Abi called me a couple of months ago checking my availability as a family portrait photographer for a once in a lifetime family gathering with ages ranging from 6 months to 93 years! About 20 members of her family were coming, quite literally, from all over the world (Suffolk to Australia…) and understandably she wanted these precious memories captured. It was also going to be her Mum and Dad’s 25th wedding anniversary gift too so this really was quite a special occasion.
Abi had chosen a delightful place for her family to stay: Flagstone Farm was situated just outside Stow on the Wold and proved to be an ideal location. The weather was bitingly cold and with grandparents in their 90’s, Abi didn’t want to venture too far or be outside too long. Fortunately, lovely, natural backdrops were all around (we are so lucky in the Cotswolds…) so we were able to get the main group pictures sorted nice and quickly before people got too chilly and their smiles dropped. With Grandma and Grandad packed off for a nice warm cuppa, I then concentrated on getting some unposed, candid shots of the children playing and getting cuddles from the grown ups. In amongst this, I rounded up a few brothers and sisters to get in on the act too.
When photographing very young children, I think my own fatherly instincts and patience definitely come in handy – young ones photograph best when just being allowed to do their thing and as a photographer and Dad, knowing when to back off off and just let things happen is very important. Mind you, getting pictures of my own children well that’s another thing!
I was very mindful of the significance and poignancy of this shoot and therefore delighted and relieved that Abi was thrilled with the results. Good on her for pulling this one off and I hope she and her delightful family get many years of pleasure from looking at their pictures of this special day.
Here is a selection from the morning…
