by Alana | Feb 9, 2021 | Burns Beach, Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
Aileen is both a long term friend, and a repeat customer! She organises a family session every single year which is the perfect way to make sure YOU get in the shot with your kids and family, and that you can always have beautiful memories to look back on. Your kids change so much over time, and sometimes you don’t even realise until you look back on a photo. Aileen and her family have had past sessions at Perry’s Paddock and Burns Beach, and this year we were back at Burns Beach. The majority of my sessions are scheduled during golden hour, but at the beach it’s even more important for the light to do so for that gorgeous golden glow!
As usual, during my sessions, just let yourself go! Let yourself relax, have fun and be silly with your kids! Lots of fun, laughter and cuddles, so that the most authentic connections can be captured!
To book your own session, or to ask me a question, send me an email! You can also view more of my work in my Family Portfolio.
Contact me to book in your session!
by Alana | Feb 9, 2021 | Burns Beach, Extended Family, Family - Location, Maternity, Perrys Paddock, The Wanneroo Pines
Amy is my very good friend from my son’s mothers group, who also runs Amy Lee Photography. She’s been taking the time to get family photos from me for a number of years! You can look over past sessions with her, including at The Pines Wanneroo, Amy’s maternity session at Perry’s Paddock, and their extended family session. We met at Burns Beach for their first session with their newest addition, the beautiful Delilah. Amy also had a gorgeous idea of wanting some naked pics of Delilah, which we got towards the very end. It got a little chilly, so they also brought a blanket, which in my opinion also creates beautiful texture and mood in your memories!
As usual, my sessions go with the flow according to the kids moods and their own personalities. It’s letting them have fun, be free, and let themselves shine!
If you’d like to book in a session, or have any questions, send me an email! You can also view more of my work in my Family Portfolio.
Contact me to book in your session!
by Alana | Feb 9, 2021 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock, The Wanneroo Pines
Perry’s Paddock is my favourite place to shoot at, no doubt! It’s perfect during golden hour, overcast days, and even in the rain! This session was made even better by being able to catch up with this beautiful, strong mama and her two boys again, a year after their last session at The Pines in Wanneroo. Making that time to get regular photos of you and those you love…photos that include YOU in them…is so important! These boys will have so many memories to look back on of their mum. Memories that don’t show them stiffly smiling at the camera, but memories with feeling. Memories of their hugs, their kisses, the games and fun…the moments captured of their natural interaction and connection. Play with your kids…run with them…cuddle them…let your natural energy and emotions shine through. My sessions aren’t for making kids sit still and smiling for the camera. They’re about capturing authenticity and connection, the real life love between you!
If you’d like to book a session, or have any questions, Contact me! You can also view more examples of my work in my Family Portfolio.
Contact me to book in your session!
by Alana | May 25, 2020 | Extended Family, Family - Location, Fresh 48, Maternity, Newborn - Lifestyle, Perrys Paddock, Photo books
I first met Oliver’s parents at Perry’s Paddock for their Maternity Session in the pouring rain! I then met Oliver the day after he was born during his Fresh 48 session at their home. Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to see them all again, as well as Oliver’s Grandparents, for a family session at Perry’s Paddock. We almost had some weather issues again, but luckily the rain held out this time! I love being able to see my families again, and couldn’t believe how much Oliver had grown. From a one day old newborn, to a sitting, smiling 7 month old baby….there are sooo many changes that happen in those first years. Changes that happen before your eyes and literally over night. Each stage can sometimes feel never ending, but it’s really not. Time passes so quickly, and brings with it so many stages, changes and phases. This is part of the reason why I love photos so much, because they freeze some of those stages in time so that you can revisit them long after they’ve passed. You can look at a photo and it can bring back all of the memories…the feelings and the emotions…and you can almost relive it again. How often do you sit and hold onto a photo, smiling as you remember what it was like when it was taken?
Dea and Chris chose to include a photo book with their collection, which is the perfect way to keep some of your favourite photos in one place so that you can look through them again and again. I’m a big believer in not only taking photos, but also in displaying them! Don’t just keep them on your computer, never to be seen again!
If you’d like to create some beautiful photo memories, Contact me and we can chat! You can also view more examples of my work in my Family Portfolio, Fresh 48 Portfolio and Maternity Portfolio.
