“I look so beautiful,” said my daughter in a voice that was not quite a whisper, but soft and filled with a mix of pride, awe, and wonder. Her voice at that moment was one of the most beautiful tones I have ever heard. I wished I could just bottle it up to play again and again. I had just played her a slideshow I created from some images I captured a few weekends ago on a stunning Sydney afternoon. It was an ordinary afternoon spent at the park – not a planned session or a special occasion. True to my daughter’s nature, she had picked a sparkly dress even though she fully intended to climb, play in the sand, throw the frisbee, and get all sorts of dirty and sweaty. Since the dress sparkled, I grabbed my camera as we left but didn’t pick it up until we were heading home. The light was amazing so we went on a little walk along the wharf. It was a walk filled with the usual six year old shenanigans – twirling in the light, playing in some water, tossing the frisbee with her brother, and playing their favourite game of Sleeping Beauty. But something about that afternoon shimmered, creating a window that allowed me to capture my daughter’s spirit – her joy, exuberance, beauty and tenderness – in a way that I don’t get to see very often.
“Of course you do,” I replied. “You are beautiful.” She looked up at me with a huge smile that literally brought tears to my eyes. I tell my daughter she is beautiful a lot. But often all those articles about how instead of saying your daughter is pretty or beautiful you should tell them they are smart or hard working or strong make me catch myself. I do tell her she is strong and smart but I equally believe that children should believe they are beautiful – both girls and boys. But especially little girls. Our culture will always put beauty on a pedestal. I want my daughter to grow up knowing she is beautiful. That her beauty radiates from deep inside. That it makes her compassionate, strong, capable, and kind. I want her to believe in beauty and how it makes the world a softer gentler place when it is used for good and not evil.
She wanted me to play the slideshow again and again. I watched her as she watched and I hoped that the true to life, candid images she was seeing of herself were being etched in her mind somewhere. So whenever she doubted herself, or felt bad, or had a bad day, one might just pop up and she’ll remember how her mum saw her on that ordinary day. And her day will rise with the smile that crosses her face as she remembers she is beautiful.
I would love to capture the beauty you see in your child. Contact me to book a session.
Kate, Jason and adorable Milla met me at Pirrama Park one sunny Spring morning. Pirrama Park in Pyrmont is one of the jewels in the City with harbour views, a terrific playground, water features and barbeques. Formerly a base for the water police, it was acquired by the City of Sydney in 2005. Luckily it was saved from development and turned into the stunning public green space we have today. Much more than a park, it serves as an outdoor community anchor where a sense of strong community is built over playdates, picnics and a run through the fountains. It was the perfect place for a “ninja” style photo session. Milla got to play on all her favourites with mum and dad while I snapped away.
I asked each of the families participating in the Kids in Sydney project to answer a few questions about living in the City. Here is what Kate had to say:
Why did you choose to raise your family in the city? What is important to you about a city lifestyle?
Jason and I never made a conscious decision to raise a family in the city. Both coming from small rural towns in New Zealand we imagined that we would bring up a family in the usual New Zealand way – the three bedroom house with a big backyard, just as we grew up. We moved to Australia 10 years ago to find new exciting opportunities and to experience “big” city life. We only ever imagined that we would be here for two years. But we fell in love with the city and living in Pyrmont and have been here ever since. When we decided to have a family the thought of moving out to the suburbs did cross our minds, but we realised that we would miss out on the things we really loved about the city. We can both walk to work and do not miss the stress of travel and traffic jams (and feel good about being environmentally friendly). We love the close proximity to everything – supermarkets, cafes and restaurants and the Fish Market. Entertainment is never far away so we never get bored. Pyrmont is such a welcoming and safe community. Raising Milla in an environment that felt safe was a priority. And not to mention the beautiful foreshore parks.
We also realised that the city was a perfect and convienient place to bring up a child. Milla’s daycare is a short walk away as are swimming, dance and music classes. There are amazing clean playgrounds and large parks to run around. And valuable cultural experiences on our doorstep including museums, art galleries, concerts, festivals, and markets.
What has the City done that makes it easier/desirable for you to raise children in the city?
