Schwarzwald

The view from the front of the Bauernhof

To see trees densely, wildly growing; trunks thin from the crowding and competition of the others, some whole and others snapped and bent - undulating lines of fir-tops hung with white mist blending seamlessly to sky: that is what awaits the traveller to the Black Forest.

Another view from Bauernhof

Travelling to a place where for a miles and miles trees outnumber humans by a significant margin is an inspiring experience. Small hamlets nestle comfortably in the green valleys, overshadowed and surrounded by the pines by day and under the immensity of the Milky Way in all its glory by night. It isn't a foreboding overshadowing though, and nor is it a bewildering sight of our galaxy. The people here, especially in the traditional Bauernhof where humans and their livestock live under the same roof, live in place. Martin, our host, replied when asked if he travelled much, "I feel well here. My children, yes - they like to travel much; but I... I feel well here." 

As he might. Every Friday, Martin and his wife Elfriede bake 200-or-so loaves in a centuries-old oven, and are collected by local villagers. The smell of bread lingers in the air much like the mist does in the trees, as Martin bakes engrossed in his work. Inside the kitchen, Elfriede cleans and puts away the dough and bread-making equipment and continues her day cooking lunch and then going outside to tend her small kitchen garden. I can't stress enough the simplicity yet fullness of life at Jocklisbauernhof. 

The Milky Way over the Bauernhof roof

The Moser Family's Bauernhof is well known
in the area

Martin with his little helper for the day, Sophia

During our stay we visited festivals in Schiltach (during a pilgramage to find fantastic Black Forest Gateau), Wolfach, and Baden-Baden. Each had its own character - the Schiltach version was a Wild West fest, with men in pink cowboy-suits doing very strange dances, and another dance-troup that we ended-up taking part in. The Wolfach festival was a night affair, with tables laid out through the main street, all the cafés and restaurants open and with stalls, and two live bands! As with all these things, people of all ages were out enjoying themselves. We really noticed that in Germany, people seem not to only want to be eternal teenagers - people seem very comfortable in their own skins.

Schiltach "Wild West" festival

We also found the most beautiful bookshop I've ever seen, "Das Freie Buch", in Schiltach. It was decorated in warm, deep reds and dark greens, with a woodburner and gorgeous traditional rugs, and the most perfect couple of reading-chairs in traditional German style. Though we didn't want to buy anything, the co-owner was happy for us to simply sit and read for a while. Unfortunately we only had the cameraphone with us, but here is a picture of Ellie in the comfy chair, reading. It doesn't do the place justice though.

Cooking outdoors near Gutach

The wonderful Elfriede at home in her kitchen
garden at Jocklisbauernhof

We travelled back through Belgium and France, stopping for a few days in the Arndennes National Park; visiting Dinant in Belgium, hope of Adolphe Sax and the best chocolatier we've ever been to - Neuhaus, where we sampled incredible hot chocolate, pistachio gelato and handmade chocolates. Another place we much get back to at some point! There was really far too much to this trip to fit into a little blogpost like this. Suffice to say, we recommend the Schwarzwald to everyone interested in travel and getting a taste of a surprisingly different culture. It really does hold a special place in both our hearts and we hope we can return soon, for a longer time.  

Otto

Every home should have an Otto-cat. He’s fluffy, silky and soft to the touch, and always manages to lighten any feelings of tension after a long day at work. His mother is a black and white cat who followed David and I home after a short evening walk back in 2012; I was living with my mom at the time who (surprisingly!) allowed her to come and live with us. My younger sister, Kate, named her Tiggy, and it wasn’t long before her stomach began to swell with the promise of some cat-babies… A few months later, David and I had moved into a new house and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the kittens since we’d already decided that we’d love for one of them to come and live with us. It was a Sunday when I received the excited phone-call from Kate announcing the arrival of the kittens – four tiny, squirming, black and white babies. We asked to have the cat that was had the most black on it, since David had always loved black cats. 

We had already decided on the name Otto (a German boy’s name) beforehand, and we got to bond with him when we visited my mom over the following weeks. He came to live with us at Christmas-time in 2012 when he was around 10-weeks-old, and he has been a most welcome member of our family ever since. We’ve enjoyed watching him grow up over the last couple of years, maturing into a strong, spirited - and extremely hungry - cat: he never stops thinking about food…but then again, neither do we, so we are definitely three of a kind.

October is Otto's birthday month and this year he has turned two, so today we thought we'd share some of our favourite Otto-photos to celebrate. Over time, we’ve come to realise how common Otto’s markings are, spotting numerous ‘Otto clones’ (as we call them!) in photos in the Internet; it always makes us chuckle. We know that having a cat with unusual markings is usually preferred, but for us, Otto is the most perfect cat in the world - he's 'our' cat and we are 'his' humans :) 

Ellie 

  

Beach

This shoot has a lot of lovely memories for me. Ellie and I had a really clear idea of a shot on a beach with the model walking away from the camera and a beautiful calm sea and sun. Ellie had a lovely white lacy dress that seemed perfect, so we went off to a beach I know to be extremely photogenic to put our vision into action.

The day was spent rather blissfully in Barmouth, north Wales, playing on the beach. Towards the end of the day when the sun was going down, we began to take some shots, and as we did the scene just kept getting more peaceful; the sea-birds were calling in their high voices and the sun began to rake across the sea and beach. Warm colours in the sky and a breeze.

We soon got this shot, and though we kept experimenting I think we both knew which one we wanted. I love it because it expresses something about Ellie that I love; her inquisitiveness, sense of freedom and her amazing openness. I think it also expresses that feeling of limitless potential so readily found on a fine day with sea and mountains... we’re both really proud of it.

David

'Family Life' Photography

Home life is something solid yet transient: we live it every day, it gives us our sense of solidity and wellbeing. It is where we retreat to after a busy day, and it is the "hearth" of our life, where the heart of the family resides and from where we go forth into our individual worlds. Relationships are held there; it is the place where new life is most often created. It is for those with children the place where the joys and woes of life's journey begins, and for the child it is the centre of the universe. Conversely though, it is often the one part of life which isn't remembered in the form of really beautiful photography which captures the essence of the family unit.

Why is it then, we thought, that family photography shoots happen so much in studios and other places where the family ...don't live? Maybe the lighting can be better in a studio, and maybe the photographer's favourite park is more photogenic... but it isn't where the heart is. Of course there is a place for that, but we want to expand our horizons and offer something really unique and special.

So it's our decision to make a key part of what we do to capture the family unit as it exists. To be for that time the quiet observer of family life and reflect the everyday, priceless moments as you can never see it for yourself; the family as a unit with everyone in it.

We were lucky enough recently to do just that with Carla and Andy, a wonderful couple who had very soon before been joined by Edward, their first baby boy. It was truly special to be there in the warmth and special stillness of the three. An aura of calmness and love filled the house as the parents naturally directed their nurturing towards the baby; long minutes would go by where nothing was said as if a bubble existed around them as they gazed lovingly at their baby and marvelled at his perfection. We joined them for lunch too, and bathing and changing the baby - just taking part in a normal weekend day with the family. We said goodbye really feeling like we'd joined in the energy for the day and so found some lovely photos for them to keep always.