FAQ

More on studio vs in home newborn sessions:

• If you want the “studio look” with simple props & wraps, then book the studio format, I do not bring props along to in home sessions. These formats are very different. Studio sessions are ideally done within 6-14 days of baby’s arrival to achieve those sleepy womb like poses. However sessions with older babies are also possible and I can discuss this in more detail if you reach out. Please check my portfolio to see the differences & contact me if you are unsure of which option suits you best.
• YES I do shoot older babies in the studio – however parents need to adjust their session expectations accordingly to the age of the baby. Older babies will not fold into womb like poses, so pictures involve more awake/wrapped, & parent holding images.
• In home sessions – simple clothing for baby please. Plain onesies are ideal, we don’t want anything that will date too quickly style wise or has distracting pictures that detract from baby. NO I DO NOT BRING PROPS TO THESE SESSIONS… These are fly on the wall candid sessions. If you want props please refer to studio format.
• Studio Sessions, baby requires no “wardrobe styling” I will provide all wraps required.
• Studio Sessions: I will always book sessions in the morning (starting no later than 12pm). The time will vary depending on whether there are siblings, as generally young children are cranky from late morning – mid day these sessions are scheduled a bit earlier in the morning.
• Studio Sessions: If you are bringing along siblings I generally do all sibling + family shots within the first 30-45 minutes (if siblings are willing). After this time I do strongly recommend you have a plan for either dad or another carer to take the kids off for a break or home, as the session is 2-3 hours this is a long time & in my experience its the least stressful & most comfortable strategy for all parties.
• Baby is number one priority – so if baby needs a break or a feed, we stop, it’s a great time for a chat or cuppa break too 🙂

More on siblings at sessions:

A few points to consider on younger aged siblings at sessions, in my experience this can be a difficult time for siblings specifically toddlers or children under the age of 3-4. Welcoming a new sibling into the family is a HUGE transitional time for them, they have likely just had time away from mum (while she is in hospital) & are then experiencing a new dynamic and routine at home with a new baby brother/sister as well as a distinct shift in attention. While a few do respond really well to these changes for most it is quite challenging & confusing and there isn’t necessarily & “instant” bond between siblings. It’s important to keep these things in mind when approaching the session and session expectations.

Firstly, while it seems logical to bring clothing for siblings & dress them at the session, I have time and time again seen this set off a melt down. The new environment & new face (mine) followed by a request to change clothing is disconcerting to them & lets face it, most toddlers are tricky to change at the best of times, so I would strongly suggest dressing them at home & just refrain from feeding them in the car on the way over or use a bib. I would rather remove a smudge on a white shirt in photoshop than have a sibling dissolve into a tantrum over getting changed at the start of session thereafter losing all co-operation and kicking off on a bad note.

Secondly it is of UPMOST importance that mum & dad remain calm, & keep it casual, kids will pick up on our anxiety & tension, so it’s really important that everyone arrives calm at the session. It’s also important to stay calm, even if they don’t seem to co-operate, or things aren’t going “well” with them – this is TOTALLY normal, I see siblings meltdown or refuse to participate all the time (I have two kids of my own also), so there really isn’t anything they can do that I haven’t seen before. I will work with whatever they give me, but we all have to respect them as little people and work to their comfort & keep expectations reasonable. This said I don’t recommend overly exciting them with instructions & too much attention at the session, kids are smart they get very suspicious with this and generally play up to it. Be careful with bribery options (let’s face it bribery is almost unavoidable), while these can work they can also work against you as once they’re “out” they can be hard to put away. So save these for an absolute last resort & understand that once given cannot be removed. (So keep this in mind if you don’t want iPhones or toy trucks, or sultanas in photos lol)

Most importantly – I will never force siblings to hold baby’s or pose in a way that is dangerous if they are not 100% on board. As much as I really really want & will work hard to achieve a beautiful smiling look at the camera shots for parents I will NOT put baby’s at risk to achieve this. Some siblings are very co-operative & this is easy, others not so much, this is just a reflection of personalities & quite normal. I almost always without fail do manage to capture some moments and precious memories so please don’t “stress” about this at all.

I will often attempt to do sibling & family shots upon arrival so Dad is free to take older siblings to the park or home after the first 45 mins to an hour if that is preferred and advisable, I find a lot of parents find this the least stressful format for the day.

