E-session

Oh what a day, I mean a bad day weather wise rain rain and more rain,
today i had an E-session which i normal do outside, Unfortunately the groom to be had pneumonia so had to be kept in the warm, and the lovely bride to be had recently had a stroke

This meant studio lighting a small room, The couple still wanted images done though they were not feeling 100%, I just did a small session with them.



This is where as a photographer I have to be prepared, On days like this when everything is against you and your clients

They still want me to do their wedding which is great as they are a lovely couple and i am looking so forward to this as i am sure it will be an amazing day and we will get some images to treasure

Checking out wedding venues

Its all ways so important to check out venues prior to a wedding,

I have photographed wedding here in the summer but the Autumn light makes the area look so different

Places where the sun streamed in during the summer months are now void of much light, so a few test shots tell me what i will need to take with me on the day

A good photographer knows how the tools  work, they dont fiddle around with settings they know by the light what settings to use.

its no good making mistakes on someone's special day it has to be right

I rely on myself and my camera to get it right not on photo-shop to correct mistakes

so test shots done  ISO settings indoors and out doors are as i expected them to be, meaning i can capture my couple  in a relaxed  way without having to worry about the light

What a week!! Swine flu saga

Oh dear oh dear, I havent had time this week to update my blog, my little girl has had the dreaded swine flu, well so the doctor said who would not come out and see her.
He just told me to ring the national flu hotline, where you have to answer some questions put to you by a Doctor err no a uni student studying English. If you answer yes to any of the below four questions then you have swine flu
1) does the patient have a temperature ? A) YES
2) does the patient have a sore throat? A) YES
3) Is the patient more tired then normal? A) YES
4) Does the patient have a headache? A) YES

so according to uni student my daughter has Swine flu, he then goes on to issue me with a top secret number to obtain Tami flu

er so my daughter has now been prescribed a drug which has all sorts of side effects and a doctor hasnt seen her!!!!

I duly phone my GP on Monday as she is still ill but chirpy in between calpol . "sorry I cant come out keep her on the Tami-flu" says the GP but i havent even gone and got the tami-flu stuff

Wednesday comes daughters sore throat is getting worse oh my her tonsils are covered in white yucky stuff, it does not take a doctor to see this child has tonsillitis well to cut the story short it wasnt until Friday a GP would bravely venture out to see her after my constant phone calls, yes he arrived wearing a mask and rubber gloves, I felt like painting a red warning cross on my door

here is what he said " Oh she does not have Swine flu she has Tonsillitis " shock horror guess mum was right all along then

moral to GP,s a parent knows its child better then anyone else, we also know when our kids are ill
I wouldnt advice anyone to take an immune destroying drug such as Tami-flu without making sure you do have Swine flu

A good test is get a friend to wave a million pound outside your window if you really can not lift a finger towards it then you are ill with flu, If every joint hurts so much and your head is so bad breathing hurts and you really cant move then you have flu
if you just feel chitty and have a sore throat runny nose but can get up for the loo and drink a cup of tea then its a cold
Men get man flu this is totally different to what women and children suffer from, its a form of attention seeking and feeling sorry for themselves and is usually nothing more then a slight cold, If a man can complain and make moaning grunting noises then he has Man flu, nothing more.

treatment for this is 24 hours of being sympathetic to him there after just kick his butt and he will be cured

Hardest photographic subject of them all yourself

To be a good photographer you need to portray people and objects well, Self portraits seem to be an in thing at the moment, so I thought why not give it ago,
GEE its hard
armed with tripod and remote shutter fire i have set out this week to try and capture the inner me

The moods, emotions, the real person that makes me
I am a mum cuddly, wrinkly middle aged
Inside i am 16 fun outgoing impulsive and a little eccentric
its very hard to capture that
My image of self today was moody, I was feeling down as had tons of washing and house work to do
A beautiful day wasted apart from a trip to the park with my younger two kids this afternoon

putting myself in front of the camera is giving me a new insight into how people behave on a shoot, made me think about what is the best capture, Is putting my camera skills to the test creating lighting and moods, Its fun but also very embarrassing
I recommend this for any photographer to try as its very challenging

Lifestyle portraits

A session yesterday in the beautiful village of Finchingfield in Essex, This was for an older client a group of people that seem to shy away from having their picture taken, I personally would encourage them to have a photo session done, It relaxing and fun and you get a nice cup of tea depending on your location choice

This session was done so mum ,wife and grown up family have some images to treasure

Heres a sneak preview of an image from the session

Camera Club and portrait session

well busy busy busy still. Had a portrait session which is the last by one for babies first year book, I must say its been a pleasure being apart of this little girls first year, I have built up a great relationship with the family, The mum even asked me if she can pre book me for a wedding in about 25 years time :)

I told her she will have to opt for my son whom will follow in my footsteps

I attend the Great Notley Camera club this week, Its a club that started with a handful of strangers and has now grown in strength its members produce some excellent images

Its always interesting to meet up with other photographers, as each one has different skills and likes and dislikes

I guess today I best fill out my TAX return form dreaded paper work

Lost Blog and busy

Sounds good really yes i lost my original blog, Get a new password i hear you say, i would do but have lost my long time email pass word, Yes my windows PC decided its life was over its little light went out and that was in,

repair cost did not warrant the expense and I had typically saved everything on the computer
what i have learn t windows is so unstable hence now i work on MAC, computers are not reliable so now have a little pass word book

I am now a convert to MAC its so much faster for my processing needs and does not crash or ask me to wait while windows does this or that, easy to move files just drag and drop simple.

Unfortunately now it means my daily blog has been lost hence the mighty three postings on this one

well whats new
I have my own make up and hair stylists fully qualified six years experience with cosmetic companies, working on make up for films and TV,

she also does bridal make up as well as extreme make overs

so a new service will be offered to clients for a make over portrait session and I will also be able to offer my brides to be a full make up and hair service as well as being their wedding photographer

In the new year i plan to offer wedding stationary as well which will save couples even more money giving them an all in one package price

I also think i will be the first photographer in Braintree to offer this service

so its a busy time of year with winter approaching and Autumn almost in full swing, making some lovely light and backdrops for outside portrait sessions