Realising the value of the printed image …

Digital files are all the rage at the moment. For my wedding couples, a memory stick of digital files in high resolution and fully edited with a personal licence is part of the package. But not always with lifestyle or family photoshoots. I like my clients to end up with something tangible, something that they can display on their wall, put in a frame, look at when they come back home and enjoy. Not a disc that will, inevitably, get scratched, become corrupt, not be read by a computer. In fact, there was an interesting post recently by the boss of Google which you can read here in which he said that it is “time to start preserving the vast quantities of digital data which are produced before they are lost forever” and that “the 21st century could become a second “Dark Ages” because so much data is now kept in digital format, he said that future generations would struggle to understand our society because technology is advancing so quickly that old files will be inaccessible”.

I am happy to sell digital files to my customers but fear that the disc or memory stick may languish forgotten in a drawer or the back of a bookshelf. Some of my clients opt to have an album of their wedding and this fills me with joy, after all, how would I know what my parents looked like on their wedding day if their photographer hadn’t printed the results …

My mum, who is sadly no longer with us, looked amazing …

My dad, ever so handsome …

And this is my granddad and my auntie …

I can remember going on school trips and writing down, very carefully, against a numbered list where I had taken a photo. And then the exciting wait to get the prints back from Boots … there was no deleting, no overwriting of memory cards (there was, of course, the odd failure to put a film in properly … ) and I still have packets and packets of photos (probably in my dad’s loft). But they are there to serve as a memory. Of bad hair, questionable footwear and Deirdre Barlow glasses. Oh yes …

Well, I’m obviously NOT going to post a pic of those glasses! So even though I can include digital files, the prints and products that I have on offer will create the most amazing memories for you and your families and the generations to come.

(With apologies to my sister – I was in contact lenses by then but she still had those glasses)

OK, yes, that’s me. Always had an unusual relationship with food … so get prints. Seriously, print out your images. You’ll thank me!

Blossom …

A quick personal post to end the week before I’m off to second shoot a wedding on Saturday at The Orangery and then to exhibit at Bridgewood Manor wedding fair on Sunday.

The majority of my photography is for my clients and I tend to hang up the camera when I’m not working.

But last week, in the garden, whilst testing out a new lens, I saw this …

It’s so quintessentially spring. It epitomises the change in seasons that we are so lucky to have in the UK. Sadly, now that the winds and rain have returned, the blossoms are falling and the time is nearly past.

But it will be summer soon … have a fabulous weekend, whatever you are doing and just stop, once in a while, to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us all. xx

We’re going to the zoo {personal}

I often work at the weekends, either for family photoshoots or, more often, weddings. So it’s quite nice to be able to schedule a couple of hours in my diary to go with my family to Howletts. We bought a yearly card … and realised that it runs out at the end of this week!

I took my camera too – and wow, is my niece a poser???!!!

Even the monkeys love her!

My dad is a very keen photographer and my niece was interested to see the photos that he had been taking too!

And the sun nearly shone. And it was nearly warm. But back to editing for me now! Enjoy the rest of your Easter half term break!

It’s a wide world on the world wide web …

It’s always interesting for any blogger to see where their blogs are being read. The search terms are also quite interesting and I must admit that I do get quite a few hits because I share my name with one of the characters in Sex and the City. But I just thought I’d show you the geographical spread of my blog hits over the last year … and to say a big hello to everyone who has enjoyed, shared and commented on my posts.

Not surprisingly, my largest amount of hits comes from the UK but my blog has also been visited from as far afield as the Maldives, Aruba and Armenia. I hope you enjoy what you find here and it really does show that the internet is a wonderful and world wide place!

Thank you … no, thank you!

It’s always lovely to keep in contact with my couples after their weddings. And even nicer to receive a thank you card – in today’s society of social media and email, to receive a handwritten note in the post surely brightens up any photographer’s day:

From Emma and Luke …

And from Kily and Ed …

It’s thanks to gorgeous couples like you (and, of course, all of my other lovely couples) who make my work worthwhile. To be a part of your celebrations is such fun and a true honour that you have asked me to capture the emotion and love of your wedding days.

