by Alana | Aug 24, 2018 | Family - Location, The Wanneroo Pines
Amy and I met each other in mothers group when her son Chase and my son Louie were only 6 weeks old. Chase and Louie have become great friends, and so have Amy and I. Now our youngest two babies are only a few months apart as well. Amy is also a photographer at Amy Lee Photography, and she has given me some gorgeous memories of my youngest two over the years, so I was more than happy to be able to return the favour and provide her with some memories as well. We met for the photo shoot at The Pines in Wanneroo, which is somewhere special for Amy and her family, as they spend a lot of time there. Little Emily wasn’t too interested in participating in many photos (what 1 year old wants to sit still?!), but Chase was super cooperative and would constantly smile at the camera (“Cheeeeese!”). We went later in the day, so that we could take advantage of the beautiful light in the hour before sunset. Some of my favourite images are taken then – when the sun is low and glowing, and the light is less harsh. It can be a tricky time for little kids, as it’s often over dinner time or bed time, but these two coped pretty well. Such a beautiful family!
If you’d like to book a family location session, Contact me for further information. If you’d like to view more family sessions, look at my Family Portfolio.
by Alana | Aug 21, 2018 | Burns Beach, Couples, Family - Location, Hyde Park, Information, Maternity, The Wanneroo Pines, Uncategorized
You’ve decided to book in a photo session to capture some memories – perhaps you’re investing in a family shoot to remember your family as it is now; a couple session to celebrate your relationship; or a maternity session to celebrate your beautiful growing baby bump. In all of my sessions my main focus is on capturing the connections between you, and the little details. To do this, I usually place you close together on a rug. The aim of this is not to get you to all smile towards the camera – the aim is just to get you CLOSE. From there, it’s quite common for me to be running around and capturing you all from different angles – above, below, left, right, behind and in front. It can feel like you’re staying in one spot for a long time, but because I’m moving around a lot, I’m capturing you from all different perspectives. I’m also looking out for those little details – your little one holding onto your hand; a stray curl of hair blowing across your face; a beautiful expression on your face. The fact that I move a lot also has the added benefit of ensuring that you’re not tempted to always just smile at the camera – because the camera keeps moving! For this reason, the actual location isn’t always important. However, it’s always nice to be in a location that you feel represents what you want to get out of the shoot. As I’m based North of the River, I’ve put together a few locations I regularly shoot at. This doesn’t mean you can only choose from these locations – as I’m always open to new suggestions or places that are important to you – but these are just the places which are regulars for me.
- The Wanneroo Pines. This place is great to go to with kids, as they love to explore amongst the tee pees made of sticks, play with said sticks, and jump on the logs. This allows them to burn off some energy between shots – or capture some candid images of them playing. These candid images often result in those genuine smiles and fun energy kids have when they’re free to play. While kids are playing, I can take the opportunity to get some images of mum and dad. It’s also a beautiful location for maternity shoots – the tall trees make a beautiful backdrop to show off your pregnancy. It’s always most beautiful to go here (as it is with most locations) in the hour before sunset. The glow from the setting sun gives off a beautiful magical feel – especially when it peaks between the trees. If you’re unable to book your shoot during Golden Hour (that hour before sunset), then the trees do provide a decent amount of shade, making it an option for daytime shoots as well.
- Burns Beach. This location is most popular for maternity shoots. It can be more challenging with family shoots depending on ages of the children, due to the water. Burns Beach is beautiful as it also provides some rocks and greenery as a backdrop, without needing to solely rely on the water backdrop. The absolute best time of the day for a beach session is the Golden Hour – the hour before sunset. I generally don’t like to shoot here outside of those hours unless the day is particularly overcast, or if timing wise the shoot needs to be at another time. Maternity sessions here are beautiful – the setting sun makes a great backdrop to a pregnant tummy.
- Perry’s Paddock. This is another location which is best towards golden hour, as there’s a lot of open space. This is one of my favourite locations to shoot at, as we can utilise the trees while the sun is still quite high, and then move to the open field once the sun starts to set. This is where I get some silhouette shots which is always a fun way to show off your family! This location is pretty much perfect for any type of shoot – there’s a lot of space for kids to run around, an abundance of gorgeous light, and the sky always looks beautiful once the sun has set. There’s also a beautiful old white building which can be used as backdrops.
- James Spiers Park, Wanneroo. I love this park for the variety it brings to a session. It’s particularly beautiful in Autumn with the leaves fallen on the ground. This park offers a beautiful area with trees and greenery, a staircase, a wall for people to sit on, as well as a basketball court with a wall that is great for backdrops. There’s a lot of choices at this park, and also a lot of shade options for when shoots can’t be scheduled for golden hour.
- Hyde Park. I love this location, although due to additional travel, I do charge a small travel fee to go here. There are so many choices at Hyde Park, and is another one which offers a lot of shade so is a good spot if we can’t schedule a session for the golden hour (although that time of day is always best no matter the location).
These are just some of the options of places for your shoot. If you’d like to organise a location shoot for yourself, or as a gift for someone else, please Contact me. You can view more family sessions in my Maternity Portfolio or Family Portfolio.
by Alana | Jun 14, 2018 | Maternity, The Wanneroo Pines
Charlotte and Dylan are the beautiful couple who allowed me into their special time with capturing the birth of their daughter Chloe (see blog post The Birth of Chloe). Whilst Chloe was still tucked safely inside her Mummy’s tummy, we met for her Maternity session at the Wanneroo Pines (we may have had a little miscommunication, and they ended up at the Pines in Ellenbrook instead – oops!). I’m so glad we found our way to each other in the end, because I just love these images, and I’ve come to love this couple as well!
I have to admit that when I saw the outfit Charlotte had chosen to wear, I did a little internal happy dance – how gorgeous does she look?! This is the perfect time to find something romantic and flowing to wear, to really show off the beauty of pregnancy. Dylan complimented her perfectly – only real men wear pink, right Dylan?! During a Maternity session, I not only love to capture Mum’s beautiful belly – but if her partner and/or kids are there – I also love to capture their connection. Babies are beautiful, but they also bring about a lot of change. I think it’s really special to capture that time right before life changes – to remember the feeling of the time as well as what it looked like. I always look back fondly on my own 4 pregnancies, despite the discomforts and struggles that also came with them, so I love being able to capture that time for other mums. I always regret that I never had Maternity photos for myself – maybe 5th time hey….(don’t worry husband, that’s a joke….kind of…!)
If you’re interested in booking a Maternity session, Contact Me and we can discuss capturing some beautiful memories for you. I have packages available to include other special times as well, such as Birth, Fresh 48 and Newborn Lifestyle. If you’d like to view more beautiful maternity images, look at my Maternity Portfolio. You can also view Chloe’s Lifestyle Newborn Session here.
