The Family Photographer | Artist
The Family Photographer
Phone: +61 447 273 343
Reviews
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25.01.2022 Flashing back this Friday to my favourite father son series of all time. I love looking back on these images. Caddie, Matt’s wife and my dear friend, had booked a maternity session and we had decided to merge it with a family one. Matty works FIFO and he was flying out the very next day. The weather was the pits, we had waited as long as we could and pushed the session back but Caddie was heavily pregnant and with Matty not due back until the birth we knew this was our last ...chance to capture them altogether before the baby arrived. The skies were grey, it was raining, we were all in the water, and you know what? We had so much fun. I couldn’t love these images more. Every parent needs and deserves photos like these with their babies.
24.01.2022 Enjoy the little things for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things [Robert Brault] A sweet little snippet from my latest motherhood session. Mama Carly didn’t want a golden sunset, she wanted me to document her, as she is, a devoted and present mum who is always there for her three babies. She wanted a record of the ‘little things’, her mama rituals, the kind of everyday things that made their new house feel like home from the day they moved in. Cuddling, reading, walking the dog. Mama love, the everyday kind.
24.01.2022 The holidays cometh!! Parents be like vs kids be like
20.01.2022 These are the golden days my friends. Even in the thick of parenting, photos like these help us to remember what is important and how fleeting our time with our babies really is. Sharing some sneak peaks of last nights session with this beautiful family on their beautiful property. One of the best things about doing what I do is capturing these times for other families reminds me how special these days really are, with young children close to us, needing us, looking to us an...d loving us so much. Begging to be lifted and carried, asking for cuddles, needing to be held to pat Thelma the horse. What a privilege it is to be loved and needed in such a way. Please don’t wait to book yourself a session like this, or a special motherhood session, cos let’s face it mums are too often not in frame. Just do it. Immortalise this time. Forever and ever. Children grow fast. Words can't describe the value of these images to the mums and dads I send them too. Seeing themselves in their beautiful role, in front of their own eyes, reminding them of the wonder. And the best part is, they increase in value as time flies by. No regrets with an investment like this. Ever. Book me, book someone else you resonate with, but please, just book! Lou x
20.01.2022 I got you to hold my hand I got you to understand I got you to walk with me I got you to talk with me I got you to kiss goodnight... I got you to hold me tight I got you, I won't let go I got you to love me so I got you babe Sonny + Cher
19.01.2022 Finally a weekend off for us and we have intentionally made it the loveliest and the laziest - aided immensely by the biggest rain storm we've seen this year. A whole lot of nothing going on this weekend, no work, no renos. Slothy nothingness, punctuated by some laps and rainy walks, but mostly naps and easy talks. And slow cooking. And I have realised, on easing off the pedal, just how very tired I am. My body is crying out for a proper break. Thank you for this glorious rain mama nature. As always you know what is best for us.
19.01.2022 Adorable flashback this Friday to this time last year. A rad little pre covid roadie to see my folks, followed by a week in Avalon, a town I did a lot of time in as a child Bella’s age and as a teenager and beyond. Our next little trip is coming up in a matter of days, escaping the Byron crowds. Can’t wait. I think we may be a little addicted to roadtrips. What’s not to love?
17.01.2022 Flashing back this Friday to my most favourite maternity sibling portrait of all time. I still remember how I felt when I took this image and to be honest I don’t really think it needs a complicated caption. Nic of Sisters and The Sea is SUCH a beautiful mama, but this shot was all about the crop. Finn’s beautiful face and gaze... full of freckles and mixed emotions. This one gets me right in the feels - every time.
17.01.2022 My little tennis baby. She’s actually starting lessons next term which I’m disproportionately excited about. This keen tennis fam needs our youngest to get with the program haha. Hopefully she’ll be happier about it than on this day. The pigtails might have grown but the sulky face and posture still make the reg appearance a year on lol. This one continues to grow at a rate of knots and it’s scaring me. She’s my little baby and something about seeing my youngest growing past ...the soft tiny baby phase, then through the sweetest preschool and into the schoolgirl-young woman phase is terrifying! Yet she’s still only 5. Just. She will be six at the end of this month and while I am not wishing it sooner by any means, I feel like she’s been 5 forever in a weird way. As a tall babe she wears size 7 clothes and size 1 shoes already so to me she has seemed older than five for a while now. She’s still the lightest and loveliest thing on the planet but her sensitivities lead to deeper emotional highs and lows these days. She’s feeling things more and for longer. Which can be both a blessing and a curse! Bless you Bella I love you so much it hurts and even your sulks make us all smile See more
17.01.2022 Spring is here but we’re still in the steamers. The surf is still pretty darn fresh at the moment, it always takes a while for the Pacific to catch up to our Byron air temp at this time of year. So, so beautiful for a quick wake me up Wim Hof dip, but for this water wallowing mermaid girl of mine who lives in the water for hours at a time, a wettie is still the way forward. My true heart is, and always will be, with pure documentary photography. The ability to still those series of movements that make up a moment in time. A whole story in a few frames. Something as simple as letting the sun warm her back between dips, drying her schnitzel feet and learning the ropes of getting a wet wettie back on, her beautiful lanky grace, and my eye, making the most personal and unique kind of art there is. Never to exist again as it was.
