Having a sibling is a wonderful thing. As a child they’re like the Marmite in your life. One minute you’re fighting like cat and dog and wishing the other one wasn’t even on the planet and then the next you’re in stitches of uncontrollable laughter about a joke that only you both know and you couldn’t be closer.  This relationship in children is probably the most honest and diverse there is.

With a high rate of conflict and plenty of fun times, with a healthy balance of both, the net-positive brings the benefits of developing a good relationship later in life. During the bad times and the fights, siblings draw on the good times as an incentive to work things out. Their sort of ‘bank account’ of experiences together. Drawing on the smiles, the laughter and the moments of true connection, siblings are able to find a way to resolve their differences.

So when I get to photograph siblings on a family photo shoot there are always times when I watch whilst siblings fight and parents step in to try to speed up the conflict resolution. But invariably this can lead to more tension and less than natural photographs! This is why I only book one family photo shoot per day. This gives me and the family the time for moments that are difficult between siblings to naturally be resolved with either a little help from the parent or myself. I really love to grab my camera at some of these moments as this is when the relationship is at its most honest and I get some great shots.

Sometimes, just finding an activity that they both love playing or combining a few ideas from them can lead to some magical play. So if you have one child wanting to play shops and the other wanting to be an astronaut, why not combine the two? And then you have a shopping trip to the moon in a rocket!!

Once they’ve found their happy place, this is when I grab my moment. Capturing unique and true connections between siblings.

Conflict is part of every human relationship and children are learning to manage their emotions and how they interact with each other. Expect them to fight. Each individual has their own needs and it’s about how to bring all of their unique personalities together. Teaching them healthy conflict resolution and finding the “win-win” in the team that they are is what is needed.

Don’t expect them to grow to love Marmite but nurture the growth of the best gift you gave them; each other.

April 10th is National Sibling Day and also during the school Easter holidays! So now’s a good moment to book a photo shoot for your family with me and let me capture that Marmite relationship!! You can contact me by clicking this link: https://www.belindagrantphotography.co.uk/contact/

If you’d like to some more of my sibling images, just take a look at my gallery by clicking here: https://www.belindagrantphotography.co.uk/gallery/

You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram, just search for Belinda Grant Photography. x