Category:

Family photography

Maternity, newborn and family photography

Beach bump

by Ally March 19, 2019

This week I’ve been feeling pretty excited … because spring is on its way! The days are longer, the rain has finally stopped and the temperatures are slowly creeping up!

And this means more photo sessions in the great outdoors!!!

Just like this beautiful beach maternity photoshoot from last summer … when it was warm, the sun was shining and we could walk barefoot in the sand.

At 8 months pregnant Charlotte absolutely rocked her beach maternity session! Doesn’t she look beautiful?

I’m photographing in the studio again today … but I’m very much looking forward to some beach photoshoots coming soon. And maybe some bluebell photoshoots … oh, and maybe some stunning rapeseed photoshoots too!

Which outdoor location would you choose for your family photographs?

March 19, 2019

Family photography

Mother’s Day

by Ally March 5, 2019

I absolutely love fine art photography. There’s something really special about the beauty of a timeless portrait … and these two … Well, they absolutely rocked their photoshoot!

When Felicity and I were planning a photoshoot for Constance’s first birthday, we knew we wanted something different to a cake smash … so a fine art photo session just made sense.

I am totally in love with these images. Felicity simply looks stunning, and Constance looks so adorable in her pink tutu.

But today’s blog is less about the fine art, and more about who I am photographing.

As a family photographer, I often talk about the importance of family photographs – but who is in these photographs?

Most often than not, the children are. Which is unsurprising … Children grow up the fastest, change the fastest, they are our pride and joy and we want to be able to remember them as babies, as toddlers, in their first years of school, as teenagers, etc. We try to cling on to those memories as much as we can, because one day we know that our children will be all grown up, and all we will have left are our memories, and some photographs.

And I totally agree … photograph your children! As much as you can … hold on to those memories, as tight as you can!

But there is also a flip side. Imagine you only took photographs of your children, and you weren’t in any of them … What memories would your children have of you?

One day your children will be looking at those photographs, and remember you. They will remember their childhood, the happy times. You might look at the photographs together and maybe even show them to your grandchildren. They will be surprised at the colour of your hair, or the clothes you were wearing.

Constance is unlikely to remember this photoshoot, but she will definitely remember the photographs. She will grow up seeing them around the house. And then one day, when she is older she will look back at them with fondness … and hopefully, in turn she will have her photo taken with her own children.

I wrote this blog today because Mother’s Day is on the 31st of March and I am a firm believer in celebrating motherhood. This is not to say that fathers should not be included in photographs – in fact, I highly recommend it. And I have some Father’s Day blogs lined up for June.

So, to celebrate Mother’s Day … have your hair done, put on some make up, wear your nicest dress and come and have some beautiful timeless photographs of you and your children.

In the next few days I’ll be posting some days for Mother’s Day mini sessions, so keep an eye out and book yourself in, or if you can’t wait that long … give me a call.

Call me

March 5, 2019

Family photography

Evie

by Ally February 19, 2019

If you’ve looked at Watch Them Grow experience before, but decided against it because you have an older child you didn’t do it with, this blog is for you.

This is Evie.

She is three and comes along with her younger brother, Arlo to all of his photo sessions. She is chatty, cheeky and adorable. She is always first to sit in the chair, and helps me out with my test shot to make sure my lighting and my settings are correct.

When we first started the Watch Them Grow experience with Arlo, we decided that Evie would also wear the same outfit in all of the photographs. This means that when we put all the photos together at the end, they will all look the same.

Babies grow and change so much in the first year, and this is really obvious with Arlo from month to month, but I’m also really curious to see the change in Evie from the very first session when she was just getting used to being a big sister, to the last session, a year later.

Photographing a baby and a three year old together is not always easy … but it is always great fun. And we all know I love a challenge!

I start by photographing Evie on her own, and then once Arlo is ready and changed, we bring him in too. Sometimes they share the chair.

Other times, Evie stands behind it!

And sometimes, I can even capture them both looking at me at the same time!

