Welcome to Grain & Weave In-Home Family Photography

“How does it work?” and Other Frequently Asked Questions

Established in 2016, we’re the original in-home family photography company. Our approach is unique—bringing the studio to your home for a relaxed, stress-free experience. Unlike traditional studio or outdoor sessions, our shoots are designed to be comfortable and enjoyable for everyone.

If you’d like to learn more about how it works, we’ve created a comprehensive guide below to answer your questions.

The In-Home Family Photography Session: An Overview

Each session lasts about two hours, including setup and takedown. This timeframe allows everyone to feel at ease and ensures the shoot remains fun and relaxed—especially for young children and babies.

During this session, we aim to capture 20-25 images, depending on the shoot type and number of participants. You can include the whole family, just immediate family, or focus solely on the baby. We do recommend parents join for at least a few photos, creating cherished memories for your child to look back on.

After the photography session:

Inlcuded in every package is a complete experience, with no hidden costs.

This list is regularly updated with our most frequently asked questions. 
Use the links below to jump to:

General Questions
In-Home Newborn Baby Photos
Online Design Consultation
Products / Packages
Gift Voucher
Business Headshots

Does Grain & Weave just work with babies?

We are essentially a complete family and baby portrait photography studio.

We work with newborns, toddlers, adult kids and teens, pets and grandparents, though we get a lot of baby enquiries because our in-home format works so well.
We’ve captured up to five generations plus pets in one shoot before! If you can fit them in your house, we will capture it!
The main difference is that we bring the studio quality and a fun and relaxed experience to your home.

"How do you have so many good reviews?"

Our customers often shake our hands and give us hugs when we leave (*edit: this doesn’t happen anymore due to the pandemic, but the sentiment is still there!).
When our returning customers call us for an update or new baby photoshoot, it is like talking to old friends. In fact, over 30% of our customers are returning customers.

These kind of relationships are special and must to be earned. 

Just a quick read through any of our many reviews will help you understand why we are Sydney’s most trusted in-home family photographers. 
Currently we are on 100% 5-star rating and we have many more testimonials and personal messages, cards and gifts sent to us.

"Can we visit your office / studio?"

We are an on-location only service, which means that our office is not open to the public. 
You can, however, contact Adele in our office between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday by phone or email.
Our studio is in your home!

"Where do you travel to?"

We have a ‘loose’ radius set to 50km from the Sydney CBD.  This is not set in stone and we can will always take enquiries by phone, for those extra special moments. 

We regularly visit families and businesses in Sydney's West, Eastern Suburbs, North Shore, Inner West and Northern Beaches area. 
We have visited over 146 different suburbs so far as of July 2022.

Some of our most recent locations have been:
Penrith, Liverpool, Parramatta, Hills District, Mosman, Hornsby, Turramurra, Pymble, Wahroonga, Warrawee, Willoughby, Ryde… you get the idea!

"Our home isn't very big..."

Not to worry! We are the masters of in-home baby and family photography! Only need a few metres of room is needed to work with.  Your space is simply a place where we work and is contextual and usually unrecognisable. 

Mostly we use blank walls for family and beds for baby shoots. In occasional cases, people want to include their home style - furniture, or pieces around the home that have meaning. Should you have no blank wall space available for us, simply let us know and we’ll arrange a ‘plan B’. Every image we've ever taken has been shot in and around client's homes.

"Can we shoot outdoors?"

We have mastered the indoor family shoot and can almost guarantee a great experience and images every time because of the unique way in which we work.
Once you introduce the outdoors you are adding in multiple variables that are harder to control and can affect not only the quality of the images, but the experience too.

On top of this, babies fare a lot better in a controlled environment such as the bedroom and not outdoors when having a photoshoot. For those reasons, we don’t work outdoors.

"Can I get a CD or USB with all the images on?"

You can order all of the images in your consultation, no worries!

Don’t forget, quality over quantity.  You will notice your photographer spends time crafting each portrait to make you and your family look your best, as well as ensure the important factors such as composition, light and ‘feel’ are spot-on.

In our short time together we will be creating a range of around 20-30 different images that give you some variety in your slideshow and choice when it comes to ordering.
Our many happy clients have commented on how difficult it is to choose because of the quality, but how much easier it was because of our process.

"What is the perfect age for a newborn shoot?"

There is no perfect time, however we do recommend as soon as you can, if possible.  A child is considered ‘newborn’ at 0-2 weeks and a ‘baby’ is 2 weeks and above. The closer to newborn they are, the higher the chances that they are more compliant and easier to shoot with. Of course, this is real life and babies will do what babies do!

Check out this article if you’d like to read some more info on baby photography ages.

"What if my baby is older than two weeks old?"

If your baby is around one month old, you can still get great baby shots and definitely a lot more personality, but the trade-off is that it may take a little longer for each image to be created.  Not to worry, we are experts at this, with literally thousands of babies having been photographed by our professional portrait photographers.

We advise that you allow plenty of time in your shoot to fit in feeds and naps so you can stay relaxed - the good news is that as they get older, they look even more cute!

"Do you supply blankets or beanies etc?"

We find it's always nice to use your own toys and blankets, particularly if they were gifts.  We do have a small selection of beautiful blankets and textures you can include if you want to.

"What is an Online Design Consultation?"

As part of every package we have included up to 60 minutes on Zoom with one of our senior staff members to assist you in choosing your favourite images.

During your appointment you will be able to use our customised software to compare and adjust the images to your liking, as well as preview them as collections or on your wall at home, using our ‘virtual preview’ feature. Once you have finished and ordered, you know exactly what you are getting and will not require any further cropping or adjustment - ready to hang!

