Amongst wedding chaos I really love to squeeze in photographing families too. It’s a totally different type of shoot. I love when I get to hang out with a family and really capture them as they are. No studio stuff, no gimmicks.. families at home or out and about just being their true selves. I love seeing characters come through, meeting families at special points in their lives and also for capturing the everyday.. I love being there to capture play fights, tickles,, cuddles on the bed.. capturing kids being wild, playing with a favourite toy, pulling funny faces, quiet moments and moments of chaos. It’s all magical for a million different reasons. These times are so fleeting and every stage is worth capturing.

t was so lovely to see Gemma again and be part of hers and Michael’s beautiful wedding day at Hardwick Hall. The sun really shone and it was such a fabulous relaxed Summer wedding.. These two were so much fun together and it was a pleasure to be there to capture everything from Gemma laughing with her bridesmaids on the morning, the flower girls dancing in the sunshine, guests relaxing in the evening sunshine and killer dance moves when the sun went down..

Family photography at home is one of my favourite settings for pictures.. there’s such beauty in the everyday and I love capturing these ‘normal’ but special moments in time. I spent some time this morning with Emma, Brent and Nieve at their home for some relaxed family photographs.

It was so special to visit Leah and Sam at home and to be there to capture some photographs of Zachary at seven weeks old. These three were a pleasure to spend an hour or so with - such a calm and peaceful house, and at the point where, a few weeks in, they’d really hit their stride and was bossing being new parents.

Another 2018 review for you all today, but today it’s all about family shoots!

I’ve really come to love family shoots over the past few years, and I’m lucky enough to sometimes shoot the same families again and again which feels all kinds of wonderful. Sometimes it happens where I’ve shot a couples’ wedding and they go on to start a family, and I can be there to document the next chapter too!

You may remember than I ran a little competition a while ago to win a family shoot - well here it is! Hollie and Davide won, and I joined them both with beautiful Darcie for a family photography session up at their home in scenic County Durham.

Last time I saw Isabelle she was about a year old for a family shoot with Hayley and Tom at home near Newcastle.. I was*so* excited to be back shooting with this lovely family when they got back in touch and and I found out Leila had since joined the family too!

That face! It was wonderful to spend an hour or so with Ruth, James and their little boy George. He was scrumptious.. loved playing with his toys, hugging his cuddly fox, being thrown in the air, having cuddles with Mum and Dad and eating blueberries.. 

Just *look* at those eyes! I spent a gorgeous hour or so with Violet and her Mum and Dad at their home getting some photos in the gorgeous Spring light. It was a beautiful sunny day, so warm outside, and the light came streaming into their home for this set of relaxed family photos.. I've said so many times, but I love shooting at home with little ones. It feels so calm, so normal but so special. Everything is constantly changing while they grow up but the home is the constant.. 

It was so good to see Samantha and Wayne again, I shot their wedding a few years ago, did a family shoot when it was just the two of them and Thea, and this time I got to meet Bruce too - a wonderful family. I met them at their home near Saltburn-by-the-Sea in Teesside for a family session, and it was the perfect relaxed setting for some special pictures of them with their little ones at these ages.. Thea was a bundle of fun and Bruce was so chilled out and smiley.. 

Oh it was *so* good to see Amy and Keyan again and to meet baby Clement - I shot their colourful marquee wedding years ago when I was just starting out. I visited the three (or four of them, counting Charlie their dog) for a family shoot at home in London last weekend and to see them both as parents having started a new chapter was just amazing. Clement is such a gorgeous little person and we even had a few smiles while I was there.

This is my beautiful sister-in-law Kelly, the day before she had baby Hector. We thought it would be a really special time to take some last photos of Kelly and bump, knowing that this was the last full day she'd ever be pregnant - the day before her third boy was born. 

To celebrate Motherhood/Fatherhood/Parenthood (we're all-inclusive at this end) in time for Mother's Day this year I've decided to put together a little competition - you have the chance to win a full family shoot/maternity shoot/newborn shoot with me!

I was so excited when Nicole and Paul got in touch asking if I could squeeze them in for a family shoot - I shot their Middleton Lodge wedding back in 2013, and I was so excited to meet their new little person Monty! They wanted some relaxed family photography at home which is exactly how I like to work. Monty was happy in his own home surrounded by his favourite toys and we had a natter and a play whilst getting some relaxed family photographs of this beautiful family. Here are some favourites from their family photography session - if you're interested in something similar then you can have a look through the 'Family' tab above for more information. Happy days :)

Oh Bhodi! What a beautiful little person. I joined Bhodi, Aime and Colin at their home in Hartlepool to capture the three of them together...

I joined Ev and her Mama Annabel one lovely day in Preston Park in Stockton for some family pictures - we were originally going to get baking as Annabel has recently set up her own baking business (check out Florence Bakes on Facebook for ridiculously amazing creations..) but the weather was too good to pass up on and these two babes pulled on their DMs and off we went to run around in the sunshine for an hour or so together. These two are Mum-Daughter goals. Here is a preview from our time together that day - more coming soon. <3