I’ve feel slightly embarrassed that I completely forgot to share this piece of press at the time it was published! I’m talking at a super exciting new photography festival called SNAP next month, and Photo Professional magazine ran a brilliant article on it a few months back. It was a nice surprise to see my image used full spread at the beginning of the piece (and to be referred to as ‘big name in the field! Ha.). I’m so excited to be a part of this new endeavour, and I’m sure SNAP will be a roaring success and that there will be many more to come in the future!
Preston Family | Together
I first met Rachael and Dan four years ago at their London engagement session. I can’t quite believe how the years have flown by! It was such a pleasure to get together again, this time for a Family Together Session in Bushy Park, with the addition of the adorable Noah. We tried not to let the freezing drizzle which we call spring bother us, and had a lovely time in the end, albeit some red noses!
Aniko & Anthony | Together
Aniko & Anth we our real couple at a recent mentoring session, and the four of us had such a good time that our time together pretty much turned into a full-on Together Session. Even though it was still a little bit chilly, you could definitely start sensing spring in the air, and we even found the first of the blossom! Here are some of the photos I took while demonstrating, before my mentee took over. Thank you Aniko & Anth! x
Pen & Cam | Together
Here’s a session that’s super close to my heart. Not only do I completely adore Pen & Cam, but I got to capture their Anniversary Together Session at Pentire Head in Newquay, Cornwall, which is one of the most beautiful places on earth (and soon to be right at my doorstep!). The wind might have been bracing, but these two rays of happiness brought their own microclimate to this portrait shoot, challenging even the sun to come out to play. This is the kind of photography I could do all day every day with a huge smile on my face.
Cornwall, we’re on our way!
Once in a while you come across a place where you feel like your soul is at home. You might be thousands of miles from where you ever thought you’d end up, but you just feel at peace. For me that feeling has always been strongest in Cornwall. The wild ocean and the rugged, majestic landscape soothes me in a way that no other place on earth does. Over the years I’ve returned many times, often in winter, the wilder the better!
It’s been a day dream of ours to one day live in Cornwall. To be fair, it’s always been a more of a retirement plan due to the distance and the poor job opportunities for my husband. But sometimes, when you dream hard enough, and when you’re brave enough to ask out loud, magical things can happen.
Due to a combination of circumstances we figured out how we might be able to do this, right now, rather than in the distant future. It’s crazy how fast the momentum picks up speed after a decision is made. Our home is on the market and we’re getting ready to go. I’m sure it will take a little while to get everything in order, and the restlessness is building… I just want to be there already.
Despite the anxious wait, my heart sings with joy every time I think about it. Yes, we are coming, my beloved Cornwall! While it might take a little while for us to get there, I want to start reaching out to those of you out in the South West. If you, or your friends are getting married in Cornwall, do reach out. If you are a local vendor who wants to get together to make things happen do get in touch. If you want to hang out and have coffee or plan shoots or work with me in other ways in Cornwall let me know. I cannot wait to get down there and start my life!
P.s. Those of you not in Cornwall, don’t worry. We are planning to have a base close to London as well, so I will continue with my London (and destination) shoots and weddings, too.
How to get started with a photography business
I receive questions about photography & about being photographed almost daily. I share some of my favourite questions on the blog, so that everyone can benefit from the answers.
Q: I have photo skills but don’t know where to start in a business direction & don’t have money to buy better equipment or develop a nice brand image. HELP?
That’s wonderful that you want to start your own business! Congratulations on taking the first step and declaring your intention.
I’m not going to lie, starting a business is hard work filled with a hell of a lot of sacrifices, especially in the first couple of years. I suggest you hold on to your day job while you figure out what kind of photography you want to do. Draw up a business plan, research, research and research some more. Start offering your services at an entry level price and save any money coming in for gear and setting up your business. Connect with people who can help you with your initial visual identity, but don’t invest too much money on branding until you’ve been in business for a while and know exactly what your brand is about. The number one factor in succeeding is perseverance. The difference between survival, EVEN when you’re successful, is being prepared to work hard and stick. it. out.
So yes, it’s not a glamorous answer, but it’s the truth. If you’re prepared to work hard, always keep developing your skills to make sure what you’re selling is up to scratch, keep learning about the business side (as that’s what you’ll be spending most of your time on), and be organised, slowly but surely you will move towards full-time entrepreneurship. Do be honest with yourself about whether you love the idea of running your own business, as much as you love photography. If the answer is no, you might be happier being a photographer working for someone else.
If you do decide to go for it, learn to get comfortable with promoting yourself. Blog your work, interact with other photographers, network with people in the industry, just be consistently out there and the work will come. Don’t waste money on paid advertising when you’re starting out, you have all the free tools (such as different social media platforms) you need online, you just need to find the time to learn to utilise them properly.
Also. Don’t forget to HAVE FUN with it all!
