Location photographer. Getting behind the scenes. Showing off the secret, and not so secret, treasures of the world.
West Beach Parks
I have been working with West Beach Parks (formerly Adelaide Shores) for over five years. We have done multiple shoots for the rebrand, when renovations are completed, new accommodation is built, or for a new campaign.
Images: Lifestyle, interiors, exteriors, activities, staff profiles.
Love: The fun involved in photographing kids and adults enjoying the park facilities, especially the pool area where I can get the kids to jump in a number of times.
Not so much love: Making some of the budget, tiny (super skinny and long) bathrooms look inviting. But hey, we did it!
Images are used for a variety of purposes, including website, marketing material, social and corporate.
Some of my fave images from my shoots with West Beach Parks…
CLIENT: West Beach Parks
West Beach Parks - an impressive line up of facilities. See the recent photos from a heidi who photos shoot.
Want to get away but not have to drive for hours? I've been told many people come and stay here so that they can escape the norm. It's central, on the coast and has everything. This is definitely the place to come to make sure the kids have fun - and give you enough time to enjoy your cuppa and book in peace.
Pools, games rooms, waterslides, waterpark, playground, jumping pillow, cafe and now fitness centre, sensory room and loads of x-boxes (or whatever they are ;)). Seriously, you could have a whole morning or afternoon without seeing the kids!
I was back at West Beach Parks last month to photograph the upgraded games area plus the new gym and sensory room. I am impressed - caravan parks are offering so much now. Especially for families - it's a perfect accommodation choice. Maybe I'll be heading to West Beach next holidays?
Client: Marion Holiday Park
Marion Holiday Park - there really is accommodation for everyone. These images were part of a package I took while there for two hours of event coverage.
Late last year I photographed Marion Holiday Parks 35th birthday celebrations.
Must say, this park is pretty awesome... accommodation for everyone from tent sites to two storey poolside residences. Yes please.
Check out some of the pics I took while there...
Client showcase: Whyalla Caravan Park
A little sanctuary in Whyalla - an hour with Whyalla Caravan Park.
Whyalla Caravan Park - who's been? It's a quiet place, on the outskirts of town. I'd never heard of it until they called asking for one of my Editorial Packages.
As the sun was going down one day, I discovered the park. There are areas for workers, families, grey nomads and solo travellers in all sorts of accommodation. From grassy sites to villas to workers single rooms down the back.
There is a relaxed, and ultra green grassed, area right next to the bbq, perfect for lounging the afternoon away. A fire pit keeps you warm as the sun goes down.
Anyway, I worked myself silly for one hour, and here are the results... this is an Editorial Package which is a basic photo shoot and edit. Nothing weird and wonderful being enhanced here. :)
These are not advertising images where I work over them in retouch - removing all distractions, fixing light, and in fact, ensuring light is 'just right' for the shoot in the first place. We do what we can do with our one hour.
I'm pretty happy with the results - and most importantly, so is my client.
I'm heading Tasmania way in March for nearly a month - if you are down there and keen, get in touch! Or, please pass the word on. I can't wait to discover more of Tassie...
Our crazy travel ritual at Port Elliot, South Australia
Reasons why I'm unexpectedly enjoying a simple travel ritual.
We are creating a travel ritual. Never thought I would - but here we are. We are going to Port Elliot Caravan Park every October long weekend. Well, we have done for the past three years.
Port Elliot! My family live in Victor Harbor. I used to live in Port Elliot. I can stay for free with my family. So why are we creating a habit of paying $70 a night for a patch of lawn in a caravan park? Sharing a toilet and shower with loads of strangers?
The kids clambering of the rocks at Middleton Point.
Well...
1. We are camping out with my best friend and her family. The kids play together all day long on the playground and jumping pillow while we can relax just two sites away. Stand up from our deck chair, and we can check on them. Happy Mummies, happy families.
The playground which entertains the kids for most of the day at BIG 4 Port Elliot.
2. It feels like we could be holidaying anywhere. I relax like we are on holidays. Heck, we are on holidays. Some days complete with wine in hand by mid-afternoon. And the 'in transit' time to get here is under an hour from home. We don't hear 'are we there yet?' at all in the one hour.
We borrowed a caravan this year - so much more relaxing.
3. The beach is a two-minute walk away from our bed. In fact, there are two beaches within a few minutes walking distance. And about five minutes drive away is the surf at Middleton Point. I'm in heaven - or at least I would be if it was 20 degrees warmer this year.
Some crazy nuts got in this water with short wetsuits! Brr. I need my winter wetsuit, booties and gloves before I step in.
4. The vibe and community feel of chatting to campsite neighbours, sharing stories with other parents at the playground, and manually washing dishes in the open air is somewhat relaxing. It gets my 'tribe' feeling happening.
Road rules? Be careful. Most drivers are always on the look out for objects of any kind on the road when in the caravan park.
5. I spend a lot of time outdoors. Typically, when I'm not on shoots, I'm inside editing at the computer. We cook, entertain, play and chat outside when holidaying in a caravan park. Sure, it's not quite 'in nature', but it does make me feel better.
Part of the Encounter Bikeway that runs Victor Harbor to Goolwa.
6. We venture down different paths. Whether it's a walking track, road or new cafe. We ride our bikes down the back streets of Port Elliot to Retro Vibe Cafe on The Strand one morning - goggling at some of the new holiday homes lining the streets. While I'm sipping my double shot soy latte at the cafe, the kids play with the toys in one corner of the room.
Retro Vibe, Port Elliot
So, will we continue our tradition? The question this year 'should we go somewhere else?' is quickly answered by a 'heck no, it's just starting to get easy. The kids know the place. We have awesome sites. There's surf. There's good coffee close. No.'
What weird or wonderful travel traditions do you have?