When Evie gets bored, and starts having a conversation with my Alexa, we know it’s Arlo’s time to shine … Look at those cheeks! And the posing … a model in the making!

And then, of course, it’s time for a bit of dancing around the studio … to finish off the photo session in style!

What I really love about these sessions, is that bringing an older sibling along means not one session is the same as the other. There is always something new, something exciting, something fun to brighten up the day.

And I can’t wait to see, and share with you, what the final image will look like for these two.

Are you expecting a baby? Would you like to find out more about the Watch Them Grow experience? Head over to my contact page or simply give me a call for a chat.

Call me

February 19, 2019

Family photography

A beautiful maternity session

by Ally February 5, 2019

Ever since I photographed Livia and Adrian for their beautiful maternity session, I knew I wanted to write a blog about it … and finally here it is!

Livia and I are school friends, from many … many moons ago. We have one of those amazing friendships where we can go for months without talking to each other or seeing each other, but when we do it’s like we have never been apart and we can pick up exactly where we left of.

Moving to different countries hasn’t even changed that!

And this time last year, Livia and Adrian were living in Bratislava and expecting a baby … so naturally, I flew out there to capture this ever so special time for them.

Travelling by plane to a photoshoot meant that I had to pack light, so I decided to leave all my lighting equipment at home. For someone who mainly uses studio light, it was felt a little unnerving, but I was equally excited to go back to basics and only use natural light for this photoshoot.

I am so glad I did. I absolutely love the light and airy feel of these photographs, and the net curtains provided the most amazing background.

Livia of course looked absolutely stunning. In these photographs, she looks confident, comfortable, playful and most of all beautiful!

Whenever I do a maternity photo session, the father-to-be is always invited to come along, and join in if he wishes. Some do, some don’t … and that’s ok! But regardless of whether they appear in the photographs, I always notice the love in their eyes, and it’s magical!

Adrian is definitely not camera shy, so he was very pleased to be in some of the photographs. This one is perhaps my favourite.

Or do you prefer the black and white version? I can’t decide!

Pregnancy doesn’t always feel like the most beautiful time … your body can go through some many changes that it sometimes may feel unrecognisable. Your hormones are up and down quicker than yo-yo. And yet, it is such a special time, for both you and your partner. A time to be celebrated and cherished.

Maternity photography is a craft to capture the beauty of pregnancy in images you will want to look back on in many years to come.

If you are approaching your third trimester, and would like to book a maternity photo session, get in touch.

Call me

February 5, 2019

Family photography

The Family Portrait

by Ally January 25, 2019

Week 4 of my photo challenge – Family

One of the reasons I started this 52 week challenge and this blog was to connect with you better … any by you I mean whoever you are reading this: my followers, my past, present and future clients. I wanted to get you know you better, and by the reverse coin I wanted to allow you into my life so you can get to know me better – the girl behind the lens.

But when is too much information too much? I’m sure none of you particularly want to know what day of the week I do my laundry? … Incidentally, it’s whenever the washing basket is too full.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a family is “a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit”. This did somewhat surprise me! For someone who has been a single parent for a number of years, the requirement of having two parents to form a family seems at best outdated!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed my post yesterday which contained a very different definition of family. If you don’t follow me on Instagram yet, then you totally should. Have a look at the top right hand corner of this page and you will notice a little Instagram symbol. Click on it, then click follow.

In my opinion families are all different and they are fluid. What your family looks like now, may be different to what it looked like a few years ago, and may still be different to what it will look like in a few years’ time. People may come into your family, others may leave. Families are not always linked by blood relations or by marriage. Families often include friends, pets, neighbours, exes. Families are complicated.

This is a photograph of what my family looks like right now. For the purpose of clarification, from left to right we have … Ralph, the black labrador who really doesn’t like the sound a saxophone, Mark who actually enjoys washing up (he’s weird, I know!), yours truly, and 8 year old Max whose bedroom looks like a bomb has hit it!

I took my inspiration for this photograph from Sue Bryce, who is a fantastic portrait photographer and educator. I had the huge pleasure of meeting Sue at the SWPP convention a couple of years ago. She was an inspiration before, and has been an even bigger inspiration since.