Are you a photographer or an aspiring creative business owner? Her Lovely Heart is my way of helping heart-led creatives to run their businesses with purpose, freedom, and joy. By subscribing to the Inspire Your Inbox letters, you’ll gain access to a library of free resources and worksheets, plus regular letters of inspiration from me straight to your inbox. Click here to join and receive instant access to The Library.
Sandra & Stefan | Together
Last week, at a Her Lovely Heart mentoring session, I demonstrated how to direct a couple with Sandra & Stefan. The weather was absolutely horrendous, but also a good reminder that you don’t need to let the circumstances dictate the outcome. I love how much joy Sandra and Stefan shared with me and my student, and I don’t think they could look much cuter, whether in sunshine or pouring rain!
Bridal Musings DIY Flower heart tutorial
Head over to Bridal Musings today to see this fun flower heart tutorial I photographed. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
How to take intimate candid shots of people
I receive questions about photography & about being photographed almost daily. I share some of my favourite questions on the blog, so that everyone can benefit from the answers.
Q: How do you get such intimate candid shots of people without spooking them? Everyone always seems so natural and relaxed in your photos.
Thanks for the question! These are my favourite kind of shots to take at a wedding, and I especially love them at the getting ready stage and later during the cocktail hour. There are so many lovely moments and authentic interactions to catch at these times.
There are couple of different approaches to taking candid photographs of people. First of all, let’s talk about the technical aspect of photographing these moments. Personally I tend to shoot fairly close up, with a 35mm or a 50mm lens, so I’m definitely in the moment with the people, and I mingle quite a bit with the guests when photographing the cocktail hour. However, I often get comments afterwards to the effect that no-one saw me the whole day, so they were surprised to get all the photos they did!
With my approach to candid photography the biggest factor is demeanour. If I were to act awkwardly people would be awkward in my pictures. When I approach people in a way that doesn’t make them feel like I’m doing something weird, they’re not spooked. I have been told that I come across quite calm, which can be a good addition to nervous situations, and helps with the intimacy.
My assistant generally shoots candids with a longer lens (often the 100mm), which lets her sneak shots from further away without people noticing. I myself have started using the 85mm a bit more as well, it’s sometimes nice to be able to catch moments from slightly further away. Obviously the different focal lengths create a visually different kind of feeling to each other as well, and the compression of a longer lens creates a lovely ‘social portrait’ look rather than making the viewer feel like they’re part of the action.
Are you a photographer or an aspiring creative business owner? Her Lovely Heart is my way of helping heart-led creatives to run their businesses with purpose, freedom, and joy. By subscribing to the Inspire Your Inbox letters, you’ll gain access to a library of free resources and worksheets, plus regular letters of inspiration from me straight to your inbox. Click here to join and receive instant access to The Library.
January 2015 press round-up
Over in the UK, a DIY shoot I did for Bridal Musings got featured in Wedding magazine.
Florence & Alvaro’s South of France wedding had a 7-page feature in Mennaan Naimisiin magazine in Finland!
Also in Mennaan Naimisiin, our Pink & Turquoise shoot with Fairy Nuff Flowers continued making waves.
And last but certainly not least, Rachel & Alexander’s Northbrook Park wedding day got featured in Wedding magazine.
Hung Family | Together
Here we finally go, the first Family Together Session of 2015! I can’t believe how long it’s been since I shot Erin & Ben’s engagement session back in 2009! It seems like only yesterday, and yet sooo much has happened. Not only have they built the successful stationery company Berinmade together since then, they are also proud parents of adorable little Phoebe! It was a real privilege to get to photograph their little family at home, and even though the day was one of the coldest this winter, we did manage to persuade Phoebe to go for a little stroll outside, too. Just how cute does she look in her little skirt and puffa jacket!
The Best of 2014
2014 has been one of those funny years… on the other hand, it seemed like Christmas and the end of the year caught up with me way too fast, but at the same time it felt like a looong old year. So many challenges and changes took place that looking back it seems crazy it all fitted into one year. As well as spending a year working on developing the Beloved Collective until May this year, creating the Beloved Magazine, and, of course, getting Her Lovely Heart up and running, I did fit in lots of lovely shoots, and memorable moments filled with love and laughter. I have to say I feel rather relieved that 2014 is drawing to a close though, and I am so happy about feeling way more focused and excited for the next year than I was this time last year. I really think 2015 is going to be different, surprising and amazing!
Here’s to everyone I shared laughter, tears and meaningful moments with, thank you for making 2014 all it was! xo
P.S. as always, you can click on the images to see more.
Wishing you the Merriest of Christmas!
It seems like Christmas hurtled towards us at such speed this year that I nearly missed the whole darned thing. Alas, I am switching off from everything for a few days now. I hope you’ll have a wonderful Christmas, and a super relaxing break. See you on the flipside! Here are Astrid & Sofia, getting into the correct spirit.
