My first portrait shoot of the Spring season was with a lovely family of cousins, who I took on a stroll around Emmetts Garden in Ide Hill, a great place for taking portraits and a favourite place of mine. They are a family I know well, as I’ve been taking their portraits for many years. I’ve documented several of their family milestones and this one has been on the cards for a while – I’m so glad that the opportunity to photograph them came on a beautiful Spring day when the conditions couldn’t have been better!
Turns out we are all fans of Emmetts Gardens, so it seemed like the most obvious place to go and we weren’t disappointed!!! There are so many wonderful trees and plants to meander through, that the whole experience of wandering amongst the flowers and rare trees has a magical quality that’s perfect for children and families to enjoy. This is exactly the mood that I want to get across in my portraits, where families get closer to nature and feel relaxed and enriched by the natural beauty around them.
As you can see from the photos, the children had lots of fun and were happy for me to take their portraits. I have three daughters of my own and have lots of experience working with children. This is probably one of the most important elements of my work – the very real and congruent connection that I make with my clients, as this is where the best portraits are made. Being fully present and in the moment with your subjects, engaging and showing an interest in them is when I really capture their true portraits…
