blogger issues...

so it would appear that blogger, google+ and picassa are having issues that for some time have not been resolved. i know i'm not alone here when i say that many images uploaded to our blogs have completely disappeared and left behind is an ugly black box with an exclamation mark. blogger is aware of this issue and apparently so are the other 2 and going into forums and doing a little research it seems to coincide with google+ being rolled out. 

so i'm not alone and my blog is looking worse for wear and so are many other blogs right across the globe. a fix!!! not as yet and there may not be one as the images seem to be lost. i have been blogging for a lot of years and alot of my images although not all are gone. so i'm not sure what to do about it except keep looking into it, how do you go through years of images uploaded and try and replace them.

it's actually very disappointing and quite dishearting to say the least. all those precious images are gone and i started this blog in 2006. so please excuse the uglyness and all i can hope for is that the latest blog updates complete with images are left alone. so i will apologise to all of you that come my way for all those ugly boxes where an image should be and isn't. i will also have to put in a complaint to blogger and see what comes from it if anything.

until then i will leave you with these images my latest collection you can find on facebook here. they are for sale for anyone interested in purchasing them. i am only doing australian residents only however if you are from overseas and wish to order i can find out how much they may cost to ship.

if your interested in ordering please contact me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com.

 

short and sweet and until next time, ciao and hugs xoxo

school holidays...

yes the school holidays are on us once again and today is our 1st week and 2nd day. i will be the first to admit i love school holidays and spending much needed time with my kids and hubby and so we are. today lance went fishing with a mate and caught 5 fishies, none came home as both guys just like to fish, catch and then let them go which is wonderful. grace obviously went shopping...lol online because i get a knock at the door with the postie bearing gifts...just not for me and totally had no idea what or where they were from of course until i saw the name...yup grace turnbull not anyone else...the joys of a teen with no responsibilities hey!!! steph slept in...till late and think rose sometime this arvo lol then complained about being bored, washed grace's car and tim, grace, steph and isaac all went for a drive leaving me here at home almost by myself (lance was in his unit) and loved every moment of bliss! then of course isaac, online gaming, played with our dog cora and of course went for a drive.

i managed to sort through our lounge and organise a little of the decor as we haven;t had a chance to do that since we painted. however i was restless today and realised just how much i really can multi task...lol uploaded an album on my facebook page with prints for sale so we'll see how that goes over time as i add more images from my personal gallery. i would love for you to take a sticky and check them out and please if you or anyone else you know may be interested in purchasing then let me know and you can do that by messaging me on facebook, leaving a message under the print/s you're after or email me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com

our vegie area is coming along really well and we will end up with 3...yep!!! one is the compost area, the enclosed area where i am growing the actual vegies and of course tim is yet to create a new pumpkin and spud patch...all 3 need to be cora lee turnbull doggie proof. man that dog is happy creating a mess...we're use to it and will be very grateful when she grows up a little...she's 18 months or so now and there's still a little while before she's out of the puppy stage.

c.j our 13 yr old staffy is still bravely plodding along but we need to seriously look at being kind and put her down. cushings disease is nasty and she's at the end of it but she is not doing so well at all. all 3 cats are still cheeky and mischievous....oh wait is that the kids...all 4 of them....hummmmmm anyway yes all 3 cats bluey (real name is little puss), tilly and mini (real name apparently is winree - however winree is spelt) and talk about them being in charge....my goodness do they rule the house.

although there are no booked photo sessions at the moment i am hoping to get out and about downtown and take some random shots of bendigo. i've been wanting to do that for awhile but with time, commitments and being sick for the past week or more...hasn't been possible. so i'm making sure it is over these school holidays.

before i finish up i thought i would post some images from 2 more recent photo shoots. enjoy!

the images above are carefully edited and fully customised for my families. each family when they book a session with me and then order their prints have the option of a one off image like the above. remember if you would like to book in a photo session...contact me. ciao and hugs, chris xoxo

starting out...

