Family photography blog posts

We all need family portraits – they are records of who we all are and are the most precious possessions of many people. We take them because we want to remember always a moment in time, or an event, or a thing, or a person.

Simply putting your photographs on Facebook may well keep the aunties happy, and it might satisfy your hankering for “likes”, but it’s certainly not taking advantage of the psychological and emotional benefits your children will get when the photos are on the walls of your home or in an album which can actually be physically touched on a regular basis.

Many parents despair of ever capturing good images of their active children, never mind great ones, but bring them to me, we’ll go somewhere outside where they can belt around and enjoy themselves, and watch the magic happen.

“Loaded like a freight train* …” my ten year old screamed, “FLYIN’ LIKE AN AEROPLANE …” as he catapulted himself out of a tree, swinging like a hyperactive gibbon on one of the lower branches to add flourish to his descent.

I have got the best killer tip for photographing your kids! And it’s actually very, very easy.

(Well. Unless you’ve got bad knees, that is.)

And the best bit is, this’ll work with any camera whatsoever, including the most ancient old smartphones!

Fun family photography in Edinburgh where seriousness is not guaranteed – my client had a rather unusual concern! Find out what it was here, and why I was the one being led astray …

Do NOT ask your children to say cheese for photos. Ever.

One of two things will happen. The teeth get bared and the eyes look dead. (Probably from the embarrassment that you couldn’t think of anything more original than “cheese”.)

There are just so many great places to go here! And it’s SO important that when you go to a professional photographer for your family or children’s photographs, you choose a location that reflects your family and the kind of things you all like. Here are some ideas …

Somewhere in this ferocious technological revolution, we’ve lost some of the really simple things in life.

Actually sifting through a pile of photographs that we can touch and smell and feel the different textures of and examine and get lost in … Get lost, for a few hours, in a time that we have forgotten, without once swiping across a screen.

Dads … Your phone’s got a camera on it, doesn’t it? Well you need to get photographing the mother of your children, the love of your life and all round superwoman who gives her all to hold it together for your family. Here’s why.

Use these tips to stop feeling guilty about pestering your children for photos and being disappointed that you just can’t seem to document their days effectively.

Instead, be your family’s memory-keeper who captures the golden (and mucky!) days of their childhoods and who makes it fun at the same time.

How to photograph your family at the beach and make a beautiful story in pictures requires just a wee bit of planning – here’s how to do it! (Just make sure you avoid rotting seals.)

When to stop photographing a child is not always apparent right away. Beware the signs of belligerance! Why I always stop photographing a client’s child if he’s really not in the mood. And why I sometimes push it a little with my own …!

Find out why I insist on pre-session consultations with my clients and why they love them so much! It’s an information exchange, and it’s something my clients really, really value. They get the measure of me and can really imagine what our session is going to be like, and they tell me this gives them so much more confidence on the day – they’ve met me, and they know what to expect. So they feel much more comfortable and relaxed in front of my camera and know I’m not scary. (Much!)

I’m now a children and family photographer in Edinburgh, but it’s not only children and families I photograph, and not only in Edinburgh I do it.  In fact, before I got into portrait work, I really enjoyed taking landscapes, and often still do. It’s not difficult to find fabulous subject matter on your doorstep when you come from Inverness-shire, I’ll tell you! Here’s how Tea Break Tog helped me.

I’ve always thought it such a shame little children go to bed so early. (Caveat: not my own children!) Because the hour or so before the sun goes down is the most beautiful in which to photograph them. Find out why here.

You and your husband have sat down together, about to watch the telly, the one show you both like; the only one where you can sit side by side focusing on the same thing. A rare occasion. It couldn’t be that simple, though, could it?