Family + Newborn photoshoots - and why we need them in our lives
Post edited October 2022 to reflect a change in my location. I now offer family photoshoots within a 30 mile radius of Chester - Liverpool, North Wales and Shropshire included.
I’ve been offering family and newborn photoshoots across the East Midlands for years, and now that I live in the North West I offer them here, too. In fact, my family shoots predate my wedding photography by quite a few years. I just love them. I love getting a snapshot of family life and celebrating the every day things we’re likely to forget. When things seem difficult or bleak (hello, 2020!), we reach for our home comforts, and I think family photos are absolutely part of that.
This blog post is a round up of some of my favourite family shots from the last 12 months, along with some handy tips for how to get the most out of your family shoot. This year has been hard, but it’s also show me how incredible these little sessions are. I’ve photographed a nursery bubble, lots of new babies who can’t meet their extended families, a 96 year old grandma with her baby great-granddaughter, and countless other moments that might seem small right now, but big in the fullness of time.
Why?
Last year I met a lovely woman called Suze, who has since had two shoots with me and is booked in for another this autumn. After our recent meeting - a mini shoot with her baby and 5 year old in the woods - she had this to say:
The reason I prolifically take photos of my life and my time with the kids is because: I have so few photos of my life pre 2005 when I got my first digital camera. So zero baby photos, zero photos of the house I grew up in, no pictures of birthdays or learning how to ride a bike. Nothing. And now my grandparents have gone, I mostly rely on memories, which are very unreliable seeing as they are memories of a child.
The age gap between me and my sister is about the same as Luca and Ru, and I would love to hear stories about what we were like. When I was pregnant I really wanted to know how much I weighed when I was born, what my birth was like! I feel like half of my life was erased when my grandparents died.
So. Should the worst happen. Should I not be here for my children as they grow up, I need to have the ability to look back at photographs and see our time together and see how loved they are. I write them letters and make notes in their baby books about things they say. It’s not a morbid thing, it’s a memory preservation thing.
With that in mind, I quite indulgently had a photoshoot with the boys today for no other reason than I could.
I couldn’t say it better myself. When we face the big things, it helps to hold photos. To know who we are, who and where we came from. The colour of the carpet in the house we grew up in, the way we sat crammed into a tiny sofa, the plates we ate off. These memories are the things that sustain us.
Where?
I’d say my family shoots are roughly 50-50 outdoors and at home. Of course this is affected by things like the weather, and the ages of the people involved. Newborn shoots are always at home, because it’s just so much more practical, but we have plenty of time to venture outdoors if that’s what you want to do.
The beauty of spending time at home is that you get to preserve a snapshot of your family life. You can seek home comforts, there’s minimal disruption and stress, and it all makes for a very chilled out couple of hours. If you have an older child, starting at home is a great strategy. It’s so much easier for them to open up to me when they can retreat a bit if they need to, and I get to meet them on their terms.
The takeaway from this is that the kids always lead the way.
How?
What you see above is a collection of candid moments
No studio, no big lighting solutions, no overly posed photos. There are a few shots I like to set up for every family, but they’re so simple that even the youngest toddler can usually do them. I can give guidance and tips throughout the shoot, but when I’m working with your family I’m thinking of the moments you’d like to remember. You don’t need to worry about the light or how you’re standing - if it needs tweaking I’ll tell you.
The exact process is this:
We discuss what you’re looking for, and bounce a few ideas around. I recommend everyone plans a couple of loose activities. For babies I love to capture feeds, bathtime, weaning and plenty of cuddles. For older children I follow your lead because you know your child best. We can discuss any of this at booking.
I turn up with 2 cameras and get to work. We can stay home or pop outdoors, sometimes in the garden is just fine. I interact with all family members as the session goes on, but mostly I just document what I see.
Your gallery is ready to download within 2 weeks of the session. You are welcome to split the payment if you wish, so you can pay a £50 session fee and the balance once the images are ready if that works better for you.
Outdoor Family Shoots
Sometimes getting out in a location you love is more appropriate. If that’s the case for you then I’m certainly amenable to that! A lot of the same principles apply to outdoor shoots, but there may be slightly more set up shots and of course what we get up to will be a little different. I’m fully up for working in forests and peaks (my spiritual home) so feel free to ask for a session in a place that means a lot to you.
This year, more than any other, has been a test of our collective will to carry on. That can be really hard when the ties that bind us become mostly digital, when we can’t just pop round to see people without the headache of distancing and masks. And I’d like to make it easier. To capture moments that we can hold dear, to show the family we can’t see right now, and to keep as our children grow.
