Van de Graaff Family - Brisbane Family Photographer

It was a hot spring afternoon as we met at the local swimming hole for this family session. 

I almost immediately got into trouble with 8 year old Harrison by asking his younger brother if he was the oldest. Im sure its a very common mistake because 6 year old Hamish is taller than his big brother - and I can imagine how awesome that must be for a brother! 

The boys were excited that their 7 month old puppy Charlie was at the session too, they were letting Charlie lead them off towards the water and if their Dad hadn't stopped them I think they boys and the pup would have been straight into the river without a second thought. 

3 year old Madeline was a bit shy at first, and very scared of her beautiful new shoes getting dirty on the pathway, but it was a quick and painless start to the session with some stunning family photos clicked off - even Charlie was smiling in them! 

The afternoon was coming up with the most beautiful light for this session, a lovely cloud layer giving us some diffusion on the bright afternoon sun. 

The boys were great at taking directions from me and I think they particularly enjoyed climbing the railing on the boardwalk for their single photos. 

Madeline had her turn and despite her concerns about her pretty shoes, she could turn on the sweetest smiles for the camera, it was quite incredible to see her switch modes just like that. 

Part of the reason this gorgeous family booked their session was because it was their 10 year anniversary, so we did a special photo with a cute board they had made themselves with the cute stats on the past ten years. 

To finish the session we stopped at the waters edge for some lovely late-light photos, which nearly came un-done when Mum wobbled on the rocks and Dad caught her and they balanced again just in time. It was a very sweet moment between them - you could see how much they laugh together and love each other. 

With the last shots done we waved goodbyes and they headed off for a lovely kid free dinner out. 

Happy Anniversary Malcom and Kylie, ten wonderful years building your life together and countless more to come, it was an honour to photograph your beautiful family and document this wonderful family milestone for you. 

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www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au 

Brisbane Family Photographer   |   Brisbane Baby Photographer 

Baby Sonny (maybe - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

I first met this gorgeous family at their maternity session, little Asher was a bundle of energy racing around and getting very excited about the birds and the planes and the dogs at the gorgeous beach spot. It was a hot, breezy afternoon and a few people were out enjoying the late afternoon sun. 

Fast foward a few weeks and they arrived with the sweetest baby boy for their newborn photos! The very first thing I said when I saw him was "Oh wow - he's a little poppet!!" And he was, just 2.3kg and 47cm, a sleepy, adorable tiny little baby boy. 

The name Sonny had been decided just that morning on the way to the photo session. He kept this name for just a few days before getting his real name: Flynn. 

So on the morning of the photo session, he was Sonny.  

Big brother Asher was in heaven playing with all the toys in the room beside the studio and we were quickly done with family photos and sibling photos. 

Such a doting big brother, he loved snuggling his new baby brother, giving him kisses and whispering secrets to him. These special moments are what we treasure most. The newness, the sweet, honest, pure love of two young brothers getting to know each other.

Then Grandad came to collect Asher and it was so cute to hear Asher tell his Grandad that baby brother had a name! 

Asher: "This is baby!" 

Grandad: "Yes...." 

Asher: "Brother." 

Grandad: "... yes ..." 

Asher: "Baby Sonny!" 

Gradad: "Baby funny?" 

Asher: "Baby SONNY! Haha!" 

Grandad: "Oh Sonny! Well I guess thats better than Norman!"  

Grandads name is Norman, just so you know. 

Grandad Norman popped into the studio quickly to see little "Sonny" Flynn sleeping soundly, snuggled into some soft curly fleece. There was pride in his eyes and a lovely smile for his newest Grandson. 

Asher was delighted to head off for a playdate at his grandparents and we quickly got through the rest of Sonny/Flynn's photos without any problem. It was a dream session for me as a photographer working with such a sweet, sleepy baby boy. 

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www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Brisbane Newborn Photographer   |    Brisbane Family Photographer 

Baby Paul - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

It was such an exciting afternoon when I heard from this family - I was expecting a booking for an updated family photo but it was to book for their newest arrival - baby Paul! 

I had photographed beautiful little Kate just last year and couldn't wait to see how much she and Joseph had grown since then. 

Well, Joseph bounced out of the car, full of smiles and very proud to show off his new little brother. Kate was more wary of me, not sure just yet. And Paul was peaceful as you can imagine, just going with the flow being the third baby in a busy family. 

With the family photos quickly snapped off (Joseph a superstar but Dad having to work hard to get the amazing smiles out of Kate) it was sibling photo time, and Joseph couldn't be more excited about it. 

He sat, very patiently and snuggled his new little brother, talking softly to him while Kate banged loud toys just off to the side of them. She wasn't having any of this photo business today. 

