Mum & Me Paint and Play: A New Kind of Session in South Wales (Sunday 28th June)
There's a particular look that crosses a child's face the first time they realise they're allowed to make a mess. A sort of disbelief, quickly followed by pure delight. I've spent three years photographing families across South Wales, and that look - unscripted, unrepeatable, entirely theirs - is the reason I do what I do.
It's also the reason I created my new Mum & Me Paint and Play sessions, and why I'm so excited to be running the very first round on Sunday 28th June at Rogerstone Community Grounds.
If you've been looking for a way to capture real, joyful moments with your little ones — the kind that actually feel like them - let me tell you what these sessions are all about.
What is a Paint and Play session?
A Paint and Play session is exactly what it sounds like. I set up easels, canvases, paints, and brushes out in the open air, and you and your children get properly stuck in together.
There's no posing. No "everybody look at the camera and smile." No standing stiffly in coordinated outfits hoping everyone behaves. Instead, you sit down together, you pick up a brush, and you make something - while I quietly move around you, capturing it all as it unfolds.
What you end up with is a gallery full of genuine connection. The concentration on a toddler's face as she dips a brush for the first time. The giggles when paint ends up on a nose instead of the canvas. The moment your older one leans in to show the little one how it's done. The mess, the colour, the laughter - all of it real, none of it forced.
These are the photographs that make you stop scrolling years later. Not because everyone looked perfect, but because you can feel the day all over again.
Why I created these sessions
Most of my motherhood work is gentle and quiet - newborn cuddles, the soft anticipation of a bump, the calm of those early days. I love that work deeply. But I kept coming back to a feeling that there was something missing from the way a lot of us photograph our children as they grow.
Once the newborn stage passes, family photos can start to feel like an exercise in crowd control. Everyone dressed up, everyone told to stand still, everyone willing the toddler not to have a meltdown before the "good shot" is taken. And the resulting images, while lovely, often don't capture what your days actually look and feel like right now.
Your real days are messy. They're loud. They're full of activity and play and the particular chaos of small children doing small-children things. I wanted to create a session that leaned into that, rather than fighting against it.
So I built Paint and Play around a simple idea: give mums and their children something genuinely fun to do together, provide everything they need, and let me document the realness of it. No pressure to perform. Just play.
I ran a trial session recently to test the concept, and honestly, I haven't stopped thinking about it since. The images had everything I hoped for - concentration, joy, connection, and the sort of beautiful mess that tells the truth about this stage of life.
What to expect on the day
I want you to arrive feeling relaxed, so here's exactly how it works.
When you get to Rogerstone Community Grounds, you'll find everything already set up and waiting - easels, canvases, child-friendly paints, brushes, and a styled little space designed to look beautiful in your photographs. All you need to bring is yourselves.
Your session lasts around 20 minutes, which is the sweet spot for little ones: long enough to properly get into it, short enough that nobody hits the overwhelmed stage. I'll gently guide things along, but mostly I'll let you and your children do your thing while I capture the moments as they happen.
And yes - it will get messy. That's the whole point. Paint will end up on hands, faces, clothes, and quite possibly shoes. The children who throw themselves into it are the ones who come away with the most magical photographs, so I always encourage everyone to wear something they don't mind getting colourful and to embrace the chaos completely.
Afterwards, I'll take everything away to edit, and your private online gallery will be ready within two to four weeks.
The details
Here's everything you need to know to book:
Location: Rogerstone Community Grounds
Date: Sunday 28th June
Time: 20-minute sessions between 9:30am and 12pm
Investment: £125 for your session and 5 beautifully edited images
Suitable for: Children aged 18 months to 7 years
Siblings: Very welcome — just let me know in advance if it's more than 4 children
Your gallery: Delivered within 2–4 weeks. Around 60–80 images in total, with the option to upgrade to the full gallery after your viewing
Payment: Secure your slot with a deposit, or spread the cost interest-free with Klarna
There are only 6 sessions available, and once they're gone, they're gone.
A few things worth knowing
Because this is a messy play session, there are a couple of practical bits to be aware of.
Please come dressed in clothes you don't mind getting paint on, and avoid anything precious. While the paints I use are child-friendly, I'm not able to take responsibility for any staining or damage to clothing and shoes, or for any individual reactions to the paint. If your child has known skin sensitivities or allergies, do let me know in advance, and it's worth doing a small patch test before the session for peace of mind.
None of this is meant to put you off - quite the opposite. The families who come ready to let go and embrace the mess always have the best time, and always go home with the best photographs.
Who these sessions are perfect for
Paint and Play is made for you if:
You'd love photographs of you actively with your children, rather than posed beside them
Your little ones find it hard to sit still and "behave" for traditional photos (most do — that's completely normal)
You want images that capture this particular, fleeting stage of childhood honestly
You're after something a bit different, a bit joyful, and a lot of fun
You simply want an excuse to slow down and play together for a morning
It's especially lovely for mums who don't often end up in the photos. So much of motherhood is spent behind the camera or just out of frame. These sessions put you right in the middle of the moment with your children, exactly where you belong.
Why outdoor sessions in South Wales work so beautifully
Rogerstone Community Grounds gives us soft natural light, open green space, and a gentle wildflower-meadow feel that lifts the whole session. Shooting outdoors in South Wales at this time of year means we get that fresh, airy, summer quality to the images - and there's something about colour and paint against all that green that just works.
Being outside also gives the children room to be themselves. There's space to move, room to spread out, and none of the pressure of a formal studio. It feels like play because it is play.
Ready to book your spot?
If this sounds like your kind of morning, and if you'd love a gallery full of real, joyful, beautifully messy moments with your children - I'd love to have you.
With only 6 sessions available on Sunday 28th June, I'd recommend booking soon to avoid missing out.
Book your Paint and Play session here — or get in touch if you have any questions at all. I'm always happy to chat things through.
Come ready to play.
Jo x
