London family photographer | Going camping with children: yes or no?
Thoughts from a recent camping trip in the Dulwich area
Our last camping trip was really close to our home in Dulwich, South-East London, at the South London Scouts centre.
I love and hate camping with children. I love it because we live in South London, and our children don't get many chances to be out 'in the wild’. When we go camping, they go feral with their friends, leaving the tent at 6am (or earlier!) only to come back for snacks and the occasional plaster. They're just so happy. We hate it because of the hassle of packing the car to the max, unpacking, packing, and unpacking again, all without a wink of sleep.
I have to say that we are only occasional, as in once-a-year, weekend campers. We go with lots of other families from our children's school to celebrate the end of the school year, and we never stay more than two nights. Our last camping trip, a couple of weeks ago, was actually a mile away from our home in Dulwich (yes, there are camping fields in London!), which was very handy. We came home for showers, coffee, and a cold beer refill.
The one thing I do to make the trip more comfortable is bringing my Nespresso coffee maker with me. It's small, it's portable, and there's always a socket somewhere I can plug it in. Everyone laughs when they see it, and they put it down to me being a fussy Italian, but everyone asks for a coffee the next day!
As always, I take a documentary approach to my family photography, which means I capture the idyllic moments as well as those showing the other, equally real, side of a camping trip (mainly the tiredness!).
Did you know I’m a London vacation photographer and I wrote a free guide on taking memorable holiday photographs, while being present for the moments that matter to you? Click here to download it.
