blessed...

recently i've had the opportunity to share my story with a local newspaper regarding living life with autism. for those new to me and my blog i have 4 older kids and 3 of them have autism amongst other disorders and life here at times can be full on.

however and sorry if i offend anyone by mentioning this, life isn't always about autism. before anyone gets upset let me explain my thoughts behind why life isn't always about autism. as a family we have been through hell and back with our kids...no support, no help and when it was in it was rather unproductive, caused more harm then good and we asked of what little support we had to stop and no longer step in believing they could change our world in an instant when all they were doing was creating a mess. now if your still with me reading thank you....i'll continue.

we've had service providers and agencies in our home over the past 3 or so years (not for all that time but about 10/12 months on and off maybe) trying to offer the help and support a family needed but they weren't able to deliver the small things our family needed to move on and move forward and they cause a great deal of difficulty because many of the workers really didn't get it at all. it cause more distress, anxiety and harm to our kids and therefore us so we let them all go and told them to stop. now we still deal with the medical profession because they do actually know what they are doing but that's it...nothing more and we are able to breathe because of it.

as some of you may be aware we also deal with other disabilities/disorders whatever you wish to call them and i'm talking about depression, anxiety disorders and best's vitelliform dystrophy!

best's vitelliform dystrophy is not connected, linked or associated with autism in anyway like some people have thought it too be so and have told me that it is. it can't possibly be so.

best's vitelliform is a rarer genetic eye disease allowing for progressive blindness and there is no cure. my husband has it, both steph and isaac have it and steph and isaac have autism as well. but today we're talking the eye disease. they are both case studies, their eyes are famous here at least in australia with one paper already written about their eyes and the condition and the intervention needed. apparently a 2nd paper has been started and they are constantly monitored. now i'm not going into the nitty gritty of their eye sight because it's just far too difficult but what my kids deal with aside from the best's vitelliform dystrophy is torn retinas, leaking fluid and bleeds to the back of the eyes and what the specialists are not sure if all of the conditions are linked or whether they are completely separate conditions...thus and therefore the written work, case study papers etc etc.

so sometimes for our family it isn't always about autism...sometimes there are other major issues going on that can't be controlled and when you know that it's a matter of when and not if...that your kids are going to loose their sight then that to us as parents and family...is major.

let me tell you why else it's not always about autism...through my business chris turnbull photography, i've been supporting a gorgeous little girl by the name of ruby. i'm not the only one but ruby has touched the hearts of many of us as she has cystic fibrosis. ruby now needs a nebuliser and all the treatment that goes with that twice a day and for the rest of her life. i've had the opportunity to help ruby before by donating to an auction supporting and raising funds for cystic fibrosis and i'm helping and supporting again but this time to raise the much needed funds to purchase a new nebuliser for a little girl that needs it. they cost too much for any family to be able to purchase so i'm helping in a small way but still able to provide. you can read more about ruby's story here and here

there are families out there that have children with disorders and disabilities everywhere...their child doesn't have an autism spectrum disorder but they do have a serious life long illness or disability that they need support with as well. not every child or teenager or adult with a disability is funded...total misconception there. not every family dealing with these issues are able to purchase the items needed for their child no matter how life threatening their condition is.

the more and more i venture into the world of all abilities the more and more i have realised that just like me... a parent with a child or 2 or 3 with disorders or disabilities isn't funded...there are so many more families out there in the same situation and this breaks my heart to think that the aides and or tools one needs is usually left up to the parents to raise the funds for. i hear and read heartbreaking story after story galore. i know the families that have had to sell their family home to pay for the medical expenses, equipment, tools and aides for their loved ones. i know the families that have to pawn another precious item to make ends meet because their child needs another prescription filled or assessment done. i know the families where parents can no longer work or have had to take long term leave to help raise their child/ren because it takes 2 parents to support and look after. i've spoken to many face to face or over the phone or through email...this is their reality, this is the stuff the service providers or agencies may or may not know and this is stuff that the government has no idea about and even if they do they bury their heads in the sand!

i am blessed...i haven't lost a child although we have come close more times then i wish to reveal. we've dealt with crisis after crisis, medical expenses galore, financial hardship, lack of support and help in the areas we've needed it, mental and emotional strain and stress, we've dealt with situations that if you knew what they were it would break your heart as it has mine. but today is a good day...today my children are all here, safe, living life to the very best they can with all the support tim and i can give them.

