The Investment - UK
There are no forced poses, no studio lights, and no pressure to be perfect. When you book a session with me, you are investing in an honest time capsule of your family unit—exactly as you are right now.
"We spend so much time chasing perfect, posed memories, yet the images we ache for decades from now are simply the beautiful, unshielded moments of us living our lives together—the raw atmosphere of home, the unchoreographed laughter, and the quiet magic found entirely within the mundane."
"There is an immense, unspoken poetry in the way your family moves through a normal day. You carry on with the beautiful, messy work of parenting, and I will capture the magic of it all—completely unscripted."
The Collections
the short story
For capturing a favorite family ritual or a quick morning routine.
- Duration: Up to 2 hours of documentary coverage at home or a meaningful local spot.
- The Images: The entire masterfully edited, high-resolution digital collection (40+ images) delivered via a private, password-protected online gallery.
- The Experience: Perfect for testing the waters of documentary photography or capturing a specific window of your day (e.g., baking together or a trip to your local park).
- Investment From £550
The storyteller (most popular)
A deep dive into a solid chapter of your family’s current season.
- Duration: 4 to 5 hours of continuous documentary coverage (Half-Day).
- The Images: The complete master gallery of all high-resolution digital files (80+ images) with full download and printing rights.
- The Tangible Asset: A bespoke, hand-crafted 10"x10" Heirloom Linen Album (30 pages), custom-designed by me using the standout moments from your session.
- The Experience: Captures a massive transition in your day—from waking up and breakfast through to lunch and afternoon downtime. It allows the kids to completely forget the camera is there.
- Investment: From £1,250
A Day in the Life
The ultimate legacy archive. A complete, uncompromised record of your family's history.
- Duration: 8 to 10 hours of full-day, sunrise-to-sunset documentation.
- The Images: The definitive archive of your day. Every single usable, masterfully corrected high-resolution image (150+ files) delivered digitally.
- The Tangible Asset: A premium, heavy-weight 12"x12" Fine Art Leather or Premium Linen Album (40 pages) packaged beautifully in a protective presentation box.
- The Experience: I stay from the first morning stretch until the final bedtime story. This is an unparalleled investment in your family's legacy—capturing the exact environment, layout of your home, and the deep, unfiltered nuances of your life today.
- Investment: From £2,250
the details
Travel & Location: All collections fully include travel within a 30-mile radius of my base in Billericay, Essex (perfectly covering Essex, parts of Kent, Hertfordshire, and Greater London). Sessions inside Central London include all congestion charges and parking fees wrapped seamlessly into the investment. For locations further afield across the South East, travel is calculated simply at 50p per mile.
The Album Process: After your digital gallery is delivered, I will curate and design the initial layout of your book. We will work together through an online proofing system to ensure the storytelling is exactly how you want to remember it before it goes to print at our premium UK lab.
Availability & Pricing Notice: To ensure each family receives my full focus and artistic energy, I only accept a limited number of documentary sessions each month. Prices are subject to change.
The Fine Print
extra information
Can I buy a gift session? Yes, via our "Opt-In Deposit" system. If the gifted family loves the documentary concept, we book a date! If they prefer an alternative style, the deposit can be gracefully repurposed into a shorter lifestyle portrait shoot.
Travel: Sessions within 30-mile radius of Billericay, Essex and London City are fully covered. Travel outside this area can be arranged for a 50p per mile additional fee.
Payment: A 20% non-refundable retainer is required to secure your date, with the balance due before the shoot day.
Delivery: Your digital gallery will be ready within 3–4 weeks of your session.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SESSIONs, AND HOW DO I CHOOSE?
Because documentary photography is completely unposed, choosing a collection simply comes down to how much of your daily rhythm you want to preserve in your family history.
Here is how to find your perfect fit:
Choose "The Short Story" (2 Hours) if:
- You want to freeze a specific family ritual. It is perfect for capturing a focused slice of your day—like baking a cake together, a chaotic Saturday morning breakfast routine, or a trip to your favorite local park in Billericay.
- Your children are very young. Two hours is the ideal window for toddlers with shorter attention spans before they hit nap time.
- You want to test the waters. If you love the idea of candid, real-life photography but aren't quite ready to commit to a full-day experience, this is the perfect introduction.
Choose "The Storyteller" (Half-Day) if:
- You want to capture a major transition in your day. Four to five hours allows me to document the shift from one routine to the next—such as waking up and breakfast, followed by an afternoon family outing and the wind-down back at home.
- You want the kids to completely forget the camera. It takes a little bit of time for children (and parents!) to stop performing for the lens. By hour two, the camera completely blends into the background, and the magic really begins.
- You want the custom album included. This is the entry point for your beautifully designed, handcrafted UK linen heirloom book.
Choose "A Day in the Life" (Full-Day) if:
- You are investing in a complete family legacy. This is a true sunrise-to-sunset time capsule. It captures the entire arc of your life right now—from the quiet, messy morning bed-head moments to the evening bath-time chaos and bedtime stories.
- You want to remember the layout of your home. Because I am there all day, your completed album won’t just show your faces; it will document the exact rhythm of how you lived inside your house during this season of life.
