Hey, I'm Nick 

I'm a father of 4 insane children and love it! Chaos is just the norm in our family, so much so that it feels weird if I'm not walking around the house with someone hitching a ride on my leg, or having my eye lids pushed open while I nap on the lounge to check if I'm actually asleep. I love the energy that comes from the chaos and that's why I love being able to capture it. 

Photography for me has been such a great way to be able to create those memories and seeing the look on other parents faces when they see their kids as they truly are is an awesome thing. Kids weren't meant to sit, behave and smile at the camera. That's not who they are... they're nuts! So I let them be nuts in my family photo sessions. I generally set up a few photos looking at the camera to begin with, but after about 5 minutes of that they generally want to break free, so I let them and actually encourage it. Just when you start to worry that the perfect family photo shoot you imagined isn't going to plan, that's when I find that the magic starts to happen.

Embrace the chaos …

Ha! Kids are fun aren’t they… except for when they’re not, but anyway this is Ayden, Charlotte, and Jacob. They love me capturing every moment of their life. Can't you tell?

Looking at this pic you'd think butter wouldn't melt in their mouth. Seriously though, they're pretty good kids... Except for the youngest Jake. I think he's probably destined to be a super-villain. Check out his evil laugh below.

See what I mean! He's lucky he's cute... and the other 3... well, butter wouldn't melt in their mouth it seems.

Of course I couldn't handle these 4 punks all by myself, which brings me to the love of my life, the one who keeps us all under control, my beautiful wife Hayley... She wouldn't let me post a photo of here

I've done a lot of things in my working life from burger flipper to cement renderer. However the majority of my career has been as a producer/director for network TV. Now I love TV, I love watching it, editing it and shooting it, but over the years my passion for photography has been so persistent that I needed an outlet.

Family photography is my thing, since kids are my life. It has shown me just how much love you can have for your family, so being able to capture those moments for other couples and families is something I enjoy.

My photography style is candid, natural, modern, in the moment. and never forced. As you know telling kids to do anything they don't want to never gets the desired result, so I like to go with the flow and capture them as their normal chaotic selves.

It's all very relaxed, so even dad won't feel too awkward. I'm a dad myself and so I get not wanting to be in front of the camera doing silly poses. That won't happen in one of my family photography sessions.

Anyway, take a look around and see my portfolio here.

  • Professional, made the kids feel at ease. Very easy going guy and knows his stuff. Quality of the photos were beyond our expectations and sent through insanely quick. Will have to visit Nick again. Highly highly recommend his services.

    Josh Lee Avatar Josh Lee
    September 10, 2015
  • Working with Nick was incredible. It was like he was a fly on the wall, my girls and I went about our afternoon playing at the beach and in the rock-pools, not even noticing that Nick was around snapping beautiful shots for us.Nick was very friendly, the kids really reacted to him well and he encouraged their “fierce” side to come out to play. When I saw the photos, I cried tears of joy. Nick condensed all the love, emotion, and warmth within my family into pictures that I can keep forever. I will highly recommend Nick from Barley Monk Photography to anyone who's wanting an outside-the-box family shoot.

    Jamie Watman Avatar Jamie Watman
    March 26, 2017
  • Nick was amazing. I love taking photos myself, so my kids really suffer from camera fatigue and they brought a challenge to Nick on our shoot. Nick was extremely patient and not phased at all by them. We just chatted while the boys did their thing and eventually Nick was just a quiet observer to the kids having their own fun. It was a really easy comfortable afternoon, especially for me, as I’m usually more happy behind the camera instead. I’m truly grateful to get some photos of my eldest before he becomes a grumpy teenager, too cool to smile for photos! Nick has a lovely eye for photography. His ability to respond the moment shines through in his pictures. He captured a gorgeous photo of my youngest lying on the grass, swept up in his own world. The photo says everything about the little introvert that my boy is. Talented photographers will see those moments. I recommend Nick for any family portraiture, he will definitely capture photos that you will cherish.

    Sal Book Avatar Sal Book
    May 22, 2017
  • Thanks so much for our perfect family pics. Would recommend you to anyone wanting those special moments captured. Just brilliant!

    Bec Mazzone Avatar Bec Mazzone
    November 16, 2015
  • We absolutely loved the pictures that Nick captured of our daughter's first birthday party! He captured the magic, pace (and chaos!) of the day perfectly and we'll look upon these for years to come. Thanks for the beautiful shots!

    Erika Durante Avatar Erika Durante
    March 8, 2017
  • Have not seen any pics but it was such a relaxed morning Even though my eldest was a little annoying and awkward it was just a lovely morning did not feel like a stiff boring photo shoot Can not wait to see photos

    Trudi Fryer Avatar Trudi Fryer
    April 23, 2017
  • 10/10 for shots and service. Barley monks have taken many photos for my family and we have been nothing but over the moon with the results. If your looking for someone to capture that moment in time to have on print forever Barley and Monks photography are your people. Thanks Nick for giving us amazing photos to keep forever.

    Katie Peel Gleeson Avatar Katie Peel Gleeson
    September 19, 2015
  • Our experience with Nick was like no other. He made our whole family feel comfortable and at ease and with his unobtrusive nature we hardly knew he was there! He didn't just take photos, he captured moments and we are so thrilled with the end result. What a talent, Nick is definitely the real deal and I couldn't recommend him highly enough.

    Mel Grady Avatar Mel Grady
    May 9, 2017
  • We could not be happier with the photos Nick took. He managed to capture the unique personalities of our children in a fun, creative relaxed yet professional way. Never an easy task keeping 3 little boys on track and interested but this was the most fun my boys have ever had being photographed!! Nick didnt just take photos he captured the story that is our family a little crazy but full of love. Thanks Nick.

    Rochelle Woolley Avatar Rochelle Woolley
    September 29, 2015
  • I got one word to say about your photographs. AMAZING! ..Whoops that's 9 words

    Joel Bennett Avatar Joel Bennett
    June 18, 2016

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