Add another first to the list.
This time, I made my way to Nelson Bay, about 2 and a bit hours north of Sydney, to go photograph my cousin Rachel, her husband Nathan and daughter Halli. But it wasn’t just a family shoot, it was also a maternity shoot.
All my mothers side of the family live up in Nelson Bay, so I decided to make a weekend of it. I left early Saturday morning, arriving at my grandparents at about 9AM. I caught up with my Grandma, and my cousin Ben for a few hours, having lunch and just chatting.
Once it hit about 4PM I made my way to meet up with Rachel and the family at Sunset Beach. She had recommended it and boy did she pick well. I have been going up to Nelson Bay for nearly 25 years now and I’d never heard or seen this place before, and I’m glad I know it exists now. It was beautiful and as the sun came down, it created the perfect back drop to the scene.
I got there about 5 minutes before Rachel, Nathan and Halli arrived. I was pretty nervous. Just like the wedding and almost every other shoot I had before, I get nerves. I just want to make sure the shoot goes great and the photos turn out well. We chatted for a bit, went over what we were going to do and then made our way down the beach.
We walked along the sand, took a few shots before making our way along the dock that was there. It lent to some amazing shots. We talked more, catching up on the events of the past few months and just making our way along and around the area. We walked back along the dock, before making our way to the shore and an area surrounded by trees.
There was a nice beautiful log that was laying down, allowing for some great backdrops of the beach and the water. Nathan and Halli jumped in on the fun and we got some great stuff. We kept going, soaking up the sun and the surf.
With some final shots along the beach with everyone, we walked back to the car, chatting some more, taking our time as Halli splashed and swam in the water. It was a really fun time.
After we got back to the car, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Looking back, I’m not sure why I was nervous. I just didn’t want to mess it up, but dealing with family, and someone I love dearly such as Rachel and her family made the photoshoot a very enjoyable experience. When I handed over the photos, Rachel and Nathan loved them, and it made it all worthwhile.
Brendan.