Coco and her family made the most of North Head National Park, Manly, walking, talking and taking photos. Her four year old, who goes to Headland Montessori Early Learning Daycare nearby, showed everyone all the best places. We chatted to Coco after she received her photos…

Where did you do your family photo shoot and why? Was it a special place for you?

Elena suggested we think of a place we love or has a meaning to us, so we suggested going to North Head. Our son goes to kindy there so he knows the area and felt comfortable, and we often go for bush walks there. The location worked out well, but I believe Elena would have done the job fantastically in whatever location you choose.

What kind of look and feel were you after?

We wanted it to be warm and natural. We had a newborn shoot done with our eldest son four years ago where we were put into poses, studio style, and weren’t allowed to move. This time we wanted it to be more dynamic, be ourselves, and wanted our children to be allowed to be lively. 

What did your family think of the photo session?

It was fun! For our older son who’s almost four, it was lovely for him to run around, have a closer look at plants, while we carried our baby. For us it was great – we chatted with Elena, she showed us some ideas, we’d go here for a few minutes, played with the children somewhere else for a few minutes, and it didn’t take too long. It was just the right amount of time before the children got bored – about 45 minutes.  

What did you think of the results?

Ahhh, they were stunning! We are very, very happy. We had a look at her website before the shoot so we knew what they would be like, and they were even better. My partner didn’t feel so well the day before and day of the session, and I had to convince him to go ahead with the shoot, but he loved the result and was glad we did it. The afternoon light is really charming on faces.

How will you use the photos? 

I want to do a photo book, printed several times, for family overseas and for ourselves and we’d love to show some of them in our living room. They work especially well together as a set.

How did you decide what to wear? 

We thought that we going to be in nature so let’s look very natural – we didn’t want to be too colourful or wear any patterns, so decided to wear cream and light colours. 

What are some tips you’d give other families doing the same thing?

I would consider what to wear, I think if you are going to be photographed, wear something you really love. You don’t have to be dressed up and styled up a lot, it’s how you feel yourself, as if you’re going on a nice family outing – comfy but looks nice. It also helps children behave in a more relaxed way. Dressing up kids is worse than dressing up yourself.

I was not surprised because I know Elena is a fellow mother, but she is really good with the children, making eye contact, making our baby smile and he played with her, so there are some really good shots being made. She is really great at making you feel relaxed and being yourself, you don’t have to be nervous. Be yourself, feel like yourself, that’s how good pictures are being made.

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Interview Janine Phillipson

Little Manly Photography

Tags: Family Photography Sydney; Family Photography Northern Beaches; Family Photography North Shore; Family Photography Manly; Family Photography North Head