An Elf-free Christmas Mini Shoot

Dressed for warmth but not as Elves, our two gorgeous models are ready for their Christmas mini shoot. Not a snowman in sight.

This is the most popular time of year for family photo shoots. And I can see why. The foliage, the clean air, the low sunshine and the enticing countryside all make for the most alluring images.

Rocking the Tweed and only missing a shotgun or a brace of pheasant, Freddie is every inch the gentleman. And teddy came too.

Add in to the mix two enchanting children and a not-too-shabby-in-the-looks-department set of parents, and the perfect autumn image ingredients are complete.

This family of four are certainly easy on the eye, but also adorable, loving and the most easy and relaxed of clients for a photographer

Freddie, aged 7 was impressive in Tweed, missing only a brace of pheasant to complete the country gentleman's attire for this shoot (pardon the pun), whilst baby sister Amelie, like a snuggly winter fairy in layers of tulle and fur, was fighting off a chest infection with grit and determination. 

Scrumptious baby Amelie sports the most wintery of accessories, all upstaged by a pink tulle skirt. A veritable winter fairy.

Our location was tree heaven. Birk Crag nestles unobtrusively alongside the RHS's Harlow Carr Gardens, concealing a wondrous 27 acres of deciduous woodland, ripe for a photographer's picking at this time of year. Steep slopes lead visitors down to the waters of Oak Beck, where the shallow lapping stream is benign enough to allow children to wade in their wellies whilst parents can drink in the colourful surroundings.

Birk Crag is an enticing network of steep paths, thick woodland and a babbling stream. Autumn's colour is shown off to its best here, and makes for beautiful family portraits

Fallen trees and giant rocks provide excellent climbing opportunities for a betweeded boy, and the procurement of a crocheted blanket gave little Amelie's bottom a dry, warm resting place for a few snaps.

The perfect location for little boys to explore, this woodland has lots of interest for portrait variety, and enough to keep the children smiling and relaxed.

This was a Mini Shoot. Approximately 30 minutes long, it provides families a low budget way to capture some lasting memories which can be utilised as Christmas presents for loved ones, or simply as a way to capture a moment of this impeccable season, in all its glory. 

A kiss for daddy, who was powerless to resist. The perfect moment.

As you can see, you don't have to dress as an elf for a Christmas Mini Shoot, so if this £99 budget option appeals to your needs, get in touch before the moment is gone. The shoot includes 6 digital image files of your choice.

A Golden Celebration

A 50th anniversary is sealed with a well earned kiss. What a fantastic way to commemorate such a milestone, with a family photo shoot.

Ann & David have just passed a glorious milestone. 50 years of marriage is not to be sniffed at. 1966 may have been a swinging time, but it was also an era when men and women committed to each other at an early age and chose not to waver. 

Sneaking the whole crew in to a family portrait, we chose the glorious backdrop of Harrogate's RHS Harlow Carr gardens to show off the family

Their joint anniversary gift from their son and daughter was (lucky for me!) a family photo shoot, which we stealthily combined with a pleasant stroll in the country. The whole family, granddaughters included, came along for the ride, in an attempt to create some memories for the next 50 years of the family line to cherish.

Autumn leaves provided an impromptu game of hide and seek for the grandchildren. I have no idea how I found them!

It happens to be the middle of autumn, when the trees are bang in their prime, and my reluctant models took advantage of the leafy excess, going temporarily AWOL in a mischievous attempt to evade my lens. I.m so glad that the whole family was involved in this shoot. The presence of the girls made their grandparents (not naturally comfortable in front of the camera) relax in to our walk, and the results show.

The 5oth anniversary couple take a stroll, watched over by their children and granddaughters.

A golden anniversary is not a common event. Maybe there is a combination of reasons for this. Do couples lack the tenacity to see out the rough times these days, divorce being a common and easily obtained outcome? In the 50s and 60s the only way to escape your parents' home was to get married, and since cohabitation was not an option, perhaps this created a 'forever' mindset? Escaping your parents to marry invariably meant that you were probably only maybe 21 or 22 back then, which differs to the average age of 28 at which couples are marrying right now (I know, I looked it up!) Marrying at 21 certainly gives you a better shot at reaching a 50th anniversary than marrying later in life?

Enjoying the moment, Ella takes to the woods for a series of supermodel poses

Shooting these young lovelies, it's impossible to avoid thinking about what lies ahead for the youngest generation with their not-yet formed relationships. How will life and marriage have changed in the next 50 years? Will it still be the institution we know and cherish? I do hope so. They deserve it.

The smallest member of the bunch takes to the shrubbery to avoid the camera. Ha! Gotcha!

If you want more family photo shoot inspiration, try here. Look out for more autumn shots to follow too!

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Is Autumn the perfect time of year for family portraits?

When the light is perfect and so are the family, then heck, yes.

We chose a day in early October for this family portrait session and headed off to the glorious gardens of RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate. Resolutely ignoring the cakes in the window of Betty's tearoom, I made my way through the crowds (note to self: check that I have not booked a photo shoot in the middle of a BEER festival next time) to find mum & dad, Helen & Paul, wrapped up for a leisurely stroll with their two cheeky boys in tow.

The joy of finding a leaf and catching the wee man's expression just before he actually eats it! Little O is only just starting to walk unassisted, but with the help of a handy tree he managed to stabilise himself for this portrait. The light was ju…

The first thing you notice about this family is their special affection for each other. There is something about their interactions which is so deeply gentle and loving, which I'm struggling to put my finger on as I write this, but which is not present in every family, and which is quite moving to witness.

Plane spotting amongst the silvery trees. The boys were enjoying a game of 'where is the thing that's making all of the noise?' and searched the sky for the aeroplanes, which were clearly out in force in the blue autumn skies. I love how they are so…

The silvery trees in which we found ourselves here still had a lovely light canopy of feathery leaves, which were so delicate in the late morning sunshine. The boys got totally wrapped up in a game of 'where's the aeroplane?' which relaxed them in to a perfect state of ignoring my camera and allowed me to capture some happy, candid family shots.

Okay, so we had to stuff a banana in baby O's hand to get a sitting still moment here, but big bro A helpfully assumed a nonchalant pose against a nearby tree.

Hoping for a shot of littlest bro, O, we stuffed a banana in his hand and managed to get a sitting still moment. Big brother A decided to get in on the act by helpfully assuming a nonchalant 'leaning' pose against a nearby tree, and so this became a 'two brothers' family portrait instead! Why not? The more, the merrier, say I!

Big boy A assumes the pixie on a fence pose for me, amongst the moss and the greenery of the woodland at Harlow Carr in Harrogate. I love this portrait. He looks so funny with his cheeky grin

Pixie? Gnome? Whatever it is that hides amongst the moss and greenery in the darkest corner of the Harlow Carr gardens, we found one. This one was particularly cute, with a mischievous grin and a half-wink. Definitely up to no good, but enjoying the attention more and more as the shoot went on.

Another aeroplane causes mummy and her youngest charge to look aloft at the same time. I love the one-ness of this image, mother and son together in a simple moment

As another aeroplane passed overhead, mum and littlest son, O both leaned back and looked skyward for a moment. I love how their tiny moment of accidentally coordinated movement was somehow harmonised, mum and son in perfect unity.

An impromptu game of football in the autumn leaves for dad and eldest son, A. Their faces were joyful and full of affection whilst they played, and therefore easy to photograph here

Do you see what I mean? Such a loving family, wrestling over the football in amongst the fallen leaves, gave us some rough and tumble moments, and expressions of pure joy on the faces of dad and his big boy. Bear hugs and chasing, followed by willful kicking of the ball down a (very) steep hill for dad to retrieve, followed by a bit of cheating and a lot of laughing. Lovely.

This is how loving this family were. I took control of the boys for a moment whilst mum and dad cosied up on the bench for a snuggle. Man, they look so happy in this shot!

I'd love to tell you that I planned for the word LOVING to be centre shot when I made this photo, but it was merely serendipitous. A very happy accident. I asked Helen & Paul for a shot, so as I took this image I was balancing baby O against my knees (he has only JUST learned to stand up & walk on his own) and coaxing big bro A in to holding his brother from behind. Movement was impossible,  for fear of unbalancing the wee man, who was gamely gripping my knees for dear life. Accidents were, thankfully averted, and the two boys were returned to the fold, unharmed. Phew!

It ought to be illegal to be this cute, to be honest. But since it's not, let's just savour the moment and keep it forever for mum and dad to enjoy when he's not so cuddly any more. That's the beauty of a family photo shoot!

That face. Frankly, being this cute ought to be illegal, but since it's not, let's capture it for mum and dad, forever. 

Gorgeous light and the phenomenal surroundings of Harrogate's RHS gardens at Harlow Carr. The perfect combination for this family to create moments to remember on film forever. Turned out A was just as good a backwards walker as a forewards walker, …

It turned out that A was an excellent backwards walker, as well as being an expert in the traditional forwards method. I know this as I asked him to prove it to me for these shots, in an effort to slow down his pace a little!

