I love capturing images of large family groups. There is always something going on between people; conversation, play etc. It also relaxes everyone as they are out numbering me 9:1. I tend to use either Badbury Clumps or Great Coxwell for these large groups as it gives the children freedom to run and explore.

Below are some of Nancy’s family at the clumps.




The Light was fantastic on this day, breaking through the trees and casting its golden rays.

Tags: badbury clumps, woods, family portraits, black & white, baby, trees

Another favourite location of mine is the woods. Badbury clumps was the perfect place for three brothers to let off some energy and give me a chance to capture some perfect natural moments. The bluebells were out in full as well so we couldn’t go wrong really.


This is a typical gorgeous natural portrait that Openspace Photography produce.


A bit of sitting and a bit of running, they all make for a great image.

Tags: spring, spring portraits, childrens portraits, fun, leaves, bluebells, badbury clumps

What do you get your mum for her 80th Birthday? Three sisters chose a family outdoor portrait session with Openspace Photography - 12 people in all! I like to use the Tythe Barn in Great Coxwell for some of my portrait sessions. It gives us enough cover if it looks like it’s going to rain and looks stunning when the sun is out!


You can tell the two guys on the end are rugby players!

My portrait sessions are all about fun and this family loved their sport, so they played a game of cricket and we got some great natural portrait shots.


Openspace Portraits are fun!

Something a bit more formal but in keeping with my natural relaxed style.



Thanks to everyone for a great morning.

John

Tags: childrens portraits, natural, outdoors, oxfordshire, family portraits, spring, great coxwell, spring portraits

I met Lucy while I was photographing a toddler group. When she gave me a call and asked if I would take some pictures of her bump, I felt very privileged. They were a surprise present for her husband. All the images were taken indoors with natural light and no flash.



I love these images.

Tags: pregnant, mother & baby, indoor, portrait sessions, black & white, bump photography

The Brailsford’s chose an Openspace Portrait in Winter… They braved the cold and we got some fantastic images for their wall.


Who says it can’t be fun in Winter!


She is so cute, lovely big eyes and the perfect natural light.


My portrait sessions are always fun for both children and adults.

Tags: outdoors, oxfordshire, natural, family portraits, childrens portraits, winter, winter portraits, great coxwell

The Harris’s were looking for their first ‘proper’ family portrait and I am delighted they chose me. We decided to meet in a location that was central to where we both lived and Buscot weir was the perfect place. Trees, Fields, Water and a Willow Dome what more could a outdoor portrait photographer need… Both parents were full of energy and laughter and it really shows in the images captured for them.


Bubbles are a favourite of mine and the children.


Openspace Portrait sessions are always fun.


I love this image I captured in front of the water at Buscot. The family are relaxed and the shot come together, simple and effective.

Tags: outdoor portraits, family portraits, buscot, bubbles, willow, leaves, fields

The Evans wanted a traditional family portrait for their Mum and Dad. All were quite nervous of the camera, but I soon put their fears to rest and got them to enjoy a drink and family chat in their beautiful garden.


It is great when people relax and forget that you are there. Something a good photographer can do and always happens on an Openspace Portrait session.


Enjoying conversation and some great images to look at.


The ‘Main Event’ picture. I don’t normally go for a complete posed shot, but this works. Everyone is relaxed after the pictures round the table above. I love the way the baby is looking at the dog standing to attention. This framed picture now sits proud in their house and will be a reminder of the family tree.

Tags: wiltshire, family portraits, garden portrait, highworth

Photographing your friends is hard and there is an extra added pressure of getting it completely right! Guy & Tamsin agreed to meet me at Buscot weir. I had never done a Portrait Session at Buscot before, but what a place. Lots of grass area to run around, water, a willow dome and lots of shade if the sun is really bright. As you can see we got lots of lovely shots!


This is a classic Openspace Portrait image from one of my favourite lenses.


A lovely wide angle family shot and one of my favourite images of the day.



Black & White definitely suits a certain capture, this is one of them.

Tags: gloucestershire, family portraits, fun, lechlade, buscot, outdoor portraits

17th June is my Birthday and Nicole decided to book a family portrait session at Roves Farm - another of my favourite photography places! It was an emigrating present for both sets of parents and a reminder of England for Steve & Nicole. We had a such a fun time climbing the old trees, blowing bubbles and hitting them with a bat. Something you just cannot do in a studio, which is why my clients and I love the outdoors!


Who is having more fun here then!



We finished off the shoot with a simple family portrait under the shade of the old oak. What better way to encapsulate England. All the best downunder!

Tags: family portraits, fun, woods, fields, childrens portraits, bubbles, trees, roves farm

Another glorious day for an Openspace Portrait just outside Swindon, Wiltshire. Roves Farm is such a great place to photograph in as there are so many different places to go.


The wild flower meadows are the perfect place to run through and capture some fun images.


No setup here, just a straight simple capture. This is what a natural portrait session is like at Openspace Photography.

