Raspberry Photography was born from a deep love of storytelling and a desire to capture the honest, unscripted beauty of family life. Founded by mother, artist, and long-time creative professional Jana Koelmel, Raspberry offers a fresh take on family photography – one that celebrates connection over perfection, playfulness over posing, and real moments over staged ones. With a documentary-style approach and a wholehearted commitment to authenticity, Jana invites families to slow down, be themselves and have their most meaningful memories preserved with care. Here, she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the passion behind what she does, how she balances work and family life, the challenges she has overcome, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
The idea for Raspberry Photography was sparked by my lifelong passion for storytelling. When I became a mother, it shifted my focus. I have studied Fine Art Photography and have worked as a photographer, videographer and producer. Before kids, I never considered pursuing family photography, even though I’ve always loved taking portraits – perhaps because the work I saw out there didn’t resonate with me, and I wasn’t sure I could deliver what people wanted.
I started Raspberry out of a longing for true, honest and above all, highly individual documentary-style family photos – photos that reflect the connection people feel in the moment, and that focus on the small things in life that can often escape us, when we are too busy living. At the same time, I wanted to create something playful and enjoyable. The name Raspberry and the tongue-in-cheek personality test for parents are a testament to that. My goal is to take the stress out of having your memories recorded and to welcome families who may have felt put off by the idea of professional photos. Thankfully, I have started seeing a shift towards more candid, unposed family photography, and I am proud to be part of that new trend.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I am still very much in the beginning. I guess the first steps towards launching Raspberry were about really understanding what it was that I wanted to create. In the initial stage, I was simply obsessed with the thought of developing a story with families rather than just taking pretty pictures. I had this vision in my head of capturing the madness of an extended family get-together. My first booking came about by me just blurting out this idea to a group of friends and one of them instantly got it. She invited me to take pictures of her big family gathering. It felt so exhilarating doing a shoot exactly in the way that I had dreamt up, and I loved every second of it.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Realising that I do my best work when I am authentically me. I have always been very good at adapting to other people’s needs and ideas, which can be a great skill in the workplace, but it also meant that I often ended up doing work to please clients. The outcome always felt a bit half-hearted. Raspberry has given me the space to just be me. I pour my heart and soul into this business, and it feels amazing to see that my authentic style and honest approach resonates with people.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
That is the hardest part for sure – especially as I maintain an active art practice alongside my business. My children are still very little, and I want to keep them home with me for more days than they are in care, at least until they start kindy. There are never enough hours in the day. On my days with the kids, I don’t work except during their naptime/quiet time, and I work most nights after they go to sleep. Daycare is a lifesaver, but it also brings a ton of germs into the house and really slows us down at times.
During my work hours, I have to be highly organised and efficient to make the most of the limited time. My partner is a very involved dad and has always backed me and my business 100%. I could not do it without his support. On weekends, we give each other “time off” so we can each fill our cup. In saying that, we hardly ever get time just the two of us, but we both understand that this is an intense time of our lives that will not last forever. I have also accepted that I can only do so much in the time I have.
