Natural Family Portraits in the Ribble Valley

Photography
Written By Victoria Phipps

Last month I met the marvellous Molly Matcham and her family at the most picturesque location alongside a shallow river running quietly through the village of Dunsop Bridge in the Forest of Bowland.

We’d both travelled an hour or so to meet half way between her home in Cumbria and mine in Cheshire. The weather was warm and glorious and the woodland trees cast a soft shade which gave us shelter from the harsh midday sun.

Portrait of three generations of a family and two dogs captured outdoors on medium format film

What was lovely about this family photography session was that it all took place in the space of around 50ft. Mother Nature supplied the river to paddle in and the rocks to play with… and actually, that was all the entertainment this gorgeous family and their two dogs needed!

diptych of photographs of a mother, daughter and grandson playing in the Forest of Bowland
Natural portraits of a mother carrying her young son captured on colour film
Idyllic photograph of a mother and her young son playing at a river's edge in the Forest of Bowland
sweet family photos of a little boy with his mum and grandmother
portrait of a little boy playing with rocks alongside a river at Dunsop Bridge in summer
diptych of portraits of a young mother and her son in woodland
sweet photograph of a mother and young son walking hand in hand along a river's edge in the forest of bowland
diptych of sisters posing for a portrait together outdoors in nature
natural photo of a mum, auntie and little boy playing at a river's edge in Dunsop Bridge near Clitheroe
natural photo of a mum and her little boy playing with rocks at the river's edge in Dunsop Bridge
family portraits captured outdoors on film at Dunsop Bridge in the Forest of Bowland
documentary family photos captured on medium format film in the ribble valley lancashire

As I was taking these photographs of Molly and her girls, I couldn’t help but think how much I would love pictures like this with my girls when they’re older. It seems a long way off right now, but I know the time will pass so quickly! The shoot reminded me how important it is to have photographs with our children at every stage, not only when they’re little.

natural portrait of a mother and her daughters captured outdoors in ribble valley
group family photo captured on film outdoors in the forest of bowland
happy photograph of a married couple walking hand in hand on a dog walk alongside a river

It’s been a while since I photographed a family alongside their pets and this was the perfect location to do it - a dog’s paradise!

I’ve always had dogs and so I understand that they are much loved members of the family, so I always encourage my clients to bring them along. Dogs may not always follow instructions (mine certainly don’t!), but having them in the frame makes the resulting photos so much more meaningful.

analogue portrait of a couple and their pet dogs captured on film
photo of two dogs in a family portrait captured outdoors on film
happy portrait of a husband and wife captured outdoors on film
photo of a couple walking their dogs at dunsop bridge lancashire
candid photo of a little boy crossing a river in bare feet
candid family photo outdoors on the river at Dunsop Bridge near Clitheroe
diptych of photos of a family captured outdoors in nature with their pet dog
sweet photo of a husband and wife embracing on a dog walk in Dunsop Bridge Forest of Bowland
analogue portrait of a family captured on medium format film in the ribble valley lancashire
portrait of a little boy playing alongside a river in summer
analogue couple portraits captured outdoors on medium format film
analogue photograph of a little boy paddling bare foot in a shallow river in summer
photo of a family paddling bare foot in a shallow river at Dunsop Bridge Ribble Valley Lancashire

The days of paddling bare foot may be behind us for this year, but we’re coming into one of my favourite seasons for family portraits… Autumn!

The golden colours and the soft light that October brings make a beautiful backdrop for family portraits. And after the gorgeous summer we’ve had, for once I feel ready for the drop in temperature. I’ve dug my boots out of the cupboard and I’m all set to embrace the season of hot chocolates, pumpkin carving and fireworks!

If you’d like me to help you capture some Autumnal memories for your family on film; head to my Pricing page for more details and check out my October session availability.

Victoria Phipps
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