“A friend of a friend asked me to shoot their wedding… I decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone and try something other than photographing my own kids.” From accountant to photographer – meet Kelly Goyette (@kellyanngoyette)…
Kelly Goyette (@kellyanngoyette), 38, lives in Essex with her husband, David, two children: Ivy, six, and Iris, two, and her two stepchildren: Lily, 16, and Jack, 15. She works as an accountant four days a week.
Our mornings are … busy. The day starts at 6am. David and I take it in turns to go to the gym, which sets me up for the day – exercise keeps me sane. This is followed by coffee. Whilst one of us is at the gym the other sees to the children and prepares breakfast. We have breakfast together (minus Lily – she leaves later for college and prefers a bit more zzzz). David takes Iris off to nursery/ grandparents. And I take Ivy to school (a massive plus to working locally).
I’d describe our house as … cramped. Recently the big kids came to live with us. We are about to start house renovations to give us all a bit more room to breathe.
My kids mainly wear … the same. I’m obsessed with twinning, I blame my mother, she dressed me and my sister the same and I love dressing the girls this way. I’m sure the twinning days are numbered; I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. I buy the girls a mix from high streets and independents. Zara, H&M, Young Double, Sophie & Co, Cissy Wears, Archie’s Boutique.
I cope with clutter by … hiding everything in cupboards. I don’t cope, I hate clutter, it completely stresses me out, I’m always clearing things out or struggling to find time to clear things out. I always have a bag of stuff for the charity shop hanging around in my car (another thing that needs clearing out).
Our favourite family meal is … errr this is a tough one, we all love food.
I never leave the house without … my phone and my lipstick.
When no one’s looking I … throw stuff away that we don’t need.
Having a child has made me … more conscious of how precious time is. I try to take some time off work during every school holiday so we can spend time together. Our weekends and free time are often spent on adventures and travels with friends and family.
I encourage creativity by … not having the TV on (unless I’m desperate). The girls play together a lot: babies, teachers, schools, holidays, they regularly set up a bus or a plane and pack a bag of belongings! I love listening to them without them knowing. They both love to draw, particularly Ivy, she always has a pencil in her hand, she also loves to write poems and songs often they relate to things on her mind.
We have a cupboard where all the art stuff lives and the girls can help themselves whenever they like. This cupboard is also a chalk board so they use that frequently too. David plays the guitar and the girls love to sing with him at bath time, Ivy is showing interest, so perhaps he’ll teach her a few chords. Ivy also likes to make her own playlists, her music knowledge is better than mine!
I’ll never be able to part with … my camera. I’ve always loved taking photos. I bought my first SLR when Ivy was born, I thought it would be a good investment – instead of spending money on photoshoots, I could take my own. Then three years ago I started doing the click project through Instagram, where you take a picture of your child every week and document it but with your camera instead of your phone, and this pushed me to get my camera out every week and I began to learn more.
Last year a friend of a friend asked me to shoot their wedding, I ummed and ahhed but decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone and try something other than photographing my own kids so I agreed. I upgraded my camera and shot the wedding, it was hard work but I loved it. I’ve since done another wedding and a few family shoots. I have some cool things booked in for next year. This little path is an exciting one and I can’t wait to see where it leads. Oh, and holidays, I could never part with breaks with my family!
Bedtime tends to be … different every night. David and I take it in turns to do bedtime – it always involves reading a book, sometimes two, Ivy is generally amazing at going off to sleep Iris not so much, she often asks for you to lay with her or tickle her and sometimes it can be utterly draining. I regularly remind myself they are only tiny once, this phase will not last.
When all else fails, we … eat chocolate, have a shout and go to the park.
Follow kellyanngoyette on Instagram: @kellyanngoyette