The earlier the better to get on my calendar and have your preference of dates. I can book school term dates a year in advance and school holiday dates six months in advance.

My preparation guide expertly styles you with comfort, textural interest and colour depth to really allow your photos to pop. More importantly it reminds you this is not about the clothing you are wearing but being yourselves.

If you’re like me and really enjoy this part of the process, I will also create custom mood boards for your session and provide links to clothing in my wardrobe or on the shelves.

If you agree that your family home is the most meaningful location for your family portraits I will find the light and the creative compositions your home provides. If you have a window, if you have a front door, I can make magic! I will also often utilise outdoor areas and gardens.

For outdoor sessions I will be watching the forecast and getting in touch with you in the lead up to your session. Light intermittent showers and I will still go ahead if you want to. Heavy rain and dark skies or storms, we find another convenient date suitable for both parties.

Indoor session can usually still go ahead unless the sky is very dark and gloomy we may reschedule.

It depends on the location but most of the time my favourite light is about an hour before sunset right through until sunset. If you want an earlier session but my signature lighting we can aim for a session when sunset is earlier (winter) or a location offering good light earlier (which is sometimes your home!).

It helps to remain flexible on the day of your session because overcast weather may allow for an earlier start.

I believe in photographing families as they are. I will never ask a teen or toddler to ‘cheer up’ because, well…we all know how that goes. Quite often once we get started and they realise I’m pretty fun and their parents are really dropped in and giving them alll the attention, most come around to the experience. Plenty of kids leave asking to do it all over again the next day!

I use lots of play techniques, talk to your children, show interest and only give direction when I feel they are open to it. In the rare circumstances of very difficult children, I still manage to photograph the in between moments and pull together a well balanced gallery that surprises you. There are no bad kids, bad emotions or terrible families in my books, I meet you where you are at and honestly still manage to create wall worth photos! One of the biggest hurdles is encouraging you as the parents to let go of expectations and also allow things to naturally unfold, this is when the magic happens!

My preparation guide also gives plenty of hints and tips to help set you and them up for success, including showing them my photo and explaining what we will be doing a few times in advance. Having a quiet day in the lead up to your session and not skipping naps, feeding and hydrating well throughout the day.

I take up to three weeks to select your best images for your gallery and individually edit them in my signature style. Then you will receive your gallery and be able to download your photos and slideshow if you have selected a Journey package.

Your images will stay online for a year after your session. You can order wall art, prints and a variety of beautiful heirloom quality products. Your images are backed up with me for five years and can be accessed for a fee within that time if anything should happen.