Tag: family portraits

Offering family portraits both on locations and in the studio in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Photographing your family in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, London, East Sussex, England

Reasons For a Maternity Photo Shoot

REASONS FOR A MATERNITY PHOTO SHOOT

You are counting down the days until the arrival of your little one which is a truly magical experience and you might be considering having a maternity photo shoot. However you may feel unsure about this because of the changes to your body and even possibly the cost.

In this blog I will go through the seven reasons for a maternity photo shoot….there are of course more than seven! But these are the one I feel are the most important.

DOCUMENTS YOUR JOURNEY INTO MOTHERHOOD

A maternity photo shoot is about documenting the incredible journey that pregnancy is and allows you to focus on the new life your body is creating. This is a moment you won’t get back whether you’ve been pregnant before or plan to have more. Each pregnancy can be different and bring its own set of challenges. This photoshoot is about your own journey into motherhood and will remind you of the excitement and joy that comes with pregnancy.

TIME FOR YOU TO FEEL FABULOUS

Often during pregnancy you might not feel your best. The changes to your body and hormones can really have an effect on how you feel about yourself. Maternity photoshoots are the perfect reason to do your hair and makeup and spend some time for you to revel in the beauty of your body and all the amazing work it’s been doing! So many ladies come in and tell me they don’t feel beautiful, but by the time we are finished the shoot every single one has left feeling fabulous!

QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR PARTNER

Another reason for a maternity photo shoot is that it’s a great opportunity to spend time with your partner and to reflect on the life you have created together. So much will change once your baby arrives so getting a photograph of your family before, is a beautiful memory to capture. A maternity photo shoot with your partner is a real bonding experience and gives you time to focus on each other.

REVEAL THE GENDER

A maternity photo shoot can be a fun way to reveal the gender of your baby. There are so many fun ways to announce your little ones gender and it’s become increasingly popular. You can be as creative as you like with the photos. You could even use the images as a way to reveal the baby’s name or your due date.

CAPTURE THE JOY AND ANTICIPATION

Having a maternity photo shoot is a never ending reminder of those feelings of excitement, joy and anticipation of waiting for the arrival of your little one. Once baby is here we can easily forget how we looked or how we felt during pregnancy (well we always remember the hard parts, like nausea, back pain etc!) son maternity shoot capture you as a reminder of all the amazing things your body did. You will never regret having a photograph of this moment. After all most women only experience pregnancy a few times.

YOU CAN SHOW THEM TO YOUR CHILD IN THE FUTURE

In a few years your child will ask you about where they came from. This is a great reason to have a maternity photo shoot because it gives you beautiful images to show your child of them growing inside you. They will be able to see the love and excitement that you felt when you were expecting them and gives them a connection to that time in your life. The couple in the images below are Harry Potter fans and used this as a theme at their wedding and they wanted to continue with this at their maternity shoot.

IMAGES WORTH DISPLAYING

I am a firm believer that getting your photos printed is so important. It is an everlasting tangible moment and memory captured in time to be treasured forever. Having a professional maternity photo shoot when you are pregnant will give you images worth hanging on your walls or printing in an album as a legacy to pass down to future generations.

I really hope that this has helped you with reasons to have a maternity photo shoot. I would love to be part of your pregnancy journey so if you have any questions or would like to book a photo shoot get in touch.

xX Fiona Xx

Family Photography | Bognor Portrait Shoot

I was contacted recently by a friend of mine trying to arrange a surprise present for her husbands 40th birthday. She wanted to create some photographs of her recently expanded family, so we booked in a family photography session in Bognor.

I had captured Cooper and Rafferty a couple of years ago at a toddler group photography session, but now that Edison had been born, their family photography needed updating. It was a great opportunity to get the boys into the studio for an hour rather than a quick 5 mins in a portable set up. It also meant I got to have some cuddle time! I just love a squidgy new baby!!

Sophie came well prepared, a massive feat with two busy boys and a baby less than 2 months old! I usually advise a change of clothes and some props…the boys chose so well, even baby Edison got involved in the swordplay!!

