It's time to put heart and meaning back into your family photos - Launceston photographer

Can you imagine having a session that is personal to you like no other? Or, having a canvas hanging on your wall that doesn’t have the same pose, location, white backdrop, the same forced smile as everyone else? When you look at these types of portraits side-by-side, often the only real differences are the people. Sure, it looks nice. The lighting is just right, compositionally it looks balanced and maybe the colours even pop, but when you look at these non-candid photos does it make you feel anything? Does it remind you of a time in your life that you love? Does it tell you something about your family and their adorable little quirks? Does it tell us anything about your life, your story?

If you’ve ever had that style of portrait photo it’s possible you’ll remember the drag that it was organising your family. Maybe you bought matching outfits, Maybe your husband was uncooperative, like the kids, and all of them had to be bribed. Substantially. And after hours of what felt like pulling teeth, you only liked one photo… kind of. A documentary photography session with me is easy, because you just have to be you. You could choose an activity that you and your family love to do and I photograph it. Awesomely. No bribes needed. No forced smiles. No pulling teeth. 

So the moment I discovered documentary photography, everything changed. I went from the stereotypical portrait photographer in search of the perfect locations, lighting, outfits, and twenty perfect poses, to a moment seeker and it all just clicked. Well, to be completely frank, I panicked. I had just spent the last 3 years taking all the wrong pictures. I had missed the simple day-to-day stuff my children did because I wouldn’t touch my camera for weeks while I waited for the perfect creative moment. I got lost trying to find my niche. Ironically, the reason I started learning about photography was so I could take better photos of my kids growing up. I was capturing their physical growth, but I missed the opportunity to capture their little personalities growing too. That is documentary photography. It’s not just your photo – it’s your story. 

Now, I want to make sure that I get every stage of my children’s growth, from learning to do a somersault on the trampoline, to playing with dinosaurs while having a bath in the kitchen sink. 

It feels so good catching fleeting moments that may have been forgotten in ten years time. It feels honest and real like I’m doing these memories justice. I hope to get the opportunity to capture these moments for you.

You can download my client guide here.