3 months ago due to demand i started chris turnbull photography. offering quality and affordable photo sessions for families and of course children. specialising in those that have additional and special needs such a autism spectrum disorders. i thought i might take some time out and reflect on how things are and of course blog about it. 

i can't believe that 3 months have come and gone in what feels like a very short time and we're heading ever closer to christmas. i come at my photography probably very differently to many others in the 'business'. as a mum of 4 teens - 3 of my own kids have autism, they also have other disorders and the 2 youngest are visually impaired with a progressive blind disease that is incurable and basically means they will lose their sight. it's not a question of if but when!!!

believing that we need to document the negative/challenging/difficult along with the positive/inspirational/easier parts of our journey in life is partly how i approach photography. posed or unposed...i prefer the natural look, the natural environment, the unposed look to that of a child or adult for that matter. the other approach i have is that our lives are a journey we are on, documenting that journey both good and bad and everything inbetween is incredibly important...once again part of my approach to what i bring to photography.

it is not only important to me as a person, wife, mum, carer and photographer to give others the same opportunity to document their journey and be part of that in some way but it needs to be with compassion, understanding, acceptance and acknowledgement that whether you have a child or not with additional or special needs, whether or not you have loved ones with additional or special needs and whether or not you are indeed that wonderful person who has additional or special needs...you are important, your child is important, your loved one is important and you are all valuable human beings.

my own experiences over the years with different professionals, business people etc etc has been interesting. when asked whether they know or understand autism and they answer yes...you delve a little deeper and with a little hope you allow them into your own life giving them all the benefit of the doubt until your appointment or meeting and you realise they know nothing and you have put yourself and your child at risk.

i was determined i would not allow that to come my way again and more importantly i was determined my kids would not have to deal with that kind of attitude as much as possible within this society and culture we live in. i remember all too clearly the times my son would come away from a hairdressers appt after meeting with them and them clearly saying they would be able to look after him because they understood autism and would be able to work with and support him. i also remember the time this happened for the first time and on the way home from the appt my son threw himself out of our moving vehicle because that hairdresser did not get it right, did not understand, did not take into consideration that he had autism. i know, i was there and i knew it would end up in disaster...it almost did!

time and time again this happened with my kids...time and time again we soon learnt that unless that person had a child on the spectrum themselves...they really didn't understand...how could they!

too many times family after family would share their terrible experiences with me with the day to day challenges they faced for some of the most basic things that to the unknown...take us parents, our children and those around us sometimes months to plan, teach, support and help for our child to manage. the act or attitude of one person can make all the difference of whether it can be a success or not. far too many times it is the latter and far too many times the act or attitude or both with one person can bring undone years and years of hard work.

so getting back to the photography side of things...i offer a professional service with a personal touch. i enjoy every part of what i do and every process. it's early days yet and i gave myself 12 months, word of mouth is a great advertising resource and tool and so is facebook and all the social media that it allows. i don't just offer my services to families that have additional and special needs children and loved ones and in fact half of my clients are those that don't have these challenges. 

if you're after a quality yet affordable photo session and live in the bendigo or surrounding areas or a little further out as i am willing to travel, please contact me. you can do so by popping over to my website at www.christurnbullphotography.com or my facebook bus page at chris turnbull photography or email me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com.

until next we meet...ciao and hugs chris xoxo

life in the fast lane...

amazing how the title of a new blog post can hit you in an instant or leave you pondering and thinking what the heck to title your latest blog post with forever and a day. for me finding that just like facebook...blogger has changed things around a little in here as well all in the name of progress and making things 'simpler'! only thing is before the change i thought things were fine anyway...apparently not! anyhoo enough about updates, progress and simple things in life right? nope not really that's why we bloggers blog...to update, keep our followers up to date with out progress and as hard as we try...try to keep things simple in life because dang it...life is darn hectic as it is!

this week has been fruitful but exhausting, positive but exhausting, moving forward but exhausting and i've decided i need a secretary or better still perhaps a clone. although hubby thinks one of me is enough there are many days i might just agree with him but having 2 of me would be quite useful. the real one of me would do all the things i want to do and the other one of me would do all the things i don't want to do....clear as mud! i thought so!

so i just wanted to say this...on tuesday the 6th of this month (september 2011 for those that are a little unsure ;) ), hubby and i celebrated our silver wedding anniversary. yep we've been married 25 years would you believe and would you believe we've known each other since hubby was 11. that is awhole lot of years because we're both in our 40's i being a tad older then he and he being a tad younger then me. we have overcome obstacles like you wouldn't believe and i can tell you now most couples would have walked out, ended the relationship, separated, divorced and basically opted out with the things we've encountered, been dealt with, been accused of, had our names slandered all over the place, lied about...oh and don't get me started on the rest.

