I visited young Leo Jacob today … at just six days old, he is strong and lively … and here he is …

I have to thank my mum for knitting the gorgeous stripy hat and the blanket! Thanks mum!

I couldn’t be prouder of Hollie and am so looking forward to watching Leo grow and be cherished by his family.

Such exciting times … my boyfriend’s daughter, Hollie, gave birth to her baby son, Leo Jacob, last Thursday. I was her birth partner, and alongside Hollie’s mum and the fabulous staff, helped bring him into the world on a cold, snowy night in the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. He weighed in at 7lb 5oz and has dark, curly hair. Not having any children myself, I wasn’t really prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of childbirth … Hollie was wonderful, following all the guidelines that we had learnt at the ante-natal classes and I felt honoured to be there and it is certainly an experience that I shall never forget.

You have been warned … Leo is probably going to feature in a few blog posts in the future …

Merry Christmas everyone – we have our own reason to celebrate at this special time!

I had the pleasure of photographing a Christmas celebration at Risborough Barracks. I had a great background provided for me to work with and a very festive theme …

I love doing photobooths and I think that everyone certainly joined in the spirit of the celebrations … my largest group was 10, which was a bit of a squeeze … but I also had great fun with the couple shots …

I must admit that I haven’t laughed so much at such an event … the whole group had to sing for their supper … to the theme of the “Twelve Days of Christmas”. After an initial explanation …

each table had one of the twelve days to sing … and had to do it in rotation … it was a great way of involving everyone and, despite laughing so much, I still managed to get a couple of shots …

I do hope that you all enjoyed the evening and that Santa brought you all some lovely gifts. Thank you again for making me feel so very welcome!

I was so pleased to met Heidi yesterday … all of 11 weeks old. She is daughter to a long-time friend of mine, Judy and her husband Mike … I shot their wedding last year and wanted to see them before they start another chapter in their lives …

She has the most gorgeous smiles … which I think I captured … she certainly liked the sheepskin rug!

I am so glad that I had the chance to meet Heidi and I hope that we will all keep in contact … even though you will be on the other side of the world …

I met Sophie and Paul on a very wet and rainy day … we’ve had a lot of that in the UK recently. However, they both have something special to celebrate … their baby is due in January and Sophie is turning 21 today (congratulations)!

They certainly both entered into the spirit of the shoot … in fact, they were both laughing so much that it was difficult to get them to look mean and moody … I knew that the shots would work really well in black and white …

but that’s also due to the fact that Sophie and Paul don’t know the sex of their baby … cheeky little thing was hiding during the scan so it’s going to be a surprise!

Oh, and I forgot to mention another reason to celebrate …

they are getting married too! Thanks to you both for making the session such fun and looking forward to meet your new baby in the New Year!

I am so excited about my new joint venture – I found Liz through an advert in Southern View and noticed that, although she offers belly bump painting (or gestational painting), she didn’t have any pictures to illustrate her talents. So we got together this week, along with Hollie (who, you might guess, is due to have her baby on Christmas Eve) and here are the results:

Liz produced several designs and she and Hollie discussed them, before deciding on a very Christmassy theme. Here is a detail shot:

And the full picture …

Liz and I are offering a joint session for pregnant mums – it’s a time to sit down, relax and enjoy the sensational of having a unique design painted onto your bump – Hollie said that she found it very relaxing and that baby was very active and moving towards the brush! I then offer a portrait session so that you can have some beautiful images and memories of the experience (the paint will wash off and should not stain your skin) as I imagine it would be quite difficult to see the whole picture for yourself!

Liz’s website is www.whizzbangfacepainting.co.uk (click here), her contact number is 01622 858750 and email is whizzbang@virgin.net. She is based in Lenham, near Maidstone, but is prepared to travel within reason. Liz also offers face painting and temporary tattoos which is great entertainment for parties, weddings, fun days and corporate events.

You can contact either of us to discuss the joint session (my contact number is 07786 314973 and email is samanthajonesphotography@live.co.uk).

Hope to hear from you soon!

I had the pleasure of meeting Janet, the owner of “Deli Cakes” at a recent networking seminar – she had the most unusual business cards I’ve ever seen …

Janet is based in Kings Hill and offers free delivery within the ME19 area. She is happy to discuss wedding, christening and birthday cakes, special celebration cakes (such as naming ceremonies) and corporate cakes.

Please do give Janet a call on 01732 843518 and mention my name … I am sure that she will be happy to discuss all your cake requirements!