The second most important thing to consider & plan really carefully is wardrobe. What you wear to your session will again be the difference between good and amazeballs in terms of session outcomes. Obviously your session format, season & location will play a part in this, it’s wise to consider the colour tones of your backdrop firstly, from there plan a “colour scheme” to dress to. Now Matchy-Matchy isn’t necessary, think complimentary tones of a similar colour or colour combination.  We don’t want the “twinning” look, and we definitely under no circumstances want the “white t-shirts, blue jeans” look circa 1990’s! That’s done, to death, and simply doesn’t photograph well. We also want to avoid any logos, brand labels, or graphics. These are distracting. Stick to plains or repetitive patterns. Layers, textures, accessories & details… all look great! I recommend wearing clothes that fit your normal style and reflect your personality. Light neutrals are the best go to easy colours to style with. I send all clients a comprehensive style guide & I encourage clients to include me in their wardrobe planning, send me your ideas & I’ll happily provide feedback and suggestions of where to source and how to co-ordinate. For maternity sessions, I generally encourage my clients to organise clothing that showcases that bump “show us your bump”! So either a stretchy dress, or full length flowy maxi! Crop tops and skirts look ace also! I’ll also as you to bring along some nice lingerie, & a kimono or loose cardigan, (if we are at the beach bathers!) as I will also generally do a mixture of shots in this attire. I do have a couple of lace gowns for milk baths and studio, but I do tend to stick to more “civi” styling as a preference. Once you have booked in with me I will discuss your wardrobe planning in depth and provide inspiration images/style boards and resources. 

Yes of course, but a few points to consider on this. Firstly any additional people (6+) or outside of your immediate family incur an addition charge. Contact me for more info on this.

Also be aware that adding additional attendees to a session can alter the vibe & format of the session. Intimate storytelling becomes a lot harder when the group extends beyond the immediate family unit. I have also noted these sessions can become long lists of “family formal” stand and smile combinations so be prepared for a slightly different feel to extended family sessions! 

Session”Spectators” however are not allowed. From experience this just makes things weird, & subjects feel uncomfortable when they have an audience – this is particularly distracting for younger children. Your friends/family/mum etc will have a beautiful gallery of images to review after the session! 

I service Perth & surrounds but anywhere outside of Perth or 45minutes+ from Oakford will attract travel fees. I am a sucker for a great location or opportunity to travel – so I will make a point of trying to keep it a win win for both of us. As these situations are usually quite unique I will quote on a case by case scenario. Please get in touch if you would like more information or want to chat about some options!

Ok the biggest thing I hear from clients is “I hate having my photo taken” followed by “my husband hates it even more” or “we are super awkward in front of the camera” I get it, I totally get it! I think this is quite a natural response to some degree, but please be assured, I amm going to work super hard at your session to overcome this, I’m not going to leave you hanging, I will guide you through the session step by step & we will probably share quite a few laughs along the way. 

I like to dive straight in, so usually I’ll arrive pretty much ready to rock & roll. At in home sessions I’ll cruise your space a bit & work out the best spots to shoot and look for any hidden gold or light pockets. On location we generally move straight to the first spot & get cracking, I’m conscious of kids & attention spans so I find it best to just get started. But I’ll be chatting with you all along the way, doing my best to break the ice and get you all relaxed (and maybe even start to get hubby more on board!)

At all sessions I have a loose workflow I like to follow… I’ll usually do any group, or “stand & smile” obligatory safe shots out of the way first. I like to capitalise on the kids attention span & co-operation. So I’ll always take some “safe shots” to begin, that way if the wheels kinda fall of for whatever reason& little Johnny subsequently refuses to sit still & smile, we’ve covered that base. From there, I’ll work on a few “combination” portraits, siblings, & parents etc. I’m always keeping in mind young kids generally have a very short timeframe for the sitting and smiling or following instructions so I like to keep this part of the session short & sweet and get it done fast!

From here we move to the fun stuff. This is the part where I encourage my clients to PLAY & have fun. I can’t capture those genuine interactions if everyone is sitting stiffly smiling at the camera. So be prepared to play chase, throw kids in the air, roll around on picnic rugs, bug & treasure hunt, tickle, cuddle you name it. We will also MOVE I also like to get the most out of your location so we will generally move around, chasing adventure, backdrops and of course sweet light! By now hopefully your husband has realised the camera won’t bite & this photo stuff actually aint to bad & everyone is relaxed & having fun!

Generally I will give some general posing direction or prompts, but every client is different & some people are naturals and require little if any instruction, cool, other people are less natural and need more priming, thats cool too… I’ll read your vibe & instruct accordingly. We aren’t shooting for Vogue so don’t panic if you think you’re super camera awkward. The key to looking good in photos is to relax & have fun!

Expect your location session to take about 1 hour.

So you’ve just had your photos, your itching to see them I know! I’ll do my best to get a Facebook preview up within 48 hours (unless I have been advised previously if you do not wish for this to be done).

From there your session will be edited, I will forward a gallery via email within 2-3 weeks of your session date. This will have all of your edited files from your session. At this stage you will then have 2 weeks to review your gallery & make your selections for included files/package upgrade if applicable & also order any   prints. If there is any additional upgrade payment required, this will need to be settled in full before a download pin will be provided.

