Every now and then, a family session comes along that reminds me exactly why I love photographing families outdoors.

This was one of those sessions.

On a beautiful summer evening, I met this lovely family of three in the Lincolnshire Wolds for a golden hour family photography session. Their little boy was quite shy when we first met, so we took our time and gently coaxed him into the session rather than expecting him to immediately be ready to explore in front of a camera.

And that is something I think is so important when photographing children.

Every child is different.

Some will run straight up to you and want to show you everything they can do. Others need a little more time to warm up, get comfortable and decide that this new person with a camera might actually be quite fun.

There is no right or wrong way for a child to be during a session.

You simply have to meet them where they are and work out what will help them relax and let their personality come through.

And, eventually, that's exactly what happened here.

We explored, went on little adventures, played, ran around the countryside and had plenty of lovely cuddles with Mum and Dad.

And then we discovered something he really loved.

Photography.

A Relaxed Family Photography Session in the Lincolnshire Wolds

One of my favourite things about outdoor family photography is having the freedom to let children be themselves.

Rather than expecting them to sit still and smile for an hour, we can move, explore and follow whatever catches their attention.

The Lincolnshire Wolds were perfect for this session.

There was so much space for him to run around when he wanted to, while still giving us beautiful places to stop and capture those quieter moments with his parents.

We wandered through the countryside, played games, explored together and simply let the evening unfold.

Sometimes he wanted to be involved.

Sometimes he wanted to run off and explore.

And sometimes he just wanted to be close to Mum and Dad.

All of it was part of his story.

And by giving him the space to be himself, he gradually became more comfortable and relaxed as the session went on.

Letting Children Be Part of the Session

One of the loveliest moments of the evening came when I discovered just how much he loves taking photographs himself.

Rather than simply being the person in front of the camera, I let him get involved behind it too.

He took my camera and photographed his own parents.

And I absolutely loved that he wanted to do it.

It wasn't something I had planned or posed for. It was simply something that interested him, so I gave him the opportunity to have a go and be part of the experience in a completely different way.

And I decided to include one of the photographs he took in their final gallery.

I think that image will always be a particularly special one for his parents.

It's not just a photograph of their family.

It's a photograph taken by their little boy.

One day, when he's much older, they'll be able to look back at it and remember that summer evening when he picked up my camera and took a photograph of his mum and dad.

And I think that's pretty wonderful.

Capturing His Personality

As he became more comfortable, we were able to capture much more of his personality.

There were photographs of him running through the countryside, exploring, playing and having fun.

There were quiet cuddles with Mum and Dad.

There were little moments between the three of them.

And there were plenty of photographs of him simply being himself.

I think this is one of the most important parts of family photography.

Your gallery shouldn't just show what your child looked like at a particular age.

It should give you little glimpses of who they were.

The things they loved.

The way they played.

The things they were curious about.

The way they interacted with you.

And sometimes, it's those unexpected little details that become the photographs you treasure most.

For this family, I think his love of photography will always be one of those details.