As I said in the post before, I got toasted while surf-widowing on the boat previously and that was on a cloudy day, so it was sensible sun protection for me after that in Moorea. We were going to swim with some sharks. Yup. That's right. And I was so excited. Until I saw this guy. I was keen to swim with sharks, but the sting rays scare me - having been stung by one I can tell you I never want to repeat that experience! But I really wanted to swim with the sharks. But the rays..... After dithering... Continue reading

After meeting Hani and Benji in Fiji earlier in the year - they were showing their clothes at Fiji Fashion Week - finally a long held wish was coming true, and I was going to Tahiti! We landed in the evening and pit-stopped at Hotel Tahiti Nui in Papeete before getting a morning ferry over to the island of Moorea. Like all good evening arrivals for me, the Tahiti Nui began with an impression of "crap, why am I staying here". There was some serious mood lighting in the foyer (really dark, perhaps saving on electricity?), and in the corridors... Continue reading

It was almost a year ago that Sonny and I were invited to French Polynesia to hang out and do some photo sessions for local designers HaniHaring. This bridal styled shoot was one of them. Photographed on location at the Sainte Famille church on the island of Moorea. Isn't it so beautiful! Stunning dress designs by the talented local duo, Hani and Benji, of HaniHaring. Models - Kim Yen, Teihotu, Giselle, Hoani, Eileen and Tumai. Make-up - Tevei Renvoyer. Hair - G. David Coiffure. Flowers - Hani Haring. Makes me smile. Related articles Where Was I.... Fiji Fashion Week in... Continue reading

Granted, it was a fairly unusual decision to visit Adelaide to cross paths for just a couple of hours with my Swedish friends Micke and Ellis, who had been in Australia for a couple of months by that stage. But I do love an excuse to travel, and that was the earliest I could get to them. And they brought Cheez Doodles out here for me, so I really had to see them. Only kidding. A little. Of course I would have seen them if they didn't bring Doodles. Probably. Oh stop! Even though they were flying the long and... Continue reading

I wanted to go somewhere for my birthday, and Fiji was tempting, but it's just not quite as hot as I like it, in July, so I took the kids to the Blue Mountains. Jenolan Caves is a really magical place, so I thought I would spend my actual birthday there. We stayed at Mountain Heritage, where I stayed last time I was up there (I know, total creature of habit, but when you find something good....). The kids and I had the family room in the turret, which was pretty cool, kinda round, and big enough for us, and... Continue reading

I have been wanting to do this blog post for so long, because it really makes me smile. Kula is one of the girls who works at Tomlus, and one night when I was there, I was chatting with her about her young family. She has four kids, the youngest was just a bub at three months old. I told her that I love to photograph babies (and kids, and families), and asked her if she had any photos of her kids. She didn't. She didn't have any photos of anything, not even her wedding day. I have always trawled... Continue reading

The day after I got back from Western Australia, I left for Fiji. No, I don't plan things this way, but that's how they usually happen for me. I had enough time to give my kids hello/goodbye hugs before I was off to Suva. I was beyond excited to be going to Fiji for Fashion Week! We stopped for dinner at Tomlus on our way from Nadi Airport to Suva. Of course it was delicious and we booked ahead for a few days time, as well. As late evening arrivals at Novotel Lami Bay, our accommodation during fashion week, we... Continue reading

Broome had always been a place that I wanted to visit. The lure of the tropical climate, it's eclectic cultural influences, and the red, white and blue of the coastal landscape captivated me and my incessant wanderlust. We stayed at the Bali Hai which was pretty lovely. I know it's nit-picking, but I wish the decor had adhered more closely to Bali style - so many elements were spot-on, but the corrugated iron (while giving a big nod to the local architecture) just felt all wrong. But enough nit-picking. The whole resort has a beautiful smell. It's an incense-y smell,... Continue reading

And a pause on our road trip in the middle of nowhere. This joint wasn't too bad. We ended up with the best digs in the place too! This is the view from our verandah. The view from the bed Oh so nice! And the view from our lounge/kitchen/dining/second bedroom pavilion to our bedroom pavilion. Told you we had the best digs! Wanderings... We did lots of wanderings. North and south. Pretty much a full day of walking on the beaches. On a hot day. So when I got to a point on the strip of sand that was always... Continue reading

Two big days of driving to get from Exmouth to Broome with nary a stop along the way aside from my one in Port Hedland, which I was really excited about because I was going to see my friend Kirsty and photograph her (and her bump) underwater. But first we had to get there. Past the prawn. (I'm scared of prawns. Love to eat them, but they scare me) and the other scenic diversions. This road house was the only thing around for hundreds of kilometres, so they charged $36 for a piece of steak. In a roadhouse. It was... Continue reading

It's long been a dream of mine to visit Broome. The opportunity came when I kept a week free from bookings so I could take the kids to Lake Mungo (in NSW), only to be told by my kids they couldn't go away then because the had exams on (groan. geez I have nerdy kids). I still had the time off so I shipped the kids off to their dad and flew to Exmouth. You actually land at Learmonth, which is an air force base so no photos allowed, and then drive to Exmouth. I love the red earth in... Continue reading

I was so lucky because I also got the opportunity to photograph backstage at Fiji Fashion Week this year. I spoke at Fiji National University, then at Tailevu North high school, and then also on the catwalk at fashion week(!)... It was crazy, but it was fantastic too. Talking with the students at the school it came to me that there were quite a few of them who were keen on photography as a career (with the amount of weddings hosted in Fiji, the tourist industry, and the growing fashion industry I think it is a good option for some)... Continue reading

