Goodbye 2017 - Hello 2018

So much to love about my job

So it's the New Year and I'm reflecting on how 2017 was for me. I know it was a hard year for a lot of us and for me, it was an incredible time of personal growth and also kicking some career goals. To summarise, I loved 2017 and here are some highlights:

• Christelle and I collaborated on Project One Heart and travelled to Sydney photographing 30 families of colour in total
• I became a Reiki practitioner
• A Tonkinese kitty whom we named Django joined our family
• I captured 14 births and had 6 months off-call
• An absolute dream of mine came true when I won WA Documentary Photographer of the Year
• I turned 40!!!!!
• We finished our home renos after 3 years
• I had 2 photos in the Fremantle International Portrait Prize
• My clients and I were interviewed for the West Australian on the rise in popularity of birth photography. The article is here if you missed it
• I spent my first Christmas off-call in 5 years
• I was one of 4 photographers written about in an article called "4 Perth Photographers you need to know about" published in Weekend Notes
• I won the Pregnancy category at the Australian College of Midwives Birth Photography Awards
• I made some incredible new friends
• One of my birth client's Elise, had her postpartum photo and story go viral. It was shared by zillions including Shemar Moore and George Takei and even published (albeit without permission) in Greece
• I (finally) decided to finish off my doula training #2018goal
• I ran my first family photography in conjunction with the amazing Frances from Perth Postnatal Village workshop and it was a great success 
• My tandem breastfeeding photo won 3rd place in the People category and is being published in the international Chromatic Awards Annual book
• "Love is Love" prevailed when same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia

Big love to all my families who asked me to capture their most precious moments - You make me so very happy and grateful to do the work I do. 

"Life is a gift. Never forget to enjoy and bask in every moment you are in" - unknown -

So here's to a wonderful 2018....

Love Belle x