Meet Alaska, the Siberian Husky from Mosman who is 21 years old (that’s equivalent to three in human years). My assistant Montana and I first saw Alaska through the glass windows at ‘Pets In The City Grooming and Boutique’ in Neutral Bay. We were instantly captivated by her luminous icy-blue eyes and thick sand stone/white coat. She was an absolute stand out amongst the gorgeous group of dogs.
According to Alaska’s family, we aren’t the only ones who are completely fascinated by her beauty. Alaska is rather well known in the local community, and to some people Alaska’s mum is known not by her first name, but as ‘Alaska’s mum’.
Alaska was first discovered as an 8wk old pup by Natasha. She found him in a Pet Store at Warringah Mall. Natasha, who was 14 years old at the time, instantly fell in love with the puppy and sent a photo (from her phone) to her parents who were away at the time. Natasha and her brother James had been trying to convince their mum and dad to get a dog for some time. Natasha’s mum who was yet to be convinced, said as soon as she visited the pet store it was easy to be sold on Alaska too!
I asked Alaska’s mum to tell me about their husky’s qualities and personality. She said she is intelligent, has a love for people, loves attention, is head strong, stubborn and a little bit of a devil.
When we photographed Alaska at home she loved the experience and all of our focus on her. We did notice she was very sensitive to the strong light coming through the windows and tended to give us the funniest rolled back eyes as a result. You can see this in the second photograph of her.
Local Manly business owner Lizzie Dhillon has created a wonderful new furniture and homewares store that has attracted a loyal and loving following of Manly locals, including me.
What is magical about venturing into her store is the amazing feeling you get as you discover each unique product that you can’t wait to pick up, open, or smell. It is a really wonderful experience every single time, like a kid finding treasures. It may sound hard to imagine, but you just can’t help but gush at what you see.
Lizzie said that people love that it is like walking into someone’s home and that you could move into it. Simply put, Lizzie has ‘”beautiful things for your home.” Sarah, a friend who came in initially to help when the store opened last winter, is still there. The atmosphere created by the fun loving duo is so relaxed despite them being exceptionally busy unpacking, pricing and displaying new products, which arrive daily. People don’t feel like it’s too structured in its styling, and that the store is a pressure free environment in which to explore.
It is great to be able to find thoughtful and unique gifts for family and friends. I was able to buy 90% of my Christmas shopping in the store. where I could spend as little as $15, or as much as a few thousand dollars for furnishings such as a European bench seat circa 1800 – 1900. I purchased about 15 gifts from Lizze, and loved the fact that she wrapped every single one, added a red ribbon, and gave me a special calligraphy marker to hand write the gift labels.
Half of her store offers one off antique pieces. New stock includes coloured china, vintage soda bottles, vintage maple syrup buckets that used to hang on trees in Canada, beautiful throws, cushions, storage baskets, bird jars, French soaps. Her clothing range includes labels by Freddy The Club, Joie and European Culture.
Displayed on the walls are samples of my Tania Niwa Photographer canvas fine art works showing family portraits (see image below).
I asked Lizzie what she loves about her business. She said she loves the generous spirit of her customers and their interaction with her. She feels exceptionally privileged at this stage of her life. She said it is all about giving back.
You will find the store located at Shop 1, 3-5 Pittwater Road, Manly 2095
We recently photographed Emma McLaren, owner of Mosman Nutrition. She has changed her career from the finance industry, as a fund manager, to pursue her interests in nutrition.
Emma has always been health-conscious. It wasn’t until she had children however, that her interest in nutrition was heightened wanting them to grow up happy and healthy.
She decided to go back to university to do a science degree with a major in nutrition in order to start her own business.
Emma commented, “My mission is to improve the health and well-being of my clients by offering practical but effective nutritional advice. My main practice areas are weight management, food intolerances and nutrition for chronic disease such as diabetes or heart disease.
My philosophy is that nutritional issues can be solved using real food, not meal replacements and bars. I encourage my clients to improve their diets by eating more of the healthy foods they already love. I also encourage foods that can be shared with family and friends, because the social aspect of eating is very important to many people, including me.”
Emma’s aim is to try to modify people’s diets for life, not to make a short-term fix that won’t last. To do this she offers ongoing support and motivation to help clients achieve their goals.
When asked why she chose Tania Niwa Photography to help launch her new image for Mosman Nutrition, Emma explained, ”I found Tania Niwa on an internet search, and a quick scan of her portfolio online confirmed to me that she was perfect for the job.
I explained to Tania that as a dietitian it is important not only to project a healthy image, but also to show an approachability and a willingness to listen. I feel that Tania captured this perfectly in the photos she took of me. I couldn’t be happier. Besides my website, I plan to use her photos on Facebook, LinkedIn, and for some editorial pieces I am writing.
The best thing about Tania is that she makes you feel relaxed during the photo shoot, which is great because it is not something most of us are used to. I will recommend Tania to all my friends and associates.”
To find out more about Mosman Nutrition, you can follow her new blog on her website here.
Our client Mary Louise Parkinson (pictured below in centre) is the founder of a new business called Teacup Techies. Teacup Techies put the Tea into Technology today with an all women, in-home training company launching on International Women’s Day, being March 8th 2012.
Teacup Techies is offering personalised and professional at-home, technology based training sessions suitable for all woman, from complete beginners to tech savvy executive mums who are time poor and just want help updating skills or learning quick tips on the latest technology.
“Our service can really change a women’s life”, says Mary-Louise Parkinson. “Our aim is to empower women by giving them skills they really need to participate more fully in today’s tech savvy world”.
All consultants for Teacup Techies graduate from TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute Work Wise Women Program. Mary-Louise said her consultants will help “identify what the customer wants to learn rather than bombard them with technical jargon.” To find out more visit their website http://www.teacuptechies.com.au/
Meet Morgan, a beautiful 3 year old Bengal cat owned by North Shore Vet Laura Moore and her husband. In order to capture Morgan at his most relaxed and in his own environment we set up our portable studio and photographed him at his very cool Cremorne ‘pet palace’.
Researching Bengal cats you can instantly see how beautiful they are in photographs with their desirable ‘wild’ look with large spots and rosettes, but it is not until you see one up close and in person that you catch what truly majestic animals they are.
Bengals are a hybrid breed of cat, formed by crossing domestic felines and Asian Leopard Cats Prionailurus bengalensis which is where the ‘name Bengal Cat’ was derived. The name is not actually derived from Bengal tigers as one might expect.
In the series of photographs above, my assistant Montana played fishing games with Morgan. His superb athletic ability to jump and stretch was absolutely impressive and incredibly exciting to capture!
Laura describes Bengal Cats as quirky, interactive and super fun but also needing lots of attention. She commented that you can’t leave them alone for too long, hence Laura has made her home wonderfully entertaining and fun for Morgan.
Morgan’s home sports an impressive cubby house with a mini maze, an indoor cat tunnel, a floor to ceiling cat climbing post with spiralling steps and a cat water fountain on their verandah – everything a cat could desire! To see a hilarious image of Morgan see our Niwa Photography facebook wall http://www.facebook.com/niwaphotography
Thank you to all our valued clients who entered our competition!
