Recently I was asked to head out for a family photoshoot, nearby Mt Compass in Nangkita – but I’m going to put this under Mt Compass Family Photography as I hadn’t heard of Nangkita before being asked to head out here!
The family was enjoying a get together for the Christmas and New Year period, that sounded like a rare occurance considering the last time they had a family photoshoot done was when the ‘kids’ were 6, and now in their mid thirties – and also that some are now living overseas and makes it hard to get together.
Their little family photoshoot took place on a family farm, which was lush with Australian bush and off the beaten track so much that they kept asking if I had any trouble finding the place! All I can say was thank goodness for GPS in cars!
We held most of the shoot under a gnarly old tree on the property which provided ample shade and a neat backdrop for group photos. After the majority of group shots, we then did individual portraits and also some coupley shots in amongst the pretty overgrowth of trees.
I head out for a Thalassa Park family shoot with Paula and her family recently and put together a selection of family shots, along with individual portraits for them to keep hold of and treasure as a record of where they are at right now. It’s a lovely thing to do as having a family shoot done allows you to really capture the essence of your family unit and when put on display around your home truely makes everyone feel welcome at that house.
Thalassa park is a large, well kept area in Aberfoyle Park that boasts a wide range of scenery – from a rose garden towards the south-east, to this area that we used to the north of the park which is a little more unkept, but perfect for more intimate photographs using the foliage to close in around the subject of the image.
We head out early morning, to make use of the rising sunlight seeping through the trees which made for some beautiful backlight for the photographs. It was a lovely morning, full of smiles, laid back fun and a nice brisk walk throughout the park!
Always nice to catch up with little ones I’ve photographed before as little ones! In this case it was Baby Hadley who has now become a big sister to little Baby Sabine! We head out for a photoshoot at Pine Reserve in Aberfoyle Park for a bit of family photography and play on the play equipment and made use of the lovely early morning light shing through the trees.
Truth is that I had already shot little Sabine a few months prior while she was still in the belly! Having a set of progressive photos like this really makes for a beautiful story of a family growing together and I think it’s just beautiful!
Photoshoot at Pine Reserve
We started early for the photoshoot at Pine Reserve in Aberfoyle Park to make use of the sun shining through the trees. baby Sabine wasn’t overly happy with the new sensations of being photographed, and was possibly a little cold while out and about, but she felt quite comfortable in Mum’s arms, so we made sure to get plenty of whole family shots while she was happy.
Sister Hugs
Big sister
Family shoot at Pine Reserve
Family walking through Pine Reserve
Photoshoot at Pine Reserve
Running girl
Baby Sabine on Mum’s Shoulder
Baby Sabine
Going down slide with Dad
Family photo in Pine Reserve
Girl on Playground
Studio Photoshoot
After galavanting around Pine Reserve, we head back to my home studio – which was the first time I had used the new studio space I now have access to but baby Sabine still wasn’t overly happy – until she fell asleep which made for some beautiful shots.
=The beautiful Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church was the backdrop to baby Iliana’s baptism in mid September. This incredible church is lined wall to wall with ornate decorations detailing the stories of the bible and makes for an incredible backdrop for anything as a wedding venue to baptisms.
Being a part of little Iliana’s Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church Baptism was an absolute honour to be a part of and was delightful to see such a large congregation come together for such a special ceremony.=
Iliana’s Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church Baptism
Iliana’s whole family turned up to witness her christening and her transition into holy life, which was wonderful to see. Carried by her god mother and assisted thoughout the ceremony, little Iliana was quite brave throughout, with only a little cry as the priests immersed her into the holy water. Once she was out however, she was quite happy again!
I got to have a bit of a chat with the church hand who was setting up for baby Ilania’s Saint Dimitiros Orthodox Church Baptism, and I was astounded to find out that the church was purpose built for things like baptisms, with a plumbed chalice for the holy immersion right at the center of the stage – meaning that the transport of that much water need not be a hassle! I just thought that was interesting.
Iliana before the ceremony
Iliana and Dad
Iliana greeting guests
Iliana’s Christening dress
Entering Saint Dimitrios Church
Approaching the front of the church
The priest
Iliana looking around
Saint Dimitrios Orthodox church baptism
Iliana getting changed
Guests looking on
Iliana being baptised
Iliana being placed into holy water
Saint Dimitios Orthodox Church Baptism
Upset bub
Upset baby during christening
Putting on crucifix
Surrounding baby Iliana
Church details
Baby iliana getting her dress put on
bressings from the priest
Greek Orthodox church
Baby iliana during her christening
Godmother and baptised little one
Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church Baptism photo
Godmother with little one
Family together at front of church
Kisses from guests
Family together in front of church
Baby Iliana on church floor
After the ceremony, the whole family congregated at Svago on Unley road for a shared lunch and speeches thanking everyone involved. It was a wonderful day to be a part of and capture with my photography!
It’s so much fun to shoot the same family as I have done in the past to see how the little members of the family are growing up. In this case I head out for a Happy Valley Family Shoot with Miranda and Jake to celebrate little Hadley’s second birthday, just as I had done a year prior for Hadley’s first birthday!
Miranda told me that having family portraits done at about the same time each year was a bit of a family tradtion in her household, and she wanted to continue it which I think is fantastic! Especially consdiering the benefit for children seeing their family portraits hanging on the walls around their house.
Taking photos during the winter months makes things easy in a lot of ways as a photographer – as the sun is usually not casting overly glaring shadows on faces, and the colours of the surrounding nature really comes alive. In the case of Annie Reserve for this Happy Valley family Shoot, we were also treated to a well stocked creek with running water that little Hadley thought was amazing!
We began the shoot rather early in the morning which further enhanced the fact that there were no harsh shadows anywhere, and also allowed for that magical feeling you can get walking through a park like Annie Reserve on a cold winter’s morning.
We made good use of the running creek, the beautiful trees and even the rocky outcrops dotting the shoreline throughout the park for some lovely photos I hope the family cherish forsever!