Thank you to all of you, those past and those to come xx

What a difference a day makes … {personal}

Those of you who know me or who follow my blog may know that we have a Tibetan Terrier called Alfie. You may have met him or just heard me talk about what a perfect puppy he is (at 18 months, can we still call him a puppy?).

Anyway, today was haircut day. So, of course, I photographed him yesterday … and then just now. Top left was yesterday …

He can see! We’ve decided to have his “top knot” cut off … and he’s running around like a crazy thing, probably because he can see! And, naturally, whilst he was off at the groomer’s, Ginge decided to bring in a mouse … which was nice …

A walk by the seaside and a chance for some {time out}

It’s been super busy lately. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining at all! Taking beautiful and memorable images is part of my daily life and I decided, on this wonderful day full of sunshine, to take some time out … just for me. Alfie, my little Tibetan Terrier (boy has he changed since that picture …) joined me on the beach, just five miles from where we live.

And here’s what I saw …

As we walked along, it amazed me how much detritus there is on just a short section of the beach … but beautiful shapes and shadows and textures too.

And yes, that is a skull in the top left hand of the next montage …

I just took one lens with me, my lovely 85mm f1.8 … it makes you think more about setting up the shot rather than just clicking away …

And here’s an up-to-date pic of our little one …

He’s almost fully grown now and celebrates his first birthday in December. What a year it’s been … and it’s not over yet! Enjoy the sunshine wherever you are – it’s back to work for me now!

Something a little bit different from my “normal” photography … no people!

Well, I guess that’s not strictly true. There were people driving the tractors. Alfie (my Tibetan Terrier) and I went out for an early morning stroll, enjoying this delightful weather that the UK has at the moment – temperatures topping at 28.5 degrees, believe it or not! Anyway, we were walking through some woodland, when we came across the preparations for the East Kent Ploughing Match. I didn’t want to get too close … those things look sharp … but here’s a couple of images to show that, five minutes away from the town where I live, there is gorgeous countryside … and ploughing!

Tents had been put up and I could see a traction engine smoking in the distance. And shire horses too. Alfie and I decided not to hang around too long … and wandered back through the woods where the light (always so important for photographers) was perfect … enjoy the autumn colours!

And if you want to see Alfie in action (not taken today … but in the same field), here he is …

I have a new man in my life – meet {Alfie}

For those of you who know me personally, or who follow my updates on Facebook and Twitter, you may have seen that we have a new addition to the household … Alfie is a Tibetan Terrier who was born on 18 December 2010. He is growing by the day and has the hugest feet – good for walking on snow, apparently, as Tibetan Terriers were given to travellers as a good luck charm and for safety when they were traversing the snowy valleys.

Bringing a puppy into a household can be a fraught time – I’ve never had a dog before so I need to train myself as much as I need to train Alfie. He has already come with me on some photoshoots and is meeting lots of new people. He is an excitable little one, who loves to show his affection by biting … which worried me at first but now I realise that he is just saying “hello” and that it is normal for puppies. We will be going to puppy training because we all want to have a dog of whom we can be proud and not scared.

Anyway, here’s a pic of our new little man, who has already found his way into our hearts …

If you book a shoot with me or we arrange a meeting, do let me know if you like dogs … as Alfie may well be joining us!

{End of Year Accounts}

It’s that time of the year when everyone (apart from the very, very organised) are sorting out their year-end accounts. Unfortunately, I am not one of those very organised people, so I put aside today to start to work on my figures.

One of my cats, Gato, decided to come and help …

One of the great things that helped me get through the day was that, as I was filling out my cash book (or Excel spreadsheet …), I kept coming up with names of brides and grooms from the early part of 2009, babies, families, companies … it was like a fabulous trip down memory lane. And remembering their wedding days, the fun, the tears, the rain …

I am so looking forward to seeing what this year brings – and to getting my accounts finalised too!