Last Saturday we saw the first serious rain we've had in quite some time. Whilst no doubt the countries gardeners and farmers were relieved I must admit it wasn't good news to me. My problem was I was due to meet up with a couple of families in the local park on Sunday and whilst photography in the rain can produce some interesting images it's far easier to have fun when the suns shining.
Luckily mother nature was kind and Sunday saw a welcome return of the sun. In no time at all we were all having fun and running around, jumping and shouting (I'm just a big kid really). It's not rocket science, if you want good images of children, just have fun and it all comes natural. Below is a short slideshow showing some of the images. If you look closely you'll spot some of the local wildlife who wanted to be in the photographs, fantastic. You can download this slideshow through i-tunes by clicking here, you can then transfer it to an i-phone or i-player.
This weekend I travelled the short distance to Felsted where I had been commissioned to photograph a family grouping. I love this sort of shoot as very often the varoius family members haven't seen each other for a while. This was very much the case as one part of the family had travelled over from Arizona, a perfect chance to capture the family together all at one time, as well as some individual images.
As you can see in the top image here, we had one member of the family (the pet dog Charlie) who was certainly intent on being the star of the show. Every group shot he would come and check out what was going on just to make sure everything was in order.
It's funny because at the free portrait training day I ran recently one of the things I covered was how to make someone in a group the centre of attention. I have to admit, it's not something I've done with animals before but the basics remain the same, something that I have a feeling I'll be doing again. Sunday turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year the shoot took a little over an hour and I'm very pleased with the end result. You can see a few of the images in a slideshow below. If you want your family photographed in a fun a natural way (I don't do boring) don't hesitate to give me a call on 01376 567995 or drop me an e-mail. A family portrait session costs just £85 (travel over 20 miles is extra). Your family will never be this age again, don't miss it.
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This Sunday was one of the snowiest days I've ever seen in England, I honestly don't remember snow like this for this long so early in the year. Being an Essex wedding photographer the weather is not normally this exciting so I was really pleased to be shooting in a different environment.
I travelled down to meet Gemma and Paul who had contacted me recently after being recommended from one of last years weddings. Gemma and Paul are planning to get married in St Lucia this year and will have a wedding blessing in the UK on their return. As always when they got in touch I offered a free shoot so they could experience and see first hand my style. You can see their images in a short slide show below. You can also download it free from i-tunes by clicking here. You can then add it to an i-phone or i-player.
If your getting married this year and are considering a photographer, take me up on the free engagement shoot offer .... be quick the diary is filling up and when i get too busy the offer will end. Tel 01376 567995
Pin It About a week ago I received and e-mail enquiry from a lady in San Francisco enquiring if it would be possible for me to photograph her mother who lives just outside Milton Keynes in a small village called Stony Stratford.
I love the way that my style of photography doesn't keep me chained to a studio meaning I can jump in my car and travel to my clients allowing me to capture them in their natural environment.
I really enjoyed meeting Julie and over coffee we chatted and Julie showed me a collection of family photographs and filled me in on parts of her history.
There were so many treasured memories wrapped up in photographs giving a permanent reminder to moments in time, docmenting children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The shoot happened to coincide with a very heavy snowfall the night before. As a result we decided the best approach would be to work inside (where it's warm) and only ventured into the garden for a few pictures.
Luckily for my journey home the roads were all clear and the journey which was supposed to take two hours (according to google) actually took two hours. I think many people had decided to stay at home which made traffic light, i guess they just don't love their jobs like me .....
Above is the last portrait shoot I carried out before leaving Louisiana. It was taken at the Fairview riverside State park near Mandeville (i think). A really great place with lots of interesting backgrounds. Because it was a weekend and a very popular spot there were a lot of Rv's parked as familys settled in to relax.
I had a truely great time in New Orleans and am already looking forward to my next visit.
As any mother will tell you babys change on a daily basis. it's always a complete joy to be asked to capture a new born in the very first days of its life.
Click on the picture or here to see a slideshow of some of the images. I was lucky enough to be asked to capture some images of this young guy as he was welcomed by the rest of his family (including his big sister).
In true new borm style he slept through the whole shoot only waking in the very last few images to be taken.
