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Melbourne Family Photographer

Honest & Joy filled photography for families who love silliness, adventures and each other!

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Hi Mumma!

Our little ones are small for such a short time! And whilst the good old smart phone has enabled up to capture snapshots, having YOU in the photos with your family is so important!
Let's capture some beautiful photos of the connection between you and your loves!

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Hi,
I'm Em

So very grateful for my older two girls who find so much delight in caring for their baby sister. (Even if she does annoy the absolute shit out of them at times! 😅) #siblings #siblingagegap #motherhood

** FILLED ** Thanks so much to everyone who messaged! I’ve now filled both these dates, but please keep an eye out for more opportunities in the future!! 🫶🏼 MODEL CALL 🫶🏼 I’ve got a couple of new ideas I’m dying to bring to life, and I need two families to help me do it. Two last-minute winter sessions — one on the 23rd of August, one on the 29th — both around the Yarra Valley, both at about 4:30pm. In exchange for a signed model release (so I can use the images for marketing), your session fee is completely waived and you’ll walk away with 10 digital images of your choice, with the option to upgrade at a seriously discounted rate. I’m after families with 2-3 kids somewhere between 2 and 6, who don’t mind working in with a little styling from me. Bonus points if someone in the family plays guitar and wants to bring it along. What I don’t need: perfectly behaved kids, a certain look, or any past photoshoot experience. Just real families willing to show up and open to trying new things. If this sounds like you, send me a message with a bit about your family and your availability for the dates above. A photo’s welcome but not essential. Can’t wait to see who’s up for it!

I get it. Honestly. I have been that mum. There’s a few reasons mums are often the ones absent from photos. Sometimes it’s a lack of confidence in how you look, sometimes it’s just that you’re the one who thinks to snap photos so you end up the designated family photographer. But whatever the reason there’s a few uncomfortable truths I’ve come to realise that may help you get in the frame a little more often. 1. It’s a disservice to your kids. 🙈 I know. It’s harsh, I’m sorry! But I do really believe it. Your kids don’t care if you’re carrying extra weight or don’t have your makeup just right. They will one day look back and want something to help them remember what it was like to be be with you during this stage. How they fit into your arms, how you laughed and played together. If you’re never in the photos, you’re editing yourself out of their story. One of the most important people to them nowhere to be found when they want to look back some day. 2. It’s a disservice to you! You are worthy, just as you are, of existing in your family’s history. You are a significant and important person in many people’s lives. Don’t let that incredible truths be squashed by the narrow version of beauty that’s been sold to you by industries with insidious motives. When you’re 80, will you care that your roots were showing or your jeans fit a little too tight around the belly? Or will you be glad you can look back and remember how that moment felt? 3. If you’re telling yourself ‘I’ll get in the photos once I’ve lost the weight/got my life together’ is a lie you’re telling yourself. I said this too. For years. And in that time my kids grew and I’m missing from so many memories because I thought the photos were better off without me. 4. ‘I’m not photogenic’ might be protecting something else. When I actually sat with why looking good/skinny/polished in photos was so important to me I didn’t have a good answer. I’m sure there’s different things at play for everyone, but definitely growing up in the 90’s and 00’s where women were shamelessly judged and torn down for supposed imperfections was part of what shaped my fear. Continued in comments…

I mentally face palmed the other day when I told a mum with a 7 week old that ‘it goes so fast’. I was probably the 170th person who had said that exact phrase to her in the last few weeks, and I knew it before I’d even finished the sentence. But it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw her 7 week old next to my now 10 month old and wondered how the hell the last 10 months slipped away so quickly. So I’m leaning into it. Not to overwhelm new mums, not to add guilt or obligation that you should be ‘soaking in every moment’. I know that’s impossible. Not every moment is worth soaking in, and sometimes you’re just exhausted and need a moment to pee or shower without a baby screaming in the background. But as an unavoidable truth that feels very real and tangible for me right now. #motherhood #mumlife #melbournefamilyphotographer

Inside > outside This beautiful family opted to wait a bit longer their newborn session. Sometimes those first few weeks are just too much adjustment and inviting someone in to your space isn’t appealing. I offer a lot of flexibility with newborn sessions. I know it can be a tough stage and I never want to add pressure. Olivia ended up being about 3 months when we had our session together and whilst maybe you miss some of those teeny tiny curled up moments, 3 months has some added bonuses. Not least of which is SMILES! So if you’re pregnant and not sure when you want your newborn session to happen here’s the booking process: 1. You get in touch and pay a booking fee and I pop you into my calendar under your due date. This is just a helpful way for me to manage my workload each month, but it’s not when our session will take place (obviously). 2. You let me know once baby has arrived and we chat about when you’d like to book in. If you’re not ready yet that’s totally fine, you reach out when you’re ready. And that’s kind of it. The booking holds your place, but your date is booked when you feel READY! I’d love to help you make sure these early days are documented. Whether that be at a week old or 6 months old! #melbournenewbornphotographer #melbournemums #newbornphotography

It’s not just about their smallness, it’s about how they fit against you. It’s not just about their softness, it’s how it feels when their fingers stroke your cheek. Even when it’s all about them, it’s not really. Because you are their mum and you will always be a part of their story. A big part. A part that will shape who they become and how they see the world. And one day this chapter, with you as their guiding light and entire world, will be gone. They’ll remember broad senses and feelings, snippets of moments. But they won’t remember your face the way you remember theirs. Not unless there’s a photo to hold onto it for them. So get in the photo. It’s not about perfection or even looking your best. It’s about creating a record of you with your little person. Because one day, this will be the tangible proof showing what it felt like to be loved by you. #melbournemotherhoodphotographer #melbournemumsandbubs #melbournemums

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