In the world of family photography, there exists a beautiful paradox—within the messy, loud, unpredictable rhythm of family life lies a certain unfiltered magic. For Mandy Jane Dalby, capturing this magic is her mission. Her photography approach throws out the traditional rules. It’s not about pristine homes, clean backgrounds, or perfectly coordinated outfits. It’s about authenticity.
Mandy is a natural light photographer who loves to shoot in her clients’ homes. Why? Because every home tells a story. Not a curated story meant for social media, but a lived-in, layered narrative full of fingerprints on windows, toys strewn across carpets, crayon scribbles on walls, and love woven into the chaos. These aren’t imperfections to hide. They are the very essence of the people who live there.
Photographing within these familiar spaces allows for a depth and intimacy that sterile studio settings rarely achieve. Each wall, each piece of furniture, and even the clutter add to the texture of the story. The result is a body of work that captures more than just smiles—it captures identity, emotion, and connection.
Embracing the Unposed
Posing children is like trying to bottle the wind. And Mandy doesn’t try. Her method is unposed and free, built on a deep respect for the energy and spontaneity children bring to the frame. She treats her young subjects not as models to be directed, but as co-authors of the visual story.
When she photographs children, whether her own or her clients', the rule is simple—no rules. They are free to roam, run, tumble, and explore. Instead of orchestrating every detail, Mandy lets the children lead. Her lens follows their natural movements, recording the shifts in emotion, the bursts of laughter, and even the fleeting moments of quiet introspection.
This organic approach isn’t just about stepping back; it’s about listening and observing. Photography becomes a dialogue between the child, their environment, and the camera. Each image captured feels like a secret discovered rather than a performance staged.
By allowing children the space to move naturally, Mandy uncovers expressions and gestures that would never surface in a posed setting. The result is a collection of images that feel honest and full of life. They speak not just of what the child looks like, but who they are.
The Power of Observation
One of the key ingredients in Mandy’s work is patience. Her camera doesn’t command attention. It waits. She becomes an observer, quietly present, attuned to the subtle changes in light and mood.
A child tilts their head toward the sun. A breeze catches a strand of hair. A fleeting expression of wonder flickers across their face. These are the moments she captures—moments that would vanish if forced or posed.
The truth is, real emotion cannot be orchestrated. Mandy believes that as soon as a subject is posed, they begin to perform rather than simply be. This performance, no matter how subtle, dilutes the authenticity of the image. Instead of capturing who they are, the camera captures what the photographer imagined.
So she waits. She watches. Her trigger finger is ready not to direct, but to respond. This level of awareness requires not just technical knowledge, but intuition. She knows when to hold back and when to shoot. It’s an instinct that comes from years of practice and trust in the process.
Behind the Scenes: A Shoot in the Meadow
To understand Mandy’s creative process, consider a simple, joyful shoot she did with her children. She brought her kids, a dog, and a well-loved quilt into a wild meadow. There was no plan, no posing—just the setting, the subjects, and her lens.
The resulting shoot was chaos, especially with a dog adding an extra layer of unpredictability. But Mandy embraced the disorder. She thrives in it. Movement, distractions, and unscripted moments are part of her creative fuel.
The meadow shoot revealed something powerful—freedom creates beauty. The children weren’t told what to do; they played, they yelled, they ran, and they rested. Mandy simply followed with her camera, trusting that beauty would appear in the in-between moments.
This kind of session demands more than artistic instinct. It also requires a solid technical foundation to respond to quickly changing conditions. Mandy’s technical setup ensures she can adapt on the fly while staying focused on the emotion and movement she seeks to preserve.
Photographing Movement: The Beauty in the Blur
Capturing unposed moments is not simply a matter of pointing and shooting. While the heart of the image is in the emotion, the technical execution must support it. Children and animals don’t stay still, and the unpredictable nature of candid photography demands a fast, responsive setup. For Mandy, the secret lies in a few powerful techniques, developed and polished over years of experimentation.
The challenge of photographing movement lies in freezing fleeting moments without sacrificing light or clarity. Mandy achieves this by keeping her shutter speed high. A fast shutter speed allows her to freeze the moment when a child jumps mid-air, twirls in a sunbeam, or races down a grassy hill. This precision preserves the energy without introducing motion blur, unless she chooses to blur for artistic effect.