Since we soon realised that we weren't going to get a sibling photo this way, I turned to my two tried and tested photos, laying down for a cuddle - and with some help from the handy-dandy iPhone we got a very cute smile up to camera, and then the other great photo for kids who aren't sure about their new sibling.  

Now, you have to love it when kids are just kids. Which means you dont always get the big, sweet smiles. Sometimes you get "reality" and thats what Kate was bringing to the photo shoot this day. Oh how I loved it - so much personality and so strong willed, she will need every bit of it with both an older and younger brother to keep in line! 

Little Paul loved being rugged up in the wraps, and he had a lovely little snooze. Then he woke up and was ready to party for most of the shoot. There are so many cute photos of him smiling to the camera, so cheeky already! 

I had just bought the little teddy bear and matching bonnet and was so glad to use them in this shoot, and the way Paul snuggled the bear with a cute little grin just made my day. 

Eventually all my powers of getting babies to sleep took hold and Paul dropped off into a lovely deep sleep so we were able to photograph all the sleepy photos and some super close ups of his incredible eyelashes too. Like, seriously, just take a minute to appreciate these!! 

And just like that it was lunchtime and we were all done. The weather outside was switching between raining and pouring so I reckon this lovely family were off home to snuggle down for a quiet, sleepy afternoon keeping warm and dry. 

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Lilian - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Baby Lilian arrived in her carrier looking so tiny! At just over three weeks old she was still a little poppet. 

Her two big brothers bounded out of the car, very excited about photo day. 6 year old Rohan was my right-hand-man during the session, helping out wherever he could and 4 year old Atticus was totally in his element with all the toys! We even brought some through to the studio space to help entice him in for the most gorgeous sibling photo. 

Family photos ticked off as well and it was time for the boys to head off to a park while Lilian took centre stage. 

The theme for this session was natural, close, relaxed portraits and one pop of colour which we did in purple and Lilian looked like it was her element! 

They brought some very sweet little rompers along as well and so we photographed those in a very natural, relaxed way with Lilian just chilling out on a soft fluffy blanket. Then I snuggled her into a curled up shape and took a matching wrap and created a cute love heart around her, next thing you know she has stretched out with a big smile and the image she created herself showing how love can not be constrained.  I literally LOVE this photo and its symbolism. 

We moved onto the sleepy photos on the beanbag and Lilian was most happy to be on her tummy, in a lovely deep sleep.  Then I turned her forward facing for the "Head on hands" photo and her mum said "Oh I love that photo," and promptly jinxed it. 

Lilian, it turns out, did not love that photo. 

At my newborn sessions, the baby is always in charge. We call it "Baby-led Photography" meaning we read their body language and can tell the difference between a re-settling grizzle and the cry that says "I do not like this" which means we immediately change position to where baby is comfortable again.  So when Lilian says she does not want to face forward, she does not have to and we moved on to the "side sleeper".

With the beanbag photos all done the session wrapped up just as the boys returned, Atticus fast asleep in the car and Rohan very excitedly telling us all about their trip to Hungry Jacks and the awesome treat lunch they had for being so great for their photos that morning. 

It was such a lovely morning with this gorgeous family, you can see so clearly in their photos the love and joy that emits from them all. 

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www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au 

Brisbane Newborn Photographer    |    Brisbane Family Photographer 

Smith Family - Brisbane Family Photographer

It was windy and fresh at the beach as we met for this family session.  Thankfully the wind was blowing in the direction that would help keep hair off faces and it actually worked very much in our favour, giving an extra level of energy to this gallery.

3 year old Aara and her little brother Jacob were both dressed and ready for photos. Aara's mum told me that she sometimes takes time to warm up to new people, but we hit it off right away and were best friends within minutes.

Jacob had just celebrated his first birthday the week beforehand so this was sort of a milestone session for him as much as a family session.

The clouds had come in late in the afternoon and gave the sky a lovely diffused light which made for some stunning photos in the trees beside the beach. Lots of giggles and kisses, secret telling and tickle monsters, and Jacob had his first "swing" in between mum and dad which made him squeal with delight and beam giant oversized smiles at his parents.

Jacob was very easily distracted, so inquisitive about the world around him. He would point to everything that interested him, so every time a dog went by or a bird was in a tree we could not get his attention back until they had disappeared. At one point a plane flew overhead and we lost him for a good five minutes until we could no longer see it!

Aara loved dancing around, wiggling her hands and tip toeing her feet as she hummed a pretty little song that I didn't know. She may have been making it up as she went, it was the sweetest thing to watch.

We soon headed to the sandy beach and before we let the kids play with the sand toys we wandered over to the waters edge for some more family photos. The water was really cold and the children weren't too keen to stand in it (and fair enough!) so mum and dad kept a tight hold of them, snuggling in to each other to keep warm from the wind that was getting cooler as the sun dropped.