Photography has opened many doors for me and has given me the chance to photograph and capture moments in time. I was asked to document the service held at the Memorial Gardens in Faversham, Kent on Remembrance Sunday. I am honoured to post some images of the service and overjoyed to her a proud mother tell of her daughter’s important role …

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

I have the most gorgeous niece. There, I said it and it’s true. I had a fab visit from my sister and my niece last Friday … Charlotte goes to Baby Ballet each week and, of course, we just had to take some pictures with her in her sweet little outfit …

It was so relaxed and my sister had some great ideas for posing … but Charlotte is certainly her own woman already and was a super little model …

The set-up for these pictures is simple and unobtrusive. Photographs should be fun and not a chore. We also got some photos with just available light and I will leave you with my sister’s favourite shot, which she called the “Mona Lisa Smile” …

My gorgeous little niece is very special to all of us … hugs {xxx}

I am really pleased to put up this guest blog post from Helen Carter – as a wedding photographer, I have come across some wonderful planners who have really helped their couples, both before and on the day. I was interested to ask Helen a few questions, and here are her responses:

1. Why did you decide to become a wedding planner?

I first became interested in becoming a wedding planner after planning my own wedding, but it took a few years before I took the plunge and launched my own business. Organisation has always been one of my strongest skills (I’m obsessed with lists and spreadsheets!), and I love working through the logistics and finer details of wedding arrangements. I’m also quite design-oriented, so being a wedding planner seemed the perfect opportunity for combining my creativity and organisational talents.

2. What services do you offer? Are there different levels of assistance that you can give?

Some couples want someone to take care of all the arrangements because they simply don’t have the time themselves or live in a completely different location to that of their wedding. However, there are lots of brides who need help with a specific aspect of their planning, or want someone to take the reins at a later stage so they can relax and enjoy the build up to their big day.

I probably have one of the widest ranges of wedding planning services in my area. In addition to full wedding planning, I also provide partial planning, venue and supplier sourcing, final weeks management, wedding day management, invitation and RSVP management and venue decoration. Every couple is different, so I can tailor the level of my involvement to their individual requirements to design a planning service that meets their exact needs. I also have a DIY wedding planning package that’s ideal for brides who want to plan their own wedding but aren’t sure where to start, which includes personally designed planning software and 5 hours of e-mail or telephone support.

3. How important do you think it is for couples to consider enlisting the services of a wedding planner?

I actually believe that a wedding planner is as essential as a photographer or caterer, and I’m not just saying that because it’s my job! Planning a wedding is fun and exciting, but it requires a lot of time, effort and organisation that mean it can often feel stressful and overwhelming. Hiring a wedding planner means that a couple can hand over all of the time consuming work, allowing them more time to enjoy their engagement whilst still making all the decisions.

Hiring a planner isn’t for everyone, and there are lots of brides that do a fantastic job of designing and organising their own wedding. However, I would definitely recommend that couples seriously consider hiring a planner for the wedding day if nothing else. They’ve spent so much time and money up to this point, the last thing the bride or her mum want is to be worrying about whether everything is going to go to plan. A wedding planner will create a schedule for the day, add the finishing touches to the venue, act as an emergency point of contact for all of your suppliers and deal with any little hiccups to make sure the day runs smoothly and on time without any fuss.

4. What geographical area do you cover?

I predominantly cover Essex, London and Hertfordshire, although I’ve also worked with couples in Kent, Cambridgeshire and Surrey. My fees cover travel within 50 miles of my base in Essex, but I’m quite happy to travel further afield if required.

5. What is the most unusual thing that you have been asked to provide?

I haven’t had any particularly unusual requests as yet. Every couple is different and every wedding is unique, so I’m always looking at ways in which the wedding design will reflect the bride and groom’s personalities, tastes and interests. Quite often the bride and groom have different backgrounds or cultures and want to incorporate elements of both into the day. Short of a bride wanting to arrive at the church on an elephant, I would say pretty much anything is possible and there isn’t much that would faze me!

Thanks so much to Helen for her informative responses and to Stephen Sutton Photography (www.stephensutton.co.uk) for kind permission to use images on Helen’s behalf. Helen’s website is www.helencarterweddings.co.uk and you can reach her by email at helen@helencarterweddings.co.uk. Helen also has a special offer of 20% off all services booked before 31st January 2010 – for full details click here, so it couldn’t be a better time to get in contact!