Adelaide Family + Portrait Photographer
Cuddles, play and a little beautiful chaos. Well-behaved children absolutely not required.
Family photography, with you in it.
15 Years photographing people ● in-home + outdoor sessions ● Adelaide, Auburn + across South Australia
You don’t need a big reason.
Maybe you’ve just brought home a baby. Maybe the children are suddenly all knees and missing teeth. Maybe the dog is going grey around the nose, or everyone you love is finally in one place. Maybe there’s no reason at all.
Sometimes the whole reason is: this is us, right now, and I want to remember it.
I photograph families, maternity, babies, couples and individuals across Adelaide and South Australia. At home, outdoors, at my little farm in Auburn or somewhere that already means something to you.
I’ll notice the way they curl into you, the gap-toothed grin, the hand still small enough to disappear inside yours and the beautiful chaos you’ll probably laugh about later.
We’ll make some killer portraits too. But nobody has to perform for them.
No performance required.
Family photographs don’t require a family who behaves beautifully for the camera. They need enough room for everyone to be themselves—and someone paying attention.
Real children are extremely welcome.
I don’t need them to sit still, smile on cue or warm up immediately. I’ll read the signal, give them space, play and invite connection instead of demanding it. Shy, wild, clingy or deeply suspicious of cameras—fine.
Snacks are also great.
You won’t be left wondering what to do.
Natural photography doesn’t mean I stand back and hope for the best. I’ll give you simple prompts, fix a slouch or wonky hand and find the good light. My direction is just more about connection than poses.
Your place can be the right place.
At home, outdoors around Adelaide, at my little farm in Auburn or somewhere meaningful to you. We’ll choose the location around your people, practical needs and the light—not whichever patch of grass is currently having a moment on Instagram.
Let me tell you a story.
“Where’s Mummy?”
Every year, I make my daughter, Frida, a birthday video: a montage of the little clips I took throughout the year.
Recently, while we were watching one together, she looked at me and asked, “Where’s Mummy?”
Oof.
I was rarely in them, especially the very early years. Partly because I’m the photographer and usually the person holding the camera. But that isn’t the whole truth.
I didn’t feel confident enough in myself or my body to encourage photographs—or even step into them when somebody else picked up the camera.
I have very few photographs of me with Frida during the first month of her life. That breaks my heart a little. If I could go back, I’d tell that version of me:
What you look like is not the most important thing here. Your daughter will want to see you in the photographs of her life. And one day, you’ll want to see yourself there too.
I don’t tell you that to make you feel guilty, or to convince you that every family needs a professional portrait session every year. I tell you because I wish somebody had gently said it to me.
Please hand someone else the phone sometimes. Step into the ordinary photographs.
And when you want a set where you don’t have to manage the camera, the children, the light or your own hands—where everybody gets to be in it—I would love to make those with you.
You don’t have to arrive brimming with confidence. I’ll give you gentle direction, help you feel comfortable and make sure you look bloody good.
Most importantly: you’ll be there.
The photographs matter. So does how it feels to make them.
“Wowzas - we are truly blown away! More beautiful than we could’ve imagined. And they really capture us!! And it was SO MUCH FUN to do them!! So grateful!”
STEPH + BEN’S FAMILY
“Sarah was so upbeat and positive - our photos are absolutely beautiful and have really captured our family perfectly. I simply adore her work and cannot recommend her highly enough.”
JO’S FAMILY
See what it looks like in real life.
Family, maternity, sweet-little-babes and couple portrait sessions across Adelaide and South Australia.
Portrait questions, answered.
The practical bits: awkward adults, children, dogs, clothes, weather and what happens if nobody feels like smiling.
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Absolutely. I photograph families in all their forms, maternity, newborns at home, couples, individuals, chosen family and the dogs who are quite certain the session is for them.
You don’t need children—or a particular version of family—to belong here. Tell me who matters to you and we’ll make photographs that feel like yours.
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Completely normal. Most people feel awkward when a camera is first pointed their way.
I won’t leave you standing in silence and tell you to “act natural.” I’ll give you simple prompts, find the good light and gently fix the occasional slouch or wonky hand.
