Family Photography Session in East London

It’s lovely to be back to blogging with a sneak preview from a recent family photography session in East London.  The summer has been strange, after a slow start with the end of lockdown, the last few weeks have been incredibly busy which has been wonderful.  On sunny days, and rainy days, it has been an absolute pleasure to be out with my camera, seeing regular clients and catching up with how everyone’s year has been.

For this family session we met in an East London park I had not visited before and it was so wonderful to go somewhere new, especially somewhere with so much variety.  We started in the playground which the kids were thrilled about (and often works best to do at the beginning to beat the crowds).  It was a bright day with not a cloud in the sky and just lovely to be outside.  We played on the swing, the wooden train, and the climbing frame before heading to the lake to feed the ducks.

It’s a fantastic park, and as the light got brighter, we headed into the nearby woods.  Woods are often my favourite place for photography.  The trees soften the light creating a beautiful ethereal look to the pictures and, of course, the children love them.  I often think of woodland as having the entertainment value of a playground but in a much prettier environment and this one was perfect.  The children played with sticks and balanced on logs as I recorded their day in beautiful black and white pictures.

It’s been so hard to choose a favourite for my sneak peek – do I choose a lovely family moment in the woods, or an exuberant action shot from the park?  In the end I kept coming back to this shot on the swing.  It’s a classic picture and I think very beautiful. It also tells a story.  I love how happy he is on the swing, a recent discovery after so long in lockdown and his sister is just visible behind him, pushing him and helping her younger brother enjoy the moment.  These little glimpses of siblings helping each other and making each other’s worlds a better place always draw me in. I have memories of my older brothers pushing me on a swing and I love the idea that pictures like this will remind these children of how they played together in this playground that will be, I am sure, a big part of their childhood memories.

Now the kids are going back to school I’ll be catching up on my processing and posting more here on the blog so check back regularly for more shots from my summer photo shoots.

In the meantime, I hope you have enjoyed this one, today’s sneak preview from my recent East London family photography session.