it's been a very long time...

it has been a very long time since using this blog to post about life, love and all things i tend to ramble on about. i decided to stop using this blog sometime ago last year and start one on a photography website however things have changed for me and i'm going to start afresh with this blog and update as often as i can.

so sit back and enjoy...

a lot has happened in the last 18 months or so and in fact life has been quite a roller coaster. kids are growing up and our youngest is now 18, and we've suffered great loss in our family and are still very much dealing with all that comes with loss and grief.

may 29th 2012 on my 45th birthday my dear sweet grandmother passed away from complications with bronchial pneumonia and as you can well imagine...that was quite a difficult time.

november 29th 2012, we lost our first grandchild through miscarriage which impacted on all of us including my dear sweet girl steph. that was an emotional time for all and ainsley raye will be forever in our hearts and forever part of our lives.

january 20th 2013, my nephew jason parsell passed away after suffering a short but hard battle with terminal cancer. this shocked us all as you can imagine. jason was only 25 years of age, the twin brother to matthew, brother to tony and rebecca, much loved uncle, son, partner and father to little madison.

tim and i separated after being together for 28 years and married for 27. this was not a mutual agreement as tim moved out of the marital home and life has been very difficult for the kids and i since this all took place. i won't go into details here as i don't wish to publicise what has taken place or the reasons behind but as i know people ask, it is easier to post a little something on my relationship status and where life has taken us over the past 18 months. i must say the shock of our marriage break up hit hard and we are still very much in recovery mode...which like any loss will take time to stand on solid ground once more.

life sure has a funny and odd way of throwing situations your way that you never ever thought were possible but here we are october 2013 and life has certainly thrown some pretty doozy curve balls our way. we may not always handle change the way we would like...some things are pretty intense but still with love and support we do the best we can to manage and handle the impact and all we can do is work out how to move forward and how to deal with some of the most challenging situations set right before us.

i thought i would also start uploading my photography images to this blog now too...there are plenty of them and it's kinda nice to have a new place, even if it has been rehashed, to proudly show my work.

anyway tonight is a short but fairly heavy post so keep coming back and enjoy the posts. i can't guarantee that i'll post every day, however, i hope to blog a couple of times a week at least.

i'll leave you with a quote i put together a little while ago when things were pretty tough...we could all do with being reminded about this...take care, chris xxx

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

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

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