Contact me to chat about your session!
by Alana | May 24, 2020 | Maternity, Perrys Paddock
Emily and Hayden were due to have their first baby boy, and wanted to include their 3 dogs (fur babies!) in their maternity session. I’m always more than happy to do this, and Perry’s Paddock is a perfect location to do so! I love Perry’s Paddock for its open fields, the trees, the gorgeous white house, the magical sunsets and the opportunity for those beautiful silhouette images. This is the perfect place to take some time to capture this once in a lifetime moment – a time before your baby is born, and your body is going through all of those crazy changes. it’s a time you’ll look back on and remember – a time before you knew who this little person was, and before you’d held him in your arms. So much anticipation, mixed in with some nerves and excitement. Don’t let this time pass without celebrating how beautiful you are as you carry your baby in your belly!!
Emily said that during her session she felt ‘very comfortable’ and said that my shooting style was “Very casual in the sense that you don’t make people feel like they’re on show. You capture people’s real expressions and feelings in a photo rather than the shell on the outside that most posed photos do in my opinion”. She described the photos she received as “Unmasked; authentic, charismatic”. Mission accomplished!!
Emily says: “Alana’s work is absolutely incredible, not only does it show in her photographs but she has this ability to make you feel completely comfortable and at ease no matter how silly you think you look. She’s very easy to talk to and makes sure you understand her intent behind the images and uses her experience to get you the best possible results. Her images portray in my opinion a real authenticness in the subject she’s photographing, there’s no perfect ‘posing’ you simply be yourself-with a bit of silly- and she manages to capture a side of you that you may never have seen of yourself before. My partner and i were blown away by our photographs. 10/10 ”
If you’d like to capture some unmasked, authentic and charismatic photos of your own, Contact me and we can chat! You can also view my Maternity Portfolio for more examples of beautiful mumma’s and their gorgeous pregnancies.
Contact me to chat about your session!
by Alana | Jan 16, 2020 | Maternity, Perrys Paddock
Amy is a good friend of mine (also a photographer at Amy Lee Photography), and was also due for her third baby (spoiler: it’s a girl!), so we decided to have her Maternity session at the beautiful Perry’s Paddock during golden hour. I love the gorgeous glow of Perry’s Paddock, and the variety it provides with the trees, buildings, and open fields, so it’s perfect for celebrating a new baby coming into your family! How beautiful does Amy and her family look!!
Pregnancy is such a special time in your world. You don’t always feel beautiful, you don’t always enjoy it, and it definitely comes with its challenges (especially when you have other children to look after!), but it’s so worth capturing. Your body changes so quickly as it grows this new life, and the anticipation of the time just before you get to meet this new little person is indescribable. Maternity sessions are best booked around 32-37 weeks – a time when you look pregnant enough, but you’re also hopefully not too ‘over it’. Including your partner and other children is also really special. Chase and Emily were so excited about their new baby coming along – it’s a life changing time for them too!
If you’d like to book a maternity session for yourself, Contact me here!! You can also view more examples of my work in my Maternity Portfolio.
Contact me to book your session!
by Alana | Dec 9, 2019 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
Perry’s Paddock is always one of my favourite spots to capture your family. I love the trees…the open field…the buildings…there is so much to offer in this location, especially during the gorgeous Golden hour! This is also the place where I get the beautiful silhouette shots – always a fun way to capture your family! All you need to do is spread out a little and have some fun with big movements! This family chose the silhouette shot as their complimentary print which comes with all of my collections!
Family sessions are about fun. I’m not really about the formal, stiff, smile at the camera pose. I’m more about capturing the authentic fun and chaos of your family! So when your child hangs upside down or leans over to kiss you….or pulls a funny face…or jumps on your back for a piggyback…these are the moments I love to capture the most! I truly believe that these are the memories that will mean the most when you look back on this stage of your life – the ones that show beauty in chaos and the ones that make you smile and remember what it was really like (or maybe breathe a sigh of relief that things aren’t quite so crazy anymore!). Crazy or not, this is your family and you love them to pieces just the way they are! So embrace the crazy photos, the ones that make you laugh and feel something!! This is real life at its finest!!
If you’d like me to capture some fun and crazy memories for you too, Contact me to chat. You can also view my Family Portfolio for more examples of what to expect from our session!
