Category: Announcements

Worthing Maternity Photography | Becky & Darryll | Bump to Baby

A fine, warm Sunday afternoon proved to be a fabulous setting for a Worthing Maternity Photography shoot. Becky is a brilliant make up artist & beauty therapist so while chatting via a mutual wedding client we touched on her then secret pregnancy, and her desire to have a Bump to Baby shoot. Becky didn’t have a hard time convincing her partner, Darryll, that pregnancy photography was a necessary rite of passage for an expecting mum! We chose a lifestyle maternity photography session as it enabled us to get more creative and touch on who they are as a couple in their familiar environment, which in this case was Worthing, right on the seafront.

Becky had set up a Pinterest board full of her likes and dislikes for her Bump to Baby shoot, and as always, we use that as a starting point from which we brainstorm ideas and get down to the nitty gritty of the Worthing Maternity Photography session. Using their home first we were able to take some beautiful shots (and some more fun ones) in what will be the baby room.

As the lovely golden hour was setting in we took a stroll towards Worthing seafront passing a putting green on the way. As Darryl is a keen golfer (and Becky a golf widow) it was befitting to use this as a backdrop!

Worthing seafront was pretty quiet, a perfect time for those warm light pregnancy portraits. I fell in love with the symmetry of the sun shelter, a great frame to personalise their images.

A quick dip in the wet sand before we headed back to their home for one last picture!

Becky looks absolutely stunning at 31 weeks pregnant, they are going to be such lovely parents! I cannot wait for the end of November to meet their newborn and continue with the baby photography session.

Matt & Jen | The Live Proposal

This is a short story all about Matt & Jen and their Live Proposal at the Angmering Bluebells Wood.

When Matt contacted me in May about doing his and Jen’s wedding photography in September we talked about how all wedding collections come with a test shoot. This would prove to be a tactical move as Matt hadn’t actually proposed by this point. Matt told me how he and Jen were pushing the wedding through quickly as there were key family members they would love to be able to attend before it becomes too difficult for them to make the journey overseas, but as they had been living together for some years and had a young son together, the actual proposal was just a tradition that had not yet been met.

Matt mentioned that Jen loved the outdoors, nature and was a big fan of the bluebells that covered the forest floors this time of the year, so we booked a date in at the soonest opportunity to catch the tail end of the blooms under the guise of it being a formality and a great chance to grab the three of them in a portrait.

I had mentioned to Matt that before proposing we leave it 15/20 mins so they all get used to having me and my cameras in close proximity. I have to say, I was waiting with baited breath for THE MOMENT to happen! My long lens was out to give them as much space as possible (for the tech geeks out there, I was shooting with a couple of Canon 5D mkii’s and switching between *The Beast* 70-200 f2.8L mkii and *The Tank* 24-70 f2.8L. *The Fave* 50mm f1.2L was decommissioned for this shoot, but a bag of mini cheddars and a pull-back car proved useful). Matt, Jen and Stanley wandered through the woodland acting natural during this time. Although we were at the tail end of the bloom of the Bluebells, they were still an impressive sight to see blanketing the ground of the woodland at Angmering Park Estate

After about an hour (the suspense is killing me by this point!) Stanley is happy perched on a tree stump with some snacks and toys while we “practise posing techniques” with Matt & Jen.

Matt pops back to the bag for a moment before declaring “One last picture”… and there it is, THE MOMENT we’ve all been waiting for happens. The Live Proposal! He drops down on one knee and asks Jen if she will marry him! Obvs, blog fam, she said YES otherwise we wouldn’t be sharing this story together. Jen seemed genuinely surprised at the timing as Matt had always said to her he had it (the proposal) in hand. A very humble romantic, it seems, Matt had used one of Jen’s Grandmother’s rings and had it remade into an engagement ring. How sweet is that! What a talking point for the future.

Massive congratulations to Matt & Jen on their Engagement (finally!!), I’m looking forward to your wedding…. let me know if you are planning any more surprises…

Fiona x

Master Photographers Association

We’re still in the first quarter of the year so I am very pleased to have ticked off another item on my “Things I hope to Achieve” list for this year. I have been awarded my Licentiateship with the Master Photographers Association. As well as now being an accredited photographer with 2 professional associations, I also get more fancy letters after my name and more mentoring and support I hope in the coming years to help me shape and grow in who I am as a photographer.

An added bonus of attending my qualification assessment is that it was taking place at The Photography Show at the NEC Birmingham. As a trade member with the Master Photographers Association I was able to get free tickets for my husband and I. We had a lovely stay in a hotel in Stratford upon Avon the night before which was a real treat for us… a small spa, a fancy restaurant and a sleep without little ones climbing in our bed in the wee hours!

