On this occasion, Alice Su had awoken from a nap and was ready to play.  I was looking forward to seeing her as previously I had photographed her in her Mummy’s tummy and as a newborn so it had been a while.  There is something wonderful about returning to photograph children and catching up with the parents journey.   I always focus on the parents and allow the child to come to me and that’s when we are ready to have fun and take some shots.  I never rush and if it’s not working that day we re-arrange.   As a family photographer, I love natural and emotive photography and play with a variety of angles bringing the parents into the frame if they feel comfortable.   We generally have fun with different outfits and I advise ahead of time on this and what works best.  The light is critical in my work as I don’t tend to over edit or photoshop a great deal in post production so I will often ask to visit your home prior to the shoot so I’m prepared.   If the shoot is away from the home then I am constantly looking for new and interesting places to offer clients to meet.   The end result via a gallery is shared together to select images for print or framing and I love this part of my job.

Tips to prepare for the garden family photography shoot are as follows:

Think about your outdoor space and how you can style certain parts of your garden to allow for a few different areas to photograph ie steps, a garden chair, a blanket that complements outdoor colours or a veggie or flower bed.  A cut flower or beautiful leaves sometimes gives a child a focus and adds something special in the photograph.

Bring one or two precious toys that your child loves as they can be brought into the shoot for comfort and to document their bond.

Clothing is dependant on the season ie Autumn works better with navy blue, yellows and browns to compliment the outdoor leaves.  Try to keep clothing plain and avoid big patterns which take the eye away from the main focus of the shot.

Have plenty of snacks and drinks ready and perhaps some distractions like bubbles or something that make your little one smile.

Get inspired to create some pinterest boards and see what style of family photography you like, particularly if you want to present it in a frame on your walls.  Share it with me ahead of time.

Never worry about changing the date if you or your little one isn’t up to it.

Testimonial

Jilly has so far done three photo sessions for us.  The first when we were expecting our baby girl, the second at a week old and our latest at two and a half.  I think this tells a great deal how we feel about Jilly.  She has always been brilliant and immediately made our daughter feel comfortable and somehow even manage to capture her personality.  Jilly is unbelievably easy to work with and blended easily with our family.  We absolutely love her and her work and will treasure the beautiful moments captured forever.