People update their family photographs whenever there is a huge family milestone. Today there is a lot of choices when it comes to selecting the right photographer for you. This blog post goes through a series of questions that you might want to ask when your are doing your research to help you make an informed decision. .
There is something magically about capturing the same family over the years as their children grow up. As a Canberra family photographer it is one of the joys to see the kid’s personalities develop from being a baby to a young toddler to a teen. In this blog I outline the benefits of booking the same photographers for capture your family images.
If you do a google web search for family photographer in Canberra, it will spit out over 10 pages of different people claiming to be a family photographer. In fact, competition is so stiff that all budgets and styles are covered leaving you to think that it is a buyer’s market. I outline why I might not be the right family photographer for you!!
One of the thigs that I love being a Canberra Family photographer is meeting a family that greets you with a huge smile and a lot of warmth.
One of the last families that I photographed before the new Covid-19 restrictions were introduced in Canberra (face marks became compulsory) was the Graham family. Together with Tim and Liz, there was Jed, Ellie, Rueben, Amaya, Josh and Toby.
The family session was to celebrate the arrival of Toby (one of the cutest little guys you could lay your eyes on) and the latest addition to the growing family.
People update their family photographs whenever there is a huge family milestone. Today there is a lot of choices when it comes to selecting the right photographer for you. This blog post goes through a series of questions that you might want to ask when your are doing your research to help you make an informed decision. .
I love autumn time in Canberra. The wonderful colours that you experience with the leaves changing colour and the beautiful afternoon light. When you combine that with an awesome family you know that you are going to have an EPIC photo session.
I loved so much about this family, there was Ninke, a six year old with so much energy and get up and go. She was equally matched by her sweet little sister Ariane, who was only three years old almost turning four. Both went along with any of my crazy suggestions and ideas to make it a memorable photo session.
For an autumn day at the Arboretum, it certainly felt more like an early winter’s day as the wind was so fresh and cool. But we did not let that get in the way of an awesome photo shoot. The Arboretum was full of people making use of the sunny yet cool weather, There was even a bride and groom getting their photos taken at the same time. We kept away from them and headed for the location that overlooks the lake and Woden. With the cloudy blue sky, it simply looked stunning.
The girls looked absolutely stunning with their red sparkly dressed that shimmed and shined in the sunlight. We had lots of fun as we struggled with the sun passing behind the clouds. But the kids wanted Mum and Dad to join in with the fun and games that we were playing.
After a little while we moved into the forest of cedars from some more photographs. We were wishing hard for the sun to come out capture the girls and the family in the beautiful golden sunlight. We had a beautiful wander through the sunlits trees before heading up to the Wide Brown Land Sculpture.
When we got up to the sculpture, it gave us a chance to reflect on the EPIC photo session that we had. We captured some stunning photos from the sessions. We did not let the cool wind that was blowing the girls had everywhere to interfere with our fun.
It was a cloudy and cool Saturday afternoon when I joined Ranjini and Vishnu at the Himalayan Cedars (Arboretum) for their maternity photography session. Ranjini looked radiant at 34 weeks pregnant.
Join me to have a sneak peek of the images for the family session.
A family photo session is a great opportunity to document your family memories and record important stages in life, like birthdays, welcoming new family members, and important anniversaries. Family photo shoots are so much fun and they create everlasting memories for you and your children.
However, we often do not realise the importance of family photos until it is too late.
In this post, I examine my top tips for planning the perfect family photo session.
In order to deliver personalised photography, it is important for your photographers to understand your personalities, preferences, and relationship. The creation of a mood board is a way to help your creative team get to know you. Pinterest is the best tool for creating a mood board, which allows you to share it with the photographer.
It is important to choose whether to hold your family shoot at a studio or an outdoor location. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Taking it outdoors is always a good option for family photos and it is currently in vogue.
See link for top five locations for a family photo session
The great outdoors can offer beautiful natural lighting and gorgeous background landscapes. Weston Park, the Arboretum and Lake Burley Griffin offer perfect locations for these photos.
