To help you get on top of all of your holiday shopping, I’m offering the very first ever Country Sessions. All the details are in the flyer below, but put simply, it’s the best way to (a) update your family portraits and photos of your little ones; and (b) get the Christmas shopping over and done with. :)

All Pobke prints are printed on archival quality photo paper and are delivered to you in ready-to-frame beautiful white mattes. In addition to lovely prints, we are offering our Country Session families the following gift options to purchase for the holidays! [These products are only offered to Country Session families as they are in limited supply.]

Personalised + framed annual calendars, ready to hang in 11×14 pine wood:

Personalised notepads (front page and inside, seen below) + personalised necklaces:

I am so excited to be able to offer these beautiful products to my Country Session families. The sessions are only available on Sunday, 9 October and Sunday, 16 October, to ensure that all the participating families receive Christmas orders in time! They are limited to the first 15 families to book, so if you’d like to reserve your spot, please contact me via email (christine@pobkephotography.com) with the title, “Country Sessions” as soon as possible.

I can’t wait to see you then! :)

I ran into a bunch of friends, new and old. We brunched. We walked. We ate. We laughed. It’s always great to reconnect with people who you “get” and who just “get” you, don’t you think?

[Places below: Capital Hill, Tacoma, Ballard]

[Friends below: Sean, Sergio, Kristen, Julia and Yuriy, Ben.]

PS. You may have noticed that the blog has gotten a bit of a facelift! :) It’s all thanks to the talented crew at Inklab, a design studio based in Canberra. Not only are these guys supremely talented, they are seriously the epitome of NICE. Which made my whole experience with them all the more fabulous! :) All the coding is done by the lovely Kelly from Ekcetera, who was very patient with me from beginning to end. :)

In case you hadn’t heard of the Kaisers before, they are the creatives behind The Image Is Found, a wedding photography studio based in Oceanside, California. They are an insanely smart duo that constantly think-outside-the-box, and remain two of the most inspiring (and level-headed) people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. But extending beyond the photography world, these are the kind of people you’d want to know and be friends with. You see, from my brief 30 hours spent with them, I learned a few things about life and priorities and art and fear and passion and joy. And anytime a new friend can be in a position to inspire or teach… well, that friend is a friend for life.

My Sleepover Sessions have been magical thus far, and have taught me so much about the human condition and family love and blessings we have in life. And when the Kaisers booked me in for one during my recent stopover to Seattle, I knew they “got” me and understood the philosophy behind why I loved them… because I sincerely love everything about this family. It’s one of those 30 hour moments I’ll never forget.

Meet the Kaisers. They’re fun. :)
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But after having spent a full day with them and their adorable two sons, I realised that it’s not just luck and talent – they work incredibly hard. They’re giving people. They teach their sons patience and kindness. They never expect anything from anyone. They just live and treat others as they want to be treated. So it makes sense that the universe rewards them in leaps and bounds. The most precious thing about this family, however, is how just being in their presence allows you to see the world differently. You see, a few personal things happened to me while I was in Adelaide to photograph them. Things that, in other circumstances, may have made me quite upset and sensitive and angry with the world. But seeing the way Bree and Anton live their life and treat others made me realise so much about the human condition: we’re resilient. And kind meets kind; lovely meets lovely. Always. :)

So Bree + Anton, thank you so much for letting me spend time with you and your beautiful family, and for reminding me to work hard, play hard, and love hard. :) Big hugs to you and your beautiful boys. xoxo

[Yes, we slept at a fire station. And then we went and picked strawberries. And then we went to have a picnic in the Adelaide hills, all styled beautifully by Emily from White Room Events. It was an AWESOME day!!]

[And no, Bree and Anton don't have a third child; the cutie pie is the daughter of Bree's bestie, who both joined us for the strawberry picking! :)]

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Aaaand, leaving you with a quick preview from a recent family shoot in Adelaide… how fun does this family look? :)

Have a wonderful weekend!
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- they’ve been married over ten years;
- they have two beautiful children;
- they have the utmost respect for one another and cuddle like they’ve been together for ten days (it’s really very cute to see);
- they raise their kids to be respectful and lovely and responsible;
- they’ve been building their dreamhouse on a gorgeous plot of land (and I got to see it!);
- they’re worldly;
- they have generous souls and beautiful hearts;
- they know how to be the hostesses with the mostestes. :)

I got to experience another Life Story session recently, and boy am I thanking my lucky stars. If these are the only types of family shoots I get to do from now on, I would be one lucky chickee. Truly. I mean, think about it: I get to pack up my bags, have dinner with a fun-loving, beautiful family, and experience a day in their life. Together. The best part is when the kids just take to me… Jaedon + Alicia-Rae and I were like three peas in a pod. So much so that I woke up in their cosy home with a quiet knock on my door: Jaedon wanting to climb into bed with me and just “hang”… such a sweet, awesome way to wake up, I say! :)

