Central Coast Christmas Photos 2021

2021, wow. Where did that year go? It seems a little bit confusing to me because each day in lockdown felt like a marathon, am I right?

When I look back on the year that was I know I’ll look at it fondly. It was a time where it was just our little family of four. We didn’t have to get up early for school, had no commitments to go to after either. We had no place to be at any particular time (apart from the school zoom meetings) and we were able to just enjoy each other. JJ and William had precious time to bond, time they wouldn’t have had if JJ was at school. 

We all got to watch William take his first wobbly steps - including Granny, who was FaceTiming us at just the right time. 

I found joy in photographing my boys, experimenting with a different style, layout of the studio, forms of direction, light and shadow etc.

Before we knew it, JJ lost his top front tooth and he was a proper pirate. It took me a few days to look at him without giggling at the giant hole in his smile - little did I know that the gap would get even bigger when he lost his other tooth a month later!

William celebrated his very first Birthday in lockdown with an obligatory family zoom singing happy birthday and, of course, a cake smash!

William found joy in the little things, including chasing his shadow and watching how the light changed each afternoon - watch this space, future photographer in the making!

CENTRAL COAST CHRISTMAS MINIS

BUT I know you’re REALLY here for all Central Coast Christmas Mini Shoot lowdown! So let’s dive right in!

When you were a child what did you think of when it came to Christmas? I’m going to say the majority of us would say PRESENTS. This year features an array of presents to interact with and ensures the kids have FUN. There is even one giant present to sit on top of to add a different element and variety to your photos.

Pictured above are my little munchkins have a play with some Christmas baubles, this is hubby’s favourite photo!

JJ making the most of the giant present and confetti. I love how this set up has multiple options to play and pose depending on how comfortable they are. Clearly, JJ is comfortable 😂

I love watching these two. I don’t really care what it is they’re doing (as long as it’s not whinging), they’re fascinating to watch.

William loves sitting on top of the big box and pegging the Christmas baubles at me. Whatever it takes to get the shot I say 😂

I loved being able to use the presents this way, it’s such a fun activity to try keep them up. As for William, he can just continue to be he cute chunky self.

PRODUCTS

This year I am offering these gorgeous 9 inch Birchwood Circle prints complete with stand. You can have ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘2021’, ‘love’ or leave it blank! These are also available with package 2 and 3

They will be $99 and must be ordered by the end of November to get them in time for Christmas, although with current freight times this cannot always be guaranteed.

I am SUPER proud to also be offering ceramic Christmas ornaments, these are double sided and come in a black box with gold trim ready to gift!

They are $30 each or 3 for $65, these come in package 3 or can choose then in package 1 instead of the wood print.

COLOUR PALETTE

Now there’s not too much that can go wrong with your styling here. My main advice is to pick one colour to really make your photos pop. As you can see in the photos I did of the boys, the navy on their clothes with the white floor and presents really creates an eye catching contrast. If you are unsure, lay your outfits on the bed to see if they all work together. Alternatively, if you haven’t purchased the yet you can screenshot your clothes and then put them altogether in the layout app. Otherwise, send me a message I am happy to help!

IMPORTANT COVID INFORMATION

A few important house keeping things: You will need to check in when you arrive and have your proof of vaccination ready to show.While at this time I would love to open my studio doors to everyone, unfortunately I am unable to do so. In line with NSW roadmap to reopening I am only able to allow fully vaccinated clients 16 and over during the months of October and November. Failure to do so will result in a $5000 fine for me and a $1000 fine for you, so please make sure you are able to provide relevant documents or medical exemptions should you need to show themThere will be a 5 minute gap in-between each session to allow time to a reset, clean and to ensure each family is able to leave without passing another. Please ensure when you arrive to the studio you sanitise, mask up and only have one parent/guardian allowed in the studio during the session, whoever this is, they will need to be fully vaccinated . I will be doing a weekend of minis in the first weekend of December aswell so everyone has the opportunity to get their photos done.
If you or your child develop any cold or flu symptoms you must reschedule as soon as possible. If your child is visibly sick during their shoot we reserve the right to pause the session and ask you to leave. I don’t want to be the bad guy here but I need to protect my newborn clients, my own children and myself.

