
To visit the Forest and express their fairy form, I recommend that we wait until your little girl is four years old.
I know some other fairy shoots offer them practically from birth and I’ve done younger fairies in the past myself. However, I’ve create a minimum age of four now based on all my experience of working with kids in the Forest over the last decade and while I don’t want to exclude anyone from enjoying the fairy experience, it really is better to wait.
Fairy photos work best when your child is old enough to follow some simple instructions of course, but also when they’re old enough to really engage with the fairy stories and magic that are woven into the fabric of the Forest and all its props. There’s a really big difference in the finished photo of a fairy that’s holding a magical crystal ball (I’m not going to spoil any of the magical mysteries for anyone here) than there is for a girl who’s just holding a glass ball with no real idea of why. The same applies to most of my props really – everything comes with a story and a reason and the magic of finding out all about them is what gives the images their real sparkle.
My fairy photo shoots are not a franchise that follows a format like some of others that you see – I designed it myself and it was so important to me right from the outset that it not feel like a photo shoot for the fairies that visit it. Of course taking photos is the point, but it was more important to me that they really enjoy the experience of becoming a fairy for just a few minutes and learning about the Forest and all the fairy lore that I built into it from its very beginnings. I’ve found over the years, that working with kids younger than four means that we don’t always get to use all of the props and the whole experience just doesn’t make any sense to them. That means that your pictures won’t be quite as good as if you wait just that little bit longer so I honestly believe it’s worth being patient and getting the most fun from your time at the studio.
This little fairy has been patiently waiting to be old enough to come and visit and I’m pleased to say it was totally worth the wait to capture her immersed in all the fairy magic!