Family portraits
WELCOME GUIDE
Before your session
Thank you for choosing me to capture your family's precious moments! I am looking forward to working with you. This guide is designed to help you prepare for your upcoming session.
Let's confirm the date, time, and location a week before your session. Please reach out with any questions or special requests.
Location
Please see below for a few popular outdoor locations. I'm happy to suggest an outdoor location near you or have the shoot at your home. Please ensure you contact me a few weeks before your shoot so we can bounce ideas.
Time
Ideally it would be around sunset time for beautiful golden lighting. However, I understand this doesn't work for all families, so we can discuss this further.
Plan to arrive a few minutes early to ensure we make the most of our time together.
What to wear
Choosing outfits can play a big role in how your photos turn out. Here are some tips:
- Coordinate, Don't Match: Instead of everyone wearing the same colour, opt for outfits that complement each other. Choose a colour palette (e.g., soft pastels, earthy, neutral tones) and mix and match within that palette.
- Avoid Logos and Busy Patterns: Simple, solid colours or subtle patterns tend to photograph best and keep the focus on your family's faces.
- Be Comfortable: Make sure everyone feels comfortable in their outfits, especially children. If they're uncomfortable, it will show in the photos.
During the session
Depending on your session, they typically last from 30 minutes to 1 hour We'll start with some group posed shots and then move into more relaxed, candid style photos.
I go through a few group variations but to avoid disappointment, please let me know if there is a specific group variation that you would like in your session.
ie (grandad with each grandchild individually).
Coming into the session, you will need to have a very relaxed mindset because anything can happen when children are involved, sometimes they need to get their energy out so we'll let them do that. We might need to pause for a cry, a feed, a nappy change, or a toilet stop. That is all fine and completely normal and will not affect your session.
Think of your session as another opportunity to hang out with your family, have fun with it!
Props: Feel free to bring any meaningful props or items that reflect your family's interests or hobbies. ie (pregnancy scans)
For newborn shoots: Feed and bath beforehand as I find this helps to relax baby leading up to the shoot. If not at home bring spare clothes.
For toddlers and older kids: Pack their favourite toys, snacks and spare clothes.
Location ideas
Jawbone Marine, Williamstown
Perfect spot for a variety of backdrops, bay/rocks as well as wheat grass area. It's mostly quiet, lots of parking.
Fawkner Park, Sth Yarra
I use this park for any shoots during autumn. Beautiful trees with autumn colours.
Flinders, VIC
An amazing backdrop, there's a down hill 600m walk to get to this location. Works well with small groups as this spot can get busy with photoshoots.
Schwerkolt Cottage/Antonio Park, Mitcham
Great spot in the outer east especially for extended families as it's a flat area, plenty of parking and toilets available.
RJ Hamer, Dandenongs
Lovely park all year around, noted for its lined up Japanese cedar trees. Beautiful wild flowers grow in the area between October - December. Please note this park is on a steep hill.
Canadian Bay, Mt Eliza
A quiet beach perfect for small or extended family shoots. Please note there are steps to go down to this beach.
After the session
I will carefully select and edit the photos from your session. You'll receive a digital gallery within 1-2 weeks where you can view, share, and download your photos in high resolution print quality.
You will also have the option to print directly from the gallery, photos are printed at The Atkins Lab.
Contact me
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me.