Wednesday's favourite Photo

family candid photographywinters day family shoot

Im currently sorting out my catalogue of photo shoots, trying to put them in to some sort of order for quick reference.  I've sat here for a couple of hours really enjoying clicking through each photograph.  Im not actually getting too much done but Im having a fun time regardless. I might not be doing what I set out to do (as is often the way) but it is, if ever I had doubt, reminding me how much I enjoy being a photographer. The photos are making me smile, bringing back memories of each family and the time I spent with them. Each family is different, each have their own personalities and uniqueness and it's this that I am looking at with fondness.  

Family photos are important.  I recently walked into a house that was filled to the brim with photographs, I mean, pictures absolutely everywhere.  I didn't know the family but I delighted in looking at them all.  I left their home feeling like I knew them just a little bit more.

We all have favourites snaps on our phones (often enough) and if we are lucky enough and organised enough perhaps even in a frame.  Each time we glance at them our hearts gives out a little beat for that memory. Something happens to us when we see pictures of our cherished family. We well up with pride and want to show people; we travel back in time and can see and feel details long forgotten.  We are reminded of what matters most and how time moves too quickly.  As a photographer friend of mine said "pictures are like memories and stories and are part of our legacy.  We hold them close, we pass them down. They are part of who we are and who we where"

 So without prejudice here is my one of my many favourite photos  - It was taken as part of a charity shoot.  I was raising money for the British Heart Foundation.  At the time my Dad was very ill with heart failure and feeling totally inadequate to help him, I donated money from that month's family photo shoots to the charity.  This family particularly loved this beautiful walk along the river Otter in Devon and the weather was fabulous.  As you can see from the sky it is wonderfully cloudy, ideal for portraits.  No bright sun creating horrible shadows, which no one thanks you for. The crisp frost speckled ground contrasts well with the soft clouds to create an evocative winter's day shot. A slight leading line gives the illusion of depth of field. Whilst the photograph is posed, the family are relaxed as they had been enjoying the walk and if my memory serves me right, they were excited about the prospect of a hot chocolate at the Mill nearby.  In Victorian days families dressed in their Sunday best to pose without smiling in a  dimly lit studio.  This photo works as it eludes to what the family love doing - getting out there and enjoying a beautiful walk. No frilly dresses and stern faces, just simply a happy, relaxed (slightly chilly) young family.  

* This walk was along the river Otter in East Devon.  Park at Otterton Mill and turn left out of the carpark.  At the bridge take the public path left to Budleigh Salterton or for a quieter walk take the path to the right of the bridge.  Return to Otterton Mill for the best home made scones (flour milled on site) and smooth tasty coffee.  In ten years of visiting frequently I never had any thing but beautiful tasty food.