NOTTINGHAM FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

I photograph families the same way I photograph weddings. I turn up, get in amongst it, and document what actually happens. Nobody gets lined up. Nobody gets told to smile.

What that looks like in practice: your youngest sprinting off toward a puddle they’ve had their eye on since the car park. The bit where somebody gets hoisted onto shoulders and immediately regrets it. Your eldest holding out something they’ve found on the floor like it’s treasure. And the quiet one right at the end where you’re all just leaning on each other, knackered, not doing anything in particular — which is usually the photo that ends up on the wall.

Before photography I was a primary school teacher, so I come fully fluent in “kid”. Nobody has to behave. Nobody has to be in the mood. If a two-year-old decides the session is over twelve minutes in, that’s normally when the good stuff starts.

And if you want one where everyone’s looking at the camera just say the word. I always leave any group photos you might want until the end – once you get a kid to look at a camera they can’t stop so it’s much better to get all the real monents photographed first.