Why I Photograph Families in Cornwall (And What It Means to Me as a Mum)

Family, Photography, and Cornwall

When people ask me why I photograph families, I never know quite where to start because the truth is, it is so much more than clicking a shutter. It is about holding on to moments that slip away too quickly. And doing it here in Cornwall makes it even more meaningful to me.

I am not just a photographer; I am a mum too. My own journey to motherhood has been unique, as everyone’s is. I first became a mother when I was 20 and within two years I had two children. Back then, I felt like I had something to prove. I wanted it all: the perfect family and the career. At the time, I did not realise that the juggle came with sacrifices. And not that I didn’t give both aspects my all, but I often wonder, did I do enough as a mother? How could I, if I was also dedicated to getting my degree and working full time? I was quite naive I suppose, believing there would always be tomorrow, that we somehow had all the time in the world. I assumed I would remember everything: the dimpled hands, the little giggles, the tufts of baby hair I used to twist around my finger when they were sleepy. I did not grasp how fast those small things would fade.

I never thought ahead to the day when those toddlers would become teenagers. But one Christmas morning, watching my “babies” open AirPods and trainers, I suddenly felt the ache of time. Where had my little ones gone? Why couldn’t I remember everything I thought I would?

That was when it struck me. Photographs are not just nice to have, they are anchors to the life we have lived.

Why Cornwall?

Cornwall is not just where I live; it is where I feel most alive. The salty air, the rugged moors, the golden beaches; they are more than backdrops. They are places that shape childhoods and anchor memories.

I have always been a nostalgic person, deeply connected to places and the stories they hold. I still live close to where I grew up, which means I can share the very beaches and woodlands of my childhood with my own children. I love being able to say, “Do you remember when…” as we walk those same paths, telling them little stories of days gone by.

One of those places is Perranporth Beach, a spot that means so much to me personally. It is where we would go after school to roam the beach and eat ice cream, and it is where some of my favourite photos of my eldest two were taken. Even now, it is a place we return to for family walks, sandy toes and new memories. That connection between place and memory is something I bring into every family photography session in Cornwall. Cornwall is not just scenery, it is part of the story.

Motherhood, Slowed Down

Years later, with an eleven-year gap between my daughter and my youngest son, I found myself back in the early years of motherhood again but this time with a different perspective. I had grown. I had experienced what it felt like to blink and suddenly have teenagers and I did not want to take anything for granted.

With my youngest, I consciously savour it all. He is six now and I often find myself wondering, when was the last time I carried him on my hip? I am not ready for “Mummy” to become “Mum.” I linger over the shape of his little profile when he sits beside me, because I know how fleeting it is. Parenthood is a strange mix of emotions: joy, nostalgia, pride and an ache for time you cannot get back.

That is why I photograph families. Because I understand the longing to freeze moments, to make sure you do not forget the way life felt at a certain stage.

A Session That Stays With Me

I carry that mindset into every Cornwall family photoshoot I capture. One evening, I joined a family at a quiet Cornish beach. The tide was out, the sky washed in soft pastels, and their little girl insisted on jumping in every puddle she could find. Her parents laughed, rolled up their jeans and jumped in with her. It was not about perfection, it was about being together, right there in that moment.

It reminded me of one of my own favourite photos of my eldest two when they were little, taken on Perranporth Beach one sunny October afternoon. My daughter, all wild curls and a cheeky tongue sticking out, was teasing her brother, while he threw himself sideways in the sand with a laugh that lit up his whole face. I cannot remember the conversation, but the photograph holds the joy of that moment forever. That is the gift family photography in Cornwall gives us.

More Than Photographs

Family photography is not about staged smiles or perfect outfits. It is about memory-markers, the moments your children will look back on when they are grown. Photographs are the heirlooms that remind them how loved they were, how you looked at them, how much joy surrounded them in their earliest years.

And here is something I always say to mothers: make sure you are in the photographs too. So often we are the ones behind the camera, the keepers of the memories, the documenters of childhood. But your children deserve to see you in those frames. They deserve to look back and see you holding them, laughing with them, walking hand in hand. One day, those images will mean as much to them as they do to you.

For me, Cornwall provides the stage. Families bring the story. And together, we create something that lasts long after the moment has passed.

That is why I photograph families in Cornwall. Because life moves fast, love runs deep, and photographs are the threads that hold it all together.