It is always a big privilege to see the babies I photograph as newborns, grow up right in front of my lens. And it certainly didn’t feel like a whole year has passed since I had held sweet baby Taiyo and captured his perfect little features at my Basingstoke studio. But it had – so it was lovely to hear from his Mum, who wanted to mark his first birthday with a fresh photo shoot for the whole family. In just a few months, the tiny newborn had turned into a confident, smiley toddler with oodles of personality and a full head of irresistible curls just like his big sister!
For this session, I visited the family at their home in Acton, West London. We divided our time together between inside the house and the back garden and allotment area. By staying in the familiar environment of the family home, the children’s routine was undisturbed and they were happy and comfortable! We played their favourite tunes, played with their favourite toys and I was treated to a brilliant bed-jumping performance in big sister Hanane’s bedroom. It was warm and sunny outside, so we played in the back garden and then explored the raspberry patch in the allotment and picked some dandelions (weeding AND flower picking – multitasking at its best!)
I love photographing families in their homes. Candid portraits at home have an unparalleled sense of intimacy and comfort, and of course they are completely weatherproof! As we are coming into the colder season, why not book a cosy photo session in your home – perhaps even once the Christmas tree is up! I regularly visit clients in Basingstoke, Newbury, Reading, Winchester, Guildford and surrounding areas. Simply contact me for more information and availability.
And the thing I loved the most about this shoot? How we were able to create art out of these honest family moments. I love these candid portraits, especially those of the family playing and cuddling on Mum and Dad’s bed. Here is a selection of my favourites.
