How do we book a shoot with you?

You can fill in the form on my contact page with your details, shoot an email to admin@dearjuniperphotography.com or message via Instagram or Facebook. I aim to respond within 48 hours and we can go from there.

If you decide to proceed with a shoot, I will forward a questionnaire so that I can get to know you and your family, an invoice for payment of the booking fee and information on styling and location. Once the booking fee is received, the date is locked in. The balance for the shoot is due 7 days prior to the shoot date. Gallery upgrades and printing can be ordered up to four weeks after gallery delivery.

How do we receive our images?

I aim to provide a ‘sneak peak’ of a couple of images within 24-48 hours of the shoot, with the full gallery delivered within four weeks of the shoot via online gallery. The online gallery contains both high resolution images and web resolution images suitable for sharing and social media. You will also receive a beautiful slide show you can share with family and friends.

I have sourced beautifully curated albums and fine art printing from one of Australia’s top print labs. Once you receive your digital gallery, I can assist you with choosing beautifully packaged fine art prints and framing.

If you wish to organise further prints or craft an album, I can assist at additional cost.

How many images will we receive?

From a 60- 90 minute shoot you will receive a minimum of 50 thoughtfully edited images.

How do we decide on the location for the shoot?

It all begins with an idea, but I should preface my answer by asking you where you think you and/ or your family will have the most fun. My preference is somewhere we can get a few classic images for the grandparents and then let loose, get creative, have some fun, get wet in the ocean or dirty scrambling up sand dunes and let your personalities and relationships shine so that I can capture the real essence of you and your family.

We are blessed with so many stunning photoshoot locations on the Central Coast from rural woodlands, lakeside fields of golden grasses to the sands and rock pools at one of the many beautiful beaches. If you have a certain look you wish to achieve from your images, I can help make some suggestions.

Alternatively, perhaps access is a priority for you with young children, or physical challenges, or you may wish to organise a shoot in the comfort of your own home (which can be particularly delicious for a snuggly newborn photoshoot or shoots with a young family). I’m always on the look out for new locations, so I’m totally open to your suggestions too! We can work together on this and discuss at the time of booking.

Whilst I work predominantly on the Central Coast, I love to travel and I’m happy to shoot anywhere between Sydney and Newcastle or further afield (but will incur travel costs).

What time of day do you shoot?

Light is so important in achieving beautiful images. I generally shoot at sunrise or sunset (known as ‘Golden Hour’), simply because the light is more flattering and the golden tones can produce magical results. This can make for an early start in summer, but I believe it is really worth carving out that time to create the result you want.

That said, perhaps this timing won’t work for you, particularly with small children, so I am happy to work with you. I totally understand the challenges of working with small children and have plenty of practise shooting my own family at all times of day!

What if the weather is bad?

I always try to push on with scheduled shoots because, in my experience living by the coast, the weather can change so quickly. What may seem like bad weather to you, may still be great for a photographer. Overcast light can create beautiful moody images and wind can create dramatic movement in hair and clothes and is actually easier to work with than the harsh shadows created by midday sun.

That said, we have also been living with La Niña this year and the rain has been relentless. If there are bad weather conditions forecast, I will normally wait until the day before or the day of the shoot to call it and if we need to reschedule we can discuss options at that time.

What if we are sick?

I have three small children who have shared sickness all winter, I fully understand the challenges of family life. Health has to be yours (and my!) priority, so if you need to reschedule I just ask you try to give me as much notice as possible and we can look at organising a day when you are all well. Similarly, I ask the same consideration from my clients if I am unwell, because I don’t want to bring sickness to an otherwise healthy family, particularly working with pregnant women and small children.

What do we wear?

I will be providing a style guide to share with clients in due course. Styling can have a significant impact on the results of the images and it’s important to be mindful if you are trying to achieve a certain look.

For maternity, I have curated a small client wardrobe which you will have access to. I am totally open to creative input from clients and can work with you to achieve the desired outcome but I also want you to feel beautiful and comfortable because comfort will hopefully achieve a more nature connection with the camera.

For family, I think it’s important to express your personalties. Having your photograph taken is not easy for most people so again, comfort is key. Harmonious colours are great and denim is always a great option.

For motherhood and maternity shoots I am open to shooting sans clothes (in a tasteful and modest manner) so if that floats your boat, I am happy to jump on board too :-)

Do you offer Afterpay?

I don’t offer AfterPay but I am happy to offer a payment plan, as long as full payment is received prior to the date of shooting. Please just enquire directly.

What should we expect during a session with you?

Fun, laughter, a window of time outside of your normal routine to dedicate to you and/ or your family to create some new magical memories.

I like to think I am easy to get on with and I love a chat! I do acknowledge having your photo taken is not particularly easy for anyone and I really try my best to make the sessions a fun experience so that you don't feel awkward in front of the camera. I may give you some prompts, but I try to let each session work organically, whether we are lead by location or the children.

I think outdoor sessions lend themselves to people being more comfortable in general, because there are more elements to focus on and particularly with children, who can often just lead the shoot with their senses of curiosity and adventure.

Having three young children myself, I totally understand how challenging they can be to coerce into having their photo taken (as well as dads and partners!). I have a few tricks in my camera bag, and honestly if you are worried about tears and tantrums, please don’t be as I have seen more than enough myself.

What do we need to know about underwater shots?

As a surfer and qualified diver, I really wanted to get underwater maternity shots when I was pregnant. I know there are so many other salt loving families whose lives revolve around the ocean and so it would be a natural location to make some memories for a family photo shoot.

I am offering either a full session underwater or shorter add on sessions for maternity and family shoot clients. When I say ‘underwater’- this can be in deeper open water off the beach shore or we can stay in the shallows or even a rock pool- wherever you feel most comfortable and safe.

I am always focused on safety and work around you and your families swimming ability in the water.

Firstly, I will only shoot in open ocean in calm conditions with good visibility. There are a couple of spots on the Central Coast which are sheltered and provide optimal conditions for underwater images but it always depends on the swell direction, wind and water conditions. This does require flexibility on your behalf because we can’t fix an exact date for the shoot to proceed. We can book a time period and I will monitor conditions and try to give you as much notice as possible. We are coming into the warmer months , so hopefully we have less big swell, storms and stormwater runoff.

Rock pools and the shallows of the shoreline are always a good option for those not confident in open ocean, small children and even if ocean conditions are not great, sometimes rock pools can provide calm, clear, still conditions to get ‘in water’ shots.

Open water sessions are best held after 9am, when the sun is a little higher in the sky so that there is better light visibility in the water for capturing images. For this reason and the fact that ocean conditions are always in flux, if you are booking an add on for maternity or family sessions, I suggest the water part be taken as a second separate shoot. If you would like to include some ‘in water’ shots as part of your maternity sessions, we can always look at shooting a sunrise beach session and grab some in water shots as part of the shoot.

When in the water, you are welcome to wear fins and a mask/ goggles and bring surf boards; it depends on the types of shots you wish to achieve. I am not a surf photographer and do not offer this as part of my packages. I do not paddle out with you in the surf to get these types of shots but I don’t mind you bringing boards to paddle out for props for the shoot. Any boards must not be used as floatation devices though, as they can float away and become a distraction from the shoot and safety. We can shoot the images with boards and then return them to shore.

It is important to remember that the conditions in the water can change rapidly and are out of my control. If water clarity isn’t ideal for the shoot, I will do my best to capture images that you will love and if it doesn’t work out we can discuss alternate options. More importantly, if conditions change during a shoot which impact safety, I may end the shoot. If that happens we can always discuss other options to get the images that you want.

If you have any questions, please just reach out.