Narrelle + Matt, thank you thank you thank you. You welcomed me into your lives, allowed me to observe and document and get to know you and your gorgeous family. I had the most wonderful day, and hope that this glimpse helps you realise (if you don’t already) the preciousness of life you possess + live. It was an absolute pleasure to really get to know you all, and I hope you had as good of a time as I did. :)
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I arrived in the evening, slept in their cosy living room, and woke up with my camera next to my pillow. Like other Life Story sessions, this is my M.O.: sleep over; wake up with camera in hand; absorb family into soul. Not only is this the best way to start a session, but it ensures that the family have no time to really “get ready” for their portrait shoot. Because “portrait shoot” this is not. It’s a documentary shoot. A glimpse into the life story of a family so in love with one another.

As you’ll see in the photos below, the Bartholomews are clearly in love. They love each other. They love their great dane, Earnest. They love life and live it. It’s insane how much love you can feel blossoming inside you as you witness theirs. That, in my opinion, is the mark of a truly wonderfully connected family: the ability to spread positivity and radiate love to people without even realising it.

Andrew + Hailey: thank you so much. Words can’t express the sheer joy I felt being around you, and the admiration I have for both of you as parents and as a couple. You’re everything I want to be and more. And your two very talented, very beautiful, very precious girls are a testament to all of this. Thank you for giving me the honour of spending a day with you to capture just a page in the Book of Bartholomew. :) Love you all. xoxo
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It was realising this that made me want to create something even better: a space in which we could all connect, revitalise, inspire, learn and grow from each other. Thus Winter Wonderland was born. :) One thing, however, was missing: I knew that for this particular getaway, a few soulful sisters would be needed to help complete the picture. So I’ve asked a few wonderful friends to spend the three days with us at the retreat: Sheye Rosemeyer and Samm Blake. (If you don’t know them already, you are in for a treat, my friends.)

Winter Wonderland is an intimate, three-day inspirational retreat at a secluded rustic farmhouse for photographers + creatives. It seeks to inspire, move, rejuvenate and restore. We’ll embrace the early crisp mornings with photographic assignments outside on the farm; afternoons will be filled with marshmellowy hot chocolate and photographing models + families at our very beautifully stylised shoots.

We’ll spend time focusing on weddings, children + families, as well as focusing on ourselves and our businesses. All while nurturing our souls and developing an inspiring photographic palette. :) Above all, Winter Wonderland is a place where we can get away and really soak in the positive photography goodness that we so very much need from time to time. :) It’s only limited to 15 participants so to make it as intimate a getaway as possible.

You can find out more information about Winter Wonderland here. I really hope to see you there.
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My friends encourage me and help me grow as a person, a sister, a daughter, a wife. What’s most amazing, however, is the sheer amount of invisible support I’ve received from them in spite of the distances between us.

Casi is one such friend. She was one of my dear bridesmaids at our wedding a few years ago, and she’s remained a great friend to me for seven years. She’s a hard worker, that Casi frass. She’s probably the most diligent person I know: up by 5am; a successful lawyer based in Seattle; skis in the winter; plays every other sport under the sun during every other season; and is grounded. Boy is Casi grounded. She’s also a planner. This trip to Australia is her first, and has been planned for many many moons. Needless to say, it’s been meticulously organised, with a visit to Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef (where she’ll be scuba diving with randoms in the ocean for three days!), Canberra, Sydney, and the Australian Open (we are obsessed with tennis). There isn’t a person I know who is more deserving of this awesome holiday, and I’m flattered that she’s chosen to come here largely in part because I’m here. Incredibly humbled, actually.

Over the past few days, I’ve been looking at her like, “Oh my gosh. I am so glad you’re my friend.” It’s probably silently freaked her out some, what with all of my glances here and there. But I can’t help it. Everything I say, everything I mention, she remembers. I don’t have to preface things like, “Well, do you remember when I…” or “Yeah, that was that one time I…” She already knows. And things that I’ve said in passing, whether in person or on my blog, she’s remembered. I think that’s the most special thing about great friends. They’re there and they remember. Even the mundane things that you yourself may have forgotten… I suppose it reminds me that distances don’t mean jack when it comes to friendships. Special is special. Friendship is friendship.

So meet my friend Casi. My beautiful, always-there, very endearing, supremely thoughtful, wonderfully dedicated friend Casi. I hope a bit of her joy and loveliness reflect off this entry and into your life. :)
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