Lifestyle photo session in the country park

This morning I had the great Pleasure of working with family R. A local family whom had been rather disappointed with the images  received from a studio session with another photographer.

The image were not bad the family just didnt feel they captured true feelings and emotions. The studio images were also very posed making the family feel stiff and not at all relaxed.

Mrs R approached me a week ago asking if I could photograph her  family, Of course I could,
All though the sky this morning was slightly overcast we didnt have rain and the sun  did keep breaking through.
 The family decided the best location for them would be the country park as this would allow the children to  play and run around. I was assisted today by Jeff Schwingen. Jeff is a great photographer but lacks confidence so I hope working with me this year will make Jeff see just how great he is.

We started the photo session with some must have images that are wanted by the family.

The Boys

Boys having fun

The family soon all relaxed Granddad was a great sport and Little R kept me busy. Uncle C was just a gem with the children and great and getting them to runaround and have fun. It certainly was a fun session and the R family were just excellent and a pleasure to photograph.

Together

The idea of a lifestyle photo session is to use the great outside  as the studio,.Allowing people to feel more relaxed and letting children behave in a natural way , In to days case  running  around and having fun, Which is how children should be. I never  say cheese which is why I capture the natural person. 

Todays session for me was fun the R family are such a lovely family and the children just adorable, full of beans running here there and everywhere. 

She did smile everytime she ran away from the camera 

The youngest little one laughed her head off every time she ran in the opposite direction to the camera. As you can see though  some nice natural shots were still managed.

Last but not least is the little man that kept me on my toes, such a fun great little one to work with. Even if did shot everyone with the bubble gun.

Little live wire

Thank you to Mr and Mrs R it was a pleasure to photograph you ,your children and your lovely Grandchildren. I hope you enjoy this sneak preview 

All images are copyrighted to Andrea's photography and are low res for web hosting

Final images are high res and printed by a master printer

The lovely Hannah and her dad

I did a studio session with Hannah and her Dad Dave, Hannah is such a lovely young lady to work with and very relaxed in front of the camera, Dad on the other hand was not so sure about having his picture taken

Once we got dad to relax a bit I got some wonderful images capturing the love shared between father and daughter

I shed a little tear or two when I looked at the images and wished I had some done with my dear dad Unfortunately I wont ever get that chance

I have titled the image "Dad your guiding hand upon my shoulder will remain forever"

It was great being able to do portraits of grown up children as you can see a special bond between father and daughter
I would like to say Thank you to Hannah and Dave for letting me work with them to capture these beautiful memories of the special bond shared between father and daughter

All New For 2010

I was lucky enough to be invited by Jeff Turnbull whom is Essex,s premier wedding photographer to spend 6 months under his wing on a mentoring program.

This will enable me to move my business forward, Along with helping me with marketing and a client data base and pricing details

2010 sees many great advantages to my clients, not only have I upgraded my camera body to a top of the range high quality professional camera I have also added many prime professional lenses

To offer even high quality products I now supply Graphistudio wedding books and Ultimat framing service

All images in the top wedding collection and portrait collection will now be printed by hand on superb high quality paper by a master printer

I am looking so forward to moving my business on and being able to offer my clients some of the best photographic products in the world

CHOOSING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

This is a question that i hear many times, How do i choose the right Photography?
Some photographers spend a small fortune on advertising, some dont, some photographers only shoot weddings but a lot of photographers all so do portraits and other types of photography.

How do I choose my photographer?

Ok so now a lot of people can afford to go and buy a good camera, but if my Gran bought a trowel I wouldn't trust her to build a house.
so owning a camera doesn't make you a photographer, just like owning a trowel doesn't make you a builder.
WEDDINGS
Once you have decided on a firm date for your wedding you can begin approaching your choice of photographers to see if they are available. It is worth starting your search for a photographer early, as the better photographers will become booked up quickly. It is important that you view photographer's work before you book them for your wedding. Never book over the phone.

Have a clear idea of what you require:

Would you like traditional or more journalistic style of photographs or a mixture of both?

Do you want exclusively formal shots or would some relaxed photographs of friends and family help you to remember the whole day?

Would you like some portraits of special people taken at home on the morning of the wedding, where you can ensure everything looks perfect (the photographer could visit you both separately)?

