ROO'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

In a small apartment in Oslo, we celebrated the first birthday of our little boy.

For the longest time, I was fearful of being a father. With Roo, I have no fear.

I love this boy. And I love his Mum. Life shared with them is the best.

SEE YOU IN EUROPE

It's time to get our passports stamped a whole bunch. We're hours away from heading to London, Oslo, Paris, Biarritz, across the coast of France into Florence, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and then back to London before heading down to Devon (love the name of that place).

I'm ready for this adventure to begin. Past ready, even. I've been working like a mad man this past year and I just wanna be with my family. I'm shooting and workshopping a bunch but mostly, I'm going to be taking photos of Kesh and Roo, seeing new places and eating heaps of awesome food.

In other (crazy) news, Roo is one in three days. On Saturday, I drove to the same place I took photos of these guys on Roo's due date. My beautiful friend, Luisa, has an awesome project she's pouring her heart into and asked me to shoot and write as part of it. Luisa's already made her selections and these are the leftovers.

I prepped the images a day later and showed Kesh before we went to bed on Sunday night. I think the looming trip, coupled with the location being super significant to us and then Roo approaching his first birthday hit Kesh pretty hard. She cried real tears and held my arm. It was a really special experience for us. Maybe for the first time I had an insight into what it might be like when my clients see their images for the first time.

See you guys in Europe.

WHY I BLOG

I'm starting to see the true value of blogging personally. I've always done it, from the very beginning. And I'm always going to.

I want you to get to know me and my family. I want you to know who we are - really, truly.

If you want a wedding or family photographer and nothing more - I'm not that guy. I am a passionate human who loves people. I love love. Like, properly. And you need to know that if you're going to book me to shoot your wedding or your family, I'm going to want to connect with you in a very real way. I want to celebrate who you are, who you love and the way you live your life.

It's important that if you book me, you understand that I value marriage and family above anything else on this planet. These universal principles beat within my heart.

And because of all this, I'm going to blog personally...right now.

The person in the photos below is my wife. Her name is Kesh. Actually, her name is Keshia but I've never really called her that. I call her Keshy. We are in love. Like, properly.

We have been married for almost three years and we have a baby boy, called Roo.

The most important thing you can know about me and my family is that we love each other and always want to be together.

These photos of Kesh were taken when we were in Melbourne and are the first images I took with the 5D Mark III. I pulled them off our recently returned, once stolen, laptop. While the laptop no longer works, I'm so happy I got these images off the hard drive.

FATHER'S DAY

When Kesh was pregnant with Roo, we used to imagine what it might be like to have him here with us. I was quietly sure that I would be a father to a son.

I remember so clearly the moments he entered this world. His journey was a wild one, lasting two nights and near on two days. Through my tears, I remember looking into Kesh's eyes and telling her 'it's a boy, it's a boy'.

'He's a boy...'

While Kesh was recovering, in the moments after delivery, Roo was placed on my bare chest. His head rested on my heart. While I struggled to comprehend what had happend, Roo lifted his head and looked into my eyes. He gazed softly but with surety, before laying his head back on my chest. 'I know you,' he was saying.

I already know my life will never be the same as it was. And it's for this change that I'm most grateful. For the little man, I hold in my arms and for the ultimate sacrifice Kesh made to bring him here.