This family loves the "F" word,

They had looked through some of my online images and called me to arrange a photoshoot for their family. They liked one of the styles that I use a lot and they also wanted the quirky approach that I like to take when shooting my subjects.

They have a lovely home and some great children. We spoke and exchanged a few emails including sketches that I sent to them to show what I had in mind for them.

Sometimes my sketches and ideas make people a little stage frightened at the beginning, but this family loved the ideas and even came up with additional concepts that continued to push the boundaries of tradition.

Well I was hooked and knew it was going to be a fun shoot. They had even agreed to bake cookies specially for the shoot, which turned out to be some of the tastiest props I've had in years!

I already knew what their living space looked like before I arrived so setting up lighting and angles for the shots was very quick and I already knew how I would childproof everything - cables, light stands , and miscellaneous equipment. I do carry all sorts of insurance but still prefer not to have to make use of it.

As part of the shoot, we wanted them to be seen as a "real" family with young children, but still show fun and cohesion of the unit. And this is where the cookies came into play :) There were many scenarios done with cookies in their kitchen and here is just one of them to give you a flavor of how things went.

It was a joy to work with them all as they catered to their kids ongoing needs and at the same time kept themselves flexible and available for what I needed to do to get the shots we had agreed on.

We got lots done in a 2 hour session and everyone had fun. And the twins, tired from their starring roles, fell asleep. As well as the shots we had set out to achieve, I also shot lots of more traditional type family shots including Grandma who had come along to help with the children during the shoot.

It's good to be able to think on your feet and get good photos, but you can't beat planning and complete commitment from your clients!