16.01.2022 Tuesday is predominately a ‘me day’. I make time to play with clay and drink tea with my pottery crew. However, tomorrow our class is cancelled. I’m actually devo but the silver lining is it might mean I finally have time to sink my teeth into all the photos from our last road trip to the Coffs Coast. For a weekend break it sure packed a punch and none of us wanted to leave. Stay tuned for family holiday spam! Night all xx
15.01.2022 Hey hey it’s Fridayyyyyyyyy!!! It’s been a big week on so many levels, and there is still a shit ton of production for me to plough through today before the weekend vibes truly kick in. But the sky is blue, the sun is warm, and Spring is most definitely in the air. For all you brave and patient Victorians, you’re nearly there my friends. Hang in there, that freedom feeling isn’t far off now
14.01.2022 Schoooool’s out for summer... only I’m still working for a few more days and it’s, like, Day 127 of rainstorms here in Byron.. so yeah the summer holiday vibe isn’t quite upon me yet! Still, we are one step closer to kissing this balls up of a year goodbye. Once my sessions are wrapped and galleries delivered I will feel more than holiday ready, but right now I’m just to happy to stow the lunchboxes and focus on surviving Christmas, erm sorry, I mean making Christmas amazing ...for my kids. After that it’s summer holiday time, a road trip to see my fam and some time in a very special part of the world. BRING. IT. ON. In the meantime I’ll just be over here reminiscing about our recent rad trip to Coffs. What are YOUR holiday plans?
13.01.2022 Finally getting around to sharing this gobsmackingly beautiful family. This session was my last for the year and the perfect combination of styled (but still unposed) and chilled, everyday vibes. We met at 5am. We embraced the dawn (and the yawns!) and slowly walked to our chosen spot. Breathtaking was first light and we were quickly reminded that early starts have their own rewards. Tuning into the sleepy children, I decided to begin the session with snuggly family portraits.... Before long they would become more wakeful and long to be in the ocean. Surfing together often as a family, I knew it was only a matter of time before that temptation took over. I am proud of the way I captured this tight knit four, soon to be five. It’s a funny thing, this feeling of pride. It was never particularly tangible or consistent for me in the past, and on reflection I know why. Prior to this year, I was (in hindsight) creating what I thought people would like. I was technically perfect, bright and crisp. And there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever, in fact I'm still proud of my past work. But, however perfect, it wasn’t me. My style was for others and not a true representation of my heart. This made it work, not art. I had stifled my own creativity. These days, I still utilise 20 years of skills but with precision down the priority list. I shoot from the hip and from my heart. Spontaneously and intuitively. Ironically, something that is in fact really difficult to do without experience. I focus solely on your connection, on enhancing that in the moment while my head looks after technicalities. I love my movement. I love my imperfections. I love my warmth. I love my grainy nostalgic vibes. I am a romantic sucker. I get goosebumps every single time I edit a session now. There hasn’t been one session this year that I haven’t been beaming during post production. I get high when I shoot, it’s such a buzz, and have a similar buzz when I edit your images. I have a vision of the final image before I even press the shutter so to see it come together is the ultimate artists reward. Thank you for supporting the authentic me. You guys are everything. Lou x
12.01.2022 The last minute Christmas shoppers among you are about to be rewarded for your crappy organisational skills hahaha. My beautiful friends of @sisters_and_the_sea have just launched a fresh website and a whole bunch of heavenly new products. Btw this is in no way a sponsored post, I just love to support these earth mamas in their dedication to community and their love for empowering and supporting women. They’re the real deal and I love everything they create
11.01.2022 Oh freedom is mine And I know how I feel It's a new dawn It's a new day It's a new life... For me And I'm feeling good [Nina Simone] Happy sunny Sunday morning from Byron you beautiful people.
