Miles

Dear Miles,

Thank you so so very much for the worm you brought me this morning while I was having my breakfast. It was very considerate of you to put it onto a plate. I especially liked it when you dangled it exceptionally close to my nose. That was the best bit.

Love Mum




* Meaghan

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Before and after

It's been rainy. So rainy. No chance to get outside and take any photos, so instead I thought I'd show the before and after of one of my photos from Allison and Hayden's recent photo shoot.

I knew as soon as the shutter closed down over this photo that I loved it. Allison and Hayden were walking away from me, and I called Allison's name. She looked up and gave me this super sweet half smile. The smile combined with the dreamy light, and I knew I had it. ( I especially love the way the sun is landing gently on her hair)

BEFORE

1/640 f2.8 iso200 80-200mm



Not much to do in photoshop as all the strong elements of the photos are already there. Photoshop for me is not about changing a photo so much that it becomes unrecognisable. Nor is it about trying to save an average photo. It's about enhancing what is already there in the photo. So I used the levels to clean the haze up a bit, added some contrast, bumped the colours a bit. And I think I even warmed it up just a smidge. A smidge of a smidge.

AFTER



And that's it!

* Meaghan

ROCK WHAT YOU'VE GOT photography workshop
Sept 26th 2010
Limited places!

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Uncanny (?)

From the moment Miles and Ryan were born I've had to listen to everyone commenting on how much they look like Amba. Amba all over, but with my eyes. But really, just like Amba. "It's uncanny how much they look like him," people would say at various stages throughout the children's lives. I don't really mind, probably better off looking like him then me, let's be honest about it.

But now, thanks to my mum, I can prove that for a fleeting second one of the boys looked exactly like (a then month old) me. She found these two photos that show a striking resemblence between Ryan and I when I was a baby. The likeness becomes more apparent if you squint your eyes, tilt your head to the left and pull on your ear three times.

A roly-poly me.



And a roly-poly Ryan.



The likeness is uncanny, right?

* Meaghan

ps - thanks for all the birthday messages on my last blog post. I'm certainly buoyed by the general consensus that I am indeed fun after all.

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My birthday

My fingers are currently gliding over my brand spanking new keyboard as I write this. Talk about a hit birthday present. Amba has quickly realised that a technology related present for any occasion will always set my world on fire. And a shiny, sleek keyboard is no exception. When I opened it this morning I think the neighbour's heard my shriek of delight.

I woke up to two little boys jumping on my bed, waving their home made cards around and asking if they could help me open my presents. A perfect way to kick off a birthday. In the past I've put way too much emphasis on my birthday (it's all about me, right?), and made a pact with myself just to let this birthday wash over me.


[Photos circa 2003]

It's my birthday and I'm naturally going to do the expected naval gazing. It's birthdays, not New Year's Eve, that I end up spending way too much time thinking about the year's that been, what have I done with my life, and where in the heck am I headed. Usually I make promises to myself that the following year of my life will be better, that I'll try harder, that I'll eat less chocolate.

And I wish I could say that this year was different, and I'm instead eating pizza in front of the tellie, but no, I'm getting all introspective.

I find myself thinking about what I was like when these photos were taken. Pre kids, pre photography, pre 'serious' life. I remember being fun. I laughed a lot, and loudly. And often inappropriately. I read books, went to gigs, drank too much beer, lingered over meals, got teary in movies, wore outrageous clothes, loved with overwhelming passion. I liked that me, very much.

Looking at these I realise just how much I've changed. (Okay, so the one below I just look like I've been, well, you know). I'm not that girl anymore, and that's really regrettable. It's not just my circumstances that have changed, but that I've let those circumstances change who I am. I'm not fun any more. I'm all work and no play. For some reason I equated having children and running a business with having to assume some sort of boring persona. I've managed to get myself so caught up in what I thought I should be doing, and have totally forgotten what it is that I actually love doing.



So the plan for my 29th year of life is to get more of that me back. To stop letting schedules, and balanced meals, and keeping appearances overtake me. To do more of the things that I love, to invest time in the people that I love doing them with. To wear stupid hats at the pub for my friend's entertainment.



Look out, here comes the old Meaghan. (I'm totally starting with a new hair cut. My hair used to be so cute, and now it's so mumsy!)

* Meaghan

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