Wow!!! I opened my email this morning to find quite a few comments on my iHeart faces entry {this post}, that were in fact congatulating me on being awarded second place!!

I must say, being that it is my first entry, it took me completely by surpise!

Thanks to Jose Villa who was this week's judge and a most brilliant and inspiring photographer, and of course, thanks to iHeart faces and all of the people who kindly left comments on my post!

Thanks so very much!

Just this past weekend a dear friend sent me the link to a gorgeous website {http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/} that she thought I would enjoy... and boy was she right!! ilove faces is just a fantastic concept where amateurs and professionals {and anything in between} can showcasse their interpretation of the given theme... What fun!!!

Well, the result is this - today I am entering one of my photos into the weekly themed photo contest!

I thought that perhaps a photo from Fiona's Nostaligia shoot would be perfectly fitting for a Nostalgia themed contest...

While my photo might seem to be more of a modern representation of times gone by than something that would give me personally, a feeling of nostalgia... there is something much more personal behind these photos than most would ever know and I guess today would be the perfect day to share...

But, it's a long one... So grab your coffee and get comfy for a few minutes!

...........................

My sister Fiona is actually the first born grandaughter on my stepfather's side of the family, and fittingly, she has always taken after her Granmother, in so many ways ~ most obviously in her physical appearance.

Grandma was a very attractive young woman!

As we look back through the albums we see 20 something Grandma and Grandpa so in love, so happy and surrounded with their 4 beautiful children.

I remember whilst growing up that it was never quite possible to grasp my Grandparents as that young couple... filled with all of the hope and joy of the world.

I had never known my Grandparents to be that happily married couple.

They had divorced so long before I knew them.

Just as I had never known them to be the proud parents of four small children who adored them, as those days had long since passed and their children had grown.

As we flick through the albums of days gone by, the resemblence is just so obvious... haunting... my sister resembles her Grandmother so very much, more so than any other in the family... her face, her build, her mannerisms.

An old cardboard suitcase with rusted metal clips now rests on the top of the wardrobe...

Inside are an antique tortoise shell and an antique cuckoo clock carved from oak...

Wrapped in a newspaper from many years ago...

Evidence of a past long forgotten...

Happier days...

The days when Grandma was still here...

When the clock was mounted upon the retro wallpapered dining room wall...

When the tortoise shell hung on the back veranda...

Of days when we would all play together in her yard...

When she would take us on a personal tour of her garden, filled to the brim with Staghorns that had grown upon the old palm tree for many years before we were ever here...

with pumpkins and choko vines...

When she would take clippings from everything that we said was pretty...

and she would prepare them and send them home with us...

In our suitcase.

Then came the day...

The old train station...

In the city...

When we boarded together...

as a family...

Homeward bound...

A quiet journey...

a long, sad journey...

For those days were final...

Our last journey home from Grandma's home...

For we had bid her a heartbreaking final goodbye some days before...

When we had put her to rest...

and we had packed the antique giant tortoise shell and the cuckoo clock, wrapped in old newspaper into an old cardboard suitcase...

and we placed it on the top of the wardrobe...

No need to open the rusted metal clips...

Because we will always remember...

One glimpse at the old cardboard suitcase,

one deep breath of the air that would fill our nostrils and lungs with the aroma of antique book papers and a smell that only Grandmother's houses have...

will have us standing right back in Grandma's dining room...

Where we never have to say goodbye.

And, so here is a photo of my sister, the oldest Grandaughter... with an old cardboard suitcase with rusted metal clips...

Nostalgia

It's Fix it Friday over at I Heart Faces and I thought because I had sooo much fun and drew a lot of inspiration from being involved in the weekly challenge, that I would join in on this one also!
This isn't a contest by any means, but another opportunity to browse other entries, meet talented people and learn a thing or two!
Fix it Friday is all about editing and post processing of photos ~ how each photographer interprets the photo that is offered. This week's photo is just stunning, and it almost broke my heart a little to not leave it as it was... But, it's all for fun!

