As the Australian father’s day comes up I am thinking about my husband, the father of my kids, but I am also thinking about my dad. It is many many years now since my father passed away, but he is still so present in my life. He gave me the gift of photography by footing my photo lab charges while I learned. He handed down to me my first camera and he looked at all my bad shots with encouragement. He filled the house with quality photography (and sailing and science and news) magazines, I am sure my father would have loved Australian Geographic Outdoor, it would have been right up his alley.  He kept some of the magazines for ages in perfect condition and one that I vividly remember poring over was the 1988 National Geographic Bicentennial issue on Australia. I studied the photos never knowing that I would one day be calling that land home. I will always be grateful to him for that.

Even though he is still such an influence in my life, I don’t often write about him. Maybe I should share some of that, but it never comes out as easily as all the other stuff that I put on here. I was given the opportunity to write this post with the topic of “Memories of times in the car with your father” and it hit me right in that place in your soul where bittersweet memories are stored so I accepted. When I close my eyes, I can still remember with every sense, the feeling of riding in his Red BMW 2002. It was the perfect shade of red, not too bright. I always had to sit in the back and I can even remember the cool feeling of the black leather seats and the distinctive waffle print they left on the back of my sunburned legs as we drove home from a day of sailing. Invariably, I would pinch my fingers in both the clip that propped the little triangle shaped window open and the buckle of the seat belt over my lap. I was terrified of that window latch, but it needed to be open or my father’s pipe smoke would settle in a little cloud over my head. I really can still smell that distinctive tobacco and I can even see the trail of the smoke emanating from the seat in front of me as he drove. That pipe was one of his trademarks. He fussed at me for sucking my thumb, but he always had that pipe like a pacifier in his mouth. Oh remembering it all brings such a smile to my face (even a few happy tears)…I am a little kid again and just for a moment it is the 1970s. The longest family driving trips were to The Outer Banks of North Carolina from our home in Virginia, but we did a lot of out family vacations on the sea in our boat. Some of those would be worthy of a spread in Geographic Outdoor Magazine for sure. That was our family escape. We would take the Tartan 37 out on the Chesapeake Bay for day sails and overnight trips up the Intercoastal Waterway. She was called, Buckeye Lady, after my mom who hails from Ohio, The Buckeye state. I am not sure every trip we took was the smooth sailing ones that I wish to remember, but they were exhilarating for sure. With only a 1970′s life vest on, I would straddle the vinyl covered corded railing at the side of the boat and drag my feet through the water as we raced along. Often the keel of the boat would be so steep that I would be up to my knees! I felt so safe to have that fun with my dad as the captain of our sailboat. There was one trip in particular though that Iremember in bits and pieces. I think I would have to consult my older siblings for the details, but the seas were rough and I think my sister actual left fingernail impressions as she gripped the teak lined edge of the seating abound the cockpit. I can still see my father standing at the helm in his “foul weather gear” getting us through the storm. We all made it and went out on many more sailing adventures as a family.

We don’t have a sailboat now. My husband is a cyclist and will probably get seasick just reading that story on the blog. I don’t wonder though what memories of the outdoors that the kids will have of their time with him. Alec makes it a priority for our family to get out and ride our bikes. We get to the beach, we walk as much as possible and we enjoy the outdoor life here in Australia. Our big family adventure plan though is to eventually hire a caravan and take the family on a proper roadtrip around this beautiful land. I want to see places that are not just the big cities. I want the kids to get covered in the red dust that is the trademark and heart of Australia. I also need to see some of the Big things…I think there is a big pineapple somewhere? I am so excited to explore all there is to offer here and of course, to document it all with my camera and share here on the blog.

While I may be a kid photographer by trade, I still strive to take photos like the ones in outdoor magazines. I really did try very hard on my recent trip to Italy to get some of that rich color and true in the moment feeling.

I miss having actual magazines come to the mailbox. It is now time to celebrate Alec as an Australian father, and I am thinking  a subscription is the perfect Father’s Day gift!

