A great Family Day Out with good social distancing in place - Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens

I thought I’d share a few days out for the family in and around the Cotswolds, for those who are looking for places to go with good social distancing in place. The Cotswold Wildlife Park has something for everyone and there are plenty of opportunities to take photos! I had been to the Cotswold Lavender Fields this week, so I have plenty of photos of the girls, so yesterday I had fun photographing the animals!

The grounds are so beautifully landscaped, there is lots of space for the children to run around, kiosks for coffees and ice creams, and you can picnic every where - we had our lunch near the rhinos! The staff are really friendly. I honestly couldn’t fault it at all.

Practical information: There is an online booking system that goes live the day before, so that they can ensure that the park isn’t overcrowded - even the car parking is socially distanced! Click to book your tickets here. Just over 30 minutes from Cheltenham, 15 minutes from Oxford and just off of the A40. Entry prices are reasonable, there are plenty of hand-washing stations, and the facilities are really well maintained. At the moment the train isn’t running, the playground isn’t open and nor is the reptile area, but there are so many other areas to play in and animals to see that we really didn’t feel like we had missed out. The highlights for my children were the Red Panda, Clouded Leopard, Giraffe, and the Otters!

Thanks for a great day out @cotswoldwildlifepark - we’ll be visiting here again I’m sure!

How to get children to smile in photos...

I have every tactic in the books to get children to smile. I race, chase, tickle, play games, chat and make them giggle. But I have a confession to make, today I was desperate and I VERY rarely do this...

I told her that she could have a Kinder Egg if she took her hat off.

Then I told my oldest she could have one too if she put her arms around her sister.

Sometimes a cheap tactic wins.

** Lavender Family Sessions £150 inc 3 images Sunday 19th July 2020**

Why I don't offer Mini Lavender Field Family Photoshoots

I love going to the Cotswolds Lavender Fields each year - it’s a perfect day out for all of the family. And obviously it’s lovely to take beautiful natural photos here. I have in the past offered mini-photoshoots, but i’ve extended them now to 45 minutes, as I much prefer taking that pressure of your children having to 'perform' for that short time. My aim is that you enjoy yourselves, play, cuddle, and make memories that last a lifetime.

I want to tell your story, show your personalities and capture your connections. I want you to be able to see your images and remember how your child feels in your arms, or their excitement when they found a ladybird, or the feeling of the breeze as ran past you. I want you to be able to relax, have fun, and remember this time, not just as a photoshoot, but actually the FUN that you had here together.

Every one of my family shoots are different, they capture who you are as individuals, your connections with each other, and I love to include beautiful everyday moments in between portraits, because for me these are not just portraits, these are your memories.

I get quite attached to all of my clients, as it is part of my process to get to know you before the shoot, so that I can capture your personalities in camera. I photographed this beautiful family a few years ago, when their middle child was a baby - and it was so lovely to meet their newest arrival! They came over from Germany and I honestly felt like I was meeting old friends, and celebrating their joy together.

I have some beautiful portraits of this family. But here, I’m sharing those moments in between - the joy, the fun, and their beautiful every day - their memories.

** Lavender Family Sessions £150 inc 3 images Sunday 19th July 2020**

Cotswold Lavender Fields Photoshoot

It's Lavender season! I just love getting new photos of the girls at @Cotswold Lavender  every year. It's so beautiful, a lovely day out, great to run around in - and it smells divine.

If you would like to have a family session here, do get in touch - I'm planning to head there on the 18th/19th July for family sessions. Here are a few that I took last year…

Socially Distanced Photoshoots at home

Within current guidelines, photoshoots in your home aren’t an option. Outdoor family photoshoots are an option, and they are certainly beautiful in themselves, but there is something the I particularly love about photographs through windows. I love the element that photographing through windows looks as if I was never there - it seems so pertinent to our protective bubble that we’ve experienced at home this year. I also love the softness and dreamlike feel that you can get through the windows. And even though it’s a lot harder than it looks, I think that the results are worth it.

I met Nathalie at the school gates years ago. She’s an absolute legend, she lives life to the full and helps others wherever she possibly can. She raises money for so many charities, is a cheerleader for so many individuals and local businesses, she’s a person that lifts everyone up when they’re down. So I was thrilled to pop over and take some portraits for Nathalie and her family recently, documenting a little snippet of how they have spent their time on their front lawn, and some portraits through the window.

I hope that they lift her up as much as she lifts others.

Lockdown. The year that we found sunshine on our drive...

We’ve outgrown our townhouse - we outgrew it years ago. We originally planned to be here for 3 years, but somehow that turned into 12… To say that we have used every inch of this house during lockdown has been an understatement. The girls have played with lego on the landing, balloons in our wardrobe, made dens under the breakfast bar, volcanoes on the kitchen table and grown tomatoes on the kitchen floor. But I have to say, that a paddling pool on the driveway was something that I really hadn’t predicted…

We’re making memories every day and squeezing out every ounce of joy that we can during these times…

And for anyone that needs proof that your home is not photoshoot ready - I’ve kept a few images that give you the context of our driveway.

You see, it’s not about the house - it’s the people and the memories that you’re making that matter. So if you would like to capture this unique childhood summer in your back garden and through your windows, get in touch!

VE Day 75th Anniversary celebrations Doorstep Portraits

As a family photographer, I have postponed my photoshoots until after lockdown. I had considered offering doorstep photos in Cheltenham in exchange for a voluntary donation to the NHS, but hadn’t felt that the time was right until very recently.

