Here are some of my favourite images. Promise to tell me if they give you a lump in your throat…

- Kahlil Gibran

Once upon a time in a country on the other side of the world, the lives of two baby boys came together via the strong friendship of their respective fathers. A few years later, one family migrated to Australia. Ten years after that, those two boys were thrown back together again for a short period of time, whereupon they discovered they had a lot in common, and they’ve been close friends ever since. The one with the beard is my Dad. The other is Rob. They’re both artists. They still live on opposite sides of the globe; they write real letters (yes, with pens and paper, really and truly!) and see each other every few years. They are connected by many things: their shared passion for art, the Dutch language and culture, the history and knowledge of each others’ families, their character and spirit. I think their friendship is pretty extraordinary and Rob has always had a special place in my heart because he has always been there in Dad’s.

So I jumped at the chance to photograph them together during a fly-by visit to Canberra a few weeks back.

Do grown men have besties? I’m not sure. If they do, I’m sure this is how it would look.

This baby girl was born with Trisomy 21, otherwise known as Down Syndrome, and she’s the third daughter of my dearest and most cherished friends. My regular followers will have seen her two big sisters featured on my blog several times before.

I first met her when she was 3 weeks old, and took these pictures. She’s now four months, and doing great; one of the most peaceful, contented babies I’ve ever seen, and utterly treasured by her sisters and parents. There may be some challenges ahead, but I know this family, how close they are, and how much love they are capable of. They will be amazing together.

I found it deeply gratifying to document her at this precious age; to show the world how adorable and how loved she is. I’m quite sure she’s going to leave a beautiful mark.

Models: Natascha Verkaik and Tara Hurster.

I’ve been wanting to share some for ages.

There will be more to come…

Something tells me her dream is going to come true. What do you think?

And that is pretty much exactly what happened!

The storm started just a few minutes after I arrived. The temperature dropped by what felt like 10 degrees, and we huddled under a picnic shelter and waited for it to pass. Afterwards, we were gifted with the perfect autumn afternoon; lovely warm sun, wispy clouds scattered across the sky, everything was glistening, and we had a great session!

Markus is a little ball of initiative and energy, and not at all camera shy. I love busy, active sessions, and this was no exception; Markus and his parents climbed on the climbing frame, played imaginary games, kicked the soccer ball, had running races, rode bikes and scooters, and shared lots of cuddles and laughter in between. Family sessions like this one tell such a great story.

Time with these guys is totally hilarious. I admit, there were a few moments where I got so caught up laughing at their stories and comments, that I forgot I was there to photograph them, because it felt like we were just good friends hanging out.

I can wait to photograph their wedding next month, it’s going to be awesome!

I forgot to mention the cupcakes!!! Karena owns and runs Sweet Petite, a delicious cupcake business – you can find her at the Canberra Handmade Markets. I was hoping that Karena would smoosh a cupcake in Drew’s face, but I should have known it would be the other way around. I think Olive was hoping that someone would do it to her too.

Meet Linus and Hazel. Quite apart from the fact that these kids have the coolest names EVER, they are absolutely gorgeous with their matching blue eyes and cheeky smiles. I think I burnt off about a hundred thousand calories chasing them around.

Linus is thoughtful, imaginative and full of personality. He’s also quite cheeky and totally down with the whole bargaining thing – he only let me take his picture if I chased him around. However, I’m getting pretty good at this gig these days, so I just shot while I was chasing him around. True. I told you I burnt calories.

Hazel is a gentle soul who adores her big brother with all her might. She’s also inquisitive, independent, determined and has an adorable open-mouthed grin that completely melted my heart.

Linus and Hazel’s mum, Sansha, contacted me a long time ago, when I first mentioned a possible trip to Melbourne. She’s been a long time follower of my work, and it was so lovely to finally meet her and her family in their hometown, especially at what is quite a significant time in their family life. Sansha and Ash, I am very glad to have had the opportunity to capture your family just as you are, right now. Thank you for being so patient with me getting this blog post up – I really hope you enjoy this preview of your portrait collection!

Do you want a Heartstory session in your town or city?

Here’s how it’s done…

I love travel, and I love going to new places. Most of all, I like to photograph families, children and couples in places that mean something to them. I am willing to travel almost anywhere in Australia to take photographs. So if you want to book me for a session in your town or city, just shoot me an email at katie@heartstoryphotography.com.au and tell me where you are and what time of the year is best. I will pop you straight on a list, and put out some feelers for more bookings. If you have a good social network and can procure other bookings for me, you will receive some awesome freebies such as gift prints, mini albums and more.

Destination session conditions are as follows:

1. Destination sessions are all pre-paid packages, which range in price from $600-$1500 depending on the destination.
2. I need a minimum of four sessions before I can confirm and arrange dates and packages.
3. The contents of packages is negotiable and will be arranged once minimum numbers have been reached.