Taegan & Kelsi's Barry Island Beach Shoot
Meet Taegan, the cheekiest, loveliest little boy. I loved meeting up with him and his Mum, Kelsi for a family shoot on Barry Island beach.
My family shoots tend to be a lot of documentary photography mixed in with some more informal poses. However, Taegan is autistic and after chatting with Kelsi we decided that to make the shoot more enjoyable and comfortable for him we would go for a fully documentary style family shoot.
Once we arrived at Barry Island beach - chosen as our location because Taegan absolutely loves water - I spotted some numbers on the beach huts. Kelsi had told me that Taegan is really into his letters and numbers so I broke the ice with him by counting the numbers and asking him all about them. He really got into it and was soon shouting out numbers and chatting away happily.
I’ll always adapt the way I shoot to whatever way people will feel comfortable. As we strolled along the beach I kept myself at a distance from Kelsi and Taegan, shooting on my 85mm lens and letting them have some space and just be together. We took lots of breaks and worked at Taegan’s pace. I knew from Kelsi that this family shoot was as much about Taegan having fun and a really special experience for him as it was capturing some family memories for her.
Kelsi knew that Taegan wouldn’t stand still and smile at the camera. She also told me that he would absolutely hate being asked to pose. That was all more than ok with me. I adore capturing people as they are and my goal for the shoot was to photograph Kelsi and Teagan’s gorgeous relationship. They are so close and are each other’s best friend. I am so in love with the photographs of them laughing their heads off together and just having the time of their lives. Taegan is such a wonderfully typical boy (I can say that as a Mum) and he finds fart and burp noises absolutely hilarious. Anytime he made a noise he burst into laughter and Kelsi just giggled along with him. They were utterly in the moment together. It was beautiful.
Their bond is incredible and was the main thing I wanted to capture in this shoot. The way Taegan looks at his Mama is just adorable. He gazes at her with such love in his eyes. She is his whole world and he is hers. Kelsi is Taegan’s fiercest supporter and strongest advocate. It’s the two of them against the world and she is an inspiration. He is the most wonderful little boy and I can see amazing things in his future. Especially with his mum by his side.
See more of this heartwarming photoshoot in the slideshow below
If you are considering an outdoor family photoshoot, I would love to hear from you. You can get in touch here.