Timely Reminder

About a month ago, Susannah kindly asked if I wanted to contribute a guest post on her blog on the topic of creativity and why it is important to me.  I didn't hesitate to agree, but little did I realise how difficult this seemingly innocuous task would be.  It seems mad, but seriously, up until that moment I had never actually asked myself the question: why is creativity important to me?

You just need to ask Cam, but many restless evenings ensued. There was frustration; and there was fear. I felt challenged, but not in a good way; after all how could I possibly write about a topic which clearly has me literally lost for words. Doubt crept in, then it flooded me.

But eventually the words surfaced, and you can see the result here.

However, in all honesty, despite the weeks of turmoil thinking about the post, no sooner had I sent it off to Sus, I started forgetting it. Real life took over, and what with my mother's sudden stroke, there was little time to think of anything so seemingly self indulgent.  So reading my post again tonight was a timely reminder.

With wedding season upon us (5 pre-wedding shoots in the last fortnight, and the first in a run of weddings is on Sunday) I needed to stop and remember. I needed to remember that photography is my form of creative expression, and it’s an integral part of me which I also happen to do for a living. This sometimes gets lost, for when my hobby became something I now rely on for a living, the urge to please sneaks in; not least because I really like the people we photograph, and I want them to like what we do for them!

Tonight however I was reminded how creativity underpins what I do, and I don't just want people to like what we do for them, I want them to love what we capture for them.   For that to happen, I need to remember my creative work and paid work doesn’t need to be, in fact shouldn’t be, mutually exclusive.

ps. I gave Sus the wrong blog link.  My current blog is here.  Please do drop by and say hello :)

My one little word

I started this tradition back in 2007, when my chosen word was foundation*.  That was also the year I realised I was in love with my best friend, and needed to start taking this relationship a little more seriously. 

2008 saw me build* on the foundations of our original relationship, to see if we could grow from a friendship into something more.  Yet somewhere in those 12 months I lost my way a little, got lost in the relationship and found myself trying to become someone I wasn't. 

So in 2009 I decided to just be*.  We flirted with each other, but I kept my distance, wanting to be sure before I committed to anything.  Photography remained by my side, took me on dates, and waited for me patiently.   

By 2010 I was ready to take the plunge.  To take action*.   In June we took our vows, and this is it. 
This is our journey.

So today, on the first day of a new year, and a new decade - I declare I am (we are) ready to flourish*. 

* my annual one little word

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.

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.

Family Photo

As I was thinking about blogging Julie and her gorgeous daughters photographs from our shoot last week, it got me thinking about how important family photographs are.  The ones that capture you in a moment together. 
All of you.  Together.  In one image.

I wondered what family photographs I might have, and having recently heaved the box of old photographs (I have ambitious plans of organising them) out from the garage, I went and had a rummage...

10 albums later, this is what I found

Seriously, in 10 albums, this was the ONLY picture of the 3 of us, and then there's uncle Jim in the background, and I look like I have no neck!  It made me a little sad, that amongst the hundreds of memorable moments, this was the only one of us as a family.  Admittedly, I have probably another 10 albums to go through, but the odds of finding much more are not exactly favourable.

This makes the mother and daughter(s) moments below even more special because, before anything else, Julie, Elisha and Erin are a team of 3.  They are family, and they will always have these images to remind them of that.

In the meantime my memory vault has been opened, so I'm going to see what else I can find...
Now this is why I love photographs.

Sneak Peek: Louise & Russ

Managed to squeeze in an engaged Lovebirds photo shoot this afternoon with Louise and Russ.
We decided, at the last minute, to meet in Woodstock and took pictures in the grounds of Blenheim Palace.
It was perfect.
They were perfect.

Joy

Cam and I don't have children but we are at the age now where family members and friends all around us are adding to their family of 2, so we have been lucky to witness the transformational journey pregnancy clearly is. From the physical changes a woman experiences, to the deeper-than-skin, inner changes they both experience.  The fears, hopes, and excitement they have imagining what life will be like +1.  These may be conversations they openly share, or they may be held only in the quiet spaces of their own mind and heart; but wherever they are, they are happening.

Yet during those rollercoaster months, one thing always appears to remain constant - the overarching feeling of immense joy. Joy in it's largest most complete sense. The joy that fills you from the tips of your toes and overflows through your crown. And, because of this, no matter what anxieties they may have, and no matter how bloated her ankles may be, they will always be glowing and she will always look beautiful.

Shelly is most definitely a case in point (although she doesn't have bloated ankles). I know her last weeks at work were hard and she was tired and stressed and very pregnant. But I also know she is blissfully looking forward to being a mother, and they are over-the-moon happy about starting a family. So I knew no matter how she felt physically, the joy she felt inside would shine through. And it did. Oh it really did.















One of the things I have learnt through this shoot is that photography is about your client trusting how you see them. This is what attracts you to each other.

Shelly and Simon, like most people, don't particularly thrill to having a camera pointed at them; but for 60 minutes they trusted us to capture images of them to reflect this new adventure they are about to embark upon. And, we captured moments of two people very much in love, full of laughter and tender expectancy. We caught gentle kisses, fingers intertwined and bellies stroked. We witnessed joy.

Ella

When I first started thinking about photography as a business; babies and children were the last subjects I had in mind.  McKinley-Rodgers Photography initially came into being under the name of Dogtales and Dreams when, inspired by the likes of Erin Vey, I was keen to tap into the dog-loving nature of the great British public.  I guess having my own fur babies as opposed to the human variety, played a part too; and I was unsure whether I had the passion for child photography.

It's funny sometimes how the thing you most resist turns out to be exactly what you are looking for. 

This month I had the joy of photographing Ella again. 
We first met when she was not quite a month old.  Gorgeous and tiny, she was a crumpled bundle of joy on her proud parents lap.



This time she greeted me with curious inspection, before eventually giving into my charms (or it could have been the bribe of a fluffy pink pig) and I fell in love. 









From not thinking about babies, it's all I can think about now.
More babies to photograph please!