Going the Extra Mile
I’ve always believed you get back from life what you put in, so applying this to the family shoot I had planned with the Talbot family recently, we literally went the extra mile. Waiting for a clear evening to deliver an epic sunset, we meet with our bikes and cycled together along the Hawke’s Bay trails for a bit until we got to a spot I adore near my home in Bay View, Napier.
I had recently decided I wasn’t going to shoot family sessions any more as I’m pretty busy with commercial and wedding photography alongside my web design business, NATTER. But this shoot gave me such a huge dopamine hit I literally couldn’t get to sleep that night. So take a look and if you reckon you’re the sort of family that wants to go the extra mile with me, get in touch because if I’m going to shoot family sessions, I’m going to shoot them so they totally rock!
What I love to do most as a Hawke’s Bay photographer is tell emotional stories about what it feels like to be part of a family and to create memories so that when the growing up is done, you can look back and see not just what everyone looked like, but how it felt to be together, be close and have fun. To do that, I encourage lots of play, sharing secrets, looking out for fairies, hunting for feathers and fossils…whatever vibe connects with young people so they are excited, engaged and just generally thinking I’m a kinda crazy but pretty cool adult to hang out with for an hour.
Caroline got a voucher for this session from her husband, Sam, at her birthday. What a cool guy! I told her I could take her somewhere that would look 80% cool and be easy…or we could pull out all the stops on a school night (we changed the day to ensure a good sunset) and bike to a spot that was the full 100%. All credit to the tribe for being up for that! And I think it made a bit more of an adventure for the kids so they were more engaged with the process.
The best time of day for any kind of portrait photography in Hawke’s Bay is (for me, anyway) 15mins before and 15mins after sunset. That way you get beautiful backlight during what’s called the ‘golden hour’ and the soft pinky blue hues and flat light once the sun drops behind the horizon. I’m all about putting people in the heart of gorgeous Hawke’s Bay landscapes so this spot in Bay View (aside from being my ‘local’ for regular cycling missions) is perfect as it as it’s in a rural setting then with a short walk up the hill offers gorgeous coastal views back to Napier.
A big thanks to the Talbot family for allowing me to share this session with you. If you’d love some memories like this, check out my family portrait photography page for pricing and then get in touch.
