One of the perks of my job is meeting wonderful people and this family is one of those! This was my second time capturing this beautiful bunch. We had lot's of fun at the park with snuggles, laughs and giggles. Here's a few of my favourites from the day. Hope you enjoy your preview....
Her Dolly!
I will always remember my doll's names when I was a child. The hours that I'd play with my pram and dolls was something I'll always look back on and treasure. Dolls seemed so real and gave us a glimpse of who we wanted to be in our adult lives.
Summer Photo Opportunities!
Summer is almost here, well officially and I thought I'd suggest some different activities for your family photo sessions. When you think of having a family shoot you picture slightly more posed shots and everyone looking their best. To really capture the essence of who your family is, it's great to organise a few activities not only to keep the children entertained but give a more relaxed feel to your photos and really bring out those natural smiles. Some ideas are:
Photograph your family playing in the Sprinkler
Yep, you guessed it, bathers, water, plastic toys, wet hair, chasing each other with the hose, all out fun! The children will be having so much fun (and so will you) that they won't even notice the camera.
Head to the beach
We can take photos of your kids building sandcastles, jumping waves, giggling, burying themselves in the sand, etc. The list is endless!
Picnic at your local park
Load up the kids with a picnic lunch, throw in your picnic blanket and have a play date at your nearby park. There's so many great parks around that also have lakes with ducks and play equipment to keep the kids entertained for hours.
Don't worry about if the kids getting wet, as long as they don't get a chill, let them have a ball jumping in puddles and even playing in some mud. I love these photo opportunities. These are the memories that they and you will cherish from their childhood.
Children's Photographer Melbourne
"Every child is a different kind of flower and all together they make this world a beautiful garden."~ Author Unknown
Favourite Things!
One way I get to know children and to help them feel relaxed with me is to ask them what their favourite things are. It's a great idea to have photos of their favourite things at a specific age to look back on as of course they change as they grow. Little 'L' couldn't wait to show me her favourite bracelets and the special necklace that her Mum gave her.
Family Get Together!
"When you look at your life, the greatest happiness is family happiness." Dr Joyce Brothers
Oh I love it when previous clients welcome me back to photograph their growing family. This is the most beautiful family....hope you enjoy the preview!
My Koala Bear!
Toby fell in love with this Koala Bear hat that he found on a recent trip to Adelaide. That inner child still shines through when you least expect it!
Boys and their Toys!
I don't know about you but these school holidays I've been trying to get my son outside playing in this gorgeous Spring weather. I had a great shoot with a friend's son down at the local skate park and boy can this dude acid drop! Thanks 'K' for not landing on top of me as you went over me with those awesome air jumps! Sick!!
Model Cars!
What man doesn't remember making model cars and painting them when they were a boy?
Family Beach Photo Shoot!
I love it when I catch up with returning client's and see how much their children have grown. It's been two years since this family's last photo shoot and these boys have grown so much!
We had lot's of fun down the beach, jumping in the huge puddle that the previous night's downpour had left, building sandcastles and playing in the playground.
Smiles!
A smile is the light of the window of your soul!
BFF's!
It's the times we're so crazy,
that people think we're high.
It's the times we laugh so hard,
we can't help but cry.
It's all the inside jokes
and "remember whens".
those are all the reasons
that we're best friends!
- Unknown
Playing in the rocks, splashing water, feeling the sand beneath your toes, and being with friends and family are what childhood memories are made of!
Toddler Kisses!
Don't you just love those Toddler kisses?
We Are Family!
A preview from a previous photo shoot of a gorgeous family.....
Using Props!
Photographing 'Lifestyle' means real, natural, as the story unfolds in front of you. Sometimes though, to help a child feel comfortable in front of the camera, I occasionally use minimal props to help them feel at ease. Props can show a particular stage of your child's development and what child doesn't love to show off their toys. Older children "Tweens" or Teenagers love to be able to express their own ideas on how they would like themselves to be portrayed. It can help build their self confidence in front of the camera if they've been able to use a prop that they love. For boys it could be their skateboard, bike, fishing rod, Lego, etc., for girls it could be their favourite dress, make-up, flowers or their own ideas. This little girl wanted to show off her new vintage dresses and she was so thrilled with the outcome!
Oliver's Facial Odyssey
Going through old photos with a girlfriend and we discovered these little gems! Boy is he going to hate her at his 21st!!!!
How to get Those Natural Smiles!
You never know what to expect from kids on the day of your photo shoot. At home they're adorable, laughing, beautiful natural smiles and then comes the day of the photo shoot, off goes the charm and they freeze in front of the camera! Kids are unpredictable, we want to avoid the forced smiles so here's some things you can do:
Before I commence a photo shoot I try and get to know them, break the ice so to speak. I'll ask them questions about their favourite movie, TV show, toy character, school, anything where they forget they’re in front of the camera. I might even ask them to show me their room and what child doesn't love showing off their toys? I then let them play....let them be themselves and not force them to smile or "Say Cheese" shots.
I might ask them to tell me their favourite icecream flavour and suggest disgusting combinations like spaghetti sauce with chocolate sprinkles, you'd be amazed at flavour combinations kids can make up! This always gets a natural laugh. Try out a couple of jokes with them. During the session, we can ask them to tell us a joke and this will typically loosen them up as they tell it to us.
If all else fails we might have to have the lollypops on standby!
My Boys!
Dusting off the cobwebs from the archives, I stumbled across these images of my two favourite boys! One of my favourite things to do is to look through the old photos and see how much my family has changed and grown.
It's snow time!
One of the joys of having children is watching your child exude happiness playing in the snow. We visited Donna Buang, an hour and a half out of Melbourne. It was freezing but it's one time you can throw things at one another and not get in trouble!
The Rains are here!
Well it's Winter here in Melbourne and the weather is especially cold, rainy and dreary. I caught up with my niece yesterday at a family get together but inclement weather forced us to stay inside in the warmth of the house.