- You want the ultimate archive. This is designed for families who want no compromise on their history, resulting in a large-format 12"x12" fine art leather or premium linen legacy album.
Still not sure? Don't worry! When you Check Availability & Start Your Story, we will have a quick chat about your household’s personality and find the exact window of time that tells your story best.
FAQ
Do we need to clean the house or tidy up before you arrive?
Absolutely not. Please resist the urge to deep-clean! Toys on the floor, dishes by the sink, and unmade beds are the authentic backdrops of this season in your family's life. I am entirely non-judgmental—I raised three girls and know exactly what the beautiful chaos of parenting looks like. I am there to document your real life, not a staged magazine spread.
What should we wear?
Wear what you would normally wear on a regular day. There is no need for matching outfits, stiff fabrics, or uncomfortable formal clothes. If your child wants to wear their favourite superhero costume, mismatched socks, or a well-loved t-shirt, let them! The goal is for everyone to feel completely relaxed and true to themselves.
My kids can be wild/shy. What if they don't cooperate?
That is the beauty of this style—there is no "cooperating" required. Because we aren't trying to force anyone to sit still, smile, or look at the camera, your children can just be themselves. If they throw a tantrum, need a cuddle, get wild, or go quiet, I will simply capture the honest emotion of that moment. You don't need to stress about them "behaving."
What happens if my children don't "behave" or have a meltdown?
Let them! As a parent of three kids myself, I have total "parent intuition" and speak their language. There is nothing your children can do that will shock or frustrate me. Documentary photography thrives on real emotion. If a child throws a tantrum, scratches their knee, or needs a quiet cuddle, I navigate the room calmly. Some of the most beautiful, comforting connection moments happen right in the middle of a chaotic afternoon.
Why is the final collection exclusively in black and white?
Black and white imagery strips away distractions and highlights pure emotion. When you remove colour from a photograph, your eyes naturally focus on the expressions, the atmosphere, the light, and the underlying connection between people. It gives the collection a classic, cinematic, and timeless "reportage" feel that perfectly suits documentary storytelling.
Why do you use a wide-angle 24mm lens?
A wide-angle lens creates an incredible sense of intimacy. Unlike telephoto lenses that shoot from far away, a 24mm lens requires me to be physically closer to the action. This mimics the actual perspective of being a part of the room, making the final images feel like a genuine, close-up glimpse into your world rather than an unattached observation.
My house is quite dark / small / cluttered. Does it need to look like a show-home?
Absolutely not. With 30 years of professional industry experience handling everything from commercial food styling to complex wedding venues, unpredictable lighting or tight spaces do not scare me. Your home is the beautiful background of your children’s childhood—toys on the floor, drawings on the fridge, and unmade beds are all part of your real story. I use master-level techniques to ensure your images are technically flawless, no matter the setting.
Are we allowed to look at the camera or pose at all?
The goal of these sessions is entirely unscripted storytelling, so for 95% of our time together, you will completely ignore me and focus on each other. However, if you would love one relaxed, unforced group portrait of everyone looking at the lens to include in your album, we can easily spend 5 minutes pinning that down during the session.
How does the album design process work?
You don't have to stress about narrowing down hundreds of files. As the storyteller, I will curate and design the initial layout of your book using the standout emotional anchors from your day. We will then review it together through an easy online proofing system where you get two full rounds of revisions to swap images or tweak pages before it goes to print at our premium UK lab.
Can I buy a Family Documentary session as a gift?
Yes, it is a truly beautiful and thoughtful gift—but with one important condition.
Because my documentary sessions require me to blend into the intimate rhythm of a home for up to a full day, it is vital that both parents are completely on board and excited about the concept. I never want to step into a home where anyone feels uncomfortable or pressured to perform.
To make gifting stress-free for everyone, I offer a flexible "Opt-In Deposit” system:
The Gift Deposit: You pay a small, upfront deposit of [e.g., £100 / £200] to secure a beautiful, custom gift certificate to present to the family.
The Family's Choice: Once gifted, the family has the freedom to chat with me, explore my style, and officially "opt in" to the session. If they love the idea, the balance is paid, and we lock in a date!
The Gracious Exit: If the family feels that a documentary-style session isn't the right fit for them, they can choose to gracefully "opt out." In that case, your deposit can be fully repurposed towards a standard, shorter lifestyle portrait session or refunded back to you.
This ensures your gift remains a joyous, pressure-free surprise for the people you love. [Get in touch here] to arrange a gift voucher!
Do you travel outside of Billericay?
Yes, regularly. Full travel is included within a 30-mile radius of my base in Billericay, Essex (comfortably covering Essex, Greater London, and parts of Kent or Hertfordshire). For sessions in Central London, all parking and congestion fees are already wrapped into your package. If you live a bit further afield in the South East, travel is simply calculated at 50p per mile.
How do we secure our date?
To keep the experience entirely bespoke, I only accept a strictly limited number of documentary commissions each month. A 25% non-refundable retainer and a digitally signed contract secure your date on my calendar, with the remaining balance due 14 days before your session.
