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Monday 9am - 7:30pm Tuesday 9am - 7:30pm Wednesday 9am - 7:30pm Thursday 9am - 7:30pm Friday 9am - 7:30pm Saturday 9am - 7:30pm Sunday 9am - 7:30pm

Portray Your Story - Family photography and films

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Portray Your Story - Family photography and films

Creative documentary photography and videography for Families and Small Businesses. Find out more and join the waitlist!

Want an awesome family or branding photography/film offer for later this year? I’m on maternity leave and will be returning with something special in October 2023. Family Photography Waitlist: https://www.portrayyourstory.co.uk/family-photography-waitlist/
Branding Photography & Film Waitlist: https://www.portrayyourstory.co.uk/branding-photography-waitlist/

30/07/2026

I know I'm supposed to be professional about this. And I am, truly. But there is something that happens when I sit down to edit a gallery and I start moving through the images one by one, and I just... feel it. That moment where a child looked up at their parent in exactly that way. The one where two siblings were just being completely themselves and had no idea I was even watching. The quiet, tender, ordinary, utterly irreplaceable stuff.

I have photographed a lot of families. And every single time, without fail, I come away from a session carrying something. Not just images on a memory card, but a real sense of having been trusted with something that matters. People let me into their homes. Into their mornings. Into the intimate parts of their life that don't usually get photographed.

That is not something I take lightly.

So yes. I am obsessed. With the kids who ignore me completely until suddenly they don't. With the parents who think nothing interesting is happening. With the way real life, when you actually look at it, is so much more worth keeping than anyone realises in the moment.

I get to do this work, and I am still not over it. I am truly grateful every single day that I get to meet these amazing families as part of my job, and do work I truly love and care about.🤍

Do you feel the same about the work you get to do?

28/07/2026

If you scrolled through your camera roll right now, how many of those family summer holiday photos actually have you in them?

If the answer is "not many," you're not alone. Most parents are the ones holding the phone - capturing their kids, their partner, the view from the beach - and quietly disappearing from their own family's story.

Summer is one of the best times of year for photos. Days out, little adventures, slow mornings. But so often, only one parent makes it into the frame.

None of this has to be perfect. A wonky selfie. Your shadow stretching across the pavement. Your hand holding your child's during a walk. These photos count. They matter.

Years from now, the people who love you will want to see you - not a polished version of you, but you, as you actually were this summer.

Make sure you're in your holiday photos this year. You deserve to be in the picture!

If you take any photos of yourself this summer, I'd genuinely love to see them. Share one with me - there's no pressure, but it always makes my day.

P.S. This is a holiday picture of when I was young, together with my mum. A photo I am very glad to have.

23/07/2026

Are you one of those families or entrepreneurs who always has a completely free calendar, feels totally at ease in front of a camera, and never wonders whether their real, everyday life is interesting enough to be worth capturing?

No? Oh, thank goodness. Because if that IS you, I'm probably not the right photographer for you.

90% of my clients come to me telling me they're too busy, not sure what they'd even do during a session, and quietly wondering if their ordinary life is actually worth photographing. And to that I say: game on. I can 100% relate to all of that in my own life too.

My superpower as a photographer is creating a relaxed, low-pressure experience where you don't need a plan, a pose, or a perfect schedule. I work in a documentary style, which means I follow your lead and find the real moments as they happen. You just show up as you are, and I take care of the rest.

P.S. I am fully booked for July and August, but September still has some availability. It's a great time to refresh your brand photos, or make sure you're actually in the family photos with the people you love most. If you've been thinking about it, now's a good time to reach out by sending me a DM.

20/07/2026

The summer holidays are here, and if you're already wondering how to fill the days - you're not alone.

I am here to help you entertain your kids with two resources. A blog post with craft ideas made from/for family photos and a workbook for them to explore photography for themselves.

💥Family photos don't have to live only on the wall or in an album. They can become part of how you spend time together.
- Turning a photo into a personalised colouring page.
- Painting a stone and making a wire photo holder.
- Creating laminated photo bookmarks the kids can actually use.
- There's something really lovely about watching a child giggle at their own baby photo on a handmade Guess Who card.

💥I also have a free photography activity book for kids - nine activities designed to get them looking at the world a little differently through a camera lens. My personal favourites:
- Photo Time Capsule (take photos of life right now, seal them away, open them in a year or two).
- Using your camera to Draw With Light.
- Homemade Camera Obscura using a Pringles can
- Stop Motion Film project.
The workbook is free to download and genuinely lots of fun, whether they're six or thirteen.

Comment MAKE or send me a DM so I can give you the links directly for the craft ideas and the photography workbook

Enjoy your summer, and I'd love to know if your kids try any of them out!

18/07/2026

"Where should we have our photos taken?" is one of the most common questions I get. It feels like a big decision. But for documentary family photography, the location isn't about aesthetics. It's about your life.

I don't have a go-to spot, a favourite park, a photogenic wall. My sessions are rooted in your story, not a location that looks nice on Instagram. So instead of asking "where will we look good," we ask "where do we feel like ourselves?" and "where do we love to spend our time?"

And honestly - the mundane is more than welcome. Grocery shopping. Hanging out the laundry. Making packed lunches. These are the rhythms of family life, and they're exactly the kind of thing your children will one day want to remember in detail. Chores don't need to be avoided in a session. They're often where the most honest, joyful images come from, because nobody's performing.

I start every session with a questionnaire - what does a Saturday look like, what makes your kids laugh, is there anything about your family right now that you want captured before it changes. From there we build a real plan together, not a mood board.

