Just One – Henry – Battersea family photography

Henry’s photo shoot in Battersea Park was all about the gates – big gates, small gates, we opened and shut them all! Any suggestion of other games were brushed off, as Henry wanted to play with the gates and who can blame him? Gates are great fun!

It was the most fantastic children’s and family photography session in Battersea Park, we had such a great time. I absolutely love photographing toddlers and how the day’s entertainment can be so random – such small things can cause so much laughter and amusement. I just love how a gate can entertain a toddler for hours and hours.

Battersea Park in South London is an absolute favourite location of mine for family photography sessions as there is so much variety in the park – there are beautiful trees for peek-a-boo, grass to run around, lovely shady paths with magical light, ice-cream vans for sustenance and, of course, gates. It’s a perfect spot for a day out with young children and anywhere children enjoy themselves is a perfect spot for photography. I was so thrilled to hear that Battersea Park would be our destination for Henry’s photo shoot.

So, today’s ‘Just One’ preview image – well, I loved this picture as soon as I took it. It’s that wonderful combination of great expression – that gleeful look that says ‘look at me, look at my gate, isn’t this AMAZING, we can open and shut it, you can be inside or outside, wow, I love this gate’ – a great composition, and the lovely use of light. Henry is clearly having the time of his life! I used a very shallow depth of field on this picture to really emphasis Henry himself and throw the background out of focus. Therefore it’s Henry’s grin that pops out of the picture with no distracting elements.

I also love how there is a simple but strong composition, with the lines of the gate leading the eye in from the right-hand side of the picture and the curve of the fence in the background, a shape of shadow and light echoing round back to the right top corner. It’s a lovely subtle curve that surrounds Henry himself and is echoed by the shape of Henry’s arms, holding both sides of the gate and welcoming his parents, just out of frame, through his gate and the viewer into the picture.

I’m thrilled with this picture and I hope it will make you smile too.

I look forward to sharing some more pictures from this wonderful children’s and family portrait photography session in Battersea in London SW11 soon, and do contact us if you would like to arrange a photo shoot for your family – we would be delighted to hear from you.