Bristol family photography session: An “evening-in-the-life”.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending the evening photographing a family with 3 young brothers: 7 years old and 4 year old twins. For some photographers three young boys jumping in different directions mights be the stuff that nightmares are made of, but for a documentary family photographer like me, the more animated a family is, the more opportunities for photos with interesting angles, crazy expressions, or often hilarious scenes, which is just brilliant. 

I loved every minute with these boys and their parents and it was so heart warming how openly they accepted and welcomed me into their family for 4 hours. I love this about my job – how I get to enter a family’s home and witness their inner most behaviours and habits, documenting these unique elements of a family that usually only their nearest and dearest see and create artistic, beautiful images from them. 

It’s normal to want to put on a front for someone who is usually not a part of your home: tidy the house, dress up or perhaps be someone different when others come over, but my aim is to blend in, to feel like an old friend or family member with whom you feel 100% comfortable – no need to dress up or tidy up, because this is when I can capture images that show the true you – the true essence of your family, the genuine personalities and quirks of your children. Your kids just want you, to be you. They care about the hugs, the security, the love. They will remember how it feels to be a part of this family, rather than how tidy the house was (at least, that’s what I tell myself to make myself feel better about the state of my house!). And this is what I capture the story of. The feelings, the emotions. The dependency. The love. And there was no shortness of all of this in the boys’ home during their photography session. I love to observe how parents often express their love in different ways. Sometimes more affectionate and sometimes more practical. Every family is unique and special. And every family story is just that.

During this session I simply spent time with the family, observing and documenting what they usually do together in the evenings. Out for some fresh air on their scooters / bike to the family’s local park area, then home for a bath to clean up, dinner and a game of Uno at the table (their current obsession). Then some film time and finally bed. Our time together was so lovely and the boys were so sweet. Crazy at times, and tender at others. The last few minutes were just so precious, when the twins climbed into bed together, to sleep as they always do and probably as they were in the womb: face-to-face, squashed into one bed (the other bed left empty).

Apparently when I delivered the slideshow of this family’s gallery, which I like to call their “Photo Story”, the boys sat on the sofa and had it on replay over and over. I love this, it makes me realise how much it means to them, to see their family validated on screen and how important  these images will be to them for years to come – looking back on a time when they were small together. When Mummy and Daddy were always there physically and emotionally. A time when they all three bathed together and Daddy carefully scrubbed their faces one by one, a time when Mummy gave the best hugs, a time when they couldn’t sleep unless they were squashed into one bed together, face-to-face. All these little details that mean so much. Now that’s love. And that’s special. Worthy of remembering and holding close.

You can have a watch of their entire photo story here:

(To view more examples of family stories have a look through my Photo Stories page.)

If you are looking to have a family photography session in Bristol (or surrounding areas) and you’d like to have a chat about what your family story could look, do get in touch today.

I would absolutely love to work with you, to document what makes your family unique and special, for you all to look back on and treasure for years to come.