Denh Lay Photography

Our kids grow constantly (lockdown doesn’t change that) and those childhood years, milestones and quirky behaviours, they’re fleeting. Now I know what you’re thinking, I take plenty of photos of my kids. And of course you do. We are the mobile snapping generation after all. My question is, how many of them do you appear in? Not many I’m guessing. If we are going to leave our kids with 1000s of snaps of them growing up, don’t you think it would be awesome for some of those to show you were there?

Despite being locked down at home, I still wanted to update our family photos. I should preface though, this is the end result after numerous attempts. It wasn’t easy. All your frustrations and fears about how damn hard it is to get everyone looking or just in the one frame? Well, they apply to me too. Not when I’m photographing other families but definitely when I’m photographing my own!

So no, it isn’t easy, but why should it be? It’s not what you are trained to do or do regularly. Let’s first accept it’s hard for a reason (so I still have a job ;) Then you can tackle the following like you would a new recipe or youtube video on how to do something new. It’s possible. And you should attempt it. If not for a commemorative piece then for the laughs :)

Step 1: Get everyone on board.

Request and incentivise (bribe). The photo above is a Mother’s Day gift I requested from my family 😉

Yes, anyone with an objection needs to want to be there. That is actually the hardest bit. When I work with families, I go through ideas with the ‘organiser’ and if helpful, I also speak with those who need more info or encouragement (dads, older kids & extended family), letting them know how long it will take and what’s involved. Removing some of the uncertainty makes it all less daunting. Rewards after the event doesn’t hurt either. I’m all for making the whole experience exciting and fun which is why I never push the limits and leave you with unhappy children.

Step 2: Plan the details beforehand.

A family event out can be great fun but you would plan the event to avoid obvious stressors right? Check the weather, plan time, organise food or clothes etc. Well, likewise with the family photo too if you want people to put in a bit more effort than the usual group selfie. In fact when I work with families, the planning is a crucial part of the process because it sets us up for the best possible experience and result. Learning as much as I can about my families before a session means I can capture what’s meaningful to them and ensure the whole process is as stress-free as possible. DIY at home for a result you’d proudly display on your wall is no different.

• Pick the location in your home where light and background is best. Clean up the area if necessary. Know where it’s going to happen so you’re not dragging everyone from spot to spot because… attention spans.
• Decide on or accept clothing choices. Don’t argue or request wardrobe changes just before photos as it spoils the mood and guarantees a grumpy face.
• Know what equipment you’re going to use (phone, DSLR?) and how you’re going to set it up. Do you need to prop it on top of a chair or stand and adjust height with books? Or are you using a tripod and at what height?

Step 3: Light, camera, action.

The moment’s here. Keep it brief. If you planned well, this step shouldn’t take too long. That way, you’ll have more of a chance for a repeat.

1. Wait for the light. I chose this spot in our backyard because the light is great early in the day and I really wanted to capture the autumn colours.
2. Set up camera Prop or tripod and raise to appropriate height.
3. Ask family to stand in the spot for framing purposes.
4. Put camera on timer mode.
5. If using a phone, make sure you tap onto the screen where the person is standing so that your phone camera exposes the photo correctly, ie. not too bright or dark. If you’re using a DSLR, check focus and exposure.
6. Decide where you’re going to stand.
7. Click. Run. Smile.
8. Take a few :)

Step 4: Print your photo.

Whilst we have thousands of photos on our phones, how often do you really enjoy them? And how hard is it to find a particular photo you love? Moments are snapped and immediately forgotten. What happens if you lose that phone or the digital file is corrupted? Print your most precious moments, give them that extra life and love.

…And if you want a more professional result, hire a professional :)

For that extra polished look digital photos can be improved with editing. Professionals usually add their style of editing to bring out the best light and colour in your photos. Here’s my original vs edited.

Taking family photos is my passion but I have to admit, DIY moments are less candid and there’s definitely less options to choose from. When I really don’t want to think about it and let someone else manage the kids so I can just enjoy the moment (and prepare myself a little), I book a professional. Like you, I value beautiful memories to treasure for years to come. They decorate my walls and remind me everyday what life is all about ❤️

With my youngest starting prep and eldest flying into Grade 2  this year, I have found much to cherish and celebrate. It’s an exciting phase for them with many changes and personal development. If like me, you don’t want to forget the little things then here’s a few tips and ideas for capturing  those precious moments. I’ve used phone photos here because these tips and ideas apply to any camera you use and frankly, it is my everyday camera.

