Well it's certainly been a busy 6 weeks! With the bluebell season pretty much over, it will be a mixture of studio and outdoor sessions for me now, rather than mostly location. This is great news and my hay fever has been getting a bit out of control so it will be nice to let it calm down.

May is fully booked, and apart from a few newborn emergency slots, I am at maximum capacity, with 20+ sessions to go before the month is out.

I am having an operation on the 1st of June so will be out of action for a couple of weeks, and am back to work on the 13/6. Therefore I am now taking bookings for the week commencing the 15/6.  Saturday availability is very limited, with the first slot available being the 4th of July, followed by the 15th of August. Sundays are my only days off so I prefer not to take any sessions, but if you are desperate and are are happy to pay the Sunday premium then please get in touch and I'll see what I can do.

I am looking for a couple of models for a new project but my needs are quite specific - so if you know anyone that fits the brief, please do let me know. I am looking for 4 children in total

- girl and boy aged 4-5
- girl and boy aged 10-12

The requirements are that they need to be children I have not photographed before, and they mustn't be camera shy. I am looking for big, striking eyes, lots of hair ( i.e either long, or lots of curls, or Afro hair) , and of course personality. I also love long hair on boys, and dark or olive skin would also be great ( not essential).

So if you think your child is particularly striking, please send me a photo via email HERE and I will come back to you by the last week May if you are successful. Payment will be with digital files - these are very valuable, as you can blow your images up to as large as you please! A model release will need to signed.

I will leave you with an image of one of my favorite little models - Shea. She is stunning little girl and I used lots of images of her when I initially launched my business.


 

Today is Sunday, and I am sitting in front of my computer with lots and lots of work to do...which made me think. What are the things I can compromise on a little, that are time consuming, and a "nice to have", rather than a "must have"? Many came to mind, with sneak previews being one of them. But I love you to have a little taster from the session, especially as proofs are taking 3-4 weeks at the moment. So, what I have decided to do from now on, is to sneak preview just  one or two images from the session. This means you will be able to see them bigger too!

The other thing that will happen is the watermark will be a bit stronger. Why?

Well...it has come to my attention that often images are pulled from my website and blog, and then used  on Facebook profiles or in photo galleries. I really don't mind if you do that providing you then put a link back to my website, as its good for my business. But it is still nice to be asked. I am more than happy to provide a full set of Facebook files, of any images that have been purchased in the past. These can be freely used on the internet, with a link back to my website. Please remember, unless you have permission to use the image, then you are breaching copyright law.

Which leads me nicely to the last issue I think needs clarifying. Which is, when you buy a print, you buy a print. You are not buying the copyright to it. Therefore any form of reproduction of that print, is definitely breaching copyright. So scanning the print, and blowing it up on a canvas or putting it on a mug, or anything like that if fact, is illegal. The biggest thing that bothers me about this is that the quality of anything blown up from a 10" by 8" print will not be good, and nowhere near comparable to a properly produced canvas. Next thing, my name is then associated with a low quality reproduction. For those of you who know me well, you will know this is my worst nightmare, as quality control and attention to detail is very important to me. My other issue with anyone doing this, is that it directly affects my livelihood. Copying/scanning  others people work is not legal!

This is why several photographers I know do not sell loose prints at all...everything is framed or already offered on canvas. I have considered this route but don't think it would work for me, however some changes will be made soon.

I am sorry if this seems like a bit of a rant, but it needs to be said. Most of my clients are absolutely lovely, and would never dream of doing any of the above. But its a small world and news travels fast down the grapevine. So when I get a call where someone says - "Can I please have a large framed portrait in those lovely frames, same as you did for xyz, you know the one that looks all nice and soft focus" , and I know that xyz purchased 10" by 8" prints, it makes me feel very let down...and the 'soft focus" bit kills me - it basically means it's pixelated and out of focus! Something my images are certainly not...and I certainly don't appreciate my name associated with low quality products.

Just a quick update for you all. April is now completely booked and apart from a couple of newborns waiting, all the sessions are gone. Therefore please if you do have a session booked, please ensure that you give me plenty of notice if there is any reason you cannot make it. If you really would like an April sitting I can put you on a waiting list in the event of possible cancellations.

The first available sitting is now in the week commencing the 4th of May . The first available weekend is the 13th of June.

I will be away week commencing the 5th of April in the Dorset area , so if you fancy a session on one of the gorgeous beaches please let me know. I will be staying in the Ringwood area.

I am having a routine operation on the 1st of June after which time I will not be taking sessions for a period of 2 weeks, the first one available will be the 13/6.

Lastly I would really appreciate some feedback - over the last few days I have been having some major technical issues and have switched computer screens. As a result of recalibration lots of things now look like they have extremely high contrast - like some of the images on this blog. So do they look like that to you , or is all ok your screen? High contrast means he images are over bright , with no detail in the skin etc....thanks in advance!

Since it is rapidly getting warmer I thought I would blog about the upcoming spring season...for many reasons! One - I have now approximately 40 photo sessions in my diary over the next couple of months. This may not seem like much, but it being just little old me , trust me - this means no sleep for the near future! Many of you waiting for the bluebell sessions are already booked in, but those who have not yet been contacted please do get in touch.

Unfortunately the bluebells can be unpredictable - they tend to start coming up around mid April, but last year it was a bit later. But they only have a a good 2/3 weeks after which time they can look rather tired. So we will just have to wait and see- and hope we don't get rained off , which is what happened last year.

If you are looking for a photo session over the next few months, please do book in advance - 4 weeks preferably, slightly more at the moment. Although I always try to be accommodating (especially with newborns where time is of essence) , unfortunately there is a limit to what I can take on as proofing and editing the images taken up a considerable amount of time.  So if you are looking for a location session, and especially one to do with bluebells please get in touch as soon as possible.

Many of you have emailed me asking about locations - my favourite is South Weald Country Park for bluebells, Thorndon for general location sessions, as well as Belhus Woods, and the nearby Raphaels Park. But I am happy to travel if you know a great location!

Below you will find some favourites of mine I dug up from the archives. Just click on the thumbnails at the bottom to scroll through the images. All images were taking using natural light - which I love.

I came across Essex mums forum some time ago. The forum was set up and is maintained by Louise, who is a mini celebrity having been featured both on radio and many local papers! Louise came to visit me in the studio with her little boy Felix - he now proudly graces the Forum banner - handsome little man!




Essex Mums is a fairly new site (started in March 2008) but already has over  850 members. It is primarily for sharing information about things to  do in Essex, including days out, parent and toddler groups, classes  and more, but is also for general chatter and meeting other parents.

Louise says -

" We have have had new babies, numerous pregnancies (even leading to talk  of there being Essex Mums baby dust!) and many good friends have  been made - this has been the most wonderful thing about it all to  me, seeing people get to know each other and go from mere  acquaintances to real, solid friends. Of course the kids love meeting  up with each other too, and it's been lovely to see them all grow -  hopefully we will continue to see this for years to come."

So if you want to join the community please go to ESSEX MUMS  and sign up.

And Louise... I will see you again asoon when the new baba comes along  !