Subscribe from Magshop before the 4^th October 2011 and you could win a Volkswagen Golf Wagon 118TSI Comfortline valued at over $40,000! Check the discounted subscription titles on the Father’s Day promotion page!

All images in this post are slides from my childhood that I shot with my macro lens…

*Disclaimer* This is a sponsored post, but the images and stories are all mine and from deep in my heart. Enjoy.

sometimes i am a little too enthusiastic about photography…that is why peta and i started beyond snapshots.  if you join us for any of our classes (only one seat left for the next class so hurry if you are interested) or workshop talks, be prepared for over sharing.  i have a lot of information and frankly, alec is no longer interested.  i start talking about my search for the best wide angle lens for the money and i can see his eyes glaze over and i can almost read the thought bubble hovering above his head “please make her stop talking.”  i recognize the look…it is the same one i have when he speaks cycling.

i can’t help it.  i just get really excited about things i love.

these guys pretend to be enthusiastic, but really they just want a cookie.  in fact gemma would like 3 cookies.  never too early to bribe.  there is your free tip for the day.

but one thing that is amazing to have when you are learning a craft and excited about the work you are producing is a community of like minded friends.  it is a lifesaver (for husbands like alec.)

that is exactly what you get with clickin moms!  these women have created a friendly and beautiful community where you can virtually hang out with people who are actually interested in your in camera settings.

clickin moms is the newest sponsor here on the blog and to celebrate having them join the sidebar we have a contest for 2 people to win a year subscription each to their information packed forum!

How great is that?  Here is what you need to do to have a chance to win, leave a comment here on my blog (facebook comments do not count, so if you are reading this on facebook, click on over to the site to leave your note) and tell me something photo related…something that would bore the pants off your kid or trigger eye rolls from your partner.  i am listening.

what are you excited about today?

have you found a great photoblog?

want a new lens?

are trying new processing?

going to your first photo/blogging conference?

ANYTHING.

I will be picking 2 random comments as the winners so get clickin.

the contest is now closed, but i love hearing your stories, so if you landed here and have something to share, tell me! like i said, i am listening!

Random Picks:
Congratulations to Julia Avina and Natalie Barnes!

the response to the photojojo sponsored fuji instax camera contest on my blog was fantastic!  i thought it would be an easy thing to give away this great camera…i would just plug the numbers into random.org and with one click of the mouse, i would have a winner.

instant, just like the camera.

but then i started to read the comments that people left and i knew it would not be so simple.

just like i shared how i wanted to have an instant picture of gemma and her sign and her daddy

and did not want to be posting these (still un-printed) shots a week after the fact

people shared their moments.  the moments they wanted the memory instantly in their hands.

some of the comments made me laugh and some made me sentimental.  tales of long distant love affairs, heartwarming moments of children, fleeting encounters with people to never be seen again, and incredible journeys to lands were they have never even heard of photographs.   there were so many beautiful stories that were meant to be captured.  i wish i had 300 of these cameras to send off.

there were a few comments that stayed with me over the days and one in particular that would pop into my mind at random times.

i had such a clear picture in my head of a woman having a quiet moment with a box of old photographs…pulling out one of herself as a baby with her mother who has since died…  the words from jill have formed such an emotional image in my mind of a scene  i guess i could relate to.

Today I was going thru a box of pictures from my parents when I was little. The instant pictures are the best ones, aren’t they? They are the ones that capture the timeless moments. Those are the ones you grab out of the box first…. the ones that I know touched my mother’s hands right as the moment passed. I don’t even know who took the camera to shoot my favorite picture in the box. A little Me — yellow bathing suit, big belly, sunburned nose, huge smile. My beautiful Mother — red 2 piece bathing suit, crazy red hat, cigarette in one hand, baby oil in the other, huge smile. That’s us… me and my mother. I want that same moment, that same picture with my daughter. My mother is gone. I love that picture more than I can say. I’d love the camera.