Thankfully Tom loves tech and gear in all forms so he wasn’t too bored being dragged around the exhibitions with me, being silly on some of the stands and even enjoying some of the seminars that were available (and keeping me from overspending in geek heaven!). The tips, tricks and ideas I have walked away with are buzzing around my head and I can’t wait to implement them in my upcoming weddings.

For my MPA qualification, much like the assessment with the British Institute of Professional Photography earlier this month, a working profile is required which is a book describing you, your business, your policies and procedures, workflow and finally a description of all the images included in the panel. This was the hardest part again, but once I decided to throw their suggested format out of the window and design my own pages that complemented my branding the whole process flowed much easier…. that rebel inside just won’t be quieted!

The way the Master Photographers Association like to have the images presented are in two lines of 10. The top 10 from 1 wedding and the lower from a varied selection so the completed panel would look like this:

With a massive thank you again to all my lovely Brides and Grooms that make these images possible, here’s the panel that I submitted for my successful Licentiate qualification with the Master Photographers Association:

Fiona xx

British Institute of Professional Photography

You may have read in one of my previous blogs that one of my aims for this year was to submit my work to be assessed for a Licentiateship with the British Institute of Professional Photography in the category of Weddings. Since joining the Institute this time last year I have been closely mentored by Chris Harper FBIPP (and also CEO of the BIPP). Attending courses and taking constructive feedback on the chin has really helped challenge me to improve how I compose, shoot and edit an image. I can really see the difference in a year!

This February Chris suggested I apply for my Licentiate, with assessments taking place in March. Basically, the British Institute of Professional Photography has taken over my life for a very intense month or so. With help from Chris to put together my portfolio of images, I was very kindly given a small extension with which to write my supporting evidence. A book that documents how I began, where I am at now and how I hope to grow in the future. It also shows my working process, how I interpret client briefs and customer feedback. This workbook was the hardest part!

So……. Today I was assessed, and YAY!! I was awarded a Licentiateship in the British Institute of Professional Photography. I can use the letters LBIPP after my name and here’s a new fancy-pants logo I can incorporate into my marketing:

This is what the BIPP have to say about qualifications, “Recognised across the world as a benchmark of excellence, our tiered qualification structure offers photographers continual professional development. There are three qualifications, each reflecting increasing levels of experience, skill and achievement; Licentiateship, Associateship and Fellowship”

The assessors had some very kind words to say about my images but also offered some golden nuggets of how I could improve and what I could develop to take my art to the next level.

I am really looking forward to this next year or so, developing my craft and working towards the next qualification with the support and guidance of my mentor. The additional development tool I can now consider is whether I choose to complete a degree. The work submitted for my LBIPP can be assessed and awarded up to 240 points towards a BA(Hons) Photography with the Open College of the Arts (basically it could count as 2 years of a 3 year degree). I need to weigh up if I have: a) the time to do this; and b) the money, as the cost would be equivalent to a new camera and lens I’ve got my eye on!

Anyhow, I’ll think about that and leave you the images to peruse from my Licentiate Portfolio for the British Institute of Professional Photography while I pour myself a glass of vino and scoff some well deserved cake!

Fiona xx

Inspired for 2016

As 2015 drew to a close and the New Year came in, I’ve been following many people’s offerings of their “Best of 2015” posts. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think it is a lovely way to cap off the year, but during November and December my feet barely touched the ground!! For this reason, as soon as the school term ended I shut the door to my studio and focused on relaxing with my family, playing games with my children, watching a ton of Disney movies and hanging out with my husband….oh, and lets not forget training our crazy puppy too! Writing a blog, or even reflecting on the year was out of the question.

Back to January, the girls are back at school, the decorations are down and packed away, I’ve eaten practically enough food to feed a small nation, my husband is in his studios upstairs squirrelling away with some Pro Tools upgrade and the dog has been walked to the point of exhaustion. Now, finally, I can sit at my desk and look forward to what this year has in store. Looking back on many of the shoots from 2015 has a multi purpose. Initially, I get that warm fuzzy feeling as I remember pivotal moments and scenes, but next I get the projection of “how can I improve this?” and “how can I grow from this?”

Rather than setting resolutions where you “give something up” for New Year, I want to voice my hopes and aspirations while setting myself some challenges. If you are reading this I am making myself accountable to you. So, here goes…..Being Inspired for 2016…I’ll keep you updated along my journey!

