Dominika, Kurt & Addie - London
Just days before they left London for new beginnings in San Fransisco, I met Dominika, Kurt and four year old Addie. Our photo shoot was to create images for them as a keepsake for their time in London. We strolled from Westminster Pier, through the crowds across Westminster Bridge and along the Southbank, stopping for some fun in the fountains at Royal Festival Hall. We then crossed Millennium Bridge to St Paul's Cathedral and jumped in a cab to Hampstead returning to some of the families favourite spots for the last time. I loved how Addie held her Mum, Dad and Nanny Domi (who also joined us), holding their faces and touching noses, and she was hilarious giving time out to everyone including her Moose teddy bear on the steps at St Paul's. We did a fair walk and Addie did so well and had bounds of energy.
My London photo shoots all started over five years ago now. Whilst working part time in a London pub, I met a wonderful family from Texas, knowing my photography not only my pint pouring skills, they asked me to take some photos of them around London before they left the city and returned home to Texas. Having worked in family portrait studios in Bristol and whilst travelling in New Zealand, I was no stranger to photographing babies, children and families, it was something I adored, but I felt restricted by the confines of the studio walls and was often in trouble for trying to do things differently. One Autumn I remember bringing some leaves into the studio for the kids to throw about in their photo session, this didn't go down too well. Anyway, I discovered something very important, I wasn't a studio photographer, I wanted my images to be fresh, full of life, every session to be different and out in the great outdoors. Through word of mouth from my first London family photo shoot I have now photographed many families in country fields to the city streets and visited new families in their homes and now photographed my fifth London shoot. I feel very lucky and love discovering new locations and meeting new families.
Here's to many more family adventures and some of my recent favourites with Dominika, Kurt, Addie and Domi.x
