A fantastic family shoot. - Ali J Photography

I have had the total pleasure of being with these guys for two sessions so far, and we have another booked in for when the new arrival makes an appearance. And they are a dream to work with.

The kids had just woken up after a drive to Wollaton and were a little shy and huggy to start with, but 5 minutes in and they were off! I’m not sure how mum and and dad introduce the idea of the photo shoot to the kids each time, but I’m guessing it’s something like “Ali is going to be there and she’s going to take us on an adventure around Wollaton, she’s got a camera to capture it all, let’s go!”

.I met the family at Greenbelt a few years ago, when out of the hundreds of children there each year, Sarah and John just happened to catch my eye 2 years in a row around site, and their mum was working a few hours stewarding at one of the venues, so we got chatting. I’m by no means a regular figure in the kids lives, but you wouldn’t know to look! They let me tag along in their exploring and are open to climbing and running and most suggestions I throw at them.

The three of them are full of life and energy. We stopped to say hello to the dinosaur and it’s broken egg before heading into the bushes to find trees to clamber and holes within the trunks to hide. Rupert’s just walking and very much joining in, deciding the hole was his, no sharing allowed! Sarah decided spinning around was the thing to do! The beauty of these three, is that there are no ‘say cheese’ moments; mum and dad are happy to let the kids explore and react to my suggestions, indeed most of the time, it’s me reacting to their ideas!

Sometimes, when there are too many posed moments in a shoot, the children decide enough is enough or they don’t feel comfortable and start to play up by looking away, refusing to cooperate or actually running away. I mean, most of us find it a little uncomfortable for a stranger to be pointing a long lens towards them and giving us instructions to look happy! Little John had his moments this time, but letting him have some control over his movements and time to run around in his own choice of space without being told to stand here, say cheese, meant he was more willing to cooperate when we had a few gently posed moments.

The long grass on the way to the orangery was a great feature to stop and wander through, as was the tree that every child must have climbed, (but is still the best place to go!) limbs curling under and on top of each other creating a fantastic den to explore. Sarah found her own safety belt branch and of course, Rupert was not to be left out and was happy balancing on some branches, with of course, a helping hand from mum or dad!

A few races across the grass finished the session off and I’m so looking forward to catching up again later this year, when Rupert will no doubt be scurrying after big brother and sister, throwing those autumn leaves around and puddle splashing if there is half a chance and, I’m betting new little one will be watching the goings on intently and before we know it, will be joining in too!