The Eley Family

I must admit I've been really jammy with the weather so far this year. Considering the amount of rain we've had (I swear there's no water left to make rain now!), I've got a surprising amount of shoots done without any postponements!

I had a call from Rachel in December about capturing a gorgeous family portrait at their farm home in Nottinghamshire. Rachel wanted a big framed image for her lounge, including her horses, daughter Ivy, partner Craig and cat Emsie. Challenge accepted. I love it when they whole family gets involved- there's nothing quite like a special family photo to preserve a moment in time.

We decided to book her shoot in February, as that fit with Rachel's wardrobe better and this fit with the vibe of their family and location as well. It makes me do a little happy dance when people decide to book in the winter months, the light you get on a nice day is stunning, and there are always little gems of locations hidden on farms that looks great at this time of year.

With the help of Rachel's mum, Pam, (who did some fantastic bucket shaking and babysitting by the way!) we captured a variety of images, using the garden, stables, gateway, driveway and field. We set up a variety of different family shots, as well as some of Rachel with each horse, Ivy & Emsie, and every other combination you can think of. I even managed to capture non-horsey partner Craig and the two horses as well whilst Rachel was getting changed!

The level of detail Rachel put into the prep is really something to be admired, it's always a dream to work with clients like her. Prepping two grey horses in winter is not an easy feat! Her retired 23 year old mare, Izzy, and current 12 year old hunting horse, Hendricks, were really lovely to work with and were beautifully turned out.

We created 3 frames for Rachel as they were getting their lounge redecorated, and this is what she felt would bring the most joy (I mean, who wouldn't enjoy looking at these gorgeous images everyday?!) . A gorgeous 20" frame for the lounge, 3in1 for above the mantelpiece, and a 9in1 for the kitchen. This frame colour is gorgeous in their newly decorate lounge, and I think it works so well with the images she chose.