11.01.2022 Hello you wonderful souls! It’s been a while. I am still here, just currently basking in the slowness that is afforded to me by the intentional break in sessions and the onset of the summer hols. I couldn’t resist sharing a wee peak into last nights dream.... Is there anything more delicious than long summer nights that enable warm swims at dusk, friends, cocktails and homemade dinner on the beach? I doubt it. Hope you’re all safe, happy and moving slowwwwwly. This 2020 madness is sadly not over yet, I’m sending my love to those in lockdown. Lou x
09.01.2022 Humpday feels School hols here in a few days. Who’s yearning for them and who’s dreading them? Me, I can’t wait...
07.01.2022 Hello my friends from beautiful sunny (but windy) Byron Bay. Drop a if you have those Friday afternoon feels! This image from a recent family session gives me that weekend vibe so much, more so than the others from this sequence that were in focus. Magic lies in the perfectly imperfect. Always. Wishing you all a magical weekend. For my friends in the States, I’m thinking of you the most.
05.01.2022 Family fun with these three in the middle of their own tea tree field. Beautiful right? Yes indeedy. Swipe right. Same family, very different location, just as rad (in my humble opinion). The thing is folks, you don’t need a pretty farm to get beautiful images from a home session. You just don’t. I’ve shot in kitchens, buses, backyards, cars, bedrooms and sheds. Through windows, peaking around doors and even legit on the bed with you. I love, love, love becoming part of your ...family for a while, watching you guys unfold your own story in front of me to then tell in my own way and making art out of what you may see as ordinary. It’s seriously the coolest. So I have question for you. What is holding you back from booking a home session? And if you’re thinking about it, how close are you to making that call? Yours curiously, Lou x
02.01.2022 Today is my birthday. Having realised last week that I have never introduced myself here, I thought today is the perfect time. Here are 20 fun facts about me: 1. I am super old school when it comes to manners and treating others right. I actively look for people waiting to be let into traffic, or reverse out of a park, or will patiently wait and wave pedestrians across the street in the absence of a crossing. It is how I was raised and how I would like to be treated. It's a n...o brainer to me. It gives me a buzz to be nice to people. If, however, you don't extend the common courtesy of raising your hand or nodding your head in thanks, you will send me into a disheartened slump inside. Manners matter. Being kind matters. Thinking of others matters. Getting off your video call while shopping matters, not talking loudly in shops or where people are chilling matters. Little things are big things and we are slowly losing the little things under the guise of being 'busy'. You are NEVER to busy to be kind and thoughtful of others. Not ever. 2. I cannot tolerate jazz music. Not in any way. Soft, live, fast... just nope. And that’s me being kind. Jazz and my nervous system are not friends. While I will always appreciate musical talent of every kind, jazz music is my audible torture. 3. I am one witty fucker. Quick as a whip. Particularly when hungover. Hilarious. Even if I do say so myself. 4. I had breast implants in 2010 which, thanks to a big stack overseas breaking my rib, meant the next 8.5 years were fraught with emotional and physical trauma. To say that decision ruined my health and changed my life irrevocably would be an understatement. More about that story to come one day. They’re out now but boy it’s a hefty tale both physically and emotionally. 5. I have a sailors mouth and shit censorship skills. 6. I am besotted with my children. Having been a sole parent for so long I actually get anxious when they’re not with me for more than a day. There are shit days, but as a whole I adore their company, they are bloody good fun. They ground me and remind me of my purpose. 7. My children have different biological fathers. [continued in comments]... See more
02.01.2022 Eeeep! I cannot wait to see these two again and meet the bun mama was busy baking. It’s his newborn session today and I feel like I’m off to visit family and a new baby relative. This beautiful couple were strangers when we met at dawn on a remote beach for our maternity session. Hours later we drove away friends. My sessions go deep. We laugh, sometimes cry, you might dance, we relax and chat. Sometimes there’s just reverence and stillness. Whatever the moment calls for. Th...e results from a standard photo shoot vs a session like this are considerably different in my opinion. It’s one thing to master your cameras, it’s another altogether to master your connections and to allow people to relax into being themselves. Especially when capturing something as intimate as motherhood, pregnancy or couples. You can be safe and get safe portraits. Or you can be brave and get magical images that blow your heart apart every time you see them. Due to a custom privacy clause I cannot share full images or even all my favourites, but I will say this, because these two were open with me, from their booking questionnaire to the moment the shoot finished, the results of our time together were nothing short of MAGICAL.