Contact me to book in your session!
by Alana | Oct 31, 2019 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
I first met Leanne and her beautiful family during Zoey’s Newborn Lifestyle Session last year, so I was happy to be able to see them all again for an extended family session during the beautiful Golden Hour at Perry’s Paddock. It’s always amazing to see how much kids grow in such a short period of time, and really makes it hit home why taking photos is so important to me. Only one year earlier, Zoey was a tiny newborn who slept in my arms before I left their home, and now just a year later she’s walking around, laughing, and interacting with those around her!!
Leanne’s in-laws were all visiting from interstate and overseas, so they thought it was the perfect opportunity to get some photos all together. Despite not seeing each other regularly, it was obvious that there was a beautiful bond between them all, and so much energy and fun! Spinning, running, flying in the sky, tickles, cuddles and laughter are all high on the agenda during my sessions, and this family made it super easy to achieve that! Although during extended family sessions we try to make sure we get each combination of people together, I still definitely want to encourage fun as opposed to ‘let’s all look at the camera and smile’. Looking back on these images, I can see the love, the fun, and the genuine connection between them all. Perfect!
This is what Leanne had to say about her session: “We met Alana a little over a year ago for Zoey’s Newborn shoot and this year we had Family come to visit from New Zealand and Brisbane so we thought what a great time to get more photos done and again Alana met expectations. Thank you so much we are absolutely in love with the images”. She describes the images she received as “Beautiful, Fun and Special”.
If you’d like to capture some fun and beautiful memories with your own family, Contact me to chat. You can also view my Family Portfolio for more examples of my work!
Contact me to book in your session!
by Alana | Oct 1, 2019 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
Evie is my beautiful niece, and I’ve known her since the very second she was born as I was there to capture her Birth Story. I was also there before she was born with their Maternity Session, and afterwards with her Fresh 48 and Newborn Lifestyle session. I always love following the full journey with my families, and it makes it extra special when the little person is such an important part of my world. Ashlee and Matt asked me to capture some images for them to celebrate Evie turning one recently – ONE!! That first year goes by simultaneously slowly and quickly, and is the most challenging yet beautiful time in your life!! Not every day is easy, not every day is beautiful, but when you look back on it you’ll always miss it just a little bit. From her first cuddle with her parents…to those early days in the hospital as they get to know their new baby…to those early weeks at home when they’re figuring out their ‘new normal’ (a ‘normal’ that will constantly change and evolve)…to holding her hands as she practises standing, listening to her giggles, and watching her personality continue to shine. They’re all beautiful moments to freeze, because they’re all moments that pass silently by with time. Happy first year beautiful Evie!!
If you’d like me to freeze some memories in time for you as well, Contact me here. Feel free to ask me any questions!! You can also view more examples of my sessions in my Family Portfolio, and hear what others are saying about my sessions. I look forward to hearing from you!!
by Alana | Jul 9, 2019 | Maternity, Perrys Paddock
This session just has alllll the feels!!! We went ahead with it despite the rain, as we’d had to cancel the week before due to storms, and we didn’t want to risk Dea’s baby being born before we were able to reschedule again!! Dea was also getting her hair and makeup done, so we decided to just go ahead. We changed the location from The Pines to Perry’s Paddock as I prefer the openness of Perry’s Paddock on overcast days, and we also pushed the session earlier in the afternoon as we weren’t going to be getting the golden hour glow. It was sooo worth it!! I think the rain gives a beautiful magical feel to their images, and it will be something they’ll always remember!!
Lucky for me, Chris and Dea brought out two umbrellas, so I was able to continue shooting despite the rain. Chris was an amazing assistant holding the camera over my head when he wasn’t involved in the shots, and the rest of the time I juggled the umbrella and camera. Our shoes were sodden, we were wet, there was less of an opportunity to move around, but I absolutely love the end result!! Dea chose the perfect dress to compliment both her gorgeous baby bump and the environment, and although Chris wasn’t overly thrilled at the idea of the session, I think he did pretty well! I’m so glad they have these memories to look back on, and I hope they are too! Dea described her images as ‘beautiful, natural and fun’ – perfect!
I’m also meeting with Dea for her 48 Session and her Newborn Lifestyle session, and I can’t wait to meet their beautiful baby! I have a huge hunch it might be a girl – so let’s see if I’m right!! By booking in more than one session, you get discounts on your additional sessions – which means more gorgeous images for less of the cost!
If you’d like me to capture some memories for you too, please Contact me and we can chat! You can also view my Maternity Portfolio, Fresh 48 Portfolio and Lifestyle Newborn Portfolio for more examples of my work! You can also view Oliver’s Fresh 48 session – yep I was wrong and it was a boy! I was lucky enough to meet Oliver and his family again during a family session at Perry’s Paddock.
