Well, another glorious Summer has been and gone. Much to this cold frogs disappointment! I am a creature of the warm, absolutely detest the cold. In saying that I did do an engagement shoot session in 50 degree heat that nearly melted me, but more about that later.

I have been lucky enough to capture three gorgeous weddings for three adorable couples over the summer. I have also been there to capture two wonderful engagement sessions, a campdraft and a wonderful mini sessions day in Gunnedah. I also had the opportunity to do some photographic work for myself, I captured my young nieces opening Christmas presents and spent time photographing my daughter in a Christmas shoot with my nephew and playing with our horses and a flag on Australia Day. I have also been treated to some proper Australian Summer Storms, which are always a challenge to capture but I love chasing the storm.

So, back to engagement shoots!

I shot a lovely session on King George Ave in December with long time client Cassie and her soon to be husband, Des. We enjoyed a warm evening shoot in my typical laid back style. It was a bit of a test run for their wedding which I was lucky enough to photograph in January.

I also shot an amazing session for Tamara and Ethan in Scone on the hottest day in history...well, maybe not in Australia's history, but mine! The temp gauge in the car clocked an impressive 50*C as we started to shoot. I must take my hat off the this amazing couple though, despite literally melting, they pulled off super star quality shots. You would never have known they had never had a photo shoot before! Engagement sessions are a great way to break the ice between a couple and their photographer before the wedding (because, lets face it, as your wedding photographer I am in your face all day....even when your getting dressed! so its important that you dont feel like I am a stranger) and a great way to calm any nerves about being photographed.

Weddings!

I must be a sucker for romance because I love a love story! I love being invited to capture this most important occasion, to be caught up in all the emotion and romance, is a truly joyous part of my job, despite the 14+hr day!

Before I start talking about the joy of weddings I just wanted to take the chance to have one little photographer whinge to the future guests of weddings, and not just my weddings but any wedding were a professional photographer is present.

So here goes:

Dear Wedding Guests,

You have been invited to share a very special occasion by people you love and who love you. They have hired me to capture all the special moments that happen during that special occasion. You all walked past a sign that says 'This is an unplugged ceremony". You all heard the celebrant say, more than once, "no photos during the ceremony please, you will all be offered the opportunity to take photos at the signing of the register"....and yet many of you will chose to ruin every shot of the bride and her bridesmaids walking down the isle by ignoring her wishes....well done to you!

Please dont be that person!

Back to the joyous part of weddings!

Bec & Dylan.

In December I photographed Bec and Dylans wedding at Calala. It was lovely to be a part of a wedding day so obviously filled with joy, love and laughter. I had only briefly met the couple beforehand but they were so warm and inviting by the end of the evening I felt like I had known them for years. Things didnt quite go to plan at the reception, the less said about that the better, but i was very glad to hear that my bride had made a full recovery and was the highlight of Tamworth ER when she caught an ambulance there in her wedding dress! Bec sure knew how to make it a night no-one would ever forget!

Cassie & Des.

In mid January, on a stinking hot - but not quite 50 degree day, I spent the day with Cassie and Des, just hanging out and taking photos of their beautiful wedding. It is always such a joy to capture a bride and groom when you have worked with them before. There is no nerves, no awkward introductions, I knew many of the guests and had worked with Cassie and Des a month earlier for their engagement session but had also photographed Cassie with her brother several years beforehand, but I have know Cassie since she was at school, and later as she entered the work force. She would always make my morning coffee for me and put a smiley face on the lid...The smiley face is representitive of Cassie beautiful, happy, personality that seems to rub off on everyone around her and I am very happy to see her married to a wonderful man that reflects that happy go lucky personality. Their wedding was a day of fun, laughter and love that I was very glad to be a part of.

Tegan & Jack.

Lets wind the clock back to July 2011. I've been mucking around with a camera for a while now, my work is starting to get better, people are asking me to take their family photos occasionally...and then....I photograph the Cornish Family! This tight knit family of amazing people with welcoming and positive personalities were my first ever paying clients, their word of mouth secured about 75% of my booking for the next few years and in late February this year I photographed their family for the seventh time as Tegan walked down the isle to marry her long time love, Jack, who has been in her life about as long as CJO Photography has! Walking into the house were the bride was getting ready was like walking into a family gathering, I knew almost everyone and almost everyone knew me. I always feel a part of a wedding when I am there but this one was extra special! After photographing this young couple so many times and knowing them away from the camera for so many years it felt almost like photographing family. I was absolutely honoured to be part of their wedding and hopefully it wont be long before there is a maternity session in the planning....nudge nudge wink wink...no pressure! Cant wait to see what the future has install for these guys.

