Child Portraits among the poppies at Faringdon Folly, Oxfordshire

Earlier this month the poppies were in glorious display at Faringdon Folly.  Too good an opportunity to miss, I headed up there with with Eddie and his mum for a few photos amongst the brilliant red colour. I tried a slightly different approach to my usual shoots here - more emphasis on the posing to camera. Let me know what you think of the results in the comments below.  It was hard work for little Eddie but he did really well, especially considering how hot it was.

Photographing children in natural locations gives a strong link to their (and often your) childhood memories of favourite places spent with their family.  It also allows them to relax and be themselves in a familiar environment. As a children's photographer this gives me wide scope to capture lots of images with them.  If you are looking for some great natural portraits of your children in the countryside then consider a location shoot.  More information is available on my website or email me for further details.

Judi x

Judi is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based near Oxford working mainly in Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds but will consider commissions throughout the UK.  Working on location using natural light and countryside landscapes, Judi focuses on capturing beautiful relaxed images of you and your family using a mix of reportage and fine art style photography. Using an artistic eye Judi will not just capture your memories but create a work of art which can be presented in luxury fine art albums or as framed art or canvases to hang in your homes. 

Judi also provides services for commercial businesses including headshots, nursery and pre-school portraits as well as special events such as birthdays and christenings etc. She is a member of both The Society for Wedding & Portrait Photographers and The Guild of Professional Photographers.

More information is available on the website www.judicheckettsphotography.com or 

Friday Foto - Why I love this image

Today's image is from a shoot I did a while ago - I'm preparing some images for my professional qualifications and in doing so revisiting some older images for evaluation.  This one was taken during a shoot I did to raise money for a charity - and as with most shoots of toddlers they tend to do their own thing a lot of the time and you are watching and waiting to capture a unique moment.  This was taken near the end of the session and the little boy was holding a dandelion when he decided to turn and run away from me.  Knowing I didn't have much time it was a rare occasion when I quickly flicked the settings to auto to capture the moment.  As many Mum's of small boys will tell you - this capture's perfectly what we see of our young children so much of the time and so provides a timeless image and memory.

Techy Stuff

Camera:  Canon 5D II
Focal Length:  170 mm
Aperture: F2.8
Exposure:  1/1600
Iso: 400

Shot in auto mode, no flash


Judi x



Judi is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based near Oxford working mainly in Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds but will consider commissions throughout the UK.  Working on location using natural light and countryside landscapes, Judi focuses on capturing beautiful relaxed images of you and your family using a mix of reportage and fine art style photography. Using an artistic eye Judi will not just capture your memories but create a work of art which can be presented in luxury fine art albums or as framed art or canvases to hang in your homes. 

Judi also provides services for commercial businesses including headshots, nursery and pre-school portraits as well as special events such as birthdays and christenings etc. She is a member of both The Society for Wedding & Portrait Photographers and The Guild of Professional Photographers.

More information is available on the website www.judicheckettsphotography.com or contact Judi via email

Summer family lifestyle shoot at Stanton Park

Last summer I had a lovely time photographing Emma and her two children Connie and Zach.  It was during those lovely warm summer days we had and we headed over to Stanton Fitzwarren and the lovely park area and lake for our shoot. With a great variety of backdrops around this location it made it  perfect for getting some lovely natural images of the children.

Now spring is here its a lovely time of year to think about a lifestyle shoot for your family.  I am currently taking bookings for weekday and weekend shoots.  With the bluebell season approaching followed by the Summer and Autumn months why not give me a call to discuss planning a shoot?  Together we can discuss locations, outfits and season to create the best portraits of your family and which of my gorgeous products are going to look to amazing when presenting these images to hang in your home.

Judi x



Judi is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based near Oxford working mainly in Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds but will consider commissions throughout the UK.  Working on location using natural light and countryside landscapes, Judi focuses on capturing beautiful relaxed images of you and your family using a mix of reportage and fine art style photography. Using an artistic eye Judi will not just capture your memories but create a work of art which can be presented in luxury fine art albums or as framed art or canvases to hang in your homes. 

Judi also provides services for commercial businesses including headshots, nursery and pre-school portraits as well as special events such as birthdays and christenings etc. She is a member of both The Society for Wedding & Portrait Photographers and The Guild of Professional Photographers.

More information is available on the website www.judicheckettsphotography.com or contact Judi via email

Friday Foto - why I love this image

Welcome to this special Friday blog post where I select a favourite photograph and give you the story behind the image. Today's image is to cheer up a cold wet January day with the hope Spring is on its way!

One area I specialise in as a photographer is child portraits - I largely shoot lifestyle images which means these are relaxed portraits of children in their natural environment.  There are some great studio photographers out there but I find the smiles I can capture by taking a child to the woods or big gardens are so much more real.  And parents crave this - an image of their child looking happy and enjoying life.

One tricky element in a lifestyle shot is to control all the aspects of light, background and composition as the child is much more free to move around and those precious moments when the perfect shot comes together may only be there for a moment.

