gIRL series: Sarah

gIRL series: Sarah

There are friends who become family, and Sarah is one of them. I was first welcomed into her work family back in 2014 when I had first moved to Sydney and needed a job. I remember meeting Sarah, this wonderful, laid back, epitome of Australian babe, great energy – and felt like she was so inviting and understanding of everything. I worked for Sarah at her cafe Porch & Parlour on and off during my 2 years in Sydney, and really found my family there. They were so supportive of my creative side and becoming a photographer and helped me in every way possible, something which I will always be in debt for. Over the years we became closer as friends (thanks to many glasses of after work rosé) and I am now also extremely close friends with both her brother and her sister – clearly something about our energies and the way we see the world align.

Sarah has always had an artistic eye, and I think that’s what bonded us originally, and a love of nature only a real Aussie can have, as it is so much part of daily life. For the past few years she’s been adding another string to her bow and working as a florist, a natural talent for her and something which really reflects her love for nature and design.

When we shot the below images in February, with Sarah 9 months pregnant it seemed so apt – she was about to become a mother – and yet she has cared for me and so many others she has welcomed into her world the way only a mother can. I just knew I had shoot her for gIRL with her bump, a way to commemorate this special moment – which seems all the more special now and I’m so grateful I got to see her this year.

Sarah went into labour the morning I left Sydney and gave birth to a wonderful girl, Maya, who I cannot wait to meet.

What makes you feel beautiful?
I feel  most beautiful straight out of the ocean or shower, hair in a towel. With a pat of Mukti antioxidant oil. Feeling fresh & appreciating the basics. I also feel beautiful when smiling surrounded by family friends. Happiness is beautiful.

What is beauty to you?
With floristry making up many work days, it’s hard to go past flowers, all the flowers! However beauty presents in so many forms, a desired colour palette, sculptural lines, a gigantic smile, dewy skin, kindness, soft golden light. And people that notice beauty in ever corner are the best sorts of people (Emma 😉

What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
Nothing beats a West Australian sunset over the ocean. Wildly beautiful, but also, HOME.

gIRL stands for Girls In Real Life and is a personal photography project of mine to capture the women in my life and talk to them about their ideas on beauty. You can see more of the series here.