Contact me to book in your session!
by Alana | May 28, 2019 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
Soraya’s daughter Ellie has recently turned two, and they wanted to get some family photos to capture the love and happiness in their family unit. Poor Ellie was sick the first time we’d planned our session, so we rescheduled to a couple of weeks later, and thankfully Ellie was all better! We almost had to reschedule again due to the weather, but thankfully the rain stayed away (just a few spots when we arrived). We met at Perry’s Paddock which is one of my favourite locations. It’s a beautiful spot not only during that gorgeous Golden Hour when the sun is setting, but also on overcast days like this one was.
This session is filled with absolutely beautiful images capturing the very thing Soraya had wanted – the beautiful love and happiness in their family. There was dancing, nursery rhymes, flying in the sky, spinning, and lots of cuddles. Dad was the flavour of the month for Ellie towards the start of the session, but by the end it was Mum who had her heart! It’s very obvious that they all have a beautiful bond, and I’m so glad to have been able to capture it for them. As usual, when there are kids involved in my sessions, the focus is on making things fun for them, and never forcing them to sit still or do something that doesn’t make them happy. I give them breaks when they need them, and keep them involved when they’re happy to be involved.
One thing I like to do when kids are having a little break, is to capture some images of Mum and Dad together. It’s not often we get the time to be together without kids around, and I really want to be able to celebrate that relationship as well. I’m always so happy at how parents love to do this, and are happy to have a little fun with it as well!
I loved spending time with this family, and freezing some moments in time. They’ll always have these images to look back on the time Ellie had just turned two, and it was just the three of them!
If you’d love me to freeze some moments in time for you as well, Contact me here. You can also view my Family Portfolio for more examples of my work.
by Alana | Dec 28, 2018 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
Extended family sessions are so much fun! They’re generally noisy, chaotic and there are so many different connections to capture. Often when we think about a family session we only think of our immediate family, but there are so many people beyond that who are just as important and I think it’s a beautiful way to create some memories together. Kerry contacted me to take some photos for her and her extended family, as everyone was together for the first time in EIGHT YEARS!!! Her mother-in-law and father-in-law were over from South Africa, and her brother-in-law and his family were over from Brisbane for Christmas – the first Christmas they’d spend together in many years. A photo shoot is a perfect way to preserve memories of this time together, especially after it being 8 years in the making!! Christmas this year would be very different for all of them, and very special!
Throughout the shoot I couldn’t help but think about how it must feel for the Grandparents in that moment. To be reunited with their two sons and their 5 grandchildren and to see them all together in one place for the first time in so many years. I imagine the bittersweet emotions – the joy of all being together, but the sadness of their separation. I think it’s truly beautiful that they experienced this photo shoot together so that they could have gorgeous memories to look back on during the time that they would need to be apart again.
It had been such a long time since they’d been together, that the cousins had only just met each other the night before! This did mean that they were a little reserved with each other and needed some more encouragement to interact, so we played some Chinese Whisper games amongst other things to help them become a little more familiar with each other. During my shoots I really want people to have fun and enjoy themselves, and to focus on the person or people in front of them. I want them to think about what they mean to each other, and take some time out of crazy life to just BE together. I’m always warmed by the interactions that result from this – the dancing couple, the natural laughter, the hands holding and the playfulness that comes when people are relaxed. Throughout this shoot there were many opportunities for me to capture the genuine connections between each family, as they would just naturally come together and show their affection towards each other. It was also a little cold so some extra cuddles were helpful!!
I hope that the Krause family enjoy looking back on their memories for many years, and I also hope that it’s not another 8 years until they’re all together again!! Thank you for letting me into your world!
