One of the biggest changes as children grow up is that family photos become harder to organise, not easier.
When they're little, your weekends revolve around birthday parties, swimming lessons and sport. Fast forward a few years, and suddenly you're working around university semesters, different households, jobs and school holidays. Having everyone in the same place at the same time becomes something you can't take for granted.
That's exactly why Louise got in touch.
With one son living in New South Wales, her daughter studying at university in Canberra, and her youngest still at home, she knew she had a small window during the July school holidays where all three of her children would be together. It felt like the perfect opportunity to update their family portraits while everyone was under the same roof.
Meet the Family
Louise is mum to three wonderful teenagers and young adults: Madeline, Oscar and Logan.
Madeline has recently moved to Canberra for university, Oscar is living with his dad in New South Wales this year, and Logan still lives at home with Louise. Like so many families with older children, life has naturally started pulling everyone in different directions.
When Louise first enquired, she mentioned that she was mainly interested in purchasing digital files to print herself later on. It's a conversation I have quite often, and one we explored during her planning appointment. We chatted through all of the different options, what would work best for her family, and most importantly, what she wanted these photographs to become once the session was over.
We headed out to Hollybank on a beautiful overcast winter's day. The trees were bare, the light was soft, and although it wasn't especially cold, Madeline would probably disagree! She spent most of the session reminding us just how freezing she was.
The family had never actually been to Hollybank before, but it's one of my favourite locations to recommend. The tall trees and winding pathways create such a peaceful backdrop, especially through winter. It’s one of those places which has a lot of options, you can walk for a minute and be in a completely looking spot, so it gives the variety of multiple locations without having to jump in the car and drive somewhere else.
Every family has their own way of showing love, and Louise's family definitely aren't big on hugs or dramatic displays of affection. Asking everyone to stand close together usually resulted in plenty of laughing about just how awkward it all felt.
Honestly, I loved it.
One of my favourite parts of photographing families is getting to know their personalities, and rather than trying to force everyone into a version of family life that doesn't feel like them, we simply worked with who they were.
Because standing still and smiling felt a little unnatural for everyone, we spent a lot of the session walking together. Walking photographs are fantastic for families like this because they take away the pressure of wondering where to look or how to smile. Instead, everyone can simply chat, laugh, and enjoy being together.
Of course, we still made sure to capture all of the important combinations too. Each of the kids had individual portraits, everyone had photographs with Louise, there were sibling portraits, and yes... eventually I even convinced everyone to squeeze in together for one big family cuddle.
Nobody particularly enjoyed that part of the session.
Louise absolutely loved the photograph.
There are so many images from this session that I adore, but one of my favourites is a photograph of the family walking down one of Hollybank's tree-lined paths. It feels relaxed, natural, and perfectly captures this stage of life where simply being together is what matters most.
I also love a portrait of Louise leaning back against Oscar while they're both laughing together. It's one of those beautifully genuine moments that happened in between the posed photographs.
And then there's that family cuddle.
It probably wasn't anyone's favourite moment while we were taking it, but looking back at the finished photograph, it's such a lovely reminder that sometimes the images we treasure most are the ones that asked everyone to step just a little outside their comfort zone.
By the time Louise came back for her viewing appointment, she'd clearly spent time thinking about what she wanted these photographs to become.
She arrived with the price guide from her planning appointment covered in notes and Post-it notes, having already thought through the different options before we even started looking at the images.
In the end, she chose one of my Collection 8 wall frames, featuring beautiful portraits of the whole family together alongside individual portraits of each of the children. It's a piece that celebrates both the family as a whole and each of her children individually.
She also added a half-price Memory Box with 15 matted prints, giving her a wonderful collection of photographs that includes special moments with each of the children, sibling portraits and additional family favourites that didn't make it into the wall piece. She knew she wanted to give some prints to Madeline and Oscar and Logan specifically requested a photograph of his mum, so it was easy to build up the box.
For a family entering this new season of life, where everyone is beginning to head off in their own direction, I think it's the perfect combination.
One of the conversations Louise and I kept coming back to throughout this whole experience was just how quickly life changes.
As a mum of teenagers and young adults, she told me how much she misses having little kids around the house. As a mum of two little boys, I joked that mine will surely become easier eventually.
The truth is, every season of family life comes with something to treasure.
Whether your children are taking their first steps or heading off to university, there will always be a version of your family that you'll be grateful you took the time to remember.
If you've realised it's been far too long since everyone was together in front of the camera, I'd love to help you create something you'll enjoy for years to come.
