Autumn is here and it’s time for conker fights, kicking through leaves and family photoshoots …

As I walk through the woods with my two Tibetan Terriers, it’s really easy to notice the chance in seasons. The colours of the trees are becoming vibrant, a hint of wood smoke in the air and conkers everywhere (I’m sure when I was younger, there weren’t so many conkers …).

So it’s time to launch another round of family photoshoots. Half term is a great opportunity for families when they are relaxed and have time to spend with each other. When better to book a family photoshoot, on the beach or in the woods, to capture your children doing what they naturally enjoy the most … kicking through leaves, collecting conkers … being children.

And, of course, if you have dogs, they are more than welcome to come along too!

Please do email sam@samanthajonesphotography.co.uk for availability of the sessions.  A great way of spending time with the family and getting images which really do reflect their personalities.

Sessions last between one to one and a half hours and will be in the local vicinity of Faversham and outlying villages (including the seaside) so long enough to get wonderful images but not too long!

Bright and breezy with a little bit of cheese – Nick and Decia at Whitstable

I’m delighted to be joining Nick and Decia for their spring wedding at gorgeous Winters Barns near Canterbury and we decided to meet up for a fast and furious pre-wedding photoshoot at Whitstable. The weather on Saturday was damp and dismal … but Sunday was bright … and incredibly windy!

Some of my brides need a tiny bit of encouragement to let go … Decia is NOT such a bride – her laughter and giggling is infectious and we are going to have no trouble at all getting beautiful and engaging images on their wedding day!

As we strolled through a busy Whitstable Harbour, we found an astronaut …

Nick and Decia’s connection and love for each other was very obvious to see … we stopped traffic, drank coffee and traded stories.

I am so looking forward to their wedding day … oh, and the cheese reference is twofold – cheesy shots may be required on the day to get into the spirit of things … and Decia LOVES cheese! See you both very soon xx

Sweet baby girl and why it pays to upgrade …

I delivered Aoife’s newborn to one year photoshoot album last week. I really didn’t want to let it go … such a great quality product, filled with images chosen by mum and dad and designed by me. A real heirloom.

I’m looking forward to volumes 2, 3, 4 … and to capturing those important moments in this sweet baby girl’s life. There are two price levels for these sessions and you can find out more here or email me sam@samanthajonesphotography.co.uk for more information.

Happy birthday to Ciara – photoparty {sneak peek}

So much fun and so many sparkles! What a fab way to spend a Sunday afternoon … Ciara celebrated her ninth birthday in some style and asked me to come along to capture the fun and frolicks! With a group of ten excited young ladies, we had jumping, posing, “America’s Next Top Model” … you name it, they did it!

So, here’s a couple of pics to make you smile … firstly Ciara with her lovely cousin, Kayleigh …

And with one of her fab friends …

The online gallery will be up soon, promise! Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome and helping me to remember everyone’s names!

If you fancy booking a similar session, do check out my website for more details: www.samanthajonesphotography.co.uk. Prices are very competitive and a great alternative way to entertain!

{If he liked it, then he should have put a ring on it}

New Year’s Eve (and Christmas) often brings great changes to our lives … and none more so than getting engaged!

If you’ve recently got engaged (or he pops the question tonight …), I want to hear your stories! Write me a comment on this post, telling me about your engagement experience: when, where, how …

You may be up with the chance to win a free engagement portrait session with me (more details on my website www.samanthajonesphotography.co.uk) and check out my blog post about engagement photography.

Terms and conditions: please only enter this mini-competition if: you have recently become engaged, ie in November or December 2010; you are getting married in Kent, Essex or Surrey during 2011 or 2012; you are willing to allow use of images taken during the session for promotional purposes by Samantha Jones Photography and sign a release accordingly; you are willing to travel to Faversham (or surrounds) in order to participate in the photoshoot; you haven’t booked your wedding photographer … yet!. Submissions will be open until 31 January 2011 and a voting system then put in place. Please do not enter your full names or any personal information.

