Noémie Vonthron Photography-Step 1: Meet your photographer!

Ok, it is my first blog. Funnily enough when I was younger I was writing short novels that only my best friend was allowed to read. They were always about love, betrayal, teenagers blues and worries, I guess it was about whatever I was dreaming of or going through back then! I was writing in French though. So, here I am blogging for the first time, in English, not sure exactly how things work, but ey, you know what? That’s ok, if you don’t try out, you never get any further… life mojo here. “Qui ne tente rien, n’a rien”

I thought I could start my first post with who I am. I am 42 years old, Taurus (I like star signs, but I know nothing about astrology, I just think it might be true, somehow) I live in Australia, Sydney, but I grew up in France, 40 kms away from Paris. I love art, horses, hiking, nature, cooking, working out, and I wish I’d listened more in history at school. My favourite person is my son and being a mother is my favourite thing to be. I am also a great friend, unless all my friends lie to me for years. I studied law at university, I have a master 2 in law, specialised in Intellectual property. Because I always wanted to be an artist but growing up my parents were not really pushing me towards this path, not the safest journey ahead for a parent to see their child being an artist, right? So here I am working as a young “lawyer” for a TV chanel and I hated it. I hated the corporate world. Dressing corporate, speaking corporate, and I still always dreamt of being an artist. I stop everything to be an actress. This journey will last 5 years, it didn’t work well either, let me tell you! haha. But there were some fancy things, like I can say I have actually acted in plays in Paris, next to le Sacre Coeur, in Montmarte because that’s where my “troupe” was based. We were drinking red wine in tumblers and smoking tobacco rollies, writing stories… At 28years old, I decided to challenge myself, this is when I decided to come to Australia. As it is almost the further point away from Paris (New Zealand wins I think), I thought it will be a nice break from my own issues in France, I might learn English at the same time, and found my true love (by true love I mean what is my purpose in life). Little did I know I would find myself in this country. Had to become stronger, began to love who I was and became Australian citizen.

When I first landed in Brisbane, I spent 5 days walking up and down the city, freaking out a little bit being by myself, so far away from home. I realised I couldn’t understand a word people were saying and and I wondered “what was I thinking when I thought it could be cool to come down under?”. Because I always loved horses, I found a place to stay in North Queensland, helping out in a new farm, looking after the horses and the cattle, picking up rocks from the fields, giving sugar cane melasse to the cows. This was a fantastic experience and I started to learn English then, around the fire at night, chatting with my hosts and their friends. First taste of Bundy as well! Fast forward a little (because my almost 2 years of travel could be a book on its own…) I found a man, decided to stay in Australia, became a travel agent and when I fell pregnant a few years later, my whole world flipped upside down.

First, we don’t talk about the amount of pressure people can give you. Why don’t you have kids yet, you’re not getting younger etc.. It was very hard to handle while my dream was to be a mother and start my own family. When I finally was pregnant I thought all issues will vanish. No they don’t. You suddenly become worried about other issues, you suddenly become responsible for this tiny human you are growing inside your belly. Can I say it again, you are growing a human being inside your belly! That thought flipped my world!

I went to buy my first DSLR because I thought I would take good pictures of my baby once they were born (the sales guy still remembers me when I go back to this shop to buy some gear, all these years later).. While I was in my acting years, I also was taking photographs and always had an eye for it, apparently… But I had to work out how to use the camera! Oh geez, so technical… I started to watch Youtube a lot. Every time I thought I understood something, bam, they started to talk about another technical detail and I was carried away looking at another video about something else in photography world. I am curious, so I just tried to learn as much as I could. My baby sleeping in my arms, feeding, me being online hours and hours and hours.. I even thought I could pose him as newborn photographers do. Well, as I thought they do.. Yeah, that didn’t work well as you can imagine, so that didn’t happen! So I started to pay for training. My friends were pushing me, “you can do it” “you’re talented”. And I thought, yes I can. I don’t want to go back to the travel industry, so my timing was perfect, it had to happen now. It was 7 and a half years ago. For 6 months I built a portfolio, I photographed my Mother’s group’s babies, friends etc.. I started very lifestyle back then, no newborn at all. Then on a rainy day I was stuck as I didn’t have light. So I had to learn about studio lighting.. and I bought some lights (terrible ones now that I think of it!). I was mostly working on outdoors sessions and events such as Christenings. Then I separated from the father of my child, I became a single mum with a 2 years old son and a fresh business that wasn’t profitable. This is when I moved to Gladesville. (Before Covid). This is when I decided I have to make it work. No matter what. I wanted to raise my son being HAPPY. Lead by example. My manager from the travel agency I used to work at always taught me this when I was starting my manager’s job.. It stayed forever with me. “Lead by example”.

I turned my living room into my studio (I don’t have any living room to this day) and my props are everywhere at our place. (I am very good at Tetris!) and I worked as hard as I’d ever worked before. More training, more workshops.. Even now I still skill up with the amazing Symply Art Masterclass at least twice a year. You always learn something new, you always need to be pushed. You don’t know what you don’t know…

For me, safety and beautiful images are my absolute priority. I am vaccinated and know exactly how to handle newborns and babies, I have years and years of experience. I will postpone your session if I feel unwell myself, I know how important your precious child is. I have a lot of experience with cheeky toddlers too. I know how to trick them into giving their beautiful, genuine smiles! The same goes for moody dads who didn’t want to be part of the photoshoot- I can make them smile too (haha).

As for the images: I am a perfectionist and hard worker so I will push it to get the best that I can, to make sure you have a wow photo that you will adore.

About my customer service; I am lucky, I think, that I am a people person. My clients really like me, and always love their experience with me. I put people at ease. I became friend with many over the years, they come back, send me their sister, their bestie, their daughter… I am a passionate artist. I love what I do. I love the thought of making the world a better place by bringing some smiles on your face when you look back at your photos or some happy tears. I am honoured to capture your special moments for generations to cherish.

Wow, did you read all of that up to here? Well done, and thank you for sticking around! That will be it for today, and I will blog more about photography in my next post, and maybe a little less about me haha. But I thought it was a good one to introduce myself.

Noémie