There’s something rather special about photographing children at play; the energy, excitement and completely natural moments that happen when they are given the freedom to explore. Recently, I had the pleasure of photographing children enjoying Waddesdon Manor’s new outdoor playground, and it made for a fantastic and wonderfully lively photoshoot.

Set within the beautiful grounds of Waddesdon Manor, the new playground provides plenty of opportunities for children to climb, run, explore and, most importantly, have fun. From the moment the children arrived, there was a real sense of excitement, and it wasn’t long before they were completely immersed in their surroundings.

For me, the best photographs of children are rarely the ones where everyone is looking directly at the camera. It’s the little moments in between a burst of laughter, a determined climb, a moment of discovery or friends enjoying an adventure together that really tell the story. This shoot was all about capturing those natural interactions.

Rather than asking the children to constantly pose, I was able to let them explore the playground while I photographed the action as it happened. This created a collection of images that feel spontaneous and full of personality. There were plenty of smiles and plenty of energy, from climbing and scrambling to running around and discovering everything the playground had to offer.

Outdoor locations are fantastic for children’s photography because they naturally encourage movement. There is no pressure to sit still, and children can simply be themselves. The playground at Waddesdon provided a brilliant setting for this. The surrounding landscape and open space also gave me plenty of opportunities to vary the photographs from close-up portraits capturing expressions and laughter to wider images showing the children enjoying the playground and its surroundings.

Natural light was also a big part of the shoot. Working with available light helps keep the photographs feeling authentic and allows the children to remain completely engaged in what they are doing. A photoshoot like this is about much more than simply documenting what a playground looks like. It’s about capturing the experience of being there. Waddesdon already provides a beautiful backdrop for photography, and the addition of the new outdoor playground brings another exciting dimension to the visitor experience.

From a photographer’s perspective, it was a brilliant location to work in. There were so many opportunities to capture movement, expression and genuine moments of fun exactly the kind of photographs that bring an event or experience to life.

The children certainly seemed to approve!

I came away from the shoot with a fantastic set of images full of laughter, energy and adventure. Most importantly, the photographs felt natural and captured children simply being children.