I’m sad to see summer go, but boy hasn’t Melbourne summer been a little crazy? Apparently March 2013 has broken the heat wave records. Now it’s time for adding layers. I personally love autumn winter because I can mix and match by adding layers to create different looks. Trench and structured coats and knits are my staples. I always tell my friends to invest in a beautiful quality coat because it’s practically the first outer piece of clothing people get to see. What’s your opinion?

I’ve been a little busy over the summer with my weddings and portraits, so as you can see I’m way behind in blogging *sigh*. I’ve laughed with and captured many incredible families, cried a few tears at wedding parties and got a handful of fashion tips from fashionistas! Therefore, I’m really delighted that I’ve become one of Jess Dempsey’s (popular stylist blogger from What Would Karl Do) personal Blogtographer. I’ve been creating natural street style images for her blogposts with good use of daylight, and contrasting her outfits with the right textured and coloured backgrounds. No good positioning her against horrible backdrops that doesn’t sell the garments she puts together!

I have limited spots, so if you are after natural and vibrant street style images, drop me a line at hello@karenwoo.com.au.

PS – All work is commissioned and copyrighted, so it’s uncool to use these images without our permission xo.

Click here for more images.

Jess Dempsey is an ambassador for ASOS, so it’s kinda neat to see some of my images featured on ASOS.

I never thought celebrating 30 something would be filled with such glitz and glam. I was treated to the exciting taste of sichuan food cooked by the very talented Shu, surrounded by fashionable company of close-knit friends and even had the surprising pleasure of meeting and hearing Brian and Craig and Mcdonald brothers sing. They were actually the 4th runner up in UK X-Factor 2006. Oh boy, they are surely were handsome and beautiful sounding duos.

Shu’s food is simply gorgeous. He takes a modern approach towards provincial chinese cooking, where his creations combines authentic chinese flavours with fresh and unique ingredients. It’s definitely on my top 10 list of favourite restaurants. Not only is he a cook, he is super creative. I can’t believe he made all these wall hanging features out of coat hangers and a chandelier out of spoons. Do yourself a favour and book yourself and a few friends who love spicy food that doesn’t numb your tongue at his stylish and contemporary restaurant.

No party is complete without your hubby and your buddies!

That’s me with Shu on the top left, Van-Anh Nguyen (concert pianist and composer) in the middle and the Macdonald brothers on the top right.

Bottom left and right with Cathleen Tan from Cathleen Jia Designs and Cecylia Kee from Cecylia.com.

Mmm, I guess turning 34 isn’t so bad after all….xx

Meet Jess Dempsey, the founder behind one of the stylish and well-known blogsites called What Would Karl Do? WWDK for short. I’ve been an adoring fan of WWDK for a few years so when she asked me to blogtograph her latest outfits (all effortlessly styled and put together) I couldn’t resist. She is definitely one chic mama with loads of practical wardrobe advice which any aspiring yummy mummy should follow. I just love the way Jess reworks her wardrobe making it look fresh and fun. She’s also associated with one of world’s largest fashion online store, ASOS! Besides being so fashionable, Jess is actually a sweetheart with a big heart. She’s great to hang out with, and she has the cutest 15 month tot. In fact, our tots are only 9 days apart.

Jess is spotting Oasis chambray denim top and knit skirt. Go visit Jess at WWKD to see get her latest fashion tips, otherwise stay tune here for more of our blogtography!

I’m curious, what defines a modern day lady?

Is it the way she carries herself amongst her peers, the way she dresses, the amount of experience and intelligence she has, or the ability to bear children?

I was recently rejected from a job offer by two male interviewers because I lacked “recent experience”. I was on maternity leave for a year so I was not qualified for the Senior Business Analyst role. I felt judged and incredibly disappointed with the response. Forget equal opportunity in the workforce for a minute – how is that be possible when I worked at the company before and had same skill set and business experience?

So what makes a modern day lady? Can an intelligent modern lady still have children and go back to work?

Credits:

model \\LOUISA KITCHIN
stylist \\CECYLIA KEE @ Cecylia Kee
hair and make-up \\LANIE PHELPS and LEESA GRAY-PITT @ Goddess Star and Makeup
white shirt \\NEO DIA
black skirt \\KATHRYN BEKER
silver 2 finger ring \\EDENBOROUGH EVANS
green python bag \\SARAH CONNERS

I NEED to smile. It keeps me focussed. It eliminates negativity.

Here’s proof. Caught in the moment (by Alan) whilst on set for a Bridal Shoot for Cathleen Jia designs. More pics to come!

Welcome to my own personal website and blog! As some of you know already, I’m the Director of Finessence photography studio where I specialise in both Weddings and Portraiture. However I realised one thing lacking….where do I get to feature my passion for fashion photography? It’s actually my side dish. I have to thank Alan (my hubby and business partner) for fulfilling my daily nags on getting this website quickly launched – I just needed a new haven for me to showcase my fashion work. Therefore I apologise that my website is still looking pretty bare. It’s still under construction so I hope in the next few weeks (after my well deserved break to Malaysia) that I get to post some of my latest and bravest fashion work. Feel free to leave me comments or some constructive feedback – I only want to keep learning! Thanks for visiting. Cheerio, Karen