The Fitzroys Photography: 10 Questions with Aga Fitzroy

Photographer - Aga Fitzroy

Business: The Fitzroys Photography

Location: South Morang, Victoria

Experience: 2016

Photography Types: Baby, Cake Smash, Family, Maternity, Newborn, Christmas Mini Sessions, Motherhood Sessions

1. What kind of experience do you have as a photographer?

I’m Aga, the photographer behind The Fitzroys Photography, and I’ve spent over a decade photographing babies, motherhood and families. The Fitzroys began in 2016, just after the birth of my first baby. In many ways, my photography and my motherhood began together. Like so many new mums, I suddenly became very aware of how quickly the smallest things were changing and photography became my way of holding onto a little more of them. Almost a decade later, that instinct is still at the heart of what I do, but my work has grown and evolved enormously alongside me. Years of photographing newborns, babies, mothers and families have shaped the way I see people and the moments between them. I know when to guide, when to gently refine what is in front of me, and when to simply let something beautiful happen. Today, The Fitzroys is a much more considered and evolved expression of where it began - creating photographs that are beautiful to look at, certainly, but more importantly, photographs that preserve something of how this chapter of your family actually felt.

2. What type of photography do you specialise in?

I specialise in newborn, maternity, baby and family photography, with a particular love for photographing the early years when everything seems to change almost overnight. My newborn work is a little different from traditional posed newborn photography. I call it Studio Lifestyle Newborn Photography - a combination of gently guided portraits and real family interaction, photographed in my natural-light studio. There are beautiful portraits where I guide you, but there is also plenty of space for you to simply be together. I watch what naturally unfolds and the result is imagery that feels beautifully crafted, without feeling overly posed. I also offer maternity, sitter and baby milestone sessions, first birthdays and cake smash, family photography and my signature Heirloom Vignette Portraits.

3. Where are you located?

My studio is in South Morang, Melbourne, in Melbourne’s north, and families travel to me from suburbs across the northern, eastern and metro areas. It is a light-filled, beautifully considered space designed to feel more like a little home away from home than a traditional photography studio. Soft natural light, warm earthy neutrals, beautiful textures, a curated wardrobe for mums and an assortment of heirloom pieces for babies all help create the look and feel of my work. There is coffee, music, somewhere comfortable to sit, and most importantly, nowhere you need to rush off to.

4. When should clients book their photography sessions?

For newborn photography, I recommend getting in touch during pregnancy, ideally around your 20-week scan. I reserve space around your due date and then we choose the actual session date once your baby arrives. It means you have one less thing to organise during those wonderfully chaotic first days. Those first three weeks are beautiful for the sleepy, curled-up newborn photographs many families love, but my Studio Lifestyle Newborn sessions are not governed by a stopwatch. If your baby is a little older, that can be beautiful too. Often we get eye contact, little smiles and the very first glimpses of their personality. For maternity, I generally recommend 28–36 weeks, depending on how you are feeling and how your pregnancy is progressing. Baby and sitter sessions can be photographed throughout the first year, with the sitting stage being one of my favourites — usually when babies are sitting confidently but haven't quite discovered the joys of crawling away! First birthday and cake smash sessions are usually planned around the birthday itself.

5. What kind of prices and packages do you offer?

I offer a range of collections depending on the kind of session and how much of your story you'd like to take home. Newborn sessions begin with a $200 creative session fee, with image collections selected separately. Newborn collections currently begin at $490. Maternity sessions begin at $790, with a maternity + newborn bundle collection also available for families who would like to document the journey from bump to baby. Baby, milestone and birthday sessions have their own tailored collections, and I also offer all-inclusive family photography. I’m very happy to talk through the options before you book. I want you to understand exactly how the experience and investment work rather than arrive at your session wondering what happens next.

6. How should customers prepare for their photography sessions?

Before your session, I send you everything you need to know, including guidance around what to wear and how to prepare your baby. My newborn sessions also include access to my collection of baby clothing, wraps and beautiful little heirloom pieces, as well as my wardrobe of dresses for mums. But I don't expect you to arrive with a perfectly sleeping baby and a perfectly behaved toddler. Babies are wonderfully unpredictable. Some sleep. Some feed. Some need cuddles. Some decide that today is the day they would like to make their opinions very clear! We simply work with what your baby gives us. There is no prize for making a newborn session look effortless, my job is to make it feel effortless for you.

7. What should customers expect during a photography session?

Expect to slow down. My studio is warm, comfortable and deliberately relaxed, and newborn sessions can take up to around three hours because I don't believe beautiful photographs should be made by rushing a newborn through a schedule. I’m very good at making people feel comfortable in front of my lens. I’ll guide you gently when I want to create a particular portrait, but I’m also constantly watching for the little things that happen naturally between you. I have a very instinctive eye for people: the right angle, the beautiful light, the way you naturally hold your baby, the fleeting expression that says everything. I’m watching for those details throughout the session and quietly guiding things when needed, so you never have to wonder what you’re supposed to do. That guidance gives you the freedom to relax and simply enjoy your family, knowing that I’m there to look after the photographs. The result is imagery that feels natural and effortless, not because you were left to figure it out yourselves, but because you were gently guided into photographs that still feel completely like you.

8. How do you ensure safety of the newborn during the session?

Your baby’s comfort and safety always come before the photograph. I have extensive experience working with newborns and have undertaken specialist training in the safe handling and care of newborn babies. I take a very gentle, baby-led approach and never force a baby into a pose or rush them because we are trying to achieve a particular image. I work slowly, carefully and with constant attention to your baby’s cues. If they need to be fed, changed, cuddled or simply given a moment, we stop. For your added peace of mind, all of my vaccinations are kept up to date, including whooping cough, and I am fully insured. Beautiful photography is never more important than a comfortable, safe and well-cared-for baby.

9. How soon will customers be able to get their photos?

After your session, I carefully curate your gallery rather than simply handing over hundreds of unedited photographs. You'll receive an online proof gallery to look through and choose your favourites, and your final selected images are professionally retouched in my signature style, available in both colour and black and white. My turnaround time can vary depending on the time of year and the type of session, but I will always let you know what to expect when you book. I also offer beautiful printed artwork and heirloom pieces because I genuinely believe these photographs deserve to exist somewhere beyond a camera roll.

10. Do you have anything else you would like to tell us?

I think the best thing I can tell you is that you don't need to know how to be photographed. You don't need to know where to put your hands, how to make your toddler smile, or how to make your newborn sleep. Come as you are. I'll guide you when you need direction, and when you don't, I'll watch for those little things that happen naturally between you. That is where so much of the story lives. My hope is that years from now, when your children are much bigger and this season has become a distant memory, you won't just see a beautiful photograph. You'll remember how small they were. How they felt in your arms. Who you were together. And perhaps you'll look at it and think, I remember this. That, to me, is what a photograph is really for. Thank you for taking the time to get to know a little more about me and the way I photograph families. I hope I’ll have the pleasure of getting to know you and your little family very soon. Aga x.