So this year, I stayed in town as usual, but this time I got to have Evan with me as well. Usually it's just me tagging along with Sonny and he's usually way to busy to even notice on the rare occasion that our paths do cross in those backstage labyrinthine rooms. I loved having Evan along for the ride. Someone I could chat to all the hours that I spent in the media centre as we both processed photos (Evan was working as Sonny's slave, sorry, digital operator) , and someone I could laugh with as we don't take... Continue reading

I've also had two articles published in the time away from blogging. I really, really love it when my text and photos get printed in a magazine! The first was Koncierge Magazine with my behind the scenes story and pics of a very cool shoot. I have no online link to share, so I have popped my text here if you would like to read it without a magnifying glass... "Airline travel used to be all about excitement and glamour. Not accessible like it is today with thousands of commuters on peakhour flying-people-movers, air travel in days of yore meant... Continue reading

I do manage to keep my Facebook business page up to date, and I grabbed just a couple of snippets from there. I really wanted to share these photos because the Rumba Resort in Caloundra had great rooms, and this pool (one of two, and not including the spa, at the relatively small resort) was so cool! No surprise the kids loved it. Belle. India. I caught up with friends there, visited the Ginger Factory and had a lovely little break. This was a waterfall and swimming hole. It's hard to see from the photo, but it was a huge... Continue reading

Last posted my trip to Europe, which finished in August last year - almost a whole year ago. I guess it's safe to say, I'm still struggling with the whole work/life balance. Clearly I will never have the time to blog my jobs anymore, and honestly most of my hits are about travel anyway, so I'll be sticking with the personal stuff rather than the work stuff now. I went to Melbourne last November, and Noosa in January. I know I took some lovely photos there, and stayed in some cool places too. I'm now on another holiday, actually. Currently... Continue reading

Like all good things, my second amazing journey to Europe with my kids, had come to an end. My biggest regret is that it has taken me 7 months since getting back to finally write about it, my memories aren't as fresh and I fear I may have omitted parts, but the true value was in the experience anyway. There were so many great moments and when I think of a favourite my mind immediately gazumps it with another. If you are just meeting this journey now, please take some time to look over the previous posts - there were... Continue reading

Six weeks went way too fast! We had heavy hearts about our journey coming to an end, and we weren't ready to hang up the wanderlust yet. As we had flown in to Amsterdam, it was from there that we would fly home again, so that was the next and last place to explore. We wanted to visit Anne Frank's house. We hadn't anticipated a queue that lapped itself around a block. On limited time, I contented myself with a photo of the line instead, and a cruise on the canals, Love this! which was pretty cool. My heart danced... Continue reading

Before we left for the final leg of our journey on our way home, we stopped again by Wim and Hilda's house to give their lawn a good water (at least, that was the end result!). It is such a beautiful place to be, and I figured it would provide the perfect backdrop for some updated Running Under the Sprinkler photos. Huge thanks to Hilda and Wim for letting me use their special location! So so pretty! And, after six weeks of traveling around Europe with a cast on his arm, it was time to let that poor arm get... Continue reading

My Germany to Belgium route needed to include another small country (just cos I could). Luxembourg could easily have been passed straight through relatively quickly, but I felt a little obligation to myself to at least set foot on this small country's soil. Bit of a mistake. Midway in a long drive the last thing you feel like doing is queuing up behind a whole lot of deluded tourists thinking that by crossing the border and buying their coffee and booze in bulk and free from duty, it will be cheap. They are so wrong. Had they headed south to... Continue reading

I really try to stay in unique accommodation and I got it in my head that I could find a castle somewhere in Germany. Turns out there is more than one, but after reading a few reviews, Colmberg Castle was my choice. Colmberg Castle had all the trappings I wanted in a castle stay (except I couldn't find any ghosts). It has had a long and colourful history and I enjoyed reading about it as I lay in bed looking at the huge beams draped across the ceiling. It's the type of history you would expect from a building that... Continue reading

I slept in. The girls got up and joined in one of the Sport Vital Hotel's morning constitutionals up a steep green hill. We met for breakfast. Me with my glass of orange juice followed by a glass of champagne (oh, come on! It's buffet and I was on holiday!), and the girls just back from their mountain walk. Their stories convinced me to wander the green hills later that day. But first, we had a lunch date that was a walk for some of the really keen locals with special hiking boots and fancy, graphite-and-magic walking sticks, but a... Continue reading

I wasn't very familiar with the Ice-Bucket Challenge, but it's the role of the teenager to have their finger on the pulse. Before we left the glacier on Day Two, Evan was determined to take the challenge. As I mentioned in the previous post it was colder up there that day - I had a jumper, parka, gloves and beanie on and there was no way I could have taken them off, but Evan doesn't seem to feel the cold like I do, or most other people do for that matter. Yes, he's crazy. That water is flowing straight out... Continue reading

... A great hotel, with a name that would not usually have me hitting the 'book now' tab - the words "sport" and "vital" not being synonymous with "Jacqui". Cupped by the imposing mountain range and resting in the incredibly picturesque (Sound of Music postcard perfect) Tyrolean Zillertal Valley, India's favouritist hotel in the whole world ever since last time we visited (gosh the kids were so cute back then!) doesn't scream amazing comfort and indulgence when you look at it either, but it is. Staying at the Sport Vital Hotel Central in Lannersbach is like being cared for in... Continue reading

We farewelled our friendly Casa Preti family and wound northwards through the mountains to our welcoming Austrian family (at least India would like it to be, as we were headed to her favourite hotel in the whole world). And like last time we passed through these mountains, though in a different place, we stopped for cherries. The biggest, fattest cherries, ever. I should just own up now - I am great at so many things, but I can't spit for shit - so we had lots of laughs as I failed time and time again to spit the cherry pips... Continue reading