While it may be tempting to choose an outdoor family photo location based on the landscape alone, you should, ideally, choose a spot that has some significance to the family as it will make the photo more meaningful. For example, go to a favourite park or even the family’s own backyard. As an added bonus, it will help keep young children and pets comfortable by shooting in a location they’re familiar with.
In order to maximise photo time on your family photo shoot, I recommend minimising the number of photo shoot locations. Do not be tempted to select more than one location as you do not want to spend more time traveling from point A to point B than actually taking pictures. A great photographer should be able to make almost any location work. You should trust in the creative abilities of your photographer to make the most of any location.
You have the possibility to select several sub-locations at most of the good locations around Canberra. For example, at Weston Park, you can take images at the pond, around the lake, and walking amongst the trees.
There is nothing more stressful than trying to get out the door and realising you have nothing to wear. Plan your wardrobe well ahead of the photo session. For ideas on what to wear to your family photo session
Schedule some time the day before (or even a week) the photo shoot to make sure each of the items has been ironed or dry cleaned. If you are stumped on what to wear, revert to your mood board for ideas or seek ideas or prompts from Instagram. If you are still struggling for ideas, contact your photographer for hints and advice.
If you are getting your hair or makeup done on the day of the photo shoot, leave plenty of time in order to reach the location.
You do not want to arrive feeling all rushed and panicky.
Lay each family member’s outfit together while planning. This way you’ll have a good idea about how the pieces will look next to each other. This will allow you a better idea of what works and what does not. Plus, this way, you can make sure that you are not missing any essential clothing items including matching accessories.
Be certain not to schedule your photo session around your child’s nap or bedtime. The best time for lighting is the two hours before sunset. If this not the best time for your children, talk with your photographer. Good photographers will be able to shoot at any time of day by utilising areas of open shade that will give your skin a beautiful hue and put a sparkle in your eyes.
Try not to schedule your photo shoot around meal times. In fact, choose the time when they are still fresh, and preferably after mealtime if possible.
Another tip is do not show up to a photo shoot on an empty stomach or have dinner scheduled straight after the photo session. If dinner is scheduled straight after the photo session, why not make it a meal out to be an incentive for the kids to behave and be involved in the photo shoot.
Do not forget to bring along some healthy snacks for the kids.
Who said that you should not work with kids and animals?
Family pets are important family members. I actively encourage my clients to include their pets as and where possible on our shoots. So why not bring the family pet along to include in some of the family portraits. They are part of the family and they are great props for the kids too.
Please bring dog treat/toys for the dog so that he is cooperative when it is time for their portrait.
Canberra is a magnificent place to take family photographs. Nothing is better than a sun-soaked afternoon around Lake Burley Griffin, whether it is Weston Park or Lennox Garden / Beijing Gardens. I started to think what the best season would be to hold your photographs.
Could there be a better season than spring?
By this stage we are over winter, which has been dragging on for months. The landscape and gardens are exploding in an abundance of colour. All the bright flora is coming into bloom and the landscapes are evenly lit by the sun. Surely there is not a better time to shoot family photographs.
This is the perfect time to made use of the three to four weeks that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Throughout Canberra there are pockets of cherry blossoms that are perfect for a family experience. Try Harrison in Gungahlin, Canberra Beijing Garden or Weston Park in Yarralumla for good locations to make use of the pink and white blooms.
After a long hot summer, the cool air that starts off autumn is a welcome sight. We should thank our founding fathers as the falling temperatures in March kicks off the most welcome sight – autumn leaves. Canberra is home to a spectacular collection of tree species that colour the streets during the autumn months. Many of Canberra's treescapes have started to turn vivid shades of reds, oranges and yellows. This majestic display of colours lasts for a couple of months before the trees start to shed their leaves creating one of Canberra must-do activities for kids - jumping over (or through) the huge mounds of leaves.
The inner north and inner south are the best bet to see the autumn displays before the city shivers through another winter. That said, if you go exploring in the nearer areas of Gungahlin, Belconnen and Weston Creek you will find delightful areas that are just bursting with colour. Among some of the best places to see autumn leaves in Canberra north of the lake are Torrens Street in Braddon, Condamine Street in Turner and Miller Street in O'Connor. Selecting a park around these areas will provide you with wonderful experiences. Likewise in the south, head to Lennox Gardens and the around Lake Burley Griffin near the Australian of the Year walk for beautiful displays of colour.
