Spring family photo shoot with a toddler in Highgate

Early spring family photography in Highgate Wood

I spent a glorious morning in Highgate Wood recently photographing this delightful family and I’m thrilled to be sharing a few favourites here today.

This spring family photo shoot in Highgate was one I had been really looking forward to as I love photographing toddlers and I love Highgate Wood, one of the amazing green spaces local to me in North London. It’s somewhere I know extremely well as I often walk or run there in my spare time as well as having done countless family photo shoots there over the years.

I was also really looking forward to seeing the family home as we discovered when doing the paperwork, it was a beautiful flat I’d worked in before, with a different family, before it had been sold. I love little coincidences like this. It’s the second time I’ve photographed in the same house with different families over the course of my 23 year career. I was particularly pleased on this occasion as I knew they had some beautiful light in the living room and I was excited to see what we could create together.

Bubble play in Highgate Wood

We started bright and early and headed out to the wood, arriving when it was still quiet. The low spring sun was peeking through the trees, and it was the perfect situation for some bubble play.

The family had bought a brilliant bubble machine with them. It was the best non-professional level bubble machine I’ve seen, and I consider myself a connoisseur of bubble machines as I see so many. This one kicked out so many bubbles, giving us a wonderful photogenic activity. Combined with a bubble wand, great for catching bubbles, it was a beautiful way to start the day.

Toddler moments with favourite toys

One of the things I really enjoy when photographing little ones is that they have toys that they really love that we can incorporate into our pictures, and that was the case with this little one’s dolls who came to the park with their own buggy for transport.

I think this session has a lot of my favourite buggy pushing pictures of all time. The little one was just so delightfully proud and excited as she pushed her buggy around, and her expressions are so adorable they make me smile every time I look at these pictures.

Back home to meet the cat

We headed home towards the end of the morning which always works brilliantly when photographing little ones. A change of scene is helpful and a snack gives energy. I’m always a fan of stopping for an early lunch rather than keeping little ones going with cake, as savoury food always gives more energy and better moods for the last part of the session. After snacking on humous and bread sticks we were back to it for a last bit of indoor play and some stories.

Story time and a quiet finish

We finished with some story time on the sofa, a lovely way to end the session with relaxed pictures before the midday nap. I love these photographs, as it’s always so lovely to see children enjoying books. The togetherness of a family snuggled close with a book always makes me smile.

For this session we were even joined by the family cat who was the most friendly and photogenic feline I’ve ever met.

It was a great way to end a great shoot and a wonderful morning together.

Book a Highgate family photo shoot

If you have enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to book a spring family photo shoot in Highgate this year, do get in touch. You can send me an enquiry via the contact form or an email to [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you and together we can plan a wonderful day and some beautiful photographs for your family.