I have this wall in my lounge room that has had 3 photos of my children on it.  I repurposed one of the frames recently for the Baby & Child Show and decided I needed to update all of the photos anyway.

So this afternoon we zoomed over to Smaills Beach and took a few.  I had to bribe them all before we even left the house and explained what we would be doing and how long it would take.  Preparing kids is a great key to getting cooperation at a photoshoot (and bribes!  Lots of bribes!)

The sun and clouds were coming fast so technically it was difficult to keep up with my exposures but I achieved the look and feel that I wanted for my wall.  Relaxed, fun, beach.  However, every time I turned around, one of my little trolls had taken off up the sand dune!

Then I turned around and Frankie was playing on a piece of driftwood and I noticed this behind her!  I asked her to move quickly and calmly away.  Living in Dunedin, this can be a common sight but you always have to show respect as well and not get too close.  Sometimes, it’s hard if you don’t notice them!

I couldn’t leave without getting 2 final photos.  The first was me with the kids.  I always try to get myself in it too and if my Dad wasn’t there I would have grabbed the phone to do a selfie.  The 2nd is my Dad with my kids.  He loves coming to the beach with them and watches them fossick, roll in the sand dunes and also takes his own photos.  My passion for photography started with him giving me a Canon A1 film SLR when I was a teenager.

I left this beautiful beach with a lighter heart.  I absolutely love the access that we Dunedinites have to such stunning scenery.