fun kids photoshoot

With my blogging being taken up by boudoir and portrait work, I haven't, unfortunately, had much opportunity to blog about children's photography.  This is the time to make up for it, with photos from a recent shoot with two pairs of kids who are best buddies, and who made for one of the most enjoyable shoots ever, due to the fact that the children were awesome fun, and ever so easy to engage with.

I'm pretty sure the level of that interaction has been captured in these photographs...  :)

We had lots of fun shooting in Ella and Ria's mum's garden, shooting in a mix of bright sunlight and cloudy sky.  I wanted to capture both the fun the kids had in their playtime, bring out the best in their friendship and also shoot in different styles to capture each of the kids indiviuality. 

When photographing children, the photographer must be able to make the shoot fun for the kids themselves, and even though I ripped a pair of jeans that morning in the trampoline with Logan and Josh, I had a right ball myself :)

It was really difficult to choose my preferred shots from the shoot so I've chosen 5 and put all the rest in a slideshow for you to enjoy....

Starting off with a shot of all four kids on a bench...

followed by quality time in the trampoline with Logan and Josh - love how the 20mm lenses' distortion has really brought Logan to the limelight... 

Josh's character really comes out in this one...

more fun in the trampoline with Ella...

final shot with Ella, Ria and Logan :)

Hope you like my work and look forward to hearing from you! x

Preview post Queenie's shoot

A quick preview post tonight, from one of the photo shoots I've most enjoyed recently.  The opportunity arose to photograph Rachel Duffield, who works as a freelance Queen Elizabeth I.  A fantastic opportunity really, as Rachel has a strong background in Drama and an in-depth knowledge of things Elizabethan, as well as it being a  rare opportunity to photograph somebody in this role.  Rachel impersonates ER I during educational sessions in schools but also uses the tactile element of her fantastic costumes in sessions for the visually challenged during 'touch tours'.

The shoot was a lot of fun, and we spent the greater part of an afternoon in the beautiful St Mary's Church, in Great Witchingham, Norfolk.  The church was built in the thirteenth century, though contains influences from other periods, and I hope only the sharp eyed will be able to spot differences in the building which would not be pertinent to the Tudor age.

My focus was to portray the majesty of Elizabeth the First, as well as use the church background to shoot images which demonstrated the strength of the Queen's faith.  I always take my shoots seriously, so I did not fail to do my part of reading on the Queen's life and also revisit Cate Blanchett's 'Elizabeth' and the BBC serial 'The Virgin Queen' with Anne-Marie Duff.

Rachel herself was the font for all knowledge on Queen Bess's clothing and lifestyle and I came back from the shoot much informed about life in that period.

So just one photograph for today, a taster, as I continue to post-process the rest the set, which I will blog in full about, soon!  Hope you like it!

A big, big thank you for the shoot goes to Cassie and Selwyn Tillett for help in making this shoot possible and for access to the Church.  Rachel's blog about her wonderful work as Queen Bess is here.

have a wonderful week x

shoot with Jess & Ben

I recently had the opportunity to photograph the lovely Jess and her boyfriend Ben.  Jess is a writer and photographer and writes in two blogs of her own, Feeling Stylish and Love Norfolk.  Jess is very much into fashion and wanted some stylish photographs of herself.  She wasn't very sure Ben would partake of the idea of them having some photographs together, but when I assured him he wouldn't be asked to pose awkwardly then he took up the invitation ...

So we met on a hot July morning and strolled about Norwich in the search of suitable locations... Both Jess and Ben were very easy to work with and seemed comfortable in my direction.  The sun was very bright so we avoided the full glare whenever we could.

Jess brought her lovely Louboutin shoes with her, and I couldn't resist taking some photos of them before she put them on...

Jess is certainly very pretty and her lovely complexion glows in the reflected light in this shot...

This is my favourite shot of Jess from the shoot...

And this one is my favourite shot with Jess and Ben together ... :)

Relaxing in the Cathedral Gardens...

And for a completely different look in the harsh sunlight, very high key but suits Jess's complexion all the same... 

Jess will be blogging about her experience on the shoot in her blog in the next few days, so have a look at what she has to say from the client view point :) 

In the meantime if you are interested in a photoshoot with me, please give me a call, and we can discuss how to take this forward... 

Have a lovely weekend! x

James and Andie's... cats

I recently photographed James and Andie in their lovely home in Gorleston.  They are lucky enough to live in a very quirky and pretty apartment that is blessed with a vast amount of lovely natural light.  They are also the proud owners of two lovely cats, which are treated with the utmost of attention.  

As you will have noticed, I don't often blog about couple shoots, mainly because I believe people's privacy and itimacy should be respected, particularly when shooting in people's own homes, but I must make some exception in this because I fell in love with the couple's cats, and although was told that one wasn't particularly friendly, it turned out that both enjoyed the shoot as much as their bosses. 

A shot of Andie and James, very relaxed and happy... 

and some photos of their sweet cats :)

Checking out the clicking noises...before trust is established :)

Master of playfulness and owner of many toys...

pensive...

A lovely home full of space for two cats with very different personalities...

And.... for a moment of relax, amidst the clicking of cameras and fussing over kitties... a reflector proves useful!

I loved the quirky details in this apartment, including an observational post at kitty level! Genius!

If you own pets that you would like photographed in their own environment, and who may be a bit shy, or a little mad but always very much loved, please get in touch to book an appointment :)