Our ‘Kids & Their Toy’ book project wants to showcase YOUR child and their favourite toy!
Help us to raise £3,000 for The Butterfly Wishes Network.
Does your child have a favourite toy or stuffed animal? The one they can’t go to sleep without or the one that never leaves their side? 🧸
If you are a mum like me, then you know how special these companions are at different stages in your child’s life! In fact, you may even have secret spares of this toy “just in case” something happens to the original.
Here is the problem, how do you capture your child’s love for this cherished toy so that you can remember this bond when they are grown up? This trusty companion is as much a defining memory of their childhood as what they looked like or the adorable things they said.
This spring at Sue Kennedy Photography I am helping local mums with the perfect solution to this memory keeping problem – A “Kids & Their Toys” Portrait!
Bring your child and their favourite toy to the studio for an incredible portrait experience where we will capture your child and their love for their best friend.
This is a fantastic opportunity to capture the special bond between your child and their beloved toy, while also supporting a great cause. Please note that spaces are limited and are available on weekdays and some Saturdays.
Book👇 today to secure your spot in this heartwarming project!
BOOK
Choose your date & time below.
A participation fee of £45, will go directly to our chosen charity – The Butterfly Wishes Network
What’s Included For Your £45 Donation:
A One Hour Portrait Experience
This is an amazing opportunity to have unique, creative portraits of your child/children with their favourite toy.
If you’d like to take the opportunity to do a few family portraits too we can do that too! Valued at £125.
A £75 credit
toward the purchase of a wall portrait or a portrait collection.
BONUS: Feature in the Kids & Their Toys Book
Your own page in the next edition with my favourite photo of your child and your story of their bond with their beloved toy …
Option to Pre Order a Copy of the Book
The Kids & Their Toys book will be designed and published after all portrait sessions for this edition have been completed this spring (all book sale proceeds will be donated to the charity.)
Include Other Children
The option of including the whole family and /or other siblings in the session for no extra cost!
Additional children (from the same family and in the same photoshoot) who you want in the book are an additional £25 donation.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
STEP ONE
Ready to book?
Use the link below to check availability and book your date.
STEP TWO
We’ll confirm the next steps by email, depending on whether you have registered or booked, and answer any questions.
Please allow up to an hour, and there is plenty of free parking available at the Studio at Parndon Mill, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2HP.
STEP THREE
About a week after your photo session you’ll return to the studio to view and purchase your favourite photographs.
Before the appointment, have a think about what you would like to do with your chosen photographs, and measure your walls.
Do you want them printed big for the wall, and/or as a storybook album that you can look through at any time?
What’s not included
The photos taken during our portrait experience are not included. At your purchase appointment, a week after your portrait session, you will see your beautiful photographs, and this is your opportunity to purchase artwork, prints and digital files.
A few important things to note
1. The Kids & Their Toys book will be published so you must be willing to give permission to display photographs of your children in print and online, as part of your involvement in this project. This will include the use of first names in the book and some other details about your child/ren (nothing identifying.) Please discuss with me if you have any concerns.
2. Our chosen charity partner is The Butterfly Wishes Network for 2023-4.
3. The Kids & their toys donation is £45 per child and £25 each for additional children is due in full to confirm your booking and is non-refundable.
4. I am aiming to complete 25 Kids and Their Toys portrait sessions by 31st March 2024. That means the book will be ready mid 2024. This will be confirmed when all sessions are complete.
5. Your booking will be subject to terms & conditions, which you can review during the booking process.
The Butterfly Wishes Network
This year we have chosen as our charity The Butterfly Wishes Network.
Established in 2012 by a group of like-minded professional photographers who came together with the idea of offering free photography to families of children with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness. Now a team of over 300 volunteer photographers who dedicate their time and skills to families all across the United Kingdom.
About Kids & Their Toys Book Project
We are looking for a variety of ages of children to photograph. We want to truly celebrate the deepest of bonds, the most powerful connections of love between your child and their special toy, or blanket.
