Hi! I am Yvonne.

Let me start with a big thank you. Thank you for taking time out of your day to look at my site and to get to know me!

I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, an aunty, a cousin, a friend and a photographer.

I've always been a photographer, it just took me a while to figure out that I am a "photographer" and that photography is "my thing". I've always had a camera and I've always taken pictures. I even took film photography in college. I've always been "that person" — you know, that person who has a camera on hand and is ready to use it.

I photographed my first wedding back in the early '90s and my first home birth in the late '90s. Back then I had no idea I was a photographer, but back then I also had no idea how to use my camera properly, so in my mind it didn't count. I did, however, know that capturing moments was really important.

I've since upskilled, and spent a ton of time learning my craft. I continue to learn more every day.

I used to hide behind the camera to avoid being in front of the camera — one of my pet peeves for the longest time was people taking photos of me. In my mind, the pictures taken of me looked hideous. Over time, those hideous pictures have become some of my favourites and I wish that I had of featured more in our family photos. My opinion of myself has softened as I have got older and I now make an effort to be in photographs because, trust me, you may dislike the photos of yourself right now but in time you will love those photos of your younger self.

My own insecurities, my dislike of being photographed and my desire to help others feel comfortable whilst being photographed led me to join a couple of facebook groups where the focus was "self portraits". Initially this was a hard exercise: I had to use my real camera and not my cell phone, so there were no more filtered selfies to hide behind. I felt vulnerable and exposed. For the first few months I was disappointed with the images of myself. I was critical and negative — to be honest, I hated them. I had nothing nice to say about myself. Eventually I got used to seeing myself from different angles, and I actually started to like what I saw. My takeaway from that exercise: the more you see yourself from every angle, the more you appreciate the way you look. I believe that I am now a better photographer from taking part in the "self portrait" journey.

I am incredibly passionate about photography — I love to capture and document everyday moments, big and small.

Moments of love, joy, tears, tiaras and everything in between. You know, the genuine moments, the authentic moments, the vulnerable moments, the special moments, the real moments, the beautiful moments, the funny moments, the chaotic moments, life's moments. For me, being part of your moments is a privilege and honour.

My purpose is to encourage you to take photos with your family and loved ones. Memories — memories matter, and photographing memories matters. Photographs take us on a journey down memory lane, a journey to a moment where time has been frozen so we may revisit on occasion.

Take photos. Capture those memories. Better still, let me capture them for you.

If you've managed to read to the very bottom of this novel you're a legend! Thank you.

Yvonne x