Featured Photographer This Week: Jillian Healey, from Australia!

This week I get to tell you about Jill Healey, a fabulous and GORGEOUS photographer from Australia. The Gold Coast, to be specific (That's on the east coast, 'round Brisbane. I had to Google it. Gorgeous area!!). 

(Seriously, if I had any money, I'd find a way to visit these gals in person and learn from them. First Niki from Finland, now Jillian from the Gold coast? I have "travel crushes" on these photogs from other countries!!)

Meet Jillian:

Jillian shared one of her current favorite images with me for her interview, here:

And then was kind enough to answer 10 questions about her image, her photography, and a little about herself as well. If you find yourself thirsty for more, she has a fabulous website and blog, and can also be found on Facebook. 

Linky Loos:

Jillian Healey Photography

Jillian Healey Photography/blog

Facebook Fan Page:  

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jillian-Healey-Photography/122301171143001

Ten Questions with Jillian Healey

About your image…

1) Why do you love this image? 

 It just screams new, young love. There's passion and the very fabric of the planet seems to be backing them up!

2) What were your settings with this image? 

Shutter Speed: 1/640 

ISO: 200 

Aperture: 3.5 

Lens: 50mm 1.4 

Body: 5D Classic

3) What do you love about photography? 

This isn't a straightforward question. I love making a record of people, connections, personalities that will give people cause to smile and reminisce in years to come. I love details. Eyelashes, fingers, eyes - all the things you come to know about a person you love intimately. I love more than anything else that I am able to take my skills and eye for detail and connection into the most heartbreaking moments in a family's life with the charity work I do with the Heartfelt organisation who go into hospitals and capture what is often the only high quality photographs of little ones who are on the verge of getting their wings or who have flown already. It is the reason I learned to take a photograph and the reason I continue to make photography my business and career.

4) What type of photography do you specialize in and why? 

Newborns, immediate families, maternity and couples are what I do most of, in that order. I have recently realised that I work best with smaller groups of people and am now really limiting myself to servicing those groups so that I am always playing to my strengths and giving my clients the very best I can.


5) What are your favorite hobbies and pastimes? 

There hasn't been nearly enough time for hobbies and pastimes in recent years as I have been so busy building my business. Through photography I have re-learned knitting in order to make lots of props for my babies, but before that I enjoyed DIY, painting and feltmaking. I also love driving out in to the countryside with my husband and kids and picnicking in remote and spectacular locations.

[Oh, LOVE this answer! The picnicking part sounds especially amazing!]

6) Who or what inspires you? 

As time goes by and I get a little older, I can see how precious life is and I am utterly inspired by being trusted to take such intimate photos of people on their journeys through love and the creation of new life. I also find inspiration in other photographers. I love the energy of Diana Palmer and Tara Whitney and Nate and Jacklyn Kaiser. I love the serenity and achingly beautiful images of a number of newborn specialists (too many to mention!!) who all have unique styles of their own.

7) Who are some of your favorite singers/bands? 

Does Glee count??? Other than that, I love Eurythmics, Black Eyed Peas, Radiohead, Beyonce and Britney Spears. I also like a variety of Britpop and all things 80s! 

[Glee TOTALLY counts. I could listen to their soundtracks for HOURS. And sing along loudly, of course!]

8) What is your favorite movie of all time? 

Danny Deckchair.

9) What would your ideal day be like? 

My staff would arrive to make breakfast, clean, do laundry, iron and make the school lunches. I would then take my three girls to school whilst said staff put the house back together, grocery shop and make me a healthy and tasty lunch. I would be photographing a newborn while they do this. After lunch, a little editing, respond to emails and then go collect the kids from school. We would then go hang out at the beach for an hour, grab some afternoon tea and then come home and do homework. My chef would have started on dinner. Eat dinner, send the kids for showers and tuck them into bed while the maid cleans the dishes and then my masseuse would give me a quick shoulder massage before bed. Other than that, I would just go with a completely chaotic day, stumbling from one disaster to the next, never an ironed outfit in sight nor a clue of what to eat for dinner. Either way is good!

[Working on your ideal day? You're a better woman than I am!!]

10) If you weren't a photographer, what other profession would you like to pursue? 

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Jill, I'm THRILLED you went into photography, so you could become a part of my circle of inspiration. Who needs more doctors, anyway? (Kidding. Seriously.)

Thank you for sharing your talent with my bloggy, and thanks, bloggy readers, for checking this gal out and giving her some love.

(Come back next week to read about Rachel Aberle from Green Bay, WI!)

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Off to go play at a Girls' Night Out. I gotta get as many of those kinds of activities in before the newborn arrives... right??