School days · Family stories · Nairobi

Small days.
Big feelings.
Made to last.

Natalie photographs school days and family life as they really happen—the wild laugh, the quiet cuddle, the grass stain, the enormous backpack and all. Warmly, beautifully, and with no pressure to perform.

Tell Natalie your idea See the stories ↓

Two young children crawling towards the camera while their parents laugh behind them in a Nairobi garden — Photographs by Natalie Mulvaney

A young child taking first steps between two adults in a Nairobi garden

Give me the wild laugh and the untucked shirt.

Natalie’s favourite bit

I’ll make the lovely portrait. But I’m secretly waiting for what happens just after it.

The private joke. The muddy knee. The serious little face they make when they are really, really trying. No elaborate sets and no forced cheese—just good light, a calm approach and enough attention to catch the part nobody planned.

The photography

The nice photo. The bonkers one. Both matter.

Big family love, tiny childhood details and all the glorious chaos in between. Quietly observed, naturally edited and allowed to feel like real life.

Young child holding a yellow flower in a garden — The lovely one

Family relaxing together on garden steps — Everybody, almost looking

Child playing among floating bubbles — Absolute joy

A close photograph of tiny feet — The small stuff

A child flying up into the air during family play — The one that makes you laugh

An honest note: Natalie’s family work is the foundation of this portfolio and the eye she brings into schools. The first founding-school commissions will grow the dedicated school collection alongside it.

For schools

The school day is already full of magic. I just turn up and notice it.

Natalie works around the real rhythm of the day: paint on fingers, friends at break, full concentration and sudden laughter. The brief and permissions are planned carefully; the photography itself stays light, calm and wonderfully human.

Discuss a school visit →

Plan once.

A concise creative brief, a practical shot list and a schedule built around classes, play, performances or key moments in the year.

Photograph naturally.

One unobtrusive photographer, working across classrooms and shared spaces. Children can keep doing what they were already doing.

Receive a useful library.

A tight, consistent edit in high-resolution and web-ready formats, privately delivered and ready for the channels agreed in the brief.

School safeguarding followed Consent respected Private delivery

Family sitting together on a picnic blanket in a green Nairobi garden — Big feelings

Laughing young child being carried outdoors — Bigger laughs

Two children relaxing together on a blue picnic blanket — The bit in between

School commissions · Nairobi

A lot of love. A very clear quote.

Clear starting prices based on the time on site, the volume of careful editing and the commercial value of a reusable school image library.

01 · Focused brief

Story Visit

KES 55,000Up to 3 hours

45–60 edited photographs
One focused activity, year group or event
High-resolution + web-ready files
School-owned channel usage

02 · Best all-rounder

School Day

KES 95,000Up to 7 hours

90–120 edited photographs
Classes, shared spaces and key moments
Pre-shoot planning and shot list
10 priority images within 48 hours

03 · Ongoing story

Year in Frames

KES 320,000Four planned visits

320–450 edited photographs across the year
A consistent visual library across terms
Priority dates and planning check-ins
Approx. 15% retainer saving

Included: planning, photography, careful colour edit, private online delivery, high-resolution and web-ready files, and use across the school’s website, prospectus, newsletters and organic social channels.

Prices include Nairobi travel. Paid advertising, third-party campaigns, extensive retouching and travel outside Nairobi are quoted separately. Final scope is confirmed before booking.

A family sitting together among yellow flowers in a Nairobi garden — The whole story, not just the poseNairobi

A young child taking first steps while holding two adults' hands — The whole story, not just the poseNairobi

Why Natalie

People relax around Natalie. Children forget the camera is there.

She fits into your life first. The photographs follow.

Natalie is brilliant with people, especially children. She never arrives to rearrange everyone into a version of family life that never existed. She reads the room, joins the rhythm and makes the camera feel unimportant.

At home, she notices the afternoon light on the sofa, the jumble by the door and the arms that always reach for the same child. The finished photographs feel like the most beautiful, romantic version of your own memory—elevated, but still unmistakably yours.

At school, the instinct is the same: attentive, playful and unobtrusive. The day carries on. Natalie simply catches what makes it special.

Easy with childrenThere is room to play, pause, wriggle and stay completely themselves.

Fits around real lifeYour home or school rhythm stays intact; Natalie works gently inside it.

Honest, beautifully finishedWarm and romantic without pretending the messy, funny bits were never there.

Natalie’s photography ↗ Tails of a Mermaid ↗

Founding schools · 2026/27

Tell me what’s happening. I’ll bring the camera.

A school day, a family chapter, a first year or a gloriously chaotic afternoon—tell Natalie what you want to remember. She’ll come back with a sensible plan, a clear price and plenty of enthusiasm.

natalie@tailsofamermaid.com
Nairobi, Kenya