i'm not here to dwell on the negative although it would be easy enough to do, in fact without tim...i'd be nothing, lost, completely insane (i'm pretty much there now) and i don't even wanna think about life without him or the kids. there are times in life we must pick our battles, give priority to what's really important and choose to live according to our values and our beliefs and not particularly those of others. i'm eternally grateful for what i have. i'm forever thankful that god continues to watch over our family and his blessings are there daily. 

life is what we make it, there are obstacles to overcome no matter who we are, no matter where we're from. we come across the most wonderful people ever, some just passing, others who stay awhile and then there are those that are life time soul mates...tim is mine. love ya heaps!!!

hugs chris xoxo

life as we know it...

it has been a completely hectic and busy time for us here in the turnbull household and so too keep up sometimes i need to take a step back so i personally can continue. no i'm not really any super mom or wife or person, i'm just me doing the best i can within the limited confines and circumstances i find myself to be in. 

last time i blogged i was heading to the kids market central vic with my very first stall. how did i go? well for me it was about displaying my work...yes my photography in all it's art form and letting families know i'm out there. time will tell with how i have gone as i had a special for the day for those that came and took a flyer and booked in a session for the month of september and october. no bookings on the day and we're only just heading towards the start of september now. however it was truly wonderful to network with other businesses and feel the vibes of the day. there was certainly alot of interest in my work and both flyers and business cards went out the door.

this past saturday and sunday i worked...oh no i didn't work i played...lol yes i had 2 photo sessions. one photo session was a young boy out on their family farm just out of town (about 30 mins) and the other a local family i've now known for awhile. so i'm busy editing clients images as i blog (taking a break) and although the *sneak peek* for both families are now done and uploaded to my facebook page here at chris turnbull photography i'm yet to finish each gallery for previewing although working on it.

and with that thought in mind...i'll love ya and leave ya with a little glimpse into each photo session from the weekend.

photo session from saturday out on the family farm of young callum with his dog tess who gave birth to 14 puppies about 1.5 weeks ago with 1 dying and 13 healthy puppies doing well. of course one of the roosters from the farm was on show as well strutting his stuff.

little sneak peek of the family photo session from sunday. all brothers with 2 of them on the autism spectrum. top photo is young rhylan who has autism, middle photo is logan who is neurotypical and then the last photo is of bryson who has asperger's syndrome.

remember if you're looking for quality and affordable photo sessions and packages within the city of greater bendigo area (although will also now travel outside of town (within reason) for photo shoots) contact me. i can also (but not solely) cater and accommodate for families who have children and loved ones with additional and special needs such as autism spectrum disorders etc.

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hugs chris xoxo

kids market central vic...

excited...yes i am because i've booked my first stall at the kids market central vic for the 20th august. i'll be displaying some of my photos and offering a 'market day' special for those that book a photo session on the day. i've got my prints in order, ideas for display, business cards, banner is on it's way and flyers just need to be finalised. 

 

i'm hoping for plenty of folk to stop by and say hi and i'm hoping to meet some wonderful stall holders as well. not too many sleeps left and it's busy busy busy. so for local folk...spread the word and for those that are heading up to bendigo on the day, make sure you pop the kids market on your agenda and stop on by, there is going to be loads happening with about 90 stall holders and heaps of fun for the kids too.

 

anyhoo short and simple tonight, the weekend is here and it's been a really tough week for this family so i'm looking forward to the weekend spent recharging and pottering about home taking some much needed time out.

