durban days

Deb and her husband Mike lived in Australia for two years but have now settled back home in South Africa. We became friends after meeting at church in Sydney and I was lucky enough to spend two weekends with them in Durban in between Small Town Girl shoots. It was cool to be in the city with a couple of locals who knew their way around and where to get the best coffee (v. important). We visited Deb’s friend Amy Venter who’s a fashion designer and owner of Jane Sews, an artisan clothing, footwear and leather label. She was in the middle of setting up a new space at The Commune I really wanted to buy all of the things – every gorgeous item is designed and made in Durban – but I was traveling with just a backpack and a duffle bag so it wasn’t practical. Thank goodness for online shopping, though, right? On this particular day, Deb was tossing up whether or not to rent a space at The Commune for Bouwer Flowers, her floral design studio. All over South Africa I met passionate artists/designers/musicians/photographers/florists and jewellers creating scenes, working hard and making things happen. A vibrant, cutting edge creative industry is probably not the first thing you think of when someone mentions SA but it soon will be, trust me.

twenty twenty

I carry my camera around everywhere and some days I take 10 photos while other days I take zero. It means I end up with quite a mixed bag of shots, some of which I totally forget about until I get the scans back. And so I present to you 20 photos from the last little while…

1. An engagement party at the Grounds of Alexandria 2-6. Do you know Ngaio? You need to know Ngaio. We spent an afternoon together at her place 7-12. With my nieces and my brother in Coffs Harbour a few days after I got back from South Africa 13-15. Maddy + Jake, Christina and Faith + Yudi at their Parkes wedding in early May 16. Brendan just before he moved to Melbourne 17. My best girl, Ali, at Mecca the morning after my exhibition opened 18. Monstera around the pool at my new digs 19. Chloe and Lee trekked out to Vaucluse to visit me and have brunch at The Trail 20. A girl on the train in the morning sun.

I took some of these shots with my Canon 1V and some with my Leica M6 which is now broken, oh so very broken. Kodak Portra 35mm film. Developed and scanned at Richard Photo Lab.

gracie’s having a baby

Remember my dear friend and old flatmate Gracie? Well she’s about to become a mama and I couldn’t be more excited. A few Sundays ago my other old flatmate Lydia and her sisters Emily and Charis and I went to Gracie’s house for a little baby shower. However, there were no birth date/weight/gender guessing games or melted chocolate bars in disposable nappies (if you’ve been to more than one baby shower in the last few years you’ll know what THAT’S all about). Instead we made natural moisturisers and an exfoliating scrub. Win! You should totally make this one moisturiser at home. It’s simple, nourishing and smells delicious.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup shea butter

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1/2 cup sweet almond oil

1 vanilla pod

Method:

Combine everything in a saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently and allow the ingredients to melt. Remove from the stove and pour liquid into a bowl. Break the vanilla pod and stir the seeds through the liquid. Put the bowl in the freezer until the liquid is solid (not frozen!). Remove from the freezer and use a hand blender (not to be confused with a hand beater) to whip the ingredients until its consistency is light and fluffy. Slather it on your limbs knowing you’re feeding your skin the good stuff, mmm.

sundowner

I told you I’d be back soon! Yeah, I know, more pics from summer (I took a whole lot – it was a good one) but it’s a sunny 22 degrees C in Sydney (what winter?) so I was reminded of this glorious Cronulla afternoon with Rachel, Chloe, Lee, Sophie and Maddy.

summer type stuff – part three

1. Brendan at Gordons 2. Brendan in Marrickville 3. Inner city greenery 4. Faith and Yudi just before they got married 5. Spit to Manly walk vista 6. Leica light leak ladies – Lee and Sophie at the MCA 7. One of my last days at the house on Wilson street 8. New friends on the train from Wynyard to Redfern 9. Mama at Brickfields a few days after Christmas 10. Changing room window 11. Anna and little man George 12. Goodbye Lyndsay ‘the Doctor’ McDougall! 13. Chippendale laneways 14. Reading on the rocks

All photos shot with a Leica M6 and Kodak Portra Film. Developed/scanned at Richard Photo Lab.

summer type stuff – part two

And just like that, I’m back! South Africa was fascinating and wild. The small town girls I met and photographed have such a special place in my heart and will never be forgotten. There’s so much more to say about the journey but for now, let’s go back to before. All photos shot with a Leica M6 and Kodak Portra film. Developed/scanned at Richard Photo Lab.

flowergirl

Lee is one of my best friends and she sure helped make 2014 a sweet year. Oh and can we take a minute to appreciate that darn CUTE Gorman playsuit? Shot in Surry Hills with a Leica M6 – developed/scanned at Richard Photo Lab.

try hard

A few weeks ago I took the plunge and bought a Leica. I’ve always thought Leicas were reserved for super serious street photographers or people with bags and bags of money. I simply didn’t think I ‘deserved’ one. Somewhere along the line I saw the error in this logic and started researching rangefinders. I decided to go with an M6 with a 50mm Ziess lens. When I hold it, I’m reminded of the feeling of holding a tiny kitten so its nickname is Kitty. (Strange, I know.) Here are some images from my first roll – just simple stuff to start with, I’ll get more experimental once I know what I’m doing. I’m still getting used to a manual focus lens – I’m so slow! – and I’m pretty pretty sure I loaded two rolls of film incorrectly but hey, it’s all part of the film photography FUN, right? This post features Amelia, Steph and Brendan. Plus Rach’s fridge in our kitchen.

mosa

Momo. The baby. Little one. Andre and Sarah’s third child. Oak and Olive’s sister. My niece, Mosa. (Click on the shot above to make it bigger. Such an intense look, little lady!)

little wonders

The low hum of exaltation is continuing to weave through my days.

Spotting a pup with a kind face. A sweet postcard sent from the other side of the world. The way the afternoon light falls across a house on my street. A really good coffee. Professional support and encouragement. Trying – and enjoying – a nip of whiskey. A visit from a dear old friend. An introduction to new friends. The chance to be there for someone. A Taylor Swift/Aphex Twin mashup on Soundcloud (wait- what?)

I thrive on little wonders – unexpected moments of delight and connection.