So, here is my entry:

{Edited in PS, CS}

The original:

I added a Gaussian Blur, a light vignette, and saturated the photo a little!

What a gorgeous little lady!

Due to the sudden explosion of inquiries {Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou!}, I am currently in the midst of setting up my website which will have more details about booking a portrait shoot with me and a few other bits and pieces such as an availability calendar, so you can find a day that suits you before you call!

It will also have my session and print fees!

I am also currently sourcing a reputable, highest quality Printlab, right here in Australia so that my prices will not be effected by Exchange rates ~ and then I will be able to offer more specialised products such as albums, canvases and mounts!

If you have your portraits before these products are available, don't worry ~ I will send out a little note to let you know and we can use the prints from the session you have already had!

I thank you very much for your patience in the mean time and please keep popping by my blog to keep up to date with all things Hayley Johnson Photography!

Fingers crossed it won't be long!!

No words could truly do justice to the emotions that fill me to the very brim today...

There is a new kind of joy, that I honestly could not say I have experienced before...

Not equal to that of being the mother of the most delicious little boy on the planet...

But so much more than that of the happiness that fills me day to day...

It is somewhere in between.

Blessed.

I know it is a word I have repeated over and over again of late.

But perhaps there is no other word.

This is far more than the simplicity of contenment. Much more than the familiarity of happiness.

This feeling is so filling and it boils within me,

threatening to spill over at any moment.

I feel so incredibly blessed that as I think about the beautiful road my life has taken,

it brings tears to my eyes.

I am fulfilled.

But even more than that...

There truly are NO words.

Those of you who know me well are most aware of the struggles I have faced in my continuous war to have faith ~ in Hayley...

to believe ~ in Me...

To believe the kind words of those who compliment me and my work...

And suddenly, what an incredible journey I am on...

What magnificent people walk with me...

holding my hand...

propping me up...

Believing in me...

Guiding me...

Those I love most...

and hold dear

...and B.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l strangers

...who might never know

...how the words they share with me today

...will stay with me tomorrow

...give me hope

...help me believe in Hayley

...have faith in tomorrow

...and fill me with this overwhelming sense of emotion

...that I pray will exist in me forever.

And, though there are no words...

to truly express my gratitude...

I thank each and every one of you...

who leave a trail of inspiration on your own blog...

or the kindest of words on mine...

those who love me...

and allow me to be a part of your world...

or your family...

You might never know the impact that you have had...

with your simple yet beautiful, kind words...

But Please Know it is huge...

and appreciated...

and that with everything in me...

I Thank You!

Congratulations to the following people who have won the 5 free portrait sessions...

Amanda Kelly
Katherine Cochrane

Kelly Wilson

Candy White

Lisa Griffiths

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Thank You to all who entered, I am flattered that you would consider me to do your portraits!

I will be in touch with you each very soon with further details!

I look forward to meeting with you and your family!

And here's another little set of photos from my shoot with the adorable Miss Aurora and the darling little Miss Mya-Jane....

Well, it appears that my blog has had a LOT of visitors which is just amazing and I am so grateful... However, it seems that we have some shy lurkers amongst us!

So, I am going to change the rules of my contest a little... You don't have to tell me why you should win, just leave me a comment about my blog/my images on any of my posts and you're in with a chance to win!

This might take the heat off a little... I know myself I tend to avoid contests where I have to come up with why I deserve to win in 25 words or less... it's all just a little too much pressure!!

I will choose the winners through a good old fashioned name-in-a-hat draw to make it fair!!

All the other conditions will stay the same

I have been crazy busy of late, preparing to take my photography from a passion to a career and I am so happy that the beautiful people around me {You know who you are!} have offered me the encouragement and support that has me believing in myself!

There are a few more short stops before I will be launching my business officially, but hopefully that won't be too far away!!

But, in the mean time I would like to share a little of my joy and my passion with you...

So, today I am giving away five *FREE mini portrait sessions to 5 lucky winners!