 

see you at the market, hugs chris xoxo

august...

wow can you believe today is the first day of august, first day of the last month of winter and it's almost spring...yes that season that is simply gorgeous us only one month away although the weather of late makes me think spring has possibly sprung a little early. blossom is already out, gorgeous wattle and it kinda smells like spring too. of course the obvious sign that spring has hit a little early is the fact that i've started spring cleaning and haven't quite worked out any other reason behind this weird and odd behaviour of mine...lol

anyhoo it's been quiet the past 3 weeks or so with photography...the weather (a negative when it comes to having on location photos taken) isn't the best for photo shoots and so as it starts to warm up i'm hoping that the bookings will also take off a little too. 

today is going to be a short and simple post in amongst everything else on my to do list this week. yes one of them was to blog and so here it is...my next post. can you believe that we have less then 5 months till christmas....scary as!!!! i'm hoping to be more organised this year then i was last year or even the year before. i love christmas with all it's trimmings i just dislike it when it creeps up so quickly and then announces to the world it's here way before i got a chance to realise it.

but i'm ready for it this year....very ready and this time i'm not letting it arrive unannounced...nope not this time ;)

ok well now that i've started talking christmas, probably secretly being told to hush up by my followers here's a recent photo. oh and pop on over and like my fb photog page....i'm on facebook here. share the love and spread the word and for all those local folk out there looking to have photos done contact me.

love my girl, love the look, love those huge brown eyes, love this image. hugs and ciao for now, chris xoxo

chris turnbull photography...

it's been awhile so i thought it was time to blog and this time i decided to blog a little about photography and more in particular about me and my photography. i wanted to share with fellow bloggers my passion that keeps me going, is my therapy, is my favourite all time thing...after the hub and kids of course and the fact that i ♥ it like crazy.

i have to admit i've always loved photography but i haven't always been a photographer, nope not at all. life and it's distractions certainly gave me priorities over interests, hobbies and such. over the years i've tried my hand at many hobbies, interests and likes and over the years i've come to realise that when i did all those projects...guess what was present at most of them apart from me? a camera, yes a camera to take photos of all those projects i've created year after year after year after year...amazing what you think about it.

now i'm not a smile, click, snap and print kinda photographer and let's face it not too many are and i'd be horrified if a photographer was. just like in the dark room days, images have been manipulated, tweaked and worked on to create those perfect images. in our time or the digital slr...the dark room is still just as important however it's in a different format and usually in the likes of a software such as photoshop.

recently i've stumbled across peoples comments on other photographers pages that have made me laugh and it's usually something along the lines of..."great photos must have a great camera to create those images"...and i laugh because although it's important to have a decent camera and let's face it even many of our point and shoots are, the person behind the camera is the one pretty darn good at what they do...ever heard the saying it's all in the eye of the beholder? this couldn't be more truer then that of any artist...in this case a photographer.

were picasso or monet great artists because of their tools and equipment? i don't think so, their talent came from within, they grew, studied, painted, learnt but their very talent came from within, the very heart and soul of who they were at the time and what they gave to the world. i'm sure their tools certainly had a place but it wasn't the tools that created those works of art, it was the artists themselves.

now before i finish up remember to check out my website chris turnbull photography it has images, info and all sorts of goodies on it. prices for photo sessions which are very affordable so if you after a photo session booking please contact me. don't forget that as a parent with teens that have additional and special needs myself, due to the fact 3 of them have autism amongst other disorders, i am also able to cater, help and support other families and individuals who find themselves in the same situation with photo shoots. it is possible with the right understanding, patience, support and acceptance. 

anyhoo i thought i would share the latest impromptu mini session with my gorgeous girl steph...

ok so there you have them...sit back and enjoy oh and a little bit about steph...she is 17 and has autism, suffers with extreme anxieties, depression and is visually impaired and is progressively losing her sight thanks to best's vitelliform dystrophy a rare genetic eye disease that kills the cells. along with her younger brother isaac who happens to have autism, adhd and best's vitelliform dystrophy too which hubby has as well both steph and isaac are famous...well their eyes are anyway, they are both case studies and papers are being written up about them and their eyes...yay my kids eye's are famous...lol, we find a sense of humour in all things. :)

till next time ciao hugs chris xoxo

midweek ramblings...

so i'm sitting here at my pc, complete with a nice hot cup of tea that the hub has just made me and a thought crossed my mind...yep it did really and truly...lol now don't get too excited but the thought was simply 'it's time to blog'!!! boring as right? 

but seriously it is time to blog and let you know we are indeed surviving the school holidays. YES!!! second week here already and being wednesday already the school holidays have been flat out with one thing or another. i even managed to stop all major appointments for this time so imagine how chaotic it would be if i hadn't.

