I’m so glad that you have visited my website because this means that you’re thinking about a family photo session. So, you have come to the right place!
Outdoor session venues
There are so many beautiful areas in Sussex! Where is your favourite place? Mine has always been Tilgate or the beach but recently a client introduced me to Leechpool Woods, in the Autumn, which was stunning!
If you have a favourite place, we can discuss whether it is possible for me to travel to your favourite area or can choose a suitable place for you.
Or, if you have a favourite area to walk your dog, let me know as we may be able to head there for your photo session.
Being outside is ideal for families because it enables your children to be free. They are able to be themselves and play, ensuring natural images.
How does the session work?
Prior to the session, we arrange a date to meet up, which will only be cancelled if the session is heavily raining. A little bit of rain just makes for a fun session!
We will discuss who is attending your session because you can bring pets or other family members. The more the merrier.
I will also email over some clothing ideas but as long as you are comfortable, anything goes.
Once we meet for the session, we will head off for your walk, allowing the children to have fun. I will take a mixture of photos, some natural, photographing the children as they play and interact with you. Plus, some more formal ones by stopping along the way, making the most of the stunning backdrop.
If you have any questions please do visit my family page and complete the contact form or email me at clairewildersphotography.co.uk
Southwater Infants Academy Christmas Mini Sessions, Horsham, West Sussex.
Southwater Infants Academy is a very special place of me. Having worked there for many years I have so many wonderful memories. It was also the place where my children were first welcomed when we moved back to the UK. This is why I can’t stay away.
I’m very excited to be back at the Christmas Fair providing mini sessions.
I know many of your children, so this really helps them to relax and this means you will have some beautiful photos. The session only lasts 10 minutes, so it’s quick and was but you will have some wonderful family photos.
Why not get organised now and book your mini session now, so you can gift stunning photos as gifts to your friends and family.
Where is the session?
These sessions will be run in the staff room at Southwater Infants Academy.
You will have a choice of two backdrops, either a festive one that will look great with your christmas jumpers. Or an elegant grey one which makes a stunning backdrop for your family photos and will compliment your chosen colours.
Who can be in the photos?
A maximum of 6 people can be in the session. This can be parents, children, grandparents, cousins, the choice is yours. If you wish to have more people included, please get in touch so that we can discuss the options.
(The reason to limit the numbers is due to it being a mini session. If you have larger numbers please book two sessions back to back to give yourself enough time.)
How does the session work?
You will arrive at the staff room 5 minutes prior to your session. This allows us to start promptly and for you all not to feel rushed when we start. Enabling us to get fun, smiley images.
Clothing plays a large part of the photos, therefore, I will give you some guidance on what to wear. Although, ultimately, as long as you are all comfortable, it really doesn’t matter.
Being relaxed and having fun is definitely a main part of the session, as we really want to capture the love and happiness within your family.
How do i book a session?
To book or view additional information about a session please click..
After the session I will edit your photos and provide you will an online gallery. You will be able to choose your photos from the comfort of your own home, at your own leisure.
I do sell wall art and additional prints if you wish to purchase and photos for gifts.
For more information about Claire Wilders Photography please click HERE or you can email me at clairewildersphotography@gmail.com
A 1st birthday cake smash session, is a celebration of your babies 1st year! So much has changed and life has been crazy! But you have all survived and you have the most amazing little baby that is growing up so fast!! This is not only a birthday celebration but also a celebration of making it through your 1st year.
The session is split into 4 parts… family photos, individual photos, cake smash and finally the clean up.. ALL for ONE price!
family photos
The first part of the cake smash session is to capture some gorgeous photos of you all together. Celebrating that first year!
the birthday child
Prior to presenting the cake, is a great time to capture some cute photos of your little one, surrounded by banners and balloons. I like to keep my set ups simple, so that the birthday child is centre stage!
the cake smash
This is the part where the cake comes out. Now this doesn’t actually have to be cake.
It can be a bowl full of their favourite fruit, a donut or muffin, their favourite snack.. whatever you want.
One of the little girls above had a raspberry cake… she completely ignored the cake and went straight for the raspberries!! The look on her face was priceless and she just grabbed a handful (see below left)! In the end we had to remove some of them, to stop her eating the whole lot and making herself ill.
the clean up
For some children, they’re not bothered about the cake BUT they do LOVE the bubble bath!
This is a time for your children to play in the warm bubble bath and enjoy some splashing around. Some manage to make huge puddles around my studio but watching their little faces is a picture..
booking a session…
If you would like to book a cake smash session or would like more information, please click HERE and you will be taken to my cake smash page. All prices are shown. Normally, I say you will receive around 30 photos but quite often this can be more as we capture your child enjoying the session…. even when they don’t they still look cute though…
A few more of my favourites from sessions so far this year…..
What to wear for a bluebell photo session doesn’t have to be stressful. It is about choosing one outfit and linking all of the rest.
I love neautral colours with one main colour. For example:
Blues, whites and tans.
Yellow, blues and whites.
Burgendy and neautral colours etc
patterns or no patterns
It is also important to not have lots of different patterns. Ideally choose one small pattern and work the other outifts around this. For example, if dad wears a check shirt, pick colours from that to dress everyone else.
textures & accsesories
Textures also look fantastic when mixing outifts. Chunky knitwear and scarves can be a great addition.
Below I have chosen some outfits which will give you a few ideas…
Shein has a wide range of outfits so I wanted to find something that would look great but would also link with the rest of the family.