Your gallery will include candid moments and relaxed, thoughtfully directed portraits. Nothing stiff. No performance required.
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I love photographing children exactly as they are: wild, shy, cheeky, cuddly, curious, grumpy, giggly—or all of the above within five minutes.
Sometimes session day arrives and your usually delightful child has become a tiny thundercloud. I don’t panic.
Some children join in immediately. Some need to watch me suspiciously from behind your leg for twenty minutes. We’ll play, wander, cuddle, snack and take breaks. I’ll read the signal, give them space and invite connection rather than demand it.
Perfectly behaved children are not required.
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If you or someone you love wakes up genuinely unwell and not themselves, I welcome postponements. Nobody gets bonus points for miserably powering through a portrait session.
I’ll also keep an eye on the forecast. If the weather gods decide to unleash a torrential downpour—or conditions won’t be safe or enjoyable—we’ll find another date.
If it’s a little wet and you still want to go ahead, I’m there. I’ll bring my gumboots.
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Absolutely. For plenty of people, the dog is family.
Tell me before the session so we can choose a dog-friendly location and plan accordingly. Bring a lead, water, treats and whatever favourite toy or ridiculous noise reliably gets their attention.
If you’d like a few photographs without them, it can help to bring someone they know to hold the lead nearby. Perfect behaviour is not required from dogs either.
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Sessions happen across Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley, Barossa, McLaren Vale, Auburn and regional South Australia.
We can photograph at home, outdoors, on your farm, at my farm or somewhere meaningful to you. I’ll help you choose a location with beautiful light and enough space for your people—whether that means room for children to run, easy access for grandparents or somewhere the dog can join us.
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Yes. Our little farm in Auburn is available for relaxed family, maternity, couple and individual portrait sessions.
It is open, slightly wild and constantly changing with the seasons: paddocks, native scrub, long grass, big skies, occasional flowers and gorgeous light. It isn’t a manicured garden, which is precisely why I love it.
There is plenty of room to wander, play and explore—especially for children who would rather move than sit neatly for photographs.
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The easiest advice is to coordinate rather than clone. Choose a loose palette of colours that work together, and mix in different textures, layers and shapes.
Soft, earthy, neutral and muted tones photograph beautifully. Try to avoid large logos, fluorescent colours and several competing tiny patterns, as they can pull attention away from your faces.
But these are helpful guidelines only, not portrait-police laws.
If you love bold colour, joyful prints or being wonderfully impossible to miss, do it. You should look like yourselves—not like you borrowed somebody else’s wardrobe for the afternoon.
Most importantly, choose clothes you can move, cuddle and sit in—and that make you feel bloody amazing. Once you’ve booked, you’re very welcome to send me photographs of your options and I’ll help you bring everything together.
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Absolutely. Add the Extended Family Upgrade for $250, which gives us an additional 30 minutes.
We’ll photograph everybody together, then make room for the combinations that genuinely matter: grandparents with grandchildren, siblings, couples and each smaller family unit or household.
The extra time means the large group photograph doesn’t swallow the entire session—and every part of the family leaves with something special of their own.
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Family and portrait sessions start at $750.
All of your finished photographs are included as high-resolution downloads in a private online gallery. You won’t need to choose a tiny handful or purchase individual digital files afterwards.
You can view the current portrait packages, inclusions and pricing here.
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Your finished gallery will be delivered within four weeks of your portrait session. Sooner if I can, of course!
You’ll receive a private online gallery containing all of your finished photographs, ready to download, share and print.
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Send me an enquiry through my contact form and tell me who you’d like photographed, where you’re based and any dates or general timeframes that suit you.
You don’t need to have a date or location worked out before enquiring. I’ll confirm my availability, help you choose the right place and send through your personalised quote.
Accept the quote, sign online and pay the booking fee—and your session is officially in the calendar. Woohoo!
Lauren and Brent married in this field, and so it was very special for them to be able to come back and take family portraits here with their two little girls. Exploring the forest looking for wild flowers in the conservation park, and cuddling underneath the wedding tree in the paddock while horses looked on.