I love being an Outdoor Family Photographer

and I love outdoor family photography

There a so many reasons why i love this style of portrait photography and im going to list a few now.

Feel free to add your comments below, id love to hear your thoughts and have a nosey at my Family Photography Page to see examples of my work.

We Relax

When we get outside and the air hits us, we relax. Inadvertently we relax and breathe. We forget about the dishes and the laundry and families switch into chill mode. Which is exactly what a photographer searches for. That moment your shoulders drop and you start to relax and just be. Im constantly looking at Mum during a photoshoot to make sure she’s content. If Mum is content the the family is content.

 

 

Children like to have space

For being so little children do like space. Have you seen them at play parks, where does the energy come from? I have seen myself spending all day trying to tire out the little Hudsons’. Only to get to 7pm and they ask me what now and im the one that is exhausted.  Four walls are not energetic kids friends.  So when you book a family photoshoot with me I will always ask you where would you like to go. So many families have places all over Northern Ireland that mean something to them. Whether its the local Park, like Lady Dixon Gardens, or our beautiful North Coast.  Kids respond well to outside and Mums & Dads know their little humans better than anyone. So you will know where brings your little humans joy. So lets go there !

 

Seasons

Being an outdoor family photographer im always thinking about how i can make your family photoshoot reflective of you.  How can i photograph your family as authentically as i can?  Every family is different so why would we have the same photograph generated, with only the subjects changed.  So when we are booking your family photoshoot we can adapt the season to suit. You may like the Spring feel with the green grass of Lady Dixon. Or the hazy Summer evenings at Crawfordsburn Park.  Alternatively throwing snowballs in your front garden then having a hot chocolate in the house suits your mood.  Autumn leaves with scarves and wellies make for some beautiful, fun shoots.

 

Natural Light

Im not sure if you’ve ever heard of the term Golden Hour. This is the time of day photographers refer to when they are looking for a specific light.  Golden Hour occurs when the sun is hitting the horizon at a certain angle.  It gives off a beautiful soft golden light that cannot be replicated with studio lighting.  I can attempt to describe the maths behind when the sun its setting and where it needs to be on the horizon when that happens.  However…. its a total snooze.fest but it generally occurs around an hour before sun set or an hour before sunrise.  So this years mission is to get my families out and about during sunset.

Im not a sunrise kinda girl !!

Catch the beautiful golden rays and soak up that lovely natural light is my dream as an outdoor family photographer.  I took these two pictures of the little Hudsons’ last summer to show a client the difference between the golden hour and 20 minutes after the sun had set.

Can you see the difference?

 

Organic Activites

When im with families shooting out and about, we are in natural situations.  We blow bubbles, roll down hills, look for squirrels.  Everything just comes naturally as we go for a dander.  85% of family photoshoots I’ve shot always start with a husband telling me to lets get this over with.  He’s been dragged along, more than likely missing his football and being a grump.  I normally start my shoots with a big old pose. I pop you all together shout cheese and snap away.  Thats what’s expected from a photographer right?  So once we get that over and done with, we start to chat and walk. During that hour something magical has always happened.  Because the posed shot has been taken and we are just shooting the breeze trying to make the kids giggle. Mum & Dad forget about the camera.

These are some of the comments from Dad’s after our shoots.

i was dreading today, but you turned out ok – now not the most flattering but ill take it because this Dad was so uncomfortable when i first met him and he had totally changed by the time we were at our cars.

right when are you going to take some pictures – i had already finished, the Dad sent me an email a week after the images where received to apologise and that he couldn’t believe i captured what i had because he had no memory of posing.

I don’t do pictures – this was an opening line to hello im Mel your photographer.  This Dad did take a bit of warming up but did eventually apologise for being stand offish. He explained he had done a family photoshoot with his sister and family a few years ago and it was a nightmare. The photos where terrible and cost him a fortune to be just sitting in a box somewhere.  This Dad has actually booked another family shoot for this summer as a surprise for his wife. How exciting !!

Being an outdoor family photographer, it is my job to make you relax and forget im there to take pictures

 

 

You think you’d like to go for a dander with me?? Please say yes !! You can give me a ring on +447703389313 or send me an email via my Contact Page – Click Here

We can have a chat and discuss what you love about your family and what you would like to capture.  I have lots of ideas and together we can pick the perfect backdrop to your family photography shoot with me.  I can guarantee they will be filled with colour & joyful momentos of our evening together.

M xx