the 1st week...well that was just busy running all over the place, catching up with things here and recharging but my goodness was it busy. this week i have to say i need to ask myself 'what day is it?' because it's just all become a bit of a blur.

we started working on the lounge room, it was time, something we wanted to do before the end of the year. yes it's time for a little make over. we have cathedral ceilings in the lounge, dining and kitchen with the rest of the house normal ceilings and normal height. although i painted our home about 12.5 yrs ago, things have changed and purely because my back and the nerves and discs that continue to bug me rather painfully whenever they feel like it now won't allow me to climb a ladder and even still (because i darn well tried) just not having enough height to get up high. so this is where the hub has come in. he has the job of painting the high ceilings and the rafters and he's started. tomorrow we get more ceiling paint and i am hoping that possibly by next week the ceiling and rafters are done...difficult part over. then onto the walls and then the floor and then the trims. i say next week because we just don't seem to get a break with being able to have a few days where we are not running around or dealing with something that needs to be done. if that were too happen then i'd say easy a full week or 2 and the lounge would be completely done. as it is it's done in dribs and drabs in between running errands and getting on with life as we know it.

i've put in a request to the painting fairies that we need to have the room done asap....it's just going to be a little slow because of the height of ceilings and of course the walls on the higher part. why? well as an on location natural light photographer i want to be able to offer more formal and posed sessions as an option and who wants to be out having their photo taken in the rain, wind and cold or in the heat of the day when it's something like 45 degrees celsius...not me. so by setting up a portable home studio this gives me and my clients both new and existing, the opportunity for more. i've already had interest so hub and i are busy giving our lounge a makeover. thankfully the lounge is a good size and the front door comes off it. we are able to close it off for photo sessions (which i am only having on certain days) and work it quite well.

i have my adjustable back drop system already and need to get creative with some back drops although the very typical but very good black and white backdrops will be available too. 

things are moving forward and more importantly in the right direction. for those local folk (and of course everyone else) that follow me on my blog here, my facebook page Chris Turnbull Photography and visit my website often...i would love for your support to continue on. this means the world to me in so many ways and i would love for you to spread the word. ♥

i recently ordered prints both for a photog client and to add to my portfolio as well... ordered thursday night quite late, they arrived first thing monday morning and talk about the wow factor. i cannot wait until my client receives her little package and although not all my clients have ordered prints due to them ordering discs...i took the liberty to order some of their prints to add to my portfolio and they are brilliant. something i am also eager to share with my clients and let them see how well they've turned out.

ok time to sign out and go busy myself with something else...until next time enjoy these pics taken just last weekend. :)

take care, ciao...chris xoxo

another post...

so soon?! yep because i wanted to share an image i've popped together for one of my families. i simply couldn't help myself. apart from the 'typical' custom edit images i carefully work on one at a time for all my photog clients, they also receive a 'one off' artistic and more creative special image to add to their collection. it can either be part of their package they order or as an 'extra'. so the previous post was one for the most gorgeous kayla and this one is for anthony, rachelle and nate. as i've been bursting at the seams to share...i simply couldn't resist the urge any longer and so here it is.

enjoy ♥♥♥ hugs chris xoxo

zoom...

yep that was the week that was...it's gone and i feel like i just blogged but according to my last update it was almost a week ago. my oh my this week has been very hectic but it's now saturday evening and i'm sitting here feeling rather restless in need of capturing my thoughts on paper (digitally of course) before heading to bed.

in a week lots can happen...and this week has been one of those weeks. mind you it's no different to any other week and it's no different for anyone else...what very busy and hectic lives we all live! do you ever stop to think about the era we live in? do you ever sit back and take a good hard look at what our society has become, how far we have progressed and yet feel extremely overwhelmed by it all.

the other day i was out in my garden with my dslr camera and panning...yes i was looking at life through the lens of my camera. not quite the same way i do when i take a photo, but literally choosing to see the world around me by looking at it through the lens of my camera and wow...talk about detail!!! i wasn't even taking photos...nope simply seeing life from a different angle, from a different 'viewpoint' and from a different perspective. it's an amazing world out there people...in every creative detail...it's incredible and it's purely wonderful.