I try to encourage children to play as much as possible so the images created are natural, capturing the personalities on display, here’s some outtakes of the boys as they got more comfortable in front of the camera!

Sophie had planned to create a triptych of photographs using blackboard written messages. The studio, as well as being white has access to various coloured roll down backdrops so we were able to play with some low key black and white photography too. Here’s some cheeky ones as they practised their posing (and handwriting)….

The boys were brilliant, such fun to photograph, full of energy and cheekiness, I can’t wait to see how Edison grows and develops into this lovely family.

Liz & Jack | The Engagement Shoot

It’s been quite an exciting summer as yet another set of friends prepare to tie the knot this year and I have the pleasure of being their photographer. I have known Liz and Jack for a number of years now, but since they’ve been a couple, with Jack being at University in Canterbury, Liz in Chichester and their time together precious, I haven’t had the chance to really hang with them as a couple and get to know what makes them tick together. The engagement shoot in preparation for their wedding was a great opportunity.

To start off we visited a place close to Liz’s home called Brandy Hole Copse in Chichester. As we were trekking through brambles, warding off wasps and kicking playing toddlers off picturesque benches, Liz and Jack shared with me why this Copse was so special to them. It was where they had their first date, first kiss, where Jack asked Liz to officially be his girlfriend and then later asked her to be his wife! I mean, seriously! How romantic can you get?! To top it all off, Jack had even drawn Liz a picture at random (pre-dating) of the same clearing with a pond, trees and a couple hanging out before he had visited! Meant to be or what?!

I loved the light flares created by the dappled woodland when shooting into the light, and natural framing of the shots emphasised by the surrounding foliage. I could have spent far longer exploring, but the couple of hours at Brandy Hole Copse doing a photo-op recce was definitely rewarding as we plan to return on their wedding day and really come full circle in their dating journey. We detoured via Liz’s house to grab some much needed lunch in preparation for the next stage….Boxgrove Priory & Ruins.

I came to realise during our time together that Liz and Jack are an incredibly tactile couple. I decided to use this to my advantage as it made for some really romantic shots. The ruins are a wonderful backdrop for romance. As they are having their wedding reception at Boxgrove Village Hall it will be perfect to return here with all their wedding day finery and attire to capture some more portraits.

I’m hoping too, to be able to inject some youthful spirit into the wedding day photos as we are planning to bring the bridal party – consisting of their best friends, here for some fun shots!

The last part of Liz and Jack’s engagement shoot consisted of an impromptu trip to Bognor to visit the sea. Jack and Liz really got to know each other in Bognor at Opengate Church that we all attend, so they have spent much time at the beach or walking the prom together. As they will both be moving to Canterbury after their wedding, Liz really wanted to get some photos of them together at the beach, capturing those precious memories.

Again, I had great fun playing with light flares and rebelling against the photographers’ golden rule of not shooting into the sun….especially during the Golden Hour!! One of my favourite moments from this part was the moment Jack lost his footing on the moving stones as a wave rushed in whilst he was paddling and holding a shrieking Liz! They soon made up….as you can see!!

The beach in Bognor, along Aldwick Bay, was a lovely, quiet spot to finish the day. It was lovely to hang out with Liz and Jack and really get to know them better, as well as priming them for a whole day of being papped by two of us on their wedding day. I can’t wait!! Roll on September 6th!!

Mr & Mrs Jennings | Devonshire Terrace, London

For those that know me, May the 4th is usually spent enjoying my birthday… *ahem* 24 *ahem*!! This year however I found myself hotfooting up to the City of London with my trusted 2nd Lee to shoot the wedding of Maria and Stuart.

Just leaning on a post in your wedding day suit, as you do…

What a fabulous day it was. We started the day finding Maria and Stuart at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Tower Hill getting ready in their respective rooms,of course, Maria had the bigger of the two….what bride wouldn’t!! While Lee was busy with the boys and their struggles to tie ties and attach cufflinks with one hand, I was on hand with Maria, her mother, and her bridesmaid Lauren. Aside from the make-up and hair, and the fabulous something blue (a gorgeous pair of blue Manolo Blahnik stilettos) my favourite capture of the day must have been the look on Maria’s face as she opened her gift from her husband-to-be…a gorgeous diamond bracelet. Of course, this became a new accessory for her bridal outfit!

