What to expect from one of London’s best family photographers
Thanks for stopping by on my best family photographers ‘behind the scenes’ page.
So, why book a family photoshoot?
Well, time flies. How did your tiny baby grow up so suddenly? For me, the best family photographers can stop time with amazing images. Capturing the most natural, candid moments of your kids, just as they are, just being them.
I’m Louisa, I’m a family photographer in North London, and here’s a little behind-the-scenes video of a typical family outdoors photoshoot, with Anna & Adam and their beautiful children Reyna and Alfie. In this video, you’ll see what it’s like having a family photoshoot in the park and what to expect.
The park in question is the fabulous, secluded walled garden near Kenwood House, off Hampstead Lane in the Hampstead Heath, London.
Indoors vs outdoors
Many families choose to have their photos taken in their favourite local park. This gives children the space and freedom to run around and have fun. And it’s because my golden rule when it comes to photographing little ones is: let the kids be kids! I treat the whole session like a really fun playdate, where we get the kids involved in something they love and do something that makes them laugh.
A candid ‘documentary style’ photoshoot in the comfort of your own home is also really popular as it captures life as it really is, within your home environment. This blog shows you a typical photoshoot outdoors. For indoors photos please see this page.
What if my child doesn’t behave on the day?
This is the number one question I’m asked from anxious parents!
Let me tell you: there’s no such thing as the perfectly behaved child and I truly encourage kids to just be themselves and show me what they like to do. As one of London’s best family photographers, you can trust me to make the whole session as smooth and enjoyable as it possibly can be. I spend a lot of the photoshoot down on the ground, at their eye level, to capture the world as they see it and to interact with them better.
Us parents also have loads of fun, we spend a lot of time giggling and after a short while you forget the camera is even there. I know how daunting it can be to ‘act natural’ in front of the camera and to try to really be yourself in the moment. But I promise you, by the end of the session, you’ll feel completely at ease and that way we’ll capture gorgeous, natural images.
Do it for your kids!
So often, mums and dads are the ones behind the camera taking a snapshot on our phone and we rarely get to be in the picture with our kids, so this is a really good chance to capture parents enjoying precious time with their little ones while they’re still so young. These are the photos your kids are going to want to see when they grow up and the best family photographers will spend time capturing them.
With toddlers, and as a matter of fact, with most children under around 8 years old, you really can’t expect to direct them or tell them where to stand or what to do.
In any case, it would be totally boring to just expect kids to sit and smile and say ‘cheese’ for the whole time. You just want to let the photoshoot unfold naturally and that way everyone will relax and enjoy it.
The best family photographers are baby-led, child-led. No ifs or buts.
The photoshoot is totally children-led and that means it really is down to them as to what we end up doing, when and how. For older kids, they get to ‘call the shots’ which they love as they can finally be in charge and tell mum and dad which games to play and where to go. I also play with your children and make the whole thing as fun as possible. But if they need a break or just aren’t feeling it for a bit, that’s fine too.
It’s likely we’ll take a little break at some point and the kids can enjoy some snacks. This is another opportunity for me to get to know them and you better and to ‘break the ice’ so everyone feels comfortable.
It’s a real pleasure for me to be invited into your life for a brief while, to get to know you a little bit and to capture the most special images for you. It’s a genuine privilege and as one of London’s best family photographers, it’s something I’m renowned for. Often, children ask their parents when they can come back to have another playdate with me as they enjoyed their time so much. This is something I take real pride in and am chuffed to be able to speak about.
Take your time!
As a mum of two young boys myself, I know you can’t control how little kids will behave on the day and so I just take my time and let the process unfold naturally without trying to push it. I deliberately don’t book any other photoshoots on the day of your session, so that there’s plenty of time to capture what we need without it feeling rushed or pressured.
On average a family photoshoot takes between 1-2 hours, maybe a little less if the kids are super young and tire easily.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!