On my way back from this morning’s family session I stopped to capture a little bit of beauty…

I’m no landscape photographer & I totally take my hat off to those that are, but I recently attended a photography seminar where the presenter (one of the top ten photographers in the world) encouraged us portrait and wedding photographers to develop other genres. The idea being that all the tricks and skills learned in other fields of photography can only make you better at what you do. So there it is…my new found desire to become a better landscape photographer! I don’t think I’ll be setting my alarm clock for 4am any time soon though! lol.

D xo

I’ve been thorougly enjoying my break with the kids. I, like all of you, love to have photos of my kids, but as a pro photographer sometimes carting my kit with me makes the whole thing feel a little too complicated, plus I like the knowledge that my equipment is safely tucked away at home.

I get many emails from people all over the world asking me what camera I recommend for the average family and while there are plenty of inexpensive DSLR’s out there now, for the general user I can absolutely recommend the camera that has captured the below shots. It’s a Canon G9 and the predecessor to the newer G10 (unlike the rest of my gear which is all Nikon), but I love it. It has many more features than I will ever use, but does allow me to shoot in Manual mode and therefore gives me a whole lot more control than other point-and-shoots. It also lets me shoot in RAW which is a good thing if you have some raw conversion software on your pc (PS Elements, CS3/4 and Lightroom are the main ones). There are many reason to shoot RAW, but I’ll let you all Google that if you feel so inclined.

I also use this camera as a video camera and have some brilliant video captures of the kids with enough resolution to show them clearly on a big screen tv.

If you’re looking for a point-and-shoot that is small enough to fit in your bag, but not too ‘plasticky’ with plenty of features and suitable for beginner to advanced users…then perhaps take a look at this camera or it’s newer version (the G10). It’s not entirely cheap, but the main point here is that it is small, yet highly effective.

I received a comment in a previous post regarding my other hobby…scrapbooking. Photography and scrapbooking really do go hand in hand and it was my love of paper-crafting that first drew me into the beautiful world of creative, candid photography.

To answer Mel’s question (thanks for you kind comment, by the way!), yes I do have another blog (http://donnawild.blogspot.com), but I tend to show most of my work through Aussie Scrapsource. AussieSS is one of Australia’s biggest and best scrapbooking wholesalers and I have been a member of their design team for a couple of years now. So checking the AussieSS blog will certainly keep you up-to-date with my scrapbooking creations as well as the work of our nation’s best scrapbookers. Seriously, the Aussie girls are amazing! Great photographers in their own right too. If you’re looking for some inspiration or something to do with the kids these holidays…give scrapbooking a try. You’ll love it.

Mel also mentioned my magazine work for Universal Magazines. For about 3 years I’ve contributed to Scrapbook Creations magazine and have had a regular photography feature. Some of my local clients have featured in these articles so you may see some familiar faces. However, due to the growth of my photography business I recently resigned from the Universal team & next month will be my last issue. I will continue to create for Aussie Scrap Source however.

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. And from Wild Creative Photography, ME & my family…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Donna xx

Mt Gambier Scrapbooking stores:
{PaperStash} – http://paperstash.blogspot.com/ (these guys stock AussieSS products so you can use the Aussie blog for inspiration and use some of the techniques highlighted)
Fidlers – http://www.yellowpages.com.au/bi/fidlers-shopping-centre-mt-gambier-sa-4290607.html