Chelsea is right on my doorstep and so many of my clients have access to gorgeous private garden squares in the area, which are just perfect for family photoshoots - especially at the weekends when parks do tend to get very busy. I have photographed families in Bramham Gardens, Earl’s Court Square, Barkston Gardens and Onslow Gardens, all of which are lovely. However, this was my first shoot in Bolton Gardens. Even on a Sunday evening in early summer we had so much space to ourselves!
Family portraits with 3 or more kids
It’s always so much fun photographing larger families with three children or more. My style of outdoor portrait photography is very natural and relaxed, in the sense that I somewhat pose families, and direct them into the best light, but otherwise I give relatively limited direction. This approach lends itself particularly well to bigger families where there are more personalities to accommodate, and more little people doing their own thing! You can see from the photos below the benefits of relaxing during a shoot, playing with the kids and letting them run around to let off steam - we captured some beautiful unposed and unplanned portraits of the children by doing so. I know it can be really hard to embrace the chaos and kids going bonkers, but I love the ones here which are full of movement, with the boys chasing dad and clambering on his shoulders, and everyone doing running races towards me. There is the old trick too, of ignoring the little ones and going to photograph mum and dad by themselves, whereupon the kids immediately run back into the frame. This works nearly all the time! My favourite photos here may not be the most “perfectly” posed family portraits with everyone looking at the camera (although we did get a few of those too), but these ones are so vibrant and full of life and energy - and so true to this family's dynamic. Photos like these look especially good in black and white, which suits photos with connection and emotion so well. There were so many great photos from this shoot, but here's some of my favourite shots!
