I arrived at the location and excitedly waited for the family to arrive for their sunset family photoshoot. I chose this family from my model call and our communication was great throughout the process. However, I find it’s only once you meet someone face to face that you can start building that bond and understanding and start learning about them and their family. This is true with children, albeit children can be decisive little people so you sometimes don’t have too long to make a good impression!
Lucy and her family arrived, and I met them at the car park. Nate (Lucy’s husband) was holding their youngest daughter who straight away gave me the biggest smile and started to pronounce my name which was very lovely 😊. Their older daughter smiled at me too, however, she was a little bit reserved at first which is completely normal and understandable. I know from having kids myself that they often need some time to get used to a new person around them and I always try to give them space when necessary and then step by step start to encourage conversation.
We started our sunset family photoshoot by walking towards a glorious sunset looking over Basingstoke and I was very keen to find out a little bit more about their family. I had a couple of hints from Lucy with regards to what the girls like and one of the things she mentioned is that they adore panda bears! When I asked what their favourite bear was, Bliss excitedly replied polar bear! I was not expecting that answer! Kids are just great and are always full of surprises.
The girls enjoyed running and picking up sticks and flowers. Often during my sessions, I will ask a family to just spend time with each other and I then try to capture those wonderful moments of closeness and connection. However, I will also try to change the pace and encourage lots of movement with running and jumping. Selah was such a fearless girl. She loved being thrown into the air by her dad! She couldn’t get enough of laughter and giggles. Nate was chasing her around the fields, picking her up, pretending she is an aeroplane! She was so so happy! This part of my job as a lifestyle photographer is the best! I love seeing how a family connect and interact with each other and if I manage to take photographs and capture those family moments then my job is done.
During a sunset family photoshoot, in particular, I also enjoy those quiet moments where family stories are told. This time I was taken back to hear a story when Lucy and her family got stuck in the snow! At first, when I was listening to the conversation I thought they were somewhere in the Alps but then I quickly realised they were stuck in their car not far away from home! 10 inches of snow in the UK can create problems!
Thank you so much to Lucy and her family for answering my model call. I was delighted with the images we captured and hope you all enjoyed the session. Please keep a lookout on my socials (Facebook and Instagram) for any upcoming model calls I may have.
