Family lifestyle photography session on a Devon farm

A family lifestyle photography session is not about posing for the camera and forcing a smile. It's about capturing your family in a very relaxed way, doing what your family does, being exactly the way that your family is.  I don't want your children to sit nicely and say cheese for the camera, I want to see them playing together, laughing naturally, thinking, getting cross, running around, doing the things that they normally do.  I want to spend time with you all and create a set of images for you that really captures your family as you know it.  I want you to be able to look back in many years time and remember just how your family was at this point.

Just over a week ago, I had the chance to do this with the lovely Simmons family, spending a morning with them at one of their favourite places, a farm owned by their friends just outside Exeter. We explored in the rain, played on the swing, splashed in the river and clambered up and down the hills around the farm.  We stopped for a hot coffee in the gorgeous farmhouse, then played some more inside the barn.  It was brilliant fun and it gave me the chance to capture the family in all their wonderful, chaotic normality.  Two devoted parents, three young boys, boundless energy, fresh air, muddy boots, laughter, runny noses, soggy gloves, play fighting, climbing, chasing and hiding, and lots and lots of love.  A beautiful record of this one wonderful family, at this particular point in their lives.

You might also like to have a look at:

Newborn baby and family photography in Devon: Marina and her sisters

Newborn twins in Devon: Bertie and Polly 

Family lifestyle photography in Exeter, Devon


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River Cottage weddings: Lucy and Scott's wonderful day

Last September, I had the pleasure of being the wedding photographer for Lucy and Scott's celebrations at the famous River Cottage HQ in Devon.  I loved photographing Lucy and Scott's wedding.  Loved it!  They were the loveliest couple to get to know, and everything about their day was just gorgeous.  Even the rain didn't dampen spirits, with lots of brightly coloured umbrellas, soggy but smiling morris dancers and a whole load of people bursting with happiness all day long.  Lucy looked absolutely incredible in her exquisite Kate Walker wedding dress - I thought it looked especially good with the wellies later in the day!  Lucy and Scott's wedding has been featured on the wonderful Rock My Wedding, so you can read more about it from Lucy's point of view here.  

I was so excited about photographing at River Cottage, and it completely lived up to my expectations.  With all the special little touches that Lucy and Scott had put together for the wedding day, everything looked incredibly beautiful, and the farm location completely added to the rustic charm of the day.  From the yurt, to the restored barn, to the walled kitchen garden and the views across the rolling hills, it was such a gorgeous venue and I loved the relaxed atmosphere throughout.  It was also, without question, the best wedding meal I have ever eaten...  

I also have to share this incredibly lovely feedback that I received from Lucy and Scott.  I am always so aware that even though I photograph a lot of weddings, each time it is that one special day for the couple, and I never ever take lightly the responsibility to capture that for them.  So it is always just the most wonderful thing to receive feedback like this, and it means a huge amount to me to hear these words:

"We just wanted to say a Massive thank you for being so AMAZING on our special day... I don't know how you did it but you have just so beautifully captured the very essence of the day and we can not thank you enough.  You worked so hard and that did not go unnoticed, we really really appreciate not only your obvious unbelievable talent but your dedication and passion for what you do.  We feel incredibly blessed to have found you and had you there on the day, it would never have been the same without you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lucy and Scott"

Thank you, Lucy and Scott, it was a pleasure from start to finish!  Here is your gorgeous wedding:

Pamflete House: pre-wedding photography

On Valentine's Day, I had the pleasure of meeting Francesca and Andy, who were over from Guernsey for their pre-wedding/engagement photography session.  As their wedding is going to take place on the Flete Estate in South Devon, we thought it would be nice for them to have these photos taken here as well, to make the most of the beautiful setting.  We were rather unlucky with the weather on the day - I drove through torrential downpours and some rather enormous (road sized) puddles on the way there, and the rain was annoyingly persistent.  So we had to get a little bit creative with the inside spaces - luckily Pamflete House is wonderful inside and there were plenty of places for us to create some lovely photos.  I am hoping that the sun will shine for their wedding in May, and that we can then enjoy the beautiful sea and estuary views around the estate.  Who knows, we might even make it down to the beach... fingers crossed!

Maunsel House wedding, Somerset: Sophie & Tom

It is such a pleasure to look back at some of the weddings that I haven't yet blogged from last year.  Sophie and Tom's beautiful day took place last August at Maunsel House in Somerset.  I clearly remember how genuinely lovely Sophie and Tom were and how enjoyable it was to photograph their wedding at North Curry church and Maunsel House.  What I'd forgotten about was how ridiculously beautiful the pergola looked for their reception, and also just how emotional their speeches were.  There are so many really lovely moments in their photos.  I really enjoyed going back through the images again for this blog post, and remembering just how special their wedding day was.

Sophie got ready for the wedding in the Mill Farmhouse, one of the various cottages in Maunsel House's grounds.  Meanwhile, Tom was enjoying a beer in the wonderful bar in the main house, so I was able to stroll between the two of them and capture a little of what they were both doing.  I love seeing all the various birds around site on my wanderings, so I may have also stopped to photograph them a little as well...

North Curry church has a really spectacular location, with views for miles and miles across the Somerset Levels.  I loved Sophie's arrival in the rain under a canopy of umbrellas!  It was particularly nice that the biggest showers happened during the service, leaving us with some brighter weather afterwards, so that everyone could enjoy the location before heading back to Maunsel House for the reception.

Sophie and Tom used their love of cider as a theme for the wedding decorations, with mulled cider served to their guests on arrival at Maunsel House and the reception tables named after their favourites.  The hessian table runners were decorated with the bride and grooms' initials, and the beautiful and delicate flowers from The Rose Shed looked so pretty throughout the pergola. There was, of course, an 'I love cider' speech bubble as part of the props for their photobooth later in the day!  I loved seeing the peacocks strutting around the tables while the guests enjoyed their wedding breakfast in the brilliantly weather proofed pergola.  It was just so pretty and a real pleasure to photograph.  The wonderful cake of different cheeses was crowned by the most fantastic cake topper - a bride and groom knitted by Sophie, complete with bouquet and bunting overhead, matching the lovely bunting used over the tables.

Sophie and Tom, I hope that you are both well and thoroughly enjoying your first year of marriage together.  Here is a look back at your fabulous wedding day: