himself?)

Our warmest thanks go to Marie & Brad for their support on this project, and we look forward to showcasing more of Sydney’s beautiful families through the ‘Our Family’ book!

Registrations are going fast, so book your family in today – visit http://www.israelsmith.com/ourfamily for more details and to register.

We are proud to announce that Celebrity Chef Pete Evans (from Channel 7’s “My Kitchen Rules”) has just come on board to join ‘Our Family’ as a proud supporter and have his family published in the book!

We recently caught up with Pete and his family at their home to capture some gorgeous portraits for them. Here’s the image they’ll be putting in the ‘Our Family’ book:

Celebrity Chef Pete Evans (Hugo's Group & Channel 7's "My Kitchen Rules") with wife Astrid and their daughters Chilli and Indii - proudly supporting 'Our Famliy'

Here he is relaxing in his front yard with his wife Astrid, and daughters Chilli (left) and Indii.

Pete is a director of Hugo’s Group, a TV personality, and has published several books of original recipes. For more information, visit www.peterevanschef.com.au.

Apart from all of that, he’s a really down-to-earth fantastic bloke, and his family are loads of fun! Chilli & Indii wasted no time in crash-tackling me on their lawn as I played with them to get some great portraits for Pete & Astrid.

Belinda & Kevin were only a few weeks away from their baby being due when they met with us and wanted to capture the love and connection between the two of them, as well as the beautiful pregnant tummy Belinda was sporting!

The couple were lots of laughs and clearly madly in love, as they captured the beauty of this time in their lives at our studio in Coogee. What we love most about these images is the sense of fun in the couple, as well as the intimacy and emotion in their expressions.