But freezing motion is only one part of the equation. Equally critical is how light is handled. Mandy uses a wide aperture, often shooting wide open, to gather as much natural light as possible. This not only brightens the image, even in tricky lighting situations, but also delivers that dreamy, shallow depth of field, rendering the background into a soft blur while making the subject pop in sharp focus.
Continuous Focus Mode: A Game Changer
If there’s one camera feature Mandy credits with changing her photography, it’s continuous focus mode. This function allows the camera to track moving subjects in real-time. As a child moves across the frame, the lens continuously adjusts to maintain focus. It eliminates the need to constantly refocus between shots, freeing the photographer to follow the action.
In technical terms, this mode is known as AI Servo on Canon systems and AF-C on Nikon. But the terminology isn’t important. What matters is the result: tack-sharp focus even when the subject refuses to sit still, which is pretty much every child and pet ever photographed.
This mode is especially useful when working with unpredictable energy. A child might be running, twirling, climbing, or leaping. A dog might be bounding across a meadow. With continuous focus mode, Mandy can stay locked on her subject and capture a crisp frame at the height of motion.
Back Button Focusing: Separating Focus from the Shutter
Another tool in Mandy’s arsenal is back button focusing. This technique separates the camera’s focus mechanism from the shutter release button. Instead of half-pressing the shutter to focus, she assigns a separate button (usually on the back of the camera) to control focus.
This setup allows for more control. She can lock focus on a moving subject and wait for the perfect moment to click the shutter without worrying about accidentally refocusing. It also minimizes missed focus when shooting quickly, which happens often during spontaneous moments.
Though it can feel unintuitive at first, once mastered, back button focusing becomes second nature. Mandy insists it’s one of the best ways to improve focus accuracy when shooting fast-moving scenes.
Choosing Focus Points
When photographing still subjects, the ‘focus and recompose’ technique—where a photographer focuses on the subject, then reframes the composition—works well. But it breaks down completely when subjects are moving.
Mandy avoids this technique when capturing candid motion. Instead, she toggles her focus points manually. Most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras allow the photographer to choose which part of the frame to focus on. By actively selecting the point that aligns with her subject, Mandy ensures her focus stays on the right part of the frame, even as the scene shifts quickly.
It may require extra attention, but toggling focus points becomes instinctive over time. With enough practice, it becomes as natural as breathing, and it significantly increases the number of sharp, usable images from any given session.
Practice Makes Fluid
Mandy didn’t master these techniques overnight. She practiced every day for over three years. This level of dedication created a kind of muscle memory, allowing her to respond to moments automatically. She no longer has to think about settings while shooting. Instead, her energy is fully focused on observing emotion, anticipating movement, and reacting to light.
This freedom from technical distraction is vital in her style of photography. Moments are fleeting. A single second of hesitation could mean missing the sparkle in a child’s eye or the laughter as they trip into a pile of leaves. The years she spent learning her craft now pay dividends in the fluidity of her sessions.
Interestingly, Mandy finds it difficult to let go of her hard-earned sharpness. When experimenting with more abstract techniques like freelensing or panning, she has to retrain herself to accept softness and blur as part of the image. It’s a reminder that even experienced photographers must constantly push themselves outside their comfort zones to evolve creatively.
Gear That Supports the Vision
Mandy's gear is carefully chosen to support her unique vision. She’s loyal to the Canon system and works primarily with a Canon 5D Mark III. This full-frame DSLR is known for its excellent image quality, reliable performance, and solid autofocus system—everything she needs to stay responsive during a fast-paced shoot.
For portraits, Mandy swears by the Canon 85mm f1.2 lens. It’s not the easiest lens to master, but in skilled hands, it delivers stunning results. The focal length allows her to shoot from a comfortable distance while maintaining intimacy, and the wide aperture creates a dreamy, creamy background blur. When she wants her subjects to stand out, this is her go-to.
Her everyday workhorse is the Canon 24-70mm f2.8. This versatile zoom lens gives her the flexibility to shoot both wide environmental portraits and tighter, more intimate frames without changing lenses. It’s especially useful when she’s chasing kids through changing spaces and needs to adapt quickly.
For indoor shoots, Mandy turns to the Sigma Art 35mm f1.4. It offers a wide field of view while still producing a beautiful depth of field. The 35mm focal length is ideal for working in smaller rooms where she can’t always step back. It allows her to stay close and maintain a connection with her subjects.
