The Ingram Family

"Fantastic photo experience from start to finish. From arranging the date and location and the style of photos we wanted Imogen made us feel really relaxed. The viewing was very welcoming and thorough, there was no hurry in the process which really helped us choose what we wanted. The process of choosing and ordering the frame for our main photo was effortless along with receiving our digital images in the post. I would highly recommend Imogen for your photos. We are extremely happy with them, they exceeded our expectations. Many thanks Imogen."

-Jayne Ingram

Bringing Everyone Together at Home

Jayne first came across my work after seeing a good friend have a portrait session with me, and when she got in touch, what she wanted was wonderfully simple: photographs of her family that felt relaxed, natural and genuinely like them.

With Jayne and Steve, their daughters Annabelle and Layna, and Steve's parents Pat and Lionel all coming together for the session, it was also a lovely opportunity to photograph several generations of the family in one place.

The girls had last had professional photographs taken when they were just five and seven, so this session felt particularly significant. So much changes in the years between childhood and adulthood, and there was something rather special about creating a new set of photographs that reflected who they are now.

We started at Jayne and Steve's gorgeous cottage, photographing in their garden among the lavender and willow tree before making our way down the road to Pat and Lionel's home.

And these weren't just pretty backdrops. Both homes felt like an important part of the family's story.

A House With Its Own History

Pat and Lionel's home is particularly special. Dating back to 1694, it is one of the oldest houses in Staffordshire, and the stone steps outside the front door provided the perfect setting for some of the photographs of the family together.

Jayne also had an old black-and-white photograph from the 1800s that she wanted to recreate, which was such a lovely idea.

I always think photographs become even more meaningful when they connect us to the generations who came before us. To be able to create a modern photograph inspired by an image from over a century ago, using the same family home, felt like a beautiful little piece of family history coming full circle.

We captured plenty of photographs of everyone together, as well as Pat and Lionel with the girls — photographs that celebrate the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren at this particular point in all of their lives.

These are the sorts of images that become increasingly precious with time. Not simply because everyone is in the photograph, but because they preserve the people, places and relationships that make up a family.

Goats, Labradors & Cooling Off in the River...

Of course, no family portrait session involving this many people, two Labradors and three goats was ever going to be entirely formal!

Daisy and Dotty, the smaller black-and-white goats, were wonderfully friendly and very happy to get involved, while Steve — the larger brown-and-white goat — was a little more territorial about his field.

Marley and Mabel were equally keen to be part of the day. Marley is a five-year-old Labrador who absolutely loves his ball, while six-year-old Mabel is particularly fond of food and water — which worked out rather well for us by the end of the session.

It was an incredibly hot day, so we kept everything as easy-going as possible, particularly for the dogs. There was no need to rush or force anything, and plenty of time to let everyone take things at their own pace.

And eventually, we made our way into the river to cool everyone down.

The dogs, unsurprisingly, thought this was an excellent idea.

It was the perfect way to finish the afternoon — relaxed, happy and very much in keeping with the spirit of the whole session.

Photographs That Belong to Your Family's Story

What I loved about Jayne's session was that it wasn't about creating a collection of perfectly posed photographs in an unfamiliar location.

It was about their family.

Their homes. Their grandparents. Their daughters, now grown up. Their dogs and goats. The old stone doorway. The historic photograph. The garden. Even the river at the end of a very hot day.

These details are what make family photographs meaningful.

When children are little, there are endless opportunities to photograph them. But as they grow older, life gets busier and it becomes much harder to find a reason to bring everyone together in front of the camera.

That's why I think family portraits shouldn't necessarily be reserved for birthdays, babies or big milestones.

Sometimes the most valuable photographs are simply the ones that say: this was us, here, at this point in our lives.

If your family has grown and changed over the years, I'd love to create a portrait experience that feels completely natural to you — whether that means bringing several generations together, including the animals who are part of your family, or simply documenting your children as they are now.

Your family doesn't need to look a certain way, and your photographs don't need to feel formal. They just need to tell your story.

I photograph relaxed family and equine portrait sessions across the UK, creating beautiful, timeless artwork that you can enjoy now and hand down for generations to come.