A huge welcome to our Milton Keynes family, who booked our family portrait photography for their two gorgeous girls. It’s only a short 40 minute drive from Milton Keynes to our portrait studio and well worth the drive to capture some timeless family portraits!
We were amazed how 3 year old Scarlett fitted straight in to the portrait studio setting with ease. These images capture her beautiful smile which she gave in abundance right from the start, appearing at home in the spotlight.
One year old Robyn seemed more aware of being somewhere different, and this is where parental involvement helps get the best out of family photo shoots. We’ve had families in where mums and dads have given animated monkey impressions in a bid to get their little one laughing; Robyn responded to tickles from dad and puppets so sadly, for us at least, there were no animal impressions today– I think we enjoy these moments more than anyone.
Come ready for your children’s photo shoot ready to sing a few childhood nursery rhymes or to blow raspberries on your child – parenthood is a real leveller so don’t worry, we’ll join in with Postman Pat too! Robyn’s fascination soon passed, and her initial thoughtfulness gave opportunity for a range of natural facial expressions, accentuating her incredible eyes.
When we photograph siblings we always try to capture some portraits together, as the intimacy of the sibling bond is so powerful on camera. We did so through play and through playing peepo from the back of the sofa (with parents ‘spotting’ hidden from view for safety). Scarlett’s kiss for her sister in this shot really captures Robyn’s pleasure and their relationship.
There’s also room for lots of wind machine fun, which works really well on long hair so Scarlett’s images in particular achieved the wow factor. The other added bonus is that adding a sensory element helps children relax which prompts their natural reactions, when Andy is particularly vigilant with the shutter.
Many parents worry about whether their child will perform for the camera, and this strategy is part of our shoot flow to add a bit of variety to family portraits. Some photographers use bubbles, but these can pop and cause tears, or cause unsightly marks on special clothes that have been purchased by parents for their shoot so have developed our own methods of entertainment.
A huge thank you to mum and dad for coming along to the studio today, and for your active participation which made the most of the girls shoot.