CIAO NOW...

This is the home of all old posts from my blog... Please feel free to read and view images, but don't forget to pop on over to the new and improved BLOG!!!!

... Hayley x

It's Been Far Too Long....

It has been far too long since I posted words of note... images that make my heart sing... there has been no lack of inspiration... I have just become overwhelmed with work and the many networks to which I now belong and suddenly I find myself falling behind.... I promised just days before I would post a session dear to my heart, and yet weeks have passed... Sessions slipping through my fingers... longing to be blogged... Never quite getting there... I have so much to share with you... and soon I will... Life gets crazy~busy sometimes... and just gets in the way... but I wouldn't have it any other way!  

Have you seen my new website?  I adore it... This makeover screams ME... I love it to bits... Sometimes I visit it myself, just to sit a while, to listen to the music that inspires me in my work, and in life... to watch the images of the beautiful people I have been blessed to document, fade in and out... paving way for the next.  Won't you stop by... I would love to share it with you!

www.hayleyjohnson.com.au

A Little Bit Of Whimsy (Wagga Wagga Portrait Photographer)

Recently I shared with you, the family of one of my dearest, dearest friends... and next, I will bring you the gorgeous family of yet another dear, darling companion... with whom my friendship has spanned almost a decade... I can not wait to introduce her darling little ones, who are just so sweet and cheeky and fun...

A couple of days at most... I promise!

I Found Her (Wagga Wagga Portrait Photographer)

I always wondered whether perhaps someday I would make one of those profound, beautiful, long term friendships that are made of laughter... of tears... of moments shared... or moments lost... friendships that outlive tragedies, and outweigh drama... that might distance, but never fade.

I wondered... as the years passed me by... as we moved from town to town... as friends came and went... 

I thought those friendships grew only from childhood... in order to last a lifetime... I thought perhaps it was a luxury... That I might never experience. 

But as I grew... and moved into adulthood... suddenly there she was... My someone that I thought I had missed... My someone that has been by my side every day since... whether in person... on the phone... or in spirit... her presence is always felt.

My someone who will be with me... Holding my hand as I walk through my days... Through the amazing beauty of motherhood... The deepest darkest depths of my own despair... Through that overwhelming happiness of being blessed in this life... Through the tears I have shed of the past, and will shed of the future... Through this life...

My beautiful, profound, special someone.

My friend, who has become my sister... My dear, long time friend... who gives me strength to help me climb... upward... onward... forward... who keeps me humbled... who fights in my corner....

My friend, who is my biggest fan... 

We have shared in so much together...

In our many years of friendship...

We have shared in secrets, in stories, in moments and grief...

And I adore her... For everything that she is...

and everything that she strives to be...

She teaches me... Through her grace... Her strength... Her esteem...

and the greatest honour of all... is that she shares with me...

Her greatest joys... Her heart and soul... Her family...

Her beautiful, amazing family...

TESTING

"He Is Hunter" I Heart Faces - Dramatic Black and White Week

I don't even know how long it has been since I entered a challenge at I Heart Faces... FAR too long!

But I have missed it... I have missed the challenge, the social aspect, the inspiration... I have missed sharing and visiting and spreading blog love across the land, and so, here I am... back in the game... at least for this week.

Hunter is a little client of mine... His eyes are simply incredible...

  They are endless pools of soul and wisdom.

I watched him closely in our family session... The way he looks at his Mum...

I can see already that he will be her protector...

Her warrior...

As most first born sons tend to be.

He is so darling, and sweet, and incredibly sensitive...

His eyes share a sense of knowing...

of familiarity much beyond his years...

He is special.

"He is Hunter"

Pop by I Heart Faces to join in or share some love!
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I Do... Elisha & Mark {Wagga Wagga Fine Art Wedding Photographer}

As promised... 

A small part of a love story that began as early as Year 9 in High School... 

Eleven and a half long years ago.

A romantic birthday dinner at Elisha's favourite Thai restaurant in Newcastle, NSW...

Followed by a walk along the wharf...

Mark told her that he had one more present for her...

And then he asked her to marry him.

She tells me that she still teases him a little now because he did not get down on one knee, because there were too many people around!

The ring was a little too big... Even for her thumb... 

