Location
Cedar Creek Estate Vineyard & Winery, Mount Tamborine, QLD Australia.

Models
Rachel and Aaron

This post is about the lessons I learned from shooting one of my best friends, Machy, and my old friend, Aaron. While I wanted to introduce them many years back, neither of them were interested. Fast forward several years, however, and they managed to find, marry, and start a family with each other. Cute!

Machy and Aaron were expecting their first child back in June 2024 and wanted to do a photoshoot beforehand to mark the occasion. Machy is a ‘knows-exactly-what-she-wants’ kind of girly. She gave me a detailed brief of what she wanted, including potential shoot locations, outfits, and a series of WhatsApp messages filled with inspirational pictures and poses for reference. We settled on Cedar Creek Estate on Mount Tamborine because of its beautiful falltime colours, a Boho-style dress from Etsy, and a series of poses she and Aaron felt comfortable with.

Still new to photography, I learned four lessons from this shoot.

• Quality over quantity is key: Perfecting a few favourite poses is better than attempting too many and risking fewer beautiful images.
• Plan ahead: If possible, visit the location beforehand to find the best backdrops, ensuring you’re better prepared for the shoot.
• Clarify editing preferences: Clarify the subject’s expectations upfront to save time and effort during the editing process.
• Don’t rush: It will reduce the quality of your final shots.

These lessons came the hard way. We wasted time searching for the perfect backdrop instead of planning ahead and rushed through poses and locations, reducing the photos’ quality. Additionally, I spent hours editing for a natural, vibrant look, only to learn Machy prefers warm tones later.

Despite these challenges, the shoot was a wonderful experience. I had the opportunity to share my friends’ pregnancy journey, and I’m happy with the few pictures that turned out well. Here are some of my favourite shots from the day. I hope you like them as much as I do 😊

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