Please note, this step is an important part of our workflow and is required so we can maintain the high standard of product and service we are known for.

"How much do families usually spend?"

We have made high-quality family photography accessible.
Our Standard Package is $395 and covers all of the service, photography, editing and after-sales service, PLUS a 5-image digital album - that is great value for a professional and high quality product such as ours.

With this package you are not required to spend any further amount, however, all of our clients want to invest more because they love what we have made them! With options from just $75 for an extra image, up to handmade premium quality artwork from just $275, you are spoilt for choice.

Most families invest anywhere from $500-$1500 per session, depending on comfort level and resources, with all of them having enjoyed their experience and feeling that they have made a great investment. Many families go even further if they wish! Almost all of our customers we have visited have referred us on, or come back to us multiple times.

Our way of working is that we do great work and give you the information upfront, so you can make good decisions.

"When do I receive my images/wall-art?"

Due to the nature of hand crafted pieces, we allow four weeks from your order being placed to receiving them by courier. Digital images take around 5-7 days and are delivered securely online.

"I don't need a consultation - can you put them online instead for me to choose?"

What makes you say that?  The consultation is a critical part of the experience and an integral part of our team’s workflow.
It is also your chance to have your say as to how you would like to receive them - black or white, cropped into a square, or presented in a classic 3:4 ratio or a modern 1:2 format? 

Our company provides a tailored 'in-person service' and we are not an online print and dash.  We will guide you through any questions you have, as well as help you come to the right decisions for you as to how you might want to display your portraits. A great experience is part of what we do and without it, we cannot provide the excellent service that we are known for.

We are not set up to provide online proofing and cannot provide this service.

"Do you back up my images?"

As part of our award-winning service, we promise to keep all the images that you ordered on our servers for the life of the company.

We have THREE backups for your images; a local server, a remote server and online gallery service. These products are not cheap to maintain, but we have found that our clients have appreciated this in the (not common, but definitely occasional) event that something has happened to their copy of the images.

We have been requested for re-prints after the 2019-20 ‘Black Summer’ fires destroyed two homes and belongings.

Are there any hidden costs or a minimum spend with your package?

No. 
OurStandard Package is designed to get you started easily on your professional photography journey with a minimum inclusion. If you change your mind on your inclusion, you can always put your initial investment into something else you prefer.

"Can I pay more upfront?"

You can save by investing into our high-tiered packages such as a $600 or above, which includes $690 of value, for example.
We welcome extra credit in our gift vouchers - please contact us for customised gift amounts.

All customers have the choice of using their initial investment as an amount toward their final outcome, if they prefer.
This keeps their options open and allows unprecedented flexibility in the family photography industry.

"What are your product prices?"

Our physical wall art pieces start at just $275 for a 10"x10" Wood Panel with a 10”x10” handmade premium canvas retailing at $345.
We can also cater for large 40" feature pieces, handmade to order.
Single web-size digital images are just $75 each.
We have seasonal promotions on our wall-art and over 100 options, so there really is something for everyone at any level of investment.

"What are the differences between the DIGITAL packages?"

Our digital images are supplied in two different formats to suit different needs:  DIGI-ART & DIGI-PRINT

DIGI-ART is made for screens.
Optimised and balanced at just the right point of quality VS file size.  It is intended for devices and screens and therefore will not print large. The files are approximately 1MB in size that makes them perfect for sharing easily with family and friends by email or social media, but still look super sharp on the latest high-resolution retina computer and tablet/phone screens available today.
DIGI-PRINT is meant to be printed and can be printed in professional quality (if you take it to a professional printer!) up to 20 inches, uncropped.

"How do I clean my Canvas / Wood Panel / Stone?"

A dry, clean microfibre cloth is perfect.  Try to avoid using cleaners and products.  Canvas and Wood Panels are protected with an optically clear laminate to keep them safe against sunlight and curious fingers. Stone pieces are naturally rugged in finish and require only a light dusting.

"Will my wall art fade in the sun?"

We use genuine Canon archival ink and in some cases protect the pieces with a laminate (see above).  Kept in indirect sunlight, you can expect your pieces to last you many years without any fading or discolouring.  We want you to hand them down through the family!

"Can you deliver the voucher directly?"

Yes, your voucher will be delivered by Express Post (unless otherwise specified) and you will be supplied with a tracking number.  Presentation is everything.  We will hand write a note for you and include a letter printed on fine linen that gives the details of their gift and how to redeem.

"How do I purchase a voucher?"

Call 1300 476054 or click HERE to purchase your voucher.  Once you have paid your invoice you will receive your voucher by Express Post within approximately three business days.  If required sooner, this can be done by request.

“Can I get business portraits?”

Our photographers are excellent portrait artists and have years of experience with business and corporate photography.
Please let us know if you are planning on having some business portraits made and we will book a seperate session for you, which can be either before or after on the same day if needed.

We do not recommend trying to have your business portrait captured during your family session as it breaks the rhythm of the session and can affect the outcome. Please allow our photographers to do what they do best!

"In regard to retouching, does the price include a general clean-up with further retouching at extra cost?"

We supply your images ready to go.  It is important however that your images look natural and recognisable as you. We show you at your best with great light and years of photography experience.

"How long does it take to get our images?"

We shoot tethered to a laptop and require your staff to select their images with any specific retouching requirements immediately after their session.  This cuts down time considerably.  After this, you can expect to have your images delivered via digital download link within 24-48 hours per 10-20 people.