Accredited Professional Photographer with the AIPP

I am very pleased to now add this black and white sticker to my name. I am now an accredited member of the AIPP! What does it mean? well, I can give you the official spiel.. which is:  
the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography) is Australia’s leading membership body for the photography community, being  the only professional photography organisation which provides a standard assurance through its ongoing accreditation program.  The AIPP is a symbol of one’s professional ability and dedication to the photographic sector and community.  Fully accredited members are tested for their expertise in the field and are required to have a minimum of two years working experience as a professional photographer.
But what it means to me? and for my clients?  I guess its being in a creative field, wanting to push myself and keep learning, I always want to give my clients more. Also getting involved with the AIPP isn't just seminars and workshops, its meeting and learning from other talented photographers, having friends in the industry means having someone to talk to and direct you and push you to look outside the square. I guess it also means, especially if you don't know me, is that I will provide you with professionalism. This is my job and I value my clients committing their time and money, and just as if you took your car to a mechanic, its nice to say 'hey they are qualified'. Yes, you can and will find cheaper if you get your friend to fix it, and that might work out OK, but in the end if you really want to trust that the job is done, get a professional... and that my friends is what being an accredited AIPP member means to me. Lets be off now, pop some champagne and look forward to making more memories. A personal thanks to my friends and family, and to my wonderful clients for  your support over the last few years, it has not gone unappreciated x

Wagga Wagga Wedding Photographer
Wagga Wagga Portrait Photographer
Accredited member of the AIPP

New York

My first mini session in NYC is a little Carrie inspired.. I loved Sex in the City, and yes I know it was a bit of a fantasy, because a young writer living in New York city living in a fabulous apartment on the Upper East Side who can afford all those shoes, in reality was never going to happen, but  still we LOVED it.  Anyhoo, meet Silvia. Lives in a fabulous apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, not a movie or TV star.. but I think she could secretly be. I just loved  Silvia's New York so much, it was my first port of call when I landed in New York. The bakeries and cafes, the Met, Central Park and those gorgeous brownstones. I am secretly there  hailing a cab downtown (only in real life do we take the Subway) enjoy x

happy new year 2014 ..lets do this

So here we are, 2014. Noted,  still no space ships hovering around #mind flashback to thoughts growing up in the seventies *cough cough, I mean eighties...  So another year down, and dusted off.
I've been spending the last few weeks recovering from a massive year shooting beautiful Wagga Wagga Weddings with some serious time off kicking back and relaxing (now that IS hard work!) with my special peeps. But with wedding season just around the corner, I'm like a dog salivating at the bone... seriously, that is passion. Still so happy to say I've STILL got it *passion and after all thats what truly makes my world go round, even if I sometimes come off looking like a half crazed dog with a bone... but enough painting that picture.

So its time for us to wrap up the slip n' slide, and declare 'Mum' the conquerer of the three day Monopoly challenge.. and get back into it. This year I have so many beautiful weddings to look forward to. Again I seem to be blessed that my clients seem to put their faith into me. I can only do my best, that is 100 percent, and that is what I will do, so thank you for the beautiful couples I have met and have entrusted me to their special day. Secondly, I have the small thing of my 'new years resolution' to take care of.

My name is Tina Bingham and I will be present in photographs.  Ok.. realistically I probably wont' be in that many, but seriously it occurs to me that although we have a lot of family snaps, and lots and lots of images of my kids as they grow, its a fairly scarce photograph with me included, obviously I am the one behind the camera mostly.. but still. So even though it makes me a bit nervous. Lets face, being behind the camera is just an excuse. We generally say 'oh I look horrible.. don't get me in it' .. every excuse under the sun. So this year Mums.. heed the call,  don't wait til your perfect. You will never be perfect. - Sue Bryce or just maybe you are?

Thank you to my beautiful friend the amazing Vicky Papas Vergara, Vicky is one of Melbournes best photographers and couture artists.. put this way, she can simply make you feel like a million dollars.
Thanks a million times over my gorgeous friend, thank you for making me feel beautiful.  So a little bit of effort and some girl time in hair and makeup can sometimes go a long way....hmmmmm stay tuned for more from this session (yes the whole before and after thingy is going to be revealed..)

