Hey there!👋🏻
The days of boring poses, saying “cheeeeese” and standing still while awkwardly smiling at the camera are over.
It’s so much more fulfilling to capture the real you instead - not what or who you see before you in the mirror - but the person we see, your partner sees, your children see. Who you are when you’re laughing & hugging & kissing and loving your people…that person is vibrant, and beautiful, and who you really are.
How the heck do I do that, without you feeling super awkward and anxious about being dorky in front of a complete stranger?
Well, it starts by us getting to know each other!
I’ll go first 🤙🏻
Behind this fancy website, I’m a very chatty, accidentally funny, dorky, neurodivergent, happily married, puppy parent; and a lover of plants, cuddles, cozy blankets, hot chips and people’s stories.
Although I’m technically an extrovert, my favourite place in the whole world is at home, chilling with my hubby Dan, our two dogs Oscar and Ollie, and our cat Tyke (I’m outnumbered 4 to 1 by dudes).
Creativity is in my DNA, my mother and both grandmothers are talented artists, cross-stitchers & knitters. Personally, I love to crochet and paint (acrylic + watercolour), but I also know how to sew and every now and then I’ll go through a phase of making my own clothes (once upon a time, I even made my own wedding dress).
But I wasn’t always this cool 😎.
Growing up, I was always that kid with the camera in hand 24/7 - documenting our shenanigans, making funny faces, laughing hysterically at something silly. Looking at those photos now can instantly take me back to those memories, but more importantly they help me to remember the laughter, the love and the good times I shared with people throughout my life.
It was never about being artsy or cool, it was just about documenting my life and the people I loved, and it was certainly never anything I thought about pursuing as a job.
For a really long time I dismissed this part of me, well my creative side in general if I’m being honest. So much so, that I ended up studying and practising law for the first ten years post high school.
I even ended up working as a family lawyer, helping people get divorced - which you’ll find even funnier when I tell you that I hate conflict 😅.
You really can’t fight yourself forever though and so one day I bought a $300 camera (a Canon 40D for the camera nerds out there) from my housemate so I could start a baking blog. You can read more about my story here.
It didn’t take too long before I started to find myself pointing my camera at the people in my life again, paying attention to all those little moments and seeing the beauty in the chaos - and in 2015 I decided to quit my tiny office, follow my heart and become a full time photographer of love stories instead.
Talk about irony, am I right?!
Being a lawyer wasn’t the right fit for me, but I wouldn’t change a second of my experience. It taught me so much about people, gave me an incredibly unique perspective on love and cemented my deep appreciation for just how important those “little moments” are to us all, especially when times get tough.
fun facts
BEHIND
the scenes
Wondering what it’s like to work with me?
“Your clients all look so comfortable and happy, but I’m so awkward and not photogenic at all…”
I’ve been photographing people since 2014 (so, eight years at the time of writing this) and through all of those years, the number one thing people say to me is some variation of this: "I'm so awkward and unphotogenic, but most of your clients look so happy and natural to be photographed by you…that could never be me!”
Here’s the thing though - almost every.single.one of my clients feels a little bit like this. Being professionally photographed is not something many of us have much (if any) experience in, and it's completely normal to experience anxiety in the lead up to, and even during the session. The good news is that I know you aren’t models, and I don’t expect you to know what to do - if you think my clients look happy and relaxed in all of the photos on my website, it’s because they are happy and relaxed (at least a part of them feels those things) which means I’m doing my job well 🙏🏻.
The way I kind of describe what I do (my elevator pitch so to speak) is that working with me is less about having your photo taken, and more of an experience. There’s no boring posing, no using the word ‘cheese’, no standing still and awkwardly smiling at the camera. Instead, it’s about taking some dedicated time to spend talking with each other, hugging and laughing, and enjoying how much you love them. I’ll be my dorky self to make you laugh, and encourage you to let go, be playful and have fun in the moment.
We’ll constantly be moving and chatting, and as we go I’ll be giving you heaps of direction and looking out for those little moments - I like to call them the 'blink-and-you’ll-miss them' moments, and capturing them for you is my specialty.
By creating this space for you to slow down and just be present with each other, you get to walk away from your session feeling closer with your loved ones, and with a collection of photos that will always help you remember what that love felt like.
Here’s what I promise to do:
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Never tell you to just "be yourself".
It's 100% possible to feel like yourself, and still freeze up in front of the camera. Even the most experienced models still feel self-conscious and need some guidance in front of the camera, which means I don’t expect you to know what to do - it’s my job to help guide you through all the awkwardness.
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Everything I can to make you feel relaxed & comfortable.
The more fun you are having the more natural your images will be. This means I will laugh with you at the awkwardness of the whole situation, pull funny faces, crack terrible dad jokes, and chat with you (because I want to know all about you too).
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Give you lots of guidance.
Over the years I’ve collected a few tips about how to stand in a flattering way for YOUR body type, where to put your hands (and what to do with them). As we go, I’ll be showing you photos on the back of my camera, so I can get your feedback and hopefully give your confidence a boost when you see how awesome they are!
Wanna work together?
Maybe it sounds a bit cheesy, but when people ask what I do - I’ve boiled it down to “I’m a photographer of love stories”.
Whether you follow the traditional path or not, I offer couples sessions, wedding photography, maternity & newborn through to family sessions.
If you’re a mamma bear, you might also be interested in my Mummy & Me special event that I run once a year for Mother’s Day, aimed at getting mums back in the photos with their kids.
before you go...
Are you a photographer too?
I can help you!
Being a photographer is one of the best jobs in the world - but it’s not always easy. And “being a photographer” sounds fun, until you realise you actually have to run a business too. I’m an ex-lawyer and self-taught photographer of people and their love stories, and have over 6 years of experience photographing weddings, newborns and families. And I want to help you re-ignite your spark!
Are you a client?
Current or FUTURE!
Whether you’re a current client (past or present) or just thinking about booking a photographer, I’ve collected a lot of information over the years that I would love to share with you! There are a lot of helpful guides about all kinds of things - the best time to have your session, my favourite locations, what to wear guides, printing your photos (what to print, where to print and when to print), guides for brides and mums and everything else in between ♥.
In 2021 I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, so now I live a 100% gluten free life - and I feel like a new person. I was mostly asymptomatic (no serious bowel symptoms except for a bit of bloating) and it’s been so freaking incredible to finally understand that all these random, seemingly unexplainable, issues with my body are because of this one thing (like being unable to lose weight, random eczema, having the worst immune system ever, just an obscene number of smelly farts, chronic exhaustion, brain fog).