This was no hardship - a beautiful day, an adorable foursome, and a leisurely stroll doing what I love. Epic.

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A 'little knights and princesses' shoot in leafy Harrogate for grandparents' birthday gift.

plum picking makes an unexpectedly great subject for a late summer family shoot

Usually, if someone asks me to do a family shoot in their garden (unless I know this garden to be estate-sized in proportions) I think 'dull, dull, dull' and basically say 'no, no, no'.

On this occasion, however, I knew that the preparation by grandparents Joanna & Paul would be second to none, and that I would be able to create them a fairytale keepsake of their four grandchildren as part of their joint 60th birthday celebrations.

a princess attacks the photographer
every princess needs a good horse, or a decent rope swing photo
the tower shall not be conquered as long as princess Bea is breathing
the dragon slayers are fighting for their queen, or for the last packet of Haribo

Firstly, the garden has a fort. Yes, you heard me right. An actual wooden fort. And the children were all ready to charge upon this castle in appropriate attire. Two boys with wooden swords hurtled across the lawn at me in St. George-like fashion, hotly pursuing two gorgeous princesses in pink. The girls were both sporting the kind of hat that I used to draw in wax crayon when I imagined myself as Rapunzel back in the glory days of my own childhood in the 1970s - pointy and mediaeval, with a chiffon veil dangling from the tip. Epic. 

grandpa entertains the children over a picnic break from the war over the fort
swinging knights on rope horses fire the kids' imaginations as the battle to capture the fort is captured in pictures

If the living re-enactment of the War of the Roses wasn't enough, then plum and apple picking in the sun-drenched orchard corner was the cherry on the icing on the photography cake. Four children, four baskets, an avalanche (literally) of plums, and some very grabby fingers later and the trees were stripped of their harvest. Empty branches, full camera.

apples and plums are harvested until the branches are empty and my camera is full
is this a good one, Helen? No bad apples are far as these adorable shots are concerned

A few family shots to round things off and the shoot was over. Thank you Paul & Joanna et al for a delightful morning and for all wearing remarkably (and unintentionally) coordinating outfits!

grandparents and their beloved grandchildren are enticed in to a group shot, even if it means bringing the bike too
my favourite shot of Paul & Joanna - I love the way she swings her feet up - she looks so happy
if you hold your basket under the tree long enough, odds are something will fall in without having to lift a finger

Natural light and babies

Newborn baby S finally found enough peace to allow a cuddle with big sister L. The girls were adorned in daisy chains by their mum, who was a picture of calmness as she soothed newborn S back to sleep a dozen times

When I booked this newborn shoot at the client's home, new mum V was anxious to let me know that her house was not roomy or spacious. Tiny, in fact, she said. She helpfully sent me photos of the living room and bedroom, which confirmed her concerns about space. What she may not have realised was that I was only looking for good light, and the bedroom had a gorgeous bay window. 

Pretty in apricot, little tiny S wore this headband and wrap combo well. Her little frowny face rarely left her, even when she was sleeping peacefully, but mum assured me this seemed to be the normal expression!

After a fair bit of sweat and jiggery-pokery, the iron bedstead was manoeuvered 90 degrees to remove the headboard cross-bars from blocking the light, and I borrowed mum's perfect ready-made backdrop of a hand painted apricot-coloured bi-fold screen into position. All we now needed was a quiet baby and yes, you've guessed it, she screamed the place down! Food, food and more food please mummy!

Baby S took up a naturally curled position on the bed - she seemed comfortable at last, so it seemed wrong to disturb her nap! A quick headband change and shooooott!!

It was definitely a case of feed, rock, burp and lay-her-down-quickly-so-we-can get-a few-shots on this particular shoot. Very little prop work or accessories were appropriate with S being so unsettled, but I think we managed to do her justice.

Teeny tiny ears, lips, fingers and toes are always the scrummy part of my job.

Twins & more twins

During a week filled with six rainy days (hello, British August), the seventh day was appropriately biblical as the sunshine poured over Ripley All Saints Church for the baptism of 11 month old twins, H & W.

Double the trouble when identical twins are heading for a dip in the Font for their baptism, and double the trouble for the photographer who tries to catch the moments! Picturesque All Saints Church sits next to Ripley Castle, near Harrogate, which …

Shoeless and rocking a comfortable 10.0 on the cuteness scale, the boys were dressed in traditional white blouses and sky blue shorts, with little chubby rolls of baby lusciousness on display for anyone who cared to take a pinch. Both boys have incredible blue eyes and fair hair, and clearly preferred a natural division into 'daddy's boy' and 'mummy's boy' camps.