Hey look guys, its Mummy!  Happy New Year , enjoy yourselves and 2014 lets do this!

Tina Bingham Wagga Wagga Wedding Photographer
Image by Vergara

a great big world

something inside me changed today, I felt a shift in my heart. I'm not sad, just a little weird I guess.
I had to let go to something and I didn't want to do it, even though I know it had to be done.
It was day one, the first day of High School. My little baby girl went and grew up.
Remember that time we said 'keep your eye on the ball' and she put the bull right up on her eye?
I want to give her what I know, how it will be and the lessons you need to learn. Oh crap, then I realise that this parenting thing isn't easy, and my mother says 'yes , see?'
So I just let it be. Keep your eye on the ball  baby girl.  I am really proud of you today x
(my little girl with great big plans.)

 Wagga Wagga Wedding and Portrait Photographer 

slow down.. you move too fast

I gallavanted recently from airport to wedding to commercial shoot, strategically allocating some personal time in  for that 'work life balance' thingy.. I love it, crazily busy and meeting so many amazing people and loving my job. My diary is overflowing; and strategically colour coded so I am super sorted and feel very organised.  Somedays I go too fast. There (ode to my gorgeous Yoga teacher..) I said it. I admit I am having a hundred ideas all at once most days, and so some days its good to slow down. I mean, I do have my greatest ideas when I'm 'not thinking'. Like lightbulb moments at 3.45am when I'm meant to be sleeping, or when I'm helping do  a jigsaw puzzle.

So after another full on week that included a South Yarra wedding to DIE FOR a retro styled E-session, (I'm excited will share soon!) portraits, commercial work, and being a mother .. and being a wife yada yada. It was nice to spend a weekend at home in the sunshine. I am taking a  leaf (a petal) and a Chillax from Miss E, who spent some quality time tree climbing and daisy chain making, blissful see?

I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep, life I love you all is GROOVY. tap your feet clicked HERE

Wagga Wagga Wedding Photographer

from little things.. take two

oh what a wonderful 6 months + a bit I have had. I must say starting your own business overnight and leaving the day job for good was a daunting process, lets say a journey into self belief... I LOVE my photography and I never thought I would be doing it full time, but only because it was 'the fantasy job of my dreams'.. yes its like partying like a rockstar every day, except for the bit where you are editing and doing admin and trying to remember what your password and pulling your hair out because you dont' have a tech person..and learning.. learning .. learning.  APART from that it is fabulous.
So rebranding here I come. I am so lucky to  have had many clients who have signed up for their weddings, and portraits, and given such support to make me want to push myself further, oh the ideas are endless and I get slightly excited thinking of new possiblities.
 Enter Peppermint Studios.. because?  Because of many reasons, but mainly for a fresh start .. a celebration of new and exciting things, a world of endless possiblities. I should sing (I am really good at singing in the shower .. for some reason without the steam and bathroom acoustics...hmmm not so good)
So peppermint is my current happiness, and a work in progress, I even labored over a new website which you can check out  HERE ...and like a little acorn, has started from little things. 
Thank you to all those lovelies for your support. thanks a million x t
                                                                                                        












Wagga Wagga Wedding and Portrait Photographer

back to school day

9am and the 'to do' list is looking good. First thing this morning was waking up to the beautiful sound of rainy weather on my poor crispy drought affected excuse for a lawn, and Miss 5 coming in to say 'I am ready!!' that is completely dressed for school, smart new bag packed and hair do self done ..you could tell.. ready for back to school and it was only 6.30!  

No tears and trauma's this year (that is from me!!) , just everyone keen to get back into the swing of it.

