Who needs a studio?

I believe in photographing kids as they really are. And it helps that I shoot mostly out on location and away from any studio.

To most kids, a visit to your typical photographers studio, however clean cut & white walled, can seem like a visit to the dentist - you'll get expressions to match too. I prefer to take them, along with mum & dad, for a relaxing walk by the river or a leisurely stroll to a woodland playpark on a sunny day? Let them just be themselves.

Or why not just have the photo-shoot in your own garden or around the house? It really doesn't matter where you are, what your garden's like or what's scattered about the living room. You will still get the most stunning, natural looking shots. Of course, you will - they're on their own patch! It's ALL about the kids being comfortable wherever they are and, with mum & dad close by, being confident enough to be themselves. That's the philosophy behind MANHATTAN KIDS, my kids photography company http://www.manhattankids.co.uk/

You would never tell from the shots here that I was squeezed into a cramped dining room with furniture everywhere, sandwiched between the table & chairs, the french doors and the back wall. And the outdoor shots were taken in a bare, brick garden with summer chairs and clothes reels swinging around. Does it really matter? No. If the kids are happy, it'll shine through in the photographs. Then mum & dad will be happy. And so will I. End of.

Who needs a studio?

David