The Machin Family Reunion

Every time I get an enquiry for a family reunion / vacation session, I get so excited.  The prospect of capturing these beautiful memories for families who can often be separated by 1000s of miles is not only exciting but an honour.

There’s a lot of pressure in this situation.  It’s often that families haven’t seen each other since the last family wedding, so ironically the the reunion can be just as important as a union.  So much to catch up on.  New arrivals to meet.  Cheeks to pinch.  Connections to rekindle.  Memories to reminisce on.  Stories to be shared.  Plus the added pressure of a special vacation – there’s always an expectation of certain photographs that must be taken – but that’s why I love documentary photography so much.  Because those photographs just naturally occur.  The images in front of the castle, on the beach, enjoying tea.  Very little posing, very little time taken out of your day, just beautiful natural images that tell your story.  So much better than a postcard!

Jane, daughter, wife, sister, first contacted me last around Christmas 2015 as the family were starting to put together plans for their grand family reunion in Bamburgh, Northumberland.  Tony and Polly (Father/Mother, Grandfather/Grandmother) are fond fans of the Northumberland coast and visit regularly in their caravan (travelling all the way up from Cornwall) and thought it would be the ideal spot for their children and grandchildren to join them to celebrate Polly’s 70th birthday.  And, didn’t they choose the right spot?  Wynding House pretty much has Bamburgh Castle in it’s back garden.  It is truly magnificent.  It was such a shame that on the day, the typical English weather let us down so that the beautiful tea party could not take place in the garden with the Castle its backdrop as planned.  Although, we still managed to grab a few family reunion shots before the heavens truly opened.  Not that the weather dampened spirits at all – the kids, especially, had a great time.  

It was so beautiful to see that Jane and Albert’s children got along so well with Doug and Lailai’s boys.  Living on different continents makes playdates rather hard.  But the boys really loved to play and tumble together.  Clearly highlighting that blood is indeed thicker than water.

We ended the very special day with a lovely stroll on the beach.  And despite the biting wind, and the hideously cold North Sea, the kids were able to let off some steam.  Jane said they had spent so much time on the beach during the holiday as it was literally out the back gate – you could not wish for a nicer location for a family holiday.  I felt privileged to capture some of those special moments for them.

Now, I know I’m always banging on about this, but I really cannot stress how important I feel these images and the film above are.  These are your memories.  I’m so glad that in 20 years time, the Machin Family will be able to sit down together on another family reunion and reminisce by reliving one day together.  That Polly and Tony can watch this film from the comfort of their own living room and see their grandchildren in action in front of their eyes.  That Jane, Albert, Doug and Lailai also have lovely family photographs to adorn their home to remind them of this special occasion.

Some holidays are more than special than others.  Some reunions deserve preserving.  Some events need more than selfies.  So, that’s why I’m here.  Next time you have a special event or your annual holiday, drop me a line.  Let’s have a chat about how we can preserve those special memories for you, your children and your children’s children.

In the meantime, I leave you with The Machin Family Reunion . . . grab a cuppa and enjoy.  xx