A quick break for some snake lollies (I know you are probably thinking that I mean for the children, but I actually mean for all of us) and then it was into the fun stuff!

Aara had so much fun twirling a pink ribbon around her and Jacob loved finding shells in the sand and digging in with his trucks.  We finished the shoot with some photos of Jacob walking towards the camera, a new skill he is still mastering but that he looks super cute doing, his arms out to help him balance.

With the sun all but gone and the snake lollies running low we headed back to the carpark all wrapped up, the children excited about their special dinner of fish and chips.

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www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Baby Tessa - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

It was a slow start to this session as older brother Elias took some time to warm up to me. He wasn't sure about coming into the studio at first but given his own time and support from mum and dad he was in and playing with toys before long.

With Elias happy in the next room Mum and I headed back in to the studio to start the session with little Tessa. She is adorable, no two ways about it. Perfect skin, beautiful eyelashes, a pout fit for a princess, she was all levels of sweetness and then some.

She snuggled into her mum quite happily, one of her favourite places to be I would guess. Listening to the heartbeat that is so familiar to her, feeling her mums firm hugs and listening to her soft whispery singing.

Elias came into the studio ready for some photos with his family and he had so much fun playing the "Don't drop me!" game with his dad before giving his new little sisters some very sweet kisses on her head.

The family had brought some sweet little teddies in to include int the session. First was a little yellow rabbit,  a comforter that I have no doubt will be very very popular with Tessa for years to come.

** tip ** 

If your child loves a certain comforter toy, buy a couple of spares. We lost ours one time and they didnt make it anymore and I have never felt so helpless as when I could not offer my daughter the one thing she needed in that moment to feel better.

So taking inspiration from the yellow in the rabbit I created a lovely buttery yellow setup for Tessa and for the most part she seemed content, awake but content.

Next we did a snuggly blanket set with a teddy that belonged to her older brother Malachy. Sadly, Malachy is not with the family anymore, having passed away even before his brother Elias was born. Elias was what is referred to as a rainbow baby, the baby born after the passing of an elder sibling.  Their mum said that Tessa was their "pot of gold" baby. Which got me thinking...

It came to our attention throughout the session that Tessa was not too happy laying on her back. It is usually my go-to for babies as they tend to be very comfortable reclining, snuggled and curled up. Tessa was not happy. So after trying to settle her into two more reclined setups and Tessa getting more and more frustrated, we tried an "upright in a basket" setup, and you know what? She loved it!

So this setup came to mind as we had been talking about Tessa and the "pot of gold" theme. I loved the idea of "gold" spilling out of the "pot" that Tessa was in and that this is not a literal image, but a concept image. Tessa, the Pot of Gold baby.

Very content in her upright position, Tessa was in a deep sleep and raced through the final photos of the day, snoozing away on her tummy on the beanbag.

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au 

Jaxom Sitter Session - Brisbane Baby Photographer

When Jaxom returned for a sitter session I had high hopes for capturing a beautiful sibling photo with his awesome big sister Arwen. 

You see, seven months ago Arwen was not having anything to do with sibling photos at her brothers newborn session. No way, no how. 

I hoped with a bit of time she would come around to the idea and really felt that this session was going to be a winner. 

Well... Arwen was still not having anything to do with her brother, and she was certainly not planning on sitting next to him for even a moment. Not even with the bribe of some cheese (a girl after my own heart!) could we get her to barter on this one. 

Thankfully photoshop came to the rescue and I was able to create a sibling photo by stitching two similar images together. This is major progress from the newborn session where Arwen wouldn't even have a photo alone. 

While I much prefer to capture true moments in camera, sometimes kids like to do what they want to do and sometimes that means they dont want to cuddle their sibling. So instead of getting upset or stressed about them not doing what what I want them to do, I can just go with the flow at the session and usually bring it together afterwards.  

So while Arwen sat on her Dad's knee eating cheese we continued with the main man of the day, and holy smokes Jaxom had all the faces ready to go! 

There were surprise faces, there were laughs and occasionally there was a thoughtful look. But mostly there were laughs. 

When he started chewing on his foot I just about collapsed from how cute it was. 

Just when I thought I could take no more, his mum pulled out a cute little "old man hat" and teamed up with the rolls, the smiles and the drool it was officially cute overload. 

And just like that we were done.  Baby sessions are always short and sweet because babies get tired quickly, especially when we are chaining clothes, doing tummy time, singing and shaking rattles and tickling them, its all very exhausting for them so we keep the session as short as possible. 

I absolutely love sitter sessions, especially when its with a baby I have met as a newborn. It never ceases to amaze me how big babies grow and how quick!  I also love re-creating images from their newborn session to show how much they have grown. 

www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Brisbane Baby Photographer    |    Brisbane Newborn photographer