Family Session with the Bernardis Family & a Feature in Heartful Magazine
Over the moon to have this joyful image featured in the spring 2026 issue of Heartful Magazine
A 10-Minute Story: The Bernardis Family & A “Pinch Me” Moment with Heartful Magazine
Some sessions stay with you long after the shutter clicks.
Not because they were perfectly styled or meticulously planned—but because they were real. Honest. Full of life.
The Bernardis family session was exactly that.
Last year, I offered a series of Childhood Mini Sessions for the children of Gaza—short, 10-minute sessions with a simple intention: to raise funds for organisations like War Child and Save the Children. Instead of a session fee, families donated, and together we created something meaningful beyond photographs.
The Bernardis family were one of those families.
The Beauty of 10 Minutes
There’s something incredibly powerful about a limited window of time.
Ten minutes doesn’t allow for perfection.
It doesn’t leave room for overthinking or pressure.
What it does allow is presence.
And in those ten minutes with the Bernardis family, everything unfolded so naturally—children climbing, exploring, laughing, expressing themselves freely. No posing, no expectations. Just a family being exactly who they are.
This image—full of joy, movement, and connection—captures that fleeting, beautiful chaos of childhood. The kind we often don’t realise we’ll miss one day.
Bubbles not bombs, the joy of childhood with the Bernardis Family at Half Moon Bay ~ Morganna Monk Photography
A Moment That Took Me by Surprise
When I submitted this image to Heartful Magazine, I simply hoped it might resonate.
So to find out it had been selected for the Spring 2026 issue…
It truly felt like a pinch me moment.
Heartful celebrates storytelling, emotion, and authenticity in photography—values that sit at the very heart of how I work. To have this image recognised in that space feels incredibly special.
But more than anything, it feels like a celebration of this family, this moment, and what these sessions were all about.
Photography with Purpose
These mini sessions were never just about creating beautiful images.
They were about:
Slowing down
Noticing the small moments
Holding space for connection
And doing something, however small, to help others
The fact that one of these fleeting 10-minute stories has gone on to be shared in Heartful Magazine feels like a quiet reminder of what photography can be.
Not just something we see—but something we feel.
Dad and Hattie climbing on my favourite log at Half Moon Bay ~ Morganna Monk Photography
To the Bernardis Family
Thank you for showing up exactly as you are.
For your openness, your laughter, your energy.
And for trusting me to capture your story—even in just ten minutes.
A Final Reflection
This image is joyful—but it also carries something deeper.
It’s a reminder that even in a world that can feel heavy, there is still light. Still connection. Still love.
And sometimes, that’s all we need to hold onto.
