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Making the most of your surroundings

Now in the context of taking great pictures, for me making the most of your surroundings means looking through fresh eyes at what exists around you. It is very easy to fall into a routine with family pictures where we pick out the same familiar safe-feeling settings or backgrounds because they’re known to work fairly well.

Recently Sarah and Richard asked me to take some pictures of their gorgeous girls. Knowing that they wanted to stay local to the village, we headed to a beautiful spot for the shoot, a quiet lane, no traffic, bordered by weeping willows, a trickling stream either side…. perfect. On the morning of the shoot we spent some really fun time here, the girls had a ball sending leaves flying, paddling up and down the stream and playing trolls under the bridge – allowed me to bank some great moments with the camera.

Also of particular interest to me was the ruins of an old railway bridge further up the lane. With aged, patchy brickwork, graffiti covered arches and muddy, wet ground, it might not be an obvious choice for family pictures. But by using some careful angles, making the most of the depth of field provided by the rows of arches and incorporating the rich colours of the brickwork, I planned to capture some really special pictures which I knew Sarah and Richard would love.

With a bit of imagination, an experimental mood and a secret snack stash (for those hungry tummies), it’s amazing what can provide a really effective background for your family pictures. Garage doors, window frames, walls, post and rail fencing, bridges, canal tunnels to name but a few…..