Ian and myself have been toying with the idea of having a family shoot of his own family from the beginning of summer, but you know life happens with numerous weddings to shoot together and independently, and we never found the time.

However last weekend Ian asked me to find a date that following week, so we meet and we finally do these images. We met and as soon as I said hello, all his four kids ran around me and then away from me spreading in all directions. Josann, Ian's wife, gave me a warm smile as always, and Ian is Ian, we are colleagues, we say hi without uttering the word really.

Off we went for 'a walk' with the kids. A walk with kids is never a leisurely walk. We were altering between, walking, running, jumping and well trying to keep everyone in sight and out of danger. Suddenly everything is a hazard...and I might be a bit too relaxed with kids since I don't have any of my own, so I am not exactly alert of any dangers. We reached a nice plateau where there was some shade, and off the kids went...and myself as the photographer was left behind. My only alternative was to run, engage with them and also take shots!

They ran, screamed, fell, got up, continued running...and somehow I got the shots. We even managed some family shots....and the beauty of kids offers a vibrant set of various photos were the kids are being kids and the adults well...are being parents, trying to look good whilst scolding their kids. It was exquisite to shoot such a lovely family. All individual kids had their unique character and expressions.

Paolo the eldest and only male amongst his siblings, was the shy but not so quite one. He collected sticks whilst we were doing this shoot, however he also wanted a photo for school so at one point he did look at the camera.

Francesca the first eldest girl, was so sweet and loving, and she showered me with hugs and kisses, such a warm loving child. Then in came Laura, who is different from all her siblings, a mind of her own, who willingly gave me wide smiles in between falling and running to her mum to put her shoe back on.

And last but not least there was tiny Federica who ran so fast that the only way to get her close to us was by telling her that soon we were gonna get ice cream. We even managed some photos of the lovely mum, Josann and also a few of Ian.

I admit that I was a bit overwhelmed by the kids, and nervous because I was not shooting just any family, but I was shooting a photographer's family! So all sort of thoughts were coming up in my head such as was the exposure right, did I frame this correctly...however as one point, the kids won me over, that I forgot about all the doubts and just was myself; a photographer taking photos of a loving family who's father just happens to be an awesome photographer.