A Sneak Preview of Family Photography on Hampstead Heath

Everyone has their favourite things and family photography on Hampstead Heath is one of mine – it’s such a wonderful location. My last photo shoot before this second lockdown was an absolute joy from start to finish, a really memorable session before being shut inside again this month.  Planned on short notice, we were lucky enough to have a day of astonishingly good weather – warm with low sunlight – the sort of day which makes you realise why Autumn is one of the best times of year for family photography on Hampstead Heath.

I thought I would share two pictures today as there are so many that I love from this family photography session on Hampstead Heath and each image captures something totally different, it’s nice to show a bit of variety.  The girls were amazing fun, both so full of character and so happy all the time, it’s one of the real perks of my job to spend time with such happy children, I always go home in such a wonderful mood.

First up something dramatic. I knew at the time that I had taken something special and when I got home I was thrilled to see that it was just as good as I thought it might be, better even for the bird on the left hand side, a serendipitous moment that really makes the picture.  I had been taking some shots of this fabulous little girl sitting on one of the higher branches and then, as she climbed down, I saw the potential for something else, a graphic silhouette.  As she put her hand on the branch to steady herself, I knew I had the pose I wanted and then, asking her to stay still for a moment, I was able to move to get the perfect composition.  It’s a picture that reminds me of an illustration by Jan Pienkowski and I love it.

The second image, of her wonderful little sister is another that makes me so happy just to look at it.  After our time taking family photographs on Hampstead Heath we headed to a nearby park for a few pictures on the swings, as that’s one of this little girls favourite things to do.  I wanted a picture that really showed her joy and happiness as she was pushed higher and higher by her daddy, loving the movement and the excitement.  Backlighting the image to create this wonderful halo of light gives the image such a happy light-hearted feel and the close-up composition really makes us feel part of the action.

I hope you like them both as much as I do, today’s sneak preview from my recent family photography session on Hampstead Heath.  If you would like to see more recent family photography on Hampstead Heath or learn more about my portrait photography sessions, do browse the blog or take some time to look around the website.  Any questions, drop me an email or give me a call, I’d love to hear from you.