Hey there, I'm Jo.
I’m a Kiwi-born, Brisbane-based photographer, wife to John, and Mum to two girls who are now 19 and 21.
That last part still feels slightly unbelievable. For such a long time I was right in the thick of raising children — school runs, sport, sleepovers, teenage dramas, endless lifts everywhere — and suddenly I have two young adults with busy lives of their own.
I’m a sentimental person, but I probably wouldn’t describe myself as too serious. I love being outdoors, travelling, fresh food, animals, beautiful light, and hearing the stories behind how people ended up where they are.
I’m also one of those people who notices things. The look someone gives across a table. Who makes everyone laugh. Who quietly checks that everybody else is OK. I’m fascinated by families and the completely different little ecosystems we all create around ourselves.
Mine is very important to me. It’s crazy, imperfect, occasionally exasperating and constantly changing. And I think becoming the mother of adult daughters has made me appreciate it in a completely different way.
Stages of life can feel so ordinary while you're living through them, but heart-achingly missed once they're gone.
I treasure connection.
Over the years, I’ve photographed families through some incredibly happy times, but also through illness, uncertainty and loss. Those sessions have changed me.
Whether it’s your journey through physical or mental illness, or the heartache that comes with losing someone you love, I’ve come to believe that, when everything else falls away, connection is what holds us together.
I’ve learned that the sweetest moments often feel more intense because of the struggle that came before them. When life has stretched you, changed you, or slowed you in unexpected ways, you hold people closer. You notice more and you feel more.
That’s why celebrating milestones, expressing gratitude for one another, and creating joyful memories together means so much to me. These moments aren’t just nice to have. They remind us of what's important, especially in seasons where life feels heavy or uncertain.
That’s what I want to preserve for you. Not just how everyone looked, but how it felt to be together.
My promise to you.
I’ve been photographing families for 15 years, which means I understand far more than light and angles. I know how to read a room, sense when the energy shifts, and adjust as we go, especially when nerves, personalities or emotions come into play.
My promise is this: you will look and feel like yourselves. Not posed or performed, but relaxed, connected and genuinely at ease. I take the time to understand your family, the personalities, the relationships and the little dynamics between you, and I photograph that thoughtfully and intentionally.
Playful adventure is my thing.
My favourite family sessions are outdoors, surrounded by nature, where there’s space to move, explore and breathe. Being outside naturally takes the pressure off. Kids don’t have to sit still, parents don’t have to manage every moment, and connection happens more easily.
I grew up in New Zealand, rock fishing with my family, riding motorbikes and horses, building cubby houses out of hay bales, and watching the sun set over the water while my parents cooked seafood on our three-legged BBQ.
That upbringing definitely shaped the way I photograph families. I love sessions that feel relaxed, playful and a little bit adventurous, with plenty of room for everyone to move around and be themselves.
So if you’re unsure where your session should take place, you don’t need to stress. I’ll help you choose somewhere that suits your family and the way you like to spend time together.
I've felt the anxiety too.
As you can see, I’m not exactly a natural at family selfies, and I completely relate to that wave of awkwardness that can hit the moment a camera comes out. I’ve been on both sides of the lens, and I know how quickly you can start wondering what to do with your arms, where to look, or whether everyone looks “normal”.
I’m much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it (!!!), so I genuinely understand when someone tells me they hate having their photo taken.
The good news is, you don’t need to be good at it. That part is my job.