MY FAMILY

I would love to take more pictures of my family. My iPhone, although regularly out taking a snap, just doesn’t cut it. My DSLR comes out for special occasions (maybe I’m too precious with it!) but I would really like to treat myself to a great quality compact/bridge camera to keep to hand or in my handbag so I can just whip it out whenever to capture my nearest and dearest through their adventures. For the techies out there, my beady eye is on the Fuji X100T system. Mmmmmmm, hello!! A bit more saving, and a bit more research, I’m hoping to make 2016 the year for it….and not get so bogged down with the household chores that distract me from photo taking!!

BUMP TO BABY

As a Photographer in Chichester I’ve been loving getting more into Bump to Baby shoots this last couple of years, my prop collection is growing, my baby-sleeping timings getting better and my shoot to wee ratio is getting smaller (some babies make up for this though!!). I also came 2nd in a maternity photo competition for Twenty 20 (see the pic here). Some things that are inspiring me for 2016 are: To become more creative with my styling and improve upon my prop collection; Provide more photo books…I use Graphistudio for all my photo books, they have launched a great product called the Baby Book, it is the perfect sized keepsake to add to the photographic collection of a family after they welcomed their new addition. It saddens me to hear about all these wonderful images people have that never see the light of print, instead gathering dust somewhere on a USB stick or disk in a drawer. N.B. The bumps do exist, I tend not to share these publicly however as many of the mums-to-be are in a state of undress they may not want the world to see! I have a select few on my portfolio should you wish to see.

WEDDINGS

By now you should know I LOVE WEDDINGS!!!! I have been really lucky to have met some great couples who have wanted to experiment and push the boat out creatively for their collection of images. I would love to do this more! I love using Pinterest, photography magazines, blogs to keep up with current trends and new ideas and techniques. I am inspired for 2016 to be a year where I can really grow in my creativity at weddings. From the early stages of getting ready, to the ceremony, following on to the portraits and the evening’s party. I strive to improve my technicality, my equipment and general photo taking every step of the way. I hope to attend more wedding photography workshops this year and seminars presented by the leaders in the wedding photography field. Not only are they great fun to attend, I always return with a wealth of new knowledge that I am eager to practise!

BIPP & MPA QUALIFICATIONS

Lat year I was accepted as a Provisional Member of 2 professional photography associations: The British Institute of Professional Photography and the Master Photographers Association. This in itself was a proud moment for me as only approximately 30% of applicants are accepted! I have attended workshops, met new people and been very inspired! This is the year I hope to achieve my first qualifications with them. There are 3 levels: Licentiate; Associate; Fellow. I hope to have passed my “L” in both this year (and learn to pronounce it!!). A bonus will be that achieving this will go towards a BA in Photography too. Some of the images above I hope to use in my submission for qualification, my genre being Wedding Photography. The hardest part I am imagining (after the picture taking of course) will be learning how to self-critique at a high level, constantly seeking even the most minute details to improve upon… then learning when to stop!! Oh, and writing the actual submission. That will also be a challenge, but an inspired one, I hope.

BAND PHOTOGRAPHY

I am really fortunate to be married to my husband. He is a bloody good chap!! He is also a very talented musician and music producer…because of this, he often gets me involved if he needs something visually creative. I have been involved in music videos, from the stunningly simple to the ridiculously complicated; Photo shoots for promo’s and websites, tours and publicity, and, public events that need documenting. I’m a lucky girl!! I have met some amazing bands and artists who inspire me with their music, their craft and their passion. I can’t wait to get my teeth into the new artists that will walk through the door this year and provide a visual service that compliments their audio one!

This is quite a lot to think about and focus on this year, and there will be more I’m sure! I love making lists, it really helps me to focus on what I need to do, when and how, so this blog will serve me as my list of how I hope to be Inspired for 2016. I can’t wait to check things off the list and update you as I achieve some of my challenges and realise my hopes.

Happy New Year everybody, and be Inspired for 2016!!

Never Work With Children or Animals……

For years I’ve heard people say to me “never work with children or animals”. Not being one to do as I’m told, one day I thought I’d give it a try.

What’s the worse that could happen I wondered?? Collapsed set? Tears & tantrums? Accidents of the bodily fluid type? Being bitten? My camera being used to stir sand?

A few years on, I can say: Yep, pretty much all of the above has happened, and more!! But what no one ever mentioned was how much fun it is….the smiles from these cute kids as they try and suss me and the camera out; the hilarity of a dog trampling and slobbering all over the set; random toddlers who want to join in and play despite screaming blue murder 5 minutes before. Then I’ve got parents in my periphery vision doing ANYTHING to get their kids to smile and laugh. I should have a candid camera set up just for the potential YouTube clips.

Yeah, so my knees ache from cruising around on a hard floor. My coffee gets cold and I always miss the Toddler Group cake, but the best thing?? I get to play with the toys!!