In home sessions, weather isn’t a concern with these, so we shoot any season/weather condition. As we are inside we can also shoot anytime during the day. So depending on my schedule and your family schedule, I’ll do my best to pick a time that fits in best with your usual routine. Morning or Afternoon is usually the winner. If you want to venture outside after your session for photos, be prepared to shoot late afternoon (see above topic on time of day for reasons why). I touched briefly on how we work indoors, I shoot a few main rooms generally, Master Bedroom, Living Room & Nursery if applicable. But sometimes other spaces will call to me, and we may get creative here. I do not expect clients to spring clean for me. Your house does not need to be sterile. General tidy is ideal. Remove clutter or anything you don’t want in your photos like that clothes rack of laundry you’re drying in the living room – that should probably go! But I also acknowledge homes should be lived in, and let’s face it with kids it’s like virtually impossible to achieve display home status anyway. So please don’t feel you need to try & do so on my behalf! Im cool with the compromise of somewhere in the middle.

Reality check – kids are just that – kids! I have two of my own & working with families have a super REAL expectation of kids & family sessions in general. I don’t expect kids to sit ‘stepfordly’ & smile following instructions perfectly for the entire session. If I get ONE of these I’m stoked & you should be also. I want them to play & have space to be themselves. I’m seeking the real smiles, not the forced ones. The belly laughs. But I also realise all people whether they are bigger or smaller have moods & personalities. That’s kinda what makes you guys you. I’m going to work with whatever your tribe brings on the day. Sometimes, that’s a super cranky/sassy toddler who ain’t smiling for all the chocolate bars & briberies in the world. I respect that they are people too and maybe feeling a bit anxious, so we capture them as they are. One day many moons from now, the frowning toddler will be a cheerful smiling young person, whom you forgot had that little wrinkle in their brow, pouty lips and precocious posture. Bottom line – forcing co-operation simply doesn’t work. My advice to all parents is to stay calm & relaxed regardless of the kids perceived co-operation. More often than not we as parents feel more sensitive to this than others, & please trust me that I WILL get beautiful images in amongst the wonderful chaos. Most important is to have fun, it’s just photos – let’s make it an adventure and an experience!

Unless we are shooting indoors, outdoor session times are ALWAYS in the 1 hour prior to or around sunset (we can do sunrise also, but I find most peeps aren’t all that keen on the early wake up). I realise that this time of day is not always ideal for young kids. HOWEVER, light is something I will not compromise on – period. It basically comes down to the ultimate session result. You simply CANNOT achieve those golden tones & soft light at any time of the day other than sunrise or sunset. During the course of the day – the sun is high and the light is hard. It’s going to mean squinting faces + lots of super un-flaterring hard shadows. I’m assuming you possibly don’t get around to doing family photos as a regular thing, so as with location & stretching outside your comfort zone, time of day we shoot is just as important & worth breaking the routine a bit to really achieve session magic. Let the kids have a later nap, feed them well before you come & all will be well. I promise we will all walk out alive & with great photos!

Sunset times vary greatly throughout the year so do keep this in mind when deciding on time of year to book your session!

If it rains we reschedule. I usually don’t like to make a final call on this until the day, the weather man LIES and so forecasts for rain, can mean twenty minutes at lunch time & have no impact on your actual session so you can postpone unnecessarily. If the weather looks dicey & I’m worried I will be in touch beforehand to discuss options.

If you, your kids or I are sick, or have conjunctivitis or any other contagious lurgie, we postpone. Sick session attendees are not at their best, it isn’t fun, & likewise I don’t wish to share germs with you or your kids (so not cool!) Likewise if little Johnny or baby Sue has a wicked case of conjunctivitis or some other mass producing mucusy bug I’m not going to attempt to photoshop every image to try and “fix it” lets shoot them at their best & pick another date!

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard, will you make me look good/skinnier, photoshop me etc! I’m going to bluntly be to the point on this. NO! As a lifestyle photographer I am not in the fashion or glamour realm, as such I do not include extended retouching or photoshopping as part of my service. Im going to photograph you AS YOU ARE loving on your tribe – and that my friend is what’s going to look good! All images are light, colour, contrast adjusted – you can review my website to see the standard to which I edit. This is consistent across sessions with the exception of newborns who do get a a smidge more extra loving – usually to remove any scratches / red blotches etc but I like to keep them looking as close to how they actually look as possible!

I advise & strongly encourage all clients to copy & back up their session files to MULTIPLE locations (Physical and Cloud Based storage). Digital technology is not infallible & is prone to loss/damage. As such I recommend you PRINT & COPY files to all devices, & also ideally a cloud based storage option too. I do keep client files for a short period however I do not guarantee indefinite storage of all files due to storage limitations. If you lose your files & contact me later, there will be an admin fee to unarchive / refresh galleries if still possible. So please do take care to store and back up your files carefully!