Last year I captured some images of Sylvana in a fun mini-session. She had just had a fab new hair cut, after years of having very long hair and was feeling pretty great. We used to work in the same office and there was a rusty skip bin in the parking lot which we used for some great background and texture.

Sylvana has chosen to start up her own business doing wedding invitations and graphic design and I was so pleased she chose to use my photos of her in her site! Sylvana will also be starting a referral programme for wedding photographers, make-up artists and other wedding professionals. Drop her a line at design@vanamir.com.au if you’re interested in doing a link exchange or to set up a referral scheme.

Some of my faves from her session below and the Vanamir site after that.

Posted by Netra on Jul 31st 2009 | adult - corporate - photography
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Sharon asked me to produce a business card for her bookkeeping business. As we got to chatting, it became apparent that we would need to adapt the design to accommodate a letterhead, and a few other bits and pieces to give her business identity a cohesive look and feel.

Due to the design of the letterhead, it was relatively easy and very cost effective to convert the header into a banner that Sharon could use on her emails and in MYOB for her invoices as well.

The thing I love about this card and letterhead is that is is all a single colour. This just goes to show, you can still have a striking, memorable business card without the complexity (and increased cost!) of 4 process colours.

P.S. if you’re in Queensland and are looking for a bookkeeper for your small business, please drop Sharon a line at sharons.books@optusnet.com.au

Posted by Netra on Jul 29th 2009 | corporate - design
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Posted by Netra on Jul 27th 2009 | adult - family - personal - photography
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Yesterday I photographed a very dear friend, Carla. She has recently bought a chic little apartment and after months of trying to meet up to do this shoot, we finally managed it. Carla cooked for me – a rich, amazing spaghetti bolognese with lots of chilli and smothered in parmesan cheese and then we got down to business.

I find it more challenging photographing friends. I see them in my mind and heart a certain way that sometimes doesn’t quite translate into the photographs. It took us a while to get into the groove of the afternoon. As she was getting dressed, I wandered around her place, snapping away at little details that intrigued me, or that I thought were just so her. A note held on the fridge with a ceramic fish, and old email clipped together with a few postcards, her green glass splashbacks with a lost sprig of lavender…

When I started to process the images from her session, I realised they all fit together like pieces. No single image conveyed the sense of who she is, or her pride in her new place, her sense of style and her funky decor. So here it is…

Posted by Netra on Jul 26th 2009 | adult - family - personal - photography
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Marcella has been sewing since she was a young girl, so when she recently finished up with her full-time employer, it was an obvious step for her to go back to her first love – sewing. While she does custom orders for weddings, christenings and other events, she is releasing a range of pettiskirts as well. These are the first few skirts out of her home studio in Bella Vista in Sydney that I have had the honour of photographing for her website (currently under construction). You may recognise some of the models as my kids who were on loan for the day to help show off the skirts. The gorgeous red-headed child is Marcella’s gorgeous grandchild, Bethany – who I chased around with my camera, but didn’t get as  many as I would have liked of her because she was not impressed with the whole idea!

Marcella will be taking custom orders – so do consider supporting an Australian small business for your next pettiskirt purchase. Until her website launches, you can email her at msmoreno@bigpond.com.

ETA: I received this message from Marcella after this post went up:

Awesome pictures Netra – Thanks!! You are a true professional… not that I doubted for a minute…you bring tears to my eyes!!

LOOOOVE your work… x x x x x x

Posted by Netra on Jul 24th 2009 | child - commercial - photography
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Some time ago I produced a logo for J-Studios. After that things got very busy for both Jessie Broome and myself with the ACOCP Exhibition and AGM so the project was left to mellow for a bit.

I’m happy to say we’ve come back to it now and finally finished off the rest of her stationery – and here it is! I think my favourite are those cute little business cards and the way they are the logo.

Stay tuned for many more fabulously orange things to come!

Posted by Netra on Jul 21st 2009 | Uncategorized - corporate - design - graphic design
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I’ve known Jo & Chris since 2004 when I was expecting Kyra and they were expecting their first son, Zack. Zack was born a very sick little boy and when he was 9 months old, lost his long and difficult battle and passed away. It was so tragic, he’d fought so hard and smiled his cheeky golden smile through it all. We attended Zack’s funeral and witnessed their agony and grief which was heartwrenching. What struck me was how tiny the white coffin was and how sweet and innocent Zack’s stuffed elephant looked next to all the flowers.

Jo and Chris have since had the cherubic Caitlyn (look at those adorable angelic curls!) and more recently welcomed their second son, Micah into the world. I was very honoured when they asked me to capture a family portrait of them. Caitie was very determined NOT to have her photo taken, and so it made for a high-energy session that involved swatting at balloons and then snapping photos with one hand. We went through a fair few balloons, a few crocodile tears, lots of cajoling and bribery! Micah was adorable, slept a little for me and we managed to capture a couple of images with Zack’s elephant as well.

Posted by Netra on Jul 20th 2009 | baby - child - family - photography
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She finally relented and allowed me to have a play today with the galabeya. I am amazed sometimes that she is my daughter. I see her and watch her antics every day – but when I capture her on camera she looks so different, so much older.

Posted by Netra on Jul 17th 2009 | child - personal - photography
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When a business wants to send out a brief snapshot of what they do, their philosophy and important information – they may elect to produce a Profile Summary document. William Clarke College wanted just such a piece designed and I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to collaborate with them on it. While I didn’t do the photography, there were some great images to work with and the final piece is a great representation of the school and their vision.

The final product is a 20cm square brochure that folds out into 3 panels. It is printed via an offset/lithographic press in process colour on a 250gsm card with a matt celloglaze on both sides.

Posted by Netra on Jul 15th 2009 | corporate - design - graphic design
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A very close friend of mine was recently in Egypt and thoughtfully brought back two galabeyas (traditional Bedouin outfits) for my girls. They were ecstatic! Both got dressed up immediately, wrapped the shawls around themselves and spent an entertaining hour trying to belly dance. Unfortunately with no hips to hold the shawls up, they spent more time puddled around their feet than up around their middles. For some unknown reason Kyra didn’t want to have her photo taken so I only managed to snap a few of Lia.

(The bruise on the side of her nose is from colliding with the arm of the sofa while she and Kyra were swinging each other around pretending to be Lalita and Will Darcy from Bride & Prejudice)

Posted by Netra on Jul 12th 2009 | child - personal - photography
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