jill has reminded me with her story that i have black and white polaroids of my father…somewhere.  he was so very sick at the time of that visit…the visit where i took those polaroids.  it was too hard for me to photograph him when he was so sick, but i did so to show him the “new” black and white polaroid film that i could use in my sx-70.  that is what i told myself at the time as just photographing him because he was dying was too much for me to bear.   my father held the instant prints and i remember him smiling up at me from his chair.  i saved those prints in a box, but have not had the strength to look at them since.  photography was one of our strongest connections and to hold something that i know he actually held…that memory feels like holding hands with a ghost.

so, i want to thank each and everyone of you who left a comment.  i read them all.  i feel so honored to be able to share your stories.  i will be doing more contests in the future and some may just be a random draw and some will be hand picked from the entries.  i really want to encourage people to play.

i want to also thank, photojojo.com for donating such a generous gift.  photojojo is not only an amazing resource for photographers, a great online store and an awesome craft book…photojojo is good people.

congratulations, jill.  you did not leave any details when you commented, so please email me!  i hope you make some beautiful memories for your daughter to hold.

and i don’t know if you blog, but i sure would love to see that photo of you and your mother.

when i was in los angeles for a few days last week, i took a lot of photos…as i do…but with my “sesame says” course running, my commercial clients, and my life… i have not had the chance to sit down and actually edit them all. here are a few. i can’t believe how grown up these two are getting. it was so amazing to have a chance to spend some time with them.

this past weekend, my kick-ass husband rode 210 + kilometers for charity and gemma made an adorable “go, daddy, go” sign for him and we waited to wave it for him at the finish line. look, isn’t it cute, oh wait, that’s right, the photos are unedited on my computer and will stay there for at least a week if i keep up this schedule. she really wanted to take some shots to school to share with her class as well, but see, the printer ink, well, that should arrive in the mail just about the time i finish editing the photos.

it is at times like this that i really,really,really miss instant cameras and film. luckily fuji has introduced the instax which will be the perfect camera to toss in your bag just like that old pola…um…pola-something camera that is no longer being made.

here is what you do to have your chance to win the totally awesome fuji instax camera (generously provided by photojojo.com) and start having your memories in your hand right away…

leave a comment here on this blog telling me a time when you really wished you had an instant camera.

COMMENTS ARE CLOSING AT 5PM (MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA TIME) FRIDAY OCTOBER 23 – i then will go through each and every entry and post the winner as soon as possible…check back!

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED!  Winner announced on the blog soon!

(NOTE: comments left on facebook don’t count so make sure you click through and are actually leaving a comment on the blog!)

after you leave your comment here, make sure you take some time to click on over to the photojojo store and see all the other awesomeness they stock!

make sure you bookmark my blog in your reader so that you do not miss any other fun stuff!  i have a lot of exciting things planned for the coming months!

and as always, share the blog love!  twitter, facebook, friendfeed it forward.

for the winner of the very first (but nowhere near the last) blog contest here

i have great news, not just for brenda who won the copy of photojojo’s new book, but for every reader.

the contest was such a hit that there will be more great (and i mean super great) stuff to win!

subscribe to or bookmark my blog so you do not miss your next chance.

i love photojojo. i have loved photojojo for a long time. and now i love photojojo in book form!

amit, kelly and the photojojo crew have generously donated a copy of their brand new fantastic book of photo projects and ideas for my blog readers to win!

*insert excited clapping here*

for a chance to win your very own copy leave a comment here on my blog!

tell me why you love photojojo and why you want the book!

go on..  post your comment now!  the winner will be announced on the blog.

this is the first blog contest, lets make it a good one so there will be more!

FANTASTIC RESPONSE to this first contest!

i am happy to report that there will be MORE contests in the future…

looks like there will be a monthly chance to win something from the phtoojojo store right here on my blog.

*insert more excited clapping now*

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED  9:47AM october 6th, 2009 – melbourne, australia

winner will be announced shortly!