What to expect with your experience with family photography
Hey there! I’m so glad you’ve checked out this page! I’d love to tell you about the experience in having family portraits done with me.
First things first, you will be guided through every part of the process.
We will sit down together in my studio in Macgregor to design your session.
At this session, I will take you through all the products you are interested in. We’ll talk about investment. We will design your session and determine what to wear, the colours to choose… you’ll receive a personalised colour palette to work with. We will discuss where you’d like to have your session. I’ll also take this opportunity to understand your family and what it is important to you. Essentially, we are designing a personalised, customised family portrait session for you.
And having come to know you better, your photos are going to reflect who you are more too.
Your session will be more like a date with your family. Some fun time in the park or me documenting you doing what you do. My sessions are gamified and play-based. This means that you’ll be more focussed on playing with your family than having your photo taken. Check out this page for a more in-depth look into my philosophy.
Then comes the fun part! About a week or two after your session you will get to see your photos for the first time. I will invite you back into the studio for the portrait reveal. And of course, I will be there to help you through selecting your favourites. We will work out how you want to display them.
Once I place your order, I will work to get it all together. You can expect me to have these ready for you within six to eight weeks.
Why you’d want to work with me
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I’m also a parent. I am a mother of two, a little boy and girl who are the loves of my life. I know how important my children are to me, and how important your children are to you.
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My first goal in capturing photos of families is to capture the love and connection. So my sessions are very fun and playful and I get you interacting rather than posing.
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You are working with a professional. I am accredited with the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers. This means that you are dealing with a professional. I practice legally, professionally, and I am experienced. I’m very capable of providing you with the best service and photographs.
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I am a photographer who wants to devote as much time as possible to her clients. Thus, I run my business full-time.
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You are working with someone who loves receiving amazing customer service. I aim to give amazing customer service in any way I can!
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I love kids of all ages. It’s important to respect children and to work within their limitations. It’s also important to try not to force anything out of children that they don’t want to give and let them be. Using this method, children will give enough to produce some beautiful, natural-looking images. This allows their personalities to shine through… without making the process feel uncomfortable for them.
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I bring along a camera or two and a couple of lenses. It’s not a big production which may intimidate even the most relaxed kids. I use natural light and outdoor locations. This creates stunning imagery that incorporates our beautiful parks. I also offer in-home sessions too. Using natural light, I create light-filled images of your family all in the comfort of your home.
What do I offer?
You’ll receive gorgeous finished art. In the form of premium prints and products sourced from industry-leading professional labs. Each vendor is carefully selected for lasting quality. I will guide you on what products and sizes will look best in your home. You will never be handed a disk or USB and be expected to finish the job yourself. Clients that invest in premium products also receive high-resolution digital files.
WALL ART & WALL CLUSTERS
Not only is displaying beautiful artwork of your family on the walls in your home a great way to decorate. You are showing how important your children are by displaying their smiling faces. This will do wonders for their self-esteem and sense of belonging. Hang one big piece or many smaller pieces to tell a story. I will provide you with many ideas using the images we’ve created from your session to design mockups. All to help you make your decision.
STORYBOOK ALBUMS
One of my favourite things to do with my children before bedtime is to look through our family albums. They tell the story of your family and how much you love each other.
These storybook albums are gorgeous and designed with little fingers in mind. They have thick card pages, easy to wipe clean and have a lay-flat design. Covered with your choice of linens or leathers. And with many different colours to choose from. And if you’ve ever spent hours designing your own photobooks, then I’ve got good news for you. I will do it for you! You will see a pre-designed album at your portrait reveal. For your consideration and if you love it, we can make some small tweaks and changes right there and then. Easy-peasy.
FOLIO ART BOXES AND MATTED ART PRINTS
This is a very versatile option because you receive a box filled with ten or twenty matted art prints. You can display them on easels around your home, give as gifts to family members, pop into a frame to hang on your wall. And it comes with a hand-made, personalised, custom made box to store the pictures too.
PRINTS
You might want to include a couple of extra prints for family members to your order, either is okay! I offer print sizes 8×12″ and under in any size you want. If you already have a small frame that you want to fill, then I will be able to match the exact dimensions you need.
DIGITAL FILES
These are most definitely an option and there are three options for how you’d like to buy them. You can buy them by themselves without product.
You can invest in product and receive digital files depending on how much you spend. Or you can opt to buy the entire collection of photos (about 40-50 images). Priced at a discounted rate when you buy your wall art, albums or a folio art box.
What’s a portrait session like?
The portrait session will feel more like a date with you and your kids. Dad will be hugging and throwing his munchkins around. And whether the kids will sit still and behave themselves? They won’t! But kids aren’t supposed to sit still, they want to have fun and run and be chased, believe me, I am up to the task! They will look at me, their eyes will go wide as they realise ‘an adult who plays!’
Now, I may not be the family photographer for everyone. I don’t obsessively situate and pose each member of the family. I don’t wait for everyone to look at me, smile and click my camera.
Yes, we will get a couple of posed, smiling at the camera pictures. But my true aim is to capture you as you are. Who you are as a family… catching moments of love and connection… as you laugh and squeeze, smooch and tickle one another. We will capture real moments of connection, not just a smiling face.
The first step is joining me for an in-person design session before your session. We will design your session together and go over the details. What to wear to the session, where to have the session based on the look and feel you want of your portraits. What to bring to your session plus we will go over any questions you have.
More important, I will guide you in making decisions with how to decorate your homes and walls. So you don’t have to figure that one out for yourselves.
Joining me for a family portrait experience includes:
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Your own design session so we can plan everything.
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Fun games for you and your children to play. Games designed for getting great connection and smiles.
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Editing of all images including colour correction, exposure adjustments, spot removal, and sharpening;
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Your gallery reveal/order session. With the option to choose from a selection of fine art albums, wall art, prints, or hand-made folio boxes.
When can I book myself in?
I open session availability three months in advance. I give the people on my mailing list the first opportunity to book their session. So make sure you are on there to get notified! My most popular times of year are April, May, October, November and December.
Non daylight savings – Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday at 3:30-4:30pm.
Daylight savings – Monday, Tuesday, Friday at 6:30pm, Saturday and Sunday at 4:00pm or 5:00pm or 6:00pm
Studio Sessions are held from 10am-3pm on Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Friday’s.
*If your family is a young one and you have small children, we will arrange a time that suits little one’s bedtimes. Otherwise, to take advantage of the best available light… your portrait session is held within the last two hours of sunlight.
Fill in the contact form below and I’ll be in touch soon to have a chat with you.
Some words from families who have already been through the experience.
“Stephanie was just brilliant – both her photos and her professionalism. The photos were exactly what we wanted, unstaged and highlighting the natural landscape around us.†– Lisa
“I am so glad that we had Steph to take our gorgeous maternity pictures. Her ideas are new and fresh and instead of fake smiles I was full of laughter. It was a fantastic afternoon and the photos are impressive. Thank you Steph, for your ideas & guidance. Can’t wait for you to take more pictures of Baby Jake.†– Noni
“Steph is a real talent at family photography. Her remarkable skill is in able to capture the pure, calm and unassailable strength of the family bond – whether that’s the love between a couple, or a parent for their child, or even the instinctive confidence that children draw from being held in the arms of their parent. Unlike a lot of other professional photographers, there is no expectation for you to commit to an unreasonable package or fee upfront – for you and for Steph it comes down to the images you want to keep… which in my experience will most likely be ALL of them.” – Rob Corrigan