Photography by Sarah Joy

07/09/2026

**The Motherhood Experience is now open.**

Once each year, I create something entirely for mothers.

Not a family session, not a mini session.

Just you and your children, or the little life you're still carrying, and space to slow down enough for me to document what your connection feels like right now.

The way they reach for you.

The weight of them against your body.

The hands around your neck, the belly laughs, the wriggling away and coming straight back again.

So much of motherhood happens in these tiny, ordinary moments.

And so often, you're the one taking the photograph rather than being in it.

The Motherhood Experience is my way of changing that.

Held at **Eagle Ridge Retreat in Yeppoon**, each 40-minute session is relaxed and gently guided, with plenty of room for your children to simply be themselves.

**21 & 22 October**
**$650 including 10 high-resolution digital images**
**Only 6 sessions available**

These sessions are especially suited to maternity, babies and toddlers.

You don't need to know how to pose. Your children don't need to behave perfectly. And you don't need to wait until you feel more comfortable in front of the camera.

Come exactly as you are.

I'll take care of the rest.

You can find all the details, sample images and available times through the **link below**.

https://www.photographybysarahjoy.com/motherhood-experience

20/08/2026

On the weekend, I did something that both terrified and thrilled me.

I photographed the wedding of two very special people.

Being asked in the first place was an incredible honour. But being trusted to document something as intimate and meaningful as the beginning of their life together, that felt like something else entirely.

If I’m honest, I felt the weight of that trust. I wanted to do justice to the day, to the people, the little moments, the emotion, all the things that can’t really be recreated once they’ve passed.

And somewhere amongst all of that nervousness, I found myself feeling incredibly grateful.

Grateful to be surrounded by such wholesome people, beautiful energy and so much love. Grateful to have been welcomed in and trusted to tell a small part of their story.

Lauren MacKenzie and Ed, thank you for trusting me with such a special day. It was an absolute honour.

Congratulations to you both, and here’s to new beginnings. 🥂🤍

Alkoomi Adventure Farmstay The Church Events Venue

20/08/2026

There’s something about this picture that I love so much.

I think it’s because it’s mum, like me, jumping on the bed with her boys. It’s exactly how I want to be remembered.

I want to remembered as the mum who sang and danced in the living room concerts (Greatest Showman always my pick), the mum who chose yes to sleeping overnight in the fort they made during school holidays. The mum who joined in on the WOO as we zoomed down a hill on our bikes together, feet in the air.
.Not so much the mum who cooked and cleaned (although I do a lot of that..)

I want to be remembered as fun mum. That’s why I love this photo.

Thanks mum, for embracing the moment and being you.

To all the fun mums, let’s do this!!

19/08/2026

The second pregnancy is different.

There’s less time to sit and take it all in. You’re not wondering what it will be like to become a mum, you already are one. You’re carrying another baby while getting your toddler dressed, making lunches, answering questions, and trying to keep up with everyday life.

And sometimes, because there was no first maternity session, you realise there aren’t many photographs of this part of your story.

The growing belly.
The changing body.
Your toddler climbing onto you, sitting on your belly, cuddling into you without really understanding that everything is about to change.

These are the days you’ll want to remember.

The last days when it’s just the three of you. The little routines, the cuddles, the way your toddler looks at your belly. The feeling of carrying your second baby while still holding onto the version of your family that you know so well.

Soon, you’ll be a family of four.

But right now, you’re in the middle of becoming that family.

And I think this part deserves photographs too. 🤍 reach out to me today, just send a DM and we can chat.

03/08/2026

I don’t want you to leave your session thinking, “We got some beautiful photos.”

I want you to leave saying, “That was such a lovely afternoon.”

The photos matter, of course, but they’re only part of it.

I choose locations where your kids can explore, where you can wander hand in hand, where conversations happen naturally and cuddles aren’t something I have to ask for.

If I’ve done my job well, you’ll barely remember me directing you.

You’ll remember the feeling of being together.

And years from now, when you look at your photos, I hope they bring you right back to that moment.

12/07/2026

Sometimes I leave a newborn session feeling a little jealous.

Not because of the beautiful home, or the perfect light, or the sleepy baby.

Because this family will always have these moments.

Years from now, they’ll be able to look back and see exactly how tiny their baby was.

They’ll remember the way their eldest wrapped their arms around their new sibling, the cuddles on the couch, the little smiles, and the love that filled their home in those first weeks together.

And I don’t have that. At least only from my iPhone

When my own babies were little, I was usually the one behind the camera. I have thousands of photos, but so few that truly tell the story of what life felt like. So few of me in the frame, do few of us together.

Maybe that’s why these sessions mean so much to me.

I know these aren’t just photos for today.
They’re for the years ahead, when your children ask what they were like as a baby.

When your eldest has forgotten they were ever small enough to fit beside you on the couch.
When you want to remember not just how your family looked, but how it felt to hold them in this chapter of your life.

This beautiful family now has those memories preserved forever.

And if I’m honest... I’m a little envious of that.
Because every family deserves to have someone else step in, so they can simply be present in the story they’re living.

📍In-home newborn sessions across Rockhampton and Yeppoon.

11/07/2026

07/07/2026

Bringing home your second baby is something special.

It is exciting and beautiful - but it can also feel overwhelming, emotional, and a little chaotic.

There is a new little person to love, while your first baby still needs you just as much.
There are tiny cuddles, toddler interruptions, sleepy feeds, messy rooms, and moments where everyone is finding their new place.

And somehow, in the middle of it all, your family grows.

These sessions are not about everything looking perfect. They are about capturing this beautiful transition, the cuddles, the curiosity, the proud big sibling moments, and the quiet little details of your new baby at home.

Because one day, the chaos of these early weeks will soften in your memory.

And these photos will take you right back to the moment your family became four. Reach out to me today if you’re expecting your family to grow soon - link to my website in my bio or just send me a DM 🤎

14/06/2026

The memories are in the small details you want to hold onto forever.

My son spent hours tossing this pot into the water. Every throw was followed by the same stern look of concentration before he pulled it straight back up to check for yabbies.

As a mum, you know he’s probably not going to catch anything with that level of enthusiasm, but that’s not really the point, is it?

The determination. The focus. The freedom to explore the world around him. That’s what it’s all about.

I love these images from that afternoon. One day I’ll look back at them and remember everything about him in that moment - who he was, that afternoon by the water, when he was just a little boy tossing his pot, hoping to catch a fish.

31/05/2026

Your family photos at this tender age for me is all about the small things, I love in home family photoshoots exactly for that reason.

We move through the house, following light but also following where family memories are made. Mum and dad’s bed, where morning snuggles happen every day, the kitchen, the heart of the home, and the backyard where afternoon play and learning about the birds and the bees takes place.

Show me your life and I’ll capture it just as it is today, that way it lives forever.

Sarah Joy is a family photographer servicing Rockhampton and Yeppoon