I felt like I hadn’t really picked up the camera much over the past few weeks during the lockdown as I’ve retreated into my own bubble — but looking back and the thousands of files in my hard drive I clearly have. A while back I’ve heard Pete Souza, Barack Obama’s White House photographer, say that often the true meaning or significance of an image doesn’t reveal itself until some time has passed, and I’m embracing that.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – are you ready to capture it all, the joy, the wonder, the excitement and even the boredom?! Here are some of my favourite tips to help you move beyond the snapshot and document this year’s Christmas – from preparations to opening the presents!
This family from Singapore decided to book a full Day in the Life photoshoot with me so they could capture all of their adventures with two little kids without worrying about time limits or coordinating naptimes. I really do find that often – maybe rather counter-intuitively – a longer photoshoot is better for young children as there’s no pressure to perform in a limited time frame. You are free to just get on with your day, and that makes both the children and the parents very relaxed, which in turn results in fantastic photographs.
This family travelled to London from Tennessee, USA and decided to book the whole day with me so they didn’t have to “fit” the photoshoot into their already packed schedule (exactly what it’s intended for – busy families with lots on their plate!).
This little chap absolutely loved his books and I really enjoyed capturing this series of images of him and his dad reading (or shall I say, acting!) The Gruffalo. As I mentioned in my post about why it’s always a good idea to include books into your photoshoot, it’s important to capture it for so many reasons, and you can totally see why here.
If you’d looked into my house last week, on International Women’s Day, you’d find me staring at my screen in disbelief with a big grin on my face. I’d just found out that that I received TWELVE awards in the 2018 Family Photojournalist Association contest, including no less than 6 gold awards, the most gold awards of any UK documentary family photographer listed with them!