Winter Family Photo Shoot in East Sheen
East Sheen family photographer
We had fantastic weather for our family photo shoot in East Sheen recently, my first session of the year and a brilliant way to start 2026. January has been a gift so far with some really beautiful days and while it has been cold the gorgeous light has more than made up for the chill in the air. I love this time of year, and it has been such a treat to get out with my camera so much.
This session, a family photo shoot with teenagers in East Sheen, was such good fun with great company, lots of laughter, three dogs and a cat, as well as copious cups of tea and fascinating conversations. I even learnt new things about the history of opera, I do not get to do that every day.
We had such fun and I am thrilled to be sharing a few favourites on the blog today. I hope you enjoy this sneak preview from my family photo shoot in East Sheen with teenagers.
Up early to win the day
An early start can be a struggle, especially two days after New Year when everyone’s body clock is still in Christmas mode, but these teens were brilliant, awake and happy when I arrived at 8.30am and keen to get out the door and enjoy the spectacular dawn.
Early starts are great as places are quiet, which means we do not get people in the backs of our images, and we also do not disrupt other park users. There were only a few dog walkers and the occasional jogger visible when we first arrived in Richmond Park to be greeted by a fabulous frozen wonderland.
Bright light for our East Sheen family photo shoot
As any photographer will tell you, low winter sunshine is both fantastic and a challenge. Using this light can be a lot of fun but does involve a lot of moving around to ensure that the hard shadows are the shadows we want and that the light adds to rather than distracts from the effect. It is a really fun light to use though, as just running round my subject from one side to the other can result in totally different images when shot into or against the light.
Personally, I love to shoot into the light, embracing back lighting, flare and moody creativity to interesting effect.
Bright cloudless skies can also be great fun for silhouettes, and I was thrilled to see some amazing opportunities in this area of Richmond Park that I had not been to before. Working with silhouettes can be tricky as there are lots of considerations, from overall shape to balance and individual details, that taken together can create something wonderful. The image which opens this blog post is a real favourite that will, I am sure, be in my top ten images of the year, what a perfect result from my first session of 2026.
Portrait photographs in East Sheen
Of course, individual portraits are a big part of what I do and it is always fun to get images that I feel really capture a relaxed smile, a laugh, an emotion, pictures that speak of the subject rather than the photographer behind the camera. These kids were absolute naturals, and I love all the shots I have taken, with these three being favourites.
Indoors with family and pets
By mid-morning it was getting cold outside. I was wrapped up warm in two pairs of trousers and seven thermal layers but for my hardy subjects the chill was creeping in, so we headed back for a much-needed cup of tea, and toast with jam all round. It is always good to mix things up and having half the session outdoors and half indoors is always my preference, whatever the weather.
As a family photographer in East Sheen it was such a joy to see the teenagers relaxing with their pets indoors, and these interactions are so lovely to have recorded in beautiful photographs.
Perudo and final family photographs
We finished up with a game of Perudo, or Liars Dice, a brilliant game for all the family and one which I personally am very bad at, I have no head for statistics and probability. It is great fun though and I loved watching the interactions as everyone enjoyed a game together. It is great to take pictures of people enjoying themselves, the laughter is infectious and I was in such a great mood when we finished our day together. Laughter, fun and fantastic family photography with teenagers in East Sheen, what a fabulous start to 2026.
Book your family portrait session in East Sheen
I hope you have enjoyed what you have seen on the blog today from this session as a family photographer in East Sheen and would like to book a photo shoot for your own family this year. I am taking bookings all the way through to next Christmas so if there is a particular day you have in mind do get in touch. Alternatively, if you would like to find out more you can look around the website or find a wide selection of images from different shoots on the blog. Drop me a line via the contact form and tell me about your family and what you love to do together and then we can plan the perfect photo shoot for your family and create meaningful images for you to treasure.
