I've been photographing Xenia and Lok since before they had kids. Engagement session. Wedding day. Then Lachlan arrived, then Leila, and now the four of them are out on a Hong Kong trail with a butterfly net, a suspicious amount of confidence, and no real interest in easing into things.
By this point, nobody needs warming up. Nobody needs much directing either. They show up, and the session more or less starts behaving like itself.
The Trail
We picked a trail with a bit of everything — forest canopy, open sections, a bridge with views, and a reservoir at the end. Hong Kong does this unusually well. Ten minutes from the city and suddenly you're on red earth under trees, with enough ground to cover that the kids stop asking to be entertained and just get on with it.
Everyone showed up in coordinating whites, which I always like. Not matching. Coordinating. Important difference. Enough cohesion to keep things clean, not so much that it starts feeling like a family choir.
Xenia and the Kids
Xenia has always been easy in front of the camera. No performance, no visible internal monologue, just warmth. With Leila she's all softness and closeness. With Lachlan there's that easy mother-son rhythm where both of them look like they've already agreed the day is going fine.
The heart shape Xenia and Leila made with their arms on the trail was entirely their idea. I just had the decency to keep up.
Lok and the Kids
Lok's the quiet anchor of this family. Steady, calm, always slightly amused by the chaos his kids generate. There's a shot of him and Lachlan sitting together on the bridge, arm around his son, both of them just content.
He's come a long way from the slightly nervous guy at the engagement shoot. Now he's the most relaxed person in the frame.
The Fish
Lachlan caught a fish. A tiny one, scooped out of a stream with his orange net, then held up with the expression of a child who had personally solved nature. This was not the plan. Which immediately made it better than the plan.
Lachlan catching a fish was not the plan, which was exactly the point.
The Couple
Somewhere in the middle of all the hiking and fish-catching and kid logistics, I grabbed a few minutes with just Xenia and Lok. Sitting on the forest floor, surrounded by trees, just the two of them. These frames matter, especially for couples who spend most of their time being Mum and Dad and only occasionally getting to remember they existed before the snack economy took over.
The Reservoir at Golden Hour
The trail ended at a reservoir, and the timing couldn't have been better. Golden hour hit just as we arrived — the water went still, the hills reflected in it, and the whole place briefly started acting far more expensive than it really was. We used every minute of that light.
Lok with the kids by the water, Leila flashing a peace sign, Lachlan grinning, everyone looking like they had accidentally wandered into the nice part of the day. Then Xenia and Lachlan in that soft backlight by the shore. Then the whole family jumping together with the reservoir behind them, which felt like the correct way to end it.
From Engagement to This
Photographing a family from engagement through to kids growing up is one of the better parts of this job. Each session gets less performative and more recognisable. Xenia and Lok’s family is one of my favourites for exactly that reason.
Plan Your Own Adventure Session
Whether it's a Hong Kong hiking trail, a Singapore nature reserve, or somewhere completely different — adventure family sessions are some of the most honest, joyful work I do. If you want photos that feel like your family actually lives, not just poses, get in touch.
See more family sessions in the Tribe gallery or browse all our work.