Fun and Experiments
Mandy’s photography isn’t limited to traditional settings. One of her favorite creative tools is her Dicapac underwater housing. Shooting underwater adds a magical quality to her images, introducing movement, light, and expression that can’t be replicated on land. The challenge, of course, is that she lives in England, where pools and sunshine aren’t always available. But when the stars align, the results are worth it.
On her wishlist are playful tools like prisms and Lensbaby lenses. These allow her to experiment with distortion, light flares, and creative blur. It’s a reminder that photography doesn’t have to be serious to be meaningful. Play is an important part of her process.
Even with years of experience, Mandy remains a student of photography. She is constantly learning, pushing herself, and exploring new ways to express emotion through the lens.
Editing: Bringing Vision to Life
Once the photos are taken, Mandy brings them to life through careful editing. She uses Lightroom for 98% of her work, turning to Photoshop only when necessary for complex cloning tasks.
Shooting outdoors in England means lots of greenery—grass, trees, and fields. While lush, these greens can overpower a portrait. Mandy tones down the greens in her images by reducing the hue and saturation sliders. This subtle adjustment makes her subjects pop and gives the image a more cohesive, gentle tone.
She also warms skin tones, often increasing the temperature slider to around 6400K. This helps offset the cooler cast that greenery can introduce and gives the images a sun-kissed, inviting glow.
When it comes to presets, Mandy admits she’s a bit of a collector. She’s bought many, but in reality, she only uses a few. Right now, her favorite is a preset from the Looks Like Film range, which she customizes for each image. Presets are a useful starting point, but she always tweaks them to suit the story and tone of the individual frame.
Her editing style reflects her photography style—subtle, intuitive, and focused on preserving emotion. She doesn’t aim for trendy looks or heavy retouching. Her goal is to elevate the image just enough to highlight what’s already there: real moments, honest connection, and the quiet beauty in everyday life.
Photographing Emotion: The Soul Beneath the Smile
Emotion is the true subject of Mandy’s work. Whether it's laughter, frustration, joy, or vulnerability, what drives her photography isn’t just the desire to capture what a moment looks like—it’s the need to preserve how it feels. In every frame, she chases emotional honesty.
This means going beyond surface-level smiles. Children, especially when unposed, express a wide range of emotions that shift from moment to moment. Mandy embraces all of it. A furrowed brow, a tear mid-fall, a contemplative stare—these are just as valuable, sometimes even more so, than staged grins.
She doesn’t direct her subjects toward specific emotions. Instead, she creates an environment where children can be themselves without expectation. Her presence is gentle and observational, not instructional. This removes pressure from the child, allowing true personality to rise to the surface.
The result is photography that feels raw and intimate. Mandy’s images resonate because they mirror real life. They validate the chaos and tenderness of childhood. They offer parents not just a memory of how their children looked but a glimpse into who they were in that fleeting stage of life.
Storytelling Through Images
Each image Mandy captures tells a story, but it's never a single photograph that defines the narrative. Rather, it’s the collection—a series of moments strung together like beads on a thread—that builds a full, living portrait of family life.
She doesn’t set out to tell a story in the traditional sense, with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead, she focuses on connection, interaction, and visual rhythm. These micro-stories come through in the way siblings relate, how children explore their world, or the tender gestures between parent and child.
Her sessions often flow like chapters. The children begin with energy and movement, full of curiosity. Over time, they settle into comfort and quiet. Mandy documents the arc. She captures both the wild, joyful bursts and the softer, reflective pauses. In this range, the story reveals itself.
Homes, outdoor settings, and beloved family pets all become part of the narrative. Objects and spaces add depth and context. A child’s worn-out boots, a favorite stuffed animal, the way light spills through the kitchen window—each element holds memory. Years from now, these small visual cues will mean everything.
Letting Go of Control
To work the way Mandy does requires letting go of control. This is often the most difficult shift for photographers used to directing sessions. In the unposed approach, the photographer becomes more of a documentarian than a director. Mandy has trained herself to welcome unpredictability and to trust the process.
She doesn’t come into a shoot with rigid expectations. There is no set list of shots to tick off. Instead, she responds to the mood, the energy, and the flow of the family in front of her. If the children are wild, she moves with them. If they’re shy, she gives them space. If things fall apart, she keeps shooting.
