Social distancing family photoshoots

We are living in unprecedented times due to coronavirus. Lots of businesses both large and small are struggling. The world as we know it has come to a dramatic standstill and we are all trying our best to adjust to the situations we are all faced with. We’ve been in lockdown 8 weeks now and it’s just been announced that this situation continue with a few changes; being able to go out to exercise more, going out to work if you can’t work from home and seeing people from outside your household as long as social distancing rules are maintained. What a strange world it is without the hugs from friends and family that we’re all so used to.

Initially I found the whole lockdown quite hard, being a mummy of a one and a three year old. I’m used to always feeling tired but this was a whole new level of exhaustion! I’m sure it’s as difficult for the girls as it is for me - their friends are my friends’ children and the regular playdates and meet-ups have been replaced with brief (and mainly manic) video calls. The positives have been slowing down and adjusting to the simple life - we’ve been baking, planting seeds and doing puzzles. Each day we’ve taken a long walk in Chipperfield woods. My one year old’s stamina has improved so much that she no longer needs the buggy. We’ve actually played with all the toys in their play room. We’ve spent so much time in the garden enjoying the fantastic weather. Truly quality time and I’m constantly reminding myself to make the most out of it. This enforced closeness won’t last forever and is truly a silver lining in the pandemic cloud.

I love to take my camera out on our walks and have found so many new locations for future children and family shoots. My daughters are my little models and I have been photographing them from a distance and the results have been lovely. That is one part of my business that I will be able to reopen, family social distancing photoshoots. Once the hairdressers have opened, lol.

So if you would like to book a family photoshoot with me get in touch. We can do the shoot in a lovely woodland environment, common, field or park. We are so lucky living on the Hertfordshire & Buckinghamshire border as there is so much choice. Some of the areas I cover are; Berkhamsted, Chesham, Amersham, Tring, Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Potters Bar, St Albans, Luton, Abbots Langley, Kings Langley, Bourne End, Gerrards Cross, Chandlers Cross, Bushey, Rickmansworth, Pinner, Redbourne, Harrow, Hatfield & Croxley Green.

Help Love Pictures by Leila raise £1000 for the NHS

Please join me in supporting a good cause. I want to do something to help our wonderful NHS. I will be donating 5 family mini shoots to 5 lucky people which can be redeemed as soon as things get back to normal.

They will be taking place in Hertfordshire but you can choose the location, Hitchin Lavender Fields, Pop Up Sunflower Farm St Albans, Amersham Wild Flowers, Chipperfield Woods or Bluebells 2021.

I'm selling 100 numbers at £10 each and there are 5 chances to win, you can buy as many numbers as you want, its all for a great cause, so if you would like to support me & the NHS donate £10 per number to my Facebook fundraising page.

I'm raising money for NHS Charities Together and your contribution will make an impact. Thank you for your support. 

Family photography tips for lockdown

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS for lockdown…

During this strange time whilst we are all on lockdown, my daily highlight is our hours exercise with the family. Every day we walk over to Chipperfield woods and explore. Chipperfield woods is one of my favourite locations for family shoots but I have to admit there are two areas which I use for these shoots. Having all this extra time we’ve explored everywhere and I have found so many new wonderful locations. I always take my phone with me as it’s so light compared to my big camera and have been taking lots of photos of the girls.

The photos above are taken on my iPhone.

My top tips are;

-       Always make it fun!!! Like on my family shoots which younger children I always turn it into a game, we climb, balance, jump, go on a bear hunt, search for bug & muddy puddles. The children are having so much fun it’s so easy to get great shots.

-       Make sure the flash is off. Use natural light. Photographing people on a really sunny day can be quite tricky as you get a lot of harsh light. Try taking the pictures in the shade. An overcast day is my favourite.

-       Get down low! When photographing children get down low. I like to get my camera or phone as close to the ground looking up at them if for instance they are walking down a path or splashing in a muddy puddle. You also get to see much more of the surroundings around you and the children take over the shot.

-       Try and find some foreground. This is really easy to so if shooting on a phone. Whist they are playing, balancing, exploring, photograph them from behind some flowers, leafs, or plants. The foreground is the part of the image closest to the camera and can be used to draw attention to the subject (in this case your child) located further into the frame. It can also be used to frame the subject. Foreground is great to play with and adds a whole new dimension to the image.

-       I love finding fallen trees to sit children on. This is also great if you have little escape artists as a lot of parents struggle with getting a picture of their children together. Same with lower trees which they can climb or stand in.

-       Having an extra person with you is really handy! As you can concentrate on taking the photo whilst the other person can be in charge of being the tickle monster and getting those giggles!

-       Once you get home you can also do a little edit on your pictures, on my phone I like to add just a tiny bit of the vivid effect (I use an iPhone so this is just the edit options on my photo) I use the shadow option to make it a little lighter and a bit of the brightness. Once you start playing with these tools you soon learn what works for you. The warmth tool is also good to make your image look either warmer or cooler depending on the lighting that day.

I hope these tips help!!! We have all this extra family time and the perfect photography subjects so get snapping!!! I’d love to see some of your shots!

Tag me on Instagram @lovepicturesbyleila so I can see.