Beaches Archives | Leanne Stamatellos

Stephen + Tania + Neve + George + Mabel + Milly – Shorncliffe Pier

I love it when families bring their much loved pets with them for a family session. When this family brought along their gorgeous Jack Russell-Pug, Milly, I was thrilled. We started by taking a lovely stroll towards a quiet beach, wetting our feet in the ocean, climbing the rocks and spending a lovely time enjoying the afternoon in and around the Shorncliffe Pier.

Here are some of my favourite photos from this family’s session.

Those who know me, know how passionate I am about families having their favourite images in print. Tania chose to showcase her photos with several wall collections that suited her home.

In her staircase, she chose a large 36 inch x 22 inch box framed canvas (in oak) featuring the entire family, including Milly.

In the lounge room, where Tania could also enjoy the photos from her kitchen, she chose the beautiful Wilston Collection. This collection features four 12 x 18 inch canvas pieces and looked striking in this space.

Tania also chose to showcase an individual portrait of each of the children and had them printed as Frameless Acrylic wall art pieces. They were hung together on the other side of the staircase wall complimenting the large family portrait opposite it.

A handful of other small table prints were ordered and placed in store bought frames on a side board.

Damian + Jacinta + Sam + Ben

• leanne •

I’m often asked if there’s a ‘right time’ to have family portraits taken.
The answer is really simple – absolutely not – just do it now!

You will never regret having beautiful, relaxed photos taken of your family. It doesn’t matter whether your children are just starting to walk or whether they are about to leave the family home and go onto to new adventures – they’ll always be your children and there will always be something very precious to remember about the connections you have with each other.

So when Jacinta contacted me to photograph her family, she mentioned that she had an adult family and despite being a little concerned that she’d left it too late to have her family photographed, she wanted to do it celebrate her husband, Damian, turning 50.

Jacinta opted for a morning session and while her boys were probably not too thankful for the early start, they were terrific!
We settled in gently with a few relaxed family photos then a stroll along the river and finished up by throwing the footy on a beautiful sandy beach under the Story Bridge.

It was a pleasure to create these images for this beautiful family and I know they will always bring back fond memories of this special time in their lives.

“We hadn’t had any professional photos taken of us as a family since the boys were very young and being that my boys are 19 and 17, I decided it was time. I was introduced to Leanne when she kindly donated a prize for a charity that I am involved with. I knew of friends that had recently had a family portrait taken by Leanne so I was confident that she would do a wonderful job. Leanne was amazing to work with especially with 2 older boys who don’t enjoy having their photos taken at the best of times. She kept the photography session very relaxed and had some fabulous ideas for our photos. Her professionalism and beautiful kind nature made our experience so easy. The hardest part was deciding on which photos we wanted to purchase as they were all so beautiful. Leanne made my decision much easier by coming over to our house with all of the proofs which enabled me to visualise the pictures hanging on the walls. I would highly recommend Leanne to my family and friends as I am confident that she will capture the special family moments with ease.” – JACINTA

Jacinta chose classic Custom Framed Fine Art Prints to showcase her favourite images.

A beautiful set of three images near the entry of her home featuring a full length portrait of each of the boys and one of them together
as well as a striking larger piece featuring a relaxed family portrait in her dining room.

Paul + Sally + Jacob + Zara – Story Bridge Photographer

• leanne •

I absolutely love photographing families with older children and these guys were a dream to hang out with at Kangaroo Point under the beautiful Story Bridge. So much love between them all – they truly enjoyed each other’s company and laughed as we strolled through the streets and onto the beautiful sandy beach beneath the Story Bridge.

I have so many favourite images from this shoot and had to share them all with you.
Enjoy x

They chose the most beautiful box framed canvas to showcase their favourite photo in their home – a stunning 40 x 40 inch deep-sided museum-grade canvas and framed in a beautiful oak timber.

Sean + Karen + Zara + Sophia – Brisbane Story Bridge Photographer

• leanne •

Karen contacted me a year out to reserve her photo shoot. It was an especially important date that she chose as she wanted to mark her birthday with a family session and I was thrilled that she did. She arrived looking absolutely radiant with her handsome husband, Sean and two beautiful daughters, Zara and Sophia.

We went for a lovely walk under the Story Bridge, discovering pretty little nooks and then ventured down to a tiny strip of sand on the Brisbane River where the girls wrote their surname in the sand and the family had some fun together. My most favourite part was when they caught the ferry into the city to have dinner at one of the riverside restaurants to celebrate Karen’s birthday. What beautiful way to end a family session!