Well, I have rambled on for about 1000 words, so that is probably enough from me today but I will leave you with a few more of my favourite images of the summer that was and look forward to sharing with you all what happens in front of my camera during the Autumn that is!

Lots of crazy photographer love to you all!

Candice O'Neill

Photographer, farmers wife, mum and crazy horse lady!

Wow!

What a year it has been!

I have been blessed enough to make it through another year as a professional photographer in a saturated market. After moving from Bingara to Tamworth last October, this year has been a year of rebuilding, rebuilding my reputation in a new area, rebuilding a solid client base away from longstanding clients, rebuilding my brand and rebuilding my style.

This year I have only shot 14,215 images...far less than the previous year... but included in that 14,000 odd images are so many priceless memories!

New born babies, engagements, weddings and birthdays, family sessions, boudoir and creative model shoots.

I have shot from dusk 'til dawn, at midnight and at all hours in between, in the rain, snow, fog, frost, sunshine and the dark.

I have photographed from Sydney to Cairns and back again.

I have worked for my clients, my family and friends and most importantly for myself. I have completed 87 shoots including those for 37 new clients.

I have sold more than 50 fine art pieces to as far away as the USA, Canada and England.

I have been lucky enough to be featured in 5 magazines through 2016 along with 6 newspapers and a feature in the The Rural Weekly which was read by thousands right across Queensland and Northern NSW.

I have been gratefully included in the Outback Creative (www.outbackcreative.com.au). An amazing platform for a select bunch of rural artists to launch their works to an ever increasing audience.

I met, worked for and got to hang out with Buck Brannaman. Its not every day your job introduces you to people that have had movies (The Horse Whisper) made about them! The chance to spend several days in the presence of such a great horseman was a one of the real highlights of the year.

So from the bottom of my heart I would like to thank all my wonderful, dedicated clients for supporting me through out 2016 and I cant wait to catch up with many of you again in the New Year. 2017 is already shaping up to be a big year behind the camera and I cant wait to share my work and passion with you again over the next 12 months.

I'll sign off by sharing my 50 favourite images of 2016 and wishing you and your families all a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

Much Love

Candice O'Neill

Grateful camera lady :)

Dear returning client,

Have I ever told you how much your business means to me?

Aside from the fact that when you book me to capture your special moments you help me pursue my passion, I really do start to feel like a part of your world!

I am there for births and marriages and milestones, for birthdays and celebrations.

I get to meet your family and friends.

I get to see you grow and develop and I get to watch your children grow into adults. I capture them from baby bumps to toddlers and then into young ladies and gentlemen.

It really is an honour!

I am extremely glad that you have stuck with me as I have grown and developed as an artist. We all have to start our journey somewhere and I am glad you choose me and that you loved your first shoot as much as you loved your most recent one, even if that first shoot makes me cringe a little when I look back on it. I would like to think that shows growth on my behalf and good foresight and faith on yours.

While I have many repeat clients that I have photographed two or three times, I have a couple of special ones that have chosen to work with me from early on in my career to now, some spanning several shoots over several years. I really just wanted to take the time to thank those wonderful clients for having faith in my art and helping my career dreams come true!

The Cornish Family!

My first ever paying clients have now had a total of six shoots including family sessions, 21st birthdays and engagement sessions with a wedding booked for 2017! I swear half my clients in my first years of business were through the good recommendations these guys gave me. It has been a real honour to watch these girls grow from teenagers to beautiful women and to very soon capture one of them on her wedding day....be prepared for an emotional, and somewhat old feeling, photographer!

The Squires Clan!

Who would have ever thought that dumping a bucket of molasses on the head of a pretty young lady could be so good for business! This shoot with the lovely Jasmin has led to a total of eight shoots from various family members in just 18 months. I have now met so many of the Squires family I am starting to feel like one of them. I have captured baby bumps and newborns, engagements, weddings and family sessions. It has, and continues to be, an absolute pleasure to be included in so many of your special occasions.

The Knight Family!

One of my very early clients and the inspiration for this blog!

