So what are your plans for this summer? We are always up for a good adventure. My little one loves playing in the sand, racing across open fields, badminton, football, and lately biking has crept in too. There is something about stepping outside on a warm morning that lifts the whole household mood in about ten minutes flat.
As a photographer based in Reading, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to capture children as they actually are, not posed but just real. And the good news is you do not need a professional to do this well. You need a bit of inspiration, a decent location, and an eye for the moment. That is it.
Here is what we have been doing this summer, where to go, and how to get better pictures while you are out there.
The best local spots to take your kids this summer (and why they photograph so well)
Bugs Bottom Park, for picturesqure hills, and golden grass in summer
Bugs Bottom, Caversham: If you live in Caversham, and have not been to bugs bottom, park, go this weekend. It is a meadow with a little picture-square hill for kids to run down and up, evening light simply turns all the glass golden, you might even find windflowers if you are lucky. The location is perfect for photos - family or kids. Just be aware of dogs. Most Dog walkers visit the park and not always keep them on leash. watch your little kids particularly.
Light-water Country Park, bracknell: On the Berkshire-Surrey border near Bracknell, this one has a playground, cafe, free parking, a lake, trails, and enough variety to fill 2 to 3 hours of evening outing. The mix of open heath and woodland means you get very different backgrounds and light in different parts of the park, which is useful if you are trying to practise your photography.
Harris Garden, Reading University. Worth visiting in any season. This one surprises people every time.
Some other parks that I use for photographing families:
Prospect Park, Reading. This is my go to for bluebells.
Christ Church Meadows, kings read, Reading : The Thames walk alongside those sweeping green meadows is timeless. You can bring a picnic, rest under those large trees and even pre-book boating on the river.
Lily Hill Park, Bracknell. Peaceful, shaded, and less busy than you might expect. The woodland trails are lovely in summer light, and the lawns give little ones space to run while you practise shooting in dappled shade (which is harder than it looks, and worth learning).
Seven summer ideas that actually make good photos
For my family phtooshoots, I dont plan the poses, rather i plan activities. that way I get to capture genuine reactions and genuine moments. These activities will help you capture your children in the most authentic way. Regardless of the camera you use, Mobile or DSLR, you will be able to create fun photos.
Turn the hose on and step back
On a sunny afternoon, hand them the garden hose and do not give any instructions. They will soak themselves, and each other, water the plants, spray the air. Keep an eye out for the rainbow that appears when mist hits the sunlight at the right angle. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze the water droplets in the air. The wet hair and open-mouthed laughter takes care of itself.
Go strawberry picking on a cloudy day
You cannot plan this one in advance, you just have to move when the clouds show up. A cloudy day helps with the harsh shadows that sunny days create under eyes and chins, and it makes the reds and greens genuinely pop. Pick-your-own farms are the best places to photograph children, because, they slow down, focus and probably eat about three times as many strawberries as they actually pick. Dress them in something simple and bright, let the rows of red do the visual work, and shoot from a low angle at their eye level. The rows pull the eye naturally through the frame.
Watermelon picnic at the park
Choose your favourite park, cut a couple of large half-moons of watermelon, pack a blanket, and head out in the evening. Bugs Bottom or Christ Church Meadows are both perfect for this. Find open shade under a tree (not full midday sun, which creates harsh shadows on faces), get someone to tell a story or pull a face to get a real reaction, and shoot. A child holding a giant watermelon slice, sitting in a park is one of those images that always dreamed of creating.
Family Photoshoot at bugs Bottom park
Mum and her daughter sitting in green meadows eating watermelon
Sunflower fields in late July and August
This one takes a short drive. Tulleys Farm in Crawley has a large sunflower field, and several farms across Berkshire and Surrey open theirs each summer, usually announcing it on Instagram mid-July so follow a few local ones now. Dress the children in yellow, white, or warm earthy tones. The sense of scale, a small child standing next to flowers taller than they are, makes for extraordinary pictures. Go in the first two hours after sunrise or the last hour before sunset. Midday sun in a south-facing field is genuinely difficult to shoot in.
Lavender fields in July
Mayfield Lavender near London is a manageable day trips from Reading. Dress in whites, soft purples, or pale blush. If you have a DSLR, this is a great place to practise shooting with a wide aperture (f/2.8 or f/1.8 if your lens goes that low) to blur the rows behind your subject. The result is that soft, dreamy background you see in professional photos. The scent alone is worth going for. Mayfield lavender farm also arranges loads of events during the season and they are perfect to attend for any milestone celebrations.
Apple picking in late August and September
The light through apple trees in late summer is some of the best natural light of the year, dappled, warm, and forgiving. Children reaching up for fruit, concentrating, twisting an apple free, these are quiet moments that photograph beautifully. Dress them in rust, mustard, olive, or cream. Brogdale Collections in Kent is wonderful if you want a bigger day out. Closer to home, keep an eye on local farm listings from August. Try positioning your child between you and the light filtering through the canopy above: the leaves glow and the light wraps around them.
Want to actually learn how to use your camera this summer?
Hope above ideas for capturing memories for your family are helpful. You don’t necessarily need DSLR for that. Iphone on a portrait mode also works beatifully. but If any of this has made you want to pick up your DSLR and understand what you are doing with it, I offer photography classes for mums and parents in Reading and Berkshire.
One-to-one, tailored to exactly where you are and what you want to learn. Whether you want to get off auto mode, understand how light and aperture actually work, understand the choice of lenses, get better pictures from your iPhone, or just get honest feedback on the photos you are already taking. I fit the session around your goals, not a fixed curriculum. first session is absolutely free where we simply review few of your best images, understand what you want to learn and then go from there.
The training itself would be simple to follow instructions; no jargon, no overwhelming theory, no group class where you spend ninety minutes on a concept you already knew.
Get in touch to find out more and we can put together a session that suits you.
