Akesson PhotoBlog

Today marks a significant milestone in the life of some great friends of ours. 10 or 12 years ago they played a big part in helping me to keep a right perspective during a difficult period when pastoring a local church. So to celebrate Heather and I went out with them to a fabulous lunch at the Trigg Island cafe. Beautiful day with an early sea breeze and the blue green ocean waves gently rolling in. Is it any wonder why Perth is one of the magical cities in the world to live!

Of course to record the day a pic of Carol & Brian with ocean breeze cooling us down.

And a quick portrait at home for posterity and future generations!

Promised some different pics of the handsome lil baby boy - here they are in classic BW tones. At this age everything they do is a new adventure for the new parents. Even dads sigh when bubs sleeping, and sigh contentedly when they waken - as if it were some miracle taking place.  And mum’s cry when their precious baby looks as if he’s smiling.  All designed to deepen a parents love for their child. [maybe to prepare them for when their precious bundle changes a tad 13 or 14 years later Nonetheless the more one connects at these early stages the greater the love and connection. And that’s the way it is in so much of life. Parenting can be so fascinating.

It’s time.  And this is loooooong overdue.  Boaz has arrived.  He’s beautiful,…. we can say that about a boy when he’s this young. That’s why the little swirls around the pics. He’s a baby for goodness sake.  Just 4 weeks old in these pics.
But let me tell you this.  Even though he is tiny now; even though his feet are about the size of dad’s big toe,…. you just wait till he grows.  He is going to be a very big boy!

OK. Two pics.  One has him sleeping.  All the photos plumb tuckered him out.  And the second is a collage of Boaz with his mum and dad.

We got heps of really great pics of him. Maybe in a day or two a couple of him in Black and White.

I gotta tell you. And it might come as a surprise to some.  But 5 kids and 14 grandkids have just got to start somewhere.  Don’t go looking under rocks or cabbage patches.  No point blaming someone else.  The  Harold Holt government of 41 years ago wasn’t the cause.  It was these two.

And I’ve got to tell you they were really keen to help ensure the long photoshoot ran smoothly.  Why?  Because they love their kids & Grandkids and they know what memories are made of.   Great isn’t it!

During her family photoshoot I got really close for this and told her not to smile. Then tonight after putting the families proofs up on their gallery I decided to work on this,… cooling down the temperature and pushing out the skin tones to a very pale. Then put some brushes to work for the foliage and dandelions etc. Just enough to get the imagination flowing.

I’ve been working at this for a few months now. Whether it looks great or not depends very much on how creative the brain is when I start. I reckon I maybe should ask the child herself to let her mind imagine things in the park. Then I could add that sort of brushwork to the pic as she has seen it.

Nonetheless it is all in the eye of the beholder. Will her mum like it???? Who knows at this stage. I’ll find out eventually. Hope she does. I think it would look great as a 16×24inch canvas on her bedroom wall.

Another of the couples - this pair have a gorgeous little boy who is close to a year old;… just before he gets that total independence from being able to walk. They make an absolutely delightful couple. And for good measure it turned out that it was her birthday. So happy birthday and I was really pleased to have taken her birthday photos for her.

After the last post about my marathon “family” shoot I said some pics of the various couples would be were coming. OK,… Here’s one that were clearly not afraid to trust me as I put them out on the edge of the rocks for their pics. Couldn’t have been all that comfortable there but they took it in their stride, relaxed and got real close and personal.

I really would have liked to have spent more time with each couple but with 26 people and a million combinations it’s not always possible in the one session. Nonetheless I think they come across pretty personable. In fact the whole family were great as we worked to get relaxed/relational pics in very contrasty conditions (it is summer in sunny West Australia after all).

and I really love the shots I was getting here…

Ok let’s be upfront,… I have 5 sisters and 1 brother.  But we live in an era when it is not as common as once to have larger families.  Once upon a time there was a terminology that talked about having a quiver full.  Often wondered how many makes up a full quiver?

But hat’s off to this family - they all seem to get on really great.  Certainly they  all connected fabulously during the photos. Well I suppose you would when you have 14 kids between them,… and probably still going.  Thing is the grandparent’s were extremely popular with the grandchildren.  Now that does say something.  Relational.  That’s what it is.  Gotta have it.

Be that as it may, this extended family shoot has been fascinating to process up. Tonight I took a bit of a break and did up two pics - the guys and the girls.  In a day or so I’ll do them with their respective partners.

Some years just seem to fade into the rear vision mirror and yet others remain vibrant and alive in the memory bank for eons. Theres a multitude of good and bad reasons for that.  For me 2007 will remain as one of new beginnings.  And 2008? Don’t we always look forward to the freshness that a new year seems to bring.  I wish you well for this New Year ahead and hope that will be blessed with fabulous lifelong memories by the time it ends.

Today’s pic was taken on Saturday 29th of December. Huge 26 strong extended family shoot over 5 hours and untold photos taken.  This little guy was a bit tired at this point but fluctuated with laughter and tears.  He plonked himself down on the grass and just looked around at all that was going on.  He wasn’t looking a me, but way past the camera.

He probably won’t remember anything of 2008 - it’s only his second year.  But through it he will laugh and cry and be happy and be sad.  But often he will do what he did when I took this pic - just look and take in all that is.  And it will create an imagining that children do so well.  May I should hope that each of us take the time to do exactly that in 2008 also.

Do you see what I see