I also became a finalist in the West Australian Professional Photographer Awards for the Family Portrait Category.

I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings for me and for Krystal McGee Photography.  There are plans afoot, including a new studio!  Stayed tuned for this new development.

Enjoy the Year in Review and some of the background stories behind the shot.

Hyde Park

These boys had so much personality and energy and their own individuality

Shot at Hyde Park, one summer evening.  The youngest brother asks me very nicely if he could take a photograph of his brother – and I thought, yeah why not?  I love to foster as much enjoyment and creativity as I can and what if he picks up the camera and that’s the beginning of an amazing love of photography?

Mt Lawley Golf Club

I’ve been photographing these gorgeous girls for four years in dancing and finally I got to photograph them outside of the dancing world!  Their entire family were gorgeous people and I’m hoping that I will get to shoot them again.

Shot at the Mount Lawley Golf Course

Peel Manor House

Right from the beginning Kelly told me that she wanted a picture of her dress and the stairs at Peel Manor House were perfect for this shot.

Couldn’t have done this without my mate Holly from Holly Netto Photography, who set up the flash in front of Kelly on the staircase and to Kelly who was patient so that I could get the shot that I knew I wanted.

Lazy River B&B

Lazy River B&B, Pinjarra

Such a gorgeous couple.  Thier wedding was a mix between vintage and just plain old fashioned.  They had set up this amazing Tent fashioned with LED lighting and games, lots of old fashioned games.

Wedding shots taken at the Lazy River B&B, Pinjarra.

Tom in Bayswater

I’ve known the smart and amazing kid since Pre-Primary and my god, like my child he’s growing fast.

Photographed down my rear lane.  I swear every year I’m going to give it a fabulous clean-up so that I can use it more!

Swan Valley

The crazy and lovely Evans Family.  We started the shoot at their property but then moved on to the Swan Valley to get something different.

The weather just held out.  It’s been an amazing year for weather!

Mulberry Farm, Swan Valley

Mulberry Farm, Swan Valley

Talk about the Swan Valley, this gorgeous wedding was held at Mulberry Farm and boy talk about a hot hot day.  It was one of those small, quiet  but very special ceremony – so full of love and emotion.

Again, I had the help of Holly and we got the most beautiful images.

Mt Lawley Golf Club

Again, a beautiful family in which I have photographed the daughter several times in Dancing.

I took these at the Mt Lawley Golf Club and the conditions were so beautiful that day.

Bunbury, Western Australia

This is my youngest angel and she has this amazingly complex personality.  She has a quiet contemplative nature and she’s

sometimes a complete mystery to me.  Teacher’s come to me and tell me that she is a darling at school.  I giggle sometimes

with that, because sometimes at home she can be a complete PAIN IN THE ASS {but then aren’t we all at some stages of our lives }

Nusa Dua, Bali

So this was our much much needed holiday in Bali.  A word to the wise, JetStar goes on sale on Boxing Day & we got a fabulous flight deal.

Bali was wonderful, 10 days at a gorgeous hotel – a little bit of shopping, a lot of good eating & heaps of time to play and rest.

Northbridge

Northbridge

Michelle organised a surprise for Justin and had a 1 yr Anniversary shoot – which we did in Northbridge.

This is a lovely doorway in Northbridge (yeah, it stank a little )

Swan Valley

I have been photographing this lovely lady for four years in the ‘Dancing World’ & she is lovely.  My daughter loves her to, because she also teaches at

Cathy Crooks Dance Center.  I can’t wait to photographer her at her wedding!

Swan Valley

Rachel has this internal beauty and it shines here.

Dancing Portrait Session

 This year I decided to do something different in the dance.  I held an entire day session at a studio, where my dancing clients booked in for

their half hour session.  So many of these gorgeous girls have up to 6 costumes that need to be photographed and they never seem to

get all of them done on the Dance Concert night.  So on an early Sunday morning I began.

I had so much fun!  I’ve decided that I should have been a dancer …. I knew all of the moves, and I’m sure I could get as high as Megan did (photograph below)

The ever talented Megan

My amazing relationship with Cathy Crooks started when I photographed her gorgeous daughter at First Holy Communion.

It was a snapshot moment when all the other girls had thier hands in prayer and looking towards the alter and she suddenly looked at me and smiled.

What a gorgeous shot it was.  I then went on to photograph Cathy’s new neice in her Christening and four years of Dance.

This is one of her daughters – but really, she has three beautiful children who are all individual and talented.

