Capturing Childhood

When me and Suzi talk about our business together, and why we do what we do, it always comes down to how we’d like everyone to be able to capture family life now, either by a pro, or in their own photographs, as these moments we’re documenting are the ones our future families will be holding close. There’s never been a time when there’s so much emphasis on this, to celebrate lives and tell their unique stories, catching the beauty of the everyday as well as the things that make you you.

On the 30th & 31st of March, we’re running our third CAPTURING CHILDHOOD photography retreat. You can click on this link to find all about it. As family photographers, we wanted to pass on what we’ve learnt over the last 10 years to other photographers who might just be setting up their business, or to parents who’d like to be able to document their own family life.

Nestled on the edge of woodland and moor, our retreats take place in a beautiful barn just above Hebden Bridge. It’s the perfect place to relax, learn, feast, and be inspired. Over the weekend there are a number of shoots we’ll do together with different aged children, and this culminates in a family shoot on the Sunday.

Over the weekend we look at how to use different light, capturing movement and connections, editing photos, finding your style, and you’ll leave with a portfolio of images from the shoots we have.

We wanted to share some photos taken by the people who’ve been on our capturing childhood weekends, so the following photos were all taken by our retreatees.

If you’d like to learn with us, we’d love to have you. You can find more information and book your place on the Capturing Childhood weekend here.

‘The practical exercises and shoots with children and families of all ages were essential in boosting our confidence and also learning on the go. It was incredibly helpful to look through Sarah and Suzi's work and ask questions about logistics, kit, technique and lighting - seeking out pockets of natural light has been a game changer!  However, for me, the retreat went much further than the settings of the camera. I am so grateful for the opportunity to explore my photography on a much deeper level and start to understand not only how to take pictures, but question why I am taking them and what feeling I want to evoke when other people look at them. I would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in capturing childhood moments - either as a parent or a photographer.’ Rosie

Great Uncle Harry

I’ve been really drawn to documenting rural life ever since I picked my first camera up. When I loaded my first roll of 35 mm film into my old Minolta on Boxing Day 1981, I looked out of my bedroom window and watched the sheep in the field behind our house. It was a Christmas card scene with powdery snow on the ground, and the outlines of the big oak tree were framed with a thin layer of white dust. I took my camera out as the afternoon light was fading, and took my first picture on my first camera. I know this photo is at Mum and Dad’s house somewhere, and writing this is making me want to find it!

And now in our commercial work, we’re enjoying working with companies who are based, and work in and with the countryside. This comes from a love of rural life that is an intrinsic part of both me and Suzi. We both have families who have or who are still farming. I’ve been wanting to take photos of my Great Uncle Harry on his farm for a while. I remember going to visit him and my Great Aunty Nora during school holidays. It always seemed such a treat to travel around the farm in their Land Rover, hanging on for dear life in the back as we were jostled over fields and bumpy farm tracks!

I took a trip over to his farm a couple of weeks to see Harry and my cousin Nicholas. We sat at the kitchen table with endless cups of tea, enjoyed a roast dinner cooked in the Aga, and looked at old photos whilst we chatted about farming life and family. I loved taking these photos, it was good to spend some time with Harry and Nicholas.

This is a little half pint bottle my uncle used to have for the milk the dairy farm produced. This was before the days of pasteurisation.

This was the perfect day to ease me back into shooting again after taking off time to be with Olive and Suzi. I learnt so much, including the difference between straw and hay which I feel really embarrassed about! I heard family anecdotes I’d never heard before, and realised how much I want to document my own family’s life. I’m heading back soon to make a film with Harry and record some of those stories. It was good to spend a day with him.

Capturing Childhood - Taking Better Photos Of Your Kids Part 3

If you've been following our tips for taking better photos of your kids over the holidays, and beyond, here's the last part. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. In this part we'll look at movement, the details, shooting through the seasons, and finding your style. 

THE DETAILS
It's great  to take photos of the little details. It might be a favourite toy, little feet, sandy hands. Important details that make up the essence of a child.

And then on the other hand, show the child in their environment, a small person in a big world.

THE SEASONS

Shooting through the seasons can be a great way to document your family's story over a year. If you're starting out as a portrait photographer, it's a great way to build your portfolio. Maybe ask family and friends if you can take photos of them. Just having images of these different times of year can give your work a cohesive feel, and think about all that lovely light you're going to get! We always get very excited when a family books us for a winter shoot. Not only those big coats and bobble hats, but maybe there might be mittens on string, wellies, a flurry of snow, and of course, that gorgeous low light! You can always start or end the shoot at home where big mugs of cocoa are on hand.

MOVEMENT

There is inevitably going to be some running and racing around, on our shoots we actively encourage it! If you have a DSLR, you will most probably have a setting on your camera that will continuously focus if this is what you’d like to go for. I like to freeze movement so I will have my shutter speed quite high.

But sometimes I like to show movement too, so my shutter speed will be set to show running or a jumping on the bed moment!

SETTINGS VS CREATIVITY

We talked about this a lot on our last capturing childhood retreat. The technical aspects are important so you're shooting knowing you're in control of your camera, but sometimes I think we can be panicking so much about what aperture and shutter speed we're on that we can miss moments. Those shots that even though may be 'technically imperfect', will still shine through as it gives you those goosebumps. I love this quote by Peter Adams; 'Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field'.

FINDING YOUR STYLE

It would be boring if we all took the same shot. That’s what makes me tick as a photographer, people’s interpretations. Try things out, experiment. You’ll start to see and feel something in your photos that you love, maybe it's the kind of light you like. Some of you will know that I've been enjoying taking freleensed shots in some of my portrait shoots. I detach the lens and then hold it close to the camera body. It can give a photo an ethereal, dreamy feel with different focal points and light leaks.

PRINT YOUR IMAGES!

You often hear people saying that their most treasured possessions are their photos. For me, it’s the images of me and my sister growing up over the years, and the adventures we had. We still love to huddle around the photo albums, reminiscing days gone by. I'm so grateful for having these images printed. Something tangible to hold and touch. This feeling me and Suzi both had about our photos led us to create our own photo wallets for clients.

We really hope you've enjoyed the Capturing Childhood blogs, and that they have been useful to you. We still have a couple of places left on our next Capturing Childhood Photography Retreat over the weekend of September 22nd & 23rd. Looks like we've got a lovely bunch of people coming from all over the country, and if you'd like to be part of it, we'd love to have you along. I can't tell you how much me and Suzi love these weekends, it's a safe learning environment with lots of practicals, discussions and lovely homemade grub! You can have a look at more information and book your place here.

In the meantime, if you do have any questions, me and Suzi would be happy to help, just ask away. Happy photographing, and maybe we'll see some of you on a retreat soon!

All the best

Sarah & Suzi x