Streatham family photos – boys in the woods

Today’s Just One is from a fantastic family photo shoot in Streatham Woods in South East London.  I’ve been lucky enough to know Mary since we were eleven years old, where we met in the chorus of the school play, ah those were the days!  We’ve remained great friends ever since and so I was thrilled when we arranged a photoshoot with her lovely family.

It was one of the first days of the recent spell of bright sunny days and the boys were keen to play outdoors.  We started at home in the garden, waiting for the Park Run at Hilly Fields to finish before heading out to explore that wonderful park and then venturing further afield to beautiful Streatham Woods.  I’m still amazed that I never knew Streatham woods existed as a child, it’s not that far from where I grew up and it’s a beautiful place and perfect for a family walk and also as a location for family photography.

Woodland is particularly good on bright sunny days as it provides shade and, while I’m not one to complain when it isn’t raining, bright sunlight can sometimes be hard to work with.  The soft light in the woods was perfect.

We had a brilliant time exploring and hunting for the Gruffalo.  I love to play games as we take pictures.  The squelchy mud was super fun and jumping off logs kept everyone entertained for ages.  Woodland always provides so many options for action shots, it really is natures playground and so great pictures come thick and fast in a fun photoshoot.

This picture was near the end of the session.  The boys had stopped for a moment and I had suggested a particularly photogenic branch would make a good spot to sit and rest.  Often the best pictures occur like this, guiding the children to a beautiful spot and then sitting back and watching the action unfurl.  This way I’m rewarded with wonderful un-posed moments and beautiful natural expressions.

I love how you can see the interaction between the boys, how much fun they are having and I’m sure it’s just the kind of image they will love as they grow up. It’s certainly just the type of picture I love to have of me and my brothers from our childhood, images that show us having fun together in a natural environment shot in beautiful black and white, just perfect.

I hope you like it, if you would like to arrange your own photo shoot for this summer then do get in touch, I’m taking bookings right up until Christmas and it would be lovely to chat about what makes your family tick and then we can plan the perfect photo shoot for you.  If you want to learn more then do take a look at my family photography page for more information.