The magic, she believes, often lives in the moments that photographers try to avoid—the temper tantrum, the spill, the messy snack break. These aren’t disruptions; they are part of the story. Mandy doesn’t remove herself from these realities. She leans in, knowing that realness trumps perfection every time.
This requires a high level of flexibility and humility. Mandy doesn’t need to control every variable. She doesn’t chase perfect light or perfect composition at the cost of authenticity. Her priority is capturing connection, and connection doesn’t always happen under perfect conditions.
Trusting the Child's World
Central to Mandy’s philosophy is the idea that children don’t need to be told how to be. Their imagination, spontaneity, and honesty are gifts to the photographer who’s willing to watch and wait.
She believes in entering their world, rather than pulling them into an adult’s idea of what a photo session should be. If that means getting low to the ground, crawling through the grass, or stepping into puddles, so be it. Her images are a collaboration with the child’s world, not an imposition upon it.
By doing this, she earns the children’s trust. They stop performing. They stop looking to adults for cues. They start behaving as they naturally do, because they feel safe and unseen. This is where the most powerful images emerge—not from telling a child to smile, but from watching a child discover something that makes them smile.
This trust also leads to unpredictability, which Mandy welcomes. One child might launch into song. Another might go silent. Some might ignore the camera completely. And all of it is welcome. The goal is not to shape the moment, but to honor it.
Photographing Her Children
Much of Mandy’s work centers around her children. Photographing her family allows her to explore ideas, test techniques, and stay creatively grounded. It also keeps her emotionally invested in the process. These are not just skill exercises—they are moments of her own life, preserved.
She approaches her children the same way she would a client’s family. No poses, no pressure. She allows them to move freely, speak freely, and interact with one another naturally. The result is a body of work that is deeply personal and universally relatable.
Photographing her children also gives Mandy a deeper empathy for her clients. She knows what it feels like to want beautiful portraits while also knowing that children don’t always cooperate. She understands the anxiety that parents can bring to a shoot, and she works gently to ease that pressure.
By keeping the sessions relaxed, she reminds parents that the goal isn’t perfection—it’s connection. And more often than not, when parents let go of expectation, that’s exactly what shows up in the photos.
The Role of Environment
Mandy doesn’t limit herself to indoor or outdoor photography. She chooses locations based on light, emotion, and relevance to the family. Each environment contributes to the story in different ways.
At-home sessions allow for intimacy. Children are in their comfort zone. Their toys, furniture, routines, and interactions are familiar. Mandy loves the storytelling potential of home shoots. The background tells as much of the story as the expressions do.
Outdoor sessions bring a different kind of energy. Natural light, movement, and landscape all become collaborators. The open space invites exploration. Mandy often brings simple props—a quilt, a toy, or even just a dog—and lets the session unfold. Fields, forests, and meadows become playgrounds for the imagination.
She chooses her environments not for visual perfection, but for emotional resonance. A muddy field with scattered wildflowers holds more beauty, in her eyes, than a manicured lawn. What matters is how the place supports the mood and connection of the people in it.
Pacing and Patience
One of the most powerful tools in Mandy’s process is patience. She doesn’t rush. Children, especially, require time to warm up. She builds in this time intentionally, knowing that emotional connection takes longer than technical setup.
Rather than filling silence with instruction, she allows space for quiet moments. Some of her most profound images come not from energetic play, but from stillness—a child staring out a window, a hand resting on a parent’s arm, a pause between words.
This patience also applies to post-processing. Mandy doesn’t batch-edit hundreds of images without thought. She selects carefully, tunes slowly, and allows each image to guide her edit. Her workflow reflects the same sensitivity she brings to the shoot itself.
The time she invests in both shooting and editing is part of what makes her work feel so full. She doesn’t look for shortcuts. She looks for the truth.
Emotion Over Perfection
Ultimately, Mandy’s philosophy can be summed up in one idea: emotion matters more than perfection. A technically flawless image that lacks emotional resonance will not be remembered. But an image that is slightly soft, slightly off-center, but packed with meaning—that image will live forever.
Her work is grounded in this belief. Every choice she makes—from lens selection to editing approach—is in service of the story. She doesn’t chase trends or mimic popular styles. She shoots with her heart, and her images reflect that honesty.
