I’ve now stopped doing First Splash Photos after 12 years, I’ve really loved photographing parents, children and babies – and grannies, grandads.
I love taking photos, photographing the interactions between people is always a joy. That’s what I get to do when I’m at leisure centres taking photos of parents and carers with their children at swimming lessons.
We call it First Splash Photos, I’m at the side of the swimming pool taking photos. I become invisible after a few minutes – the parents and children don’t notice that I’m there.
You’re welcome to get in touch if you need a password to view your photos – or if you’ve mislaid your log-in details.
The First Splash Photos story
About 10 years ago John (my husband) was doing a photoshoot at Dacorum leisure centres and sports facilities (Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted Potten End). One of his tasks was to photograph parents and children during their swimming lessons. When he came home, he mentioned that even though I’d religiously taken our three sons to swimming lessons, but we didn’t have one photo of these lessons.
We knew that this was a special part of our life, and that it took commitment from us – getting to the lessons, making sure that costumes were clean for the next week, convincing children that they could gain confidence in the water.
We talked about the possibility of photographing lessons, and came to the conclusion that parents may well be keen on having photos of what is often a memorable part of family life.
The Hemel Hempstead Leisure Centre were happy for us to photograph their lessons, and the Bill Everett Leisure Centre in Watford (now a housing estate at Leggatts Way). First Splash Photos now operates in various leisure centres in Herts, Harrow and Bucks counties.