Fulham family photography – Just One: Katherine and Steve

Today’s blog post is all about the relationships and the personalities of siblings. I was thrilled to choose it as my just one from my recent baby, children and family photography session in Fulham, West London. I’ve known Katherine since I was four and have been lucky enough to photograph so many of the important events in her family’s life. Her sisters were often my models when I first started to take my interest in photography seriously as a teenager. I photographed her marriage to Steve at the Naval College in Greenwich back in 2008, as well as taking maternity pictures and newborn shots when both her sons were born. Now we have a family photograph with everyone in it to mark her beautiful daughter Phoebe’s first birthday.

We decided to go to the Bishop’s Palace in Fulham for our family photography session as it’s such a stunning location and it offers so many opportunities for lovely children and family photographs. I love the variety of backdrops from the formal kitchen gardens to the manicured lawns and the wonderful trees to run around in, hide behind and, of course, climb.

This picture, today’s just one, features one of the park’s lovely big trees. I love the personality from all three children the picture shows. I will always aim to get a formal (or formal-ish) picture of siblings together on my photo shoots, but it is pictures like this that really make me smile. Pictures that have natural joyful expressions and where each child is expressing themselves differently, in ways that are uniquely theirs. These pictures will always end up being so much more important than a formal straight to the camera image. This is a picture about these children rather than of them, and it’s all the better for it.

I love how all their distinct personalities are on show from eldest brother Aidan, standing tall on the tree as requested, younger brother Samuel, the joker, laughing his head off having just jumped off, and Phoebe, the youngest sister laughing at her brother’s antics. I think it captures this moment perfectly, especially with Phoebe leaning against the tree, not yet old enough to stand, but so close. I wonder if by the time I have written this, she is up and about. Children learn and develop so fast at this age, it’s wonderful to capture these moments in pictures; otherwise, blink and they will be gone. Soon, it will be a first day at school photo that will take pride of place on the fridge. I’m so pleased to have spent the morning with Katherine and Steve photographing their family in Fulham, continuing the tradition and recording their children as they grow up. We had a wonderful time and I will share some more photos soon from our wonderful morning of baby children’s and family photography in Fulham, West London.