Everything changed when my children (Isabella, now five, and Carmen, now three) came along. Photography became play again, and a thing for the family to share. My children love looking at the photos and acting out the stories again. For our distant families, the photos mark the chapters as our children grow. For Sue and I, the photos are ways to hold on to priceless memories. No matter how much we try to, we can't remember what our children looked like last year - the memories fade too quickly.

I started Take Better Photos to share some of this fun and excitement of having great photos of family and holidays, through photography courses in Brisbane. The idea is to capture the truly priceless moments in life - the ones you will want to show your grandchildren.

You don't need an expensive camera for this... you just need to be there and know what to do.

The photos still surprise me. I hope you find some ideas and inspiration in the galleries for your own photos.

Dean, Sue, Isabella and Carmen, Christmas 2008