Why I Photograph Families in Motion, Not Standing Still

Driving down a potholed lane, I was beginning to wonder where I was headed: Sunday morning, directions followed, rain holding off and bang on time (apart from the very slow bumping up and down along an isolated road!) The farm house finally spotted and the two boys ready and waiting to chase the car down the last 200m to the door.

I love being outside with families. There’s something about being out in the open — in your garden, down a favourite lane, somewhere that belongs to you — that loosens everyone up. Nobody’s performing. Nobody’s waiting for a flash to go off. You’re just there, in the place you know, doing the things you do.

And this family know how to play. And just be. In the moment, as they are. They are my favourite type of family shoot. No one is worried about what colours match, if everyone’s hair is perfect and no-one calling ‘cheese’ to create smiles. A quick round of hugs and a cuppa and the kids are raring to go on the Easter Egg hunt. (I first stumbled upon the older two at Greenbelt Festival where I lead the photography team, playing around in the long grass on the lawn, and it has become a tradition to find them each bank holiday weekend, now joined by the younger two! And the other set of grandparents. And cousins!)

Something I think about a lot when I’m out with my camera is that nobody ever looks back at a photograph and thinks “I really wish Mum had worn something nicer that day.” or “I’m glad we waited 2 years before we had the shoot, yes, we missed the kids being little but I lost that weight.”

This lot have got it down. It’s not about the picture perfect insta shot, it’s what they feel, the way they look at each other, the interactions. That particular look that belongs only to them, the one that says you are everything without a single word. That’s the power of what a photograph can hold.

I loved this shoot as I get to be part of and view wonderful moments – capturing the actual texture of their day. The egg hunt where the kids were so excited and in the moment, stretching up to high branches, hunting under bushes and shrieks of laughter. The afternoon spent pulling rhubarb out of the garden, hands earthy, completely absorbed, sword fighing with rhubarb across all generations and hiding in the huge leaves. A wander with the grandparents where nobody’s in a hurry and the conversation meanders wherever it wants to go. Kids piling up logs, feeding the cat, doing absolutely nothing in particular — and being entirely themselves while they do it.

No ‘cheese’ in sight – and grumpy kids? No problem. A grumpy kid is a real kid, and real kids grow up. When they’re looking at those photos in ten or twenty years, that little scowl is going to make them laugh and cringe in equal measure. And between me and the parents, we always find something to distract them — but we don’t need to erase the moment or panic or rush to change it. That moment is the whole point.

The instagram version of your family has its place. But I much prefer gathering and documenting real moments, because that is your life. And importantly, it’s what will bring back those feelings in the future. The jam covered smile, the muddy hands, the belly laughs together …. that’s what will transport you back in time when you need that moment of peace and happy in the future.