But in spending a little time with Elisha over these passed few months,

I just know that she'd have seen the humour in all of it!

I was so honoured to have been a part of their special day...

to watch them and capture them as they exchanged loving glances...

held one another...

stole moments and whispers...

Laughed... and exchanged their vows!

Vows they wrote themselves...

That go so far to representing their good humour...

and their casual and fun approach to their wedding...

and to life...

Elisha and Mark have allowed me to share with you, their unique and most wonderful vows...

So here they are... 

"I, Elisha, take you Mark,
To be my partner for life.
To laugh, live and grow with you,
Cook, clean and put up with your flatulence,
For richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
I promise to always love you."

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"I, Mark, take you Elisha,
To be my partner for life.
To laugh, live and grow with you,
Say that you look nice and put up with your nagging,
For richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
I promise to always love you."

Without further ado... I give you a peek into Mark and Elisha's wedding day....

Elisha and her gorgeous Sisters/Bridesmaids, Laura and Jessemah got ready at the gorgeous Carlyle Motel.

Laura did such a stunning job on everyone's hair, and she and Elisha shared the job of makeup artist!

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This stunning Vintage Chevrolet was hired from Riverina Classic Wedding Cars

and was the perfect choice for Elisha and Mark's stunning, elegant Vintage Chic wedding!

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Elisha's GORGEOUS shoes were also a perfect fit... so elegant and timeless!

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Elisha was a SERIOUSLY stunning bride... In the Chevrolet and on her way to meet her Prince...

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Elisha's proud father walked her down the aisle!

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After a short, simple yet gorgeous ceremony,

 Mark was finally able to kiss his beautiful bride!

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

Finally it was official... They were Man and Wife...

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Stealing moments and whispers...

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SUCH a stunning trio... These gorgeous sisters are so close, 

and it is oh so unfair how beautiful they all are!!!
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I just adore this shot... Did you spot the cheeky bride executing a perfectly sneaky bum pinch?!
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This was completely unscripted... and it has quickly become one of my favourites...
They are just so fun and sweet together!
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Elisha made her incredibly gorgeous and detailed gown...
In fact, she made her cake, and the reception decorations also... She is one talented bride!
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I love, love, love this one... Men being men... beer in hand and busting to get the wedding portraits out of the way so they could get to the reception and party... But they were SUCH good sports!
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The way they held one anothers' hands so tight was just oh so sweet... and so deserving of its own capture!
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Mark finally relaxed enough to have a little fun with the portraits... He was a little camera shy  at first... But I guess it would have been hard not to relax and have fun when Elisha was just soooo calm and truly enjoying every aspect of her day!
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Elisha made her stunning cake herself!!
And there is a HILARIOUS little story surrounding these photos...
I zipped back to the reception venue quickly to capture the cake and the Bridal party's entrance...
Upon arriving, the guests were all seated and settled and laughing and chatting away, awaiting the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Wilkie.
I began to shoot the cake, which at the time, appeared to be a two layer, modern cake...
the top layer slightly lopsided at the top... {I may just have to show these images at some stage!!}
And suddenly a woman is swiftly by my side, quickly trying to rectify the "lopsided" situation which was now quite clearly NOT intentional!
So, I felt soooo silly, but was so glad someone had noticed whilst I was still there and not after I had made my exit!!
The cake was quickly fixed and of course I took some photos of it as it should have been all along!!
When Elisha emailed me the following day to thank me, she told me she had been filled in about the cake incident which she found hilarious... Thankfully!! Lol!
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And that brings me to the end of my post...
Of course there will be soooo many more photos to come soon of this gorgeous day, including family portraits and another funny little story from our wedding day adventures...
Elisha and Mark, I wish you all the very best in your long and happy future together and may your overseas journey be fruitful and fabulous!
Thank You for allowing me to share in and capture your special day!

A special thanks to Mark and Elisha's friends and family who were all so perfect and fun... What a truly unique and wonderful day!
I will have many more gorgeous photos to share with you again soon!

Today I Am A Wedding Photographer... {Wagga Wagga Wedding Photographer}

An overwhelming wave of emotion passed over me today... 

a lump in my throat... tears welled in my eyes... 

as it suddenly occurred to me that I was about to document the happiest day in Elisha and Mark's life 

thus far...