I truly have so many favourite photos from this session and couldn’t help but share lots of them with you – Enjoy!

Shane + Katrina + Kai + Zane + Joel – Wynnum Family Photography

• leanne •

It was a glorious afternoon to hang out with this family at Pandanus Beach in Wynnum – the perfect location for this beach loving family who love to surf and enjoy the outdoors. Katrina, described her sons to me as ‘quick witted larrikins’ and they were. They shared their best jokes with me and they had me laughing throughout the entire session.

Enjoy this selection of some of my favourite images.

Extended Family Session – Mermaid Beach Photographer

• leanne •

What an absolute pleasure it was to be asked to photograph this beautiful extended family. Three generations altogether at the Gold Coast to mark Peter’s 80th birthday with an extended family photo session. What was even lovelier was that the session was a birthday gift from some of Peter’s close family relatives who knew he would truly value these images.

We started at a nearby park to capture some more traditional group photos then made our way down to the beach where we spent the afternoon until the sun set. I loved seeing the respect and love that this family has for each other – grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandchildren and cousins – it was beautiful!

Enjoy this collection of some of my favourite images.

And one of my most favourite part of photographing this family was receiving a text from them with photos of the beautiful wall art that was chosen to hang in their apartment at the beach. I know they will love these every single day that they see them and be a reminder of the special family that they are a part of!

“Leanne is a true professional in every sense of the word and offers a bespoke personalized service that is unbeatable. She is very approachable, an excellent communicator and listener, not to mention a talented photographer. She knows how to bring out the best in her subjects and locations. Best of all, she has a great eye for detail so that clients can feel totally relaxed. I feel this is important as she made us look like us, only better. We trusted that she would be able to deliver, but she was also able to capture those precious moments in time that our family will treasure a lifetime. Thanks for capturing the emotions and those special connections in our family Leanne. We are eternally grateful.” – Angela

Eugene + Nikki + Patrick + Sophie – Shorncliffe Family Photographer

• leanne •

There’s nothing lovelier than walking barefoot on the beach, climbing rocks and enjoying a beautiful sunset with those you love most. That’s how this family chose to have their session on a spectacular afternoon at Shorncliffe.

Nikki had requested casual and relaxed images – something that would capture this particular time in her family’s life. I was thrilled when she chose my favourite sunset image of them to hang as a canvas in their home – a piece I know that will be treasured for years to come.

Enjoy this small selection of some of my favourite images from their session.

Shane + Katrina + Kai + Zane + Joel – Manly West Family Photographer

• leanne •

I just loved hanging out with this family of boys – they were easy going, playful, crazy funny and we had lots of laughs. I’m not sure who had the worst jokes – although those of you who have had me photograph them will definitely agree it would have to be me!

We spent a fabulous afternoon at Wynnum beach and stayed there until the sun was setting in beautiful shades of pink.

Enjoy this small selection of some of my favourite photos.

Mario + Annette + Hugo + Lily + Gemma

• leanne •

What better way to spend a glorious afternoon than with your family climbing the rocks, looking for shells and getting your feet all sandy and wet.

These guys were so relaxed and really enjoyed hanging out with each other. They share a very special and close bond and I loved being able to photograph their connections with each other. Enjoy this handful of photos from their session – just some of my favourites.

‘Leanne came well recommended by friends and we could clearly see from her Facebook page and other material that she had a flair for what we were after. We were very comfortable right from the start, all the way from shoot to post consult and follow up. She seemed so natural when photographing us which helped us remain so. She knew what she was doing without ever showing too much intensity and she was never ‘camera in our faces’ – just a natural passion for photographing a family. Also showing us a guide on what to wear helped us make good wardrobe choices. For someone who finds it hard to visualise this really helped.’ – Annette

Dave + Ana + Raine + Carys

• leanne •

I spent a gorgeous afternoon with this family climbing the biggest, blackest rocks, collecting shells and wetting our feet in the ocean. They laughed and cuddled and simply enjoyed hanging out together.

Coming from Canada, this family have been living in Brisbane for a couple of years now and chose this location as it was a favourite of theirs and wanted to remember it always. I absolutely love their entire session!

Enjoy this handful of some of my favourite photos.

‘Having Leanne photograph our family was an exceptional experience from start to finish. From pre-shoot advice to a memorable and easy going, fun photoshoot. Best of all was the post-shoot service, unlike any I’ve seen. She has a keen eye for design and helped choose, not only the size of photo, type of frame but also the placement in our home – Trifecta! I would absolutely recommend Leanne to other families that are wishing to create timeless and lasting memories. She is the best!’ – Ana

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