If you’d like to book a session for yourself, Contact me here. You can also view my Family Portfolio here.
by Alana | Nov 18, 2018 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
The Milner Family is like my own family, as Ciara has been my best friend since High School. I grew up sleeping over at their house, and experiencing what life was like in a large family compared to my own tiny one at the time (not so tiny anymore ha ha!). Since then, we’ve been in each others weddings, held each others babies (Ciara stayed the entire night one night and held my youngest baby so that I could sleep – now that’s a true friend!), had play dates with our kids, and Ciara’s sister Anna’s children go to the same school as my own kids. Ciara is ‘Aunty Ciara’ to my kids, and I’m ‘Aunty Lans’ to hers. I’ve shot for Anna’s mothers group, and I’ve shot for Kevin and his dog Rocco. I was so happy to shoot for their entire family recently at Perry’s Paddock. There is always a lot of fun and laughter when this family are together, and I love being around them. They have a great sense of humour and don’t take themselves too seriously, so they were more than happy to have fun with it all. We had adults being lifted in the air, kids being spun around, shoulder rides, Nanna and Bop dancing together (yes, the kids call their Grandfather ‘Bop’ – so cute!) and running races. All of this makes for some genuine laughter and genuine emotions – which is what I love to capture the most. The kids also had a lot of ideas themselves, and I was hearing ‘Alana! Alana!’ as they wanted me to take a photo of them doing something particular! Although it was pretty cold down at Perry’s Paddock that evening (particularly for those in sleeveless outfits!), I think we all had a lot of fun. Thank you Milner/Armour/Slim clan for letting me capture some memories for you, and thank you for always welcoming me into your family!
If you’d like to book a session for yourself, or organise a gift voucher for someone else, Contact me here. You can also view my Family Portfolio here.
by Alana | Oct 25, 2018 | Family - Location, Perrys Paddock
Aileen and I met in mothers group with our first babies. Her little girl Abby was 3 months older than the rest of our babies, and at the time that seemed like such a big deal! I always felt like Aileen knew so much more than me because her baby was older than mine! That was over 10 years ago now, and since then we’ve both gone on to have 3 more children each (Yep! We’re both crazy enough to have 4 kids!!). We don’t get to see each other as often as we used to (distance and time comes between us all), but we catch up when we can and I’ve been lucky enough to photograph her family for the last 3 years. Aileen is one of those amazingly organised people who ensures that they get a photo session every year and I think it’s a GREAT idea. What better way to document how everyone is growing, and to also dedicate some time just to your family??! I’m sure this doesn’t excite her family at the moment – but one day they’ll appreciate how they have beautiful images each year documenting how they’ve grown and changed.
This year we had FOUR attempts to get out session in!! The first time was cancelled due to illness, and the next two due to weather. Finally fourth time was the charm – although we had to change locations to Perry’s Paddock (we’d been planning to check out the beautiful blossoms in the hills). Now, I LOVE Perry’s Paddock, however I’ve never been there when the grass (weeds??!!) have been soooo long and unfortunately this caused quite a few hay fever issues, particularly for poor Aileen and Abby. She sent me a photo later that evening with their eyes red and puffed up, and a warning not to touch my eyes with my hands before washing them! So although I love Perry’s Paddock, I might avoid it during spring if you suffer from hay fever too badly! Luckily for us, there is no evidence of red puffy eyes in the images, and as usual they all look gorgeous! I’ve always loved photographing Aileen and I know this will probably embarrass her – but the camera just loves her! She’s truly beautiful and expressive, and her smile is so warm and sincere. I don’t think she even knows how to ‘fake smile’?!
If you’d like to book a family session for yourself, or for someone you love, Contact me here. You can also view my Family Portfolio.
by Alana | Sep 27, 2018 | Couples, Perrys Paddock
Jade contacted me quite awhile ago and was interested in getting some photos taken with her and her partner, although her partner took a little convincing! She got there in the end, and I’m soooo glad she did as I LOVE all of her images!! We met at Perry’s Paddock during the Golden Hour (it’s so beautiful there at that time), as Jade liked that it would remind Zac of growing up on the farm. Jade also brought along a couple of blankets which were special to her – one which her mum had made for her 21st birthday, and one which is in her favourite colour and is what they use in their home together. It was quite cold, so the blanket came in handy at the end! I told Jade and Zac not to worry about having to smile at the camera, and that if they were ever unsure of what to do, just to get close to each other and touch each other in some way. For me, the perfect photo is one that shows your genuine connection, and I love that Jade and Zac’s images do that. Their connection was beautiful and real, and we spoke about how once you find your person that it’s hard to imagine life without them. I absolutely love that Jade and Zac took time out to celebrate their relationship together and get some beautiful images taken of their connection. Just the two of them. Before marriage, before kids, just Jade and Zac. Where it all begins. I truly believe that they are going to have such a beautiful life together, and I’m so happy to have been a part of celebrating their relationship.
If you’d like to book a session for yourself, or gift a session to someone else, please contact me here. You can also view more of my Couples Portfolio.
