I think it’s safe to say that most parents would wallpaper every wall of their home with photos of their children if it didn’t make them look a little obsessed. We only need to have a quick scroll through our camera roll to realise just how photographed our children are. But sadly, I’ve noticed that the easier it has become to take photos of our kids at EVERY moment of their lives, the harder it’s become to print and display quality family photography in our homes.

Oh my gosh, HELLO autumn…you beautiful, delicious, honey-coloured, heart-warming season. It is the time of year when Mother Nature produces her best show and the sun is seduced into playing along. Warm winter coats come out of the cupboard and kids can play in the golden hour and not be cranky because it is past bed-time when the photographer wants to shoot.

Join Jo, Andy and their two kids at Hawke’s Bay’s beautiful Ocean Beach for a family portrait session at sunset.

“Our eldest is in her final year of primary school. At 8 and 10 yrs old, the kids are growing so fast, we wanted to capture those childish faces, favourite toys and hobbies before we move into the next phase.”

Spending time with Mel and her family made me want to rush home and create more babies (briefly!). As a mum-of-two, normally even the thought of more would seem beyond exhausting but an hour spent with the four Macredie kids and their folks made me appreciate what an amazing unit they’d created, and I absolutely wanted to capture this while we were shooting.

One thing I learned very early on being a mum and newborn photographer is that babies have their own agenda and the only way to win with them is to be incredibly patient.

After a year of posting images of other people’s happy-ever-afters, I thought I’d sign-off for 2019 with some images of my own family

I spend a lot of time doing family photography in Hawke’s Bay with young children, whom we all know change so quickly, so it’s important to invest in a professional photographer to make memories with them before that happens. But it’s often overlooked just how precious it is to be able to remember your family just before it ceases to exist in its traditional tight-knit sense.

They say never work with children and animals but I have to say that (even though it’s challenging) I totally disagree. Some of my all-time favourite photos have involved children AND animals, and this first photo of Evie with Chopper is up there with them. I

The last time I had Abi and Ethan in front of my lens, they were half the size they are now. We got some lovely, playful images of them in the late afternoon sun down by the river. But lately, I've really been enjoying shooting pre-teens in the simple setting of the studio, exploring personalities without the distraction of pretty backgrounds. I asked them to come in wearing what they felt most comfy in, and to bring one or two of their favourite things.

As parents, many of us recognise the importance of professional photography at the exquisite ages when children are newborns or cheeky young pre-schoolers. But there is something very cool about capturing the independent spirit that shines through in older children.