Lotherton Hall Family Photography: Into the Woods with the Batty Family

Magical woodland and country house vibes...CHECK! Loved-up parents and their enchanting little one...CHECK! Quirky photographer who loves to explore the woods, tell tales of Fairies and bring out everyone's inner child ...CHECK!

I absolutely adore the Battys'! I met Roz and Steven at our wonderful Daisy Birthing classes when we were all expecting our precious bundles back in 2019. Words cannot describe how grateful I was to have Roz in my lockdown Mama tribe, and our toddler play dates these days are EPIC amounts of fun! I've been looking forward to this shoot for so long. When I was dreaming up Tiny Branch Photography whilst sleepily cradling my newborn babe in 2020: this was exactly the kind of playful and restorative woodland photoshoot that kept my ambitions alight.

Lotherton Hall is pretty much my favourite place on earth! I spend so much time there, I dreamily refer to it as "my home in the country". Family shoots during this heatwave require some creativity. The glorious follies, woodland paths and tree tunnels at Lotherton provided welcome shade as little Nichloas led the way on our adventure. As a toddler Mama, I love the pure joy and creativity that little ones bring to photoshoots. We all had so much fun running around the woods; collecting feathers, pine cones and sticks along the way. The world is so magical and full of wonderment when we experience it through the eyes of a child.

My family photoshoots are all about play and adventure. They are also a huge celebration of the loved-up humans that began these beautiful stories together. As a parent, I know that poor old romance takes a hit when little ones arrive into our lives. In my photoshoots, I always make time for couples to take a few magical moments to pause and remember their own love story. It was an honour to witness the joy and love that Roz and Steven have for one another. In those moments, every embrace, kiss and adventure as a couple comes back to the foreground. It's pure LOVE MAGIC!

And let's talk about the fact that I chose to showcase my black and white work in this blog post. The contrast of the fauna as the sunlight shone through made it irresistible for me to work in black and white to capture the radiant love that these three gorgeous humans share for one another. Back in the day, when I was doing my photography degree at University of Wales, the magic of developing black and white photography in the dark room absolutely stole my heart! I spent three magical years learning the craft of analogue photography. Some days, I barely saw the beautiful Welsh sunlight as I was so immersed in the process of making my work!

It's always a pleasure to do shoots for creative folk. Roz and Steven are one talented couple! Roz is an inspirational acrylic paint and craft artist, with her expressionist paintings recently receiving their debut exhibition. Steven is a photographer and also works with reclaimed wood to craft frames for Roz's paintings, beautiful furniture and bespoke designs. I would highly recommend checking out their Etsy shop Batty Makes.

I'm also super stoked to feature the stunning photo above as the new welcome image on my website. It represents my philosophy to capture authentic movement and expression in my work with families. A moment in time chronicled, to forever remind you of how free, wild and utterly magical your little ones are. I design my family shoots so that you will receive a charming and heartwarming assortment of natural, playful and relaxed poses for your family album and walls.

Well it's been an absolute pleasure writing this post and reliving the wonderful midsummer afternoon I shared with the enchanting Batty family. Let's end this tale of woodland adventures with Nicholas (above), absolutely captivated in the moment; eagerly awaiting an avalanche of bubbles to fill the air. Roz and Steven, thank you for sharing your special family time with me, and for entrusting me to capture these magical moments.

With love and gratitude to the Batty family xx

If you would like to try out one of my family shoots, I welcome you to join me at one of my upcoming mini-shoot events below. For booking or to have a chat, please email tinybranchphotography@gmail.com or use the contact form on this website.

I have a limited number of slots available for:

-Temple Newsam 28th August 9-11am.

-Lotherton Hall 4th September 9-11am.

-Kirkstall Abbey 18th September 9-11am.

Each Mini-Shoot is just £40 and includes:

-30 minute Photo-Shoot

-10 Hi-res edited images

-Support throughout the shoot to help you have fun and feel confident and comfortable

GALLERY