1/ First Year At School

Exciting and anxious time for kids and parents. So much so, it can all be but a blur by the end of the year. But what a milestone it is! Think about the questions you want to answer in years to come. eg. How did she fit in that uniform? How big was that bag on him?! How excited was she? How excited was mum and dad?? :) It’s not just about faces, it’s about the details like the size of their hands in yours and the pigtails :)  A tip with those photos together, squat down and get to their level so your photos are not always looking down at them.

2/ Their Proud Moments

I love the enthusiasm, excitement and the hilarity of this age! It doesn’t take big moments and events to excite them. Little things will do and it’s usually the little things we forget so take time to photograph them. My daughter brought home her first little ‘project’. To nuture a wheat plant from seed which she started at school. A proud moment that she wanted photographed. Things you can think about when photographing such moments (eg. receiving school certificates) include:

Lighting – If you are in open sun, move around so the light is on their face and you can clearly see their expression. So that they’re not squinting, squat down yourself so they’re not looking upwards towards the sky. I didn’t go completely to eye level below as I wanted to see the whole of the plant. If the object you want to photograph is portable (like a school certificate), move into full shade during the day to avoid heavy shadows and squinting.

Minimise clutter in the background – Because of the difference in height between her and her plant, I asked her to squat down so she more level to it which allowed me to fill the frame with minimal clutter in the background. This does two things:

• Brings focus to her and her plant (and her socks in thongs style ;))
• Makes it clear what this moment was about. In years to come you won’t be wondering “Is this about how tall she is or how she looks in uniform or what the house looked like!”

Incorporate relevant background information – Sometimes remembering to move out and including more of the background is necessary to tell a story. If you always zoomed in to just the child, you might miss capturing the full story. eg. location, event, purpose etc. The trick is to include just enough but not too much information :)

3/ When They Learnt To….

Fascinating amount of growing in such a short span of time really! And not just in size but in motor skills that changes them from babies to little independent beings. Capturing through photography the new skills becomes a great visual diary. And it’s such a great way to share stories with them as they get older. “Last year you started doing this, wonder what you can do this year?”

Tip for more natural reactions, don’t ask them to pose for it. Just encourage and be ready :)

4/ The Simple Moments

The moments that made you go wow! They’re always worth a capture. Every time I see these, I relive that moment when you realise they’ll always be your baby ♥♥

Each family I have the opportunity to work with is different. I meet a variety of people who book me because we share a love for natural family portraiture. If you are interested in engaging a professional photographer to capture your cherished family moments, here are 4 tips I have found that work towards a fantastic family portrait session. And before you think…too hard, let me suggest that it’s not work when it’s fun ;)

1. Know the style and mood of family photography you love.

What family photos speak to you the most? Do you love bright and funny, serious and earthy, or soft and whimsical? You might ‘like’ them all but the important question is, does that style reflect my family? Can I see us in that photo? Write down 5 words that best describe your family.

This family knew the style they were after and sent me samples of photos they love which clearly helps me understand what resonates with them as a  family.

2. Research photographers that can deliver the style you love.

If you love outdoor portraits, don’t book a studio only photographer. Browse websites and Facebook pages to get a feel for the overall quality and style of a photographer you’re interested in. Family portraits is a valuable experience that we don’t do all too often. Don’t waste the opportunity. Do some research.

I have a Pinterest board that has a collection of my family portrait work. A quick glimpse will give you a sense of my style.

3. Be involved in planning.

I love incorporating ideas and thoughts of my families as this makes the photos more personal to them. I also love it when clients share stories about their family the dynamics at play. The more discussion during the planning stage, the better the result. The question is do you just want a photo of your family or do you want a meaningful family portrait that you will admire and value in years to come?

This fun and cheerful family had lots of ideas which we had so much fun bringing to life, including this one to celebrate Missy’s new found skill in jumping :)

4. Enjoy spending time with your family.

The day has arrived. The key is to take it as it comes and appreciate that plans don’t always go to plan. A good photographer will be able to work with whatever the day may bring. As I always tell my families, the day will literally be a relaxing walk in the park. Just enjoy spending time with your family and I’ll take care of the rest :)

Our family loves spending time by the beach. This holiday will be no different and I am always looking for new ways to photograph each occasion. Here’s 5 easy tips I always follow to create fun and interesting holiday photos. For more tips check out this post from the archives.

1. Try a different angle.

Think of how you would normally photograph something and try a different angle.  Try shooting over it, under it etc…

Here I used my underwater compact camera and shot upwards towards my daughter instead of downwards from above the water. In this photo we were actually in a resort pool where the water is much clearer for photos than the beach.

