Teen Shoot - capturing the fun and friendships

Teen shoots are a great opportunity to really have some fun and we certainly has that with this shoot I want to share with you.   Teenagers love life to the max, are very fashion conscious and typically spend much time with their friends doing the things they love.....  as a photographer its so exciting as it provides so many story-line options when it comes to a shoot.

This styled shoot from last month was shot up in the fabulous Lake District at the second of my visits to Aspire as part of the wonderful Bespoke course.  We have a great team spirit up there and are really getting to know each other well.  Once again the amazing Tamara Peel was on hand to offer us her wise words from years of experience as a photographer and former graduate of the Bespoke programme.

Lorna and Hannah were amazing to photograph - best friends and that friendship really shone through. They brought with them a fabulous collection of clothes to wear and mixed in with a few props from style guru Rachel Hayton we were ready to get going.  We started with some dressy outfits and heels capturing the girls looking amazing.  From there we moved to a styled vintage look with some retro cameras thrown to add to the mood. Finally we finished up with a summer festival feel as the girls donned wellies and shorts to be the ultimate Hippy Chicks!

 If you have a sister or best friend (even better if your sister is your best friend!) then consider have a fabulous shoot done to capture this amazing time in your lives.  We can have great fun choosing a selection of outfits and locations to really show off your fun side.  You may have a pet you want to include such as a dog or a horse or maybe a hobby we can include in the shoot too. Whatever you pick, you are guaranteed to get some wonderful images to treasure in recognition of a special friendship.  Call me to explore the opportunities!



Judi x

A Jubilee Celebration.....!!

I love a celebration and though the bunting may be coming down here's a reminder of the fabulous events held over recent weeks with this patriotic Jubilee shoot.  Hope you had a great time too.

If you are celebrating a special event get in touch and I can ensure you'll have the story of your day captured in some amazing images.

Judi x

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

ASPIRE...just fabulous!

Such downpours as we are experiencing up and down the country right now always take me back to caravanning holidays with my parents in the Lake District. My parents were not for going abroad so we spent our summer holidays in Scotland, Wales and most often the Lakes.  On this particular occasion we did not step out of the caravan for four days due to heavy and continual rain - it was pretty miserable, even as a 6 years old the delights of camping in a forest were staring to wear thin. Mum kept us busy doing drawings and sticking pictures in our holiday scrapbook.

The similarities and contrast with my visit in March to the wonderful Aspire photographic training school were marked!  The weather was glorious - warm and sunny and awash with daffodils.  Spring at its best in the Lakes! Although not my first trip to Aspire, this visit was to be the first of many training sessions to come over the next 12 months as I embarked on their renown Bespoke programme.  I met my fellow Bespokers for the first time and was happy to be amongst a bunch of like-minded creatives with a passion for photography, each pursuing their own business goals.

The three days flew by and covered an array of different topics;  Catherine and Jane welcoming us and preparing the business ground work, highly motivating as always; Melissa Love discussing branding and creating our personal scrapbooks - yes, here I was about to get sticking again!

Our photographic shoot was led by Tamara Peel - her warmth and individual style put a smile on our faces and kept us engaged as we hunted for perfect light. By the end of the session we were all adopting brummy accents and "fabulous" catchphrases!  Finally, Phil Barber engrossed us with workflow and post-processing, and inspired us with a selection of images from his wedding shoots.  With our heads buzzing and emails of homework pouring in as we packed up to leave it was an inspiring start to our year of learning. First thoughts running already as to where to get hold of our scrapbooks...

I can't wait to see what is in store for the next visit later this month.  Until then, here are some images from our shoot on day 2 with Tamara and our gorgeous model Courtney with her Mum Anne-Marie. Tamara really couldn't have put it better. It was all "just fabulous"!



Judi x