Photography, Music, and the Art of Not Missing Life Whimsy & Wonder Photography Port Stephens
Yesterday, I delivered a gallery to a beautiful family I photographed on the stunning Mid North Coast. Today, I’m heading to Williamtown for a business branding shoot, and then on to Medowie for another family session. With all the stories I witness through my lens, you’d think the nerves would fade. But they never really do - and, honestly, I hope they never will.
Recently, I found myself re-watching “The Ballad of Cleopatra,” the extraordinary cinematic film by The Lumineers. It’s more than a music video series - it’s a soul-stirring meditation on life, regret, and the choices that make us who we are. “The Ballad of Cleopatra” masterfully weaves together songs like “Sleep on the Floor,” “Angela,” and “Cleopatra,” tracing the journey of a woman reflecting on the roads taken, the moments missed, and the relentless passage of time.
There’s a line that lingers with me: “She’ll be gone, but she won’t be late.” That lyric feels like a heartbeat, pulsing through the entire film - a reminder that life is fragile and precious, and that presence is everything. Watching Cleopatra’s story unfold - the crossroads, the heartbreak, the hope - I saw so much of myself, and so many of us, in her. The ache of wanting to live fully, but sometimes letting life slip quietly by.
I think that’s why I still feel those nerves before every shoot. It means I care. It means I’m still present, still invested in capturing the moments that matter, not just for you but for myself. Photography is my way of refusing to miss life. It’s how I remind myself (and my clients) that the messy, honest, unfiltered moments are the ones worth holding onto.
When I photograph families laughing on the Mid North Coast, or a business owner proudly standing in their space in Williamtown, or anyone opening their heart in Medowie, I’m not just creating images. I’m witnessing lives in real time - bottling memories so you can return to them again and again. My nerves, my heart, my presence: they all go into every frame.
“The Ballad of Cleopatra” moved me so deeply because it’s a film about ordinary moments and extraordinary choices - the ones we celebrate and the ones we mourn. It’s a reminder that we only get this one wild, precious life, and that the bravest thing we can do is to be here for it—to say yes, to feel everything, to show up for ourselves and for each other.
That’s what I hope you feel in my work with Whimsy & Wonder Photography Port Stephens. Every photo is more than a picture - it’s a promise not to miss the life right in front of us. It’s an invitation to remember, to feel, to be present. Because we’re not too late. We’re right on time.