2. Capture experiences unique to your holiday or location.

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that you simply don’t do at home that make the holiday unique. Capturing these experiences will help jog memories of the holiday in years to come.

Here my 3.5yo is feeling the texture of the shells she found on the beach. She would close her eyes to concentrate. Something I found so endearing that she just doesn’t ordinarily do at home.

3. Photograph people in action.

Action shots can take you right back to the moment. Use this to help tell the story of what you actually did on your holidays.

Here I bent down low to my 3.5yo’s height and photographed her view of her sister sketching in the sand. Often photographing upwards at a slight angle can add a bit of drama.

4. Focus on details

Narrow your focus to what delighted you most. Capture the moment and the photo will always make you nostalgic.

This photo is of the setting sun through our bathroom blinds. Makes me sleepy just thinking about it :)

5. Play with reflections

Whether it’s on the beach, in the pool or in mirrors, reflections make interesting photos. At the beach, a good time to catch these beautiful still moments is early  in the morning or at sunset. Take a stroll and get ready to be mesmerised.

Really excited about my first school holiday workshop for kids running this Tuesday. Details are here. If you missed out and want to find out about future workshops, send me an email and I’ll make sure you’re amongst the first to know.

In the workshop I am going to teach some simple ways to tell stories with a series of photos. A single photo can describe one object/place/feeling but a series of well connected photos can tell a story about a object/place/feeling with much more depth.

1. Identify what’s important to the story

Is it a person, an object, the environment or all three? Make sure you take a photo of the most important element to give focus to the story.

2. Try different perspectives

More often than not we bring our camera to our eyes, stand up straight, and click. What this means is that a majority of our photos are taken from one perspective. Experiment with different points of view by bending down low (eg. to a child’s eye level) or positioning for a more bird’s eye view (eg. to photograph above a crowd of people).

3. Get in close

Whether you are photographing people or objects, try moving closer. Fill the frame with your subject or object so that special details can be clearly seen.

Our doggies have had a rough trot the past month. Within 3 weeks, both have had surgeries requiring hospital care. We’ve had them for 10 years and only 1 hospital trip prior. We’ve been lucky considering they are rather indiscriminate with what they put in their mouths and can be a bit nutty out and about. This month we were confronted with some difficult questions and in the end, we realised how much we needed to give back to these beautiful creatures who have been a part of our family memories for a good decade. They’ve given us unconditional love and tolerated new family members who’ve gradually taken over their place on the couch and in the house.

Thanks for growing old with us but it’s not yet time my sweets. Looking forward to many more years of nuttiness ♥

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PHOTO TIP: It’s almost as hard to get doggies to stay still for photos as it is for kids. Our labs whilst nutty are well trained to sit, drop, wait, leave etc. This helps immensely, especially with treat in hand. I usually do a quick sit, drop, wait, reward activity to get them into listening then stretch the wait time out a little so I can compose my shot. Yes, I did crop his snout out deliberately as I like being eye level to them and I do get very close :) …If your dog just won’t sit and wait etc then don’t attempt sit down photos until they’ve had a very good run.

Following from my first styling post What to Wear – Part 1, I thought I’d show some less typical colour combinations that work beautifully.

But, before I start I’ll repeat my 2 top tips again:

1/ Avoid big patterns & logos

– These will be distracting in photos and draw attention away from faces.

2/ Style with similar colours

– Pick 2 main colours you love for the family and incorporate other similar tones in through accessories like belts, cardigans, shoes. The similar tones create a sense of unity and looks fantastic for the family portrait.

COLOURS – Let’s play with green. Such a great neutral colour that suits the boys and the girls.

• Complements beautifully with blues, browns and creams as you can see below
• Introduce 1 contrasting colour, like black or red, either through 1 article of clothing or accessories
• The green can be the theme or it can be the feature that pops

Green is a wonderful neutral colour. On babies, add just accessories.

Source: Pinterest Link

Love this toddler scarf to add a bit of colour and pop. Not sure it would last on my 3yo though! Source:

Source: Pinterest Link

Love the muted pastels here. Between you and I pale pink goes with anything ;)

Source: Pinterest Link

Green as a pop of colour here is so effective in linking the boys together.

Source: Pinterest Link

Love this simple outfit. Dress it up with the jacket or run around without.

Source: Pinterest Link

The more formal look for the men in green.

Source: Pinterest Link

And this is how they can look coupled together, a mix of green clothing and green accessories with 1 or 2 colours (blues and browns).