Lots of teenage girls currently like to show off some skin, so I decided to included some chunky over sized cardigans, to give an elegant look. These can also be paired up with crop tops or shorter skirts.
whereas for younger girls i went to h&m
and the boys, i also stayed at h&m
For the males, their outifts are pretty similar as linen trousers or chinos look great on them both. Paired with a linen shirt or jumper and they look gorgeous. Younger boys can even be in a smart pair of shorts with braces.
I really hope this has given you a few ideas about what to wear for a bluebell photo session but please do get in touch if you have any more questions. You can even visit my Pinterestpage for a few more ideas.
For more information on a family photo session please head over to my family sessions page by clicking HERE
Things to do in West Sussex with children – Tilgate Lake
During lockdown, it is so hard to come up with things to do in West Sussex with your children, that
a; aren’t full of other people and
b; don’t cost a fortune.
Tilgate Park and Lake, in Crawley, is fantastic. It is the perfect place to go to, especially for the evening, after a hot day in the sun. It was away from the crowds and a wonderful place for the children to relax and enjoy.
Tilgate Park also has so much to offer . It has a a couple of lakes, large green to play games or picnic, wooded areas, play parks, trim trails, golf course, cycle trails and nature centre. It also has a cafe, restaurant and a Go Ape high ropes course. In the summer it has some fantastic inflatable games plus boating on the lake and in the winter Father Christmas comes to visit. There is so much to see and do, it really is a must if you haven’t been before.
About Tilgate Park.
The address for Tilgate Park is: Tilgate Drive, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 5PQ
There is one free car park near K2 and the rest are paying but procedes from the car parks do go back into the park!
Dogs are allowed in the park but not in the walled garden or nature reserve.
Our evening
This jetty was perfect for chilling out on but as we arrived a couple of teenage girls, also thought the same.
Unfortunately, for one, she managed to drop her phone through the slats of the jetty, into the water below. As we had fishing nets, we offered to help, also because she was panicking her mum would be really mad at her. We managed to locate the phone and helped to guide her underneath the jetty to pick it out.
I have to say, if this was my daughter, even if the phone had broken, I would’ve been so proud of her! She didn’t hesitate to get down to her swimmer, to enter the water to retrieve the phone. She even went under the jetty where there were all sorts of things lurking.
Having left, to give mum the bad news, we then had the jetty to ourselves. To enjoy the evening. From across the lake we could even hear music, from someones stereo, and the air was so warm, as the sun started to set. It was so peaceful!
Whether you want to walk, cycle or take your scooters Tilgate Park is great for burning of energy with your children. It is also perfect for picnics and playing games on the large green.
THE OUTTAKES
All photo sessions are meant to be fun!
A little bit of photobombing while taking some photos.
Family Photo Sessions
If you are interesting in booking a fun, relaxed outdoor photo session, capturing the true personality of your family please visit my Home page by clickingHERE
Care is needed when photographing children with special needs
Here is a lovely review a friend wrote recently:
The background story.
A friends son has Autism and Tourette’s, so found it too overwhelming to have photos taken at school. The environment was too noisy and he didn’t like having his photo taken in front of other people.
This was too much for, lets call him Peter, so his siblings have their memorable school photos but he doesn’t because the environment wasn’t suitable for him.
Photographing a school photography session for a child with special needs.
This is why last year, for the for first time they came to Claire Wilders Photography in Southwater, near Horsham. For a bespoke school photo session. Peter came in and took his time to settle in slowly. The session was then taken as his speed. He was a little star and had his photos taken with his siblings and together they got some lovely photos of them ALL together. It took a bit longer than the “allotted time” but that’s okay because it’s about creating a memory for the family and they deserve to have that photo, just like everyone else.
So now they have that “normal” school photo.. like everyone else.
BUT…what is normal?
Is Peter not normal because he doesn’t like his photo being taken or is he completely normal because he doesn’t like his photo being take? He just has extra needs. Every person on this page has had completely different needs because no child is the same.. even twins!
MOST children HATE having their photo taken..
Children, like Peter that have special needs may find having their photo taken a struggle because it’s too noisy and too intrusive. Others hate sitting down too long BUT don’t most children? Things children don’t like about photo sessions include having to look at the camera, hating their outfit or not liking a stranger making them do this and do that. Some just hate having to be near their brothers and sisters!
But this doesn’t mean they can’t have their photos taken. It’s about adapting to the children.
This could include; playing with their toys, running around the woods or reading a book. Helping them to settle in, in whatever way they need. The session can be at your house, the park, their sports lesson, wherever they feel comfortable. (It also doesn’t cost you more if it’s in the local area)
Any photographer will tell you kids photo sessions are very rarely a dream because children are not little robots.. BUT you will have some gorgeous photos at the end of it, showing their personality!
Mini Family Photo Sessions in Horsham.
Mini sessions are great because these only take around 20 minutes so families aren’t expected to “perform” for ages. Outdoor Mini Family Photography Sessions allow your children to burn up some energy on the walk to the location. It’s also possible have a quick play and relax before the camera comes out.
Please do get in touch or feel free to head here to have a look at the Families Photography Page.
None of the children on this page are models.
It’s about capturing emotions and personal moments. Whatever they are; cuddles, splashing in a puddle, wearing a princess outfit.
Together we will decide the best environment to capture the perfect photos of your family.
UPDATE…
Peter asked his mum if I can take his photos again this year because it’s much calmer for him and he prefers this to the crazy school environment.
If you wish to keep up to date with future offers and information you can also like my Facebook page by clicking Claire Wilders Photography
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