Storytelling in Family Portraits | Then & Now

I first met Pip & Nik almost 15 years ago when they booked me to photograph their wedding. They went on to have a gorgeous little boy who was still in nappies when I photographed them again in 2016 in their home town of West Kirby on the Wirral.

8 years, a little girl and a global pandemic later I photographed their family of four in the same spot…

That happy blonde toddler had become a confident, funny young man and a sensitive, kind big brother.

Pip told me how the photographs we took of her son had pride of place in their home and her daughter was excited to have a “famous” picture of her own to sit alongside his.

As a photographer, knowing my photographs have come to mean so much to a family is the best feeling, but the pressure was on to capture portraits of this little girl that she would love!

We started with a photograph of the whole family in front of the church where Mum & Dad tied the knot, before wandering through Ashton Park and ending up on West Kirby promenade. We had a play recreating some of the original photographs and enjoyed creating some new ones too.

Comparing these two collections of photographs provoked me to reflect on the way our relationships with our children inevitably evolve over time.

There is as much love in the shoulder Dad gives his worn out toddler to lean on, as there is in the father son handshake routine. Each moment has its time and what an honour to be asked to capture them both!

Having family portraits taken at various intervals can paint a beautiful picture of your family's journey. Get in touch today to make 2025 the year you start documenting your unique story on beautiful medium format film.