I think it’s safe to say that most parents would wallpaper every wall of their home with photos of their children if it didn’t make them look a little obsessed. We only need to have a quick scroll through our camera roll to realise just how photographed our children are. But sadly, I’ve noticed that the easier it has become to take photos of our kids at EVERY moment of their lives, the harder it’s become to print and display quality family photography in our homes.

“Our eldest is in her final year of primary school. At 8 and 10 yrs old, the kids are growing so fast, we wanted to capture those childish faces, favourite toys and hobbies before we move into the next phase.”

After a year of posting images of other people’s happy-ever-afters, I thought I’d sign-off for 2019 with some images of my own family

The last time I had Abi and Ethan in front of my lens, they were half the size they are now. We got some lovely, playful images of them in the late afternoon sun down by the river. But lately, I've really been enjoying shooting pre-teens in the simple setting of the studio, exploring personalities without the distraction of pretty backgrounds. I asked them to come in wearing what they felt most comfy in, and to bring one or two of their favourite things.

Photography is important for so many reasons but mostly because it presses pause on a passing (and precious!) moment in time. I feel so lucky to have been part of a number of passing moments for the Tod family. Firstly it was to celebrate Matt and Kirsten's engagement, then, of course, the wedding. A newborn session followed with the arrival of their first baby, beautiful little Caitlin. And just last week I got to see her all grown up (well, almost four which is kinda the same when you're almost four, right?).