What were you looking to achieve from your shoot with us?
I wanted a photo that I can always look back on from this time in our lives that will remind me of our current ‘now’. Something that will always remind me that we’ve made it through this tough time.
Tell us about your family
We had our two dogs with us, Spencer (brown) and Brynley (black) our furrbabies. Our little boy Miles. My Dad died very suddenly when I was 8 months pregnant with Miles. He was Dad’s 4th grandchild and 1st grandson. He was SO excited.
We were shocked to find ourselves 2 months pregnant when Miles was 6 months old. But we had our little girl Pearl on what would’ve been my Dad’s 65th birthday. Everyone in both of our families has brown eyes, my Dad was the only one with blue eyes, even Miles always just had dark eyes that then went chocolate brown. But Pearl has very blue eyes and they don’t seem to be changing… so she’s a proper Grandad’s girl by the look of it.
Had you ever done anything like this before?
We’ve never had a family shoot with the kids and the dogs..
Why did you think that Bartley Studios would be right for you?
We looked at the style on the website and really liked the variety of styles. They just seem ‘real’. That’s our style.
What personal did you bring and why?
We brought with us a massive bag of balls as they’re Miles’s absolute favourite. We brought our ‘Grandad blanket’ which is made up of all Dad’s old checked shirts. We also brought the rose hoop that was the centre piece of our glasshouse wedding on NYE 2014/15 along with some pearls… for Pearl of course.
Were you worried about any parts of the session beforehand and if so what?
She listened to us and really tried to capture our style… even through the hectic family vale we have over us 🙂
Tell us about the favourite parts of your experience and why you enjoyed them
Just about the kids and dogs behaving…and I was right to worry ha-ha.
What advice do you have for other clients coming for a shoot with us?
Just relax and trust that the photographer will capture what you’re looking for.
What was your favourite image overall?
The one of Pearl on Dad’s blanket holding my Ashes to glass necklace of Dad’s ashes. The blue in the blanket, the pendant and her eyes… gives me chills. It will be precious to me forever. I also love the one of us all… we’ll never forget these early hectic young family days.