Unfortunately, by the time winter rolls around in Canberra the trees have lost their colour and any leaves left on the trees are brown and dead. The residents of Canberra have replaced their t-shirts and thongs for jackets and scarves. The days are short and once the sun drops down it becomes quite cold.
This can still be an exciting time to take photographs. There are still clumps of leaves on the ground for kids to throw in the air, jump into and just kick. Sunset is not as hard in winter so you can coat your photos in beautiful yellows and oranges. The arboretum and the Weston Park are my go to places for winter experiences. However, the lakes around Gungahlin, Belconnen and Tuggeranong are equally nice at this time of the year.
Summer in Canberra is hot, hot and hot. The roses are in full bloom while Canberra’s deciduous trees are providing coverage from the sun. Your photographic experience is best to take place in the early morning or in the late afternoon to escape the harsh shadows of the sun and benefit from the golden hour. This is when the natural light is super-soft and flattering. It also gives off a warm reddish hue.
Canberra great collection of parks and the arboretum are the best places to take advantage of the morning or evening golden hour. Weston Park is my favourite followed by the Arboretum. However, if you want colour in your photographs head to the rose gardens of Old Parliament House.
The lead up to a family portrait can be very stressful for the parents with a million things potentially getting in the way of a successful portrait session – a sudden change in the weather, screaming children or dad staining his clothes before the car has left the driveway!!
They have many things that they need to remember and inattentively something always gets left behind. Here is my list of things that it is always important to bring to the portrait session to ensure a fun, enjoyable and successful day.
1. Water – While the family photo session is likely to go for an hour to an hour and a half, it is important to bring a couple of bottles of water for the children. While they are a great tool for keeping the kids quiet.
2. Snacks - Don’t show up to a photo shoot on an empty stomach. Regardless of the time of the photo shoot, it is important to arrive with some snacks, especially for the children. Be sure to give everyone a healthy snack before the photo shoot. There are no food options at the Yarralumla Woolshed. But if you forget snack there are cafes close by at Weston Park and the Arboretum.
3. A change of clothes for the kids – accidents do happen to young children especially when on location environments. A set of back up clothes are just perfect for these unexpected accidents. And if you do not need them for these accidents, they are perfect for a second look.
4. Baby wipes – These are just perfect for an unexpected accident. Wipes are always great for on-the-go touch-ups and help if you suddenly notice a runny nose.
5. A blanket - This is brilliant, especially on-location shoots. Keeping wardrobes clean and adding an extra layer or colour or texture are always bonuses. This is especially important at the Arboretum as there are few places to seat there.
6. Insect spray – When shooting on location there may be some unwelcome visitors, such as bugs and mosquitoes. A can of Rid or Aeroguard will keep those unwelcome visitors at bay and kids safe from mozzie bites. Any photo experiences around the lake, like Weston Park or Lennex Gardens, it is strongly advised to bring insect spray.
7. Props – Do not forget any props that you might wish to use during the photo session. The purpose of bringing props along is to personalize your images, to add some visual interest, and to create activity-based photography.
Props enable the family to show off their personality or identify your hobbies or talents.
8. Bribe - oops did I really say offer the kids a bribe, sorry I meant reward for being patient and willing to do everything asked of them. Photo shoots are the rare case where it is okay to offer children a small bribe! These small rewards will help to overcome meltdowns when the pressure just gets too much. A good place to go to after a photo session at the Arboretum is the Visitor Centre.
9. Beer – Did I mention beer? Sometimes the husband needs a little encouragement and what better way is there to loosen up.
Most of all, do not forget the kids who will be bouncing around with excitement on the day of the photo sessions!!
Plan a surprise or a special treat like ice cream or mini-golf after the shoot, so that they look forward to the entire day. You don’t want your kids to think of the photo shoot as something scary, or worse, a chore.
