Long time no blog love!

I have been busy behind the scenes working away on a new project which I should be able to share with you in a few weeks. I have also shot an Asian Wedding, some of you may have caught that blog post while it was up. It raises an important issue, most people are happy to share their images online these days, but sometimes it can be a sensitive issue. I always respect peoples privacy, always ask permission and remove or alter anything when asked. I think this is really important, and like to feel that my clients feel comfortable enough with me to approach me with any issues.

Anyway, last Monday saw Ava’s first birthday. Nicola is one of her god parents and it was really nice to go along to the party and take some casual pictures of the day. This is the kind of photography I love to do, capturing the moment to keep forever. I am sure we all have a couple of great images of us as children, hopefully they will provide the same memories for Ava.

The hall way at Nicola’s Mum’s and a tea tray provides hours of entertainment. Here Nicola is just catching her breath with her two favourite girls.

This 99p ball is the toy of choice, all she needs now is a cardboard box and she is set

Love this shot! She looks just like her Mum

Taking pictures of kids is where I started in photography I guess. A 1 year old Megan was one of my first models, and where I started to take photography seriously. It never fails to amaze me how comfortable kids are with the camera, and even at one year old Ava wanted to see herself on the back of the camera. It’s not something I advertise on my website but taking pictures like this is always a welcome pleasure.

Last Sunday I had the chance to shoot 3 kids I am quite familiar with. I had prepared for the worst but I have to say all 3 were very well behaved, and we all had lots of fun.

It’s the first time I have taken pictures of Harrison and Layton, but Megan is quite used to me taking pictures of her as it’s something I’ve done since she was born. I think all 3 make very good models…

We had a very good idea what to shoot for Harrison and Layton, the shot is going to end up on a large canvas wrap to hang pride of place. Here are some of the options…

Above is my favourite, I think it pretty much sums up what brothers are all about. At least I know that’s how I feel about my brother too

For Megan I had a new idea to try out, I wanted to take the picture grid idea I shot with Stef a few months back and bring a bit of colour to it. I think it is going to look amazing in a ultra contemporary acrylic frame. I am really happy with the lighting too, this is the first time I have really got to grips with using gels. I am going to experiment next time with different colour combinations, but the results are looking promising so far…

We had a change of set up for the last couple of shots, I think I prefer it to the more traditional lighting used in the photo grid, what do you think?

Pet Lip Out: I am told this is a much more normal face for Megan, here she is showing me her pet lip.

2 Seconds later and she has turned into a little angel. For me, shot of the day!

So, what a load of old rubbish the saying “Never work with Children or Animals” is. We had a fantastic time in the studio, with Nicola and parents on hand to create distractions and run around a bit I don’t think they really noticed what was going on. From a photography point of view I have come away with more ideas and knowledge to work on, and am already looking forward to the next one.

If you are interested get in touch, I’m shooting in the studio until the weather gets better and it takes about 2 hours to get a good range of shots. I am trying out a variety of different framing styles and methods to find a really top notch end result to hang on the wall.

This week I am helping out fellow photographer extraordinaire Barnaby Aldrick on a shoot for The Leeds Guide Magazine, and on friday Nicola and I are off to the amazing Crewe Hall to photograph Caroline & Anthony’s Wedding. So busy, busy, busy!