A picture is worth a thousand words!
What do your family portraits say about your family?
Many years ago I decided to spoil my mum by booking a studio photography session in London(where I was living at the time) as a treat but also because I wanted some photos of her and I together! Now my mum and I are pretty down to earth and not glamorous in any way! This wasn’t the kind of thing that we did often and in fact I had never done any ‘professional’ photo shoot before then. So maybe the experience was doomed to fail from the beginning, but SPOILER ALERT! Yes! It was a deeply disappointing day. The photo’s were OK, but we felt awkward and silly and I don’t thing the photos really captured the love and sentiment that I had intended the day to be for my mum and I.
We arrived home that day and instead of letting the day get me down I decided that if I couldn’t get the experience I was hoping for at the studio then I was determined to create it for myself and thus sparked a very long love affair with photography and in recent years family photography specifically.
While it started as a very simple idea(take better pictures) it sparked a deep passion for story telling and capturing memories for the families I am so very fortunate to meet.
Since that day life has thrown a few curve balls my way; I have since lost my mum to a long battle with breast cancer, had two wonderful children and moved to Melbourne to make a wonderful new life here in Australia. I believe that these challenges that life has thrown at me has created the perfect storm of talents and experience that has helped turn a hobby into a business and then even further into an absolute passion! And it is this passion that has helped me through so many of these challenges. It is a passion that I am so very fortunate to be able to share with others.
So here is how all this passion and experience has shaped my sessions:
- I want families to feel comfortable. I have been in your shoes! Having your photo taken is awkward, but trust me when I say: “It doesn’t have to be!”
- My sessions are very collaborative. I want to hear your ideas! We all have them we just don’t know we do until someone asks. You might not know exactly what it is you want from your session but you do know your family best. So feel free to share not only your ideas but your concerns. Don’t be nervous though, I am more than happy to guide you every step of the way. But for full disclosure: when I walk into a home with a plan, the baby, the two year old or even a 7 year old, will have their own plans/moods. 😉 And so I have learnt to go with the flow! It’s in these situations where the best moments are captured and we get to break away from a traditional portrait session and just create a unique experience for everyone. No rules!
- These sessions ARE FUN! There is no right or wrong. I want to get to know you and your family. I want these photos to be memories for not just this year but years to come. For you to remember what life was like at this moment in time.
- Whilst there are some beautiful landscapes in and around Melbourne, I do ask my clients to pick locations for their sessions that have a bit of meaning to them and their family. Not only does it give more meaning to the photos but it also sets the family more at ease to be in an environment that they are familiar with. My favourite sessions are of course in home sessions! But I am always up for an adventure and we could always incorporate a walk(to a local park or cafe!) – I am still waiting for a paint ball session or something super adrenaline fuelled so why not surprise me 😉
In summary what I do is a little different. The aim is not to capture the perfect family portrait but rather a perfect story of a moment in time. A beautiful family story!
Below are some of the fun experiences I have been fortunate enough to have during my sessions and it is more often than not the very simple things that are the most memorable. From playing board games, giving baby a bath, coffee runs or just simple lazy mornings in bed!
Families loving and living life!!
