What you get when you hire me to take your family photographs?

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I am a big believer in being transparent when it comes to communicating around my service. Yes it could be easy with photography as you could just say "Well take a look at my portfolio and what you see is what you get". I could take that appraoch, however there are questions I've had over the years from potential clients, such as "Will the images look okay if I blow them up?"  "I don't look good in photographs, so I'm a bit worried about having them done", "I never know what to do with my hands or how to position myself", "My child is super active so I don't know if you'll be able to get a good shot of them". I've even had....wait for it...... "Are the photos on your website yours?"

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All of the above questions and more have made me realise the importance of assuring you with about what I do and how I do it. It's not enough just to show you images and expect you to trust me. Whilst I am not the most expensive photographer in my area it's still a substantial investment so why shouldn't you know what goes on behind the scenes.  

 

Not just straight out of the camera

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The final images you receive are not just straight out of the camera and forwarded on to you. There is a lot of work leading up to, during and after your shoot to make sure you are delivered high quality images, that will stay in your family forever.

 

Experience

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In a terribly un-British fashion I am going to risk sounding like I'm blowing my own trumpet to assure you you're in safe hands. I put off writing this page for years, because if there's one thing I don't enjoy, it's talking about myself! 

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Ask me to bake a cake without instructions and I wouldn't have a clue, but photographing people is what I am good at.

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First of all I have been obsessed with photography since I was 10. It never felt like a decision I made, it's just a part of who I am. Along with my photography obsession comes a huge thirst for knowledge of anything and everything to do with photography and Photoshop. Whilst I have been a professional photographer for nearly 10 years, I've been actively practicing and annoying my friends and family for 33 years :) 

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Within that 33 years I have studied light. Natural light in particular is my favourite and I've studied postitioning people and families in the most flattering light available, under any circumstances and in any location. Photoshop is complex - It took me years to get to a stage where I was confident with it, but I love it! and because I love it I have been continually learning and developing my editing skills in order to deliver the best images possible. 

 

I've also learnt how to make people feel relaxed in front of the camera. Continually working on ways to get those natural images I know my clients will love. Through experience I know how to position different body shapes to produce the most flattering images.

 

I love working with children and I know how to photograph fast moving toddlers and get their attention :) 

 

I know my camera inside and out. I'm always on manual mode as it gives me the most artistic freedom.

 

Before the shoot

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I will advise and show you the best colours in relation to clothing tips for your shoot. I will send you a "What to wear" guide and a little video giving further clothing tips for your family for the particular scene we'll be shooting in.

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I am also always on the end of the phone, should you want advice on the clothes you have picked out.

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Behind the scenes I will create a mood board especially for your family's shoot (considering the ages of your children) and collate ideas so that I am fully prepared for day of your shoot.

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During the shoot

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Through experience I know the best light to position you and your family in to avoid colour casts and unflattering shadows.

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Your images are high resolution, they come from a high end camera that picks up every detail. This means you can blow up your images as large as you like and they will still look great.

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It took me two years to really master sharp images. After nearly 10 years I can safely say it's in the bag :) Expect tack sharp images, showing all the details.

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Editing

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No matter how expensive the camera, they do not pick up on colour and light as well as the human eye does. What we see when we are out on location is not how my camera captures it. I can calibrate my camera to do a lot of cool stuff on the shoot, but there is nothing I can do to match what we see with our eyes. That's where the editing begins.

 

Editing is ALL about the small details, its about bringing the scene back to it's very best. All your images are taken through two editing software programmes - Lightroom and Photoshop on a custom built PC and a monitor that allows me to edit the colours in the images correctly. All your best images are hand-edited, one by one, carefully accentuating the lights and darks of each individual image, as well as colour correcting for skin tones and the scenery behind you. This takes time, because a) I want you to fall in love with your images and b) I'm a perfectionist!

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All of your images will be high resolution - they're big files that you can use for printing. Not only will you get high resolution images but I will web resize (make smaller) all of your images as well, so you can share them online. The high resolution images are too big to share online.

 

Once you've seen your images

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You will have access to a beautiful gallery system and online store where you can choose your digital collection and download your images straight from your gallery. You will have credit to use in store to purchase frames, canvases and other products when you book a full session.

 

When you purchase a product in your online store, I will take your chosen images through another colour and light correcting process in order for the chosen products to look awesome. The way your images look on the screen and how they look in print will be different if not edited correctly.

 

I haven't listed any further intricate details because, well, it's kind of boring if you're not a photo nerd like me :) All I am aiming to do is assure you that I know what I'm doing when it comes to delivering your heirloom images that I hope will be in your family for generations to come.

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