About
We believe that photography needs to capture more than just a smile. Children need to be engaged and having fun.
Our story
Frustrated with the lack of school photography companies that take the shots staff and parents wish to see, Children at Play Photography was born. The foundation was simple - make the children comfortable and the images will come. And thats what we did...starting in preschools and nurseries in Kent, we grew into London and Essex, now working with multiple clients year after year.
Our goals are simple:
To be accessible and inclusive,
To be affordable,
To be embedded in communities,
To deliver high quality photography.
Meet Andy
Andy Ruck is a professional photographer based in Ebbsfleet in Kent. With over 13 years working as a photographer in primary schools, secondary schools and nurseries, as well as many years working in the public and family sector, Andy has photographed almost everything! From newborns, weddings and family shoots, through to commercial architecture, headshots and branding imagery - Andy has a great skillset.
His favourite kind of photography is Landscape photography, and he loves creating commission pieces for clients, or simply driving to the coast one weekend to come up with some creative imagery.
"My youngest son has additional needs, and there is no way in preschool he would sit for the standard school portrait. I realised that there was a huge gap where parents were not getting access to the same quality of photography as those in primary schools. I also have the care and understanding to make sure that we take our time when shooting children. Not every child is the same and sometimes that extra 5 minutes allowing them to settle makes all the difference.
And that's why I started Children at Play Photography - so I could share my vision for how Nursery and Pre-school photography should be."
Meet Naomi
Naomi (or more commonly known as KP) is half Japanese and Irish, born and raised in East London. Following from Covid, in August 2021, she had a career change from the legal sector to become a professional photographer. She's been photographing for more than 10 years primarily within the events industry covering weddings, family days out, concerts, conferences and fashion shows. But she loves action shots of motorsport and ultimate fighting events where she's also trying to create a women's movement in these areas.
The running theme with all of her work, and where she receives the most compliments, is her natural and candid style of photography. She believes that the perfect images are the ones taken 'in-the-moment' where the subject is relaxed and themselves.
"Having 4 god children and seeing their school photos over the years really got to me. They often pull that 'cheese' unhappy and uncomfortable face that doesn't look good. That's why I was more than excited to work with Andy to create a platform that parents (and god parents) can really enjoy and love their kids' pictures."
Our Story
We work hard to ensure our photography or video sessions run smoothly while causing the least amount of disruption possible to your schedule.
By minimising the equipment we bring with us and utilising the environment and surroundings we create beautiful candid portraits.
We ensure your staff are involved in the process throughout so the children don't feel like they are being passed around, but instead see it as another activity to participate in.
We may advise you to book multiple days depending on the number of children you look after and the availability of your staff. This is to ensure that all children get the best quality of photos taken.