Blog

12/04/2018 In Blog By Deb Smith

It’s the Ultimate Mums and Daughters Day out || Adelaide Family Portrait Photographer

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another.
We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.”
Serena Williams

I created the Ultimate Girls Day Out because I wanted to show Mums and daughters how important and powerful their emotional connection is.

The way we see ourselves as Mums has a profound affect on our daughters.

We need to choose our words carefully.

When we look in the mirror critically and say “Ugh I’m too (insert adjective here: fat, old, unfit, etc) those words because the inner voice of our daughters.

You wouldn’t want to hear her say that to herself.

My Ultimate Girls’s Day Out is about uplifting those around us, and being positive role models.

The Ultimate girls Day Out: Luxury Portrait Photography Experience

We start with a complimentary style consultation, so you know exactly which three or four outfits to bring to your photoshoot
professional hair styling and
Makeup artistry with my professional in-house team
Break for a light lunch and
Mum, you get to enjoy a makeover and studio portrait session with your daughter, Mum, sister, best friend, or partner.
Duration is around three to four hours
BONUS: Invite Dad and other family members to join in at the end for a family portrait

Professional makeup and hairstyling

Bonus: Invite Dad and other family members to join in at the end for a family portrait

How Will You Display Your Beautiful Artwork?

The Folio box

Wall Art

Frames and Canvases Available

The Album

I love to answer question about the Ultimate Girls’s Day Out.

Call me at the studio on (08) 7070 1667 or get in touch by email.

06/04/2018 In Blog By Deb Smith

Adelaide Advocate Fiona Gray Alerting Australia about Sepsis || Adelaide speaker headshots

“Just a quick note to say thank you so much for the wonderful photos you took for me.
It’s amazing the difference they’ve made for me.
I truly believe the way you’ve captured my smile and the essence of who I am is speaking to people when they see my picture.
It just feels like people are dealing with me differently.
Here’s the bio link to one of the speaking spots I have.
Your wonderful photography will be seen by and audience of at least 15,000 from around the world.” – Fiona Gray

https://www.worldsepsiscongress.org/gray

Fiona Gray is a passionate advocate for Sepsis awareness.

Her own experience with Septic Shock and Post Sepsis Syndrome in 2015 left her feeling unsupported, ill-informed, and alone. This led her on a journey seeking support and answers that has helped create a support network across Australia and New Zealand for both survivors and families that have lost loved ones to Sepsis.

I'm a professional speaker needing headshots - where can I go in Adelaide?

As a speaker and advocate for sepsis awareness, Fiona was approached by Flinders University to speak about her personal experiences.

This followed with a formal invitation to speak to an international audience of 15,000.

She was asked to provide a professional headshot for her online speaker profile and was NOT a fan of her existing workplace headshot.

She brought several different outfits to her session, and we started with professional hair and makeup (complimentary with every headshot session booked).

I introduced some different looks with various backgrounds – we included a black background in the mix (see below right) alongside the more standard white.

It takes a few minutes until most people feel relaxed in front of the camera. Fiona spoke passionately on her topic about the need for greater awareness of Sepsis in Australia with me. You can really see the confidence in her expresssion!

Create different Looks for Different Purposes

About Fiona Gray

Fiona is an active consumer health advocate in her home city of Adelaide, South Australia.

In 2017 she contributed to the inaugural Australian Sepsis Roundtable, Stopping Sepsis: A National Action Plan and its subsequent report released in March this year.

Fiona is hopeful that the recommendations of this report will be adopted nationally, resulting in reduced deaths and improved outcomes for survivors.

When not advocating for Sepsis, Fiona is a Business Development Manager in the Mortgage and Finance Industry with more than 20 years’ experience in her field.

Want to know more about headshots and personal branding?

I love answering questions – call me at my Blackwood portrait studio on (08) 7070 1667.

Check out our next Headshot Marathon event here.

Phone: 08 70701667

Studio: 218A Main Rd, Blackwood, SA, 5051

08/03/2018 In Blog By Deb Smith

Mothers: Radiating Love and Self Acceptance || International Women’s Day 2018

They both loved me fiercely and unconditionally, and I them.

Being fashionable and beautifully groomed were most important to my Mum Gillian, whereas my Grandma Dot, while always beautifully presented, was a lot more practical in her choice of clothing.

One of my strongest memories of her is the thick veins on her working hands. I always admired them with a certain fascination.

My Mum and my Grandma are the two incredible women to have had the biggest influence in my life.