Very small children can change from big smiles to huge tears in the shortest of times as most mothers will testify.  This shot was taken of little Ruby on a day where she wasn't feeling so inclined to show off her beautiful smile.  It hadn't helped getting a little lost on route to finding those bluebells in the woods near Marlborough! However a little patience and I managed a few winning shots.

What makes the image special to me is that it was an occasion when all the elements did come together. Her outfit is a perfect colour combination for bluebells, the light is soft and flattering and we have a beautiful big smile straight into camera.  The short depth of field creates separation from the background to make her stand out in the picture.   A little post-production colour correction and cropping helps the final composition and provides a photograph I was delighted with.

If you are looking to have some child portraits done in the spring this year then late April is the time to book in for a shoot and capture the bluebells.


Techy Stuff

Camera:  Canon 5D II
Focal Length:  70 mm
Aperture: F2.8
Exposure:  1/1250
Iso: 400

Shot in manual mode, no flash


Judi x



Judi is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based near Oxford working mainly in Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds but will consider commissions throughout the UK.  Working on location using natural light and countryside landscapes, Judi focuses on capturing beautiful relaxed images of you and your family using a mix of reportage and fine art style photography. Using an artistic eye Judi will not just capture your memories but create a work of art which can be presented in luxury fine art albums or as framed art or canvases to hang in your homes. 

Judi also provides services for commercial businesses including headshots, nursery and pre-school portraits as well as special events such as birthdays and christenings etc. She is a member of both The Society for Wedding & Portrait Photographers and The Guild of Professional Photographers.

More information is available on the website www.judicheckettsphotography.com or contact Judi via email

National Awards for Children's Photography

This month I was delighted to received three awards for my entries into the Image of the Month competition with the Guild of Professional Photographers

The Competition is open to professional photographers throughout the UK and this was my first time entering the competition.

I selected three images which I felt were both strong compositional images as well as images which represent my style of photography.  Images submitted are graded by a panel of expert judges who represent some of the best in the industry today (Kate Hopewell-Smith, Tamara Peel and Lisa Aldersely to mention just a few).

A bronze bar is awarded for "Images of a strong standard at a professional level".

A silver bar is awarded for "Images that are very well crafted at a professional level - difficult to achieve"

A gold bar is awarded for "Images of particular distinction at a professional level (A Gold Bar) - very rare"

Only images scoring 70 or above are graded.

I was delighted to be awarded two strong bronze bars and a silver bar for my entries.  Here they are:

 Silver:

 Bronze:

Children's photography is a great passion for me - as a Mum myself I love capturing these precious images of your children as they grow.  I love shooting out on location where children have the freedom to be themselves and I can capture their true personalities. It is a great thrill to have my work recognised at the highest level by some of the countries leading photographers.

If you would like to have some portrait of your family and children then please do get in touch - I love hearing from new clients!   Lifestyle sessions are available at your home or at a location of your choosing. Contact me for more information or visit my website at www.judicheckettsphotography.com to discover more about my lifestyle photography sessions.

Judi  x



Judi is a fine art lifestyle and wedding photographer based in Oxfordshire working mainly in Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds but will consider comissions throughout the UK.  Working on location using natural light Judi focuses on capturing beautiful relaxed images of you and your family. Using an artistic eye Judi will not just capture your memories but create a work of art which can be presented in luxury fine art albums or as framed art or canvases to hang in your homes. 

Judi also provides services for commercial businesses including headshots, nursery and pre-school portraits as well as special events such as birthdays and christenings etc.

Family Shoot & Fun Day!

The weather has been very wet and rarely have we been able to enjoy a warm spring day this year.  Good Friday last month was an exception and we had a near perfect spring day of sunshine and cloudless skies.

I had organised a shoot for Jane, Neil and their three lovely boys. We had great fun and we finished the shoot with some chocolate lollipops for the boys - well, its was Easter weekend!

They are an amazing family and Jane has organised a Family Fun Day to be held in Stanford in the Vale this Saturday, 19th May.  The event is in memory of  their daughter Emma Kate Braddy who sadly died in 2007 just 7 weeks old and will raise money to support the children's charities Great Ormond Street and The Sick Children's Trust who provide support to them during the time of Emma's illness.

The day starts at 12 noon and is packed with stalls and events for the whole family to enjoy including the opportunity to have your photo taken with yours truly!!  I will be offering 15 mins slots for individual or group portraits to provide a 8x6" mounted image for the special price of £15. All profits will go to the charities.

You can book your photo slot on the day or why not book ahead and reserve your time slot now. Call 07535 613606 or email me to secure an available time.  All images are taken using natural light and ideally will done outdoors...the forecast looks favourable but if there's a bit of rain bring your wellies and umbrellas - we can still get some great fun images!!

Please do come and support the event and help celebrate Emma's short life; more details available here where you can also make donations if you are unable to attend on the day.

In the meantime here are some images from our shoot last month and fingers crossed the weather will be just as beautiful on Saturday. I hope to see you there!

Judi x