Why My Sessions Don't Look Like "Normal" Photo Shoots (And Why That's the Whole Point)
If you've ever typed "family photographer" into Google, you've probably seen a lot of the same thing. Everyone lined up in matching white linen. Perfectly still. Smiling directly at the camera. And while those images are lovely, they also look... nothing like real life.
That's not what we do here.
The way I work doesn't fit neatly into one box, and honestly, that's intentional. It's not purely documentary — I'm not just following your family around hoping something good happens. But it's not a traditional, heavily directed shoot either, where I'm telling you exactly where to stand and when to smile. What it is, is something in between. A blend that I've come to believe gives families, couples, and individuals the best of both worlds.
Here's what that actually looks like in practice.
A Little Direction Goes a Long Way
When you arrive at a session, I'm not going to leave you standing there wondering what on earth to do with your hands. Nobody relaxes into a great photo when they're confused or self-conscious. So yes, I'll give you a starting point — a gentle prompt, a suggestion, something to do together. Walk this way. Have a whisper. Give that kid a squeeze.
But here's the thing: once I've set something in motion, I step back. I let it unfold. Because the moment that follows the prompt — the giggle that comes out of nowhere, the way your toddler decides to just sit down in the middle of the field, the look your partner gives you when they think I'm not watching — that's the stuff worth capturing. That's what you'll look at in ten years and feel something.
The prompts exist to get you out of your head. Once you're out of your head, the real moments start to happen. My job is just to be ready when they do.
Kids Don't Cooperate — And That's Fine
Let me tell you something about photographing children: the more you try to control them, the worse it goes. I've seen it happen. A well-meaning parent insisting their five-year-old smile nicely at the camera. The five-year-old deciding, firmly and without apology, that they would rather investigate a stick. Everyone ends up stressed, and you can feel it in the photos.
So I don't fight it. I follow the kid.
Sessions with little ones are play-based and child-led. I'll get down on the ground with them. I'll ask what they want to do. If there's a meltdown (and sometimes there is — that's just real life with small children), we take a breath, try a distraction, maybe hand them a responsibility. And somewhere in all of that messiness, there are almost always beautiful, genuine moments. Kids laughing for real. Kids climbing on their parents because they want to, not because they were told to. A toddler who ran off into the distance and turned back to find mum — that look on their face is something no amount of posing could manufacture.
Teens are their own thing entirely. They're not little kids who need to be entertained, and they're not adults who can just follow direction and feel comfortable. With teenagers, I find common ground first. We talk. We make it feel less like a photo shoot and more like just... hanging out while someone happens to have a camera. When a teen stops dreading the session, you can see it in their body, in their face. That's when the good stuff happens.
Why One Approach on Its Own Isn't Enough
Here's the honest truth about going fully candid: it's hit and miss. Beautiful candid moments exist — but they also require a lot of patience, ideal conditions, and a fair amount of luck. Left entirely to chance, you might end up with a gallery full of backs of heads and mid-blink. Nobody wants that.
And on the other end, a session that's entirely directed — every moment told, placed, arranged — produces images that look the way they feel. Arranged. You can see the effort in people's eyes. There's a guardedness that comes from being watched too closely and managed too tightly.
The blend works because it creates the conditions for real moments without leaving everything to chance. You get warmth in the images because people actually feel warm. You get genuine smiles because something genuinely funny or tender happened. You get connection, because I created a small space for it to emerge — and then got out of the way.
You also get images where you actually recognise yourself. That might sound like a small thing, but it isn't. One of the most common things I hear from clients is that they've never liked photos of themselves before. What changes isn't a filter or a pose — it's that they were finally photographed in a way that caught who they actually are.
The Belief Behind All of It
I genuinely believe that authentic moments are worth more than perfect ones. Always.
A perfect image where no one feels anything is just a pretty picture. An image that makes you remember exactly how that afternoon felt — the chaos, the warmth, the inside joke, the way your baby grabbed your finger — that's something you'll hold onto for the rest of your life.
That's what I'm always chasing. Not perfection. The real thing.
If you're thinking about booking a session — whether it's family, newborn, maternity, couple, or an EmpowerMe session just for you — know that you don't need to show up with your hair perfectly done and your kids on their best behaviour. You just need to show up. I'll take care of the rest.
Much Love, Tash
