Soulful

That was the word Sharon used to describe the images she wanted of her children. Soulful, timeless black+whites. She took me to her and her family's favourite chill out spot, nicknamed Brekky Rock as they sometimes take their breakfast down there and just relax and enjoy each others company.

Sometimes the planets align to bring a session like this to fruition. Beautiful kids who knew exactly what their Mum wanted and were open to trying something new for me; a stunning location (right outside my back door, and one that I will definitely visit again); and a burning intensity inside me to create some of the most amazing images I have ever created so far.

To say that I am happy with these images is an understatement. They are, quite seriously, some of my most favourite photographs I have ever captured. Ever.

Enjoy these Sharon. And I extend a deep thanks to you for sharing your special spot with me. I promise to look after it xxx

Oscar

Hello friends! The blog has been a bit quiet of late... because I've been so busy! We've had Easter, birthdays, weddings and all manner of craziness in this house lately, it feels like I've finally had a chance just this week to sit down and get a blog post ready.

So here is little Oscar. He was the sweetest little man, and even though he was teething and - according to Mum and Dad - quite miserable, I still thought he was a divine little dude. I had a bunch of fun hanging out with him on a sunny Autumn afternoon.

His Mum and Dad's house (backyard in particular) was so gorgeous and quirky, and I could have spent many more hours exploring and photographing their knick-knacks, but they weren't real great for a 6 month old to explore, so I've promised to come back when he's a bit older and have some great adventures with him!

Sisters

I've talked before about the special bond that sisters share, and having two myself I can testify to that first hand. My sisters are my best friends. We share everything, laugh and fight. But we love each other wildly.

These two gorgeous little beans are going to grow up with a similar bond, you can already tell. I photographed Asher back in 2009 when she was teeny tiny, and when I went back for a visit last week I almost thought I was in the wrong house. She's grown up so much (as babies tend to do, I guess) and her big sis India has as well!

Their last session is here: Asher and India 2009

Last time we used the quaint little steps in the backyard to get some "still" shots of a very active toddler. This time it was the only way to get "still" shots of two gorgeous sisters together.

This is my first attempt at a more lifestyle shoot. Following the kids, allowing them to be themselves. I really enjoy the freedom in shooting this way, and it is the way I plan to shoot all my family sessions from now on. Let me know in the comments section what you think!

Thanks again Rachel for welcoming me into your home. I have so many gorgeous photos of your girls (and your bunny) for you, I couldn't keep the preview to just a few. Enjoy these and I'll be in touch soon xxx

India showing me how clever she is at pulling faces. I didn't encourage her. Much.

  And then we started to get tired, so headed inside for a story before bed...

Bree's gorgeous belly

This time last year I was photographing baby Zarah with her cousins, and now baby Zarah is about to become a big sister, how cool is that? Bree is super stunning, and even though she feels like the size of a whale she totally isn't, and is just radiating with good health and happiness.

What started as a maternity session for Bree, with only a few short weeks to go in her pregnancy, quickly became more of a celebration session for her and Zarah - celebrating the time they have together now before new bubbaloo comes along!

I hope you enjoy these Bree. You seriously are glowing xox

Sunday Sun

One thing I absolutely adore about my job is seeing families grow and change from one session to the next. Seeing little kids go from shy toddlers to outgoing little pre-schoolers with more personality than I thought was possible for small children!

Regardless of the fact that I know this family really well, I'm still constantly surprised by how much the kids have grown... Paisley off to school next year, and Kirrilly conquering the known universe ;-)

This is seriously one of my most favouritist sessions ever (yes, it is a word. In the dictionary of Mandy - look it up!). Enjoy this preview Brooke and Rob, I was giggling so much at these images of your girls, they are awesome to the max. Love you guys xox

Happy little Holly | Melbourne child photographer

My little buddy is 9 months old! A total chub-chub, a flirt, a groover and a little treasure. I'm loving our 3 monthly sessions, it's so ace to see how she's changing and growing.

Today's session was supposed to be an outside concept shoot, but those of you in Melbourne know how impossibly our weather has been lately. Just so unpredictable and honestly quite a bit loopy, so we stayed indoors today. We have our fingers crossed for some pleasant weather on Tuesday (please weather gods, please?!?), so stay tuned for that session.

I have so many precious shots of my little Holly dolly that I love from today! Enjoy these xox





How special are these? Holly's Pop Pop came around for a little visit, I just had to capture their special bond - look at that eye contact, she adores him! <3

Siblings | Melbourne family photographer

Julia contacted me only a couple of days ago about wanting some photos for her mum for Mothers Day. Normally I'd be freaking out about doing a session so close to the date, but I'm glad we did because we got some lovely shots that I'm sure her mum will adore.

We had a beautiful warm day in Melbourne today... until the storm clouds rolled over right when I left to go to the shoot. Unfortunately we got rained on, therefore outside shots were pretty much a no-go, but that was ok considering Julia was after a specific look using a black backdrop to match some photos they had taken some years ago.

Julia and Marco, I hope you're happy with these. I'm sure your mum will love them xox

Brown eyed boy | Melbourne child photographer

Ok, I'll start this post by saying that little Jack made me swoon. Seriously. It takes me a lot to get clucky these days, but Jack did it. I just wanted to squish his cheeks and stare at that gorgeous little face all day long. And he's one of "those kids"... you know the ones: they sleep all night, laugh all day, happy little campers. One of those.

I feel so blessed to have been able to hang out with this little superstar yesterday afternoon with his parents Mick and Kat. Beautiful people, beautiful family, and now some beautiful images of you all cherish.

Enjoy these guys xoxox

Rhonda and Marion... a present for their mum!

I had a great shoot on the weekend for a wonderful family... Rhonda and Marion's mum is about to have a special milestone birthday, so both families got together for a lunchtime shoot in the park. I had a ton of fun, and even the grown ups said it wasn't as scary as they thought it would be!! Marion also mentioned that it's been a long long time since they had a photo of the four of them together... It is important to have family photos, and it's not as awful as you may think ;-)

Enjoy these guys... Gallery to come real soon xoxox