Tell us about your family?
We’re the Cadd family! Nicki and Alan, our cat Sassy and grown children Jeremy, Jasmine and Brandon. Jeremy and his wife, Meredith, have a son Edward and puppy Fitzy. Jasmine and her husband Drew have two sons, Mitchell and Toby, daughter, Tessa and their dog, Penny. Brandon and his wife, Kath, have also have two boys, Louis and Remy. When the family is all in town, a typical weekend often starts with a big family breaky at Nicki and Alan's home.
What do you love about your shoot location? Why did you pick to have a photoshoot here?
Our Traveshoot photoshoot was originally booked to occur during a big family holiday to Fiji. We try to get away as a family every two years or so and this was our first attempt at getting everyone away together overseas – mean feat now that the family includes six kids under six!
Unfortunately, a couple of family members weren't able to travel at the last minute so with the help of Travelshoot, we rescheduled the shoot to take place in our hometown of Brisbane, at Nicki and Alan's lovely home. Marni and Papa's (the grandchildren's names for Nicki and Alan), home is a special hub for the family, where many family get-togethers regularly take place. These catch-ups have changed in size and style over the years as the family has grown, and having the family photos taken here captured a special place for everyone.
Why did you decide to arrange a family photoshoot?
Jeremy, Jasmine, Brandon and their families arranged the family photoshoot as a gift for Nicki and Alan. Recent years have seen all members of the family travelling and living away for extended periods of time and we wanted to grasp the opportunity of everyone being in one place to mark the holiday (as well as to update a very dated family photo with many missing members!).
Talk us through your Travelshoot experience and how it all went down! What were your favourite parts?
Cadd family get-togethers centre around good food and fun times and so rather than wrangling the kids to sit still (impossible!) for the camera, we put on an afternoon tea with some bubbles (adult and child varieties!), put lots of toys and games out in the yard for the children to explore and play with, and asked our photographer, Danielle, to snap us in our 'natural environment'.
After a very busy start to the year, time spent away from family and the absences from the big holiday, we really tried to make the event of being together the focus of the afternoon as much as possible, rather than the camera, which meant the cousins could relax and run around and play together and the adults would enjoy a glass of wine and good conversation in the sunshine.
With the help of Danielle, we arranged for different combinations of some more formal group shots throughout the afternoon to ensure we got some 'frame-worthy' family photos as well as candid snapshots of all of us enjoying ourselves in each other's company. Danielle's photos show a lovely blend of the two, and we have beautiful photos to remind us of the afternoon together and the family as we are at this stage of our lives.
What would be your advice to a family thinking about booking a shoot?
Our advice to families considering a photoshoot would be to think of a meaningful location and activity so you capture your family relaxed and happy. This really worked for us and the photos speak for themselves.
What’s your favourite shot from your Travelshoot? Why do you love it?
There are so many 'favourites' in our Travelshoot album - one would have to be the image shot from the very back of the garden (Danielle must have been a ninja in a previous life - we had no idea where she was for some of the time but it seems these were the moments she was capturing the most beautiful moments!), which captured the Nicki and Alan's home and the entire family in a genuine candid moment of conversation or play. Very special.
I also love the one of Brandon throwing his son, Louis, in the air and also the one of him leading the older boys around the garden with a bubble wand. Very fun and lovely.
