Natural Family Portraits at Home near Chichester in West Sussex

In the years I’ve lived in West Sussex, I finally made a wonderful discovery – the village of Fittleworth. Having believed that this amounted to a handful of pretty cottages on the main road, my route now took me to the village itself, and what a idyllic place it is. My clients’ home was equally pleasing and tranquil, with the most amazing garden, together with an orchard and their very own chickens.

Although this session took place a few years ago, it remains one of my favourites. It’s also a reminder that if your photographic style is classic, natural, and gimmick free then the pictures will look fresh and timeless no matter how many years have passed since they were first captured.

Outdoor locations like this are fantastic for family portraiture, giving us the natural and relaxed backgrounds which work so well – we’d also planned a walk on the heath. But as is often the case with location work here in the UK, we can be at the mercy of the elements. And the weather deteriorated into driving rain and leaden skies the moment I arrived. Flexibility is key – the first instinct for many location photographers is to cancel the shoot and plan for another day. I would advise against this – instead there are always areas in and around the home which make great backgrounds for pictures – be prepared to work quickly and be aware of the changing direction of the light.

Whilst Charlotte and Rory showed me around I knew we could still get some great shots, whatever the elements threw at us. One of the things I love about location family photography is the insight we have into our clients’ lives – I had such fun hearing about Charlotte and Rory’s hobbies (and meeting the family pets) and I have to say that both of these adorable children were an absolute pleasure to work with. Because we didn’t get our woodland walk, we arranged a top-up session later in the month which can be seen here: Outdoor Family Photography Chichester West Sussex

Photo shoots like these always have an intended end result. In this case a family album containing real memories, rather than contrived and stage ones. The family wanted a natural story of their lifestyle, captured in a relaxed and fun way.