The Haywards - Part One!

I LOVE family photography. Not cheesy, posed, set up shots, with uncomfortable smiles and bribed children, but real, raw, truthful family moments, captured as they happen. How often to parents get to be in the photos themselves... particularly all you mums out there... How many photos do you actually have of of those little moments with your babies and children? You know the ones I mean... their laughs, the reassuring hugs, the helping hands... and yes... the tantrums!

So most of my family shoots are a couple of hours at a time... sometimes at home, sometimes out walking, maybe at the beach.... but I'd been wanting to do a day-in-the-life shoot for aaaaaaaaages. So I got thinking. Who did I know who would entrust me to come into their life for a full 24 hours, to capture family life and parenthood in its true reality? Mrs Hayward that's who. If you are a mum (or a wanna-be-mum who fancies reading about the times to come!), you should check her out. She won Top London Mummy Blogger 2017 you know!

Allowing a photographer into your home is a big thing. At any time. To allow a photographer into your home, "access all areas" is an even bigger step. I know Mrs H was a little apprehensive about me popping my head around the bedroom door, and photographing her makeup free (even though she is gorgeous). I GET it. But the thing is, this allowed me to photograph some really special times with the kids. Times I don't think would ever normally get captured....

So a date was set, and I arrived Friday afternoon with cameras in hand and an overnight bag.... and just got snapping. There was no more than a couple of minutes of uncertain gazes from Mrs H's beautiful girls, and then we were besties! The Haywards just cracked on as they usually would... playtime, dinner, bath, bed, breakfast, getting ready to head out, park time... and I was with them to document it all!

Needless to say, I took a LOT of photos. I've been told before not to overload a blog post with images, because people just get bored looking through the photos, and it means so much to me this family session, that I reaaaally don't want that to happen! But I have struggled to pick my favourite images, in a way that still reflects this family's story. So I have decided to split this blog post in two... today you get to see Friday, and soon... you get to see what happened Saturday!

I do hope you enjoy the photos... this family ROCKS.

I thought I would take a little break from editing to share this gorgeous family shoot with you...

I totally love spending time with families just doing what they love doing, and it's just awesome when I get asked back again! I met Zoe, Piers and Mirabelle a couple of years ago - there's a gallery on my website! Zoe got back in touch with me and asked if I fancied a trip to Hengistbury Head to capture some shots of them all at the beach. Anyone who knows me will know how much I love being by, in, or on, the sea, so I was totally excited. We were keen for some sun so this trip was arranged and then re-arranged a few times due to our unpredictable weather, but one fine day I set off down to Dorset. I have spent a lot of time down there with family and friends, but Hengistbury Head was new to me... I don't know if it's because the beach is pebbled, but on an August Saturday, in the scorching sun, in the middle of the school holidays, there was hardly anyone around!

Mirabelle was in her element running in and out of the sea... as was I! I only wish I had better water housing on my cameras because I would have been right in there myself!

I took so many photos this day - here are a collection of some of my favourites.

I am happy to travel ANYWHERE you and your family or partner love to be, so if you are interested in a shoot like this please do get in touch for a quote!