But on our daily exercise today, my heart was utterly warmed by the wonderful sight that I saw in our neighbourhood. -

The sound of people chatting, friends being made and glasses being charged. There were gramophones and guitars being played, cake being offered out within a safe distance - even a change into black ties for dinner. All in our front gardens. -

And then it dawned on me. Capturing joy is the very thing that drives my work. And here it was in abundance. We were all elated at allowing ourselves a tiny slice of normality and respectful socialisation. This was a big moment in our history and I felt compelled to document it.

We don’t tend to sit in our front gardens in this country. But on this day, tea parties are thrown together with pride in our front gardens. We felt joy on the streets as we chattered to our neighbours for the first time in weeks. That freedom which so many fought for 75 years ago, was somehow understood and felt in our hearts more this year than ever before in our generation.


I met many lovely neighbours for the first time, including a surgeon and a doctor and asked for their portraits in exchange for a voluntary contribution to the NHS (well actually I’ll let the doctor and the surgeon off). -

It was like a breath of fresh air and a VE celebration like no other..

Open ended play during lockdown...

I thought I’d share a couple of things that we’ve been doing during lockdown. There are so many ideas out there that sometimes it can seem overwhelming, but I’d say that this one’s pretty simple, and hopefully it might help anyone looking for ideas. Obviously swap glass bottles for other things where necessary!

We have a tiny town garden, but were grateful to have any space during this time.. A mud kitchen isn’t an option, but we’re making do, so I brought out an old table and put a few random things (optional vinegar, bicarbonate of soda for fizzing) from the kitchen on it suggested their Dragons might be hungry.

And then left them to it.

Taking photos with your children...

As a family photographer, I’ve had many parents say that their child really doesn’t like having their photo taken. Well one trick of mine is to ignore them and have so much fun that they just HAVE to join in.

Today, I told them that I needed to take a photo of myself for work and that they weren’t allowed to be in it… I stressed that it has to be a photo of me on my own. Well obviously they then wanted to be in it, and I just rolled with it…

I’ll be honest, I’ve loved having the girls at home for the past few weeks - and grateful that I didn’t take my ‘work’ photo on my own…

**DIY Newborn Photography Tips during lockdown**

I have been thinking so much about the pregnant mothers to be who are unable to have a photographer during this time. So I'd like to offer my support.

But I don't to overload you. You have a new baby - and we're in the middle of a pandemic. This is not the time to put pressure on yourself to learn a new skill! So I'm sharing a super simple 3 step process to getting a beautiful portrait of your baby. I've tested this on my other half, who has zero interest in taking a good photo, so it’s pretty failsafe.

So here it is. When your baby is next due for their nap:

1. Turn off all artificial lights, make sure baby is warm and snuggly
2. Settle your baby down on their side near a window
3. Position yourself so that you and your camera/phone are level with your baby. Get closer. Now take a photo of your baby’s head and shoulders, making sure that you are not photographing up their nose.

And that’s it! Such an achievable portrait of your beautiful newborn.

Feel free to share this your pregnant/newborn parent friends so they try this out too!

Beautiful muslin made by @jasper_and_juniper

Lockdown Thoughts

Of the many photos that I've taken during lockdown, I've posted very few, because I’m drawn to photographing when I’m happy, and I'm acutely aware that during this time, posting these images may lead people to feel down. So I want to let you know that I absolutely not photograph all day every day.

Right now, what may be joy in one person's life, will be sadness in someone else's life. What can be an achievement of a skill learned, can create despair in someone else who’s only goal is to get through the day without tears.

We're all on a rollercoaster ride that none of us are allowed off yet. Life appears to be positively lovely at one point and then the waves of reality come crashing in. All of our feelings are valid - good and bad, but it’s important to me that I share some of my normal at the same time as the highlights.

The truth of the matter is that people on the whole, only share their highlight reel. Not only that, but the beginning of the day can be so wildly different from the end…

So here’s the end of our day yesterday, followed by the beginning of our day…

Easter egg dying...

I’ve been wanting to dye eggs for about 3 years now, but somehow always run out off time when Easter actually arrives, so it would have been a poor show not to have done it this year… Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend at home xx

Painting a Rainbow

Have you made your rainbow yet? With children not being able to play with their friends or visit playgrounds for now, families across the world are decorating their windows with rainbows to stay connected and spread a little joy for passers by. -
We're looking forward to going for a 'spot the rainbow' walk soon. Tag @the_motherhood_society, so that we can make a local map with rainbows on! -
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If you are a parent /photographer looking for ideas on how to engage your children at home, I’ve set up a fb group called ‘A Picture of Home’ to help us gain ideas from each other, finding inspiration and calm as we view life through our lenses during this time. All welcome xx

Home Schooling Projects...

I’ve been so thankful for the sunshine this week. And for the fact that I have children to distract me from the season that the world is going through right now.

We busied ourselves with different projects this week. The other day, littlest chose to study Dinosaurs. So we grabbed all of the dinosaurs that we own and did this…

And now I’m ready for the weekend. Stay well everyone.

Time at home...

We sent a few things in the post and positive messages to cheer some of our relatives up today... .. sending you all the same during this time, which is proving to be a mental marathon.

And before you wonder how to do lead a wonderful calm and collected life whilst you're crafting with kids. You can’t - it's not even possible! I’ve blurred out the complete chaos that is on the other side of the camera. See my stories on ig (@chuikingli) for the behind the scenes on this.

Hope you’re keeping well during this crazy time xx