Family Fun With Reptiles At Brockholes
Capturing Real Moments at Brockholes: Documentary Family Photography in Action
While this day out to the Brockholes reptile event hosted by North West Reptile Club was a wonderful family experience, as a documentary family photographer and video creator I also saw it as a great opportunity to capture genuine moments that tell a story for both for families and the club.
Why? Well in this instance reptiles have a bit of a bad rep in the animal experience world and the NW Reptile Club work hard to help dispel myths and give families the confidence around reptiles. Capturing an event like this for organisations looking to showcase their ‘why’ and get across the atmosphere at hands-on events, documentary photos and video are perfect!
Things To Do With The Family In Lancashire
When I’d make plans for things to do with the kids around Lancashire, a visit to the Lancashire Nature Reserve called Brockholes would usually be on the list.
With its floating village, cafe and restaurant full of yummy homemade food (and delicious hot chocolate for those colder family adventures) and lots of walks ending at the play area it was always a good day out for the family.
Free Events and Being Out In Nature
A stunning wetland and woodland nature reserve near Preston, home to scores of rare bird species, Brockholes is the perfect outdoor day out with the family.
It’s even unique with a floating visitor village, the first and only one in the UK!
One thing I didn’t think would bring me there was the North West Reptile Club meeting. And with my Daughter being one of the members helping host the Meet and Greet, I thought I’d bring my camera along and use my own skills to document such a great family event.
Family Photography For Real-Life Moments
With my natural and candid style of family documentary photography and videography it’s all about capturing how a time in your life felt so you’re taken right back there when you see it again.
I knew this family event would be filled with authentic interactions, candid moments between the families and the organisers. Not only helping the club showcase how interactive this learning experience is but also helping the families remember their ‘firsts’. A first encounter with a snake, the first time they held a chameleon or that first time they saw their child’s eyes light up!
We’ve all seen those posed, inauthentic marketing shots of families who look a little fake. It doesn’t feel genuine or believable. Seeing these ‘behind the scene’s moments, I’m sure you can agree nothing beats a real moment for showing off what makes your event special…
A ‘Meet and Greet’ At Brockholes Nature Reserve
Here’s a little insight in to a North West Reptile Club ‘Meet and Greet’ at Brockholes Nature Reserve (near Preston, Lancashire), to inspire you to plan a visit to one of their meet ups one day!
I hope to show you how wonderful it is to see families come in a little hesitant but leave with the BIGGEST smiles on their faces! My expertise as a documentary photographer and videographer can really help anyone get that message across through candid and authentic imagery!
A Child’s Love of Reptiles and Snakes…
Let me go back a little and explain how a non reptile owning parent ended up being a member of a local reptile club.
For Paisley’s 7th birthday party she opted for an Encanto theme and that included choose PM reptiles to visit and show off his snakes.
She fell in love with Casper (a well named white snake) but her favourite from that day is still Shoestring the African House Snake.
She was so in love with being around the snakes she used her own birthday money to join the North West Reptile Club for a year.
This meant she could come to all the meet and greets as a member and enjoy learning all about the other members reptiles and exotic animals.
Joining The North West Reptile Club As A Family
From her first meeting she’s really taken to helping members of the public feel comfortable and confident being around the snakes. She even managed to convince a lady who had arrived with a fear of snakes to stroke one.
For an then 7 year old, her patience and understanding of that situation was wonderful to see.
Since joining the North West Reptile Club Paisley’s confidence with the animals has really grown and she loves sharing this new knowledge and passion with the Brockholes visitors!
And I know that seeing the children’s respond to the hands on experiences are just one reason these free reptile events at Brockholes prove to be so popular.
We see many families with children of all ages come back month after month!
Showcasing Hands-On Events Authentically
Events like the Brockholes reptile meet are also a powerful example of how organisations can benefit from authentic visual storytelling using documentary photography and video.
Rather than staged promotional images, showing real families engaging, asking questions and connecting builds trust, especially when events aim to educate or break down misconceptions!
Whether it’s a wildlife club, a family-focused venue or a local business hosting workshops, capturing the real atmosphere makes all the difference.
Having Fun Photographing Families At Brockholes Events
Families arrive curious but hesitant.
There’s usually one reptile enthusiastic member followed by someone who’s nervous or unsure about being around them. By the end of the visit you’ll usually find them holding the snakes and reptiles and taking lots of photos to show how ‘brave’ they’ve been.
Some even leave as members of the club too!
Why Days Like This Deserve to Be Remembered
We often think of family photography as something reserved for big milestones like weddings, birthdays, newborns.
But the ordinary weekends? The slightly unusual family adventures? The “remember when you held that snake for the first time?” moments?
They are the moments that become some of the most talked-about memories in years to come. Imagine how amazing it would be to have that documented for you to relive forever…?
Candid and Natural Family Event Photography
Being a professional family photographer as well as a member meant I couldn’t resist but taking my camera to an event at Brockholes to capture the wonder, excitement and occasional nerves that make these public meet and greets so special.
I LOVE documenting real family life as part of my usual Documentary Family Photography so capturing all these genuine and honest moments at this Brockholes event was so much fun!
I hope it inspires you and your family to pay a visit one weekend or over the summer! But also encourages you to consider hiring a professional family photographer to capture candid moments like these for yourself!
Visiting Brockholes With The Family
Situated just off the M6 near Preston, it’s easy to get to from the surrounding areas in the North West like Manchester and Cheshire too.
With free entry, all you pay for is your parking (which helps with their ongoing work around the Nature Reserve!).
If you head to the Brockholes Events page you’ll see they have lots of things on to do as a family. From ‘Nature Tots’ and Pram Walks to School Holiday family trails and even Wedding Fayres!
The North West Reptile Club Around Lancashire and The North West
The North West Reptile Club currently meet every month at Brockholes near Preston and more details can be found on their Facebook pages (Brockholes and North West Reptile Club) or website here.
They also attend charity events throughout the year giving you lots of opportunities for hands on experiences with their members reptiles and exotic animals! They’re all about promoting the welfare and wellbeing of exotic animals, including snakes and it’s great to start the learning young!
Looking for Natural Family or Event Photography in Lancashire?
If you love the idea of having your family’s real-life adventures documented (the messy, brave, joyful, unexpected moments) I’d love to help you tell that story!
And if you run events designed to bring people together, authentic behind-the-scenes content can help you show exactly what makes them special, then I’d love to chat through your plans and see how it could be captured in this unobtrusive and natural way.
If you’d love the idea of capturing real moments like these at your family event to really promote what they’re like to potential visitors then do get in touch!