Jumping For Joy, that’s me. Well, no that’s not actually me jumping, that’s Bronte in the beautiful skirt she just received thanks to our friend Janine of Figments Photography in Perth. I am jumping for joy on the inside though, for a number of reasons.

Today we managed to get out of the house for basically the first time in a week. Poor Lucas has been hit with croup, then bronchitis, then in the last week a virus that according to the Doctor looks suspiciously like the measles . He has been a very unhappy little guy, and we have of course kept him home so he doesn’t share his virus around. This morning though, he woke up actually smiling. Not convinced he is all better yet, despite the rash being almost gone, i did decide some sunshine was in order and thought it was about time Bronte got to have some fun. The park sounded like such a good idea, but no, that didn’t seem right just yet. So Bronte suggested maybe we could go to the ‘dog park.’ Great idea! The dog park is a section of the local wetlands with a dog play area and dog exercise equipment, and at Midday Friday there wasn’t a person or a dog to be seen. Bronte got to run and climb wherever she wanted and Lucas slept the whole time. I got out of the house and came home with 2 smiling children. Joy all round!

The second reason i am jumping for joy is that I am back in business fulltime as of next Monday. The website is just about ready for release, Brian is taking over duties as Mr Mum for a while and i am ready to get back into it. I want to thank those of you who have been patiently waiting for proofs and prints the last few weeks. Looking after my unhappy, sick little man has delayed me just a little but I will be back up to date next week.

Look out for news regarding Christmas shoots and mini sessions, both in Melbourne and in some country areas. We are hitting the road for some shoots shortly. If you would like to book a session and you are not in Melbourne, please email with your location. Geelong, the Great Ocean Road, and Bairnsdale are definitely on the list, and I will be announcing dates and other locations soon.

And just to finish with for now, a funny little joke for you. Today Bronte found her little fishing chair and asked if we could go fishing soon. I said we could, and she replied, ‘Oh good, i like fishing, Do you know what fishing is Mummy? It is when you go sit at the river and feed the fish.’ It is usually like that i admit

Take care!

Despite the best efforts of the airline who delayed my plane for over 4 hours, I managed to arrive on the Gold Coast Thursday night and headed down to the beautiful Mantra at Salt Village which i made my base for the trip. I will definitely be returning there sometime with the whole family, such a stunning resort and the beach it looks over is unbelievably beautiful.

Friday morning I met up with Andrea, Matt and Hunter for a photo shoot followed by a delicious lunch.

Friday afternoon i drove down to Byron Bay where we headed off for a pre wedding shoot at the beach. Byron Bay is a goregous place, just so beautiful. And what a pleasure it was to photograph Jennine, Andrew and Sassy who are all so natural in front of the camera, and loads of fun. We managed to catch a beautiful sunset though the almost gale force winds nearly blew us off the beach!

Saturday morning I arrived at the Byron at Byron resort bright and early. This is another place on my list to travel to with the family! It is spectacular! Jennine and Saskia also looked spectacular as they got ready for the big day. Unfortunately due to the extremely windy conditions the ceremony had to be moved from the beach to the garden.

The whole day was lovely, from the ceremony, to the music and the catering, all superb. Thanks again for allowing me to photograph it for you!

Here are just a few photos from the day. There are many, many more to come.

Enjoy your trip guys, I will look forward to sharing the rest of the images with you when you get back.

If you are getting married and would like to discuss dates and photography packages with me, please feel free to email or phone for more information. I am available to travel interstate or overseas for your special day. Contact me for further details.

Buy Dad something different this year, he is probably over the ties, socks, jocks and jelly beans anyway A family photo session with me will capture so many wonderful memories, and become the present he will remember in years to come. This week ONLY, purchase a Dale Taylor Photography $250 gift voucher for only $125, that’s 50% off. The voucher entitles your family to a 2-3 hour photo shoot at a location of your choice, and a mounted 11×14 inch enlargement of your favourite photo from the session. Extra prints, products and packages can be purchased when you view your proofs. Contact me via email or telephone before Saturday 6th September to organise this special gift for your Dad.

psst – if you are planning a session with me in the next 6 months, you might want to buy this voucher now for yourself! Vouchers are valid for 6 months including during the busy period leading up to Christmas.

We also spent 2 days at Dreamworld where the Reef Diver, which when i was kid was known as the Enterprise, became a firm favourite for Bronte. Poor Brian felt really sick after being dragged on there twice!

