Charlestown harbour family photo shoot - Cornwall family photographer
Family session at Charlestown, Cornwall
We were SO lucky to get this session in - this family were visiting Cornwall over October half term from London for a few days and it was literally the worst weather possible - non stop drizzle, grey, dull, with a Spring tide to boot. For a whole week!!
The ideal time for outdoor beach sessions is early morning or late afternoon, and our combined schedules only allowed for afternoon slots which coincided precisely with high tide each day.
We’d first planned the session at Moneypenny beach in Fowey. This is a special location for Claire and her children. They lost the children’s father 3 years ago and this is somewhere they spent time as a family before he died. Gary, Claire’s partner, is very close to the children and they all wanted to honour the dad’s memory which I thought was so wonderful.
Unfortunately the pesky tide and weather threw those plans out the window. We were really lucky to get a brief spell of dryness (and glimpse of sun!) in the final hours of their last day. Talk about cutting it fine. I’m so glad we did though - it was a gorgeous afternoon and I’m sure they were happy to enjoy a bit of time on a Cornish beach before returning to London the next day.
The sea was a bit wild and we may have had to dodge the odd wave which caught us out, but it was fun! Claire was a bit nervous of the edges and getting caught on the rocks, and when we narrowly escaped a huge soaking by a surprise wave I realised that maybe we should stick to higher ground. Visions of being that jerk photographer on the news who told her clients to stand on the rocks, resulting in a dramatic sea rescue flashed through my mind and it’s not really how I want to go down, he he.
We headed to the bigger beach where the kids enjoyed running from the waves (safely!) and throwing stones into the water. What else are you going to do when you’re 7 and 9?? Claire admitted she was dubious about getting any natural faces let alone smiles from her son. He’s at that age when as soon as a camera appears, out come the awkward smiles, goofy faces, frozen expression. So I worked hard on prompting him to do fun stuff and then catching his laughter. He gave his sister a piggy back and it was hilarious when she gave him one back. Soon they were all piggy backing each other and the only combo I missed was Claire and Gary. Oh well, hopefully during their next visit to Cornwall next year!
There was so much closeness and love between them all - their bond is amazing and I enjoyed their session so much! Gary was amazing with the kids and they were truly good as gold.
Awesome family session - memories to hold dear until the next Cornwall family holiday!
To enquire or book a family photoshoot with me outdoors in Cornwall, contact me! I’d love to hear from you.
