Something I've noticed after years of doing this... most people don't actually hate having their photo taken. They hate the stiff, overthinking-it version of themselves that turns up instead, the one that doesn't feel like them at all.
Fixing that is honestly my favourite part of the job.
I'm an editorial portrait photographer based on the Sunshine Coast. Some clients are musicians, artists and independent brands, building something they care about. Others just want portraits that actually feel like them. Either way, that's what I'm going for.
I come to every project with a point of view. About how it should look, what location makes sense, what we're going for. Which I know might sound like a lot, but most of my clients come to me specifically because they either don't want to make those calls, or aren't sure what they'd choose anyway. They want to show up and trust that someone has already figured it out.
Before the camera comes out, we know what we're making. The tone, the feel, what's in and what's out. The decisions that most photographers figure out on the fly, I'd rather have those sorted before we get there. The shoot itself is then actually enjoyable, which sounds obvious but apparently isn't that common.
You get a tight set of genuinely strong images, the ones you'll actually use, not a 500-photo dump that leaves you stuck on "hmm... maybe... actually that one... wait, this one."
Genuinely? People who are excited about the process, not just gunning for the final gallery. The best shots usually come out of sessions where everyone's actually enjoying themselves, rather than just getting through it.
We talk everything through before the shoot — the vibe, the references, what feels like you — so once the camera's out, there's nothing left to overthink. You just show up.
I live on the Sunshine Coast with my French bulldog Sadie, who has more opinions than most people I've worked with and considerably less filter.
When I'm not shooting I'm usually writing songs, rewatching something I've already seen three times, or being reminded by Sadie that it's absolutely, definitely, urgently time to throw the ball.
