It had been over two years since I last saw Collette and Alex and their newborn son, who was 10 days old at the time. I’d photographed Collette and Alex’s engagement session and wedding in Kent, and Collette also had had a maternity session, so we’ve got to know each other pretty well over the years and lovely friendship has developed.
I’d been speaking to Collette about the new concept in family photography (new for me anyway) I wanted to offer. Whilst I appreciate it has it’s place, I’ve never been a big fan of studio photography for families and the sterile white backdrop. Of course if you’re looking for a professional profile image or passport photo, but I want to create imagery which is true to a family and capture all of the personalities and dynamics. Photography with character and spirit. In order for me to achieve this, I need to work on location. This could be in a family’s home or accompanying them on a family outing – just observing and documenting.
So onto the shoot! Collette and Alex thought it would be a nice idea to take Leo to the zoo and we’re very lucky to have wonderful Howletts Zoo close by. We meet there fairly soon after opening on a week day so there weren’t many visitors around. We had a very mixed weather day – from drizzle to heavy rain to brilliant, warm sunshine. By the time I left them we’d definitely had the best of the weather! I love Howletts – it’s got a very relaxed feel and there’s so much to see (when the inhabitants fancy making an appearance!). There’s also an excellent play area, which on the day of our visit happened to have a carpet of autumn leaves which was very colourful and pretty. We even managed a coffee stop enroute (the coffee was very good!) and I discovered that babycinnos are now on the menu – with the addition of marshmallows!! Wow!!
Well what a poppet Leo is! So inquisitive, fun and extremely cheeky in a very endearing way! Collette and Alex must be super proud. It was so lovely spending the morning with them. I hope you enjoy my selection of my favourite images from our time together…
