Emma & family 17/9/16

Earlier this year, Emma won the 300 likes competition I was running over on my Facebook page. She chose the option of a family session and I was lucky enough to meet her and her gorgeous children this past weekend.

Emma has 2 daughters and a baby son. Her 2 girls are the sweetest things and totally in love with their baby brother!

It's no secret that I love to photograph babies and this little guy was such a happy little soul!

A big thank you to Emma and her family for a fun session, I hope to see you again!

Sarah & Simon's wedding 29/8/16

Sarah and Simon were married on a beautiful late Summer's day. The ceremony took place in the newly renovated Chalgrove Church with the reception at the Oxford Belfry. It was a very happy day and I loved being part of it. I think it's clear from the photos just how much the bride and groom love each other!

I could share hundreds of photos from the day but here are some of my favourites.

Many, many, many congratulations Sarah & Simon, I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Jayne's 50th - 27/8/16

Hello everyone, I've been a little quiet lately (lovely family holiday) but I've got a lot of work at the moment so there'll be several blog posts in the next couple of weeks.





Last Saturday I was invited along to Jayne's 50th birthday party at the Junction Pub in High Wycombe. Firstly, an important point needs to be made - no way does Jayne look like she's turning 50!

 
It was a great night with lots of fun and laughter, everyone had a fantastic time and didn't seem too put off by me lurking with my camera!

Jayne had requested photos in a natural style so that's where I focussed my efforts, using a long lens to capture people from across the room.

I also took some more posed photos using flash. I think the 2 styles work well together to show what a fun evening it was.

Happy Birthday Jayne!

BH Y6 leavers' disco - 18/7/16

It's been a very busy week and I've only just found a few moments to write a post about last week's brilliant Y6 leavers' disco.

I was hired by the PTFA to run a photobooth-style set-up and to take general shots of the fun through the evening. BH is my old primary school, my 2 eldest boys spent some time there and my youngest boy will start in September. This was a great opportunity to help the school, get some more practice with my relatively new mobile studio set-up and to network with parents and staff.

The PTFA team decorated the hall and outside area beautifully with fantastic attention to detail, the theme was "Summer Cool" and they'd really gone to town - it looked amazing!

Due to child-protection, I'm not able to share many photos from the evening but I do have permission to share 2 of my favourite images from the photobooth.

Thanks to the children, parents and staff at BH, I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Sandra & family - 2/7/16

I've known Sandra for about 4 years, she's my local Zumba teacher and a lot of fun. Last weekend she was hosting a family get-together to celebrate her Mother-in-law's 70th birthday and she asked me to come along to capture some family photos while everyone was together.

The weather was challenging with rain showers one moment and then bright sunshine the next but everyone was remarkably patient and we got some lovely shots of the family enjoying their time together.

 

A big thank you to everyone and a very big Happy Birthday to the special lady herself!

What should I wear for my photo session?

One question I'm asked with nearly every booking is "What should I wear?" I'm not surprised it's a big concern, it's only natural to want to look your best in photos that you hope will be on your walls for years to come.

If you Google “What to wear in a photo session”, you'll found endless hints, tips and tricks and a lot of them contradict each other. Prints are good, prints are bad. Avoid bright colours, bright colours can look amazing. Everyone should match, matching is so 1990s. Shoes, no shoes. Jewellery, no jewellery. It's all very confusing.

My advice would be to avoid large logos (you'll look like an advert), very small prints (they can distort) and up-to-the-minute fashion trends (nothing ages faster). Make sure you're comfortable and confident in what you're wearing, if you feel good in what you're wearing then it will show in your photographs. If you have a strong personal style then let it shine! 

As a final note, please consider the location of your session, especially when it comes to footwear. Sessions at Coombe Hill, for example, will demand a different outfit to one in the comfort of your own home (where I'm a lot less likely to suggest climbing a tree!)

Editing photos

The editing of photos is a hot topic, isn't it? You can't go more than a couple of days without hearing about how a celebrity has been exposed for changing their appearance in some way and the word "photoshop" has become synonymous with trickery and scandal. There are examples all over the internet, I'm not into celebrity shaming so I won't be sharing any of them here.

The truth is, all photographers edit their photos in some way. From basic changes such as nudging the exposure up or down a little or changing the contrast slightly to make colours pop, to smoothing skin to make it look like porcelain or trimming waistlines to impossible dimensions - it's all about how we choose to use this potentially powerful tool.

While I try to get as much right "in camera" as possible and I don't over-rely on post-processing options, I do edit minimally. I will edit out minor blemishes such as spots or flyaway hair but I will not make major changes. I won't slim someone's thighs or brush out any wrinkles, these are all part of what makes each client unique.

I know a lot of people don't like how they look in photographs (I understand entirely), that's what makes my job such a challenge. It also makes it incredibly rewarding when people tell me how much they love their finished photographs - laughter lines and all!