I love taking pics with natural light of tiny babies, it’s just so soft and natural. Welcome to the world little ‘India’ she was so chilled having her pictures taken I think it helped that mum and dad were pretty relaxed. I am looking forward to taking pictures of her as she grows bigger…
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So this shoot was a bit different!
“What about using a model and snake on a green screen I heard myself saying out loud?” Brain storming ideas with the creative director of a new local company who hasn’t launched it’s product we came up with a plan.
Little did I know the make-up artist had a snake phobia so we had to make sure we kept them separate. I was a little bit worried as being an animal lover I didn’t want the Snake to be stressed in anyway so I set about reading up about keeping snakes warm, the signs of a stressed Snake and probably one of the most important things what to do if the Snake attacks. We had been reassured by the very experienced Snake handlers that ‘Hisss’ would be very docile and relaxed and they would know if she was showing signs of stress and would remover her, even so I thought I better read up just in case!
Being a Boa Constrictor she doesn’t have venom but will have nasty inward angled sharp teeth to grip her prey as she constricts them to death (Cats are so nice in comparison!). I read if a Snake bites you can dip a Q-tip in rubbing alcohol and rub it along the gums of the snakes mouth they cannot stand the taste and will generally let go. Hmmm, the more I read the more concerned I started to be so I stopped reading and focused on planning the shoot.
The shoot went brilliantly, I was wary at first when I asked the handler if she had eaten (the Snake) and he said she hadn’t! “and that’s okay?” I asked. After Matt had explained to me what her eating habits were I could see that ‘Hisss’ was indeed a very chilled out Snake, not that I know but she did seem very relaxed. I was encouraged to hold her, I hesitated at first but so glad I did, she was heavy, cold, smooth and I could hear her hiss which was a little unnerving but apparently all normal. The handlers were brilliant and the model loved Snakes so she was more than happy to have ‘Hisss’ wrap around her body…in a good way of course!
Tim Andrews is an ex lawyer who has Parkinsons Disease, he is now retired and has gone on a journey of asking hundreds of Photographers to take images of him. I have had the pleasure of doing a couple of photo shoots with Tim and look forward to doing another shoot with him in 2018. “Wanted” is a film made by Graeme Montgomery of the last shoot of “Over the Hill”, which won the award for Best Short Documentary at the UK Film Festival last night.
One of my favourite things to do is to go out walking with our cameras using just one lens. A Photographer friend of mine told me years ago that it was a good thing to do, it encourages me to be creative, to get back in touch with a lens I haven’t used for a while and to focus on the subject rather than get hung up on equipment that I have or don’t have on me. Here are a few pics from a walk at Alton Water using my 100mm…
‘Bentleys Box’ a local start up needed some shots of her product along with her dog Bentley who was sooooo cute. I do love my job… 🙂
Years ago we used to have rescue dog, her name was ‘Zena’ (her name at the rescue I didn’t have the heart to change it) she was a black lab mix, a big softie, sweetest nature and the best ever companion. We still miss her today she was very much part of our family and I have always wanted to give something back to the rescue to say thank you for our lovely furry friend. So I approached the National Animal Welfare Trust and asked them if I could take pics of some of their rescue dogs for a 2018 Calendar to help raise funds for the rescue which is in Clacton, Essex. They do such an amazing job of looking after and rehoming dogs, cats and other animals if you are interested in ordering a Calendar and supporting this great cause please contact them or drop me a line. All funds go to the NAWT rescue centre in Clacton.
Here is Arthur one of the rescue dogs who has now found his forever home.
I know it’s been a while since I added a blog post, after a busy summer I took some time off and lost myself on a boat on the Norfolk Broads and loved a week away on Rhodes cycling to deserted beaches and eating lots of greek salad. Now I’m back having switched one of my labels from being a ‘smoker’ to being a ‘vaper’ I have also had my haircut and am seriously reconsidering the gym!
So a little piece of news ( which I am really chuffed about) is Nicholas McCarthy (Pianist) has chosen to use one of my images to use on his new album cover Echoes which is out now he is also on tour see more info here.
If you, like so many other people have chopped up an old photo from your hols or used an image taken on someones phone at a family do to use for your profile image on your social media then please stop and think what this says about you and your company. It’s great to come across as accessible and friendly but some might look at your image and see it as not bothering and possibly slightly unprofessional. I like relaxed and quirky shots for profile pics I’m not saying every company suits a formal look but if you are going to have a picture then choose wisely, get it taken professionally. We all like to see who we are dealing with and like it or not we do make judgements on what we see, make sure the judgements people make are the right ones about you.
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Spending so much time in my studio it’s a refreshing change to go and shoot outside. The beach is a great place to head with young children you don’t need many props just let them have fun and explore as long as it’s not too cold or chucking it down with rain it’s perfect for getting natural shots. Take a look at my site The Family Photographer to find out more.