Finally we took a day trip to Nimbin and Byron Bay via Mt Warning. All were incredibly beautiful places and we wished we had longer to visit. 350km driving in one day was quite enough though! We ended the day at Byron Bay eating delicious fish and chips as the sun went down after taking a walk along the beautiful beach.

Lucas enjoyed his first holiday too although has started teething at 3 and a 1/2 months which made for some sleepless nights for all.

In other news, I released the new Portrait Set Presets for ACR and Lightroom this week at Life’s Colourful Canvas. I am thrilled with the way these enhance my portraits and as an opening weekend special for my blog readers i am offering the Portrait Set for $50 (normally $70) The set includes 12 presets for close up or group portraits, including colour, toned and black and white versions. To speed your workflow and assist with the common issue of under exposed images i have included 2 versions of each preset, one for a perfectly exposed image, another for an image that needs a boost to exposure. So you get 24 presets included for your $50, this weekend only. I really think this is great value. All the examples below are click and go, no adjustments. To buy simply visit Life’s Colourful Canvas and follow the buy now link. Pay $50 instead of $70 and write blog special in the comments box.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I am also busy working on ‘The Portrait Set’ which is a more subtle set of presets for use on outdoor portraits. It will be tested this week and available for sale the week after. I am GIVING this set free to anyone who has purchased the full 3 sets PRIOR to the release ONLY. If you are considering investing in these now is a good time to ensure you don’t miss the freebie.

In other news, I headed out to Winton Raceway last Saturday to photograph champion drivers John Bowe and Jason Richards for Infomedia. Having never been to the V8 races before i wasn’t sure what to expect, but i soon understood the appeal to the fans. The screeching tyres, the smell of petrol, the cars flashing past, it really is all quite exciting and spectacular. John and Jason were both a pleasure to photograph and I hope to be able to show some more of the photos from the day soon.

John Bowe

The Trip Home

Finally because I know this is far too long a post, I headed out this week with fellow photographer and friend Susan to scout locations for a special project we are soon to announce. I’m not sure who had more fun at the playgrounds and beaches, the kids or us!! We had a wonderful day and had many laughs along the way. Here are some photos of ‘The Secret Garden’ which was a fabulous location and had the most amazing light. I cannot wait to go back there to shoot again. Stay tuned for more details soon.

Oh and don’t forget the August special!! Book a session this month to receive 50% off the session fee, a saving of $125. Spaces are now limited.

Light, colour, happiness, interaction, sunsets, magic, whimsy… When I take a photo I want it to tell a story, to capture a memory of a special time or place, to record life in a magical way. I rarely take close up portraits, rather i feature people together as part of the environment. When i look back at photos i have taken of my own family, they remind me of how we were, how we felt, what we were doing, at that one moment. They evoke special memories. Not of our faces, but of our lives.

I receive many emails asking how I create my images. Most people comment on the colours and light and ask how to edit to recreate these. Photography to me is all about how i see the world, and that is something that is unique to each of us. However that is just the first step. To really get the best from an image some post processing work on the computer is necessary.

I shoot RAW and edit in Adobe Camera Raw using my own presets. I have decided after many inquiries to make these ACR Presets available for purchase. They feature some of the common colour editing techniques i use, and are a good starting point for really bringing your photos to life. Keep an eye out on the blog because i am just putting the finishing touches on these and they will be released for purchase this week.

They are especially for shots taken in the great outdoors, and feature sets for back lit photographs and silhouettes, front lighting (some of which are shown above) vintage and bw, and an extreme photo art set, to turn your photos into art. I have been working hard on these and am very excited to be able to soon share them with you!

Cheers, Dale.

We popped Lucas into his boat basket and headed to our favourite little park at the beach in the late afternoon. In what was a nice surprise we bumped into our friends Fiona, Rowie and Nicholas who had had the same idea. We had a great time playing on the beach until the sunset, taking lots of photos in the perfect conditions. Thanks Fiona for lending me your CF card, next time i will check i have more than one in my bag! I can’t wait to show you the fantastic photos I got of you all running and jumping about the beach.

Here are a few of my early favourites.

Because I love sunny Winter afternoons and believe they can be perfect for fun photo shoots, I am offering a special for August beach sessions. Receive 50% off your session fee ONLY for August beach bookings. That is a saving of $125. Sessions can be rescheduled due to inclement weather. Email or phone for more information.

Just a reminder that the newborn special is running until the end of the month. Book a newborn session and receive 25 complimentary announcements cards featuring an image of your choice from the session.