I first met Tash a decade ago when I photographed her sweet family. First at her son’s graduation and again when celebrating their two daughters with a fun family session in the woods. A little later I booked Tash in to style a quirky family session with a caravan (she thinks of all the details!) and we’ve since become friends! In the last few years I’ve photographed her beautiful daughters as they grow, and even recently one of her children marrying his love x When I heard she had begun renovations of beautiful property in inner East Brisbane I knew I’d be out there at some point, and last month the time came! In just a short time, Tash has revamped and styled the meandering vegetable garden and most adorable shed for her feathered friends (built by clever hubby!). So ridiculously sweet! For this session, sweet Ainslie, the long-awaited daughter of another decade-long client, now friend, joined my sweet-pea to relish in the features of the delightful House on the Hill. They had so much fun adventuring and exploring together! The good news is you can now book this site for your own family session with me, so if you are into organics, vegetables, flowers and cute animals, drop me a line and I’d love to chat! xo Follow the adventures of Number 119 via @119houseonthehill xo Enjoy!

If you’re a photographer who loves to capture the essence of a family, their home, their fun, their joy together, then most likely you’re a storyteller at heart. And it’s storytelling that brings you the most satisfaction in what you do.  Most of the time, you capture just a glimpse into a families world, an hour or two, but when you’re lucky and you love what you do and your clients love you, you may be privileged enough to capture several chapters in their lives over the years.

Even though I’m shooting limited sessions right now (still enjoying my sweet bebe!) most of my bookings are returning clients, many who’ve had darling additions to their family.  This cute little crew has had several sessions over the last four years and it’s an honour to capture the arrival of their little girl Arden as she completes their family. Love!

Twenty three cute redheaded children, of varying ages, in a forest, in the spring. HELLOred.  Most of them didn’t know each other, but they were champions and many had an instant bond. They say that there are only 2% of redheads in the world, making them super unique. But yet here together, in the midst of this fact, there was beautiful diversity – strawberry blondes, reds, auburns, blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes, freckles, fair skin, tans, curls, waves and straight locks.  It was wonderful to see!  Apparently in Scotland and Ireland the population is over 10% redhead –  and on the morning we did the shoot, as the kids played in the morning light, we heard the sound of bagpipes and scottish tunes drifting through the forest.  By a random occurrence and a delicious surprise, the local pipe band decided to undertake a practice session not far from where we were shooting. And so the wee tunes of the isles found us even here in a distant land.  Enjoy x

In the lead up to a family session, my clients and I generally chat a lot about locations, things to do and most importantly, what to wear.  When it comes to outfits, I actually don’t have any specific rules, as long as the style or colour palette works well as a whole. I do have galleries of pinterest ideas for those who need it and often have clients emailing me photos of clothes to get my thoughts which I’m more than happy to help with.  It’s great to see the effort people put into their session, to make it even more relaxing and fun.

There is one idea that I think is a fantastic tip over all the others, when choosing outfits for your family session… and that is – for mum’s outfit to be the FIRST to be chosen. Usually if mum feels great,  everyone feels great.  It’s much easier to pull in the rest of the family’s outfits around something that makes mum feel wonderful than the other way around.  It’s a tip I discovered a few years ago and has helped many a family have a fantastic family session with me.

Here’s a peek at little family adventure from not long ago with a quirky style of their own. Where the empty streets we explored, the sky art,  the graffiti and the random balloons we found in a back allyway all came together just perfectly to suit this crew and their rad vibe.   Enjoy!