All information is available on my booking page right here:
https://handzaroundvideophotography.pixieset.com/booking/

The session is relaxed and simple. 

Whilst my sessions focus on your tiny perfect newborn, I am also all about honouring the mother, her feelings and wishes.

I have also learnt from years of photographing newborns, and from raising my own baby that from birth, all kids have different temperaments. I respect that.

I photograph you with your bub and if there are any siblings, I capture all of you together. I make sure to capture some special sibling photos - after all this is a big change in your older kiddies’ lives too!

I also bring my comfy posing beanbag to every session - you can think of it as my portable studio.
Babies usually love the beanbag because it’s cosy, soft and I warm it up with my little fan heater. Not all babies will be photographed on the beanbag as some only want to be held, and that is more than fine too.

None of our newborn sessions are the same - your baby is the star of the day and they tell us what to do. We go with their flow. The look of the photographs depends also on your house, your walls and the placement of windows will play a big role in what the photographs come out like. But whether you have a beautiful afternoon light or your house is quite dark, I'm confident that you will love your photographs. 

During the session there is always enough time for soothing, changing, feeding and cuddling. I like to keep it relaxed and I never hurry. I don’t have a set schedule, I simply follow the rhythm of your baby and of your family.

Everything happens in your favourite places. You can cuddle up in your bedroom or living room. You can walk around the kitchen if that’s your favourite spot. If your kiddies feel like a snack, feel free to feed them. Don’t feel like there is anything special you need to be doing - I love documenting your life as it is and you can think of me as a friend coming in for a visit.

My aim is to come up with natural images that will be timeless and that you will love in the years to come.

The session times vary but it’s usually 1 to 3 hours.

The time depends on the size of your family and your baby’s rhythm.
Sometimes when it’s just parents and the baby, and the bub sleeps for most of the time, we’ve got enough of stunning photographs after an hour or so. 

Sometimes when e.g. the baby needs a few changes, a few feeds and the siblings are hungry or need extra cuddles, the sessions lasts about 3 hours. I never hurry though and make sure I capture enough of the meanigful moments and the love between the whole family, before I leave.

The newborn sessions happen at your home. You don’t need to worry about traveling anywhere, I visit you.

I recommend scheduling your session before your baby is born as it can get pretty busy when your baby arrives. The sessions happen usually when the baby is between 5-15 days old as babies are the most sleepy in that time of their life. They haven't 'woken up to the world' and that's what I love capturing - their 'womb-like' state :)

This said, I've photographed quite a lot of premies around the 3rd up to the 6th week of their lives and they were still tiny and slept a lot.

I capture babies as they are - I never use any baby props, little beds, buckets, headbands. I only photograph babies with things that hold a meaning to you - their first teddy bear, the outfit that you wore when you were a baby or the knitwear that baby’s granny knitted.

The only props that I bring with myself are the bean bag that the baby will lay on for their natural portraits and a couple of our ivory knit fabrics, which are always freshly washed in a hypoallergenic & grey water safe washing liquid, to use as a cover for the beanbag and to swaddle the baby (if they like being swaddled).

For the photos of the baby not on the beanbag, I always recommend dressing the baby in a romper/onesie with open feet and open hands so I can get some photographs of them!

Crying is a way of communicating for babies and for the kids in general so I am definitely not phased by that. They're trying to tell us that they're uncomfortable, scared or something is not right so together with you we'll look for a solution (usually a feed, a nappy change and cuddles solve the problem for the littlest ones).

If your toddler is having a tantrum, that is totally fine - after all being a tiny human is tough, and eventually the tantrum will pass. At one point or another your toddler will be content and we'll make the most of it.

I've had so many shoots with very shy toddlers who were afraid of strangers. I take my time, don't force them to do anything and the whole experience is based on having a fun time with parents.

Yes!

I have had my whooping cough booster vaccination in September 2019 (it's recommended I renew it every 10 years), I also get a flu shot every year and I have all other vaccines up to date.

Yes - you will receive all the photos minus ones which are technically not up to my standard.

They are not.

In your online gallery you will be able to download both - low resolution files and full resolution files.

Low resolution is perfect for sharing online due to its smaller file size.

Full resolution files are perfect for archiving and printing.

I don’t provide you with raw images.

Editing is a vital part of my style and providing you with unedited images or footage would be the same as a baker providing you with raw ingredients for you to create a do-it-yourself wedding cake.

If you like the style of my works and my philosophy, and if you feel like we're a good fit and you're happy with one of my packages, you can book your session via my booking page:
https://handzaroundvideophotography.pixieset.com/booking/

My availability is limited throughout the year and I only have a selected number of dates available, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

I require a non-refundable retainer to secure your session and a signed contract.

All the photographs included in your package will be delivered to you within a timeline specified in your contract.

This usually is 1 to 16 weeks depending on the month your session is happening in.

You may be feeling tired and busy settling in your new role as a parent so don’t feel pressured to have your house spotless but keep in mind that if there’s a lot of clutter, it will show up in the photos.

So here is my general advice:

- Clear floors and surfaces of clutter, and remove any items you don’t want appearing in photographs. 

- Make beds.

- Check your side tables/bedside tables. Usually I photograph you cuddling up on your bed and sofa so you may want to stand in front of your bed and see if your bedside tables or side tables don’t have anything that’s distracting to your eye (e.g. red vase, a blue Nivea cream box, very green nose drops, etc).

- Show us around. When I arrive, I'll ask you to show me around so that I can see which of the rooms would be the best to take photos in. I will usually select rooms with plenty of natural light. Even if a space looks uninteresting to you, please show it to me as it may be perfect in terms of lighting!

You can do it independtly using your full resolution files, or if you would like to use the professional photo lab which I use for myself & all my clients, please get in touch and I'll provide you with more information.

Absolutely. I hold full $5m in Public Liability.

I'm a bit geek when it comes to prints, frames and albums.

Over the years I have been looking for the best of the best products out there.

The prints and albums I offer are via a professional photo lab based in Australia. They're printed on the highest quality art or fine art paper which means they won’t decompose or discolour with age.

More than that, the style of my editing goes beautifully with the paper I choose to print your images on.

This means that I cannot stand the thought of printing the photographs I've created for you at Kmart or Target, soz! Haha! I promise you will see the difference!

If you print them at Kmart, just don't tell us haha! And they will look lifeless and colourless - I tested it!

Also, my screen is colour calibrated to the style of my editing, so the results in print are the closest they can be to what's seen on the screen.

This means there will be no disappointment with the photograph being too orange, or too green or with the image having less or more contrast than what it originally actually does.

And the cropping... this may sometimes be confusing if you’re trying to squeeze a 4x6" image into a 5x7" print and it may result in cropping important parts of the photograph - whenever you place an order with me, I always check your chosen crops and either adjust them for you so the image looks its best, or suggest an alternative when adjusting is not possible.

So the answer is: you should order the prints via me and not because I earn money on it (I place a small fee for the time spent ordering your prints) but because I'd love for you to have beautiful professional prints.