Jess Cheetham - Documentary Family Photography

Jess Cheetham - Documentary Family Photography Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Jess Cheetham - Documentary Family Photography, Photographer, Bath.

There is so much beauty in your everyday life within your four walls at home. Each stage of the journey, the bump, the b...
01/12/2025

There is so much beauty in your everyday life within your four walls at home.

Each stage of the journey, the bump, the birth, the early days at home, the whirlwind toddler years, the first day of school, is precious, fleeting, and full of moments you never want to forget.

But life moves fast. And when you’re in the middle of the chaos, grabbing your camera to document it all isn’t always possible.

That’s where I come in.

I take family photography out of the studio and into your home or a natural outdoor setting. My sessions are relaxed, honest and full of fun, capturing your family exactly as you are.

My approach is rooted in documentary storytelling, with a touch of fine art portraiture, creating images that are natural, emotional, and authentically yours.

Every family is wonderfully unique. Each session brings new surprises, new emotions, and new memories. Your story is entirely your own, and it’s my privilege to bottle up those moments in photographs you’ll treasure for years.

No posing.
No white backdrops.
No coordinated outfits.
Just you.
Being yourselves.

I simply join you for part of your day, with a camera in my hand and photograph life as it unfolds. Real smiles, real cuddles, real mess, real joy. Genuine expressions of contentment that no staged session can replicate.

These ‘ordinary’ slices of life are where the true magic happens. They’re full of affection, tenderness, humour, and love. You might be having breakfast, making the bed, baking, getting the kids ready, shopping for groceries, watching a movie or playing hide and seek, whatever you’re doing, it’s important, and it’s worth documenting.

These unscripted, in-between moments of life often become the most meaningful images of all.

Beautiful elegant elopement, just them 💜
28/11/2025

Beautiful elegant elopement, just them 💜

That night, at the beginning of the summer holidays, when we had just moved house and you asked to ‘go home mummy?’. And...
12/09/2022

That night, at the beginning of the summer holidays, when we had just moved house and you asked to ‘go home mummy?’. And it broke my heart.

Dinner time. -
31/08/2022

Dinner time.

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Small, little, sweet moments. I find motherhood is a series of these small fleeting moments of affection and love. That ...
22/08/2022

Small, little, sweet moments. I find motherhood is a series of these small fleeting moments of affection and love. That aren’t always noticeable or even memorable, but you’ll be surprised how many moments of love and kisses fill your day, even on your not so good days.

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Recently when we have been driving somewhere, I find myself glancing at my eldest in the rear-view mirror. Watching his ...
13/08/2022

Recently when we have been driving somewhere, I find myself glancing at my eldest in the rear-view mirror. Watching his reaction when I play one of my favourite songs, seeing him enjoying it, noticing how much older he looks, catching his eye and smiling at him. There is something quite magical about seeing your child enjoy a song you used to listen to 20 years ago. 

I’m noticing that as we meander out of the early years of parenting and into to middle bit of childhood, Parenthood definitely feels different. It feels like we have hit a bit of a sweet spot with the ages they currently are at. The last 6 years have been a constant up and down of emotions. Swinging between days when I was so low I thought I should call the doctor, but never did. And days when I was so happy I thought my husband had spiked my morning tea with Prozac. But recently there is just a general, steady flowing, loveliness. 

It’s lovely, being their Mum. 

My evolution as a Mother has been the most beautiful and most painful time of my life. I no longer worry about what other parents think of me or how I parent. I no longer fear the playground. I happily and consistently attend toddler classes and enjoy them. I do occasionally still use going to the supermarket at 4pm as a to way to kill time before teatime though.

But this is the best life. And it’s still the hardest too. 

It’s been joyful and depressing. Exhausting and  exhilarating. The frustration of refused naps and refused meals would leave me in tears. The lack of me time. The feeling I had totally lost touch with who I was anymore, what I even wanted from life or enjoyed. 

The complex navigation of family members, some wanting to be a huge part of your life and others not really interested at all. I wanted everyone to love my child as much as I did and at the same time leave us alone to our little precious world. 

I became obsessed with proving I could be the best at this. That you would turn out this perfect little being. Yet despite my anxiety of trying to ensure you are well balanced and happy, you have turned out to be all of these things, on your own, without my needy interventions of constant fun, cuddles and kisses. 
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A few from a lovely family session one warm Saturday afternoon recently.Could I also use this as an opportunity to say, ...
08/08/2022

A few from a lovely family session one warm Saturday afternoon recently.

Could I also use this as an opportunity to say, as a creative I’ve found instagram an increasingly difficult place to be over the last year. That’s probably quite obvious as I dip in and out as I please and don’t ‘show up’ here consistently. The algorithm, rightly, hates me for it and therefore my work doesn’t get shown to as many people as I would like. My fault, or is it?

My view is that we shouldn’t be penalised for how frequently (or infrequently) we want be in this space. It is our space, and we should choose when and if we want to share. That could be once a day or once a year.

Creatives, use it however you want to.
Don’t feel pressurised into turning yourself into a lip syncing master for the sake of the reel trend. Stand up for the sacredness and beauty of the still image. Show as little or as much of your work as you like. There are no rules, just use it how you want.

Thank you to you sweet souls who follow me because you enjoy and like my work, I am so grateful to you.

✌️

Having not had a sister (but always wanted one), I think there is something magical about being sisters. The closest thi...
22/07/2022

Having not had a sister (but always wanted one), I think there is something magical about being sisters. The closest thing to you that’s not a twin.

Tell me, whoever has a sister- is it all it’s cracked up to be?

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It’s hard being 3 sometimes. -
14/07/2022

It’s hard being 3 sometimes.

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I know the feeling girl. -
11/07/2022

I know the feeling girl.

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Hello! I am awful at using Facebook, my last post was almost a year ago! My apologies for that. I am much more active on...
09/04/2021

Hello! I am awful at using Facebook, my last post was almost a year ago! My apologies for that. I am much more active on Instagram so if you're not following me on there do give me a follow!

I have many updates and new work to share with you but first things first, I wanted to share with you a very exciting new bit of news!

I am very excited and proud to announce two of my photographs have been chosen to be included in the Documentary Family Photographer’s inaugural virtual exhibition ‘Transforming Perspectives’.

The exhibition aims to showcase honest, documentary images of family life. Elevating normal, every day moments and routines to the realm of fine art.

From over 650 submissions, 50 photographs by 44 photographers from 11 different countries were selected and curated by New York Times Photo Editor, Tiffanie Graham.

Below are my two images that were selected for the exhibition and further details surrounding DFP and the exhibition.

You can take a walk around the 3D virtual exhibition, read the Tiffanie's statement as the juror, find out more about each exhibiting artist and vote for the People's Choice Award by visiting: www.dfp-gallery.com.

"Transforming Perspectives" will be available to viewers online from April 5th – April 30th, 2021.

https://www.jesscheetham.com/blog/virtual-exhibition-dfp-transforming-perspectives-gallery

Address

Bath
BA26TD

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 6pm

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