Family Photo Session in Cancale, Brittany — Port de la Houle & Lanes

A harbour that smells of the tide, stone lanes, a little blond boy running on ahead — Cancale played along from start to finish.

This family photo session in Cancale took place in 2023, on the Emerald Coast. The idea was simple: no poses, no "look at the camera" — a family stroll from the harbour to the lanes, with me documenting what really happens.

And what really happens with a child of that age is life in its rawest form: fits of laughter, discoveries, ten metres ahead of his parents, and unplanned stops in front of anything that shines or moves.

The parents hold their little boy's hands on the wooden pontoon — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

Crouching on the jetty, the father points out the sea to his son, in black and white — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The Port de la Houle, a family setting

We started at the harbour: the quay, the pontoon, the stone houses lined up facing the sea. It is a setting that does the work on its own — you just have to let the family live in it. The father pointing to the horizon, the little one walking between two outstretched hands, an orange buoy for a den: it was all there.

The little boy sitting under a large orange buoy numbered 16, on the wooden pontoon — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy in fits of laughter, held by his parents' hands — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The mother carries her son in her arms, hair in the wind, in black and white — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

Portrait of the little blond boy, the harbour of Cancale blurred behind him — Arnaud Chapelle family photographer

The family sitting on the stone steps beneath a vast sky — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The lanes, an adventure playground

Then we left the seafront for the lanes. That is often where the best images come: a child discovering a sloping lane, a stone step, a cross-braced gate — he needs nothing else. The parents follow, I keep my distance, and the session becomes a game.

The little boy walks down the steps between his parents — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy alone on the pavement of a Cancale lane — Arnaud Chapelle family photographer

The little boy sitting on a step at the corner of a lane, with a big smile — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy runs laughing along a white wall, in black and white — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy bursts out laughing, sitting on the stone steps — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy plays behind a white cross-braced gate — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy sitting on a stone bench, lost in thought, in black and white — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

A big burst of laughter from the little boy in a blue shirt on the steps — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

A cove to finish

We ended by the water, in a cove backed by green cliffs. The family settled on the sea wall, the little one carried on exploring — and the session ended just as it had begun: simply, facing the sea.

The family sitting on the sea wall of a cove in Cancale, green cliffs behind — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy walks along the sea wall, his parents in the background — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The little boy walks along the pontoon, held by his parents' hands — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

The family sitting at the foot of a wall, a blue door on the left, all three sharing a moment — family session in Cancale — Arnaud Chapelle

Thank you to this family for their trust and good humour — and to this little man for his boundless energy.

Location: Cancale, Emerald Coast (Brittany) — family photographer in Normandy and Brittany
See also: engagement session in Saint-Malo
In the area: Saint-Malo · Dinard

Arnaud Chapelle — Portrait & family photographer
Saint-Lô · Normandy · Brittany · English-speaking

This session is also available in French: Séance photo famille à Cancale.

A family in Cancale

The Port de la Houle, a family setting

The lanes, an adventure playground

A cove to finish

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