Donations to participate will go directly to the charity, as will the proceeds of the book once published. The finished book is both a treasured keepsake and a little piece of social history about kids and their favourite toys in 2023-4.
Kids & Their Toys Book Project
Session Information
Our goal with this project is to capture the heartwarming bond between your child and their beloved toy – those moments that you treasure so much. That’s why each portrait session will last approximately 60 minutes, giving us plenty of time to capture the essence of your child’s personality, and their cherished toy.
Right after your portrait session, we’ll book an appointment for you to return and see your portraits the following week.
During this appointment, you’ll be treated to a cinematic display of your portraits, and you’ll have the chance to order additional portraits. Of course, if you fall in love with more than one portrait (which is very likely!), you’ll also have the opportunity to purchase additional portraits. Don’t forget you also have a portrait credit of £75 to put toward your order.
Be prepared to LOVE a lot of them – they are going to be amazing!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we choose the portrait for the book?
As we require such a variety of portraits and connections for the book, the final selection will be based on the overall portfolio. We will choose the portrait for the book; however, you will choose which portrait you wish to take away with you on the day.
Where do photo sessions take place?
At my studio in Parndon Mill, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2HP. Parking is plentiful, and full directions are sent with your booking confirmation.
What should we wear?
When you are booked in – we will send you more information on clothing, however, if you look through our website and our Facebook page you will get a good idea of what styles work best in our studio. Generally, we recommend that families wear similar colour tones – for example – everyone in neutral colours or everyone in lighter colours or everyone in darker colours. Please try to avoid clashing colours, stark contrasts and bold patterns to achieve the best look.
When can we come in for our portrait session?
Our booking calendar will show you all the available sessions – mostly these are on weekdays (though we do offer 1-2 Saturday’s a month currently) and families simply coordinate their calendars to ensure they have the time off to come in.
Having a portrait session is something that most families do once in their lives – so making time to spend a day together as a family that you wouldn’t normally get to do is something quite special. What better reason to take a morning or a day off than to be with the people you love most and have a meaningful portrait session!
How long will the portrait session last?
Please allow up to an hour.
I will be as quick as I can, but I do like to allow time for shy children to get used to the studio.
How many people can attend each session?
As our studio is quite small, we recommend that 4 or 5 people is the most we photograph at once.
I know we will love a lot more than one portrait – how much does it cost to purchase more on the day?
Yes – you will love a lot more on the day and most families struggle to choose less than 10 as they love them so much! Our portraits start at £85, and we have collections that go to £1,825 – most families tend to budget around £500 to £800 for their portraits if they are choosing something substantial.
You will have £75 off anything you love on the day, and we highly recommend that both parents (if applicable) attend this session to decide together.
What about digital copies?
We are a full-service studio – this means we create finished portraits of the highest quality that you will be proud to show off in your home. We are however more than happy to add on the matching reprintable files – they are included in many of our collections at no charge, and can be added on to individual portraits for a small price on the day should you desire.
When will the book be printed?
We are aiming to have the book printed by mid-2024.
How do we book?
Simply click on the calendar link here and select your date and time. You will be directed to a payment screen to make your £45 donation to the charity and confirm your session.
We’ll be in touch after that to begin planning your session.
Thank you again for being part of our project.
What do I do if anyone falls ill?
Please let me know so that I can offer a suitable alternative appointment. I understand how easily little ones pick up bugs. As much notice as possible is appreciated, but I know this isn’t always how it plays out.
Where is the studio located?
At Parndon Mill, in Harlow, Essex. Full directions will be sent on booking. Parking is free and plentiful.
MEET YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER
Seeing as this is probably the first time you’ve met me – albeit virtually, let me introduce myself!
I’m Sue, I specialise in photographing families, usually through the eyes of the newest member, your youngest child.
So many parents don’t realise how fast childhood will fly by.
I’ve worked with children and their families since 2004, even before I had my own daughter (currently 14 going on 18), so I have experienced it all 🙂
I love capturing what makes them unique, and this book project is an important part of preserving those memories for you.
Sue