Sessions run three hours, which means we're not rushing through one spot. Many families start at home and head somewhere else - a local park, a favourite café, a playground the kids love.

If you're thinking about your own meaningful places, that's exactly where we begin. Send me a message and let's talk about your family, your life, and what you want to hold onto.

14/07/2026

Have you ever looked at your own work so many times that you stop really seeing it? I know that feeling well.

Recently I took part in a peer review exercise created by family photographer and educator Anna Hardy - share 20 images with fellow photographers, and they write down the words that come to mind. No prompts, no context.

Here's some of what came back: documentary (5 times), real life (5 times), fun, storytelling, joyful, connected, intimate, filmic, moody, dramatic, kind.

Documentary and real life coming up again and again confirmed the thing I care about most - prioritising what's actually happening over what looks "nice."

Connected and intimate were the two that moved me most. Connection is genuinely at the heart of everything I do - the unguarded gestures, the looks between people when they forget I'm in the room.

Moody was the one I sat with longest. But then I realised - I photograph all emotions, not just the bright ones. Anger, tiredness, tenderness in hard moments. Real life is the full spectrum, and maybe that's exactly what moody looks like to someone expecting only sunshine.

This exercise gave me something I didn't expect - permission to own the words other people see in my work, rather than second-guessing whether my style is "defined" enough.

P.S. If the words documentary, joyful, kind, connected and real speak to something you've been looking for, send me a message. I'd love to talk about your story.

10/07/2026

If your child is neurodivergent, the idea of a stranger arriving at your home with a camera and asking everyone to "look natural" can feel like a lot more than exciting.

I want you to know it absolutely can still work, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach here, because every neurodivergent child and every family is different.

A few things that genuinely help before a session: talking about it in advance, in a low-key way. Letting your child know they can take a break at any point, just by saying so. Sending a photo or video of me beforehand so I'm a familiar face rather than a stranger. Keeping the day feeling as normal as possible rather than a Big Event.

And on the day itself - I never direct or touch anyone physically. I can switch my camera to silent mode if noise is a sensitivity. I never use flash, only natural light. I take my cues entirely from your child and from you.

Every family fills in a questionnaire before we meet, and your child is always welcome to join our call beforehand if that helps them feel ready.

Documentary photography works especially well here because I'm following your rhythm, not imposing one.

P.S. If you've been wondering whether a photo session could work for your family, I'd love to talk it through with you - no obligation, just an honest conversation. Just send me a message to get the conversation started.

06/07/2026

The morning of a session, one child refuses to get dressed. Someone spills breakfast. Your partner is grumpy. And you're wondering if you should reschedule because today is definitely not the day.

Here's the thing: it might actually be a perfect day.

I want to tell you something I mean completely - I do not judge the families I photograph. Not even a little.

I have a family too. My three-year-old recently threw everything on the floor and bit me. My nine-year-old has slammed doors and told me he wants to have a different family, then thirty minutes later wanted a cuddle and was giggling at something silly. These are normal moments. They happen in my home. They might happen in yours.

So when I'm in your space with a camera, I'm not scanning for problems or waiting for everyone to smile at once. I'm looking for the things that make your family yours - the tenderness after the storm, the small rituals, the real conversations that happen when everyone forgets I'm in the room.

Your family doesn't need to be perfect for me to see the beauty in it. It just needs to be yours.

P.S. If this is the kind of photography that makes sense to you, send me a message. I'd love to hear about your family.

02/07/2026

I am not great at celebrating myself. And I suspect I'm not alone in that.

There's something almost uncomfortable about saying out loud, "I worked hard at this, and I'm proud of what I've made." It feels like too much. Like taking up more space than you're supposed to.

But I recently read Upfront by OBE, and something in it genuinely shifted for me. She writes about how hard it is to own your achievements, and how important it is to do it anyway. So here I am, doing exactly that.

I've been making documentary films since 2009 (see the photo of me from quite some time ago at work filming), and documentary family photography specifically for the past six years. That work has been recognised - Top 10 Photographers in the UK by This is Reportage Family (2023, 2024, 2025), Top 100 in the World (2024, 2025), and finalist placements with the Documentary Family Awards and DFP Documentary Awards.

Women are often told to stay humble, to let the work speak for itself. But humility performed out of fear of being "too much" isn't really a virtue - it's a way of making ourselves smaller. Celebrating your wins isn't arrogance. It's simply saying: I worked hard, I care deeply about this, and the results reflect that.

One of the exercises in Lauren's book is called an "I Am Extraordinary" list - writing down every personal and professional experience you're proud of, and refusing to let the voice in your head talk you out of it.

I'd genuinely love to hear one thing you'd put on yours. Tell me in the comments - I mean that.

13/06/2026

💙 FREE Father's Day Printable 💙

Looking for something your children can give Dad that he'll actually keep?

I've created a free printable where they can:
✏️ Draw a picture of Dad
💬 Answer funny questions about him
❤️ Write all the reasons they love him

It's simple, personal, guaranteed to make him smile (kids say funny stuff!) and far more meaningful than another pair of novelty socks.

You can download it at the bottom of my Father's Day blog post, which has many other gift ideas: https://www.portrayyourstory.co.uk/5-free-fathers-day-ideas/
or you can send me your email address, and I'll happily email it to you.

Address

Queen Anne Avenue
Bromley

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 7:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 7:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 7:30pm
Thursday	9am - 7:30pm
Friday	9am - 7:30pm
Saturday	9am - 7:30pm
Sunday	9am - 7:30pm

Website

https://www.portrayyourstory.co.uk/

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