What is Babies in Bonnets?

Join us in celebrating the magic of babyhood with Heartstory, as we create a beautiful collection of natural, whimsical baby portrait photographs that will be turned into a stunning coffee table book, while raising funds for one of Australia’s most important charities: PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia).

Please visit our current news and offers page to see whether we are currently running Babies in Bonnets and find out more about baby photography by Heartstory. 

Why PANDA?

Perinatal Anxiety and Depression affects 1/5 mothers and 1/10 fathers, so out of the 50 families selected for this project, about 10 of them will have been touched by this condition. And this includes your photographer. Katie recently had her second baby at the ripe old age of 42, 11 years after her first. She found that the support amongst health professionals during her pregnancy and after August was born was very different to what it was like 11 years ago, in part due to the amazing work PANDA does in supporting and educating perinatal caregivers. She made sure she had an amazing network around her of health professionals specialising in perinatal care. Unfortunately not everyone has access to services like that. Despite all of this, Katie has recently struggled with post natal anxiety and found PANDA to be an incredible resource, especially their brand new online mental health checklist, designed to help parents find out if what they’re going through might be a little more than the stress and exhaustion of caring for a new baby. PANDA saves lives and provides vital support, which is even more necessary now that we don’t have villages raising our children. And after living and working in Canberra for the past 22 years, Katie knows that it is in this city where so many people move to for work, away from their family and support networks, where services like these become even more important.

Sadly, there is still a stigma around mental illness and new mums feel intense pressure to put on a brave face and get on with it, no matter what might be beneath the surface. We want to start a conversation, raise awareness, build community and support this important cause, while celebrating our beautiful, precious babes.

Who is the photographer?

Your photographer is Katie Kolenberg, two time winner of Australian Family Photographer of the Year in 2015 and 2017, and owner of Heartstory, Canberra’s leading family portrait photography studio. Katie is a mother of two boys: August (11 months) and Toby (11 years) and she loves babies, especially when they’re wearing bonnets.

She is also a big softie who wears her heart on her sleeve. Watch the video below to find out why she is doing this, what it means to her and what it could mean to you.

Who can be in this project?

• Babies up to the age of 2 (at the time of their session). As long as they can tolerate a bonnet (good thing about bonnets is they’re harder to pull off than a hat!).
• If you’re currently pregnant and due between February and June 2019, please apply, as we would love to have some newborns in the book!
• If you are a Supermama and have two children who both fit within the age range, please apply, as it would be fantastic to have some sibling photos in the book.

How will it work?

1. We plan on photographing 50 portrait sessions and when we’re finished, we will be publishing a beautiful hard cover book called Babies in Bonnets, featuring the best photo from each session we photograph, together with some meaningful words about motherhood.
2. We are currently receiving donations of bonnets, clothing, toys and other items from well known and loved children’s boutiques around Australia to help style our photo shoots, and at the end of the project we will be selling all of these gorgeous things, with all proceeds going to PANDA.
3. And, we will also give you the means to do your own fundraising if you wish to help us raise further funds.

Our overall goal is $15,000.

I’m in, what next?

When: Session times will be available on weekdays and selected weekends from mid February to June 2019, with the book to be published in September.

Where: Heartstory’s natural light studio, Suite 104, Loop Earth Building, 17 Market Street, Belconnen, ACT 2617.

Cost to participate: $100, which will be donated in full to PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia).

What’s included:  

• A Heartstory portrait session with your baby in our Belconnen studio (approx 1 hour). This session can include other family members if you like (we will photograph your Babies in Bonnets images first).
• Your double page spread in the Babies in Bonnets book.
• A personal appointment following your portrait session where you may purchase images from your session. We will have a special selection of packages available for Babies in Bonnets participants, which will include a copy of the book. Otherwise the book can be purchased separately.
• You do not have to supply the bonnets. We have a huge range of bonnets for boys and girls in a variety of sizes, just for this project!

How to apply: Fill out the application form at the bottom of this page, and we will contact you to book your session and organise your donation. Only 50 spots will be available!

Please note: Because this book will be published, you must be willing to give us permission to display your photographs as part of your involvement in this project. This will include the use of first names in the book. Please discuss this with us if you have any concerns.