My trip to London in January was a busy one! 6 days, one wedding, one newborn, and one family session – and somewhere in there, Rich and I also managed to catch up with lots of friends and even several family members.
My session with Stanley and his parents, Richard and Justine, was full of laughs. For a little guy, Stanley sure has lots of personality! They spent the morning playing on the floor, doing pile-ups on the bed, and gazing wistfully at, well, everything. Stanley has mastered the (unprompted) wistful gaze at a young age. :) Richard and Justine’s home is full of the most beautiful warm natural light and I instantly fell in love with it. Even the walk to their front door presented us with photo ops galore – I love that they have the most perfect (and quintessentially British) bit of hedgerow and greenery along the walkway out front. One of the great things about this session was Richard’s comment about how pleased he was that they were having photos done, since he rarely ends up in photos with Stanley. That, to me, is one of the key reasons why I think people need to consider hiring someone to get family photos: it gives everyone a chance to be together on the same side of the lens. Bonus points if, like these guys, you’re comfortable doing a shoot that is less staged so that the result is images of you being a family together rather than being positioned together. While I love doing posed family portraits, I also really enjoy the challenge of documenting a family actually being a family together.
Richard and Justine, thank you for welcoming me into your home – and for the many offers of tea, despite my not accepting any! What a great morning. :) Here are some of my favourite shots from our time together.
