The Hugster Experience

We do things a little differently here.

Here’s the short version:

  • We photograph outdoors in beautiful natural locations, and we collaborate with you to plan everything (with our experience to make it easy for you).
  • We’re not going to ask your kids to sit still or be quiet at the shoot. Instead, we’ll give them fun “photo games” to play with you and each other.
  • This is not your traditional family portrait with matching white tshirts and jeans, everybody looking well behaved but a bit lifeless as they stare at the camera with a rehearsed smile. This is about you having fun together while we capture it.
  • We’re in Mount Waverley and our sessions are usually in the southeast or bayside areas of Melbourne. The only time we need to meet in person is for the shoot though – everything else can be done online.

From start to finish, our aim is to create a personalised, fun experience for you and your family and create beautiful artwork that’s perfect for your walls. There are three easy steps:

1. Planning

The best portraits are full of real personalities, and the first step to capturing them for you is to get to know you and your family. In a 30-45min zoom chat, we’ll help you choose the perfect location, clothing and style for your portraits, and start putting some initial design ideas together for your walls.

If it’s possible to find a time when the whole family can come that’s perfect, as it means we can play some of our photo games so the kids can get to know our photographer and be 100% relaxed and comfortable at the portrait session.

We’ll also send you some helpful info in the leadup to your portrait experience, to really make the preparation as easy and smooth as possible.

2. Your Portrait Session

Hugster families often tell us that the main thing they love about their wall art is that it brings back fun memories, so we really focus on making sure the whole family enjoys the portrait session. Almost all of our portrait sessions are outdoors because we find that kids are usually happier outside. There are some beautiful locations near the studio.

Our portrait sessions usually run for 60-90 minutes, depending upon how long the kids need to get comfortable and settle in. That gives us plenty of time for breaks, drinks and snacks.

If you’re wondering whether your kids will behave for 90 minutes, don’t worry. As parents ourselves, we’re not expecting your kids to be perfectly behaved angels for the entire session, but they probably will be anyway because the most difficult thing we’ll ask them to do is hug or tickle you! You might not believe me right now, but I promise you will after your planning appointment.

3. The Big Reveal

This is where the planning and the images come together and we can put together some designs for your home. It’s also the time we set aside for you to choose and purchase wall art for your home.

We’ll already have edited the images for beautiful, consistent colour, and you can also request photoshop edits if you like (but we like to leave that choice up to you). At the Big Reveal we’ll show you all of our favourites, along with some ideas on the best way to present them. There are a lot of options, including canvas, framed prints, coffee table boxes, albums and digital packages. 

It’s a great idea to email us some photos of your walls so that we can really help you match the size and finish of your prints to your home.

4. Creating Your Wall Art

Finally, our favourite step is handing over your finished prints, ready to hang and enjoy for many years. We’ve searched for great suppliers to work with, and as a result you can really trust the quality and workmanship of your print products. Our Hugster families are usually busy people, so rather than asking you to drive back to Mt Waverley to pick up your goodies, we can deliver anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.

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