i see life through my camera very differently, i capture that very essence and raw emotion in my images and create!!! something i enjoy right through the entire process. every image tells a story, every image is a memory - a moment caught and frozen in time, every image is pure and every image is raw.

that's it folks...short and sweet. oh and the photo above...love it...and kayla my model...totally gorgeous in every way ♥♥♥ hugs chris xoxo

monday in all it's glory...

or is it??? i have a love hate relationship with certain days of the week and then i have a love hate relationship with mondays...double whammy plus!!! this week i hate today which just so happens to coincide with the fact that it's monday and a very demanding one at that. demanding physically, both emotionally and mentally. why you ask?!!! challenges of a household full of teens, mood swings, hormone roller coaster and demands that under any 'normal' life as we know it is pretty full on...add kids that have disabilities and disorders on top of that and it just throws everything to a greater degree.

trying to juggle and balance life is tough enough...yep i hear ya all agreeing with me...trying to juggle and balance life with what we deal with as family is sometimes pretty darn overwhelming to say the least. but who am i kidding some days just plain and simply suck!!!

however in all the highs and lows of living life there is hope and inspiration and i dwell on those thoughts and ideas and it keeps me happy that no matter what we deserve more then the garbage thrown at us in life and taking back control is certainly something that is well worth every effort, every struggle and every obstacle that's waiting around the corner both good and not so.

a few years back i needed to see a psychiatrist for 12 months plus...he just happened to be one of the best all round and there were many things he taught me. one such thing stands out a mile...no matter how negative one is, no matter how negative all the information coming out verbally or documented is...end on a positive. i have held this close to my heart ever since.

some days particularly those days that are not as fabulous as we would like we need to find the positive within our circumstances no matter how tough one thinks they have it. my positives for today are this:

• our daughter steph is doing really well at present and that was relayed back to her psychologist in this mornings appointment. steph has come along way this year and has just started back to full time school as of last week.
• last night a neighbour of ours we've known for the past 9 years knocked on our door and after something like a 2 hour chat wanting to thank lance for who he is and how he has helped their 14 yr old daughter manage through some really tough times of recent was pretty remarkable. these guys see lance's difficulties but nevertheless he has been able to support another in need (and they say kids with autism don't have any empathy...lol yeh right!).
• i feel that our family is finally moving forward little by little in some areas of our lives. other areas are going to take a little more work, BUT for the first time in a long while i feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that we are finally seeing it. that light is called hope, faith, inspiration and love. no service provider and no disability agency can give us that...this is ours, ours to work with, ours to better ourselves with, ours to claim as our very own, but ours to use and inspire others as well.

we all need hope, we all need love, faith and to be inspired, no matter who we are, no matter how we see life, no matter how we belong. 

something else i'd like to leave you with is this...life throws us curve balls all the time, it's how we handle those curve balls and how we approach what may appear to be the impossible. sure there's a saying out there that says what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger which is very true however, let's take the negative part out of that and try a different slant...what comes our way and what makes us stronger, allows us to grow and develop and become better for it in such a way thought impossible.

hugs chris xoxo

freezing...

winter has well and truly hit, it's super freezing!!! the odd thing about it is the sun is shining and if it wasn't for the wind...it would be a gorgeous day. anyway i'm sitting at my computer, blogging while i take a break from 'working' or should that read 'playing' as i work on clients photos. i've just popped a little sneak peek up of the gorgeous family i worked with on sunday. their kids are just so gorgeous...very very very busy but still so very gorgeous.

hey did i mention i know have business cards....yep diddly diddly doo...i sure do and i ordered a couple of pens with chris turnbull photography as well which arrived today. they look great and write well...which is even more important. i like a good pen...in fact i like a great pen not only should it look good, but it should also write and flow well and be super comfortable to hold - yep that's just a pen.

although the preview is fairly blah the real cards look awesome and i have plenty of them.ok so my first 2 photo shoots went well over the weekend which was fairly exciting...i still am. oh and if any locals read this i have 2 photo sessions still available for this weekend (25th and 26th). while i still have the special on which finishes up at the end of the month and you can let me know. you can email me  christurnbullphotogaphy@gmail.com

well that's it for now break over and must get back to work. :) but before i leave ya here is a little *sneak peek* from sunday's photo shoot, enjoy!