It seems like so long ago since I was in New Orleans. One of the last things I did before I left was a very quick family portrait session for Debbie with her mum and dad (or should that be mom and pop?).
Yesterday was the latest "day of discovery" lifestyle portrait training days that I run at the Pontlands park hotel.
I started these courses because I always find it's easier to show someone what to do than to try and tell them.
I always have great fun teaching these courses and meet some great people. It's surprising the energy a group of photographers can create as the creativeness starts to take over and confidence grows.
Big thanks goes out to everyone who came along and I look forward to seeing your images. Also thanks to our great models.
We were really lucky with the weather but I guess as it's the start of the British summer that's how it's going to be from now on ..yeah right.
Andrea Simmons who came along yesterday kindly sent this image of me teaching yesterday. Although I think she caught me mid sentence or perhaps I was chewing a mint.
I'm pretty confident everyone left with a lot more confidence with new found skills and abilities. Also I have a whole new bunch of new friends.
Would you buy a car without a test drive? In a previous career I sold Land Rovers, without blowing my own trumpet I like to think I was reasonably succesfull and won several holidays for my efforts (including two to Canada).
One of the reasons for my success was letting the product do the selling. Every customer was offered a test drive, so they could experience what words cannot explain.
This is something I have carried over into my photography business. Every couple that contacts me regarding a wedding gets offered a free pre wed photoshoot (where posible). No charge and the pictures are uploaded on the web soon afterwards to help the couple decide.
Picking a wedding photographer is a huge decision for any couple, deciding who to trust to capture their wedding day. I strongly believe couples should have the opportunity to experience how a photographer works and to see their own images. The days of old albums with the best 50 shots of 10 years work crammed in are in my mind over (and good riddance).
One of the perks of working like I do is that I'm not tied down in one area. At the drop of a hat I can pick up my gear and go.
Sometimes I rely totally on the client to pick a good venue although I do try and do some research prior to the booking. Recently I took the journey up to Rufford Abbey near Ollerton and did a family portrait shoot for the two sisters seen here. You can see some of the images from the day by clicking here.
I've been asked by photographers how far I would travel to do a shoot, (then i mention i shot a wedding in Australia a while back and they get the message). In honesty i don't think there's a limit as long as the criteria is right I'll go. It knocks seven bells out of sitting in an office all day or even worse a white background studio!
If your name is Katie McKinley (i think e mail is something like katiecolourmc@ I don't know.co.uk ) and you left a message for me this morning on the answer phone can you ring me again as I can't make out your e-mail address .... thanx.
Only 6 days till I go to see the Dolphins v Giants at Wembley can't wait! :-)
It's that time of the year when the organised people (that's me out then) start arranging what they are going to get grand parents etc for Christmas presents.
As a result the diary starts to fill up as families organise themselves. The family seen here had that exact idea (click on the image for a slideshow showing a few more images). Of course the phone continues to ring right through to December with people who are a little less organised (unfortunately that's the bracket I'd put myself into when it comes to Christmas shopping).
It seems there are more and more professional people that are needing portfolio images recently.
Today I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing a journalist come author who has recently won a very prestigious award for writing. He entered a competition where the first few chapters of a book had to be entered and he won. Since then he's been in demand and it would appear he has a great future ahead.
Click here to see the images we got today. Sometimes when there's only one subject it can be hard to get enough different pictures but I'm really pleased with today's results, see what you think.
I've been completely snowed under recently trying to catch up with various shoots including another two this weekend (images will be uploaded when I catch my breath).
Anyway this Sunday I took a trip down to St Albans to meet up with a good friend Mel Corley . I first met Mel we he came on one of my day of discovery days and since then we've stayed in touch.
I had been commisioned to photographs Mel as he worked.
The brief was to capture images of Mel as he carried out a portrait shoot. The images will be used to help promote him and his business. Whilst we worked together exchanging ideas, and searching out exciting backgrounds, I managed to get the shot above of our stunning model.
I strongly recommend you go to Mels site and see some of his fantastic work from the day under the portrait section ...... they're great!
I got a pleasant reminder last weekend of the importance of being ready to get grab shots at all times. We'd just finished shooting some formal stuff at a christening and where walking out of the park when the shot here presented itself.