PACKAGES

This year I will have three packages:

PACKAGE 1: $150

• 6 High Resolution Digital Images

• 15 Minute Session

• Online Gallery to choose your images

PACKAGE 2: $240

• 9 High Resolution Digital Images

• 15 Minute Session

• Online Gallery to choose your images

• Choice of Circle wood print OR set of 3 Ornaments

PACKAGE 3: $400

• 15 High Resolution Digital Images

• 15 Minute Session

• Online Gallery to choose your images

• Circle wood print AND set of 3 ornaments.

THANK YOU

Lastly, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for supporting my business year after year and allowing me to capture these treasured moments in time. I say it all the time but it is truly an honour to be able to do this for you.

HOW DO I BOOK?

Choose your package and time below, easy as!

See you in the studio, WE CAN’T WAIT!

Lacey's Cake Smash

I love it when mums ask for pink! This session mum asked for rose gold, white and grey and this was the set up I made for her. Its actually one of my favourites, it’s not too pink and the colours really suit Lacey!

I was told little Lacey can sometimes be a bit shy, so before we start I made sure I sat on the ground and had a little play with her to make sure she could be comfortable around. Some babies can be really nervous and that is TOTALLY normal (even as an adult I am so nervous when i’m in front of the camera) this is why I like to show them my favourite toys and help them understand that I’m ‘cool’ and can trust me 🙃

HOORAY! I just love it when babies put their hands in the air cheering, it’s so darn cute seeing their little arms waving about 😍

I always do these portrait photos before the cake smash, this is a great way to get some clean photos of Bub on a different backdrop and also helps to give you a lot of variety when you choose your images

I love the little daybed she’s on, Lacey looked so sweet perched on that prop.

Lacey wasn’t a huge fan of her cake, we did manage to hide some of her favourite snacks in her cake so she could actually try it, I mean it’s buttercream icing with a sponge cake - how could you not like that?! Either way, if Bub doesn’t love their cake and it goes mostly untouched I simple put in back in the box for you to have later, theres no use letting a good cake go to waste!

Lacey really enjoyed the bath it, it was the perfect size for her and the little duckies are always a hit!

The bath is brought out after Bub has tried some cake, this is a great opportunity for Bub to reset and try something new! I put a milk bath powder in the water so the water is silky soft and a non slip mat on the bottom so they feel safe and comfortable.

One of the bets parts of the bath is when babies realise they can splash as much as they want - its even encouraged! It’s such a fun part and a great way to finish the shoot. Lacey went home fed, clean and happy its a win for everyone!

Below I will include all the photos from the portrait, cake smash and bath portion of the shoot so you can get an idea of what a full shoot looks like. Sometimes your gallery can include up to 70 photos, so you can images how hard it is to narrow it down 😂

Mummy's Minis - Umina Mother's Day Photo Sessions

Every year I talk about EXISTING in photos, it is all that our children will have left of us when we’re gone and we want them to have as many memories as possible to look back on! I am so excited to be bringing Mother’s Day Sessions (title ‘Mummy’s Minis) back into the studio because it creates such a great environment for connection and snuggles. This is my fifth year of these sessions and my most favourite EVER because so rarely as mums do we ever do something for ourselves. So when you come into my Umina Beach studio I know that we’re ready to make some magic! I’ve teamed up with Hearts & Tales Styling to create this warm, cosy and simple set up, this also means that this sessions is available ONE DAY ONLY on SUNDAY APRIL 18TH.

Even better this year we have the option of Dad jumping in for a family shot too - don’t worry guys the focus is still on your baby mama all you have to do it jump in for a few snaps, tickle,wrestle, hug and kiss. I promise you’ll barely have to look at my camera ;)

After the year we’ve had I feel it’s time get back into the cosy cuddle, to make some new memories and remember the little things. So be sure to tell your baby daddy that THIS is what you want for mother’s day this year and we will take care of the rest!

