Award winning Canberra photographer: maternity, newborn, baby, child & family portrait photography by Katie Kolenberg » canberra child photography

Days of Summer // Twenty-four

Katie — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:30:31 +0000

Days of Summer // Eleven

Katie — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:25:29 +0000

The colours of spring! // Canberra children’s photographer

Katie — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:00:27 +0000

Those who keep up with my news and facebook ramblings will know that I spent the week before last week in Adelaide attending the Nikon AIPP Event, a huge four days of professional development for photographers.

But before it all started, I spent a day with a gorgeous lady who lives in Adelaide and is in the process of establishing her photography business. This lovely person contacted me quite a long time ago to arrange this, and I was so excited to get to know her, and help her as much as possible with the information and tools she was looking for. We. Talked. All. Day. But first we went shooting together, and so I thought I’d show you through some of the images I took of a beautiful new combined family of *almost* 6 who my mentee arranged to come and model for us.

I think these images show a good range of what I would define as my signature style and approach to portrait photography… we have the wide environmental portraits (my clients all know I love to find a beautiful location with gorgeous light and get right back to shoot), we have full length action images of the kids together, we have individual closeups of each child (and they’re pretty much always horizontal, that’s my thing!) where I’m looking for natural and engaging expression by connecting with them, we have closer interactive group portraits where I’m evoking emotion and personality, and we have a detail shot to capture mood and/or ambience. I don’t *try* to get these shots, I’m not a planner in any way whatsoever (I can’t even keep a mental checklist!), but this is how I see things and inevitably what comes out. There is one style of signature image which is not shown here and that is wide angle, wide aperture, but up-close: all I’m looking for is mood and emotion and I don’t care about cropped heads, eyes or out of focus bits.

My mentee and I scoped the location before the family arrived and picked out a few good spots (I always do this when I go somewhere I’ve never been before), but funnily enough the sun came out just as the family were arriving, and so almost all our spots (which were perfect for a cloudy day) had to be chucked for new ones! Which was fine by me, because it’s fun to think on your feet!

My ‘Open Book Mentor Sessions’ are available for budding professional portrait photographers, professionals in the early stages of their portrait business who need help in certain areas, and enthusiast photographers who want to take their skills photographing people (and other subjects) to the next level. My aim is to share what I know and have learnt, to guide you in the areas you most need help, and to inspire you to push onwards and upwards, no matter where you are in your photography journey. Sessions are available in Canberra, or in your city. Please get in touch if you would like more information: katie@heartstoryphotography.com.au

Kangaroo hunting in secret superhero forests // Canberra children’s photography

Katie — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:36:22 +0000

This family have just moved to Australia from England: what a fantastic time to be photographed, right at the start of a brand new chapter in their lives! Canberra totally turned on the charm for the afternoon and we had a ball roaming around and taking pictures. Kangaroos were a hot topic, as were superheros (in particular, the Avengers and Batman) and would you believe that we actually found some kangaroos in a secret superhero forest?! True story. The kangaroos hung around for a bit and kept their eye on us, but they called it a day when they heard my unforgettable rendition of the Bob the Builder song.

Thank you Steph and Dave for entrusting me to capture your family just as you are; it was such a pleasure. Something tells me that Lucas and Isaac are going to treasure these images immensely when they’re all grown up.

And this set of images will hopefully be enough to convince anyone that late afternoon is the most beautiful time of day to be photographed!

Flying time // Canberra baby photographer

Katie — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:00:11 +0000

Like many professional photographers, I have a bad habit of letting my personal photographs (mostly portraits of friends and family) build up on my hard-drives, unprocessed, until there is so much it’s completely overwhelming. So every now and then, I randomly pull out a directory and go through it – it seems more manageable that way. On Sunday, I stumbled upon these images from May, taken at my dear friend Bec’s house, only a few short weeks after the birth of her second son, Cameron. I had completely forgotten that I’d even taken them!

So first up, we have Toby and Ash. You probably can’t tell, but Toby is a whole year older than Ash, and these guys have been buddies ever since Toby got over his inability to share his toys, when he was about two and a half. Two blue-eyed, rosy cheeked, red-lipped, messy-haired, cheeky little boys – could you get more adorable than these two?

Why yes, yes you can. This is Ash’s little brother Cameron, who looks a lot like Ash did as a newborn. I can hear you going ‘awwwwww’ right now. This little guy is so scrumptious, I’m sure he’d make even the most ‘finished’ of mums want another! Little Cam is five months old now, where does time go?! I just adore these simple little moments between Cam and his besotted mummy.

Now just as a little aside, and out of love, pride and admiration for my dear friend Bec, I need to point you all in the direction of Bec’s incredible Hope Garden project.

After holding two exhibitions of beautiful, inspirational images and words, Bec has just released the Hope Garden book, a pretty perfect gift for yourself or anyone you know who might be in need of some hope, inspiration, comfort, perspective, or reassurance. For me, Hope Garden is a reminder of the beauty that lies within each and every one of us. You can get yourself a copy via the Hope Garden facebook page.

