It’s days like these where I wonder to myself why I live in Cork city. Yes, it is incredibly practical from a photographer’s point of view. After all, a lot of my photo shoots are within walking distance. But with ever bigger lenses and cameras and more lighting equipment than ever, that walk is becoming a bit too sweaty nowadays.
The windows are rolled down, and the landscape is whizzing by. The way that evening sun is bathing this scenery... It is so incredibly golden today! It’s making the countryside look so beautiful and inviting. And it is quiet... I’m the only person driving on this road. No city traffic here. “I bet homes are cheaper here too.” I think to myself. Ahhh... Fresh air. It’s so quiet, have I mentioned that?
The silence wouldn’t last.
Not when I met these three chaotic monsters! I jest. They were the loveliest monsters I have ever met. Three children, aged between two and five years old. Absolute cuties, but there will be some chaos and some ups and downs that I, as a family photographer, have to be prepared for. Within chaos, there is beauty. And I had the perfect opportunity to capture that beauty and fun. There were so many beautiful corners within the garden of the family home. And since this is the children’s daily playground, they felt so at ease and relaxed. This definitely helped with them feeling very at ease with me; a complete stranger. In fact, after just a few quiet minutes at the start, they soon were excited to show me all the corners of the property; from the little stretch of forest, to the playground, to them showing off how fast they can run. Remember the days when your whole value seemed to depend on how fast you could run? Those were the days.
“Not now Bailey!” I laugh, as Bailey, the dog, is trying to play with me again in the middle of the photo shoot. He’s already brought me individual toys, several times. He’s a gorgeous dog though, one day I’ll adopt one too.
“Not now Bailey!”
With children and their dog running around like this, you have to be on your top performance as the photographer. This kind of photography can be tougher and more demanding than photographing MMA or other sports. Kids run around in an unpredictable manner. And it doesn’t always necessarily go right all the time. Which is why I included the following bloopers into the final edit as well. My thinking was that if these photos had me howling during the editing process, I’m sure the parents can see the funny side in it too.
Bloopers:
It was also only in the editing process that I realized the effort the mother had made to dress them all in matching white dresses, a touch that really helps make these photos a little more timeless and give them that next level in quality.
And just as quickly as the mayhem began, with 750 photos waiting on me on several SD cards, it was time for me to leave again. Just in time for the five o’clock traffic. I can’t remember the last time I was stuck in this. I head home, pick up my partner, we head off to our favourite restaurant, wander home.
“Maybe the city isn’t that bad for now...” I drift off.
“We should call our future dog Declan!”
If you would like to do a family portrait shoot like this one with your family, a really natural, fun photo shoot, get in contact with me here and we can arrange a fun afternoon!
