“Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.”
Bob Dylan
Natural, warm & joyful….
My family photo shoots are relaxed, fun affairs – it’s all about capturing the small moments that you share with your families. From the hugs and giggles, the silly faces and messing around, I focus on capturing the moments that give you joy and, in the busyness of life, are all too easily forgotten. Each stage of family life is a pleasure to photograph; I photograph couples through to maternity and newborn to families with children of all ages.
As a parent of two boys, I am familiar with and embrace the chaos of family life and this energy and passion is captured in your session. Family sessions take place in your home or at a local park or outdoor space, somewhere you are all comfortable and relaxed. I also take studio style images at my home studio.
Sessions are sold as complete packages, and all of them include digital and print images.
Please drop me a line and I can send you the Families Welcome pack which tells you a little more about booking a photo session with me.
And, read on, if you want to know a little more about what’s involved.
So, how does it all work?
1. Get in touch for the Family Welcome Pack
Drop me a line here and I can send the Welcome Pack out to you.
It contains all the details of each package, along with prices plus an overview of the process and working with me.
All packages include a combination of digitals and prints so there no surprises after the shoot.
Prices start at £225.
2. Choose your package
Once you choose your package, we set a date and time - and I always say around your children’s routine so we know we’re getting the best of them. I send out a questionnaire as part of the booking process so I get to know a little more about all of you - this helps break the ice when we meet and sets the tone for a relaxed and fun shoot.
3. Getting ready for your shoot
I send out a detailed prep guide so you know what to expect, what to bring and, off course, what to wear for all of you.
There’s also an opportunity to have a pre-session consultation to iron out any queries and decide on location. Its always great to find a location that you’re happy with and quite often, I recommend open spaces over gardens, simply because having the space makes a real difference.
4. Your session
Just get ready to enjoy an hour or so with your family - despite having young kids (or older kids!), there really is nothing to be stressed about.
We make the most of their playing and also encourage it - cause that’s generally where we get the most smiles and natural expressions.
I do provide some direction, taking into account our surroundings and the light, and from there, I encourage you to chat, play, give a hug to one another - quite simply, enjoy one another’s company!
5. And, after….
So, it takes around 10-14 days til the images are ready - the very best are selected and then gently edited and shared with you via a secure online gallery.
They are available to view for 10 days, so enough time to choose, and choose again. Digital images are made available immediately and prints will take between 3-4 weeks ‘til they are with you.
Get in touch to request a Family Welcome Guide
For more details, drop me a line here for the Family Welcome Guide.
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The best thing to do is contact me for the Family Shoot Welcome Guide, have a little chat and, if you wish to go ahead with a booking, we can talk about when is the best time and place for you and your family.
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I work throughout the week, including weekends so there is a lot of choice in when to book. If you have a young family, choose the optimum time in the day for them ie after a nap and when they are likely to be at their best. I maintain some flexibility for newborn shoots as I know it’s difficult to keep to timings in the early days.
To some extent, shoot timings are also dictated by the light and I will suggest changes to timings so we can take advantage of the best possible light.
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Once we’ve talked it through, so I know what you’re looking for, and decided a date, the booking will be confirmed on receipt of a 50% deposit. The balance is to be paid on the day of the shoot.
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I’m a huge believer that a photograph is only a photograph when it is printed so all of my packages includes print and digital images.
All packages include a pre-shoot consultation, a preparation guide and access to a secure online platform to view your images. I am available to speak to about any other questions you may have.
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The edited images are made available to you via a secure online gallery within 2 weeks. At this point, you are able to download all the images as per your package and let me know about any prints you wish to order.
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There is usually around 35-45 (usually more) images to select from. Each image is selected to provide you with a variety and carefully hand-edited and some images will be available in B&W.
Depending on the package you have chosen, you can select what you wish to have as a digital image and what is printed.
Raw images are not available.
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This is the question that causes the most stress….. a detailed preparation guide is sent to you which provides information on what to wear (and what not to wear). There are some suggestions for the rest of the family as well.
My advice to all clients is to look your best self, if you’re a jeans and t-shirt kind of family, come as that, as that reflects who you are, and if you want to glam up a little, go for it. These images are yours and you get to decide how you want to look.
I send out a detailed preparation guide which provides information on what to wear (and what not to wear!). It also provides a few more tips on getting ready for your session.
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If we give kids a little time to warm up, then they are usually happy to play along. My sessions are relaxed and free-flowing so children don’t feel like its a photoshoot. And, if a child is playing up, we simply take a couple of minutes out. Having a couple of boys myself, I’m quite used to being around children full of energy who want to play.
There is additional advice provided in the Preparation Guide.
If your children are young, please book your session around their routine.
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Its perfectly natural to feel apprehensive in front of the camera; the vast majority of us do, probably no one more than me!
As I know how it feels, I always take my time to get to know you as a family and provide encouragement in front of the camera to help you feel relaxed.
We mix up “stand, stare and smile” moments with more playful moments so there are not many opportunities to feel the nerves.
Many parents do feel like the session has been a bonding opportunity and have found it enjoyable.
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Yes, it is possible to buy more images if you wish to do so. Details are enclosed in the Welcome guide.
NB Images are edited as you can see on my social media and website. I always take time to enhance features (eg editing out temporary blemishes), and no more as it really matters to me that your images are a genuine reflection of you.