photo by @filmbymaxi
I'm Hannah, a mum of two and a creative at heart. I'm living the greatest season of my life, raising our kids by the sea, while feeling incredibly lucky that I also get to meet and photograph other parents navigating these same beautifully messy and chaotic years.
Growing up in the '90s, my mum documented our childhood on a point and shoot film camera. Years later, after having my own children and taking thousands of photos on my phone, I found myself longing for something that felt special and more intentional. I wanted a way to document the real, honest moments of family life.
Film drew me in because of its pace. With only a limited number of frames, it allows me to slow down, observe, and truly be present.
So I dug out an old Praktica camera I'd picked up from an op shop years earlier and decided to give it another go. When that first roll came back, I was completely hooked. Half the images had been blacked out by a faulty shutter, and while I was devastated to lose some of my favourite photos, I couldn't stop smiling.
I've always loved taking photographs.
Before Blos, I spent over ten years working in visual merchandising and styling across interiors and product.
This background has shaped the way I see light, composition, colour, and the personal details that tell a story.
Motherhood has influenced the way I photograph more than anything else. I have a deep appreciation for the emotional weight of family life. The immense love, the quiet mental load, the chaos and exhaustion. I hope to document families authentically, that feels true to this season of life.
These days, Blos exists in the pockets of time around family life. I work in late hours of the evening after bedtime, I day dream about it while making the kids lunches and spend weekends photographing other families, before heading home to my own.
What it's like working with me?
An invitation to slow down and connect
Being present and engaging in your child's play is the key goal throughout the session. It’s rare to find two hours of uninterrupted time spent together as a family, so be affectionate, make silly jokes, phones down and use this as time for connection. I might circle around you, and engage in conversation, as I observe you in your zone with the kids. It's almost like having a friend over.
Lots of children I photograph associate a ‘photo’ with smiling and looking to camera, but this is not my intention. There should be no pressure on kids before or during the session to do anything other than enjoy themselves.
Instead, focus on connecting with them.
What are they really into at the moment? Maybe they have a favourite toy to show me, a game they love to play, or a song that always gets them moving. Bring those things into the session!
* I love a chat. Will most likely be talking so much I forget to pull the camera out and start the session.
* I don't drink coffee or tea, but i'll take up your offer on a glass of water.
* Aside from visual merchandising I also have a drama degree
* I do not want you to clean the windows before a session, nor tidy the kitchen bench. I think it's important to look like children live in the home!
Some tid bits about me:
There’s always a little anticipation on how your kids will act with a new person in their home. Thankfully Hannah’s kind, soft nature allowed our girls to open up and be themselves which reflect so organically in the photos.
We can’t thank Hannah enough for capturing our family unit together. What a lovely gift to give our girls.
The memories of a loving family.
Thank you Hannah xx
Sophie & Locky
Our newborn shoot with Hannah was wonderful. Before Hannah arrived my partner and I were unsure how it would go due to feeling awkward in-front of the camera. As soon as Hannah walked through the door we were put at ease. The experience was comfortable and special. The photographs that Hannah took captured such special memories. We are looking forward to getting Hannah back to take more photographs of our baby when she’s older.
Lizzie & Sam
Where do I even BEGIN with Hannah?!
We had never had professional family photos taken before, and going into it, I knew one thing for certain.. I didn’t want perfectly posed photos of us all smiling at the camera. That just isn’t us.
We wanted our photos to capture our family exactly as we are: quirky, vibrant, a little chaotic, ridiculously loving and most importantly, the way we actually interact with one another.
And my GOD, did Hannah exceed every single expectation.
From the moment we met her, her energy was just gorgeous. She has this incredibly calming presence that instantly makes you feel comfortable, and within minutes it genuinely felt like we had been besties for years. There was no awkwardness, no feeling like we had to perform for the camera. She simply let us be us.
And somehow, amongst all of that, she caught everything.
The little glances. The belly laughs. The cuddles. The chaos. The tiny interactions between us that happen every day but that you never really get the opportunity to see from the outside.
And as a mum, that was probably the most special part for me.
For the first time, I got to see how my children look at me through someone else’s eyes.
I got to see the love on their faces when they look at me. The way they reach for me. The way we laugh together. The way our family feels, rather than simply what we look like.
I don’t think Hannah will ever truly understand what a gift that is.
These aren’t just gorgeous photos of our family. They feel like little pieces of us that we get to keep forever.
Hannah, you are absolute magic. Thank you for seeing our family exactly as we are and somehow capturing it even more beautifully than I could have imagined.
Mads & Nath
Find me on Instagram
@blos.studio
