Those little pumpkins grow up too fast! Time is never enough next to them. The reason why every single moment is important—it stays forever in your memory.
A family photoshoot doesn’t need to be a big event in your day. It can be simple, spontaneous, real—like a short walk around the park near your home. The true purpose of the photography is to stay true, capture that moment in your natural beauty. That’s exactly what make it so special—like this smile.
“Her mother told her she could grow up
to be anything she wanted to be,
so she grew up to become
the strongest of the strong,
the strangest of the strange,
the wildest of the wild,
the wolf leading the wolves.”
—Nikita Gill
One of my greatest pleasure about being a photographer is moments like these—not always the photoshoot goes as you planned and you must challenge yourself and remember that the perfection on a photo is not only the best pose to make you look slimmer and younger, but the smile and good memories that photo will give you!
Photographing kids is always a challenge! They want to run free, to jump, to explore and not to loose that moment to be still and pose for a stranger behind the camera. A true portrait of a family at the park is full of spontaneity, the favourite toy—even if it’s not the prettiest one—a big laugh—doesn’t matter if it gives you a double chin or not, it should be a true reflexion of that moment, that happiness, that second that got frozen in your memory forever.
Each family photoshoot is unique! I don’t follow poses or recipes—one portrait is never the same as the other, simply because each person is unique and each family has your own dynamic. And I believe my work is to portrait the best of them and give them the best memories they could have—something that they felt and not posed for!
For this testimonial, there’s no words enough to describe my feelings about this session. Forgive me, my English can’t fill these lines, so my heart will sing in Portuguese!
Os conheci quando minha vida estava do avesso. Vivendo uma vida sem chiclete—meu antigo blog contava um pouquinho sobre a loucura que foi ao me mudar para Cingapura em 2013—eles surgiram como um bálsamo para uma alma perdida em saudades do Brasil. Eles se tornaram parte de mim, do meu coração. Se tornaram meu Brasil. Minha família, meus amigos. Minha inspiração. Não tinha cerimônia—”chega aí para tomarmos um cervejinha”. E a noite ia embora entre gargalhadas e planos, sonhos.
Eles me ensinaram a ser leve. A me expandir, me descobrir. Me ensinaram a explorar—quem diria um dia eu viajaria de mochilão para Sri Lanka! Me ensinaram que a vida pode ser simples—é o amor que alimenta. Somos nós quem construimos nosso caminho—e como caminhamos, é nossa decisão. Eles sempre foram minha inspiração—com eles, comecei a ver beleza na imperfeição.
Me ensinaram que a vida não tem graça se ensaiada. E fui treinando meu olhar para a simplicidade—a beleza não está no retrato perfeito, mas no sorriso que arrebentou meu coração naquele momento do clique. A beleza de verdade, não tem filtro. Mas o amor fica alí, preso naquele instante—e ecoa no peito. Em cada retrato tem um pedadinho de mim—e os deixo aqui, para que me relembrem das coisas boas da vida quanto a tarde estiver um pouco cinza…
Time flies! That’s for sure! I’ve photographed Nikolle while she was pregnant of Benjamin. In my mind it was like yesterday—and I still remember her words about how powerful and beautiful she was feeling since beginning her pregnancy. Giving birth to a child is indeed something out of words.
When Nikolle contacted me to photograph Benjamin first party I was shocked! How come—I’ve make the maternity shots a few months ago! It’s so rewarding to re-encounter these mamas and having the opportunity to meet their little ones! <3
Nikolle and Ulas had in mind something outside NYC—some place where the kids could experience a bit of nature instead of being inside an indoor playground. Alstede Farms is about 60 miles from Manhattan—in New Jersey. It was such a pleasant and fun day! The farm rents tends for birthday parties and offers lots of activities for the kids—from planting strawberries to feed animals. You can take a drive into the field and appreciate the view and nature—a great scape from the tall buildings and noise in NYC.
After over 6 years living abroad, photographing these marvellous people in Brazil made me emotional! We’ve met while living in Singapore, a fews years back. We became friends—family, actually. When they moved back to Brazil, Manuela was a few months pregnant of their first girl!
The hardest part of living abroad is exactly this: not being part of your family and friends’ routine. FaceTime is not the same as a hug, a long lunch making small talk or a bottle of wine mixed with laughs, confessions, people that you love! You are constantly split between longing and excitement.
It was amazing seeing this family growing and I’ve no words to say how grateful I am for this photoshoot! Thank you, Manu and Joao! Love you all! xx
Photographing kids takes patience—lots of it and love. At the age of 2, they are impatient. They just want to explore the world around them, to run, to touch, to experience, to feel, to be free. They don’t allow boredom. And they grow up so fast—each moment of their childhood is priceless.
Being part of these moments is priceless. That’s the most valuable gift of being a photographer. Usually my sessions with family and kids take a bit longer—around 2 hours. But I let them feel free—to be themselves. I don’t pose, I don’t aim for the perfect background, the perfect posture, the perfect smile. I aim for the moment; for capturing the essence of each one of them. The singularity of each photo, each hug, each smile, each spontaneous moment—that’s priceless.
Specially in these days, we are continuously seeking perfection—the best make up, the straight hair, the best pose to slim the face, hips, tricks to hide singularities—we are constantly loosing the chance to be ourselves. For me, the role of photography is not capturing perfection, but the moment that is perfect on their heart.
Yes, I absolutely love photographing in Central Park! What else I could say—it’s always a stunning background!
What I most love about my work is connecting with people, with their stories—capturing such beautiful time of their lives. Yes, I’m Brazilian, meaning I’m emotional! I guess that’s why I related to photography my hole life! As I always say, they are not just clients, they are marvellous people that Universe gifted me.
It was such a pleasure meeting this couple from Jordan, expecting their first little one! Sending lots of love to you and wishing this little pumpkin all the happiness!
Every single photoshoot I worked on, it’s always special. Every couple, family, baby, kid that I connected with leave a huge mark in my heart—I just love what I do so much! Every photo I clicked has a piece of my heart in it and all those amazing clients are just special people that the Universe gave me!
This session was more than special! I saw once Chloe welcoming to Gabi’s arms—this little human being, so anxious to meet her parents that she came a bit premature. Instead of taking Gabi’s maternity photos, I had to rush to the hospital and adventure on this inexplicable word of photographing births. Never saw a childbirth before in my life! I’ve explained Gabi that I didn’t have any experience with birth photography, but my heart was all on it! I was with Gabi and Sean from 10am till 11pm on that Sunday. It’s only so much words able to describe what I felt, what I experienced. It was beyond photography… it was beyond taking pictures… I was holding Gabi’s hand experiencing that miracle, that little human being coming after almost exhausting 20 hours in labor. She was just gorgeous! At that point I understood how privileged I was, how gifted. I’ll carry that day in my heart, forever!
Today, Chloe is 4 months old. The most beautiful little pumpkin I ever seen! I’m just grateful… I’ve no more words to say than that. Thank you, Universe! Just thank you!
For those who are wondering where to do a family photoshoot that is not as crowded as Central Park, the Riverside South Park is a beautiful spot in New York City!
There are some improvements coming soon, which will make the park even more charming. With gorgeous trees and a few areas to rest, it’s perfect for a walk or just to chill and watch the sunset. It’s a pretty good alternative to run away from tourists and the crowd in Central Park, especially now the sun if finally, here!
I love photographing families, babies and catch this special moment—they just grow up too fast!!! After a raining week and several days of cloudy afternoons, we’re pretty lucky to get this “summery” shots! What a beautiful Wednesday!
