“Daddy never smiles for photos” according to 6-year-old Alicia! Well I do like a challenge and I’m pleased to say I did manage to get Kaveh to crack a smile! And who wouldn’t with such a gorgeous family about to get one bigger.

Beckenham family George, Marina, Isla-Mae and Liam contacted me to do some natural, relaxed family photography in Crystal palace Park – one of their favourite haunts. This was an extra privilege to be asked as they’re personal friends and Marina is herself a photographer. She suffers from the usual problem that as a photographer she’s always behind the camera and never in front. So it was an honour to be the one to rectify that.

Brothers Jay and Zak were absolutely full of beans when I went to photograph them at their flat in Sydenham. Sometimes people worry they don’t have the space or their house is too cluttered for a family photography session in their home. I think that’s nonsense – it’s the clutter that helps tell the story of who you are as a family. Your home is where you spend a large proportion of your time – it should be part of the picture. As a Sydenham lifestyle family photographer, everyone wants to get out into Crystal Palace Park or Sydenham Wells Park for family photography, but I love the ones that are at home where I can really get to know my subjects. There’s nothing like a child inviting you into their world and showing you their toys – their faces simply light up with enthusiasm.

Ah summer holidays – the sun, the sea, the days of relaxation stretching out in front of you .. the wrestling the suncream and hats onto the sandy kids … the melted ice creams … the sandy sandwiches …

So many photographers, so little time! Choosing a family photographer can seem a bit overwhelming when you realise just how many there are out there. You’ve decided you want to have some family photos taken, but where do you start in choosing who is the best photographer to do them?
First things first, the first – and most important question – you need to ask yourself when choosing a family photographer is ‘do I like their photos?’. If you don’t like their style of photography then you simply won’t like your final images. So first off find a photographer whose photos make you go ‘wow’ or ‘I want that on my wall’. Work your way through a Google search for photographers in your area, look at their portfolios, work out what style grabs you. Pinterest and Instagram are other ways of quickly going through lots of types of images to see what’s out there.

Ellen and Pete booked their newborn session a couple of months before their due date to make sure they could get their newborn baby photography session done within the first few weeks of the birth. In the end gorgeous baby Maisie was born a little earlier than expected and she was three weeks old by the time I went to photograph her in their home in Bromley.
Outside was a bit of a grey and miserable day – perfect for staying tucked up inside cuddling up to a gorgeous new baby.

Spring was certainly in the air when I had the pleasure of photographing the gorgeous 8-month-old Henry with his mum Emily and dad Daniel at Greenwich Park. The daffodils and the crocuses were all out in full bloom and it was a gorgeous spring day.