Tag: wedding photography chichester

Chichester Engagement Photographer | Maddie & Rob

Chichester Engagement Photographer | Maddie & Rob | Chichester Canal

When planning what sort of a wedding collection Maddie & Rob were looking for, it was clear that they loved the creative arts, so instead of strolling through their wedding venue for a recce and test shoot, they opted for something a little more personal. An engagement shoot at Chichester Canal, with a flying visit to Bishops Palace Gardens at Chichester Cathedral too.

After our initial shoot was postponed (good old British weather) we met up on Sunday on what would prove to be perfect weather for our shots. We started at Chichester Canal, a first for me for an engagement shoot. Maddie and Rob were like seasoned riverboat professionals (one of their first dates was on the canal), I on the other hand, kept my gear plenty clear of the water and narrowly avoided the duck poo that was dotted about the banks!

Although they didn’t row far, there was a nice selection of opportunities to shoot through reeds, capture walls of green as backdrops and enjoy the calm reflections of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Chichester Canal didn’t disappoint, neither did Maddie & Rob, who had used Pinterest and it’s posing ideas and tips and trick to its max potential! As we journeyed through the shoot it was lovely to catch up and get to know them more, as we hadn’t seen each other since they originally booked me back in April.

Thirty minutes on the canal flew by, so after returning all the bits and bobs we hotfooted it across town to the Cathedral. Timed well with the 3pm Matins, Bishops Palace Gardens and the surrounding areas were lovely and quiet.

Chichester Cathedral and Bishops Palace Gardens are a really popular spot for couples to come either on an engagement shoot or their wedding day, so I find myself excited about the challenge to find new spots and different ideas for photographs so I’m not shooting everything the same as I have done before. It certainly helps to have ever changing flowers in bloom, but I can never resist a good old fashioned door or bench!

Maddie & Rob did a great job of shuffling a little to the left, moving their hands up a touch and whatever other instructions I was bleeting out to them! The afternoon felt very relaxed, which hopefully goes a long way in how relaxed they felt having their pictures taken.

While we were fooling around with how to look at each other or off into the distance, where to place hands and arms and how to hold each other, I love how the shots below came together well to look like a burst from a passport photo machine (well, without the plain white background and stern expressions anyway!)

As always, Bishops Palace Gardens came up trumps. Coupled with the session on Chichester Canal, Maddie and Rob now have their work cut out to decide which images to use for their wedding ‘Save-the-Date’ cards or invites. I’m looking forward to the next stages with them…. the planning of the day, then the wedding day next August and finally the wedding album… until then, I will just have to occupy myself with the dozens of other fabulous couples also booked in.

I hope you enjoy the images, and I really look forward to shooting their August wedding at Worthing Pier.

Fiona xx

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

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!!