Why In-Home Motherhood Sessions Are My Favourite Thing to Photograph
There is nothing quite like home — the smell, the feeling of belonging, and of course the people who live inside it. It's where our most treasured memories happen: an intimate proposal, finding out you're pregnant, bringing your baby home from the hospital for the first time, and all the everyday moments of learning, growing and exploring that follow. So my question is — why don't we document that?
Years from now, we won't miss the big, grand moments nearly as much as we'll miss the everyday ones. When I think back on my own childhood, I don't picture the big holidays or the outings to play centres. I remember my mum letting me pitch a tent in the backyard on a Friday afternoon and spending the whole weekend "camping" outside. I remember sitting at the kitchen bench while my nan taught me how to make her famous orange cake — one that, to this day, no one has been able to replicate quite the same. I remember shooting hoops out the front, music blasting, having dance parties on the driveway.
As I get older, I hope those are the moments I return to — along with the ones I'm now making with my own daughter. Trying to recreate that same orange cake with her. Kitchen sink baths. Putting on her tutu and dancing down the hallway. These are the moments worth capturing — and not just on an iPhone or in a selfie. Mum should be in these photos too, because mums are magic, and there are never enough photos of them actually in the frame.
Meeting Tiffany and Baby Mia
Fast forward to meeting Tiffany and baby Mia — this is exactly the kind of magic she wanted captured, in the comfort of their own home. On an overcast Wednesday morning, I met them at their home down the coast in Thirroul. We spent some time chatting and getting to know one another first, making sure everyone felt comfortable before we started.
We spent the morning moving from room to room, chasing the light as it came and went with the clouds, documenting their everyday living — feeding and snuggles in bed, cloud-gazing in the living room, playing with their cheeky dog outside. There is always magic to be found in a "normal" day. It isn't about perfectly pressed outfits and stiff poses smiling at the camera. It's about letting the moments unfold naturally between the walls of your family home, and capturing the way you look at each other — documenting connection, rather than a rigid, posed smile.
"But My Home Isn't Aesthetic Enough..."
When planning a session with me, a lot of my clients tell me their home isn't "aesthetic" enough for photographs. My response is always the same:
Your home doesn't need to be magazine-worthy to capture the feeling of magic it brings to your family. Your children don't care what your home looks like — they care about who is in it, and the warmth that brings. Every home is worthy of photographs being taken inside it.
If you're based in the Hawkesbury or Hills District and want to capture your own everyday magic at home, I'd love to chat about booking an in-home motherhood or family session.