Let’s get into it.
All the good stuff, the nitty gritty details of what I do and how I do what I do and why I choose to offer printed products with all my collections…stuff you perhaps hadn’t even thought about asking.
I’ve been at this for a while so let me (hopefully) intuit for you just exactly what you might need to know about booking me to photograph you.
If there’s something I’ve missed you can drop me a line here or give me a call on +61 422 632 772.
No photographer worth their salt goes into business without a philosophy. They won’t even let you buy a really nice camera (the Canon 5D Mark III with Canon L and Sigma Art lenses thanks for asking) without one.
But mine is called a manifesto (much punchier you see) and if you step right this way you’ll be able to read it.
You will barely even know I’m there. I am completely hands off when I’m photographing your birth. I will not tell you to move into a more photogenic position, or even to turn any lights on or off. My job is to work tirelessly in the background documenting what unfolds without influencing it at all.
I can leave the room during consultations and examinations if that is your wish, and if at any time you feel like you need privacy and space I will happily withdraw and await a more appropriate time to return.
After all, this is your birth and you are in control of your birth space.
I get it. I’m a woman. I’ve felt the fear and shame and self-doubt that comes with having a female body and being photographed in that body. Let me tell you this…you are strong, capable and beautiful and you deserve to have someone photograph you as the birthing goddess you are.
Birth photography isn’t pretty. It isn’t polished and all-smiles and flattering poses held for the camera.
Birth photography is beautiful. It is full of radiant love and transformative power. It is real emotion, real joy, real pain, real relief and real love. I don’t want you to miss the chance to see yourself bring your baby earth-side.
I’ll arrive at your place and will immediately work towards winning over your kids. I want to be their new, naughty best friend. If a cup of tea is offered I’ll gratefully accept. I’ll have a nosy about your house looking for all of the good bits and where the light falls.
If this is a session with a newborn baby, we’ll let the baby call the shots. Because we all know they are the true rulers of the world right? Although I suppose the same could be said of toddlers, so basically we’ll just keep the kids happy and then everyone will be happy.
At some point, after we’ve chatted and I’ve told fart jokes to your four year old boy to win him over for life, I’ll pick up my camera and start snapping away. At times I might be a bit more hands on with asking you to do things and at other times I’ll just leave you be. I’m looking for real, honest moments so you might be surprised when I click and I don’t. But you’ll trust me because you’ve seen my portfolio and you’ve got faith in the end result.
There might be times that you’ll stress that we’ve managed to get anything decent and you’ll want to coax (heckle, bribe or angrily cajole) your offspring into line. I urge you to leave it to me to get the kids co-operating. After all, I’m their new best friend and you are just the annoying parent (or so my oldest child tells me).
Absolutely not! In fact, I’ll be so bold as to say that the photographs we make together will have more meaning in years to come if you just dress like yourselves and live in your house the way you usually live.
However having said that, I always tell my mums and pregnant mamas to dress in something that makes them feel amazing and then if you are keen for some kind of co-ordination then dress the rest of the family in colours that complement what mum is wearing. Not matchy-matchy but think in terms of warm or cool tones.
I firmly believe that no matter what your house looks like, it is the place that will hold the most meaning for you and your family in years to come. Trust that I can find beautiful light and even more beautiful moments in your house, no matter how much you hate the wallpaper.
If you are truly worried, pile things into cupboards to get them off the floor/beds/benches and know that I’ve never yet had reason to photograph anyone from inside their overflowing linen press.
Oh ho ho you foxy minx trying to trick me. Didn’t you read that bit about me being dreadful at maths? (It’s here right down the bottom if you want a refresher). I may be terrible at maths but luckily for you I am slightly above average when it comes to taking pictures.
I will work with you to produce printed items that reflect your home and your family style. For framed items I suggest the beautiful raw timber frame pictured above as the best way to showcase your images and this will come as standard, however black and white frames are available upon request. For albums, the standard cover is grey however you can choose from grey, navy, blush pink or oatmeal linen covers.
I can also organise custom sizing of frames and fine art prints. Let me know what’s on your mind and we can work something out.
If someone in your family is poorly and you think it’ll truly affect the mood of the shoot then we’ll reschedule. Ultimately, I’m about capturing what’s real and honest and there’s a line of thought in my head that says “what an awesome story to tell about how little Jimmy was always sick and was even sick when we had a photo shoot!” Poor little Jimmy, I see him never living this down! (Although photos of Jimmy snuggling into his mama, quietly and compliantly, might actually quite beautiful.)
Obviously if you’ve been plagued by gastro I’ll stay far away, there’s only so much reality you want to pay good money to capture.
There is no fee to reschedule your session, provided it is rebooked and takes place within 60 days of the original session date.