I will of course miss the school holidays, the great ideas and fun things we could do ..YES, lets build a teepee and have a Cowboys and Indians party, go yabbying (again), make a cake, colour in, play barbies (LOVE that one!), or clean our rooms. Ok that last one was my suggestion that really didn't get a gong unless I did it myself and started to discover little treasures that were long forgotten like the missing lego piece and the saved lolly wrappers and my favourite the long deceased apple cores...hmmmm

I will definately be missing Master 8 , or as he is known in my kitchen every morning 'Barista Wills' who does a mean cappacino. I think its a gagget thing, he likes the whistles and buttons and he even cleans the machine when he is finished.. and always puckers up for a big smooch when I am oh so impressed with his finished product.  Bless you Willsy x

lets see if day two of school is this blissful. Oh the serenity.

just be yourself

A new year and many many resolutions.. The obvious one most of us abide by; Stop eating and drinking in excess, get healthy and go to bed before midnight!! Ooooh, but how I wouldn’t swap those extra two kilos for the great times we had, good friends,  (underline bold italic)  the cheese and pate, the ‘wet my pants’ belly laughs, the cheese and pate, the twilight swimming in the backyard pool, the reminiscing, and of course..the cheese and pate. Hmmmmm get healthy is definitely new years reso numero uno!  Oh bugger, last year I was going to learn Italian. Doh.

Secondly , a time to reflect. 2011. What a Crazy,  Hazy, Hectic year. Many changes, many highs, a couple of lows... But for every valley there is a peak which we continue to keep pushing for. My biggest step was leaving my lovely safe studio I was working for to go out on my own. A daunting time, but one of so much challenge and reward.. And fun!!! Finally being able to go out and shoot portraits, sharing happiness, seeing smiles and cuddles, finally realising this is what I LOVE!!

So visitors we had, I said goodbye to my beautiful friends, sobbing and hugging. They live far away and we don’t see each other often, the true friends, those of the ’un-fair-weathersome-ness’ the ones that tell me when I have mud on my face, the ones that promise to tell me when its time to start waxing my brow..the ones that are as fabulous as me at 2am!  I reflect on the year ahead.

So my new year quote de jour’..

”Be who you are & say what you feel. Because those who mind don’t matter, those who matter don’t mind”  you will never know your true ability if you let people hold you back. Never judge others,  and always remember ugliness in your heart will be seen on your face!! (god I can’t afford botox!)

 so  heres to the tincy freckles on little noses and to happiness. Find the love people..HNY Dream big xt

passion

I was questioned today about my ‘passion’ ..... It started me thinking about when it all started.  It is hard to pinpoint the exact minute, the moment in time. I wasn’t actually 15 years old, back then I was going to win the Olympic gold medal for Eventing, I could ride my horse all day dreaming of it..perhaps get a job in Princess Anne's stable , I would meet Prince William we would get married.

Anyhoo. It wasn’t then, and it  wasn’t those hazy crazy days of meeting and falling in love with my hot husband (that is my actual husband...so much more uncomplicated than being a Royal), but I am close.

It was sometime around my wedding day. That would be 1997 folks, the days of the giant gerberas and a bit of good old sepia, not forgetting painted red roses on black and white look does anyone remember?

The good news was that I was not a Gerbera bride, I had luscious bouquet of vintage looking double delight roses, I was the classic country bride, we had a beautiful day  and our photos were to DIE FOR.. Not only did I fall in love with my photos, the relaxed style , the ‘out of square’ family portrait through  a fish eye lens (sorry Mum, I know you were short enough to start with) but I loved LOVED LOVED my photos.

The fact that I think I can pin point my passion for photography, and for the record I was 26 years old, to this moment (by the way NB to original person who asked about my said ’passion’.. since when does it really matter when and how you got your passion?  Maybe it was always there, maybe sometimes you need moments and opportunities to bring your passions to life.)

Of course it helped that my wedding photographer was funky and gorgeous, she looked and played internationally fabulously...what a cooooool job, and it grew from there. I have been so fortunate to follow my passion and the journey (thanks reality tv word), the journey continues.

I guess the moral to this story is either a) Don’t let anyone deny or question your passion b) there is no prize or wrongs or rights when it comes to justifying your passion to anyone, thankyou person X or C) all of the above.

on that note your passion is yours and yours to keep. Speaking of which, there is some major pash happening here, enjoy x t   passion and HAIR