Abby and Dan

Don't let a little bit of cold stop you from achieving the beach maternity images of your dreams!

This couple were absolute stars, particularly poor Abby who was clad only in a piece of chiffon for most of the session.

Dunedin has many stunning beaches and I am happy to meet you for sunrise or sunset, so that we can create stunning images like these. A family starts with two people who love each other so much that they make a baby and seeing photos showing how much their parents loved each other while expecting builds loads of self-confidence into children.

Contact me today and together we can create your dream maternity images.

We are here

2016 was my first proper year in the business of portrait photography. I was very busy with gorgeous newborns, toddlers and families and I loved it.

However, as a family, we had big plans going on in the background. we had decided that in 2019 we would buy our dream home on some land near Dunedin. We wanted some peace, some space and to live closer to nature.

Cue New Years Eve 2016 and we are standing in front of our dream home and land, the views are spectacular, the land more than we could ever hope for. So we made a decision right then and there, this home would be ours and we would deal with whatever came our way in order to secure it.

Whoops!! 2019 went out the window!

I had to close my studio as we had 3 months to get our Auckland house ready for sale, and I had no time for anything else but tiling, painting, gardening etc.

We moved into our house at Taieri Mouth in May and have spent the past couple of months settling into the house, putting our mark on it. Discovering our land and welcoming a small number of animals to share it with us. I will talk more about them as time passes.

I have a lovely, modern, light filled studio to share with you. In summer we can step out the door to the studio garden where we can photograph baby amongst the flowers, or we can wander amongst the trees or meadows and enjoy the amazing light.

We have beautiful beaches for sunrise and sunset maternity shoots, golden hay meadows for golden hour family or portrait shots, groves of trees and rock formations for moody moments. 

You can come to the main studio for the full experience or I can come to you, we can meet on location, or you can bring your newborn baby to my satellite newborn studio in central Dunedin.

I am very flexible and enjoy working with my clients to create their vision of a perfect family photo, give me a call or message me and we can talk about what you want.

I'm here now, let's do this!

Help me help you

Help me help you

So, you have contacted me, received an initial email and checked out my website, prices and sessions and decided to give me the honour of taking your photos - be it maternity, newborn or baby (thank you!).

You let me know and I respond with another email, this time containing the information you need to know before the session;

• my studio policy / contract
• a prep sheet which explains how the session will run
• your invoice for the session charge (which must be paid to secure your booking)
• a booking questionnaire with basic details - name, phone number etc.
• and finally I request "please send me a few images that you love, images you would like to hang in your house, images that reflect your family, you can do this by email, Facebook message or by sending me a link to a Pinterest board".

This last point is the one I want to talk about today, a picture really does speak a thousand words, and a couple of pictures can speak volumes about the colours, style and personality of your family and lifestyle.

Some clients like to have a conversation by phone before their session, others are too busy for a phone call during the day, but are happy to send a few photos through at a time that suits them.

This makes all the difference when I am planning your session, I can refer to my notes and see at a glance " loves pink" or "no green", "wants to use the nest" or "most important to try to get baby in the cocoon pose".

The cocoon pose (please note this is a composite image, hands were on the baby at all times)

Time is precious during a  shoot, and parents don't know the names photographers use for different poses, but by showing me a few images and fill out the questionnaire, and I can cut straight through to figure out what you want (and what you don't want) what are the must have shots and the "please don't use" colours.  I want you to love everything about your photos, and to feel that you had input into the creative decisions. This is your family, your dream and your money. Help me to help you to get art you will treasure forever.

Preparing for your session

Preparing for your session

For the past few months you have organised and planned and dreamt about your new baby and the wonderful changes this little one will make to your family and your world. 

You booked your newborn photography session early in your pregnancy and pored over Pinterest boards and Facebook posts, trying to decide which colours and poses you wanted for your little one. 

Suddenly here you are, the birth was a few short days and sleepless nights ago, you are still coming to terms with feeding and comforting this wee person and now you have to take them out into the world (and get the carseat into the right position!) for the photos you were dreaming about. You start worrying about how the baby will cope, about how you will survive, you are exhausted and bubs is always hungry...how will you get them to sleep for their photos? what should they wear? what should you wear? Feeding isnt easy, how will you cope?

Relax.

Relax because; you are coming to my studio and I know exactly what you are going through.

I'm a Mum, I have been there...through the birth trauma, the sleepless nights, the feeding agony, the worry, the stress and the overwhelming tiredness. I can tell you that while you are here with me I will do my utmost to ensure that your family has a calm, caring and positive experience. 

I don't care how you look, but I do care how you feel and the best way I can demonstrate that to you is to do my work in a loving manner. I'll tell you what is going to happen, I'll make you a cup of tea and sit you down on the couch so that you can relax and enjoy watching the magic happen with your baby.

So, its the morning of your session. Bathe baby if you can,but dont worry if you can't, dont fuss too much about dry skin and spots...Photoshop can deal with that if you wish, dress her or him in clothes that are easy to remove. Feed according to your choices, don't do anything different. Pack a small bag with bottles (if using), nappies and spare clothes, bring a snack for yourself and a dummy if baby uses one. Thats is, pop baby in the car seat and drive to my studio, I'll take it from here. 

Your session will take anything from two to four hours, a lot of that time will be spent getting baby to sleep, so don't worry about the time. I've said it in my studio guide, but don't worry if baby spits up, poops or pees, it is all normal and natural and if I minded I wouldn't be doing this!

Safety in the studio

Safety in the studio

When you book your newborn or baby session with me you can be assured that your child's safety is my top priority. Many of the beautiful images of babies are created with the use of composites, where two or more images are combined to give the gorgeous final work of art.

Babies rely on us to keep them safe and ensure they are not placed in situations where they could be harmed. Not only have I raised 5 children along with my husband, but I have studied extensively and spoken with medical specialists about how to ensure babies are completely safe when being posed, especially if they have special needs regarding their breathing or reflux.

In the studio I will ask you to help me out at times when I need extra support for your baby, this may be a finger keeping their little head in place, or a hand keeping them stable. I will explain exactly what i want you to do before I get you to do it, to ensure that you feel confident. 

You know that "froggy" pose? The "potato sack" or the lovely images of babies in baskets hanging from a branch? All created with composites, these images cannot and should not ever be the result of a single exposure. The froggy and potato sack require hands on the baby at all times (these are removed during editing) and can only be attempted with a very relaxed baby. The hanging shots require a shot of the empty basket hanging from the branch and then a shot of the baby in the basket which is situated on a firm surface so there is no risk to the child.

Here are a couple of composite examples from my studio;

In these images (left is before editing, right is after) you see Mum's hand holding baby to keep her safe (you can also see the little toy Dad is holding to get her attention!). As well as Mum being right there, the baby is sitting on a grip mat covered with a handtowel for extra stability in the tub. Flowers are either artificial, safe for children or most often "non-existent"! I prefer to composite flowers in baths as they are distracting for littlies.

In this image you can see Mum's hand supporting the baby's head. 

This is just some of the magic photographers can work with editing, some of the other ways I work to keep your family safe are the following:

- Hospital grade hand sanitiser in the studio
- Thermostatically controlled temperature in the studio
- I am fully immunised against childhood diseases
- Families with an unwell member are re-booked, and I re-book if I am unwell
- Animals are not permitted in the studio (we photograph babies with their pets at home or outdoors)