I have always wanted to do a family photoshoot in lavender fields, and I have known of the Mayfield lavender farm in Surrey for some time, but never managed to make it down there in time for the flowers - until this summer! The lavender only blooms during July and early August, so it is a fairly short window of opportunity. When I suggested the lavender fields to this client for her family portraits, she was as excited as I was, and more than happy to make the journey down from London. In fact it is only about an hour away from West London - and more than worth it! I am already planning my next trip down there - the colours and light at sunset are so dreamy. The only things to watch out for are all the bees, although they tend to be focused on the flowers and didn't bother us at all - perhaps they are more chilled out by the end of the day?!
Baby photos in lavender fields
Little baby Essa is 8 and a half months old in these portraits; it's an amazing age to photograph, with their chunky baby rolls, and their personalities really developing. He managed to have a nap in the car on the journey down from London so that really helped his mood! I love an outdoor baby shoot, but it's best if they are aged 6 months onwards so that they are just about sitting by themselves. That allows us to get some gorgeous close up images of baby on their own. The rows of lavender were such a great setting to photograph Essa - with the lavender framing him perfectly and the purple flowers disappearing off into a soft blur behind him. Often babies can be dwarfed by their surroundings, so it's lovely to have a beautiful, perfectly-sized background where he could sit comfortably on the ground.
Outdoor family photography
Essa's mum commissioned me for their family portraits because she loved how 'flattering and soft' my photos are. My brief for this shoot was to find a field-like location full of flowers and to create portraits that were dreamy, soft and glowy, with a warm golden wash of sunlight. It's always wonderful to work with clients that have a strong sense of what they are hoping to achieve, especially when it is so aligned with my style of family photography! That said, creating the best family photos is really a collaboration, in terms of being prepared to work with the best time of day, travel to the best location and choosing the right clothing/styling for the shoot. The outfits they chose to wear here were perfect; summery and soft, with some texture in the lace dress, and a soft pop of colour in Essa's cute romper. I think any more colour would have fought with the muted purple colour of the lavender itself. Unexpectedly we had a brief period of rain right at the start of our session (having not had any rain for weeks on end!), but actually the light this slight cloud cover generated was incredibly soft and luminous. There is very little shade on the lavender fields, so in fact the direct sun may have been a little harsh at the start of our shoot, were it not for the rain clouds!
Here's a few of my favourite portraits from our session.
"The photos are so so beautiful, we are so happy with how they turned out !"
