Family portrait studio · Belgrave, Dandenong Ranges
Portraits of the people you love, made to be lived with.
A slow, personal portrait experience that ends with artisan-printed wall art for your home.
“I document the relationships, not simply what people look like.”
I focus on the intangible. The way your child smiles when you tell him you love him. The way your husband looks at you when you feel gorgeous. The way your pet tilts its head when you mention food. These are the things our phones can't capture, and they're the things worth celebrating. They are priceless, timeless and unique.
That's why I take the time to get to know every family before their session. I don't pose people. I direct the session and let you be yourselves, because true portraits reveal personality through the interactions you share, not through standing still and saying cheese.
The experience
Three meetings, one family at a time.
This isn't a shoot squeezed between two others. It's a considered process built around your family, from the first conversation to the day you collect your finished artwork.
The consultation
We meet at the Belgrave studio to get to know each other. You'll see finished artwork and prices, and we'll plan a session around your family and a place that means something to you.
The session
Shot in the best light of the day, timed around your children's age and routine. No posing. Just your family, directed gently, being exactly who you are.
The design appointment
You see your portraits for the first time, choose your favourites, and we design how they'll live in your home, on the wall, in an album, or both.
Your pieces are then artisan printed and hand-finished, ready for collection within three weeks of your design appointment.
Priceless, timeless and unique.
A short film
Why meaningful portraits matter.
What we photograph
Every portrait starts with a relationship.
Family portraits
Children grow, grandparents age, and none of it repeats. Portraits of the family you are right now.
Couples
The way you look at each other hasn't changed. Have it on the wall.
Pets and equine
The head-tilt, the muddy paws, the whole personality. Animals are family too.
Personal branding
Portraits that show who you are, for people who work as themselves.
The things our phones can't capture.
The artwork
A window on your favourite wall.
Your portraits become pieces you live with: premium canvas wall art, matted fine art prints, keepsake albums and the signature folio box. Every piece is artisan printed to archival standards and hand-finished.
- Premium canvas wall art from $450
- Designer Portfolio Prints from $250
- Keepsake Art Albums from $3,500
- Wall Art Collections from $2,750
All prices include GST. Most families invest between $1,500 and $3,000, and payment plans are available.
What families say
Rated 5.0 on Google.
Arek took the time to forge a connection with every member of our family, which he was able to capture in a beautiful environment. It's the first professional photo I have of my toddler smiling.
Debbie & Michael
Thank you so much for this beautiful experience. We had so much fun, and you are truly an artist. We are so lucky to see ourselves through your lens. We will treasure these images for a lifetime.
Justin, Hannah & Lucy
Celebrate what you value most in life.
Gift certificates
Give an experience they'd never book for themselves.
A portrait session is the kind of thing people put off for years. A gift certificate ends the putting off. It covers the full experience, the consultation, the session and the design appointment, and it's a beautiful thing to hand over.
Already holding one? Validate it here and book your first appointment.
Free guide
What should we wear?
It's the first question every family asks. The Five Castles styling guide answers it: what to wear, what to avoid, and how to plan outfits that go together without matching. Leave your details and it's yours.
The photographer
A scientist's eye, turned on the people you love.
Arek Rainczuk spent years as a molecular biologist before portraiture took over. The habits stayed: he studies how your family works, what you mean to each other, and where the real moments happen, then builds the session around that.
He's an award-winning portrait photographer, and Five Castles Portraits is his heritage studio, run from Belgrave since long before the video work that grew out of it. One family at a time, by design.
Begin
The first step is a conversation.
An hour at the Belgrave studio, about what you want and what's possible. See the artwork, meet Arek, and decide from there.
Prefer email? info@fivecastles.com.au reaches Arek directly.
The gallery at 26 Park Drive, Belgrave is open by appointment only.