The great thing about a Beloved portrait experience is that it allows an incredible space to open up and naturally occur. There is nothing forced, fake or posed about any of these photographs. Big smiles all around, really (and not a cheesy grin in sight!).

Firstly, I’d like to say that 2011 has been a special year, a wonderful year and a blessed year for both Kerina and I. It has been an incredible year for growth and a journey of extraordinary wonder, which has brought us to this moment….*exhale*.

In mid 2011 we both took some necessary steps back from the photography business (hence the blog absence) so that we could realign our hearts and minds with the reasons that photography drew us in in the first place. We felt we had lost energy and connection to photography, and we didn’t want this to be evident in our work. Instead, we planned a trip to New York and in October we experienced 2 amazing weeks in Manhattan (Here’s the New York Blog).

Our 3rd week of holidays was perhaps the most defining, and wonderful week of this year, and for me, it was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my entire life. We attended a Jesh De Rox workshop called ‘life {as an artform}’ in Fremantle. The workshop was everything that I wanted and needed it to be, and more. It’s not easy to explain what it was about, and the activities we did, but I will say that Jesh is one heck of an incredible person, and so are all the glorious new friends we made during the 3 days. I can also say that it has changed the way I see the world, and more importantly the way I see myself. It was one of the most enriching, positive things I’ve ever done. YAY!

From this incredible experience, we are embarking on our most wonderful photography journey yet. The good news is that we are officially launching Kirsten Kerina Photography as a purely ‘Beloved’ portraiture photography atelier.

What is ‘Beloved’?

Beloved is an extraordinary experience beyond any other photography shoot you can imagine. Beloved is about true connection, real emotions and natural actions between two people in love. It is a re-kindling experience in a space that allows real expressions to emerge, and it’s so much fun.

Remember the days when you were a child, so full of wonder for the simple joys in the world around you? Remember laughing so hard you had tears rolling down your face? Remember playing and laughing with friends and of course your wonderful imagination, taking you to magical places and mystical lands far away? Maybe you had an imaginary friend? There were no rules in your imagination, just so much fun and delight.

When we ‘grew up’, somewhere along the way we learned we had to stop playing and be all adult-like. But who wants to be all grown up, all the time? We all deserve the freedom to enjoy our lives and be who we want to be – and remember, you still have your imagination, and there are still no rules. Sometimes our lives can become so full of ‘stuff’ and ‘things’ that we need small reminders to slow down, take the time to feel alive, take the time to have some fun and connect with the people who matter the most.

Moments of joy like these are the ones we want to embrace and remember.

We, as photographers, want nothing more than to know the images we make are seen as memories of wonderful moments in time. Our hope is for the photographs we make for you to evoke those wonderful memories and be seen for more than a pretty picture on a wall. It is truly a blessed feeling to be invited into a time and place that is so special and unique. Every shoot we do is more than a shoot to us. Every shoot is full of stories that unfold before us and reveal the richness and special spirit that is within every one of us.

We wouldn’t be so convinced if we didn’t practice what we preach. We know the value of a life lived in the moment and we always take time out for fun and for ourselves. After all, a grumpy photographer telling someone to smile seems a little crazy to me.

What a wonderful adventure this life is. We are two artists who love to record it. It’s Beloved.

We’ve been having such a wonderfully productive 2011 and we’re so happy to be enjoying and making the most of every moment. We have a lot of beautiful images to post from recent shoots, but first we’d like to introduce you all to a new concept to our shooting style. We’ve called it ‘Photographie de l’Amour’, which translates to ‘Photography of Love’. We chose this to highlight love as a theme to our portraiture shoots. It says so much about the way we shoot – always from the heart. We want our clients to love what we shoot, and most of all we want our clients to love themselves, to love what they see within themselves.

As photographers, we also need to know what a client experiences in front of the camera, and photographing a photographer is a wonderful way to learn and develop new skills, especially how to direct clients and make them feel relaxed, comfortable and safe. So without further ado this is Kirst and Kerina, photographed by Kirst and Kerina! These are all shot in completely natural light – not a flash or studio light in sight.

Kerina at the beach. How lovely is the light (and Kerina)?

This is me (Kirst). Shot in natural window light from a bedroom.

We find Annaleigh upstairs, getting ready for the day both her and Troy have waited many years for, ever since she met Troy via a friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s friend (or something along those lines…) at a birthday party. And if good things come to those who wait then this is surely a beautiful example of that adage.

We hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them and being a part of this truly lovely day!

Some stuff and things I loved about the wedding:

• The weather. The morning we left Perth to fly to Darwin it was a mere 2 degrees. Upon landing in Darwin it was 32 degrees.
• The very chilled atmosphere and Steve’s relaxed demeanour. Steve bought his shoes the morning of the wedding!
• The gorgeous ceremony on the beach with Angus and Julia Stone’s ‘Bella’ playing as Belinda and Steve walked together to the balinese style gazebo and met their intimate gathering of friends and loved ones.

I still have some more pictures I will be posting from the wedding, and also some fab pictures from the pre-wedding shoot (I know, a little out of order…a bit like me sometimes).

Love Kirst x