Why this matters to me

I can still remember the moment my baby was placed on my chest for the first time after having an emergency C-section. His warm squidgy weight and the ‘realness’ of his clammy little body was the most reassuring thing I’d ever felt. It’s a surreal but visceral memory, that moment. I thought ‘oh, here you are!’ feeling as if I’d known him my whole life - as if he’d always existed somehow, in my soul.

How can anything prepare you for that kind of love? Like a piece of you now literally exists as another person? I felt like I finally belonged in my life, because he was here. At last… a reason for being.

Finally holding your tiny newborn baby in your arms is one of the most transformational moments of your life because your entire point of view changes, forever.

It’s so profound, it almost exceeds the word ‘love’ - but that’s what we call it. Mother’s love.

Why wouldn’t you want to treat this life-changing event with utmost reverence and care, holding onto whatever you can of it? How could you not want to cherish each and every tiny detail before they change - as they will?

This is at the heart of my work - the desire to capture this utterly precious, painfully fleeting, and extraordinarily exquisite love.

Background story

I was born & raised in Southern Africa - we lived in Johannesburg in the late 1970’s and in the bush of Namibia, where my dad did field work as a geologist. Growing up in the 80’s in South Africa seems now like an incredibly special time to have been a kid, and I hope I never lose the flavour of nostalgia I get when I look through my childhood photo albums.

My father was a keen photographer and I have his old Nikkormat SLR film camera now, which I will get round to shooting on more soon!

As a daydreaming kid, I’ve always had a taste for nostalgia, and I used to love imagining that what was happening around me was a kind of film montage of the past - as a kid I liked to create for myself that feeling that everything was already memory. I don’t know, kind of strange probably but comforting for some reason. It comes in handy for what I do - giving me a sense of what might be missed in the future (and it’s got nothing to do with looking at a camera and pasting on a grin!).

Learning the skills to capture that is my obsession to perfect.

It’s also where my passion for prints comes from, and the firm belief that my job is not done until I know that the babies I photograph will some day have something like this to thumb through.

Natural moments photography

Savouring your moments in pictures…

We start families and have babies without the slightest inkling of how much they will change not only our lives, but our selves. The dream of motherhood/parenthood comes with delicious promises of sweet moments, but there is no preparing us for the demands… the challenges are brutal, relentless and ever shifting. But the rewards are astonishing and incredible, and we are given the chance to tend to so many of our own unhealed wounds which is the greatest gift of all.

After 12 years of being a mum I’ve realised what you miss the most from those early years, and how special it is to capture the essence of it well. We all have thousands of phone photos and video clips stuck on a device, but how many beautiful photos hang up on your walls that will help you remember - I mean truly remember?

As this adventure unfolds, your story is revealed. It is entwined with the stories of your loved ones, your babies, and your partner. Your legacy will continue long after you’re gone - the love you give, the lessons you teach, and the example you lead with are shaping the future in ways you cannot comprehend.

You may not believe it but you matter, and your moments matter. They are so important!!

the little things seem like big things once they’re gone.

Capturing some of these precious memories will be able to fill you up once this time has come to an end - which it will. Investing properly now in your memories will see you through.

Are we a good fit?

I’d hate for anyone to ever regret booking with me, for whatever reason, and this is why I am always transparent, open and honest - about pricing, policies, and what to expect from your time with me.

I have been doing this long enough to know when perhaps a clients’ vision is incompatible with how I work and what I am likely to deliver, and there may be times when the kindest thing to do is put them in touch with another photographer who I feel would serve them better.

Nothing beats working with people who get & value my approach, and want me to capture some of their real moments in their session. Everyone feels nervous at first, but your session is a space to be you.

I am here, just for you.