Cathy Crooks Dance Center

Mulberry Farm, Swan Valley

Oh my goodness, I loved this car – so much fun and so very very hot!

The Evans Family, Swan Valley

You would think that I must live in the Swan Valley, I don’t – but it’s so rich in places to shoot in.  I love this shot – it’s quiet and it’s full of love and companionship.

My new niece

I found something out this year.  You can have babies, but it’s not the same as being there when a baby is born.

I was lucky enough to be my SIL’s birth partner and what a beautiful experience.

Forever more, I will know that I was the first person to know what this little girl’s hair colour was going to be.

It was an amazing, enriching experience.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the arms of her Dad

Sisters

The Parents

and .... The Dog

This was a gorgeous family from my local School Community.  They had won a sitting and I was very very lucky to have photographed them.

Such a beautiful family.

Amy

Amy + Dan, Riverbank Estate Winery

What can I say about this wedding in a few words.  Firstly the big question of the day was the weather, of course.  We had just had this huge amount of rainfall only days before and the worry was that the outstide Ceremony was going to get washed out.  How different it turned out!  It was a hot and sunny day and the clouds like above came in late in the afternoon creating a beautiful and glorious sunset.

Amy was the Blonde Bombshell with a dress to die for and a pair of sparkly heels.

Thier wedding ceremony was so full of emotion of love and tears from both of them.  Dan looked completely captivated by Amy.

Again, Holly – as always, an amazing second shooter.

My first born

My first daughter is so very different to my second.  Her emotions are all out in front and on display.  She is less complex but is far more emotional and intuitive.

"Yeah ... life is going to be different"

This image is probably one of my favourites because the dog looks so ….. mournful It’s like he knows that his life is going to change with this tiny sqirming little human that Dad & Mum gives all the attention to.

Brand New at 9 Days

What a darling little soul this was.  She didn’t fuss and just sat back and watch me take the images.

Parasols in the Park

Half of these girls are mine and the other half are my neices.  I love this shot!  Every single child has the perfect expression on her face and it’s so JOYFUL.

Blessed

I took these shots of my daughters one week before Christmas in my new Studio.  I can’t wait to actually start using it properly – it’s been a long journey with this studio due to multiple building problems { i.e. the builder taking our money and running} – but you get that and it’s almost finished now.

Good Luck to you all for 2012 and I can’t wait to see all my old clients and hopefully lots of new in the coming months.

Krystal

Now I’m trying to catch up – so I thought I’d start with a bit of what’s been happening in family life.

Bali – absolutely gorgeous again.  We took special care to spend as much time by the pool and just relaxing and having fun.  Here is a little sneak peek of the holiday:

Below are just a few impressions taken with my trusty Canon G10.

“is a volunteer organisation of professional photographers from all over Australia dedicated to giving the gift of photographic memories to families that have experienced stillbirths, premature and ill infants and children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of their local hospitals, as well as children with serious and terminal illnesses.

Sometimes life gets so busy and serious and I decided to take an afternoon with off with my gorgeous girls and fly a kite.

Such a simple excersise that ended up being hard work . . who knew that it’s actually quite difficult to get a kite up :0)

This gets me on to my next topic which is about children & baby photography . . . the best images of children I believe are the ones captured when they are interacting and playing and just being.  I always want to remember what it felt like when my little one slides her little hand into my hand, trustingly and unthinkingly and then looks up to me *flash* . . . that’s the image I will always want to keep forever.  Or when my beautiful newborn baby lay on my bed after her first week in NICU and just looked at me . . . *flash* another image in my mind taken.  Don’t get me wrong, I look at the beautiful “newborn sleeping baby” images and think “aww beautiful”, but then I want to see that gorgeous baby awake and and looking at me with all the wonderment and newness in her eyes.

If this sounds right up your alley, then I am your photographer.

Cartwheels . . . whens the last time you attempted to do cartwheels?

…. or handstands?

Feel free to contact me anytime via email or phone to discuss & plan a beautiful session for your family.

I was struggling to get a together image of the two of them, so I whispered in my hubby’s ear to help me out . . . can you guess what he did?

It worked, and I got it.

They are beautiful, special, unique, incredible and they amaze me every single day of my life.

We had a ball Helen, and the cake’s were gorgeous!

There was a time when this little girl would only frown at me when I picked up the camera

This structure is so tall and solitary.  It is to represent the front of the HMAS Sydney.

Krystal