Thru Your Lens photography Workshop 19 January 2015
If you follow Her Lovely Heart, you might know that I’m giving a photography workshop called Thru Your Lens, with the amazing Nick Ray in January.
This hands-on workshop is for you if you want to learn to properly use your d/SLR camera, and gain a deeper understanding of how to make technical decisions based on the kind of image you want to create.
We still have places! Click through to Her Lovely Heart to sign up & learn more!
We can’t wait to share all we’ve cooked up, such as these cute cheat sheets (illustrated by yours truly) that will make your technical decisions after the workshop a breeze.
We’re returning to the amazing Craven House, with its views and access to Bushy Park, which is the perfect setting for an intimate and relaxed workshop. After all the workshops I’ve held (and hosted) there, it truly feels like a home away from home!
We still have a couple of places left, so grab your camera and join us and start next year with a bang!
Photo of us: Caught the Light Photography.
Grace & Ian | Together
Grace & Ian were in London for only a few days, so we didn’t have many options for the timing of their sessions. As it turns out, the day we shot was absolutely freeeezing, with a chilling wind that gets right to the bone. Nevertheless, Grace & Ian pushed through the cold as they wanted to capture some of the iconic sights, and in some way I think the weather adds a real ‘London in the winter’ feel to the images.
Marie & Jens | Together
‘Missy, Oscaaaaaar, look over heeeeeere!’ This was the soundtrack to our anniversary session with Marie & Jens. It was just the loveliest to get to spend some time with these two again since their London engagement session last year. It was also such a pleasure to meet Missy & Oscar, who looked dashing in their matching jumpers! Despite the freezing conditions, we had the best time traipsing around London and playing a game of ‘turn that dog around’.
Letting go of clutter & keeping good memories
I’ve been on a bit of an office de-cluttering kick (you can see my inspiration board de-cluttering over at Her Lovely Heart), and one of the things I did was to find all the hard copies of magazines with my work in, which were taking up shelf space in the office. It seemed crazy to waste so many shelves to back copies of old magazines I don’t read, so I decided to just save tear sheets of each in a folder (which turned into two). It was quite overwhelming to go through all the old issues, reminiscing over brilliant days and lovely couples. I could’t quite dump them all into recycling before taking a little snap to keep. Of course, after I’d restored the living room floor back to normalcy, I found another shelf-load of issues, but it’s ok, I think this photo will still be enough of a memory.
As an experience it was both proud and humbling, I guess you don’t really realise how the years stack up until you have such physical evidence. Thank you to all the magazines and lovely Editors who have featured my work over the years, and thank you to all my sassy clients who were the real stars of the show.
My assistant Astrid in action. I wouldn’t recommend her for these kind of jobs.
McKenzie & Cameron | Together
‘Cameron loves football (the proper kind, not the American kind, haha) and golf. He’s a total guy in every sense, but definitely has a goofy, sensitive side. I work in marketing and love paper crafts, sewing, cooking, baking, and reading. I am a complete bookworm. One of our very favourite pastimes is going on what you might call ‘everyday adventures’, which usually entail exploring a new neighbourhood or town and eating a lot of tasty food. I do more shopping on these outings than Cam would probably like! We’re quite a playful couple and love a good laugh.’
I think I’ve had a little bit of a girl crush on McKenzie ever since that first email I received from her. She is just so open, fun and enthusiastic, and I couldn’t wait for these two to get to London from California, so that we could go on our own ‘everyday adventure’ to celebrate their engagement.
McKenzie studied in London and the British Library is very dear to her heart, so it naturally became our starting point. From there we wondered the streets of Bloomsbury in search of pretty nooks and crannies, pretty much giggling all the way through.
I had so much fun during McKenzie & Cameron’s London engagement shoot, and I wish they have an amazing time planning their Californian wedding day!
Field Family | Together
From the moment I met Lisa & Alex, through their Beloved Session to their amazing wedding day, I just fell more and more in love with these guys (and their families!). So coming together to do a Family Together Session with them and their little Albie, who just turned one, felt really special indeed. We had a lovely afternoon in a London park playing with colourful autumn leaves and chasing elusive rays of sunshine. Lisa & Alex have been together since they were teenagers, and it’s so amazing to get to see how they are now embracing parenthood and fully enjoying this new chapter in their life.
Shira & Vladimir | Together
On a crisp, sunny autumn day, we got together with Shira & Vladimir for their engagement Together Session in central London, right in their own home neighbourhood. I had such a lovely time walking among the gorgeous colours of London and getting to know Shira & Vladimir better. I also loved watching them go from being a little bit shy in front of the camera, to embracing just having fun together! I think I also need to send an official thank you note to the sun for making an appearance after what had been an absolutely miserable rainy week up until then!
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