Helen Bartlett / Family Portraiture

Just One – Karoline and Jacob

30May

I really enjoy selecting pictures from my family photo shoots for this section of the blog. It’s fun to pick something that stands out – sometimes it might be a tender moment like Mette’s ‘Just One’ post from our shoot last year, sometimes a family photo, or a beautiful simple portrait. Sometimes, like today, it is a picture that makes me laugh out loud – a photograph that captures the essence of a relationship, and the sheer joy of being a brother and sister.

I love visiting Mette and Gareth and spending time with their beautiful children – it’s such a loving and happy family, and a real pleasure to be around. I always have a wonderful time, and I feel so proud and privileged to have been photographing the family regularly since Karoline was only four weeks old.

When I arrived this week, it was pouring with rain – the weather really hasn’t been on our side this half term, but I know from experience this often results in some really wonderful photo shoots; we think outside the box, do lots of different activities, and really ensure that there are plentiful opportunities for wonderful photographs. I love the challenge of a rainy day – shooting indoors, finding games that the children will really enjoy, and even heading outside under umbrellas for some puddle-jumping action – it’s always great fun.

On this shoot, we started indoors and among other activities (which you can see on the full blog post in a week or two), the children made some incredible Danish flatbreads – some of which I was lucky enough to take home, a real perk of the job.

Baking is such a fun thing to do with children on a photo shoot as it’s really interactive with lots of flour and mess, and the kids love all the mixing and rolling. It always results in such fun pictures.

This image caught my eye immediately – it’s a little bit unusual, and I love it all the more for that.

In this photo, the family is baking and Mette is giving everything a good stir after the children had had a go. Karoline, keen to start rolling out the flatbread, is practicing by rolling out her younger brother. It’s such a typical childhood moment! Jacob is laughing loudly – it’s so very funny and Karoline is looking down at her brother with such a look of concentration on her face, important to get him rolled out ‘just right’.

It’s just lovely – you couldn’t set-up a picture like this and that is its charm – such a natural moment caught on camera, a moment that the children will look back on and laugh, which is the very best thing that a photograph can do.

I love it and I hope you will too.

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