i'm outta here now...hugs chris xoxo

moving forward...

as i sit and type this post i'm reminded of so many things that i never thought were possible. the biggest and most incredible one is that life is heading in the right direction!!!

for those of you who've been following me and my blog you'll understand how the past 12+ months have seen my family and i make some of the most difficult but courageous decisions we've ever had to face...let alone make. the journey has been far from easy however one thing stood out for me this weekend...i'm moving forward.

is that a selfish thing or is it beneficial for the entire family? the latter definitely!!! the opportunity to take up photography in the capacity and ability that has come my way has been incredible. this weekend my first 'official' photo sessions took place with 2 most gorgeous families and i was there to be a part of capturing and creating those memories.

my son lance has been quite excited for me that even yesterday he shook my hand and said congratulations mum on working (working yeh right...lol) and you all know lance...he may be almost 20 however he is only that in biological years. when he gets excited he starts rubbing both hands together, takes longer strides, has this ginormous grin and is a little louder then other times but he is heartfelt with it all.

my girls are quite excited and i tend to call on them (when they are able) to be my assistants...which i know they secretly enjoy to a point. of course my youngest isaac...although at times he doesn't speak alot he still communicates (is self mute intermittently for periods of time) and one day not so long ago he said...mum wouldn't it be awesome if you became the most famous photographer in the world?!!! <----- i took that as a huge compliment. although i may never be the most famous photographer in the world, what an awesome thing to hear from isaac.

some times you just need to take a bold step of faith...for me sometimes you just need to feel confident in yourself and i am grateful for all the support i have had over these past few months...amazing and i know this journey is only beginning but it's going to be wonderful!!!

so today...i'm moving forward, something i wasn't expecting and certainly not along the path i'm taking. something i feel quite overwhelmed with and truly humbled by. 

god truly is amazing!!!

just a wee sneak peek from yesterdays photo shoot. this is nate. nate belongs to anthony and rachelle. nate is 4 and nate has autism. nate is adorable ♥♥♥

until next bloggin' take care, hugs chris xoxo

short and sweet...

life is busy...nothing much is different there and it keeps me out of mischief that's for sure. my business cards arrived today...early...i'm not complaining because i was a tad worried that they were still in 'printing process' but nope they're here now. nice and simple which i like and of course works in with my nice and simple approach to all the forms a photographer needs to create and use and anything else. so nicely uniformed!!!

my first pre-session went well today and family photo shoot is set for saturday. my next pre-session is tomorrow with another family and their photo shoot is for sunday. this monday i did a small photo shoot with a young model kayla. she was wonderful to work with and with mum there close by a little less anxious as well.

i also managed several photos at the weekends chrysler car show that came too town and although there are a few photos to still go through the post processing...i can't wait to show them off. i already have one lot up on my website.

anyway a little sneak peek with mondays photo shoot and then i'm calling it a night. :)

 ok that's it from me...enjoy, hugs chris xoxo

simple post...

yep simple post today...although have loads to say...it's a wee bit busy and i just thought i'd take 5 minutes out and do a quick blog update.

it's a long weekend here and i'm enjoying every part of it. right now i'm in the middle of putting some photography welcome packages together for my clients as well as making some more custom handmade CD/DVD sleeves.

for those sharing this long weekend with me...enjoy it and enjoy it well. for me i'm hoping to head off tomorrow downtown as there's a car show on and take photos. then monday i have a photo shoot. so until we cross paths again enjoy the latest batch of photos...

ciao for now...hugs chris xoxo

slowly does it...

they say it's not always wise to jump into things full on and all in one hit...and i couldn't agree more. sometimes we need to take the bull by the horns so to speak and other times we need to move forward more slowly but certainly more surely. that's been my approach with my photography side of things ever since i purchased my very first dslr about 2.5 years ago and have loved learning and growing in all that time and for much of it purely as a hobby...my hobby...yep that passion of mine that seems to have taken a different journey (as mentioned in previous post) to where i ever expected. i'm overwhelmed but i am ever so grateful that there are people who believe in me, who are supporting and encouraging and who are quite proud of where my photography is heading.

yesterday i received another 2 phone calls in relation to my photography with people wanting to clear a spot on the calenders to fit me in. word apparently is spreading and i'm feeling the love...and i'm excited to say the least.

