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Winter portrait shoot at Sheepleas

You might not think of winter as being a good time for a portrait session – but actually as long as it’s not pouring with rain it can be as good a time as any! Winter days tend to be overcast which provides nice soft even light. This is more flattering and easier to work with than the strong shadows of a very bright sunny day. And no squinting from the bright light either!

When Claire got in touch to ask me to do a portrait session for her and her sister Lucy, I was happy to oblige. They hadn’t had any photos taken together for a while and the idea was to get some pictures to give to their mother for her birthday.

Outdoor winter portrait shoot

Lucy and Claire live near Leatherhead so we arranged to do the shoot at Sheepleas in the Surrey Hills, only a short drive away. The girls wrapped up warm and we walked around on the heath, finding several good spots to take photos. Sheepleas is a nature reserve managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. It’s a popular spot for dog walkers and we made several new canine friends in the process!

One “trick of the trade” that I did use for this shoot was a touch of off-camera flash, just to put a little sparkle in the eyes. See if you can spot it in the photos.

With a portrait session like this I try to keep poses simple and natural, and give you a variety of shots to choose from. As well as group shots (just the two girls in this case) I do individual portraits as well.

If you’d like to set up a photo shoot of your own, please get in touch – most sessions only take about 40 minutes and are a lot of fun!

(Click any thumbnail image to enlarge)