life on a devon farm

Families + Farming + Fun!

It can be surprisingly hard to decide what you want your family photos to be.

Do you want beautiful portraits? Photos of the children playing? Something relaxed and natural? Everyone looking at the camera? Nobody looking at the camera? And if your family happens to live and work on a farm, there is usually another question:

What on earth would we actually do for photos on a farm?

I have answers for you.

Normal normal normal life.

Plus me. Plus my camera.

Your farm is actually the perfect location

When people imagine a family photography session, they often picture a pretty field, a beach at golden hour, or somewhere that looks vaguely like it belongs in a country magazine.

But if you live on a farm, you already have something much more personal: a location that is part of your family's everyday life.

The fields your children run through.

The animals they are growing up around.

The old tractor that probably doesn't look particularly photogenic to you because you've seen it every Tuesday for the last ten years.

The muddy boots and the barn and the dogs and the chickens and the cows and the goats.

Those are exactly the things I want to photograph.

Because years from now, you probably won't care whether the tractor was shiny. You'll care that your toddler used to insist on climbing into it. You'll care about the way your baby looked sitting on Dad's knee while he checked the cattle. You'll care that your children grew up knowing exactly which gate to open and which cow was which.

That's the good stuff.

But it might be messy…

Yes.

Excellent.

A farm is not a studio, and I don't want it to be.

Farm family photography works particularly well when we embrace the fact that children are going to get dirty, animals aren't going to follow instructions and somebody will probably step in something a little stinky.

I am completely fine with this.

In fact, I would much rather photograph a child genuinely fascinated by a calf than ask them to stand still and smile at my camera for twenty minutes.

We can get the beautiful portraits too. Of course.

But we'll also get the little moments in between.

What do we actually DO during a farm photography session?

This is probably the question I hear most.

The answer depends entirely on your family and what happens on your farm.

We might:

• Walk through the fields together
• Visit the cows, sheep, chickens or horses
• Feed the animals
• Explore the farmyard
• Let the children climb into the tractor
• Walk along the lanes
• Play in the grass
• Collect eggs
• Pick flowers or blackberries, depending on the season
• Photograph your baby or toddler exploring their surroundings
• Capture a few more traditional family portraits
• Have a cuddle when someone inevitably gets tired
• And generally let the children be children

You don't need to perform for the camera.

I'll give you prompts when you need them, and I'll step back when something interesting is happening naturally.

That's a big part of how I photograph families. 

I'm not looking for perfect behaviour. I'm looking for connection, personality and the little things that make your family yours.

What if my farm isn't 'pretty'?

I hear this one too.

Your farm doesn't need to look like a National Trust property.

Honestly.

I don't need a sweeping view across rolling hills and a perfectly manicured garden. (Although if you have one, I certainly won't complain.)

I'm interested in light, connection and story.

A slightly scruffy farmyard can be brilliant. An old barn can be brilliant. A muddy track can be brilliant. A field at the right time of day can be absolutely gorgeous.

And because I work with natural light, I can use what is already there rather than trying to turn your farm into something it isn't.

The goal isn't to create a photograph that could have been taken anywhere.

It's to create photographs that could only have been taken there, with your family.

But what should we wear?

You don't need to dress like you're going to a photoshoot.

In fact, please don't wear your nicest outfit if you're going to spend the afternoon climbing over a gate.

For farm family photography, I generally recommend comfortable clothes that you can actually move around in. Neutrals, earthy tones, soft blues, creams, tans and simple patterns tend to photograph beautifully in a rural setting.

And yes, wellies are absolutely allowed.

They may even be encouraged.

If you've got little ones, I would rather they were dressed for exploring than worrying about keeping their clothes spotless. There will always be time for a few cleaner portraits if that's what you want.

What about babies?

Babies fit beautifully into farm sessions too.

They don't need to be old enough to interact with the animals or run around the fields.

Sometimes the most lovely photographs are simply Mum or Dad holding their baby against the backdrop of the farm — especially when that farm is somewhere the baby will eventually grow up knowing.

And as they get older, we can let the session evolve.

Baby on Dad's hip becomes toddler chasing chickens.

Toddler on the tractor becomes school-aged child helping with the animals.

And suddenly you've documented not just a family, but a childhood.

You don't need to know how to pose

This is probably worth saying because almost everyone tells me some version of:

"We're really awkward in photos."

Good news.

So am I.

Well… I'm considerably less awkward when I'm holding a camera.

You don't need to know what to do with your hands, where to stand or how to look natural. I'll guide you when you need direction and give you space when something is happening naturally.

There will be some photographs where everyone looks at the camera.

There will be plenty where nobody does.

There will probably be some laughing, some running and at least one photograph where somebody has decided that looking directly at me is simply not happening.

That's family photography.

Your everyday life is worth photographing

I think we sometimes wait for life to become a little more interesting before we photograph it.

When the children are older.

When the farm is tidier.

When the new tractor arrives.

When everyone is sleeping through the night.

When nobody has mud on their trousers.

But those ordinary years are the years you'll want to remember.

So if your family life happens on a farm in Devon, Somerset or somewhere nearby, you don't need to invent a photoshoot.

Just invite me into your world for a little while.

I'll bring the camera.

You bring the family.

The cows can do whatever they like.