29/02/2012 by Anna.

Binita and her family are due to leave Hullavington soon for their next placement and we managed to fit in a photo session in their last week here. Luckily the weather was gorgeous - couldn’t get much better for February!

Binita and her daughter dressed in traditional Nepalese dresses which were just gorgeous.

We started off the session with a few pictures in the house, as I think it’s good to have a reminder of where you lived at various times in your life.

The children each had 3 new helium balloons as a special photo treat which were great to use with the strong sun - we got some amazing backlit pictures and strong shadows.

The family live in a house overlooking the airfield, so it was easy to find some wide open spaces for photography.

Grandad was also included in the shoot.

A lovely natural looking shot.

The sun was really bright as it was early afternoon, but it’s good for bringing out the rich colours of Binita’s dress.

However we chose the shade of a tree for taking some closer portrait shots.

The children were really not moving very fast on their scooters, but panning like this gives a great effect, and I hope they like impression of speed!

Binita and her daughter soon changed out of their smart dresses into clothes that they could move freely in. The pink here was beautifully chosen as it really compliments the colour of the balloons.

During their stay in Hullavington many hours have been spent in the playground and so we t00k a few pictures there.

I brought some bubbles along and both children were very good at blowing bubbles.

I do hope you all like these pictures and they will bring back happy memories of living in Hullavington.

Posted in Family, Portraits | No Comments »

17/10/2011 by Anna.

Now that my blog is up and running again it’s time to put some new pictures on. Remember those lovely, hot days in early October? Luckily I had a photo shoot planned so we really made the most of it. Deb, Ben, Amelie and Ethan and Simon and I strolled around West Kington for a couple of hours, enjoying the sun.

The sun was still strong for late afternoon, so we found shade behind a huge tree.

Making the most of the sun for this one!

Ethan was very excited about his 4th birthday the following day!

This really doesn’t look like October 2nd, does it?!

What a lovely couple!

I wonder what Amelie’s pictures turned out like?

It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon - thanks guys!

Posted in Family, Children | No Comments »

22/08/2011 by Anna.

What better way to spend a summer’s morning than taking a walk in Westonbirt? Well, maybe the walking wasn’t too energetic as we had young children in the family group, so a better description would probably be a play in Westonbirt!

The wild flowers in the field leading down to Silk Wood are at their best at this time of year, I think.

Getting down and shooting from a low angle really brings them into the picture.

A lovely family grouping.

Although it wasn’t very sunny, the light is still pretty strong and so the shade under one of the huge trees was very welcome and gave a good light.

I can’t remember what was so funny!

This expression came about when the bubbles came out!

This one I managed to get a picture of… most of them I missed!

I think a model is in the making…

Poor little Jake fell over within 5 minutes of the beginning of the walk and grazed his nose!

What a great place to be!

It looks quite autumnal already, doesn’t it?

Emily and Jake managed really well on the walk, thanks to plenty of shoulder rides and snacks and treats - as usual I took far too many pictures! But there are some lovely images from summer 2011 for future memories.

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31/07/2011 by Anna.

A lovely July summer afternoon with a family in the Wiltshire countryside with a barn, a horse and a stunning lake and cabin - what could be better?!

After inspecting one of the tractors we moved over to some straw bales in the barn.

I thought I would have some fun with the light and shadows in the barn - very graphic!

Little Tom was not really interested in having his picture taken but Ella, being a girl and a few years older, was only too pleased to pose for me.

This worked quite well as Tom couldn’t get down off the straw bale by himself!

Yes - I managed one!

We got a series of lovely natural father and daughter images.

By the time we went over to the pond it really did feel like it should be gin and tonic time! What a beautiful place.

I forgot to bring my pot of bubbles along but they had a much more interesting bubble machine, which kept both the children absorbed.

Ella and Tom were visiting grandparents and so Ella was unfamiliar and a little nervous of this huge, gentle horse.

The children must be building up such lovely memories of their visits to Wiltshire with all these places to explore - I hope these images will  help to capture some of those memories in the future.

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04/05/2011 by Anna.

This session was done a few weeks ago when the dandelions were in their prime. I know they are only weeds, but I love them…. provided they don’t take over my garden! They are certainly great to use in photo shoots when the weather is good and the grass dry.

The children were allowed to do their own thing in the field which kept them happy.

Because the sun was so strong I kept it behind the children for close up portraits.

This picture was the best of several that we took of the children jumping. They make a nice sequence.

