KidsNaturally Photography - Blog

I recently took some photos of children and families at the Croft School Fun Day  (near Stratford-upon-Avon). It was a  fantastic location, the families were great fun and got into the spirit of being photographed, which all resulted in photos that I was pleased with, as well as the parents ….  ”these are gorgeous – thankyou so much for a lovely experience at the Fun Day – you really caught them being themselves!  “we’re really pleased with our order; you captured the boys exactly as we’d have wanted and the prints look great for our family”.

I love the emotions here - the little brother getting comfort and reassurance from his sister

The colours on this old tractor were just great.

These three brothers had a great time!

Father and son projects – a den!

Every once in a while I get closer to my 7-year son by doing a project. Last year we made a play fort, or a den. It does get played with, but the real joy was the design & construction – although it took a lot longer than I had bargained for!  We made designs on paper, talked about how triangles add strength, got the extended family involved for advice, went to B&Q for the raw materials, and then got to work. A whole lot of sawing, putting in screws (there are 84 screws, I’m told by my son!)  and some sweat later, we have something to remember for a long time.

The final product - it was the building of it that we'll remember!

I think my sons favourite part was concreting in the posts, done with a friend after school one day.

With friends on the roof

Inside the den - note added hay bale!

There's scope for an artistic element too!

Newborn Freya

She was only three weeks old, but amazingly she was wide awake and could follow you with her eyes, very unusual for a newborn baby. She was the star of the show (apart from when the nappy came off for a short while & she managed to wee and worse over her Mum and the carpet)!  Many thanks to her  Mum & Dad.

She could also interact with her two older brothers:

Newborn Freya and her older brothers

and pose on a comfy spot:

posing on towels!

Parenting – the emotions

Being a parent: the highs are high and the lows are low.

For me, that summarizes some days!  My son’s emotions swing so quickly, sometimes my own emotions can’t keep up.  I try to keep a thick skin during the “lows”, but it isn’t always easy. Before you know it though, all is well again and you’re sharing a special moment.

Here’s a photo that captures a sad moment.  For me, photos like this provide an authentic  record of the whole experience of being a child, and of parenting. Its not just about the happy, smily moments!

a sad moment

Window light

I love seeing the way light sometimes changes the appearance of otherwise mundane things. I was lying in bed, not being lazy at all, infact I was contemplating the morning light through the windows!  Through one window, the direct sunlight cast a great shadow on the wall, and the slightly sad tulip appeared to want to escape through the window.

The shape of the shadow on the wall and the delicate colours make this for me

Continue Reading…

Oil-painting effect

I’m really pleased that this image recently won an award in the Fujifilm envisage awards for professional photographers. It’s from a recent photo session near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. I took some photos in the family’s back garden and then we walked over to this field of long grass opposite the house. It’s the colours and the gentle look of the girls that stand out for me.  The sisters are finding  flowers for each other. Their mother said  “The photos are just beautiful. They are in the living room and the hall. Everyone comments on them. Thankyou so, so much”.

This image has an oil-painting effect applied. Do you like it?

For this version of the photo I’ve added a  painting-like appearance to the image, so that it’s not just a straightforward photo. The effect is most obvious in the background. It looks great printed on canvas. What do you think? Continue Reading…

Better children’s photography – part 2

This is the second in a series of articles aimed at helping you get better children’s photography. It is for everyone with a camera and kids!  You might also like to see the first part.

Check the background.

What’s in the background? Is it distracting? The washing on the line or a bright red car won’t look so good. Maybe move around yourself to get a plainer background. With a baby, perhaps put the baby on a sofa to get a plainer background.

An upright format often fits a person in better. The background was a plain area in deep shade, and so is very dark in the image. We had just come in from playing in the rain!

Try turning the camera round so that you take an upright, vertical photo. This way up fits the shape of people better, so there’s less likely to be heads or feet cut off.  If it feels odd to hold the camera like this, practise so that it feels more natural. Its also important to hold the camera steady, since if the camera jolts slightly when you take the picture, you’ll get a blurred photo. Keeping you arms in at the side of your body helps.

Continue Reading…

Better children’s photography – part 1

We all want great photos of our children to remind us of the times when they were younger, but often our photos don’t come out quite as we planned.  This is the first in a series of articles aimed at helping you get better children’s photography. It is for everyone with a camera and kids!

Create a fun time. 

Firstly, you know your children. Get the camera out when they are in a good mood, not when they’re tired or hungry. It helps if you are in the right frame of mind too!
The photos that you’ll probably like best are those taken when the children are engaged in an activity, and being themselves, rather than standing stiffly in front of a favourite scene. Is the photo of the children, or the scene?  Getting a good image of both is twice as hard!  Instead, just concentrate on getting a good photo of the most important thing in the picture – your child.

These sisters were doing what they always do: having fun together

Continue Reading…