Tags: roves farm, family portraits, fun, fields, wild Flower Meadow, trees, summer

I met Emily & Harry at Roves Farm. Their mum and I agreed that a portrait session at Westonbirt Arboretum would be a lovely idea. We had great weather, the bluebells were still just out and I found out that Emily - like most children - loved playing with the bubbles!


This is one of my favourite images from the day - thanks to Katie for blowing the bubbles…


Full of life, energy and laughter is how I like my portrait sessions.


Harry had a bad cold, but I still managed to get a little natural smile from him.

Tags: westonbirt, portraits, childrens portraits, toddler portraits, leaves, woods, trees, bluebells

Spring… A most favourite time of the year! The bluebells were high and abundant at Badbury clumps this year. The Baileys organised an Openspace portrait session as a present for their parents. It was my first ever time taking a large groups pictures, 10 people in all!

We all had great fun, as you can see below.


When you get to Badbury Clumps you need to find the rope swing… It is mainly for adults!


A simple image to create and one that is now hanging in their dining room.


Both of these images are a little different to what I normally photograph on a portrait session i.e. not natural photography. But the subjects were more than willing for me to try out my new Lensbaby 3G!

Tags: family portraits, bluebells, spring portraits, lens baby 3g, childrens portraits, badbury clumps, fun

Jamie & Sam come to Roves Farm lots. They are full of energy, laughter & are typical brothers! Photographing them was such fun and a pleasure. And I think from the images below you can see that too.

Tags: roves farm, childrens portraits, outdoor portraits, natural, woods, fields

James and Lucy mum got in touch with me to organise a Portrait Session in winter. It was for a Valentine present for her husband. I love winter in England as we get a completely different type of light. Lucy was quite nervous but you couldn’t tell in the image below. The wind blew and lifted her hair and created a wonderful capture.



James was a complete monkey and reminded me of my little boy of the same age.

Tags: natural, outdoor portraits, willow, woods, childrens portraits, winter

This was such a happy Openspace Portrait session. The Seward’s were in the process of moving abroad and Mum wanted a present for Dad. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. The star of the show is the person you cannot see though, it’s the girl Aunt. She made them both giggle and laugh pretty much throughout the 1hr session. You always get out what you put in…


This was the first attempt at using my new Lens Baby. The stars are part of the lens and not added afterwards in any program. A fantastic capture of a natural smile. An image I still use now for promotion.

Tags: natural, outdoor portraits, wiltshire, woods, willow, leaves, star lens, roves farm, lens baby

I love taking photographs and in this garden portrait session everything seemed to come together. Sometimes it just clicks… Lara’s parents had just come over to England for a holiday and all 6 of us met up at her Aunts house in Cirencester. She had a glorious garden full of neat little places to photograph in. We played games and generally ran around having a good time while I took pictures.


This is one of my favourite images. Both parent looking towards me and not even knowing they are in shot, perfect!


Beards hold such fascination with young children.


Another image full of fun and laughter.


You cannot beat a nice Black & White image.

Tags: family portraits, garden portraits, fun, childrens portraits, outdoor portraits, cirencester

Three cousins taken at Roves Farm during the school summer holidays. They were brilliant and as you can see we all had so much fun. Lot’s of running around and jumping onto each other!


Catch me if you can…


Every portrait session with Openspace Photography has a special moment, this is one of them. I was photographing the two sisters by themselves and their cousin decided he wanted some of the limelight, so jumped on them. The resulting picture is a natural image full of smiles.

Tags: natural, outdoors, portraits, wiltshire, childrens portraits, fun, family portraits, roves farm

The Hamiltons asked me to come across to Kington St Michael to photograph their Children in the Garden. This was my first experience with one of those Gazillion Bubble machines, they are brilliant! But right at the start the machine fell over the and the bubble mixture went everywhere, the bubbles then blew straight into my left eye! The thing is, I use my left eye to look through the viewfinder. So from the start of the Portrait Session I couldn’t really see! I am amazed that my photographs were in focus…


What you don’t see here is his mum to the left waiting with tissues because of teething dribble! A great fun image nonetheless.


This is a lovely image of their daughter in the garden. It just proves you don’t need a huge space to create great images, but you do need a professional lens.


I love images like this. What is he thinking?

Tags: garden portrait, childrens portraits, fun, bubbles, Kington St Michael, bubble machine, left eye blues, chippenham, wiltshire

The Simpkins were looking to update their walls with something other than white studio shots that everybody seems to have. An Openspace Portrait session is full of the colours of nature.



It was a baking hot June, so once we had some great pictures in the wild flower meadows at Roves Farm, we moved to the woods and I captured some magical images in the shade of the two sisters.


I used my famous Lens Baby to capture this natural portrait. No photoshop here!

Tags: childrens portraits, outdoor portraits, summer, lens baby 3g, fun, woods, fields, flowers, sisters, roves farm, wild Flower Meadow