this week i've fine tuned and finished a whole heap of forms for clients...the general run of the mill paperwork that's needed for every photo session. so i'm pleased i have all that down pat. i'm also in awe of viewing some most gorgeous backdrops and floors from a company too far away in the US. i ♥ all there stuff and goodies. although i don't have a studio i am seriously looking into a possible 'mobile studio' and looking at a mobile backdrop system i can take easily on the road and of course props.....yep i realise i have some props already here at home just because i collect stuff...lol and slowly will build on a few good props so i can take them on the road. but that's the beauty of growth...i can do this overtime and not all at once.

ok so last but so not least...a photo or 2 to help chase the blues away seeing as winter has hit with a vengeance. i'm sitting here multi tasking with a heater under the desk keeping me nice and warm...lol...it's blooming freezing!

oh and btw for any locals reading this...i'm available for photo sessions now and am up and running. i have a special on this month...check out my website here for pricing and all that goes with that. the specials are for the month of june only and i do have a couple of spots left for photo sessions for sate 25th and sun 26th of this month. bookings have been filling fast so if you or anyone else you know is interested please contact me.

what's not to like about the above............................................................................................................

ciao and hugs, chris xoxo

chris turnbull photography...

it's official...i've just upgraded to my own domain and now christurnbullphotography is all mine. i feel like a kid in a candy shop...somewhat a little overwhelmed and somewhat a little excited!!!

for those of you who have been regularly following me and my blog, particularly of late, will know that slowly i'm developing and growing a little photography business within the city of greater bendigo...yep where i live. over the past 6 or so months i've had a number of families and individuals not only find out about my photography hobby but ask if i would offer photo sessions for families and children.

in the beginning i simply said no however they continued to ask and i found myself in a situation where an opportunity was right in front of me as plain as the nose on my face. the story goes a little something like this...2 months ago the bendigo advertiser contacted me as president of bendigo autism asperger group (BAAG) and asked it we would like to advertise in this years autism awareness feature for the month of april they were putting together. after taking it to the committee with everyone happy, the idea put forth and with a slightly different angle from previous years everything was in place. with this kind of full page advertising we get thrown into the price a newspaper photographer to come and take pics. photo shoot booked, few parents contacted, all permission given and everyone happy i kinda mentioned that i would also bring my camera and if i got time and parents were happy i'd randomly take photos and share them over facebook and have them printed.

what i wasn't counting on was the stories that really broke my heart and when a couple of parents spoke with me previously about the difficulties, i wasn't expecting more of the same. how many parents with cherubs with autism spectrum disorders and other challenges they faced simply did not have many photos of their kids because their kids didn't cope in a 'studio' environment, they weren't able to sit still for long enough or 'pose' for the camera and the stress and anxiety attached to that came at a cost...both financially and emotionally. photographers they had used in the past simply didn't get the difficulties these kids faced or the families so any attempt usually turned out as a fail. then to listen to others saying that even if they could manage they couldn't afford the price tag...something i personally relate to as a mum with kids on the spectrum and all the 'extra' medical expenses we face and often on a weekly basis. parents that felt guilty because they were able to have plenty of photos of their non asd kids...just weren't able to manage that with their asd kids because it was all far too hard. i get that...so with the support of these parents, the fact that so many have come to me and asked if i would consider offering photo packages and sessions...chris turnbull photography has taken a completely different path to what i could ever have imagined.

my first official photo shoot is scheduled for saturday june 18th and my next on sunday 19th already booked in as well. so although a little nervous i'm really looking forward to everything about this process. i purposely chose to start my bookings half way through june so i could fine tune things a little. although people know i'm just starting out things are moving forward well. as i find my feet, grow and develop with a passion and dedication to offer families in the city of greater bendigo area quality and affordable photography, it's really important to let families with special needs children know that there's someone out there that is able to offer services out there for them as well.

and with that i'll finish up...but before i go completely here's a couple of photo's...

oh i knew i forgot something...i'm filling photo sessions quickly with more already schedule for late in june and then july so if you or anyone you know are wanting to book in a photo session or would like more information please contact me...all info is on my website

w: christurnbullphotography.com
ciao, hugs chris xoxo