How very special it is for me to be able to capture your beautiful girls as they grow from toddlers to ladies. Always willing to welcome me onto the family farm to make and capture memories that will hopefully be cherished by you all for many years to come.

To everyone else who has ever honoured me and my art form by paying me to do something I absolutely love to do:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You have turned a hobby into a career and for that I could not be more grateful! You have stuck with me in good times and bad as I waded my way through my photographic journey and I hope you continue to stick with me as that journey continues.

Cheers,

Candice O'Neill

Slightly emotional photographer who has the best clients and just felt the need to tell them so

Who am I?

Well, that probably depends on who you ask!

To my husband I am a farmers wife. I cook (poorly), I clean (kind of), I garden (I actually like that part), I raise our family. To my friends and family I am a crazy horse lady that is more at home in a saddle than anywhere else in world.

But who am I?

From a young age I have been an avid admirer of the natural beauty to be found in the Australian bush. One of my earliest memories is riding through heavily timber country on my little pony, following closely behind my dad. It is early morning, the sun has not long risen. Spring is coming to an end and the scent of wattle hangs cool and crisp in air that will soon become so hot and dry that it will burn your throat at every breath, but for now, my world is cool, soft and quiet. As we weave through the wattle I am fascinated by the webs of the huge orb spiders. They glimmer magically in the early morning light, like something from a fairy tale, silver threads of silk hung with a million glistening dew drop diamonds. The only sound is the warble of a magpie singing its morning songs and the rhythmic beat of my horses hooves. My fingers tingle with the cold, my mind is clear and focused, my eyes glimmer in awe of the beauty I am surrounded by, I can taste the wattle and damp earth as I breathe, my heart is light and my soul at ease...I am alive and I belong here.

I am lucky that in my life I have been blessed with many moments to just sit and enjoy the beauty of my world. A day dreamer lost in the minute details that only I can seem to see. I could lay in the sunshine and watch a spider spin his web for hours.... a day dreamer? Maybe, but I have been called worse. I see no harm in watching the beauty of the world while most hurry through life missing the little miracles that happen all around us each day. I am lucky to live my life as a farmers wife, living in the country I love, surrounded by the beauty of the Australian bush, meeting a never ending procession of colourful country characters.

The concrete jungle is not for me! I could survive, yes, but I would not thrive there. City friends and family often ask how I cope with the isolation, with the lack of shopping and entertainment but to me my world is not isolated and it is not without entertainment. I can be alone, the only person for a hundred kilometers and not be lonely. I can wander the bush for days, just the birds and stars to keep me company and not hunger for human companionship. I would, and often do, trade a day shopping in town for a day spent reading a book surrounded by nature's splendor. When I try to explain these simple joys to people not from my walk of life I recognize the look of disbelief, the shock, maybe a little awe, upon their faces and in those moments the disconnect between my life and the life of the multitude slaps me in the face. The majority of people who inhabit this beautiful country of ours have lost the ability to admire its true glory, they have not been given the chance to wander the bush and wonder at the simple splendor of golden wattle in Spring, they have no time to sit and watch the flight of a flock of cockatoos as the wheel across the sky at sunset, they cannot find joy in the feel of rich damp earth upon their hands, they cannot turn their gaze upon a million stars to help remind them of their place in this universe over the bright city lights ...they cannot comprehend my world and it saddens me.

As a small child I spent many hours trying to draw all the things in my world that brought me joy but I had no skill with the pencil. I have always been able to see the beauty but the ability to capture it, preserve it and share it with others had eluded me until I discovered photography. These days you are likely to find me wandering around the farm in the dawn fog or patiently waiting in the dark for the stars to shine, trusty camera at the ready to capture, preserve and share all the beauty of my world with those that do not have the opportunity to see it for themselves. Photography has not only become my profession and my creative outlet it has become my way of sharing my world, my thoughts and my passions. I would like to think that it helps to bridge the growing disconnect between the life lived by those in the country and our city counterparts. If I can inspire just one person to venture into our outback and truly immerse themselves in the beauty and rich diversity to be found there then I consider my countless hours behind the camera worthwhile.

If you would like to view more of my work you can visit my website at www.cjophotonsw.com.au or jump on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CJOPhotographyPrint and say G'day.

Hopefully I will meet you in my world one day soon until then take the time to enjoy the little wonders.

Candice O'Neill

Farmers wife, mother, crazy horse lady and photographer.