The Kemp family recently got in touch with me as they loved my candid outdoor style, and were looking for some natural, playful family photography in Chichester, to capture their young family, including their new baby girl.
They wanted a summer photo session and loved the look of this spot near Goodwood, which captured the best of the West Sussex countryside, and just so happens to be my favourite family photography location in Chichester. I recommended it specially for their young family, as it is easily accessible for their newborn, has a mixture of woods and meadow, and a secret rope swing that is always a hit with younger kids.
All three kids were adorable, and the older two were full of energy, which made for some very cute moments. We started with some big family group photos where everyone cuddled together, and from there the rest of the session flowed naturally as we explored the area together.
For family photo shoots with younger kids, I tend to let them guide the session. They are often excited to explore the area, and my natural style lends itself to following their lead and capturing authentic moments as we go. This makes for beautiful unposed photography and also means the kids don't get bored as they aren't being forced to do anything they don't want to.
Another way to keep young kids going is with the promise of an adventure. Once I told them about the secret rope swing hidden in the woods, they were off! And along the way I was able to capture lots of genuine moments of the whole family laughing and playing together.
The kids were super excited to find the rope swing and both eager to have a go, so we captured some action shots of them while mum had a little break with the baby.
I try to save the swing until the end of the family photography session, because after that everyone tends to be a bit tired and ready for the walk back to the car. This makes it easy to capture a few more cute moments once the kids are a bit calmer.
The baby was also very sleepy by the end of the photo session, so I was able to capture some adorable sleepy newborn photos before we finished. The benefit of this Chichester photography location is that everything is packed into a small area, so you don't have to go far from the car park to have a nice little adventure, which keeps everyone happy for the whole photo shoot.
