Beautiful Newborn Photography

So loved all my cuddles today, best little model – she had a few strong views on some of my poses but we compromised  and got some stunning shots 

Sarah and Neil’s Wedding – Kingston upon Thames

What a lovely wedding I have to share with you all today.

Sarah and Neil were married on the 20th of May at the Antoinette hotel in Kingston and I was so lucky to be asked to record their special day. I sharing just a few of my favourite parts and why I genuinely think I have the best job in the world!

Firstly those little details, as guests we often attend weddings, and think oooh how lovely, as a photographer I get to see all the small parts that come together to get that oooh reaction, years in the planning and so worth it. I always make the effort to record these special elements so they can be remembered forever.

Not an obvious thing but I LOVE wedding prep, the nerves, the excitement…

The emotions

The care and attention taken to make the day perfect.

The nervous smiles before it all starts

Thats special mum and daughter photo which I know will be shared amongst their family for years to come.

The proudest Grandad

The rings before they become the symbol of Sarah and Neil’s union

Boys time!

And this, this is why I feel so lucky, I get to stand in front of the bride a groom, I get to see the pride on Dad’s face, I get to record that moment of pure joy! (told you I had the best job in the world)

I get to witness that look of pure love

I get to see how proud their son is all ready for his big moment as ring bearer

And I get to record the sincerity in the promises given in marriage.

I see the tears of joy from the daughter who has help her mum so much of the past year with the planning and preparation

There are the official parts of course.

And then there’s their youngest son who is too excited to wait to the end of the service and has to go give his parents the biggest cuddle.

Its not all about being serious either 🙂

These are the bride’s best friends who want to do something silly to make their friend smile.

The mini model shoot with their daughter as a little surprise!

I get to have fun with the kiddies – honestly there is nothing better than confetti!

The moments they don’t spot me and my camera!

And whilst not a video of the speeches,  I’m sure in several years with this image they will remember exactly what made them laugh so hard.

I see the rest of the world disappear during their first dance

And I get to take the photo the Sarah has told me she has always wanted from her wedding

Its safe to say – this sign is true!

Baby’s first year photography

I always feel a little sad at the end of the first year package as I really love watching little ones grow up.

Little Jasper was no exception, he was grinning from ear to ear in the studio and loved playing with all the toys. We even took a little trip down to the riverside to check out his new walking skills.

With his gorgeous curls and cheeky smile his final session was a big success.

Here’s a little sneak peek of the some of the images we took 🙂

The Perfect Wedding at Warbrook House

I was incredibly happy that Karen and Gavin choose me to take the photos on their special day. We had perfect weather, the perfect venue, the perfect amount of silliness, the perfect amount to seriousness (so not much), the perfect amount for tears – all happy ones of course and most importantly the perfect couple. Here are a few of my favourite shots from their perfect day 🙂

 

A Perfect Wedding

I was lucky enough to photograph Claire and Mark’s wonderfully happy wedding this weekend.

They had one unusual request for me – no posed shots!! Admittedly I did sneak in a couple, but we had the most amazing and fun day. A real celebration, so many smiling faces, it was everything a wedding should be.

Here are a few of my favourites 🙂

   

    

  

  

     

Newborn Baby Photography in Middlesex

I must confess to being terrible at blogging regularly but here goes a little post about todays shoot.

This beautiful little lady is 22 days old today and was a total dream to work with. Lots of clients worry if their newborn shoot takes place once baby is over 14 days old, but all babies are so different, I have worked with lots of babies at 3+ weeks who, just like the gorgeous Mya, are just perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better model and totally smitten parents to work with today.

Introducing Mya | Day 22

 

 

Beautiful Children’s Photography in Surrey

One of my favourite parts of my jobs is seeing little ones grow –  Jasper was all smiles for his first ever photoshoot with me and his second photoshoot was no exception! Hopefully we can make it 3 in a row on his next shoot in a few months 🙂

 

Price Changes July 2015

 

No it’s not bad, after much consultation with many of my regular clients and research I hope this will be a good change for everyone.

Firstly for my lovely, loyal, regular clients…. As a reward for being loyal all clients returning for their 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th or even 5^th shoot (and more) with me will automatically get 15% off their session fees* as a thank you (or an extra free digital if you’re booking a mini session). No referrals needed for this discount, I’m just always really pleased to see you back and hope this is a good way of saying thank you 🙂

 

*product prices are not eligible for discount

Mini sessions will now have 2 options

Option 1: £99 as before, 20 mins session and your choice of 5 digital images – no changes

Option 2: £199 20 mins session and all 15 digital images – new package and a saving on 2014 prices!

Full sessions.

After 3 years at with prices unchanging I have had to raise my sessions fee from £75 to £85, however….

I’m now doing digital packages instead of all the other confusing products, offers and discounts from before. After you shoot you can now choose from either:

10 images on a USB – £295  and for an extra £35 you can also add these images as prints, choose between 5×7, 8×10 or 8×12 size – you know how I love to see work printed

Entire session on USB – £450 this also includes a lovely preview book for your reference and takes approximately 7 working days produce. (for an extra £45 also add these images as prints as above)

 

I’ve also sourced a new supplier of beautiful frames and canvas prints so this has also come down in price too.

20×16 canvas or framed prints £190

20×30 canvas or framed prints £225

There are many different styles and colours but below are a few examples for you from classic, to traditional or my favourite rustic!

^^^^^ My Favourite 🙂 ^^^^^

 

The Cost of Photography

So one of my most frequently asked questions is ‘why does photography cost so much?’ so I thought I’d write a little post to try to explain where the costs come from.

As newborns are my most frequent type of shoot I thought I’d use that as an example.

So using average figures from 2014, the average spend is approx £400 with me on newborn photos:

This is my full time profession so instantly 20% of that goes to tax and 10% to NI

So that’s £280 left.

My camera equipment and props that I bring to your home cost around £4000, sadly they don’t last forever and need to be updated, serviced or replaced so the average cost per shoot to me for this is around £40 (I’ll spare you the maths that got me to that point)

Down to £240

There’s fuel and car expenses to get to and from your home £6

Down to £234

I’m full insured for your protection and mine and invest in training, both safety like first aid and photography every year. Average out at approx £5 per shoot

Down to £229

My website and promotion also costs money again averaging at £4 a shoot

Down to £225

There are other costs like phone, office hire, packaging, the list goes on – but per shoot £6

£219

Then there are the material costs of producing what you buy  averaging at £85

£134

and finally I need to get paid so per hour here’s how I spend my time on one newborn shoot

20 mins on calls, email etc to get everything arranged

1 hour the night before planning your shoot, sorting props and packing up the car

Time to travel to your home and back (average) 40 mins

Average shoot time 3.5 hours

Time to edit your gallery 4 hours

Business time e.g. admin, accounting, marketing etc which if we are breaking this down needs to be averaged out per shoot – 1 hour

time per shoot – 10.5 hours

Therefore I earn approx £12.75 per hour

I truly love photography, and, if I won the lottery I’d probably offer my services for free as a I do genuinely enjoy it that much, however I’m a single mum with bills to pay and a little person to feed so I don’t think £12.75 is too much to expect to be paid for my expertise and talent 🙂

And don’t forget, I don’t get any paid holiday, health or medical cover or even a pension taken into those costs.

 

 

 

Fine Art Photography for children

Just wanted to blog about my new exciting product! As most of you know I usually work with little ones, but I also really love working with older kids. Its an age many parents start to forget about having photos done which is such a shame as I think its when you get to see the first real glimmers of the wonderful person they are becoming whilst being able to record the child they still are….