Family photos in Beaumont Hills

Beaumont Hills is where I go when I want the sky.

Most of the Hills District gives you trees. Beautiful trees, and I love them, but if have haven't seen an uninterrupted sunset for a while, this is where we have to go.

The hill

There is a hill on the edge of Beaumont Hills that looks out over Rouse Hill, and I have not found a better sunset anywhere in the Hills.

You can see the whole sky from up there. It goes orange, then pink, then that soft blue that photographers call blue hour and everybody else calls the good bit at the end. The light does not need any help from me. I just have to put you in it.

What I love most is that it is a small location rather than a walking one. There is nowhere to march a family to. there are these beautiful big trees that sparking in golden hour and then at sunset, we find a spot on the hill, we settle, and the session happens from there. Little children can potter about nearby without anybody having to chase them across a park. Grandparents can sit down. Nobody is on their feet for an hour.

Sessions here feel unhurried in a way the others do not. Partly the location, partly the fact that when the sky is doing that, there is no reason to rush.

I have photographed my own family here. That is the most honest recommendation I can give a place.

The paperbarks

There is also a small stand of paperbarks in Beaumont Hills, the kind with papery trunks that peel in strips.

I do not put this one on a list, and I hope you will forgive me. It is small, it is quiet, and we normally have it to ourselves.

What it gives you is light coming in sideways through the trunks instead of over the top. So instead of one wide wash of gold, you get thin bands of it falling through, with deep shade in between. It is the closest thing I have to a secret, and it is completely different from the hill.

Toddlers love it. There is something about trunks you can walk between that turns a spot into a hideout. At my last session there, a toddler spent most of the time running laps between trees, and every frame from it was perfect.

If you book a Beaumont Hills session, ask me where it is. I will tell you.

Four generations of women smiling together outdoors, with a young mother holding her baby between a grandmother and great-grandmother.
A smiling family of three stands among tall trees as a bearded man and a woman in a black dress hold their young son in Beaumont Hills.
Toddler in a green striped shirt and brown shorts walks away across a grassy park, framed by rough tree trunks in Beaumont Hills.
Smiling family of three embracing outdoors among tall trees, with a man hugging a woman in a black dress who holds a laughing toddler.
Bearded man in a gray t-shirt holds a blue-eyed young boy in his arms while standing on a grassy outdoor field in Beaumont Hills.
Smiling bearded man carrying a toddler on his shoulders beside a smiling woman among tall trees in a sunlit forest in Beaumont Hills.
Smiling woman in a brown button-up dress holds a laughing toddler on her shoulders among tree trunks in a sunny forest in Beaumont Hills.
Two smiling children play on a lace blanket in a grassy park, one giving the other a piggyback ride among tall trees in Beaumont Hills.
Mother with a ponytail kisses her baby's cheek while holding her beneath a large tree in warm golden afternoon light in Beaumont Hills.
Smiling man and woman holding a baby in a green sweater, posing together outdoors in a sunlit park surrounded by trees in Beaumont Hills.
A woman with a ponytail leans her head against a man's chest as he holds a small child in a forest of tall trees in Beaumont Hills.
Three smiling women in light blue and soft neutral outfits embrace closely beneath a large tree in warm golden sunlight in Beaumont Hills.
Three smiling young women in light blue denim outfits embrace on a grassy hill in Beaumont Hills at sunset with a city skyline behind.
Family of six posing together on a grassy hillside at sunset with golden light and trees in the background in Beaumont Hills.
Three smiling young women with long hair pose arm in arm beneath a large tree branch in warm golden afternoon light in Beaumont Hills.

Which one is right for you

Choose the hill if you want the sky, a big open sunset, and a session where everyone can sit down. It is the easier option for small children, for grandparents, and for anyone who is pregnant and does not want to be walked anywhere.

Choose the paperbarks if you want something softer and more tucked away. Dappled light, texture, trees your children can hide behind. It suits toddlers, and it suits a motherhood session where it is just you and your little one.

At home, if that suits you better

Not every Beaumont Hills session needs to be outdoors.

Newborn sessions work beautifully at home, and so do family sessions with a very new baby or a child who needs their own space to settle. Your light, your rooms, your children at their most comfortable. I bring what we need and work around your place, however big or small it is.

Family of four sitting on a blanket with two small dogs beside a white teepee tent and leaf garland in a sunny forest in Beaumont Hills.
Three young girls, two in Santa hats, sit together on a picnic blanket reading a red Christmas book near a teepee tent and gift boxes.

When to come

The last hour before sunset, which moves a lot through the year.

In summer that can be close to eight o'clock, which is beautiful and completely useless if your two year old goes down at seven. Spring and autumn put the sunset at a much more civilised time for small children. Winter gives you the earliest golden hour of all, and a much colder evening, so bring a jumper for afterwards.

I will tell you the exact time when you book, and I will check the forecast in the days before.

What the session feels like

Quiet, mostly. There is not much to organise at a hill. You arrive, we slowly walk to the top of the hill, stopping at the big trees for some pictures, then find our spot, and then we wait for the sky to do its thing while I photograph you being together.

Your children will not be asked to perform. If they want to run, they run. If they want to sit on your lap and refuse to look at me, that is a photo I will take and you will love in ten years.

And every photo from the session is yours. One price, no choosing, no upsell at the end.

Sessions I photograph here

Family sessions at sunset. Motherhood sessions with the sky behind you. Newborn sessions at home, in Beaumont Hills, in the first few weeks.

If you are not sure which would suit you, tell me what your days look like and I will tell you honestly.

If you want to book it

Tell me how many of you there are, whether grandparents are coming, and whether you would rather sit on a hill or stand among the trees. I will send you the meeting spot, the time and where to park.

Part of my guide - places I take photos in the Hills District