“When you take the time to stop and look at something from a different perspective, you see it differently, and it gives you hope. Change the way you see, change the way you feel.”

Loved // Canberra family photographer

Katie — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:19:29 +0000

Let me start this by warning you that this is possibly the longest session preview I’ve ever blogged. I tried, but I couldn’t cut it down; there are just so many images I want to share of this gorgeous family, and the fun we had on Saturday afternoon, atop Mount Stromlo.

Have I ever told you how much I love children? I truly do. I know with all my heart and soul that this is the perfect job for me, because I fall in love with every little person I photograph. I allow my eyes and my heart to focus entirely on a child’s world; the things that put a twinkle in his eyes, the things that make him feel contented, the things that energise and excite him, and the way he interacts with his parents. It’s all entirely spontaneous, I’m completely lost in the moment, and I never know what’s going to happen next: just like a child.

Xavier’s little life had a difficult start, and as I listened to his mum Allison tell me his story, I was amazed how healthy, energetic, clever and full of personality he is now. You’d just never know. Kids are so amazingly resilient. We are so amazingly resilient. At the end of this session I felt like I had truly captured this family’s story. Not the hard times they’ve been through; not the stress and the tears, but the now: Xavier is a perfect, sweet, bright and adorable two and a half year old; there’s a light in Jarrod’s eyes that is only for Xavier; and Allison’s smile says so much more than many smiles do. How sweet this joy must be after such a long struggle. This is a very loved little boy. And it was a session I’ll never forget.

Summer on my mind // Canberra portrait photographer

Katie — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:30:02 +0000

It’s the dead of winter in Canberra, and we’ve had a few weeks of ghastly wind, dark skies and very little sunshine. In the midst of it, I cheered myself up by editing the 1000s of images I shot during our annual trip to Jervis bay, back in Autumn.

I’ve been wanting to share some for ages.

There will be more to come…

Winter special [Canberra family photographer]

Katie — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:42:18 +0000

Winter = snuggling on the couch with a big cosy blanket, duffle coats, ugg boots, hot chocolate, soup, crusty bread rolls with melted butter, hats, scarves, boots, gloves, roast dinners, fireplaces, that amazing feeling you get when you slip into a hot bed (I heart my electric blanket), mulled wine, dinner parties, pears, pumpkin, stewed apples, vivid blue skies, sleep-ins, porridge, vicks vaporub, foggy mornings, glistening frost, spider webs covered in dew, knitted socks, layers, bare branches, slow cookers, fluffy bathrobes, rugs, port and rosy cheeks.

We all like to hibernate in winter. It’s understandable. But I say embrace it! It lasts for 4 (and sometimes 5) long months in Canberra, and that’s a big part of our lives in this beautiful city! But the sun is nearly always out, it’s easy to rug up and get outside, so I’m launching a winter special in honour of our brisk Canberra winter. Winter is a beautiful time of year for photography – gentle light, blue skies and everyone looks fantastic in scarves and beanies!

Your winter special session fee is only $100 (normally $165)!

This includes:

1 hour photo session
A private online proof gallery with 25-30 images to choose from
A complimentary 8×12″ print

Call Katie on 0402 091 949 or email katie@heartstoryphotography.com.au to book.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Available for kids only shoots, couples & families of up to 5 ($25 per extra person)
Sessions will take place in a selection of outdoors locations
A minimum spend of $550 on prints & other products applies
Afternoon sessions preferred (to avoid frost and fog), starting around 2.30pm
Sessions are available Tuesday – Saturday, July 1 – August 31. Which includes the entire school holiday season!

Still loving autumn… [Canberra family photographer]

Katie — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:30:27 +0000

Meet another of my Love Autumn mini session families. We met first thing in the morning – there had been a frost (the second for the year) and it was only 2 degrees! (To my non-Canberra readers, I know it sounds dreadful, but it honestly doesn’t feel that bad when you’re in the sun, especially if you stand really still). So we sought out some sun, and even found dry ground and leaves to sit on. Thomas and his Dad told some boy jokes (and yes, I laughed, because I am actually an honorary 8 year old boy, didn’t you know?!) and 18-month-old Claire was super cute with her cheeky grin. They were such a beautiful, fun-loving family!

Cheek and cheeks! [Canberra family photographer]

Katie — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:43 +0000

This two and a half year old sure kept me on my toes – lucky it was a mini session or I would have needed a lie down afterwards! Love this age – you never know what’s going to happen. And his sweet little sister, just five months old, enchanted me with her amazing, sparkly blue eyes and chubby cheeks. Such a fun, loving family!

If you’re interested in a Love Autumn Mini Session for your family or someone you know, I still have a few spots left for Saturday May 7. It could be the perfect Mothers Day gift! Full details about what’s included can be found here.