These are the shots you can't create and just have to be ready for when they present themselves. The trick is never turn the camera off and the lens cap only goes back on when the camera goes away. If I'm honest I prefer these shots to the more formal type of shot that the majority of people want.
Here's another example of the same baby but captured a little more formally. I always try and get a bit of both and that way it's the best of both worlds.
On another note skype seemed to have dropped the ball over the last two days. For anyone not in the know skype is the free online phone company owned by E-bay. They normally provide an excellent and very cheap (and in many cases free) phone service anywhere in the world. Their problems are something to do with a software problem, but for a major provider like this to go down for two days that's major. We'll see what happens over the next couple of days.
Regardless of the current problems I'd advise anyone who has a broadband connection to get skype. Especially if you regularly phone people on the other side of the world.
Today was my latest photography training day run at Pontlands park hotel. It was a real pleasure and a treat to meet some new faces hopefully pass on some of the methods I use.
We were really lucky with the weather although it did try its best at times to stop us working outside. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and look forward very much to seeing some images the guys took on the day as they come through. I'll post some more stuff tomorrow (when I've recovered a bit).
Thank you to our fantastic four models today you were great! (some of my shots below). Oh and of course what would I do without the help of the superbly talented Toni Bunn, who helped me out, what a star!
It is always fantastic to go back and re photograph a family. The last time I saw the young girl in this image she was just a week old!
Its incredible how everyone's life moves on. It certainly doesn't feel like 18 months since we last met. How she has changed is beyond belief.
I take it as the ultimate compliment to be asked back to record children as they grow up. Capturing magical memories is something that can easily be overlooked. Unfortunately, as too many people find out, today cannot be photographed tommorow or in a weeks time.
Firstly Saturday morning I had a family portrait shoot. The young fella you see in the picture here was one of the stars of the shoot. He was only two weeks old and in fairness was as good as gold and hardly made a squeek. (i'll put up a slide show once the family have seen the images).
It was whilst I was on the way to the portrait shoot I took another call on my mobile from someone I used to work with a long time ago. He'd got married in Florida and was having a small party in the UK tonight, was there any chance .......
So I finally get home at about 2 o'clock on Sunday morning and download the images. Sunday I travelled up to Chesterfield in Derbyshire to meet up with a few photographers. It's nice to sit down with other like minded folk and share ideas and see what the latest gossip is. Several hours of technical and business talk later it was time to come home having made some new friends.
As anyone who knows me will know i'm constantly researching succesfull companies and their methods (always looking to steal good ideas). Whilst reading a book (I think it may have been Customer Evangelists) I came across the story of a Doughnut company in America called Krispy Kreme. To cut a long story short the company started small and word spread of the excellent doughnuts that they sold. Not only that but they also became famous for helping out in community projects and delighting their customers.
So what? Well today whilst finishing off my Christmas shopping in Lakeside I bump into a Krispy Kreme stall. Needless to say I HAD to try there wares, i had a couple of doughnuts and a coffee and sat and watched. The que never got less than 12 people, they each bought one or two. Many people returned and bought boxes of the doughnuts as word spread. It would appear that they are going to have a major succesfull business on this side of the pond. My opinion, they are outstanding!! although I dread to guess the calorie count.
Another of the joys of this wonderfull career I have found myself in is the way that every single day is differant. Like most people I've had several jobs before i finally found my true vocation in life. The worst thing i found with all of those jobs was after about two years they began to get very repetative.
Luckily now i've found every single job makes every day differant, normally in differant parts of the country and occasionally differant countries altogether.
Recently I was commisioned to photograph a Christening very close to my home town. Believe it or not this is highly unusual for me. Most of my work is either in the London area or sometimes further afield so this was a real benefit.
You can see a few of my christening photographs by clicking here. I hope I achieved my aim of exceeding the customers expectations. Does life get any better? People paying you to do something you love doing .... Fantastic!!
If you're interested in photography you may be interested in my free online tips available from my lifestyle photography site. Just go to the tips section and fill in the form. you'll be joining about another 1,000 people who all regul;arl;y receive the tips and get this no cost!! If i can help other people have fun and improve their photographs, I see that as payment.
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