Dixie Lee wants to help you create natural, timeless and beautiful photos that you can cherish forever. With a genuine passion for what she does, she finds joy in meeting new families, capturing their precious moments and creating lifelong memories. Her photography style is centred around simplicity, natural beauty and timeless elegance, ensuring your special moments stand the test of time. From the enchanting stages of maternity to the tender first days of your newborn, the playful and endearing phases of your baby’s growth, the heartwarming essence of family, the intimate Mum & Me sessions and even time spent with beloved pets, she is here to help you remember it all through her lens. Here she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the passion behind her photography business, how she started out in the beginning, her biggest breakthrough, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Well, as my dad would say, I’m “the daughter that went to art school”. I definitely have a love for creating, and photography has always been my outlet for that. I would take photos of anything.
Many years ago, I started working part time, doing family shoots and friends’ weddings. But it wasn’t until I did my first newborn photoshoot that I knew I was hooked.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I started working in the weekends travelling to parks, beaches and clients’ homes. This was great at the beginning, but once I had my son, the travelling became quite difficult to manage. So I created the smallest little studio space in my home. It did the job and I managed to use it for just over two years.
Over time, I saved enough money to create my own dream purpose-built studio, equipped with all the lovely things needed to create natural, beautiful photos that are timeless and can be treasured for a lifetime.
I’m lucky, I feel privileged to have had the most amazing clients and I appreciate each and every one of them. It’s amazing when they come back with their growing families and I get to see the babies all grown up.
When I first started, it was all about getting certain types of poses, but now every session is baby led, with a little structure. Really IT IS up to baby and what they are comfortable with. Safety is my number one priority when it comes to newborns.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
My biggest breakthrough has been developing my own style and sticking with it, rather than following trends, and realising that my clients come to me for my style.
I used to go shopping and everything became a prop. “How could I use this in my studio?” lol. I remember a time when my son was about 4 years old and we were out shopping and he yelled out, “Hey Mum, you could fit a baby in this”, while holding up a cooking pot! I thought, “Right. I’m done with all this prop buying”.
It turned out to be the best thing. I emptied my studio and left only the things I loved and used. It’s all about the baby and the amazing connection between the parents. These are the images that will become the most precious items when baby grows up.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
In the beginning, it was hard to know when to say “No” to my clients, and I found I was working seven days a week, just wanting to do my best. But burnout is real! I was working most days and up all hours of the night editing images. I realised I was just overworking myself and that wasn’t going to last.
Now, I see clients one week and edit images the next, which has been working well and has created a great work/family balance 🙂
