In December I shot the Hall’s ‘this is FAMILY’ lifestyle session in Sutton Park.  It was great fun.  Wall art for their landing at home was what they wanted, and we had more than a few candidates by the end of the shoot.

Sutton Park 

We feared the weather was going to be miserable, but it actually, was quite mild.  We entered the park through the south entrance, Banners Gate and straight away loved the scenic elements.  The landscape with its faded, greenie-brown heathland to the right and woodland to the left was perfect.  It was wet and muddy underfoot but it all added to the fun.  Not many people realize but this park is a 2,400 acre Nature Reserve and one of the largest urban parks in Europe.  We barely scratched it, but there was ample variety and interest for all the family.

The Halls walked along the path by the Westwood Coppice holding hands.  It wasn’t long however, before the little ones ran off into the woods, to play with the leaves.  These covered the ground but also fell from the trees when the occasional gust blew, at just the right time for some interesting shots.

The kids wanted to feed the swans at Longmoor pool.  As it turned out however, the only bread they could find at home was brioche! Posh bread for posh birds!

“this is FAMILY” – Session details

All in all, the session took about one and a half hours and it flew by.  Saph told me she was in two minds about an outdoor session as opposed to an indoor one.  But she was glad the family had opted for it.   She said the shoot was ‘nice and relaxed and everyone loved it!’

Just under a fortnight later, I got them together to view the images and I played the slideshow shown below.  I also shared several examples of the wall art I supply.

Lifestyle Session Values

I really like how the ‘this is FAMILY’, family portraits give families the opportunity to see themselves from outside in.  Many families don’t get a chance to see that.  It’s a bit like driving a car and not knowing what you look like in that car.  Have you ever passed the same model car on the motorway and thought, ‘hey, so that’s what I look like when I’m driving this!!’  It is similar with a family session, only, you get to see more than the amount of road space you take up, or your slouched concentrated posture bent over a little wheel! 

With a family lifestyle session, you see the little interactions others always see, between you and your partner or you and your children.  You see the looks of affection between siblings or you as parents.  You can see how your children show they feel safe and secure when held in your arms.  Even just a photo of the whole family holding hands and walking through the park – you won’t see that oneness, if you’re a member of the family.   You ‘feel it’ of course.. but, I do believe seeing it as well as ‘feeling it’, makes that solidarity all the more real, deeper, true.   My aim is to craft the right environment to capture this and then provide you with timeless images that you can display in the home or in a wonderful album that you can view and review over the years and even hand down to your children and your children’s children.

                                                                                                                                                                                          “this is FAMILY“

Feel free to leave a comment below.  If you think you would enjoy a lifestyle session like this, for your family, reach out to me on the Contact ME page.

See another example of a Family Lifestyle session on the link.