Places I take photos in the Hills District
Thank you for being here.
I know what brought you to this page. You are trying to picture it. Not the photos themselves, but the afternoon. Where you would park, whether your toddler would have room to run, whether your mum could manage the walk in the shoes she will insist on wearing.
That is a fair thing to want to know before you book. So this page is for you.
I photograph families all over the Hills District, but there are three suburbs I keep coming back to. Rouse Hill, Castle Hill and Beaumont Hills. Not because they are the only places I work. Because I know them well enough to know where the light lands, where the children disappear into the long grass, and where to park so nobody has to walk further than they want to.
Have a look. See which one sounds like your family.
How this works
- You pick the place. Or you tell me what matters most, like a short walk, a big sky, or somewhere your child can run, and I will point you to the right one.
- I work out the light. Every outdoor session is planned around golden hour, so I will tell you the time to arrive, where to meet me, and where to park. You do not have to think about any of that.
- You just show up. No posing practice, no perfect behaviour required. Bring the children as they are and I will take it from there.
Rouse Hill
My home ground, and the place most of my family sessions happen. Open, flat, and built for children who need to move. There is a path through the middle of the park, an archway of trees at one end, and long grass that a toddler can vanish into. Four generations have stood in the same frame here.
It is also the easiest location I have for grandparents. You can park right beside the middle path and walk out onto flat ground.
Castle Hill
A lot of my families live here, and a good number of Castle Hill sessions happen at home. In the backyard, on the front steps, on the lounge room floor with the dog on the edge of the frame. That is not a compromise. It is where your children actually are all day, and it photographs like it.
When we go outdoors, we usually go to Castle Hill Heritage Park. Twenty hectares of rolling hills and remnant Blue Gum forest, five minutes from most of my Castle Hill families, and the place I got married. I know exactly where the light falls there.
Beaumont Hills
This is where I go when I want the sky.
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. It is a sitting location rather than a walking one, which makes it gentle on little children and on anyone who would rather not be on their feet.
There is also a small stand of paperbarks nearby that I keep mostly to myself. If you book a Beaumont Hills session, ask me where it is and I will tell you.
Not on the list?
That does not mean I will not come.
I photograph across the Hills District and beyond, including Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista, Kellyville, Dural, Glenhaven, Stanhope Gardens, The Ponds and Cherrybrook. Travel fees apply outside the Hills District, and I will always tell you before you book rather than after.
Two other options worth knowing about.
Your home. Maternity, newborn and family sessions all work beautifully indoors. Your own light, your own couch, your own chaos. No packing the car.
Somewhere that means something. The park where you got engaged, the street your parents live on, the beach you go to every summer. If it matters to you, tell me. I will work out whether the light does something lovely there.
A few things that are true wherever we shoot
We go at your children's pace. If your toddler wants to run laps, we run laps. If your baby needs a feed, we stop and you feed them. The photos are better for it, every time.
Golden hour is worth the bedtime negotiation. The last hour before sunset is when skin looks like skin and the shadows go soft. For small children, spring and autumn put that hour at a civilised time.
Nothing is posed in a way you will feel silly doing. I will guide you, gently, and most of the time you will not notice I am doing it.
Every photo from your session is yours. One price, no choosing, no sales pitch at the end.
Ready when you are
Tell me which suburb caught your eye, how many of you there are, and whether you have a child who will need a minute to warm up. I will send you a time, a meeting spot and where to park.