A little about me…
I'm a beach bum at heart, always have been. Give me sunshine, salty air, and bare feet and I'm happy.
I grew up in a tiny town in South Australia called Aldinga Beach, and honestly, some of my best memories are just... simple. Riding bikes through paddocks to a mate's place. Climbing fences we probably shouldn't have. Piling into the car with sandy towels and an esky, Dad driving the old Holden straight onto the sand, and staying till the sun dropped into the water.
I think that's where the outdoorsy, easy going thing in me comes from. I'm always chasing that same kind of light and freedom now.
I'm smack in the middle of five kids, so even though I love a quiet moment, I've never minded a bit of chaos either. Honestly, the noise and mess of family life just feels normal to me, which is probably why I love photographing it so much.
I've also got a real soft spot for folk music, anything acoustic and a bit rough around the edges. My dad played guitar when I was a kid, and that sound still grounds me. There's something about music that isn't polished, it just feels honest. I want my photos to feel the same way. A little imperfect. Full of soul. True to the moment.
I was born and raised near Adelaide, then spent most of my teen years up in Darwin, which is actually where I met my husband, Matt. From there we moved around a fair bit for his work, and eventually landed in Sydney.
Turns out the big city never really fit me. I'm a small-town girl at heart, and I kept feeling like I was rushing to keep up with things that honestly didn't matter to me. That pull toward something slower just got too strong to ignore, so we left, and found our way to Murwillumbah in the Northern Rivers. Mountains, creeks, a much gentler pace of life — it gave us room to breathe again. Space to grow, and to find our rhythm.
We're a proper water family. Most summer days you'll find us at the ocean or in the pool, salty and sun-warmed and a little wild. I've been learning to surf the past few years, and it's become my sanctuary, honestly. It humbles me, challenges me, clears my head like nothing else can.
At home, I'm usually making something with my hands, dragging home old furniture, sanding it back, giving it a second life. I love that slow, careful kind of work. There's something about noticing the beauty in things just as they are.
Let’s tell your story. Honestly.
As a mum of three, I know how quickly these seasons shift.
My girls are growing into big kids now, but I still feel that ache for the days when they were small and sticky and always needing me.
That’s why I’m drawn to documenting family life just as it is, not the polished version, but the real stuff.
The wild love. The tiny gestures.
When you see your photos, I want you to feel something. Not just how it looked, but how it felt to be in it.
And don’t worry, tantrums don’t rattle me.
I adore big families, wild children, and the kind of chaos that makes your story yours.
A little about why…
Photography wasn't ever really a plan for me. I didn't set out to become a photographer at all.
Then my daughter was born, and something in me shifted. I had this deep need to remember, to hold onto the days exactly as they were. So I started taking photos, mostly because I didn't want to forget her, or us.
At first it was the obvious stuff, the milestones, the firsts. But then I started noticing everything else too. Light catching in her hair. The way she'd look at me. The way she'd completely disappear into her own little world of play. Grubby garden hands. A fistful of flowers. Sandy toes at the beach.
That's when it clicked, I wasn't just documenting her. I was documenting my own motherhood too. The shape of our days. The way love actually lives in the ordinary, unremarkable moments.
That instinct to hold onto things before they slipped away turned into a whole way of seeing. First it was just our story. Then friends started asking. Then other families who felt that same pull.
And now it's just what I do, every day, honouring these little seasons for what they are. Slowing down. Paying attention. Helping other people see the beauty that's already there in their everyday.
My nostlagic heart has given me a deep love for shooting 35mm film.
It is predominantly how I document my own family. There’s something timeless and soulful about film photography- the texture, the colours, and the imperfections that make every shot feel uniquely special.
Meet my girls…
Isla
Lily
Indigo
7 facts about me
1.
I was born in Adelaide in a small sleepy beach town and moved to Darwin when I was in my early teens.
2.
I met my husband when I was 17, we travelled around Australia and lived in almost every capital city before finally settling in Murwillumbah, and now I wouldn’t live anywhere else!
3.
I have three beautiful girls. Isla is ten, Lily is seven and Indigo is four. They are my biggest inspiration, I am forever documenting our daily lives because I want to remember every single little moment with them.
4.
I am utterly petrified of heights.
5.
I am completely obsessed with all things vintage, especially character homes with stained glassed windows and dusty floorboards that are filled with memories! Take me back to the glory days of 1920s!
6.
I spent 18 months overseas, I planned to travel all over Europe but ended up spending most of time in a small seaside town in the UK where I lived in a hostel and shared a bunk bed with my sister.
7.
“My favourite band of all time is the Beatles, I listen to their songs at least once a day.”
chilled, unposed photography“Kirstie made us all feel comfortable and was so good with our kids, she just let them run wild and captured them as they were instead of trying to make them sit and smile. This made for the most beautiful candid photos that we will treasure forever.”
— Madison