Taking a sensible 'one each' approach, mummy and daddy grab a twin and a bench each for a few snaps before the ceremony begins

Mummy and daddy sensibly took a 'one each' approach and grabbed both a twin and a bench in a quiet corner of the churchyard for a few snapshots before the ceremony began. The vicar was apologetic about the 'atmospheric' (aka dark) corner of the church where the Font was located, but managed to punctuate his entertaining narrative with some audience participation, which both parents and children appreciated.

An atmospheric corner with limited natural light offered a challenging shooting condition, but the twins kept themselves entertained by hitting daddy on the head with the hymn sheet throughout!
The cake was simple and elegant in dove grey icing with pearly embellishments.

Once the deed was done, the magnificent backdrop of Ripley Castle offered a chance for the guests to let their hair down and enjoy the clement weather. The children were kept busy with games on the lawn whilst the grown ups tested the champagne and readied themselves for a glorious afternoon tea.

For the children there were games on the castle lawn, and for the adults the preferred sport was champagne drinking.

It is rare to go to a Christening event these days, but this one was relaxed and enjoyable and made all the more interesting by the presence of not one, but THREE pairs of twins in two generations of the family. Dad's older boys, pictured here with their little brothers made up the second set, and mum and her sister completed the trio. 

Two out of the three sets of twins present on the day of the Christening. Brothers all four, separated by years, but together and looking handsome for photos to commemorate H & W's special day.

My family (and other animals) on holiday

The annual tribe-on-tour event has taken place. This year's destination - South Western France.

Failed full length selfie of the old couple. Failed as my tummy was unshowable and had to be cropped severely

A mercifully brief (but paradoxically expensive) flight to Toulouse was how it began. Land of sunflowers, mediaeval hilltop towns and above all else, apples. Apples everywhere. Hectare upon hectare of the bloody things. A veritable Scrumper's Paradise and I didn't even pack my cider press. This countryside provided us with a glorious vista from the comfort of our sunbeds, with the grape as our preferred fruit of choice on most evenings. Everyone admired the view.

Shot of the best friends admiring the apple-encrusted countryside view from the family's holiday home

I love my family holiday. I love my family, of course, and they are 50% of 'family holiday' after all, but the actual 'holiday' part where I get to read a book and not wash up is, without contest, a very close second.

The camera is never far from my side, and since this area of France has more mediaeval bastille towns than one can throw a stick at, it was easy enough to capture the atmosphere as the sun went down and the corks started popping.

Photographing a local gourmet night market as the sun went down was no hardship

I was struck by the sense of community here. A festival of light in Lauzerte required the co-operation of every single village resident to plunge themselves into darkness at dusk. If one stubborn ex-pat had refused to turn off Eastenders or close the fridge door, the whole event would have been a write-off. 

Mediaeval towns are ten-a-penny in this Labyrinth inspired part of France. Photographic manna from heaven

But what of the animals, I hear you cry? Well, our ever-present lifeguard came in canine form. This adorable but highly strung beauty was our constant companion. She was the seeker-out-of-food-scraps-that-she-was-allergic-to and saw her most important role as pool intervention - woe betide the child that attempted to effect a dive or jump in without her consent as she formed a canine shield with her large body between the offender and the pool.

Our family's adopted pet for the week. The canine lifeguard.

Tradition dictates that no vacation pass by without a visit to the local 'Accrobranche'. Our 6 adrenalin junkies can't get enough of the high ropes harness hell, and this year the added attraction of a nearby close-contact monkey sanctuary proved too much to resist. See? Animals! The hand-feeding of the monkeys, which roamed freely amongst the visitors, was very much encouraged. They will happily take popcorn from you without so much as a by-your-leave, but there was no sign of a Multiplex anywhere.

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Lest we forget that homosapiens are animals too, too many late nights will bring us back to earth....

Tired and emotional offspring will happily remind us that it's not only the furry animals that can be wild.

Bluebells

Sunday in our house is never as I envisaged it. Other families seem to manage outings, picnics, long walks or lunch at the pub. Calmness. 

Yesterday, between homework hell and a Kilimanjaro of ironing, I craved calmness so badly that I sought it out. I grabbed three of the kids, two of the pets and a camera. Respite came in the form of bluebells and swings.