What’s Involved?

Upon arrival you are welcomed into my home studio, oils diffusing and music playing ensures the chillest vibe possible. This session is all about YOU and your minis, we know all the right angles, prompts to ensure authentic moments and even have a dress to sort you out. To use my boho dress (pictured below)-be sure to arrive 5 minutes prior to allow time to get changed, my assistant, Amy, to take care of the little details too.

You will be amazed at what we can capture during the time we are given, you will be even more amazed at just how hard it is to choose your photos!

Who can be in the photos?

YOU (OBVS), your mum and your kids (Dad’s too if you choose package 3). You could also have a session just with you, your siblings and your mum as a mothers day gift to her!

What Do We Wear?

Linen is the fabric of the moment! It photographs beautifully and the soft texture matches perfect with this beautifully styled space. I have added some colour palettes below, I recommend choosing 4 colours and using those as inspiration for your outfits . If you are unsure of outfits please don’t hesitate to shoot me a message - sometimes it helps laying all your outfits on the bed to see how they work together.

Sessions available on SUNDAY 18TH APRIL ONLY

How do I get my images? What if I want to purchase more?

Within 2 weeks of your session the very best images are uploaded onto an online gallery for you to choose. Once chosen your images are put into a dropbox folder and I send the link! Clients who upgrade their whole gallery receive their images in colour as well as Black + White.
Images upgrades are as follows:

1 Image $30
3 Images $50
5 Images $120
10 Images $250

Whole Gallery upgrade is $300 which includes Colour and Black + White Images

How can I get the most of my session?

PAMPER YOURSELF! Get your hair done, paint your nails, make yourself FEEL amazing so you have nothing else to worry about.
Prep your kids before you arrive ‘We’re going to see Ginny + Amy today to take some photos to remember how much we love each other, they’re in charge so do what they say’ If you have to bribe them we ask that you don’t tell them a give the bribes to us so that we’re the ones in control 😉
Lastly, I ask that you please bring some photos to look at together, whether it be an album or just some printouts, kids LOVE looking at themselves as a baby and it would be great to sit and talk to them about how cute they were as babies. Some photos of your mum, grandparents and yourself as a child will also be really fantastic - it’s all these little things that help bring your photos to life and make your session one to remember 💕

How Do I Book?

Choose which package you want and then select from one of the times lots available and done!

So what are you waiting for?! Click on this link to book your shoot. This is ONE DAY ONLY and you don’t want to miss out!

Outdoor Maternity shoot

Well we weren’t sure this session was going to go ahead with the way the weather was behaving! Sometimes us outdoor photographers need to be part meteorologist reading the weather radar and checking the forecast hours before a session 😂 We decided to go for it and what do you know the weather held out just in time for us to get a whole maternity shoot done before it started raining again.

When Rhiannon booked her outdoor maternity shoot with me she was very clear she wanted it to be natural, nothing overly posed and just a focus on them as a family enjoying these moments before they become a family of four and before Micah becomes a big sister.

This hit me in the heart, I totally remember these feelings before William was welcomed into our family. Those mixed emotions of excitement and also #mumguilt knowing that you won’t have as much time with your firstborn as you do now, that you won’t have the days of ‘just the two of you’ anymore.

So when Rhiannon booked with me I had her fill out a questionnaire of all the things she wanted to capture as well as beach or bush location and she chose bush. I was so happy because natural/australian bush is my jam, as much as I love shooting at the beach I LOVE this location., it always has something different to offer at different times of year.

Gorgeous little Micah was such a cheeky girl. At the beginning she was running away from us and I tried to grab her attention but bribing her with some wild flowers, little did I know that this is her favourite thing to do! Before we knew it by the end of the session she had created the most beautiful bouquet of flowers from our session - I think future florist in the making! Check out the photos to see if you can spot her gorgeous bunch.

If you are interested in booking your Central Coast Maternity Shoot you can view my prices here and contact me to book or have a chat here