These new cufflinks will go on…

A little Manolo Blahnik to make you walk tall

Maria opens her lovely wedding day gift from Stuart

As Stuart and the boys were finishing up their drinks and preparing to head to the venue, Maria was putting the finishing touches to her outfit and hair. It was a real privilege to be there to capture those precious and intimate moments of emotion between mother and daughter, and awe from the flower girl arriving and getting her first look at the beautiful bride.

Stuart and his Groomsmen enjoy one last tipple before the cabs arrive

Maria and her Mother share a touching moment

As Maria greets her page boy and flower girl, the look on her face says it all. Utter awe.

A short taxi drive later and we arrive at Devonshire Terrace in Central London. Being in the centre of the financial district, it is usually closed on weekends, except for weddings, so it was really nice to have an urban oasis in the middle of the city that was relatively tourist free. The building Devonshire Terrace is situated in is impressive. Imagine (with lego, my visual brain says) building the deep, outer walls of a rectangular block 6 storeys high leaving the central space free of building, instead turning it into a usable courtyard space protected from the elements by a glass roof.

The ceremony was fantastic. As the groom, Stuart, nervously waited for his bride, Maria was busy having some photos with her bridal party under the large brick arches that connect the courtyard to the outside world. Then she arrives, a beautiful vision in an ivory bejewelled gown with stunning satin corsetry and a fashionable tulle fishtail skirt.

Those precious moments before Maria goes to meet her Groom

This shot gives a great look at THE DRESS, but also an feel for the venue, Devonshire Terrace

Maria surprised her new husband by hiring vocalists and musicians who popped up out of the congregation as the ceremony finished, performing ‘All You Need Is Love’, inspired by the film Notting Hill. They also sang the new Mr & Mrs Jennings back down the aisle to a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’

I had planned to take Maria and Stuart out into the London streets to capture some urban portraits of them both. Immediately out through the arches provided some fantastic backdrops with which to compose them. They were a great couple to work with who were very happy to be papped on their special day. We went for a series of candid and artistic poses as well as some more traditional shots. One of my favourites was the an edgy edit I did where the (now filthy) underskirts of Maria’s dress were exposed. This appealed to my alternative creative side.

Those first moments where a drink and a catch up is much needed!

Well, it may not be the famous painting….but pretty close I reckon!!

You would never know, 50m on there is a constant stream of traffic and pedestrians. We got lucky!

Something for the dry cleaners….

While Maria, Stuart and their guests sat down to enjoy their meal Lee and I took a well earned break to devour the amazing tapas style food that was on offer and do what all good photographers do…..talk gear & shots and drink coffee!

The rest of the evening continued in good cheer and celebration. Speeches were delivered, toasts made, champagne drunk and dances danced. First up on the dance floor were the page boys and flower girls who well and truly rocked out before Maria and Stuart took to the floor for their well choreographed first dance.

Well, with kids, what else is there to do?!

Before anyone else got to boogie, these little guys rocked!!

Mr & Mrs J take to the dance floor

Maria had thoughtfully provided some comedy props which came in incredibly handy, especially when coaxing the shyest of the party to be photographed. This is certainly something I would recommend doing, especially if a studio photo booth isn’t feasible.

As a rule, every wedding couple have to have at least one picture of their photographer!!

As the night for us came to an end and all our gear was re-packed and loaded into the car, we began the journey back to the South Coast with our eyes on lookout for a coffee stop! The wedding of Mr & Mrs Jennings was a fabulous day. A lot of fun and a wonderful experience. It was a pleasure to be able to play a part in their day. Congratulations Maria & Stuart, wishing you a lifetime of blessings and happiness.

One Last kiss for us to capture under the arches of Devonshire Terrace, London

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!!