Archive for 'portrait'
Berry is arguably the best place on the South Coast to hang out in the autumn leaves! Follow up with a chaser of seven mile beach at sunset and you’ve pretty much got a perfect mother’s day photography session in the bag : )
Clients often ask me if they can bring their dog along to their family photo shoot and the answer is always YES! A family pet is as much a part of our lives as any other member of the family so i’m delighted to include them in our sessions whenever possible!
The golden retriever in these shots is called Rufus and he was ALMOST as adorable as his two little playmates : )
I do enjoy it when a client gently shoves me out of my comfort zone by suggesting a location that i’ve never held a family photo shoot at before. It gets me out and about exploring the local area with local knowledge and introduces me to all that is most beautiful in the Illawarra and South Coast regions. This gorgeous family introduced me to the famous (little did I know) and very beautiful Sandon Point and what a lovely spot it is. Thanks for adding another amazing south coast photography location to growing list : )
This gorgeous family won a gift voucher that we donated to help the fund-raising efforts at the Giant Steps Black Tie Ball. Giant Steps was founded to help educate children and families experiencing autism, to alleviate associated stress and to guide in the achievement of measurable results. We have friends with a child at the school so I’m grateful to be able to help in any small way to raise the millions of dollars they need to keep the school funded each year!
I have so much respect for this dear mum… three beautiful children under three. One second from unleashing them for their pram and all three beautiful girls run in three different directions with wild abandon…so happy to be free to explore. I so loved photographing their happy energy and independent spirits!
These guys, two sisters and their cousin, flew in from from different states in Australia to spend the weekend together with their beautiful families at Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay. All three woman gave birth to their babies within a couple of months of each other and were excited to capture this unique time as new mums together.
When my own babies were young it was the other mum’s at similar stages that I met along the way that helped me keep my sanity… they knew exactly how my day was going by the expression on my face! What a joy it would have been to have your sister and cousin all along for the ride at the same time. Amazing!
So in this job the weather plays an pretty massive part in determining the outcome of a family shoot. Sometimes the weather is my best friend (gratefully, here in Australia that is more often then not)…at other times, well, sigh…it just rains and rains and rains every weekend for a month! When this happens the best thing is just to go with the flow, take joy in having a pyjama day with the kids, watching moves, eating popcorn and juggle everything around to slot the shoot into another day.
This dear family was booked in during one of the worst months of weather this year had to manage a number of reshuffles (my own family watched A LOT of movies that month!). In the end we decided to stop trying to reschedule into a specific date and just to call each other when a beautiful evening finally presented itself….and lo and behold just look at the magic light and conditions we ended up with : ) So happy we decided to just go with the flow!
I grew up in the UK and my parents still live there. I moved to Australia eleven years ago and I still remember how wonderful it was to have family or old friends visit in those first few years of relocating and settling into making my new place in the world feel like home (actually what am I saying, even after eleven years a visit from my people never gets old!)
I’m so fortunate that my siblings have now also crossed permanently over to the other side (my sister lives only two minutes down the road from me in Kiama, and my brother is shacked up in my old flat in North Bondi). Whereas my sister moved around the same time I did, my brother took another 8 years of almost yearly visits to finally take the plunge. A visit from Uncle Will was always, and still is, a much anticipated event in our house. He is by far the kids FAVOURITE uncle (not to be diminished by the fact he is actually their only uncle!).
So I was delighted to be asked to a capture a few photos of these two sisters and their children. One lives over here in Sydney and the other back in England. They had big plans for their time together – a campervan trip up the coast, loads of quality time for the kids to play together and get to know each other and finally, to rack up serious beach hours (remember they are coming from UK in the middle of winter so its been months since anyone has seen the sun!). Unfortunately they hit some of the worst weather the NSW coast has seen this year. Rain and windy storms and a exhausting dose of cabin fever for the little ones confined to their van!
But the wonderful thing was watching them laughing about it together. Even as their best laid plans went awry, time spent together, even if not as idyllic as imagined, was the most important thing… tamping down the foundation for their family’s stories for years to come!
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to raise a small child deep in the heart of the city. My presumption was that it must be hard, all the people, all the traffic, the expensive rents. So I was pleasantly surprised to see my prejudice challenged after spending a delightful morning with this city loving family.
They invited me to share in their way of living and showed me there is much to enjoy about daily life amongst the skyscrapers. Step out of your apartment building for a morning stroll, through the historical architecture of The Rocks and within just a few minutes, the Opera house and the magical Royal Botanic Gardens are your playground. Leisurely wander in before the city gets started and the place is yours, fabulously free from the influx of city workers or curious tourists.
A quick play on the house steps, a relax under a ancient fig tree, an amble around Bennelong point, and back into the hustle and bustle to test out one the latest new coffee shops popping up in the lanes between the tall buildings (word of mouth on the street is that the coffee is amazing… they were right!). Then back home to your apartment building for a spot of morning tea and a nappy change with a view!
Love is the bedrock in every family. Documenting that love is my passion and the work of my heart. With some families it is easy to capture, bubbling to the surface with ease and grace. With others it is more elusive, hidden behind social walls and protected from view. Most often the families I work with need gentle reassurance mixed with a good dose of distraction to relax and let down their guards in front of my camera, to feel free to show affection and closeness with a stranger watching on. This is a skill i’m always working on and that i’m proud to bring to my work.
Every now and again however, a family comes along that are just naturally open, close, affectionate and loving and my job simply becomes one of capturing the best light, colour, angles and smiles.
These parents raised their three girls in Kiama but all now live far and wide across Australia. The three of them generously clubbed together to buy their parents some updated family photos for Christmas this year and I was able to capture them as they reunited for this special family time. It was obvious to anyone watching these guys how important “family” is to them. I fervently hope one day my grown up kids come home to visit us such joy and love in their hearts! To me, that would be a parenting job well done.
