A Little Life Update Before Christmas Season

With Christmas creeping onto the calendar again, I wanted to swing by with a little life update - partly practical (session news!), and partly just... honest. And not only that - I've had messages, emails, and texts from long-term clients wondering what's going on, as they'd noticed I haven't been posting much. So here we are. Another little life update. (scroll to the bottom after the booking calendar for the full update)

Christmas Portraits Are Back for 2026

We're still in our Warnbro home for now, which means Christmas portrait sessions will be opening again this year. I'm so looking forward to it. Sessions will be for a limited time only, as always, with pricing remaining the same this year.

Whether this will be the last Christmas season here, only time will tell. The plan is to complete renovations within the next six months, and once that's done, selling will be on the cards. This home has only ever been a stepping stone for us - a place to hold this current chapter of our lives, one of deep healing and evolving. So if you've been wanting Christmas portraits with me, this year feels like a good year not to wait.

Bookings will Open In October for Christmas Portraits

Outdoor Family & Mummy and Me Sessions

For a while now, outdoor family sessions have been something I've only offered here and there, mostly for past clients. But I'm excited to share that I'll be opening up a few outdoor sessions this time around - for families or Mummy and Me sessions. A limited amount only for this month and next (September and October). And a few dates for March to get in early for Mothers Day.

I honestly don't know yet what this will mean. It might respark that passion inside me again. Or it might be the gentle close of a long career spent photographing beautiful families. I won't know until I'm in it.

Click Here To Book Your Spot

(if dates are still showing and none work for you, feel free to to get in contact as I have some flexibility to do different dates)

Those Clients Wondering about Boudoir Sessions

For those clients wondering about Boudoir, I am also opening a limited number for sessions. This will be happening in the coming weeks over on at Boudoir By Kristy Lee. And emails will go to those on the VIP list when those open.

Following What Feels Right

At this stage of my life, I'm choosing to follow what feels right rather than what's certain. My children are all adults now, so the last few years have been about deep healing - regrounding after the whirlwind that was raising them, and stepping into a new season of my life. It's hard to let go of moments that, by the end, felt extremely overwhelming. I suppose after over 25 years of raising children - starting at such a young age myself, without ever really finding my own sense of self - working through burnout as though it were just "the norm," it started to become clear that it's actually not normal, and that it was time to reconnect back to myself, back to who I am at the core.

I know that might not give you the reassurance you'd love to have as a client - a clear "this is forever" or "this is the last time." I can't offer that right now, and I'd rather be honest with you than pretend otherwise. I still have a passion for photography, and over the last few years I've been very deliberate about how selective I am with the sessions I take on, so that clarity could become a bigger priority as I step into this new season. It hasn't been an easy ride, but it has certainly been so worth it.

Part of this season has also meant massive shifts in my relationships. I got to a point where I had to ask myself honestly: what is this relationship costing me? Is it reciprocal? Is it lighting me up, or bringing me stress? Waking up inside long-term survival patterns I hadn't even realised I was living in was extremely destabilising.

Letting go of some relationships was devastating. But it gave me the space I needed for that reconnection back to myself to happen, and I am so grateful for that. I've learned to accept people for exactly where they are, and to understand that loving someone from afar costs me far less than putting myself back into environments I can now see for exactly what they were - emotionally unsafe.

I can say it openly now: I've been healing from complex, long-held trauma, and I am doing better than I ever have. I share this so openly because I know how important it is - whether it helps someone else find a little more understanding around mental health, or lets another mum who is deep in the thick of it know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Some of you will have seen me mention stepping into healing work of my own - and yes, that's still very much on the table. It's still being shaped, still evolving, and I don't have a neat, finished offering to hand you just yet. But it's something I'm deeply passionate about, especially supporting other mothers to find themselves again after burnout, after long periods spent in survival. More on that as it takes form.

What I can tell you is this: I'm saying yes to the things that light me up. And right now, that includes Christmas portraits in our Warnbro home, and a handful of outdoor family and Mummy and Me sessions. If either of those calls to you, I'd love to have you - love to see you again. And who knows - maybe it will be the last time, or maybe it will spark something inside of me that reignites my passion and purpose for where my photography might take me next.

For those wondering about my boudoir sessions - yes, I do also plan on opening up a limited number of those. Again, I'm not sure yet whether it will be to say goodbye, or whether it will see me lead in a different direction.

What I can tell you is this: I have full trust and faith in saying yes to the things that light me up, knowing that alone will lead me wherever I'm destined to be. So watch this space!

Service Swaps

I've also decided to start offering service swaps. If you have a business or an offering you think might be a good fit, I'd love to hear from you.

Swaps will be based on dollar value - whether that's marketing images for your business, or family photos for you. I'm open to hearing what you offer, but the area I've been throwing myself into most is self-care, so health and wellness offerings are of particular interest to me - think retreat photography, yoga, massage, energy or healing sessions, or other health and wellness spaces.

Booking details to come soon - keep an eye out.

With love, Kristy