Tell us about your yourself & your daughter! How do you like to spend your weekends? Do you live in Sydney or were just visiting?
My daughter and I are travelling besties. Partners in crime, she’s the cute one that makes friends everywhere she goes, while I just think about food and the next beach/waterfall/mountain we can go visit.
We were having a month long break in Sydney, basing ourselves in beautiful Bondi to get some sunshine back in our lives and enjoy some beach living while we could.
What do you love about your shoot location? Why did you pick to have a photoshoot here?
We absolutely LOVE Bondi. It holds such a special place in our hearts and it is the first and only place in Sydney that we would want to do a Travelshoot.
The scenery is stunning, the graffiti is always next level, the people are friendly and the Bondi to Bronte is one of my favourite walks.
Why did you decide to arrange a photoshoot with your daughter? To bump up your family album? To mark a special occasion? Or maybe just to make sure you have some photos of you together?
Something I make sure I do with Cerise each year is a photoshoot. It started when she was 1 for her birthday cake smash and since then it's just become a thing. It's so different to your usual selfies and photos and SO worth it to see your beautiful bub grow over the years.
Looking back at the photos I see so much more than that exact moment - I remember how she was developing, where we were living, what funny things she was saying and doing and what else was going on in our lives at that time. And photographers have a magical way of capturing those beautiful little moments so perfectly that you can’t with your phone.
Looking back at these photoshoots I also see where I was in my life and it shows me how far we’ve come. It’s so special on so many different levels that it’s something I want to continue for many years to come.
Talk us through your Travelshoot experience and how it all went down! What were your favourite parts? How did your daughter find the shoot? Did you both have fun?
Our Travelshoot experience was amazing (as always!). I’ve done Travelshoots in Paris and New York twice, but this is the first time I’ve had one down in my home country
The day of the shoot we were up bright and early to get the best morning light (it’s always SO worth it) and Chris met us at the meeting point. From there it was just so easy, fun and relaxing. Of course it’s always awkward having your photo taken, but he was really great with the two of us and even though Cerise did not stop moving for one second and I was an awkward mess, he managed to capture the most beautiful photos for us to treasure.
What would be your advice to Mums out there thinking about booking a shoot?
My advice to other mums is to book in a shoot as soon as you can! Don’t wait for a holiday to do it, go out in your own home town and get some great pics of the things you love to do as a family.
Once I started posting the pics on my Instagram I had a lot of people tell me that it inspired them to do the same with their own children. So often we as mothers focus on the children and don’t put ourselves in the pictures, but this is such a beautiful way of capturing the family as a whole.
Your children and grandchildren will love pouring over these photos when they are older and seeing you. And you will love seeing yourself in there too, laughing, hugging and running around with your kids. These memories are too precious to just let them go by. Let someone capture them so you always have them with you.
What’s your favourite shot from your Travelshoot? Why do you love it?
f I had to choose, I would say the one that is of Cerise and I holding hands. Even though you can’t see our faces, I feel as though this photo captures our relationship so well. The thing that Chris nailed was the emotion and the tone of the shoot – a single mum and daughter who have been through a lot, doing something fun together and enjoying our time on the road.