This doesn’t mean she ignores technique. On the contrary, she has mastered her craft so well that she can allow emotion to lead without sacrificing quality. But she never lets technique overshadow the humanity of the moment.
Her photos are not just art—they are memory. They are the sound of laughter, the warmth of sunshine, the smell of the field, the emotion of a fleeting childhood moment. They are photographs that speak, not just to the eye, but to the soul.
Inspiring a New Way to See
Mandy’s work isn’t just about taking photos—it’s about shifting perspectives. In a world saturated with perfectionism, carefully curated social media feeds, and overly stylized portraits, she offers something radical: truth. Her images remind us that beauty exists in the ordinary, in the fleeting, in the chaotic. And that message resonates far beyond her lens.
For many photographers—especially those just starting or those frustrated by rigid posing templates—Mandy’s unposed method offers permission. Permission to let go. Permission to trust the moment. Permission to prioritize feeling over flawlessness. It’s a liberating way to shoot, but it’s also deeply grounding. It brings the photographer back to what matters most.
Photographers influenced by Mandy often find themselves reconnecting with their original love for the medium. They begin noticing again. Feeling again. Listening again. It’s as if they are reminded that photography is not a checklist of technical mastery, but a tool for storytelling, memory-keeping, and soul-searching.
Creating a Space for Connection
At the heart of Mandy’s process is connection. Not just between the photographer and the subject, but between the subject and their world, between family members, and ultimately between the image and the viewer. Her photographs aren’t about capturing likeness—they’re about revealing relationships.
This requires presence. Mandy doesn’t rush into shoots with expectations. She takes time to understand the people she’s photographing. She watches the way they move, listens to the way they talk, and notices how they connect. In doing so, she creates a safe space—especially important for children—where they can be themselves without pressure.
This space is what allows for real emotion to surface. When people feel seen rather than judged, when they feel invited instead of instructed, they open up. And that’s where the magic happens.
Mandy’s approach is a quiet one. She doesn’t control; she observes. She doesn’t perform; she listens. She doesn’t manufacture; she uncovers. This simplicity is her strength, and her humility is what allows her subjects to shine.
Encouragement for Emerging Photographers
For those drawn to unposed photography but unsure where to begin, Mandy’s journey offers a roadmap. It starts not with equipment or editing techniques, but with a mindset. The first step is learning to see. See.
Start by slowing down. Watch your children, your surroundings, the changing light in your own home. Don’t wait for the perfect shot—wait for the honest one. Photograph what moves you, not what trends dictate. Trust your instincts, and practice daily. Even five minutes a day with your camera in hand can reshape your eye and retrain your focus.
Don’t be discouraged by imperfection. Mandy herself spent years practicing before she found her rhythm. She missed shots. She learned hard lessons. She kept going. Her advice would be simple: shoot what you love, shoot what you live, and shoot what you feel. The rest will follow.
Editing can be learned. Gear can be upgraded. But the ability to connect with a moment that comes from within. Cultivate that first.
Building a Legacy Through Images
Perhaps the most powerful gift of Mandy’s photography is the legacy it builds. For the families she photographs, her images are more than mementos. They are time capsules. Years from now, when children are grown, her photos will be windows back to a time too easily forgotten. A look, a gesture, a space filled with toys and laughter—these small things become priceless with time.
This is why Mandy’s approach matters. It’s not about the next client or the next trend. It’s about preserving memory in its truest form. Her work honors the everyday moments that pass too quickly and are too easily dismissed. In doing so, she transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
And that, ultimately, is the purpose of photography—not just to document, but to preserve feeling, identity, and love. Mandy’s photos do exactly that, frame by frame.
Conclusion
Mandy Jane Dalby’s work stands as a beautiful rebellion against perfectionism. Her photography is poetic, not because it is planned or posed, but because it is honest. Her lens is not a tool of control, but one of compassion. And in every image, you can feel that intent.
She teaches us that great photography isn’t about telling people what to do. It’s about being ready when they show you who they are. It’s about letting go of the need to control every frame and instead allowing life to unfold in front of your lens. With patience, practice, and presence, beauty will always reveal itself.
To shoot like Mandy is not just to take pictures—it is to witness. To honor childhood. To cherish imperfection. To preserve what matters most: connection.
May her approach encourage photographers everywhere to slow down, look closer, and find the extraordinary in the moments most would overlook.