People think we are crazy bringing up a child in a small apartment – until when we explain to them that our backyard is a beautiful waterfront park with an amazing playground with a water feature. Also on our doorstep are amenities such as the Maritime Museum, Aquarium, and Wildlife Park etc.
It’s so easy to bring up a child in the city. There is always something to do. You don’t have to plan a big day out… you can just walk outside and find an experience. Milla is so lucky to have so many things to experience. I think if we lived outside of the city we wouldn’t experience nearly as many things as we do.
With fabulous dog friendly parks and apartment buildings the city has also made it really easy for us to have a family pet dog – Something that Milla just loves! We as a family definitely don’t feel that we are missing out on anything living in the city… if anything we think we are gaining by being spoilt with choice.
What improvements could be made to make it even easier/more desirable to raise a family in the city?
Now that Milla is coming of school age we have been a little concerned about the uncertainty of the local primary school. We want Milla to have a stable education, particularly in her first years, and the thought of the children being transported out of area to another school while the local school is possibly being rebuilt worries us. It would be great if there was a firm plan for a school that doesn’t disrupt the children’s education and can also accommodate the number of children of the area now and children in the future.
And here are a few images of our morning together down at Pirrama Park.
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It was such an honour and privilege to begin this Kids in Sydney project by photographing Claudia and Matt Bowman with their three gorgeous children. Claudia and Matt, natives of Sydney, decided to settle in the heart of the City upon returning from their travels about ten years ago. When they decided to start a family, it never occurred to them to move out from the vibrant neighbourhood of Potts Point. They feel strongly that their kids are at a great benefit growing up within a stone’s throw of Kings Cross. “The dynamic city neighbourhood provides us with the most educational, stimulating, convenient, social environment for us to exist as a healthy, happy, balanced family unit whilst working and interacting with our environment and the people in it,” Claudia said the day we met for her family session.
We met on a sparkling Sydney Saturday at their new apartment in Rushcutter’s Bay. The children have a stunning public front yard in which to run, play, laugh, and learn. With tennis courts, a playground, and the harbor all at their feet, it is hard to argue that the space sacrificed by apartment living is really necessary to a healthy, happy childhood. The children, 6, 5 and 3, were eager to show off their favourite trees for climbing, beach for dipping their toes in, and grassy green parks where they played chase and a bit of football while I snapped and looked on.
Claudia is also a legend when it comes to advocating for resources needed to raise kids in the City of Sydney. And Matt has supported her efforts every step of the way. Claudia has spent years encouraging the City to invest in needed infrastructure like upgraded parks and playgrounds, safer crossing areas, bubblers, and improved library space for kids. “We are fortunate to have an accessible local government that has been most sympathetic to the changing demographic of our neighbourhood- there is no doubting that our neighbourhood has had to evolve to accommodate the change of behaviour of young families staying in the city rather than heading out to the suburbs,” said Claudia.
Claudia and Matt are active in the community professionally. A small business owner, Claudia is a cheesemonger and owner of McIntosh & Bowman, a cheese events company. Matt is a dedicated high school teacher.
I asked Claudia what opportunities she and Matt felt their family had access to because they live in the City. , Claudia was quick to rattle off at least a dozen benefits of city living. At the top of her list was the ability to offer their children more opportunities to be stimulated and educated by tapping into the amazing comprehensive and free schedule of public events hosted by the City. Events like Vivid, Art and About, the Night Noodle Markets and the Christmas Concerts give families who might have limited financial resources the ability to still offer incredible cultural opportunities to their children.
It was such a joy to photograph this amazing family in their beautiful city neighbourhood. Here are some images from our afternoon together.
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“What if my child won’t behave?” is the number one fear of most parents who want to schedule a family photo session. Just the other day, a mum was asking for the best tip to get her 2 year old to cooperate during the session. She wanted to know what bribe worked best and listed out no less than 10 things she could bring in order to try and cajole some level of cooperation out of him during our time together. I could hear the anxiety mounting in her voice as she searched for answers to calm her fears.
My answer? “Don’t worry about his behavior. Let him be himself.”
Nothing ruins a photo shoot more than stressed out parents who are worrying about their children cooperating. And I understand that. You are paying for someone to capture photos of your family that you love. It stands to reason that your kids need to cooperate to make that happen. I just see it in a different light.
