Tag: West Sussex lifestyle photographer

Lifestyle Family Photographer | West Sussex | Rackham

Lifestyle Family Photographer | West Sussex

For those that say “I don’t like having my picture taken,” or “Studio portraits just aren’t for us” when considering a family portrait session, perhaps you should look into booking a Lifestyle Family Photographer. Portraiture isn’t all studio lighting and sitting on boxes while someone gives your hair a boost and you stare longingly into the lens. One of my favourite types of family photography is “lifestyle”. This is all about capturing you and yours doing what you do, where you do it. As a wedding and portrait photographer based in Chichester, West Sussex I have the pleasure of travelling around much of the South Coast for these sessions….Brighton, Worthing, Horsham, Arundel, Portsmouth and further. I just love exploring new locations!

Yasmyn and her family suggested we head up to Rackham, a small village near Amberley, West Sussex for their session. Their kids are so familiar and comfortable with this place it was a perfect pick.

How better to capture kids being kids than by letting be, well….kids! Climbing sand mountains and heading into the woods is a great adventure! This area was so quiet, it was as if we were the only ones there!

When your location has perfectly created dens built by previous adventurers, and caves carved over time into the hill, you can’t help but get swept away with the fun that is being had. Is now the time to admit I made sure I was wearing my Dr Martens to ensure no creepy spiders made their way over my toes or ankles!!

I am so thankful to Yasmyn and her partner Chris for sharing this place with me, I now have a new spot to take my kids. They absolutely love it!! We must make sure to keep it quiet mind you, otherwise everyone will want to go!

If you would like to book a Lifestyle Portrait session, do get in touch. These usually happen in the great outdoors, setting a back-up date should we get heavy rain! Here’s the prices and more info.

Love,

Fiona xx

FionaMillsArt | Lifestyle Family Photographer | West Sussex

Chichester Bump to Baby Photographer | Arundel

Chichester Bump to Baby Photographer | Arundel, Swanbourne Lake

After a false start or two with heavy rain, Chris, Vanya and I managed to find a dry day to embark on their maternity shoot. As a Chichester Bump to Baby Photographer I feel most lucky with our local surroundings. Arundel being one. Off we headed with our scarves and hats to trek around Swanbourne Lake on a sunny, Autumn morning.

Vanya, like me, is Bulgarian (well, half really. Scotland claims the other half of me), but as I’m out of practise with my lingo it was great to dust off the mother-tongue for a couple of hours during our session… but not all the time, that wouldn’t have been fair on Chris! Swanbourne Lake in Autumn was looking so photogenic. As a West Sussex Photographer, I should use it far more than I do. The colours as we walked around the lake were just breathtaking!

As you can see, Vanya carries her pregnancy beautifully. It is clear from the adoration in Chris’ eyes that they are very much in love. I loved the bareness of the trees as we walked round Swanbourne Lake. I found myself reminded of old film black and whites photos that I used to take before we all went digital mad! The images below really lent themselves to a vintage-film-look.

After one lap we detoured back to theirs to finish off the shoot in a slightly warmer environment. Being a Chichester Bump to Baby Photographer means I’m always on the lookout for interesting backgrounds, alternative shots and humorous moments (Chris certainly didn’t fail to disappoint with the humour!) The striking red wood panelling was incredible (I love those lines!) The simplicity of bare walls and clear space was a perfect contrast to the twisting chaos of the woodland shots from earlier.

I’m looking forward to hearing the news of a new baby soon so we can embark on the next stage…. the newborn shoot, where I get to cuddle a teeny one!!

Fiona xx

FionaMillsArt | Chichester Bump to Baby Photographer

Worthing Maternity Photography | Becky & Darryll | Bump to Baby

A fine, warm Sunday afternoon proved to be a fabulous setting for a Worthing Maternity Photography shoot. Becky is a brilliant make up artist & beauty therapist so while chatting via a mutual wedding client we touched on her then secret pregnancy, and her desire to have a Bump to Baby shoot. Becky didn’t have a hard time convincing her partner, Darryll, that pregnancy photography was a necessary rite of passage for an expecting mum! We chose a lifestyle maternity photography session as it enabled us to get more creative and touch on who they are as a couple in their familiar environment, which in this case was Worthing, right on the seafront.

Becky had set up a Pinterest board full of her likes and dislikes for her Bump to Baby shoot, and as always, we use that as a starting point from which we brainstorm ideas and get down to the nitty gritty of the Worthing Maternity Photography session. Using their home first we were able to take some beautiful shots (and some more fun ones) in what will be the baby room.

As the lovely golden hour was setting in we took a stroll towards Worthing seafront passing a putting green on the way. As Darryl is a keen golfer (and Becky a golf widow) it was befitting to use this as a backdrop!

Worthing seafront was pretty quiet, a perfect time for those warm light pregnancy portraits. I fell in love with the symmetry of the sun shelter, a great frame to personalise their images.

A quick dip in the wet sand before we headed back to their home for one last picture!

Becky looks absolutely stunning at 31 weeks pregnant, they are going to be such lovely parents! I cannot wait for the end of November to meet their newborn and continue with the baby photography session.