Family photoshoot {teaser}

It’s been fantastically busy lately but I just wanted to post a quick teaser from my shoot with this gorgeous trio … their grandma won a portrait session by me in a raffle held recently during a craft fair in Sittingbourne … and I am so glad that she did!

Your online gallery will be up soon but, in the meantime, thank you all so much for making it such fun! I think that this trio were the most creative kids I’ve ever met!

{Photoshoot} with Missy and Maez

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Maez before but hadn’t met her gorgeous chihuahua, Scamp! Missy, Maez and Scamp joined us at a photoshoot organised by the Faversham and District Camera Club (www.favershamanddistrictcameraclub.co.uk) with a variety of different lighting set-ups and some great styling! As the club is getting so large and people are so keen to take photographs, there wasn’t too much time for taking pics myself … however, take a look to see what I did get!

This is Maez …

And this is Missy …

As you can see, the girls have different styling and were both incredibly professional in their approach to the shoot, making it a pleasure for everyone involved (and I got to cuddle Scamp too!).

And a couple of cute ones with Scamp …

Thanks everyone for making it such a successful evening and congratulations to Maez, Missy and Scamp for being such fabulous models!

If you are interested in booking a model photoshoot, do get in touch. You can either drop me an email sam@samanthajonesphotography.co.uk or give me a call: 07786 314973. Based in Faversham but willing to travel!

Ciara and Jacqui {teaser} from Maidstone photographer Samantha Jones

What a great afternoon and what a great little model. Ciara is eight years old and lucky mummy Jacqui won a photoshoot by me at a school fayre that I attended recently.

I know that Ciara is desperate to see some pictures … so take a look!

The online gallery should be ready by the middle of next week … I think you might like a few of the pictures! Thanks again for being such fun and looking forward to February already! x

Two ladies with a very spirtual nature … Samantha Jones Photography photographs two spiritualists

My work as a full-time photographer sees me experiencing lots of different situations … often taking me out of my comfort zone. But not in this case … I met the lovely Susan at a recent event and she asked me to take some up-to-date photographs of her and her colleague, Yvette, for use on their websites. Both of these lovely ladies certainly put me at ease and we had a fun time getting some great images for them to use …

And if you view Susan’s website (www.spiritualnature.co.uk) you can see that she is already using a selection of my images there. And they look great! Susan is based in Ashford and offers clairvoyancy, Reiki Healing and is also a Bach Flower Registered Practitioner. She is contactable either through the number on her site or her email (susan@spiritualnature.co.uk).

And you can read more about Yvette by checking out her site (www.yvettetamara.com). Her email address for contact purposes is yvettejenna@aol.com.

Thanks again ladies for making this shoot so much fun … and hugs to Tia (the cute little dog) too!

Faversham Photographer Samantha Jones, shoots a great {Rock the Frock} session

One of my lovely brides from 2009, Maria (see the wedding pics here: Maria and Rob’s wedding day) agreed to be a model for the day and to get back into her dress! Along with Emily-Rose professional make-up artist (visit her site at www.emilyrosemakeupartist.co.uk), I travelled up to Leybourne Lakes and we Rocked that Frock …

Maria was great and took my directions really well – Emily was also fabulous, both at doing a super makeover and bridal hair, and holding the lights too! Unfortunately, the weather was really cold and threatening rain, but that made for dramatic skies and ever-changing light …

It had started to rain, and Maria’s two children (looked after by mum) were ready to make a move … I think Maria did enjoy her day as a model, Emily and I were really pleased with the shots that we got and thank you to Sandra for minding the babies!

Would love to see your comments below … and I am looking out for a couple more brides who would like to get back into their dresses and be a model for the day … so do drop me a line: sam@samanthajonesphotography.co.uk or give me a call: 07786 314973. You can also visit my website at www.samanthajonesphotography.co.uk too!