Source: Pinterest Link

It has been nearly 3 months since our family holiday in Fiji and our photos still have the ability to take us back to ‘that moment’ when they were taken. Photos can do that. Create a lasting memory. So, here is my top 5 tips for creating memorable travel photos.

1.Travel itself is exciting. Capture the excitement.

As they say, it’s the journey. Capture not only their excitement but also what they are excited about. Unlike most adults, the joy of the journey is not lost upon kids.

Tip: For arial shots, hold camera as close to window as possible and turn off the flash.  

2. New environments that captivate. Capture that happy place.

When I think of Fiji, I think of it’s beautiful waters and the tall coconut trees that line it’s skyline and beaches. I remember strolling through the long expanse of sand, admiring the coral, the schools of fish and the blue star fish!

Tip: Step back. Include landmarks for perspective to add detail to the story.

3. Cultural differences. Participate.

If you are fortunate enough to experience a different culture during your travels, capture what made it memorable. For me, it’s always the people. Followed closely by the food :) There’s much to be learnt like tradition and respect. These photos allow me to recount stories and relive experiences with greater clarity.

Tip: When photographing ceremonies, request permission before it begins. Be discreet but never secretive. Smile and show appreciation.

4. Remember the simple things they loved doing most.

My 3yo’s favourite memories of Fiji are around ‘our’ beach and the hundreds of hermit crabs that lived on it. She loved drawing on the sand as this was about when she learnt to write her own name. My 5yo on the other hand would have lived in the pool if we let her!

Tip: Try different perspectives with children. Get down to their level for a more personal image. Make it a game for older children who are less willing to be photographed. With the underwater shots, we were trying to capture a mermaid ;)

5. Treasure the ‘time out’ allowed with holidays. The reason you go in the first place.

No matter how many exciting things we do on holiday, the most important thing will always be the opportunity to spend quality time as a family. A ‘time out’ from the hectic life at home. So enjoy the quiet moments and if possible, capture it :) This beautiful photo of my husband and our girls is my absolute favourite from this trip. It sums up everything we are working towards as a family. Happiness, love, and the opportunity to enjoy life in a heavenly place like Fiji.

Tip: Step out from behind the camera. Pack a mini tripod. Hand over your camera to a friend. Be a part of your family’s history ♥ 

I photograph a lot of extended family portraits. Love seeing the special bond between cousins and how they fuel each other’s cheekiness and imagination! How wonderful it is to build on these relationships and future support network. I have 13 cousins in Canada and 2 here in Melbourne. I wish we had the opportunity to gather more often.

So, here’s my 4 tips for photographing groups of kids (young and old):

1. Common interest:

Discover or create a common interest and topic that will grab all their attention. eg. cookie monster, bubbles, aunty Caz! Use sparingly so it doesn’t lose it’s effectiveness when you need it most.

2. Remove distractions:

If you really want that shot with everyone looking at the camera then remove distractions and direct their collective gaze towards your camera. Position parents and onlookers together behind you or out of sight completely to avoid confused kids looking at various directions.

3. Make eye contact:

Once you’ve framed your shot and focused, come out from behind the camera to make eye contact. This is the most effective way to get attention and engage with your little audience.

4. Wear reindeer ears!

No kidding! Variations include colourful hats or anything that lights up :)

Just spent the last 2 hrs putting this blog together. There is most likely something similar out there but like most of my client work, I love to customise! :) 

Along with some specialty photographic products offered in my studio, I also offer the traditional framed or unframed matted gift prints which come in various sizes. Speaking with past and returning clients who have purchased these, I get the feeling the process of choosing where and how to hang artwork can be quite difficult. Before you know it, months have passed and images are still waiting to be hung.

4 Ways I Help My Clients:

1. I always ask my clients to think about where they want to hang wall pieces before their ordering session so there is a purpose for their purchases. Products already have a home when they get there.

2. I now ask clients to take photos of their possible wall spaces, including surrounding furniture, and bring along to their ordering sessions. This visual aid can assist with their decision making and enables me to custom design artwork for a particular space.

3. I offer a framing service because it means one less task for my clients to do. DIY framing can be fun but takes time and quality can vary greatly. I use a trusted professional framer and only offer quality frames that I know will stand the test of time without buckling or falling apart.

4. Finally, for my local clients, I am even happy to do a home visit to look at options and offer immediate suggestions. In the end I want all my clients to be able to enjoy their beautiful memories.

Display Ideas:

Below are some effective configurations for displaying your wall art. Keep it simple and balanced unless it is an angled space like along a stairway. If you prefer a quirkier design then keep the number of frames to a minimum so that the design doesn’t detract from the images or artwork itself.