Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What happens if the weather is bad or just cloudy?

When you book your photoshoot with me we will also book a back-up wet weather date for our calendars just to be on the safe side. As an outdoor family photographer I am constantly keeping an eye on forecasts and weather patterns. If rain is forecast I will get in touch with you a few days prior to discuss our options. Depending on our schedules we can consider moving the shoot to earlier or later in the day or reverting to our scheduled back-up date. I have some further notes about rainy photoshoots in this blog post here. The same is true if we are experiencing persistent and extreme heatwaves or unsafe gale force winds (in this instance I use Alice Holt Forest announcements for our safety information). On the other hand, cloudy weather isn't a problem at all. In fact it creates a very soft and flattering light for family photographs.

Q. What's the best time of day for an outdoor photoshoot?

The word photography literally means 'drawing with light' and different times of the day offer different qualities of light and different outcomes for your photoshoot. To achieve the style of images you see on my website, I recommend we avoid the middle of the day for your photoshoot (unless we have access to big trees and pathways that offer soft open shade), as bright over head sunshine will restrict our options for where I can place you to achieve the best and most flattering images. That said, we also need to weigh up when your children will be at their best!

The most ideal time of day for an outdoor photoshoot is early in the morning or 1-2 hours prior to sunset for beautiful soft golden light. Some parents worry about children being up late past their bedtime for an evening shoot however I have a good success rate with these shoots and 'being up past bedtime' can often be very exciting and adds to the adventure for young children.

Q. What if my child struggles on the day?

I understand this worry. I'm a mum myself and I appreciate children have their wobbles, can be shy or have off days. My style of photography is very relaxed and focused on your time together as a family; exploring, playing and relaxing. There's no pressure for anyone to perform or look at the camera all of the time and I don't clock watch if your child needs extra breaks without a camera involved. In fact we can take breaks for snacks, nappy changes, or walk to a different spot, play games, climb a tree and just explore. My ambition is for everyone to leave your shoot feeling like they've had a memorable family experience, so when you look at your photographs in years to come you remember a very happy time together as a family, as well as enjoying how beautiful your images look. And if this doesn't happen, then I'm very happy for us to try for a re-shoot at a later date.

Q. Where do your photoshoots take place?

I’m predominantly an outdoor family photographer, capturing families in beautiful countryside locations and private gardens across Surrey and Hampshire. When you book, we’ll chat about the kind of setting that feels right for your family and the images you’d love to create. I can recommend a range of locations, including quieter spots, dog-friendly areas, or special gardens such as Kew or Savill Gardens (permits arranged where needed). If you have a meaningful place that’s personal to your family, that’s always a wonderful option too.

I’m based in Farnham, surrounded by stunning heathland and forest locations that many families love and I have two blogs sharing some inspiration for Farnham locations here: Farnham Photoshoot Locations Part 1

Farnham Photoshoot Locations Part 2

As well as locations around farnham you can also find me photographing families further across surrey and Hampshire in Weybridge, Woking, Guildford, Esher, West Clandon, Send, Pirbright, Richmond, Fleet, Farnborough, Camberley, Milford, Godalming, Grayshot, Selbourne, Alton, Arlesford and Winchester, to name just a few areas. Please get in touch if you want to check if I can travel to you for your family photoshoot.

Q. Our kids aren't little anymore. Can you still photograph us with our grown up children?

Ahh yes! Absolutely! I photograph families of all ages and sizes and I really enjoy photographing families with grown up children. It's another really wonderful stage of life to celebrate and document with a photoshoot, as new more grown up relationships form between you and your children. I have some tips especially for shoots with grown up children here:

How to prepare your grown up kids for a family photoshoot.

And if you are after some information about my intergeneration/extended family photoshoots you can find some more useful advice about these shoots here:

10 steps to a successful family photoshoot.

Q. How does your service work?

• Before your Photoshoot:

I really like to prioritise you feeling looked after and prepared in the build up to your photoshoot. Prior to booking I welcome you to book a short phone chat with me so I can hear all about your photoshoot aspirations and its your chance to ask me lots of questions to find out if I'm definitely the right photographer for your family.

Once we have confirmed a date for your photoshoot, I will send you a booking email containing an invoice for your session fee, a basic contract and a short family questionnaire. Once you're booked in I send out some detailed advice on what to wear and a more detailed outline of what to expect at each stage of the process. If you don't have a specific location in mind I send over a list of recommended locations based on your families needs. I welcome whats app chat's too, if you need any last minute advice or support with wardrobe decisions and my shoot confirmation email will often contain some links to helpful blog posts that will hopefully help to inspire you and calm any last minute photoshoot nerves if this is a new experience for you.

• During your photoshoot:

• After your photoshoot:

Q. What happens during the session?