'Tis the Season to be Merry!

I went to the Scouts annual Christingle today as both my boys are scouts. It was really lovely- traditional Christmas Carols and candlelight and a real feeling of warmth in the room despite the icy baltic chill outside.
So with all that joy and mirth I'd like to announce my Christmas special. Any gift certificates purchased in December for sessions booked in January or February will have 50% added by me. In other words, if you spend £100, I'll issue it at £150. Sound good? Catch them while you can!

Spot the Difference

Winter has arrived a little early with several recent snow flurries and a noticeable dip in temperatures. This has had the extraordinary effect of putting everyone in the mood for Christmas. Although it is still November I found myself singing along at full volume to Mariah Carey's , "All I Want for Christmas is You" (oooh ooooh ooooooh BABY!) whilst sitting in a huge traffic jam the other morning.
So this brings me to today's shoot with the fabulous {W} family. They wanted to replicate a family portrait taken several years back when the five of them were children. What a clever idea- right down to Mickey Mouse. Haven't they all aged so well too?

Tipping the Balance

We're lucky to have three wonderful children and three might be The Magic Number but it is an odd number. Our daughter has an older brother and a younger brother so sleepover for her is a really big deal as she gets to even the teams - suddenly she isn't in the minority anymore. It is great for us too as harmony reigns. The girls are happy and the boys are on their best behaviour because there's a guest in the house. I would recommend it!

Twice as Nice

I have to admit that the year between one and two is the most difficult to shoot. They're up on their feet by this stage but won't take direction so it was with some trepidation that I arrived at a shoot for twin boys. I needn't have worried as right from the offset they were so much fun. Two toddlers so alike and yet so different but both made me laugh the whole afternoon. {R} is quite the dancer already and {C} looks like he has a bright future as a stand-up comedian ahead of him.
Kudos to Mum and Dad though as having that much energy around all the time must be exhausting!

Sneaky Peek for {M} Family

Post and run tonight as I'm up to my eyes in work.
Speaking of eyes, what about this for a knowing look? Baby {A} was such a little darling through a long session. She smiled and played and didn't show any signs of flagging at all. A star is born!

I'm not a big fan of fiddling with photographs. Aside from conversions to black and white I think nice clean edits look best. I also think they'll look less dated when we look back on them in years to come.
That said, every now and then I see a shot that looks like it could take a little extra treatment. This is a recent example. {S} is a beautiful child with flawless radiant skin which I was reluctant to change but I went for a retro canvas look just for a change. I'm not about to change my style but they do say variety is the spice of life, don't they?

On the Conker Trail

Did I mention I liked autumn? It has always been my favourite season and even as a child going back to school after the long summer holidays couldn't dampen my enthusiasm. It is also a great time of year for an outdoor photo session. We all went out today to look for conkers and I couldn't resist snapping the children in full flight. It all became very competitive at one point- the tally for each was of great interest and when Jamie resorted to throwing large sticks up into the tree to dislodge any loose fruit still attached I knew it was all getting a bit too serious. Another few weeks and the reds and golds will be at their best. Gorgeous!

Cosy Time

Autumn is my favourite season. I love the smell of it- the Hallowe'en smokey aura in the late evening. I love the autumn colours and even the cold that begins to descend now. Most of all I love the cosiness of it all. Coming home at night and drawing the blinds, putting on the lights and cranking up the central heating.

Autumn is a season you can depend on. The leaves always redden and fall, the nights always lengthen and the temperatures always fall. There is no ambiguity, no impatience waiting for it. Who could say the same for summer? I for one am glad to pack away the summer shoes and clothes that didn't get much of an airing and happily rummage for warmer knits. Bring it on!

Can You Tell What It Is Yet?

Saturday marked the beginning of Jamie's Birthday Week. My first-born will be ten this week and I am experiencing the confusion that sets in every year at this time. How on earth did that happen? How did that little bundle morph into a fully functioning, intelligent, gorgeous, perfectly-formed boy? It was only just a little while ago we were feeding and changing and bathing him.

Yesterday my parents came over for dinner. It was actually a thank you for them for helping out (as always) but it turned into a mini birthday dinner as they came armed with presents and chocolate birthday cake.

The diet starts again today...

Back to School Blues

"Oh Mum, I don't want to go to school"
"I know, darling. I don't want to go to work either but I have to and you three have to go to school!"

This is part of our morning routine every weekday. I don't think the children even mean it- it's just their daily mantra, part of the rhythm of life here at seven o'clock. By this time I'll have been up for around an hour and I'll have showered and dressed, dried my hair and put on my make-up. In many ways this is one of my favourite times of the day. I love padding about the house while everyone else sleeps. I love hearing the little sounds from their dreams, shuffling and snuffling. The tranquility, of course, is short lived and chaos reigns once I announce it's time to get up.

I suppose then it's only right that on weekends the tables are turned. The children need no cajoling to get out of bed. They delight in making as much noise as possible and there is no chance for us to have a lie-in.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Snapshots are Priceless

Professional portraits are fantastic- they show us at our absolute best, all scrubbed up and looking lovely and will probably be handed down the generations. They're worth every penny in my opinion, but then I would say that, wouldn't I ;-)

On the other hand, snapshots give us a different take on things. This, for example is a snapshot I took on Monday of my lovely Mum and wonderful Aunt. They called round to see me and and the children and I took a quick couple of shots while they were there. I didn't set up any lighting or pop-up backgrounds or direct them into artistic poses, just took a quick snap to remember the afternoon.

Now, as a photographer I can honestly say this is a pretty poor shot- the cluttered distracting background for a start means it would never have been seen by a client. But the cluttered distracting background is what makes a great snapshot to me. How many times have you looked at old photographs and pored over every detail in it? Isn't it fascinating to look at the wallpaper that adorned our grandparents' walls? The detail that illustrates how they lived their lives way back then. Yes, professional portraits are to be treasured but don't stop snapping!

The Magic Ingredient

This is the first picture I've edited from this afternoon's session and isn't she just adorable? Look at those eyes! She is so happy in front of a camera and is a dream to photograph.

Now, anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I'm not one for superstition. I'm pretty well grounded in the real world and have a very pragmatic approach to life. For this reason I hesitate to confess the secret to a good session for me. I have discovered that a shoot will yield good results if I eat a Milky Way in the car en route! I know this flies in the face of logic but it works for me!

Anyone else have strange rituals?

In Your Hands

In Your Hands, originally uploaded by platespinner (will be mostly away until September).

I'm off to shoot two wee Princesses this afternoon. I first shot Junior Princess before she was born during my first maternity session. Now she's up on her tootsies trying to follow big sis. They're gorgeous girls and the pic below is from about a year ago. How time flies...

Hello World!

Day one of my blog and I'm really excited! I'm really looking forward to sharing my work so I thought I'd make a start with a shot of one of my favourite models.

More to follow.
Angela
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