Submitted by Darren on
A day out on the Farm
As a photographer who specialises in documentary photography, I love the opportunity to do family shoots, even more so as I only get a few months of the year when I actually have time to do them.
The different relationships within a family give the opportunity to capture those knowing glances, the genuine laughter and the warm hugs. However, the best subject on camera has to be children with their carefree attitude and their abundance of energy; win them over and the images come naturally.
At first glance you might be mistaken that this was a couples shoot. Being a leap year, I managed to get a proposal shot… I couldn’t resist it! But let’s add some context to this.
Lauren approached me just before Christmas. Would it be possible to photograph her family as a present to the family? There are seven adults and five children. How exciting I thought! I find the more people in a family shoot, the more opportunity to capture those distinct relationships.
So, on a very wet, muddy day at the end of February, Lauren’s family which included her husband and children, her brother, his partner and children, her parents and her parents-in-law, all ventured to Swallow’s Nest for a fun day out in the grounds. With Lauren working at the venue we had the place to ourselves. The first part of the day always involves getting the children to run around doing silly things, so they feel comfortable with me. With the kids all kitted up in wellington boots and outdoor clothing I had great fun getting them to run up and down the muddy hills. I can always spot the competitive ones as they come running down the hill. Whereas the splashing in puddles brings out the free spirit in others.
I believe these activities help create a relaxed atmosphere and everyone in the family soon got used to my random requests and settled in front of the camera. With Lauren literally being my side kick that day I got her to demonstrate what I meant by everyone doing a ninja kick. I actually think the grandparents enjoyed it more than the kids!
With the more formal (and less formal) sibling, niece, and nephew photos taken, it was time to venture towards the stream. What crazy things could I get them to do down here? Ah yes – this was the inspiration for my proposal shot of Lauren’s brother and his partner as she got down on one knee. While it was captured on camera, I don’t believe I heard any ‘I do’s’ that day. So, we moved on to find further inspiration. A fallen tree was the backdrop to many of the images that day. I heard someone say, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if someone actually fell into the stream?’ As we heard a crack, I thought I was going to be lucky to photograph Lauren’s husband falling into the stream. Sadly, it was a false alarm – better luck next time I thought!
Warwickshire Family Photography