This contest is open to Everyone ~ friends, family, little, BIG, baby bellies, Too Cute smoochy couples in love and family pets!!

Perhaps you would like to celebrate your relationship, or a coming of age, maybe you just want a few nice photos for your Facebook profile?

Perhaps you would like to win a session as a gift to someone else?
All you have to do is tell me why YOU should win!

The winners will receive:

~ A FREE mini session {up to one hour} on location, at your house or a place of your choice

{or if you are happy to, you can let me have free creative reign!}

~ A private viewing gallery from where you are able to view and order your photographs - as prints or as digitals

{from a mini session there should be around 15~20 photographs}

~ a few sneak peeks will be available within 36 hours and the gallery will be ready in around 5-7 days.

*There are a few little conditions:

~ You must NOT have already inquired about or booked a portrait session with me!

~ The portrait session is FREE in Wagga Wagga only! {Sorry Guys but I can’t give everything away for nothing!!}

But, this also means that if you aren't too far away and are willing to have the shoot in Wagga, the contest is still open to you!

~ You must be available to have your session within the next 8 weeks!

~ I will own rights to the images and will be able to use them as I please, such as on my blog, website and in my portfolio should I so wish ~ But upon purchase, so will you!!

...............................................

TO ENTER:

Simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post by 23rd August 2009 {that's 48 hours!}, telling me why YOU should win

...and have fun with it, be creative!!

That is all…. Good Luck!!

With Spring almost here, Wagga's days are warming up and Mother Nature is bathing us in her glorious glow. All around us are sunlit paddocks in shades of green, with wild daisies and dandelions blossoming throughout, and the bluest of skies with scattered fairy~floss clouds.

It is truly a beautiful time of year, with the days just warm enough to bask in all that is beautiful and the nights still perfect for snuggling up inside by the heater - By far the best of both worlds.

Unfortunately, all too soon the severe heat that is a Wagga Wagga summer will set in, turning everything drab and brown and have us hiding inside with the air conditioner, or out by the pool...

So, in the mean time...

How can we not make the most of it while it lasts?!

You may have noticed that the format of my "Comments" section has changed a little {a lot}... Well, that is thanks to the clever and brilliant Blank Pixels over at http://www.justanotherpixel.net/ who so kindly took my request for scrolling comments and made it a reality - and believe me, this is not quite as simple as it sounds for those of us who are somewhat HTML illiterate!! Blank Pixels was on the job and in touch as soon as was physically possible and she was just a dream to work with!

So, to you, Blank Pixels, Happy First Anniversary to you and your wonderful blog and thanks for being such a wonderfully generous human being!!

Been a little busy this week and haven't had much time for shooting {I know, shame on me!}

So here's a few random photos that I love, just because...

Can't resist a quirky boot shoot & who could resist these delicious little pom pom boots?!

Who wouldn't love that face?!

It's a Karate Kid thing

Just LOVE this face!






Alexander's "Sweet & Innocent" Impression,
Yep, that's right... I said "Impression"!

 

Long before a child arrives into our world...

Before we can hold them within our arms,

Before we can smell that sweet smell that could only be baby breath,

We have hopes,

We have dreams,

We have prayers and expectations...

Before we meet them for the very first time we already know that we love them, that we always will, unconditionally, unchanging, ever growing...

They are already everything to us,

already we can not imagine a day without them,

nor would we want to,

Already they are our whole universe.

We are blessed with a new life to care for, to cherish, to mould and prepare for this world...

a responsibility greater than any other

and we welcome it

with all that we are

Always. For Eternity.

.............................................

If I ever thought it possible to have my fill of perfectly wonderful gorgeousness...

today would come very very close to delivering indeed!

The recipe for such a fantastic day?

Well, it's simple really...

1 handsome prince + 1 positively gorgeous little possum

+ a few beautiful balloons

+ perfectly sensational sunshine

= 1 incredibly beautiful, fantastical day!!

And... as they say, a picture paints a thousand words...

Today I painted a million or more...