today it isn't always about autism, today it is about cherishing life, no longer taking it for granted, supporting and helping others anyway we can and constantly finding inspiration all around us. we have gone without and we have sacrificed so much but today it's about moving forward and moving on and finding a place in our heart and soul for others because we all need to refocus and reprioritise and give a little to help alot.

chris xxx

if you can support this anyway you can little ruby roo and her family would truly be grateful ♥

lace crowns and tiara's...

what's a lace crown without a tiara? of course you can't have one without the other so i'm creating both. call them a lace crown, call them a tiara however they are pretty unique and i just love creating <------ there i go using that word again 'creating', them all. the images i upload are of individual crowns/tiara's and no two are really the same. each one is customised, created uniquely and are made to order. 

if you're looking for something unique as a gift, child's birthday, wedding, christening, other event, part of a collection or as a photography prop....you can't go past one of these. just remember they are not intended as toys and as much as i put a little love and uniqueness into each one...they are special.

i have a couple new ones on the go...as i'm typing this blog post they are indeed drying, different lace, different colours with more too come. at the moment the sizes are usually 8" and or 11" circumference however any size is possible, any colour is possible but remember my take on all things creativity may be a little different to yours but definitely by working together achievable.

here are the latest images.

head on over to chris turnbull photography's facebook page here to view them in the album here and to place an order email me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com

chris xxx

bendigo special needs photographer...

for those that may not know i am an on location natural light photographer specialising in children and loved ones with special and additional needs such as autism spectrum disorders. however i also work with families and children who don't have any of these issues. recently a photography client of mine was asked if i did photo sessions for and of 'normal' families and of course the answer was yes i sure do much to the relief of the family that would like to book a session.

now before i go any further i have a special for the month of march which is pretty darn awesome so you'd best get in quick to book a session before all the time slots are filled up and you miss out.

$130 march madness deal includes:

• photographers time and talent
• pre session and custom editing of 15 full resolution digital images
• permission to print anywhere 
• a set of low res watermarked images for web
• up to 1.5 hours and 5 people
• $25 for each additional family member of friend

look below at the little ad i popped together and contact me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com or head on over to my website here and submit a contact form spots are already filling fast so before you miss out book a session.

now before i love ya and leave ya i thought i might share an image of my daughter steph below.

happy new year...

wow...i feel i've fallen off the planet in full when it comes to blogging. this is the longest stretch ever i have not posted a blog update and i look at the last time i did so back in october 2011 and realise in those few months how things have moved forward for my family and i in such a positive direction sometimes i need to pinch myself. i'm not dreaming this is real!!!

now let's see if i can catch all my followers up to speed with everything.

• grace got her p's and is so independent we rarely see her it feels
• our family is moving forward well and all is stable so because of this tim is able to go back to work full time and has
• tim started back to work full time after a nine year spell helping me raise our 4 kids - 3 with autism, other disorders, our 2 youngest asd kids also visually impaired and losing their sight to a rare genetic disorder called Best's Vitelliform Dystrophy
• grace was accepted for her diploma of nursing and cert iv in disability and has chosen to do the cert iv in disability first then work her way up and through her diploma of nursing. grace starts her course next monday
• steph enrolled into yr 12 and will be doing her vce over a 2 yr period. pretty awesome seeing as it took all of 2011 with additional support to settle into a new school (bendigo senior is for yr 11 and 12) and a completely new everything
• isaac is managing so much better and we did actually enrol him into homeschooling and he was accepted. however now that tim is back at work full time and was isaac's mentor and tutor we may have to leave that option and just wait till he is older for another school option as a mature aged student
• the 1st case study and notes on steph and isaac and their eyes and treatment has been published and we have a copy. apparently they are still case studies and a 2nd paper is being written
• lance bought his 1st car - a vt holden commodore and is very quickly becoming mr.independent
• my photography is now a business with the name chris turnbull photography registered and my abn being reinstated
• service providers and agencies throughout victoria have either heard of me or have me listed in their own directories or both after families who have booked photo sessions with me (these are families that have children with autism and other additional and special needs) were so stoked with the entire process that they've let their early intervention workers know, teachers at playgroups, kinder, creche, school etc know, their autism advisor's from autism victoria (now trading as amaze) know , other specialists and the list just goes on and on and on. all impressed and all excited to let families and others know about chris turnbull photography and i am completely overwhelmed by it all

i think that may just do it for the 1st post of 2012 so until next blog update and i will make sure it won't be so long inbetween...take care. hugs chris xoxo

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

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

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

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