That I had been chosen to capture the moments surrounding their nuptials... 

That I was the wedding photographer!

As I made my journey from capturing the stunning details of the reception venue...

to the motel where I would document the bride and her gorgeous sisters as they giggled and dressed for this most special of days...

It occurred to me that I had been blessed... yet again...

in being a part of this momentous occasion...

that those moments that I would capture...

Would be treasured always...

as a way to remember...

to share...

to enjoy...

Always.

It occurred to me that suddenly...

on this very day...

I am a wedding photographer.

Today was such a special day, 

for Elisha and Mark...

and for myself... 

I am proud that they were my first Bride and Groom...

I am honored to have spent my afternoon in their company...

to have laughed with them...

to have been a part of their wedding day...

To have been chosen to document it for them...

So that always, those moments will be frozen in time.

And so... I give you now...

just a sneak peek of an AMAZING Bride and Groom...

 

And very soon...

I will share with you, THEIR story...

along with many more images!

Sent From Heaven... {Wagga Wagga Newborn Photographer}

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet and document the darling little Erica Gray. 

I have attempted so many times to write this post but have struggled in finding the words for what it is that I want to share... I just hope I can achieve it now.  

Darling little Erica is the niece of one my dearest and long time friends, and her arrival here on Earth was somewhat of a miracle!  

Her parents were prepared for a long, emotional journey in their efforts to conceive a child... 

having been told that their dreams would not be realised without medical intervention.

But this story didn't quite go as expected...

Instead, this story is of a miracle... but one that begins with a loss.

A loss so heartbreaking that it brings me to tears just to think about it, to write it now.

The loss of a much loved Father... Husband... Son.

Of an amazingly beautiful man, who graced us all with his humour, his kind heart, his strength.

A Father who so evidently adored his beautiful children so...

Who loved his Grandchildren with everything in him...

Who loved his wife so completely.

A long, difficult battle... a double lung transplant...

a continual fight for every last minute he could stay with his family.

 A father who welcomed us all into his home, as if we were his own...

Who would giggle along with us as we invaded his home and 

sipped on vodka cruisers and dressed for nights out on the town...

who taught us all, silently...

that real men showed their feelings...

told their daughters how beautiful they were every single day...

That he loved them.

A father we all looked up to.

My dear, dear long time friends' darling father.

A loss.

It would be just days from the heartbreaking day they would lay him to rest that the news would come...

That a miracle had graced this family in their time of need...

That a new life had been created...

That the darling Miss Erica would soon be in her parents' arms.
Bittersweet.

A miracle...
In every sense of the term.
The moment she arrived to this world, to meet her incredibly adoring parents, their world changed...
A moment so perfect, beautiful...
Profound...
Shared with their loved ones...

Except for one...
And so the reality was that Erica would never meet her namesake...
Her shining star... Her Grandfather

Her Angel.

She will not grow to sit on his lap, to kiss him goodnight, to look into his adoring eyes and say
"I love you Poppy"
But she will always...
Always...
Know that he lives on Forever...
In her very Soul...

That she is his gift...
To those he adores the most...
That She, darling little Erica Gray...
was truly... sent from Heaven.

Sent from Heaven to here, into the arms of the most adoring, loving parents...
Who are so completely smitten with her...
Who will cherish her always...
for the miracle she is!

Without further ado...
I am pleased to introduce the darling little Miss Erica Gray!

A word of warning though...
You WILL fall head over heels in love!!!

 

Fine Art Collection... {Wagga Wagga Fine Art Photographer}

I am so pleased to announce the launch of my Fine Art Collection, "Tres Chic" by Hayley Johnson!!

Tres Chic has its own home and all new images will be posted there for viewing and purchase!

Pop on by when you have some time and browse the collection!

"Tres Chic" Blog

BACK SOON..... {Wagga Wagga Fine Art, Portrait Photographer}

I am going to HAVE to make some sort of a schedule in order to fit everything into my week, as my poor blog just seems to be more and more neglected as time goes by!

I finally got my new Canon 7d last week, which I LOVE so much!!!  I also bought the 50mm 1.4 which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! So there will be so many more Fine Art images and portraits to come soon...
I promise...

In the mean time, {we shall call it an intermission}... 

Enjoy...