Engagement Session :: Naomi and Kurt
“It seems they had always been, and always would be, friends. Time could change much, but not that. ”
It is not everyday that your best friend gets engaged. When Naomi sent me the news whilst I was thousands of miles away on the island of Koh Lanta my heart could have exploded. When she asked me to be her photographer? Well, I could have passed out on the spot. There are some people in this world who capture a piece of your heart that smiles whenever you think of them, people who you do not have to spend every waking second with to love. Naomi is one of those people and she has found her soul mate in the wonderful Kurt. When I entered the world of photography, I knew that my calling was to photograph love in it’s most sincere, purest form as two people found each other and joined together in marriage. Nothing could have prepared me for how perfectly wonderful it would feel to capture the love story of my best friend and her sweetheart. Two people, perfectly matched, with their little ball of white fluff Toulouse. Here are a few of the moments we captured together.
My First Year In Business - A Recap
“I begin with an idea, and then it becomes something else. ”
Today marks one year since the launch of my business, which gives me an opportunity to think about my growth, my mistakes and my plans for the future. Knowing that I have successfully owned a business for one whole year fills me with great pride and pushes me to keep pushing myself, improving my craft and working my socks off to ensure many more years of being immersed in the world of photography. Here is a little personal evaluation of the last year and a rundown of my hopes and dreams for 2016, so grab a warm beverage and enjoy.
My Growth
December 2014
November 2015
It would be easy to look back at some of my earlier work and lock it in a box, throw away the key, burn said box and pretend it never happened. I'm really glad that I haven't done that. Looking back at the first shoot I did as part of my photography business allows me to focus on my improvement, something that I think every creative struggles with. I can spend hours literally just staring at my work, analysing, criticising and picking it apart. I don't view that as a negative, it drives me to improve with every shoot and learn from my mistakes, but it is definitely good to see my latest shoot side by side with my oldest and to be able to give myself a pat on the back. When I think of myself, just a year ago, dragging my poor friends across freezing cold hills, fumbling with my settings with no creative vision whatsoever (shoutout to Abbie and Jake for being both patient and completely lovely about it all), compared to the flow I now find myself in fills me with confidence and a certain satisfaction. The great thing, though, is knowing I haven't, and never will, stopped learning. I want to be able to see the same improvement this time next year, and the year after. It drives me to keep pushing myself, keep analysing my work and keep spending as much time learning, growing and keeping a sharp focus on my goals. I also hope it shows anyone who is still at the fumbling stage how much you can achieve.
My Brand
2015 also saw a change in direction with my brand. As my business grew and I started to discover not only my ideal client base but also myself as an artist, I started to see a change in the way I saw my business and, respectively, my brand. After road testing my new branding for a few months, I can now say I have a brand that really represents my corner of the industry strongly, something that I can be proud of rather than apologetic for and something that is truly me. You can read a more thorough rundown of why I changed my branding here.
My Goals
Improvement - My main goal for the next year is simply to improve. I have very specific vision in mind about the direction I want my work to take with regards to style, composition and artistry which I really hope to achieve over the next year.
Education - Something I would LOVE to do is to begin to educate others when it comes to photography. I have a few opportunities in my path and some plans in the back of my mind which I hope will come to the forefront in 2015.
Film - Film is a format that has been constantly inspiring and drawing me in over the past year and I took my first step towards incorporating film into my workflow in the form of purchasing my EOS3. I plan to spend the next few months working towards my goal of shooting hybrid by the end of this year.
Fashion - Although my main focus is on documenting love, I have always been fascinated by the world of fashion photography. One of my aims for 2016 is to be braver with my work and take more risks, so I hope to do this in the form of entering the fashion industry in some form during the next year.
Travel - The tail end of 2015 saw us head to the far east to visit the beautiful Thailand and in doing so saw me discover I new found love of travel photography. We have so many travel plans for the next year and so incorporating travel photography to my portfolio should be something that comes naturally.
The Best Bits
This past year has truly been the best of my life for so many reasons. Building my own business and having a project that truly belongs to me has upscaled my happiness in so many more ways than I had thought was possible. I have met some incredible people, worked on some beautiful projects and seen my own progress as the months have passed by. Having my own business has forced me to work on my people skills, my organisation and my motivation, it has given my work value. There is not a shoot that goes by that I don't sit and scroll through my images, smiling to myself at the fact that this is my job. So I'll let those images do the talking for a moment, as I share some of my favourite photographs of the past year, both personal and proffesional.
Travel Diaries :: Chiang Mai Part One
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Out of all the places in Thailand we visited, Chiang Mai really struck a chord with me. I think it was the mountains, the friends made, the fact you could see green wherever you were. It has quickly become one of my favourite cities in the world.
When Jamie, Ashley and I arrived, we dedicated the first couple of days to exploring the city and its surroundings as much as possible. We went as far as we could on foot, and then rented some scooters and headed up into Doi Suthep national park to see the mountains and the sunset. Here are a few of my favourite moments from the city that stole my heart.
Travel Diaries :: The Grand Palace
“Not all those who wander are lost...”
When you think Thailand, you think temples. I wasn't, however, quite prepared for the wonderment that these ancient buildings filled me with. The detail, down to every last centimetre, was phenomenal. I had to keep stopping in order to let my mind take in the beauty. It was almost overwhelming. We explored the temples of the great palace slowly, taking in as much as we could, and then went into the courtyard to see the palace itself. It was so incredibly detailed, so beautiful, it felt as though it couldn't be real. It was like a pristine facade, you had to reach out and touch the surface to feel that the gold was real, the walls were really laced with precious gems, it wasn't pretend.
Travel Diaries :: Bangkok Day One
“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures...”
After what felt like an eternal flight we landed safely in Bangkok at midnight, our friends met us at the airport and the jet lag forced us to stay awake until 5am, so after sleeping in until midday we decided to catch the sky train into the city. Rather than planning our day out, we chose to explore the city at our own pace, letting our senses feast on everything that was new to us. We stumbled across beautiful architecture, tasted new (and amazing) foods and adventured the afternoon away.
Lifestyle :: Blenheim Palace
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all..”
A few weeks back, we took a trip to Blenheim Palace for Jamie's parents anniversary. Our gift to them was a day out and a mini photoshoot, and they chose to visit Blenheim palace (to mine and Jamie's great delight!). It was a beautiful day, the colours on the trees were just changing and we were able to enjoy wonderful company. Here are a few of my favourite shots from the day:
Lyme Park Wedding Photographer :: Melissa and Ben Engagement Session
“‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same...”
I will be the first to admit that, as a photographer, meeting new clients can be daunting. It is so important that me and my wedding clients have chemistry because, without it, I cannot be the photographer they want me to be. So as me and Jamie sat waiting in the café of the stunning Lyme Park, my heart was in my mouth. The weather had turned for the better, the location was the location of my dreams, but what if they didn't like me?
Of course, my reservations turned out to be unnecessary. As soon as Melissa and Ben walked through the door we clicked instantly. In fact, as it turns out, we had clicked about nine years ago at a mutual (and very dear) family friend's 25th anniversary party. Apparently, nothing brings two people closer than a vague memory of an awkward tweenage meeting at a party. Both Melissa and Ben were an absolute joy to be around and my fear that photographing someone I had never met diminished instantly.
Melissa and Ben had picked the wonderful Lyme Park for their engagement session and I fell in love with the beautiful grounds, the whimsical orangery, the autumn hues and the stunning sand-stone architecture. We spent the afternoon laughing and wandering around the location, discussing their upcoming February wedding and shooting until dusk. Shooting such a beautiful, loved up couple was an absolute joy. Here are the results:
