Highlights of 2010

This is my first attempt at doing a photo slideshow, but I can see myself getting addicted to making more in 2011! In the meantime here are some of our personal and professional highlights in 2010.

It's been a fabulous year, and I am full of gratitude.

Happy New Year.

Sneaky Peek: Amanda & David

2 people in love + snow + heart-shaped red balloon = perfect ingredients for a pre-wedding shoot!

More to come soon!

Happy Holidays

Fire and Ice

In contrast to the cold and still landscape which envelopes us currently; my belly is on fire with wild ideas and dreams for 2011. 

Can't wait to start sharing them with you as the new year unfolds...

Snow Days

I think any photographer, no, any person, in the UK, is likely to have a set of images this like this from the last couple of days.  Talk about an unexpected snow dump!

As much as I have been dreaming of a white Christmas, and looking forward to our share of snow in rural Oxfordshire, I was a little gutted with the timing of it.  Cam and I were scheduled to do a pre-wedding shoot on Saturday, and after a few months of photographing dogs, I was looking forward to capturing images of the human variety again.  Nevertheless it was a wise decision because by mid afternoon, well over a foot of snow had fallen in our little valley.

New beginnings and old intentions...

I was so excited ripping open that Amazon package this afternoon.  Knowing my brand sparkling new red Moleskine diary was snuggly tucked inbetween those cardboard flaps.  Oh the sight of a new diary.  Oh the promise of blank pages.  Oh the potential of a New Year...

Yes, it's that time of year again.  The worst kind for someone like me, because I LOVE new beginnings.  I start feeling bold.  I start dreaming BIG, and worst of all, I start making lists!  Lists of the grand, glorious things I will do this year; it's a new year after all... 

Lists that almost inevitably come back to haunt me...

Except this year. 
Of course, this year will be different.

Seriously though, I figure it's a bit like when I was trying to give up smoking.
God only knows how many times I declared a sincere intention to give up, before I actually successfully gave up.  Let's just say people stopped paying any attention.  But now it's been 6 years since I last had a cigarette.

So each year I shall continue to declare my sincere intentions, and trust; when the time is right, it will be.

Juniper Animals

We are very lucky to have a friend who recently opened up her own animal behaviour and health care practice.  As some of you may know, Jake is from hardy Australian stock, and has rarely been sick (touchwood).  Cujo on the other hand, has had two near death experiences in the last 16 months, and suffers constantly from a revolving door of skin complaints.  So, when Georgina was recently in our neck of the woods on a training course, we jumped at the chance for a consultation!

George came and spent some time with the dogs before opening her box of treasures and seeing if they were drawn to any particular scents.  She then took a sample of their hair home with her, where she later used a human conduit to test for imbalances using kinesiology. 

Cujo showed an imbalance on his brain and pancreas meridian lines, and so she suggested Seaweed which tested strong to balance both these areas, and Seabuckthorn and Rosehip for tissue regeneration.  Jake didn't have any physical imbalances as such, but did show an imbalance on his heart meridian line.  For this, George suggested Violet Leaf and Jasmine which tested strong and comforting for his heart (I wonder whether this may be as a result of Jake being a rescue dog, and that at 9 months old, we were already his 3rd home.)  She also suggested Peppermint for his lack of confidence, as he's often attacked by other dogs (and cats!) for no apparent reason.

Over the last week I have been giving them their assigned oils and noting their behaviour.  I have to say it seems to be a well loved routine already, as they sit eagerly awaiting their turn, and Cujo's skin has shown definite signs of improvement.  As for Jake, well, he's not been beaten up by any dogs or cats recently!  Thanks George!

Impromptu Dog Photoshoot - Dylan

Cam and I used to have a shop in Wantage, and I think when we left, a little piece of our hearts were left behind there too.  So it's always great for me to go back once a month, to see my old girlfriends, and get together for a little crafty delight.  We call it a crop, as it's organised by Sarah who is the most talented scrapbooker I know, but we all actually get on and do our own little thing there.  It's just good to know we have a full day set aside once a month to catch up and indulge in our passions. 

I had an added bonus this weekend though, when my friends sister bought her amazing puppy (yes, he's still a puppy!) along to say hello.  Dylan is a German Shepherd cross Samoyed, and is just 6 months old.  Helen and I joked that his paws are still looking big for his body, so it terrifies us slightly how much more he is likely to grow!  Thank God, he has the sweetest temperment - and all I wanted to do was cuddle him!

With my camera to hand, there was no way I could resist snapping some images of this gorgeous boy.

