‘Not your average family portraits’: Melbourne photographer’s family photos with a difference win big

Guests will have no choice but to comment when they see these additions to your home decor, with incredible recreations of a breastfeeding Madonna and child to a Renaissance-inspired bare-bottomed baby and topless mum.

Butter wouldn’t melt: Nancy Flammea took this beautiful shot. Picture: Instagram

Melbourne photographer Nancy Flammea is a time-traveller, voyaging one minute to the Renaissance period, and the next to darkened medieval days.

She creates award-winning family portraits influenced by the old masters of the art world, taking up to a year to bring to life from conception to the shoot.

“It’s a painterly-style using Rembrant lighting, it has a feel for the old masters paintings. I call it a whimsical by-gone age,” the 52-year-old said.

In five years Ms Flammea has gone from setting up a studio in her Altona North home to winning Victorian Family Photographer of the Year at the Australian Institute of Professional Photography’s Victorian Professional Photography Awards.

Her somewhat risque portraits include a picture of a breastfeeding mum with a Madonna and child look, another reveals a Renaissance-inspired bare-bottomed baby and topless mum.

Melbourne photographer Nancy Flammea wins Family Photographer of the Year. Picture: Instagram

Nancy Flammea wins home gold and silver at the Victorian Professional Photography Awards. Picture: Instagram

Then there’s the intricate set up of the yesteryear circus-themed shot of a mum holding a whip with her two school-aged children — the scene Ms Flammea took the longest to organise, a year from woe to go.

Her client’s life “felt like a circus, so she wanted to capture that moment in time” and empower her in the strong image.

Props were sourced on eBay and Etsy and hired from The Prop Shop in Spotswood.

“The costumes are quite hard to come by. And it takes a while to style. But clients are patient and wait for it,” she said.

It’s taken years to hone her style of making the end product look like a historical painting rather than a photo.
“It’s taken years of my 11 secrets herbs and spices working it out on Photoshop working out my style. Everyone approaches a painterly look in a different style.

“The lighting’s important but the magic happens in Photoshop,” she said.

It’s been a long road for the former dancer’s career climax, taking out a swag of gold and silvers at the revered awards.

“To say that I was over the moon with my results is an understatement,” she said.

“It is a nail biting experience. You put your heart and soul into each image you produce and hope that the panel of five judges appreciate and award your prints.”

While studying ballet at the Victorian College of the Arts in the 70s and 80s, Ms Flammea had a love of costumes and sets.

“I’ve always dabbled in it (photography), since I was 13 but it wasn’t until I was almost 50 that I was able to access a decent camera.”

“I incorporated all of my history into my photography and I love what I do.”

“My images are not your average family portrait, more like a painting from a time gone by.”

When asked where clients hang their half-naked pieces of art, Ms Flammea said given the committment, they were likely to be displayed for all to see.

“I’m sure they’ve taken pride of place.”

THE STORY BEHIND THE PICS

This yesteryear circus-themed family portrait took about a year to organise from concept to shoot. Picture: Nancy Flammea

1. The family that came had been through a “bad breakup” and wanted to capture her family at that moment in time when her life felt like a circus, Ms Flammea said.

She wanted to empower herself in that image and capture that moment in time.

“We came up with the idea together and it took almost a year to come together collecting pieces.”

A Madonna and child inspired portrait. Picture: Nancy Flammea

2. “I just wanted to recreate a powerful image. A Madonna style with her looking very confident and powerful in her body and in her being a mother.”

A medieval-style family portrait capturing "stillness of a moment". Picture: Nancy Flammea

3. “I love history and wanted to capture the stillness the moment in this woman’s busy life — that quiet moment of connection with her baby,” Ms Flammea said.

It was difficult to catch that perfect moment of reflection with a wriggling baby, she added.

A Renaissance-inspired portrait captures an intimate moment between mum and bub. Picture: Nancy Flammea

4. Ms Flammea wanted to draw back to the Renaissance period and let the audience view what someone’s life might have been like, again, another moment of calm, a moment in time.

For more images see Instagram or Nancy Flammea’s Captured Image Photography website.