Here, a bit of panning with the camera following the bike has given the illusion of real speed…

A lovely window lit portrait given a special colour treatment by me.

The blue carpet makes the perfect background for a baby with blue eyes!

I’m now looking at the countryside and thinking that the time is nearly here to take pictures amongst the buttercups. They were amazing last year and will probably be the same this year with all the dry weather we’ve had… any takers?

Posted in Family, Children, Family gatherings | No Comments »

21/04/2011 by Anna.

Can you believe that it’s only April? Such beautiful sunny, warm days. Jodie and Leighton agreed at short notice to make the most of the good weather and have their pre-wedding shoot one sunny late afternoon. We went to Birds Marsh woods - so close to Chippenham and yet in a different world.

The fields still had quite a few dandelions which the children enjoyed playing with.

And the buttercups of course… Leighton loves butter apparently!

I thought I ought to concentrate on the soon to be married couple!

This must have been one huge tree!

Here we were trying to make noises with blades of grass…

Aren’t these images just SO different from studio shots?!

Still having trouble with the grass positioning.

The woods were quite luscious with all the fresh new foliage.

The laurel flowers have quite a strong scent. I reduced the clarity in Lightroon to get this lovely soft effect.

Just as we were leaving the woods I noticed the low sun filtering through the trees and got this shot of the family with backlight and long shadows.

I look forward to taking your wedding photos in June, Leighton and Jodie.

Posted in Engagement, Family, Children | 1 Comment »

15/03/2011 by Anna.

Last weekend we flew up to Edinburgh to spend a few days with family and friends. Here are some of March 2011 images:

Saturday afternoon outside the National Gallery - lovely sunshine with a dramatic sky!

Some lovers in Princes Street gardens…

Some lovely friends outside their home in Dunfermline.

I’m always amazed when I manage to get the pets in the picture too!

All these are taken with window light - it was already getting late and the light was starting to fade, but we managed!

Back in Edinburgh, these girls got used to us as we stayed with them.

Thank you for letting us stay, John and Fiona.

Posted in Family, Children | 1 Comment »

21/12/2010 by Anna.

Last week I did a new born baby shoot in Surrey for a couple whose wedding I photographed last summer - it was so nice to see them again, see their home and their lovely 3 week old baby.

We were worried that William might cry the whole time as he had had a very bad night the previous night, but, although not at his happiest, he was very obliging, especially when placed in my grandfather’s old suitcase!

This is their Christmas card this year!

Newborn babies always look like they have the worries of the world on their shoulders!

The proud father…

… and grandmother - I think they’re having a conversation.

After all the excitement it was time for a sleep. Have a happy and peaceful Christmas William and parents.

Posted in Baby, Family | No Comments »

14/12/2010 by Anna.

A couple of weeks ago I photographed a local family that I’ve worked with over many years and it was lovely to see how the boys had grown. They wanted some individual portrait shots to go in a big ‘grandchildren’ picture, so I took along my portable background so that we could get some nice neutral backgrounds.

We used natural light from the large french windows with a reflector to fill in any shadows under the eyes.My background has a black side and a white side and it’s amazing what a difference the background colour makes to a scene!

When a white background is lit less than the face it becomes grey, so when this is the effect that I want then I just move the background further away from the light.

We had to have a fun one with a favourite toy and…

… I promised that if the boys were good I’d make some funny pictures of them!

A nice one, not a funny one!

You would think this was a studio shot, wouldn’t you?!

We finished off with some of the whole family together. We moved the sofa in front of the doors so that everyone was evenly lit.

I hope the grandparents are pleased with their pictures.

Posted in Family, Children | No Comments »

20/08/2010 by Anna.

This christening was a lovely excuse to have a weekend in London! It was a lovely sunny summer’s day (maybe a little too bright for photography… we’re never happy!).

I took some pictures in the bedroom using some lovely window light just before Harry was getting dressed up.

He is such a photogenic little chap…

… and is also very smiley.

All dressed up in his finery.

With his proud mother.

The ceremony was in the local Catholic Church in Wimbledon - St. Winefride’s Church - a very impressive building with lovely light inside.

A nice record shot of all the guests.

Cousin Anabelle was fascinated by all the candles…

… and on the walk home she was happy to show off her scooter skills!

We used the only bit of shade in the garden to take some family group pictures.

Three young cousins - the mothers were very close at hand in case one of the little ones decided to leave the bench!

Posted in Christening, Baby, Family, Children, Family gatherings | No Comments »