If you are coming to me for a family photo session, I don’t want your child to “behave”. Under the definition of “behave” are the following synonyms “act correctly, act properly, conduct oneself well, act in a polite way.” None of those sound compatible with capturing true moments of childhood. Children are spontaneous, free spirited, action oriented, playful, emotional, silly, and fun-loving. Those are the qualities I want to capture in the kids I photograph. And I bet those are the qualities you love in your child.
So schedule your session, pick the location, plan your wardrobe and show up. Then let the kids be kids. Let them run, laugh, giggle, fight with their siblings, pout, jump and play hide and seek. And let me snap away. I promise you’ll be more relaxed and you’ll get the photos you love of your family being your family. And you’ll have fun so that when you look back on those photos you’ll feel warmth, love and connection. Don’t stress and don’t worry – concentrate on making some memories. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I’d love to capture your family moments.
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One of my goals this year was to take more photos with me in the frame. Like many mums, I am the family photographer which means 99% of the time I am behind the camera. A few weeks ago, we had a sunny afternoon and everyone was present and accounted for – including the grandparents. I decided it was time to try for a family portrait. We took the photo in the garden of my mother-in-law’s building. I put the sun behind everyone so no one would be squinting and set up my camera on the stairs that went down into the rock garden. I used the interval timer on my camera which means I told my camera to take a photo every 2 seconds for 1 minute. That gave me time to run back into the photo once I pushed the button and gave me a little wiggle room in case someone sneezed! And here is the result. Easy peasy! For 5 tips on taking your own family self portrait read on….
While I do have a camera with lots of bells and whistles – you really only need one with a self-timer. Almost all digital cameras have one these days – even point and shoot entry level ones. For the technical “how to” on using your self-timer, just check your manual. Most cameras will let you set a delay (meaning you will have a few seconds to run back to your spot before the camera takes the picture.) If your camera has a setting where it will take multiple photos after you push the button that is the one to use. Let the camera take as many as it will so you have lots of shots to choose from. You can also consider buying a remote like the one here that will let you control the shutter from your spot in the portrait.
As for setting up a beautiful portrait, here are my five tips:
1. Consider the Light: Light is the cornerstone of photography – even if you are shooting on auto with a point and shoot camera. So before you drag everyone outside, take a moment to consider the light. While the above photo was shot in bright sun, the easiest light to work with is open shade – and by that I mean having your family stand in the shade but facing open sky. One great possibility is your front porch or the steps to your house. Time your portrait so the sun is not shining directly on the front of the house or you will have no shade ( and everyone will be squinting!). There is probably a point in the day where the sun is above your house or slightly behind it so that the overhang creates some shade on the porch or balcony. That is your time to take the photo. Here is an example of a portrait done on the front balcony of a family home. There is lots of light coming from the sky but the family is in the shade under the overhang. Because the steps were quite steep, the camera was positioned at the other end of the balcony. While I took this photo, this setup would work great for a family selfie portrait.
2. Background: For the shot above, the screen door is open behind the family creating a dark backdrop. I could have closed it, but seeing as they were all blondes, I was afraid their hair would blend into the light brown wall. It also provided a nice clean backdrop. Keep in mind clutter or a background that is too busy. In the photo above, I decided to crop out the stairs and the greenery as I really didn’t add anything – resulting in the version on the left. You can always use a simple editing program to crop out areas you don’t like after the fact.
3. Clothes: Clothing choices can make or break a photo. While I don’t recommend matching, I do advise my clients to try and blend together. I usually ask them to think of interior design and pick clothes where the colours look nice and inviting when placed next to each other. These clients did a great job!
4. Posing: Sit if that is most comfortable or stand and hold small children. It will be easiest if the one that is pushing the button to set the timer has easy access to his or her spot so try not to be the one holding a small child as you will have to run back to your spot once you push that button.
5. Connection: With my own family self portrait, I wanted a portrait where everyone was looking at the camera as that is what the grandparents wanted. However, I love it when families are just enjoying each other. So don’t get hung up on having everyone say “cheese”. Tickle the kids, give them a kiss, look at your partner. Let the camera snap away. Those are the memories you will cherish!
I hope these are helpful and would love to see your results. Post them on my Facebook page if you are willing to share!