This family was visiting London in January over from the US by the way of Italy where they were stationed at the time. Despite what you might think, it doesn’t always rain in London in winter and we do have wonderful crisp sunny days and the low winter sun gives that extra special feel to the photographs.
With Big Ben still being under renovation, and if my clients don’t have a special preference and ask for my advice on where to go, I tend to direct them towards St Paul’s, Millenium Bridge, and the Tate Modern area of South Bank. Not only this area of Central London gives a great visual variety to the photographs, but there’s also plenty of fun things for the little kids to explore, including a rooftop viewing platform, steps to jump on, pedestrian areas to run around, buses to look at, and bridges to cross and look at some passing boats.
There are also cafes and galleries we can always pop in to escape the cold (or heat, or rain, depending on the time of the year), and also for some snacks and coffee (and hot chocolate for the little ones) which is an absolute must on all my photoshoots.
With every photoshoot, my aim is to make it as relaxed and fun as possible, so there’s no stress for the parents and the kids have a lot of fun too. No one wants to be rushing from one landmark to another and dealing with tantrums of an over-tired child (that said, if there is a tantrum or a moment of frustration, it makes for really great photographs and I capture it as it’s a real part of family life just as the happy times are).