My Grandma Dorothy is pictured here next to my Papa Leo, her loving and devoted husband, holding her tiny first born Gillian, in 1943. My beautiful Mum. The other photo shows my mother as a young woman in her 20’s. Was she ever glamorous!

The one thing she and my Grandma shared in common was a strong desire to be a mother.

Even though I grew up in Darwin, and my Grandma lived a world away in Melbourne, my sister and I were fortunate enough to be able to travel every Christmas to visit our extended family.

They gave me the space to learn, explore and grow and always without judgement.

I think these two strong and beautiful women are a huge part of the reason I photograph so many mothers and daughters -because I see that connection and I really value the importance of the mother-daughter bond.

Incredibly I’m one of the few lucky ones to have mountains of printed black and white photos of my Mum and Grandma, and even Great-Grandma. Most of them are carefully and lovingly stuck into photo albums.

It’s pretty incredible to think I’ll be able to share these with my own grand children one day.

“A mother who radiates self-love and acceptance actually VACCINATES her daughter again low self-esteem.”
– Naomi Wolf

Happy International Women’s Day 2018

11/02/2018 In Blog By Deb Smith

Sue, Basil and Hugo || Adelaide Personal Branding with Bark Busters

When Sue Good from Bark Busters booked her photoshoot at the studio we decided it should serve two purposes.

The first was to celebrate her health and fitness achievements since joining Healthy Inspirations, Blackwood.

After going through her personal style and body shape, I suggested she bring a selection of cold shoulder and fitted tops in different colours. Cold shoulder tops are such a great choice: They keep shoulders bare, which I love in portraits, and cleverly cover up the upper arms, which makes some people feel more comfortable.

Her hair was styled at Alyce’s Fringes Blackwood and Andrea from BeYOUtiful Makeup by Anj completed the look with beautiful makeup.

Call or email the studio to find out more about custom portrait / personal branding portrait sessions.

For your convenience, I also offer Headshot Mini Marathons once a month. The next is scheduled for 6th March 2018. Click here to see available session times or call the studio on 08 7070 1667 and I’d be happy to chat!

25/01/2018 In adelaide weddings, Blog By Deb Smith

The 5 best planning resources for your Adelaide wedding

There’s so much to organise for a wedding, that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But fortunately, there are lots of handy resources to help your planning go more smoothly. Here are my top 5 ideas.

1. Local knowledge

Good old Facebook groups comes to the rescue. If you haven’t already joined check out Adelaide Weddings Buy / Swap / Sell.

I check in regularly for ideas and er, when I need to upgrade stuff for you know, the portrait studio!

You can also join your local Buy Swap Sell group on Facebook and ask your community for ideas on wedding venues.

Pictured: Willunga Peacock Farm

2. Choosing a reception venue

Choosing your reception venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make and there’s more to it than just picking up the phone and calling them. The best list I have found is on local Adelaide wedding planning blog, Brides of Adelaide. Click here for a helpful list of things to ask your Adelaide wedding venue before booking. Eg.

Does the reception venue offer “off-peak” rates?
Are there any special extras such as slide show facilities?
Are there any hidden costs?
Where will you take photographs? Is there space for candid guest photographs?
Is there adequate guest parking nearby?

3. Best online wedding store for decorations

Most couples do some degree of the decorating themselves these days, whether its for the engagement party, rehearsal dinner or wedding day itself. The best online shopping resource I have found and personally use is Wholesale Wedding Superstore in Queensland. I buy flowers and fabric there for the studio and the service and delivery are great.

4. Instagram and Pinterest

This may well be a thinly veiled attempt to get you to follow my new Instagram account Deb Smith Weddings haha!

That would be great! But seriously, Instagram is a great source of inspiration and community. Doing a simple hashtag search eg. #adelaideweddingvenues #adelaideweddingflowers and so on will produce some good results. You can ask questions and comment on posts, and most people love to help out and make suggestions.

Pinterest is more for visual inspiration but BE WARNED. It is rather addictive!

5. Friends and family

We all know someone who’s been to a wedding recently or been married themselves in the last 12 months. Buy them a coffee and hit them up with a list of questions! Chances are they’ll remember some hurdles they faced and what they did to solve problems.

And finally, once your planning is done, make sure you have a back up plan in place! Have a “go-to” person you can fall back on if things go pearshaped on the day. It might just be someone you can call to pick up an undelivered item on the day of the wedding. But trust me, you’ll be glad you did!

Let me know if you have any great weddings planning ideas, and write them in the comments below. I’d love to hear!