Folkestone, Kent Family Photographer

I have another gorgeous family photo shoot in my lovely home town of Folkestone, Kent to share with you today! As a Kent Family Photographer I travel all over the county but have a little soft spot for this seaside town that I call home. I fell a little bit in love with this wonderful family – I made friends with little Alice instantly (she’s a charmer!) and as a result she was totally relaxed and at ease in front of the camera. We began our Folkestone family photo shoot by the bandstand up on The Leas – a sort of park/promenade with amazing views down to the beach and across The Channel – before moving down to the Coastal Park (this place has fab play equipment – if you live in Kent and have kids you MUST visit, there’s a pirate ship and everything!) and finishing up on the beach. FYI – always finish on the beach, because everybody (including me) always ends up getting soaked ;)

Super-smiley 7 month old Hugo was at a great age for a family photo shoot. The only challenge with photographing him was attempting to discourage him from eating grass and pebbles. I usually recommend an ‘at home’ photo shoot with babies under the age of one, but as long as they’re able to sit up unaided an outdoor shoot (in warmer weather of course!) can work really well. I always allow time for a break for drinks and snacks half way through my 2 hour photo sessions, so that both kids and adults can re-fuel and take a breather!

I love to photograph children and families as a ‘fly on the wall’ – documentary style – rather than in awkward poses or by asking kids to “say cheese” (disastrous!). Even the few close-up portraits of the children were captured by interacting with them and having fun, rather than asking them to look at the camera. My photo sessions are completely child-led – with five years experience as a Kent family photographer, I’ve learned that the minute you try to coerce children into being photographed (I’ll admit to having attempted bribary with my own little one in the past!) it’s game over..! So we do what the kids want to do, and go where the kids want to go. It makes for a super easy and relaxed experience for everyone, with awesome photos as a result.

If you’re looking for a Kent family photographer I’d love to hear from you.. Email helen@schryverphoto.com or call me on 07841 457799 to discuss options and have a good natter about what you’re looking for! There are my standard family sessions which take place at an outdoor location of your choice, plus my new Day In The Life sessions (I’m excited to be finally launching these!) – more on those coming up in a blog post really soon.

Hope you enjoy looking through these pics from my family shoot with the Barton family – as always I’d love to hear what you think! You can leave a comment in the box at the bottom of the post.

Helen xoxo