Are there some people you would like your photograph taken with apart from the traditional selection? For example are some of your guests traveling from another country who you see rarely?

Are you inviting an old friend that you had a photograph with when you were very young that you could update on your wedding day?

Would you like all colour shots, black and white or shots using other effects such as sepia toning?

Questions To Ask:
Remember, it is important to discuss all of your requirements with your photographer. They can do a much better job of your wedding photographs if they are totally aware of your hopes for the final outcome. Consider taking examples of photographs from friends' weddings or sketches so you are clearly understood. Leave as little to chance as possible.

Here are some important questions to ask the photographer.

Ask if the person you are meeting will be the person there on your wedding day. If not, ask to met the actual photographer and see some examples of their work. If this is resisted, be a little concerned.

If you meet an alternative photographer from the same company, ask the same questions. Don't assume the same standards or experience as their partner or employer.



Ask if the photographer has professional indemnity insurance to cover the cost of retaking your photographs if something goes horribly wrong. If the photographer does not have insurance, you should take out your own wedding insurance policy to cover such an eventuality.

Find out how long the photographer spends taking their shots after the ceremony and/or at the reception. There isn't really a standard time for this, you should decide before you visit the photographer how long you think it is acceptable to keep your guests waiting, and see how close the photographer's estimate comes to yours.

Ask how the photographer copes if the weather is not as beautiful as you hope. Here it will help if the photographer has worked at your wedding and reception venues previously and knows the local area.


- Consider having a pre-wedding photo shoot. This gives you and your photographer a chance to get to know each other a bit better and you will feel more prepared for the big day!

Above all remember your wedding is unique so viewing a photographers work is only an idea of the images the photographer offers, A good caring photographer will work around your needs, making your images special and unique to you

PORTRAITS A QUESTION OF PRICE

Q) Why do I as a photographer charge more for my portraits then, photographers that do portraits in high street shops?

A)Because I dont beg for business, I dont have offer saying portraits NOW £25.00 was £125.00, sounds to good to miss that type of offer, but sit and think for a minute
you will take your child to a high street shop, the image will be taken on a camera previously set up and connected to a PC , After 3 to 4 shots your session is finished,

You will pay your £25.00 and be given a card to come back in a fortnight,

On return you will be given one 7x5 image, now comes the shocker , on a large screen or even in the sales persons hands will be the other images of your child starting at £65.00 each, They will be destroyed if you dont purchase them . so thats 4 images at £65.00, so you duly hand your card over to the sales person and pay another £260.00, so your 5 minute portrait session and 5 images have cost you £285.00.

Did the photographer spend time getting to know you? Did they spend time amusing your child? was there time for a change of clothing? did the photographer discuss your needs what you wanted from this session?

I can answer that NO
These people are not photographers they have to be skilled in sales

Portraits should be an investment, a true portrait should capture the spirit of the person, a portrait is something to treasure when your little baby leaves home, you should still have portraits to cherish

I take time i meet with my clients i talk to them about what they want, They smile in my images because they are happy not because i asked them to smile, I am a photographer an artists I create beautiful images to cherish

Will i fool you? no,. will i charge the earth? NO, will you have options of how your prints are displayed? YES

You see i am a photographer not a sales rep
Next time you want a portrait done just think for a minute and ask yourself what do i really want from my portrait session, Do you want to que for a 5 minute session?

or do you want a relaxed session to fit around you and your family in a place of your choice, with images to cherish
With a session starting at £65.00 and print prices from £15.00, I am actually cheaper and offer more

Studio shoot

wow another week flown by, I am not a lover of dark morning short days and dark evening
means now some work has to be studio based,
I am debating on getting a green screen this seems to be the all new photographers studio tool,

A nice pop up background would be much easier then assembling the backdrop support when I visit clients, But then would a pop up background leave space to pose ? oh so hard making my mind up

I like my studio sessions to be fun, heres one i did earlier this week with a young girl, she was quick to relax and enjoy her session and we got some great fun expressive shots, and all done in the warm,

Dad enjoyed the session as well I aim more towards contemporary portraits to capture the natural personality of my clients , The aim is to have fun,