Winter Wonderland

The Winter frost this morning was quite breathtaking, and transformed rural Oxfordshire into a scene straight out of Narnia.   Unfortunately I was driving, and wasn't able to stop and capture the image, so you'll just have to take my word for it; although if you live anywhere in the UK, you were probably greeted with an equally beautiful landscape!

When I got home however, I immediately grabbed the boys and went for a walk.  By then the sun had come out, and the snowy scene of the morning had melted away, revealing another kind of beauty.

I know judging from the recent Cujo and Jake heavy posts, it's hard to believe, but I do shoot people (photographically speaking!) and we have quite a few pre-wedding shoots lined up next month, before our wedding season kicks off in April.  In the meantime though, yes it is my trusty models who continue to share this space with me. 

As much as I love my boys though, I am hoping this time next year we will have the joy of shooting some Winter weddings.  Every season has it's own kind of magic, and this is one I would love the opportunity to immortalise in a wedding album.  So if you're a Winter bride... email me :)

The Million Dollar Question

One of the biggest dilemmas I've had since starting the photography business has been pricing. It was so much easier in the beginning, when it was just something I did for fun. But now that this is my occupation, now that this is what I do, it's become so much more complicated.

I've joined forums, canvassed opinions of friends, peers, brides, but the answer is never simple; and everyone has a valid opinion.  Kat and Julia Boggio wrote an excellent article asking the question: what is a good photographer worth, and I often think about that.  After all, I value my work.  I put a great deal of effort into it, so why is it so hard to put a monetary value against that?  This is made all the more difficult knowing the price I charge is also being judged by some as my worth.

Yet something I've said from the outset, is that I want to be affordable.  I want to ensure that good people get good photographs, and I know I for one would find it difficult to stretch to some of the prices out there.   Funnily enough I have been on the consumer end recently, as I am looking for a photographer to document Cam and my 10th anniversary celebrations next year; so I appreciate the fine line between wanting the best for an important occasion, and what I can realistically save up and afford.

This has been on my mind all the more recently, because we've just raised our prices.  This was as a result of an increased number of enquiries, particularly for 2012, and we felt our introductory package needed to expand to illustrate the growth we have achieved.  However ever since doing so, I've been feeling a little uncomfortable.  Some of the most exciting sounding weddings we have booked for 2011 are based on our earlier prices, and the thought we might have missed out on these brides make me sad. 

At the same time, as the business grows, so does our investment in it.  How do I find a happy medium?

I've decided tonight to revise the packages we have on offer, so as to give a wider choice, and ensure the DIY bride's beautiful efforts do not have to go to waste.   I've found that the people who fall in these brackets often have some of the most unique, imaginative and original weddings, and these are some of the weddings we really want to photograph.   

I realised tonight, my ultimate worth is determined by how I capture the spirit of a wedding, and there can never be a definitive price tag on that.

I am in love with this song at the moment.
I know, I'm about a year late, but I just can't get enough of it.
Next year, I will put a wedding slideshow to it.

"Marriage is those two thousand indistinguishable conversations, chatted over 2000 indistinguishable breakfasts, where intimacy turns like a slow wheel."

- Elizabeth Gilbert

In her book, Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert refers to something the poet Jack Gilbert (no relation) once said when he described marriage as that which "happens between the memorable".   Indeed, if I look back over the last 9 years with Cam, it is clearly the highs and lows which stand out, and although those moments form crucial milestones in our marriage, it is in fact all the non-descript days inbetween which actually knits it together.
It is the everyday which is the bedrock of our marriage.  The often unmemorable.

Yet photographs can  work wonders as story catchers.  Holding a memory for you long after you may have forgotten it.  For the first three years of our marriage, I utilised this tool, and created albums every year, on our anniversary, documenting the details of the last year we spent together.  I wish I hadn't allowed complacency to take over, because sitting down with a cuppa, and reliving those mini adventures of our early years is great fun.  The last 6 years however, sit adrift in cleverly abbreviated filenames on my hard drive, rarely seeing the light of day.

This is something I plan to change, and I am starting this month with a fun photo project.
Because if I am lucky, 20 years down the line, this December will be a blurred memory morphed within 20 other such months. Yet by creating a photobook of the month, I will be reminded of the ordinary magic which exists in our everyday, the 'non-events' that layer on top of each other to create the rich tapestry which becomes our life together.

Sneaky Lie In

Cam doesn't allow the boys on the bed, so when he heads off to work, and they are left alone with me...
this sometimes happens!

White Fluff

England has been gripped by a cold snap, and our Northern friends in particular have had more than their fair share of the cold white stuff.  Down here though... hmm, I don't know if we can even call it a sprinkling! 

Still, undeterred, the boys and I went out and made the most of it today.
(There were two of them with me, and not because I favour Cujo or anything, but it is all about him...)