The ideal Childrens Portrait Photographer inside greater london that can be found

A Ahild’s portrait needs to be a simple one. Fuss-free, unhurried and often unplanned! I've got three sons. I should understand!

I’m not much of a big fan of studio-based children’s portraits. Even though you can often get fantastic results, this may be considered a big demand to count on a child to stay still and pose if what they would like to go about doing is unplug the lights and topple over equipment! Besides, I think that possibly the resulting photographs could be a little artificial, regardless of if you’ve managed to cajole the child into sitting still for ten seconds and looking in the vague direction of the camera lens!

In my opinion, the best children’s portraits occur when they’re happy inside an environment that they feel at ease in without vinyl backdrops, towering soft boxes and loose wiring to fall over. Strive for natural reportage photography with negligible poses and cheesy grins!

My initial choice is the comfort of a child’s home. It’s their personal surroundings, it is suitable and it’s the place they are likely to be happiest. I always meet with families ahead of the day of the actual photo session. It's an ideal chance to survey the place and build up a relationship with all of those concerned. It is a very worthwhile time investment to help set up a fun and relaxed shoot. Well that is the plan!

My own arrangement is fairly minimal. I’ll utilize the maximum amount of natural light as is possible by way of a Lastolite Tri-flector and of course if required, an off camera speedlight (or 2) in a Lastlolite Ezybox. I favour prime lenses (Nikkor f1.4 50mm and an f1.8 85mm. They are fast and provide enhanced image quality over zooms but the drawback means you’ll have to move around much more to frame up. In case a child is extremely lively I then may revert towards the hard working f2.8 24-70mm!

A further destination worth considering is most likely the local park, ideally 1 the youngster is familiar with. With the exception of wet weather or intense cold it really isn't going to matter what the season or light. I’m fortunate enough to be living near some superb parks, Dulwich, Battersea and Peckham Rye Park. They provide very contrasting settings and I adore the wild spots that are now typically reserved making it possible for the long grass and natural fauna to thrive. My favourite season is definitely autumn as the golden sunlight compliments the beautiful colourings of the fallen foliage carpeting the grass and also the slight piles created by the wind clustering them together.

I tend to use two camera bodies (currently a D3 and D3s) with the lenses already mentioned but additionally I find a Nikkor f2 105mm quite helpful to keep some space between me and the child if they are too conscious of me. In terms of lighting, again no flash unless some fill in is required and ideally I would rather an overcast day with a little bit of cloud covering. Apart from the natural setting of the park there is the play area as well, but I’m always careful to try not to take pictures of other children so as to avoid mothers that might (obviously) feel that it's a concern.

If you live within a short journey to the coastline, then my next choice would have to be the beach. Sand and kids fit together like Marmite on hot toast! Unfortunately the camera just isn't quite as enamoured with sand, so gusty days on the beach are a no go. But what could be as cool as the bluish green ocean as a background as well as the shimmering sands, steep cliffs, rugged rocks and enormous boulders? It does not even have to be a deserted beach either and another of my favourite destinations is lively Brighton with its renowned piers (one merely a burnt out wreck) plus some truly stunning spots, that make it a really exceptional place.

Don't forget the 3 spots above aren’t the only ones and there are several alternate options like a forest, a beautiful meadow, farmyards, adventure playgrounds and many more. The most crucial thing is the child is relaxed and comfortable and ready to give you some great portraits.