This summer I did a family photo shoot during their annual holiday in North Norfolk. The parents were aware that their kids are growing older and about to head off to secondary school. The dynamics between siblings would soon begin to change and the kids were on the cusp of independence and shock, horror, becoming teenagers!
The parents wanted to try and capture this special, innocent time in their lives as they enjoyed their annual family holiday. I’ve photographed them before so was pleased to be invited back, it’s amazing to see a family grow from a distance.
I will always remember my family camping trips, going to the same place every year, adding and building new memories and traditions, you become really fond of certain locations. The times spent become really precious, the freedom that kids have that they might not normally have at home. Family holidays are a chance to say ‘yes’, breaking all the rules and leaving the phones behind. Thankfully the wifi is bad, so that means proper eye contact. The routine is broken.
This beach had become particularly special to the family, they weren’t playing on just any beach, they were playing on a beach where they had built so many memories. Bearing in mind that the kids are a bit older and on the verge of being a bit too cool to have a family photo, I had to think of more innovative ways to get them to break out of their shells and become a bit less self conscious. So I decided to get them to throw seaweed at me! It really worked and before long they were laughing and messing around, it got some really great shots. They even managed to land some right on my head like a wig!
The advantage of photographing older kids is that there are no naps or snacks to be contended with, this meant we could shoot in the late afternoon and early evening around the ‘Golden Hour’. This gave a gorgeous warmth to the photographs, the sun was just starting to go down, the end of another special day at the beach.
B is a massive football fan, when he’s not in his school uniform he’s in his football kit. Having found this out in advance, I suggested we get some cool shots of him in his kit. Part of why we take photographs is to capture what we are like at a certain time in our life, one summer I was obsessed with my skateboard, every afternoon after school I would be out practicing. H is exactly the same with her bodyboard, it was great to get a record of the kids with their favourite objects.
It’s great to get snapshots on your smartphone but sometimes, you need to capture those special memories while you still can.
Beth create a set of amazing vivid, colourful pictures bursting with joy and atmosphere. I found Beth to be reliable, friendly, relaxed and very talented. My kids loved her! Rebecca
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