A baby and bump session with Talia’s older son and partner was the perfect way to celebrate the big and exciting life changes in her family.

I really wanted to capture some beautiful memories of our family while we have so many beautiful moments to celebrate - my pregnancy, a new baby and my son is in his last year of primary school and about to enter his teens, therefore a bump and baby session was the best option for us. 

We chose Elena because her nature-based locations and her preference for photographing genuine and candid interactions really resonated with us. We were keen to have some special images at the end that we could frame and display at home that we all loved.

Initially, we were all a bit apprehensive about being photographed, none of us like to be staged and posed. However, we were put at ease immediately after meeting Elena, who is just lovely and down-to-earth. We found that we really enjoyed ourselves and Elena was just there to capture us having fun together and I love how this comes through in our photos.

How did we decide where to shoot? Elena recommends some absolutely beautiful locations on her website and we fell in love with North Head, Manly - the rocks, the view of the ocean, the sunset, the wildflowers! It had everything we loved so we went with this for the bump shoot. For the baby shoot we originally chose one location, but in the end went with Elena's suggestion and we're so glad we did (this is where her love for the outdoors and local knowledge really makes a difference!) Curl Curl beach was just stunning at sunrise with little yellow flowers blooming on the dunes, a peaceful beach and waves crashing around us - so special! 

How did we decide what to wear? For wardrobe, I had a look through Elena's portfolio and Pinterest for inspiration. I chose tones that were neutral and earthy to compliment the outdoor locations. As we were doing a bump and baby shoot and planned to frame a mix of these shots side-by-side, I wanted to make sure that what we wore for both shoots would work. The final consideration was to try not to choose overtly 'trendy' pieces that would really date our images. Basically, outfits that we wouldn't be embarrassed by when we looked at them in the future! 

“These images are forever and capture what is most important - my family.”

I'm so grateful that we went ahead and did this. I feel like when a new baby is coming you have a lot of expenses: pram, car seat, cot etc, but once they grow out of these, they become redundant. These images are forever and capture what is most important - my family. I don't think I could choose a favourite; they are all very, very special which is probably why I'm having such a hard time choosing which ones to frame or put in an album! Thankfully Elena can help with that part too.

The memories of the shoot day are so beautiful and moving We had never been to North Head, Manly before so we all enjoyed discovering this new place, climbing over rocks and even finding Flannel Flowers which my grandmother used to show my mum on their walks, my mother showed me and now she shows Leo. I now look back and think that the flowers might have been a sign from my grandmother during this bump shoot, because our daughter August has inherited her beautiful deep blue eyes. Another beautiful memory of the shoots is seeing my son dressed up and looking so grown up; seeing him love his little sister. Seeing Andy's bond with both Leo and August just melts my heart too.

“As we were doing a bump and baby shoot and planned to frame a mix of these shots side-by-side, I wanted to make sure that what we wore for both shoots would work.”

My tip? Capturing memories together is something you will NEVER regret - you must lock it in! Elena has such a skill being able to put you all at ease and get the most out of the environment to ensure you will be happy with the final results. I would also suggest booking early, planning all your outfits ahead of time, knowing how long it will take you to get yourself and the kids ready, how long it will take to get where you're going, find a park etc because sunrise and sunset waits for no one!

Looking back at these photos in ten years, I know I will miss being pregnant, breastfeeding, holding a newborn, seeing Leo as a child - I'm sure in 10 years he will be doing his own thing and I'm so glad we've captured him in these moments when he's still happy to run around and have fun with us.

If you’d like to learn more about the Baby and Bump package, how it works and availability, feel free to contact me via email or call.