Lifestyle Family Shoot: Harvey & Family, Greenock, Scotland

Having one grandchild in any family is a very special time as was the case with Harvey. Everybody dotes on him, lots of fun is always had with him and all involved are left wondering what on earth did they do before he came along.

I loved my time with Harvey and co and simply watched them all play together. So many smiles and a great opportunity to bring family members together. Harvey was the centre of attention as I’m sure he always is. It was great to float about capturing them playing and laughing. We spent some time indoors and then ventured out into the garden.

Here is a selection of what I captured that day, enjoy!

Amoya

Most three year olds are very shy. Most three year olds run off and hide from me. Most three year olds have little tantrums for absolutely no reason. Amoya is not most three year olds. She was full of smiles, completely adorable and full of joy. She couldn't wait to show me her reading books and toys in her room. She wondered up the path without a care in the world and walked amongst the flowers in her three year old world. She made this particular photo shoot an absolute delight and I'm so pleased to bring you a small selection for you to enjoy.

The Dunnet Family, Lunderston Bay, Scotland

There's nothing I love more than watching a family have fun together in the great outdoors. On this particular occasion, the forecast was grey and damp, but low and behold, somewhere beyond the clouds there was a big orange thing lurking and trying to break through. The resulting light was spectacular as I watched dad leap across the water to some rocks, closely followed by mum and their three children.

Lunderston Bay is one of my favourite locations to capture a family. There are so many textures spread across a relatively small area. Everything from beaches and rocks to long grasses and tree bark. Perfect.

Here is a small selection of images I captured on what was an amazing day. Enjoy!

Fancy a Lifestyle Family Shoot just like this one? Find out more here.

Quarriers Village, the perfect setting

When I was asked if I could recommend a location for a family shoot recently, after looking at their locations where they lived, there was no other option than Quarriers Village. Having once worked in the Village for many years, I had embarked on lots of lunchtime walks and so it's fair to say I know it very well.

I parked up expecting to see Dawn and her family. It turned out they were all cowering behind Sommerville Weir Hall, home of Three Sisters Bake. Why? Because when you walked around to that side of the building, it was immediately clear that you were then sheltered from what can only be described as an Arctic wind. So everybody was slightly chilly and we hadn't even begun yet!

We started on the bridge, but I could see how cold everybody was so I made a quick decision to head down by the river, out of the wind and therefore out of the cold. It was to prove a wise decision and the sun shining did help lift the mood in the camp.

With so many nooks and crannies to choose from in Quarriers Village, every shoot I do there is always very different from the last. And this was the first time I'd done a family shoot down by the river!

Here is a small selection of what I captured that day, I particularly like the shots of the two girls with their dad. Maybe one day my own daughter will still love me this much in years to come.

The chase was most definitely on

The best types of family shoots are those where there's no pre-conceived ideas of having to stand still, face the camera and say 'cheese'!!! I've come to hate that word very much. Because let's face it, pretty much everyone (who isn't a photographer) has more or less that expectation of a photo shoot, right?

Well not where I'm concerned. Kids are kids. They rarely sit still if asked, never smile when you want them to and always want to do whatever the hell they like! Trust me, I have three little rascals of my own, I should know.

When it came to the McDougall Family, the grown ups told me they didn't want to be in the photos and so I just had the kids to concentrate on. Cara and Jaimie were absolutely fabulous with Cara wanting to pose for the camera every time I pointed it at her. Meanwhile Jaimie just wanted to run and run and run and run some more. But he absolutely loved his big sister.

Lunderston Bay, near Inverkip, deep in the woods was where we chose to explore and err...get very very muddy! Here is a small selection of what we got up to.