Christmas comes early.

I'm wrapping Christmas presents while watching new episodes of Gossip Girl (Christmas is the time for indulgences right?), and I'm starting to get excited about Friday. Yes, Friday, Christmas day. We're faking Christmas a day early in my house because we're heading off on our holiday on Christmas day. What?! Like you wouldn't do it if you had two children who are yet to know what day it is if it meant you go on a tremendous holiday. I've even altered our advent calendar to end a day early. I'm just that sneaky.

(My parents switched my birthday on me one year. We were moving towns on the day of my actual birthday. So we celebrated it the week before. More convenient, apparently. So I just consider my little switcheroo balancing out the world.)

Changing the date doesn't bother me, as the meaning will still the same. Spending time with the family, eating good food, watching the children play with their gifts. Sure, it'll be a day early, but it'll still very much be Christmas.



Have a splendid Christmas all you lovelies. Make sure you rattle the presents under the tree. After all, we never actually really want to wait until Christmas anyway.

See you next year!

* Meaghan


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Sweetheart Session - Ashley and Richard [Melbourne, VIC]

Over a cup of tea, I asked something difficult of Ashley and Richard - I asked them to be themselves while I took their photograph. It's no easy feat. I know I'm guilty of over smiling, generally over doing it myself. So I knew I was putting ahead of Ashley and Richard no simple task.

But Ashley and Richard looked relieved when I asked them to be themselves. I'd inadvertently taken the pressure off them, the pressure to be some idea of perfect, and instead allowed them to relax and enjoy spending some time together. They chatted freely, laughed loudly, loved warmly.









For a fleeting moment, Ashley looked exactly like Rose Byrne.

















My heart melted when I pressed the shutter on these next two photographs. I asked Ashley and Richard to show me their love, and they really really did.









I can hardly wait the 29 days until Ashley and Richard's wedding. It's going to be, well, there's no other way to put it - it's going to be beautiful.



* Meaghan

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Bent family [Geelong, VIC]

I wasn't going to post another shoot this year, but I had this one up my little sleeve and really wanted to share it. How could I not? Afterall, I'm always the child who peeks at her Christmas presents under the tree.

I've gotten to know Lauren and Ashley over the last few years. As with all good friendships, they begin in unusual ways. Ashely sold me my camera. He handed me my new baby and our friendship was set in stone. Ashely said to me once 'you should meet my sister. She's into photography too.' So I met Lauren. We became firm friends faster than you can say 'what camera do you shoot with?'

And now I've I've collected the whole family set.











Ashley and Lauren have made it cool to love your mum. And when you've got a mum as abundantly wonderful as Margi, you'd love her to the hill tops too.













Meaghan, for goodness sake, hold your bleepin' camera straight!



Much better.

And you know what, sometimes a photo where everyone is standing together looking at the camera and smiling isn't overdone and boring. Sometimes, it's just plain perfect.



* Meaghan

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2010 - A year in review

I was chatting late at night to my friend on the phone. 'Late at night' really is the best time for phone conversations that meander and wander, and sometimes stray into that murky deep and meaningful area. And this was one of those murky conversations. I commented that 2010 had been a good year. A solid year, I think perhaps was how I phrased it. 2010 has been completely void of drama. No catastrophes, no feeling like I was wadding through spaghetti. It cruised along, it had highlights and there are no glaringly obvious lowlights that spring to mind (except when I was sprung polishing off a tub of Nutella in the pantry, with the evidence all over my face Augustus Gloop style.

I've pulled together some of my photographs from the past year. They are ones that I like, for any number of reasons. It could be because the photo is pure love, or because two seconds after taking it I fell over my own camera bag. There's also a few photos of Miles and Ryan thrown in for good measure (mainly so I can see how much, or how little in Ryan's case, their hair has grown). There were so many more I could have chosen, so so many more.

The Boutique is closing for the break on Friday. I'm shutting the doors to my office and taking a few quick steps backwards as I retreat down the hallway.

For now though, here's to 2010. Thanks to everyone of you who has visited the blog over the year. Your support has not gone unnoticed, and I appreciate it ten fold.













































































































And to all of you who I've had the honour of photographing, a thousand thank yous. It's you guys who have made my year so incredible.

* Meaghan


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