Interruption to programming

All roads have lead to this path. I'm moving. We're moving. The house is packed with boxes. Our possessions all sit stacked together quietly, waiting until we load them onto the truck and take them to their new home.

And it's is a new home. A freshly baked, straight out of the packet, never been licked, home. Amba and I have spent the past few months building (well, watching builders building) a house. I know, very grown up of me. I also know that I said many many times that I'd rather spend 6 months in the south of France instead of owning a home. But the time was right. I felt like being grown up.



We don't move into the new place for a couple of weeks, but our lease ran out on our shoddy rental. Our less than sympathetic landlords wouldn't let us stay the extra time, so we're heading to an interim home. Our 'holiday home' as we've dubbed it. The holiday home over looks the bay in Portarlington. From the balcony I can see Melbourne twinkling at me in the hazy distance. We are ever so lucky to be given this house to stay in by our friends, and we're actually going to treat it like a holiday. Here's to sipping wine on the balcony, lingering over the crossword in the paper and eating fried meals off white paper on the beach.

While we are there though I'll have very limited internet access. Amba has already predicted that I'm going to complain very loudly about this, and his probably right. So if you happen to email me, you might have to wait a few days until I nick into a McDonalds and borrow their wifi to get a reply.



It also means I won't be tweeting or any of that other guff. It's time I turn off all the noise around me. These three weeks will be spent with the people in front of me, literally.

I'll still be shooting weddings during these weeks, and so will burst back onto my blog in a few weeks with lots of things for show and tell. These photos are of two take-your-breath-away weddings I shot over the weekend. I can't wait to show you more, but it's going to have to wait. I've got packing to do.

I'll miss you all. See in you in just a bit.

Meaghan x

A kid and his shadow

Miles has a complete and unending bond with Murphy.

He cries for her in the night. He feeds her his honeyed toast crusts daily. He climbs into her kennel and hugs her with all the strength his arms can muster. He laughs when she barks at strangers walking past our gate. He whispers to her, and makes her nod to show her understanding.

He races her amoungst the waves.

* Meaghan

Oh yes, it's Valentine's day, and I love it

Ahh, valentine's day. Here you are again. Come to wrap your big strong arms around us all in a communal showing of affection and love.

And with you too come the Valentine's day haters. The poo-pooers who delight in denouncing Valentine's day as commercial collateral. They proclaim that we shouldn't need a devoted day to tell those we are devoted too that we are exactly that.



But I say poo-poo to the haters, and bring on the delight of Valentine's day. What other emotion has a day dedicated to it, but love? There is no Sad Day, or Sufficiently Ambivalent day, or Quietly Despondent day. And rightly so. Love is the pick of the emotional bunch and deserves a day of its own.

What Valentine's day means to you is something else entirely. It can mean flowers, chocolates and a card with a bear on the front looking sheepish but secretly harbouring desires to rip your clothes off. Or it can be a home cooked meal of steak on a plate, no salad.

For Amba and I today it meant him dashing to the shop this morning to buy me fresh hot cross buns and the Sunday Age. And me buying him an iTrip because I'm sick of him borrowing mine. I drew a love heart on the wrapping paper.

It can even mean a phone call to your mum. Just to say hi. (Who said Valentine's day had to be about raunchy love?)

So happy Valentine's day to you all. Even if there was no 'special someone' remember that you are loved by many, so be sure to celebrate this. Just as Valentine's day reminds us to celebrate love.

* Meaghan

What I'm watching: Season 3 of Gossip Girl (I know, I know, but I really do love it, and it's a pro love day).
What I'm reading: How About Orange

Note: the photo above was taken by Nathan Vale. They're my stubby hands holding the pine cone.

Ooo baby I love your way

Please excuse my inexcusable reference to Peter Frampton's unforgivable song, but those lyrics kept running through my head when I was photographing Taj.

He had a way. He just had a way.






I photographed Olivia when she was pregnant, and she had a way about her too. I can see it in Taj. There's a presence about them.









Olivia was much like me before Taj was born. Worried about how she would handle it? Would she be maternal enough? Having a baby is a huge unknown, the the worries are very real.



Now that Taj has arrived, Olivia is proving her worries to be baseless. She's a natural mother. A natural, doting, glowing mother. She's even taken him on a plane already. Talk about a duck to water.









This kid is dynamite. A gentle bundle of dynamite. It was a privilege to be able to photograph him, and have him reach out and touch my camera.



* Meaghan

Just Miles

Just as he is.



* Meaghan

What I'm reading: Dead Europe by Christos Tsiolkas

The Beer family

I've decided that I love photographing families. I love watching parents interact with their children, watching children interact with the world.

I used to think photographing families was too hard. Chasing littlies around is so tiring. But the more I do it, the more I love it. It's the chance to see how each and every family is unique in everything they do.

The wonderful Beer family helped me realise my love for capturing families.



I spent a golden afternoon with Jess, Steve and Liam. Jess and Steve are so warm, so open. They sweetness and love they show to Liam is inspiring.



Oh my oh my Liam is cute!



This photo cracks.me.up. Why is it that all little kids love to give the biggest, sloppiest, kisses?



Liam is fast. Like all toddlers, he moved quick, laughed loudly and ran me ragged. It was exhilarating because he let me into his world and let me laugh along with him.





I've known Steve and Jess for forever and a day. It made my heart glow to see them with their little boy, and to see them so darn happy. It really was a golden afternoon.



* Meaghan

Big kid (with teddy in tow)

Miles took his first step into formal education this week. It was his first day of three year old kindergarten. We packed his lunch, put his name on everything with black marker, and held his hand as he stepped through the door.



He walked straight in a hugged the teacher. Got to love that kid.

I know it's not the same as the first day of school. But to me, even going to kinder is big. Mainly because I never got to this stage in my head. During my pregnancy I though a lot about baby world, and even thought a lot about what it would be like when the baby grew up and finished school. But I didn't think the years in between.

So it kind of hit me hard when I dropped him off at kinder. It wasn't that I was teary or upset. I was more 'wow, this kid is growing up'.

Miles (and I!) couldnot be any more ready for this next step.

* Meaghan

What I'm reading: For good schools, forget the net, try the toilets by John Marsden in today's The Age. I'm currently researching schools for Miles and Ryan. I take their education extremely seriously. I won't just send them to a school because it's the closest to my house. This article articulates what I feel about education is so important. I've cut it out and stuck it on the fridge, it's that good.
What I'm watching: Whip It Ellen Page, you had me at 'Let's skate

The Carroll family

Let's start this photo session with a group hug.



You've already met the Carroll family. I've written lovingly about them here and here. These people are sunshine in my life.



Quinn is growing out of baby stage. He and Eva are starting to form their solid friendship bonds. Eva chats to him, sings to him, shows him the actions to songs. Quinn looks at her adoringly.





Oh Eva, you really are going to change the world some day.







Quinn is wearing his daddy's shirt. It was Nick's when he was a bub. There's a photo of Nick wearing it when he was just a it older than Quinn. The similarities in the way they look is remarkable.







Sarah gets me. She's the one I send text messages to when the kids are pushing my limits (and are usually being too loud for me to be able to talk on the phone). She never says to me that they're just kids being kids. She knows that wouldn't help me. Instead she listens, sympathises in all the right places, and helps my find laugher in the madness.







I love this moment between Eva and Sarah so much it kinda hurts in my chest.





My love to you all. Even though I'm far away, I think of you often. Kiss the kids for me.



* Meaghan