Gentle Light at Rowney Warren, Bedfordshire.
As a family photographer in Bedfordshire, I know I must sound slightly crazy when I say to my clients, “It’s too bright.”
I get it. Little children have routines, naps and need to eat at roughly the same time every day, otherwise all hanger breaks loose.
So when I suggest waiting until later in the day for your family photography session, there is a reason for it, I promise I’m not just trying to mess with bedtime.
Because you definitely do not want full, bright sunshine for your family photographs.
And here’s why…
The middle of the day might look beautiful when you step outside, but photographically it can be really harsh. When the sun is high above us, it creates strong shadows under eyes and noses, bright patches on skin, squinting and lots of contrast between the light and shade.
And that’s just not the feeling I want for your photographs.
I want soft light. Warm light. Light that catches the edges of your hair, filters through the trees and wraps around you rather than shining straight down on you.
It’s a huge part of what gives my photographs that soft, nostalgic and slightly filmic feeling.
And sometimes that means waiting.
In the summer, it might mean keeping the children up a little later than usual. In the winter, we might need to meet much earlier. And the location makes a difference too.
At Rowney Warren woodland, the trees start stealing our light much earlier, so we need to time things carefully. Down by the river in Arlesey, the light is much more open and we can catch those last little pockets of evening sun. And in the open countryside parks across Bedfordshire, that low golden light can completely transform somewhere that might look quite ordinary in the middle of the day.
That’s why I don’t just choose a pretty location and hope for the best. I think about where the sun will be, when it will disappear and how the light will move while we’re there.
That’s why I think so carefully about the time we meet. It’s all about finding that little window when the light feels softer, warmer and just right for your family.
Because beautiful light can turn the most ordinary little patch of Bedfordshire countryside into something that feels like magic.