Let me know in the comments below.
What's happening with camping?
The changing face of Caravan Parks. Caravans, camper trailers and tents.
Caravan, camper trailer or tent?
We stayed at the caravan park in Port Elliot for the October long weekend. It got me thinking. Camping, and they way we do it, has changed in my lifetime. When I was young, I remember tents being the norm. Nowadays, caravans and camper trailers are the norms. Tents are few and far between.
Why is that?
Are we getting snobby? Can we not afford hotels and holiday houses but still want comfort? Do we hate camping out in tents now? Are we trying to keep up with the Jones'? Or is it that prices are rising, and people that would normally get a holiday house or stay in a hotel are being pushed out of that market. At $75 plus a night for a grass site over a holiday period, consider the cost of a holiday home - maybe that is the case. All prices are rising.
I love to rough it - or more correctly, I used to. My idea of real camping is packing the basics and heading to nature. No gourmet meals, sometimes not even chairs to sit on. A sleeping mat - ha, only when required. I would pack a salad, chickpeas, baked beans, sandwich stuff (gluten free at the moment - grr). No sauces or herbs and flavourings, keep it plain. But I haven't done this in years. Hubby likes to eat yummy stuff. I don't blame him, most people do.
We have had a camper trailer for about five years but are now nearing the (nearly inevitable) debate of upgrading to a caravan or selling it. It doesn't get that much use, and we figure for the $ we could sell it for, we could pay for cabins when we want to go to a caravan park. And I do love a caravan park holiday with kids.
It's common to find in caravan parks...
Patchy prickly lawned sites (if they have grass sites)
Boozy holidaymakers are drinking first thing in the morning or getting rowdy after dark
Toilets that need a key or code.
Kids waking before the crack of dawn (normally mine)
But you also find...
kids having fun with new friends
lots of relaxing
not needing to lock up your tent
and an overwhelming strange sense of 'everything is good' and letting your children out of your sight
You don't often get one without the other - in peak season at least. Perhaps this is a discussion for around the campfire?
Just out of interest, who remembers paying $20-25 a night for sites? I do.
Barmera, South Australia
A long weekend. It comes with its pros and cons for the business owner - me.
Pros: Time with family, escape the house, have fun, do something different, time out from work.
Cons: Need to find time to catch up the lost time, tonnes of washing to do on return, too much eating and drinking.
Every Easter, my family goes up to Barmera, in the Riverland. It's a long weekend of speedboat fun (if the weather is kind), relaxing, kids playing, lots of eating, an easter egg hunt and a wine or two. Holidays revolve around the river, however, when Mother Nature doesn't play nice, we have other options.
Berri has a fair on the Saturday - nothing big, but fun. The community comes out, my kids love watching the gymnastics demos and then trying to catch all the eggs being thrown off the stage for kiddies.
Barmera has a big fair, music and big screen movie on the Sunday arvo/night. We go every year. It's fun to have a look through the stalls, grab some festival food (fish and chips were great this year!) and then sit and listen to the musician or band. We haven't made it to the movie yet, but as the kids get older, we will rug up and stay on.
Banrock Station is not far away - wine and wetlands. What more do we need?
Lake Bonney - we ride and run around it. About 22km. I need to do this to get rid of all the chocolate I eat over Easter. And it's also a good mental challenge. Note: if you are going to do it, do it early morning or late afternoon so you can entertain yourself with beautiful light on the lake as you go. And, don't expect to follow the lake around the edge - the road veers out in sections - but follow your nose, you will find your way.
Loveday and other dirt tracks are to be discovered by 4wd. Haven't done it by 4wd (hubby loves it though), but went for a jog along the tracks near the caravan park. Can see how it would be a bit of fun - for the right person.
This year, we found a wholesale fruit and veg shop too. I can't remember the name of it, but it's on the highway, just out of Barmera, when heading towards Berri. You have to turn down a country road, and then enter what looks like a farm with big sheds - but it's worth it. Cheap prices and yummo quality. We'll be shopping up there again, next year. (If you know the place, please tell me the name.)
And of course, Caravan Parks lend themselves to relaxing and not doing much. While the kids run between the playground, jumping pillow and new friends' caravans, adults can sit back and enjoy. Yes, some campers enjoy a bit too much, cracking a tinny at 8am, but nothing has become too rowdy yet. Even the fireworks that go off like a barrel gun at 10.30pm are taken lightly.
Question to end… why do we lock our houses up like a fort, but when in a caravan park, we believe a zipper will do the job?
Social holiday or seclusion?
'Crowne Plaza Changi Airport'
One of my excuses as to why I like holidays in caravan parks is that they are social. One step out your bedroom door, whether it's the tent, camper trailer or caravan, and you have a crowd to people watch, say hello and get to know. I associate the caravan park with getting to know people, leaving valuable belongings secured by just a tent zipper, and watching kids zoom up and down the roads on their bikes and scooters, screaming and laughing. No privacy. No quiet times. But fun.
I do really like to travel in style too, and love to stay in resorts where I am pampered with fluffy bed and crisp linen, buffet breakfast and my own little haven behind my suite door. One thing I have noticed though, in many hotel and resort lobbies, there is no ambience. And no people. Sure, they are nice and beautiful to look at when you arrive, but how many of you have said 'hey, let's go hang out in the lobby' while on holidays. Particularly if you are staying in a hotel.
Luxury and boutique hotels have mastered it, drawing free-spending crowds to their lobbies. But now, large traditional hotels are spending billions in renovations to lure their guests down into the lobby. Upgraded wine lists, semi private nooks, communal tables, free Wi-Fi and comfy seats are just a few of the changes.
It will be a nice change, walking into a city hotel and finding people lingering. As opposed to the sound of elevator music playing and receptionist with their head down at the desk.
