Ode to the pregnant belly

Thought I would share a pic or two from a couple of maternity shoots I've done in the last few months as well as a couple of my favourite selfies from my own pregnancy with Zander.

I really love doing maternity photography and I would definitely say if I was to become a full time pro photographer that would be where my passion would lay (along with the odd kiddo shot). There is something awesome about bringing out the beauty of pregnancy and I think its important for every woman who has gone through this/or is going through this to be made to feel special and beautiful.

I myself felt so out of control of my body and almost scared of its changes while I was pregnant with Zander and so photography and self-portraiture during that time really was a type of therapy for me.

I am currently offering my services for maternity photography at a reduced rate - this is to help me get in the practice as well! Pay only a $50 sitting fee (please note this is for Auckland area only) and for any print you may want. Print prices start at 60 cents 15x10cm print and go up $47 for a 50x60 cm poster. Digital files are sold for $15 per file and give you unlimited printing rights.
If you don't want any prints or files, thats fine as well.

Katie West is the best

I first saw Katie West pictures in a 'Sexy Librarian's' community on Live Journal. How and why her pictures even got in that community seems to escape me, but the images were of her drinking vodka out of a black bottle and dressed in what looked like a damn sexy school girl outfit. I remember them vividly because they changed my life.

Changed my life? A little dramatic? No I'm serious. She introduced me to self portraiture and a whole new way of considering myself, she gave me some sort of confidence I can't even begin to explain. She inspired me more than anyone else ever has... That is saying alot.

Today she remains one of my favourite photographers and I almost died of shock when she favourited one of my images a couple of years back. OTT? Again, I'm serious. I love this girl.

Anyway this gush post about Katie West is to announce that she has a new book out Practical Tokens of Affection. Her first book Low Self-Esteem sits proudly on my shelf (thankyou for the gift Scratch!) and if I had a cent to my name - this new book would be first on the list of my want items.

"Practical Tokens of Affection is my second book. Unlike my last collection, Low Self-Esteem, this new book includes writing along with my self-portraits. The stories deal with sex, love, and relationships; the feelings, the desires, the mistakes. All the stories are based on real people, except when they're not. But even then, they may as well be. This book means more to me than the last one did, I hope you like it as much as I do."

So for any of you lot out there that have a bit of extra money burning your back pocket - make sure you pick up a copy asap!

Mardi gras beads = love

I <3 the beads.
I have Mardi Gras beads from New Orleans (been there twice, LOVE the city and my heart was totally left there) scattered everywhere around my house. They hang from my curtain rails in my bedroom, they have been fashioned into a mobile type contraption for the kid and have turned up in many a self portrait over the past couple of years.

I've been revisiting some old shoots with beads processing them a little differently and I love the results I've come up with. Here is my favourite so far, a triptych set of 5x7 prints.

This set is available for sale on my Etsy page. Take a look :)

Etsy love

Been adding quite a few prints and posters to my Etsy shop - check it out!

Spring, sunshine and grass

Our lawn was bad. it was real bad. It was about knee high in grass. Sorry about that Mr Landlord but its been a rainy winter and there is a baby to look after and I work full time and its ....and well, I'm too lazy.

However, it did make a gorgeous photo op, so here is a pic or two of our wee boy enjoying the first days of spring :)

 

  

 

The Noob Parent Technique (NPT)

Hi, my name is Kate. I'm currently around 27 (i can't be sure though, i failed math in two countries) and I live in Auckland, New Zealand. I am a working mum (woohoo fun parent!) to a beautiful boy around 7 months old and my partner is a STAHD - and he loves it.

This is a blog all about us and little things that take my fancy (or cause me to rant). Its also dedicated to what we like to call our Noob Parenting Technique (NPT) way of life... in which we try not to sweat the small stuff or follow any set way of parenting and yet try not to screw up our child either.

NPT? WTF?

Let me explain.

Before I got pregnant, in fact - before I even had Zander, I had no idea about parenting styles. I actually didn't realise there could even be that many styles. Seriously. I had no idea what 'attachment parenting' meant or what the opposite of that is even called, what 'EC' stood for (and now I do, it still doesn't make sense to me), or what the 'cry it out method' was and why that wasn't flavour of the month with so many people yet our dear Plunket endorsed. I had no idea about co-sleeping or 'bed sharing' (and I actually didn't know these were two different things until about a week ago).

Forums posters would talk about their 'DS' or 'DD', how they were BF or [god forbid] FF, there was talk of BFOD, and EBM and now that the babes in our group are a bit older there is talk about 'BLW' their children. All I could do was sit there and go 'WTF?'.

I've since been educated on most of these things but I still feel like a Noob. But you know what? Ignorance was bliss.... I enjoy being a noob! I like the fact we don't have one set technique and feel happy to chop and change between a few. I don't pretend to be an expert on any way - I just know what works for us [right now] and honestly, we have a happy healthy gorgeous wee boy who is just a pleasure to take care of so i guess we must be doing something right.

So thats it, I hope you stick around.