What I wanted to achieve with this photograph was a fine art family portrait, with muted tones and a timeless feel. One that looks almost like a painting. One that you can imagine having framed and hung on a wall in your living room.

Usually I would have used different height chairs for a family portrait, but I knew this wouldn’t work with Ralph. The sofa is his most favourite place in the whole house, so I knew that if I wanted to capture Ralph at his best, the sofa would be the only solution.

Next we had to set up my new extra wide black background behind the sofa, set up the tripod, do my hair and get everyone to change into something black. Ralph was ready first!

They say that you should never work with animals or children, but I like a challenge! And surprisingly this was quite possibly one of the easiest family photo sessions I have ever done. And the most fun!

Oh, and if you are wondering how we managed to get Ralph to look at the camera when there was nobody behind it? Just balance a dog treat on top of the camera … works wonders!!!

The moral of the story? There is no such thing as a perfect family, but there will always be one that is perfect for you! So don’t wait! Capture the moment! Take that family photograph! And if not, come over to my studio and allow me to capture your family for you. Because one day, these photographs are all your children and grandchildren will have of you.

And on that note, I shall leave you with some outtakes from our imperfectly perfect family session … I think I prefer them to the actual family portrait!

The boys are chillin’ … being a model is really hard work!

January 25, 2019

Family photography

Constance is one!

by Ally January 22, 2019

Can someone please tell me where the last year has gone?

This gorgeous little lady came into the studio this weekend, with her equally gorgeous mumma for some first birthday photos. And she totally rocked her photo session!

Connie turned one last week so we wanted to capture the occasion with some photographs. First year photo sessions are always so much fun. One year olds are funny, cheeky, full of character and they know what they want. And Connie definitely knew how to pose in front of the camera …

It is crazy to think that this is the same baby I photographed as a newborn a year ago, almost to the day. She was so tiny back then!

I’ve never used a black background to photograph babies before. I suppose there’s this idea that black is quite a harsh colour. But I love how these photographs came out and I think this really works with her cute little pink tutu and helps her really stand out.

Oh and the photo of Constance at the top with the pink flower bonnet … It’s by far my favourite!

So here we are … if you don’t fancy a messy cake smash photo session for your one year old, you don’t have to have one, but do try and capture this important milestone. They are only this little once. Before you know it, they will be going off to university and you’ll be wondering where the last 18 years have gone and trying to remember what they looked like when they were were still a baby?

So if you too have a baby that’s going to be celebrating their first birthday soon, give me a call, or send me a email and we can have a chat about a capturing some beautiful photographs that you will treasure for many years to come. Click here for my Contact page.

January 22, 2019

Family photography

Watch them Grow

by Ally January 8, 2019

It’s Tuesday, so here’s my first blog about my work as a professional photographer.

And this is JB’s first year montage.

As some of you probably know, I’ve been doing these monthly baby photos for a little while now, but I couldn’t think of an appropriate name for them … until yesterday! When the best idea ever popped into my head, and from now on, I’m going to call it the “Watch them Grow” experience.

Because that is essentially what we are doing … photographing your baby every month for the first year to watch them grow … and gosh, do they grow and change in those first few months.

Back to JB’s story though, I first met his parents, Mandy and Steve on my first day at uni, where we were flat mates. I still remember our flat, right in the centre of Bristol … those were the days! I lost contact for a few years with Mandy and Steve, but when they were expecting JB they got in touch, and it was such a pleasure to capture some maternity photos for them!

Once JB arrived, we started planning the “Watch them Grow” experience, and it wasn’t long before they came in for their first session. This photo is from that first session … how tiny does JB look?

By month 5, we were getting lots of smiles and Mandy and Steve jumped in for some family shots too! These are some of my favourite photos!

The smiles continued, JB became funnier and cheekier every month, but by month 11 the photo sessions became a climbing exercise, and constantly being on a verge of a heart attack for Mandy, Steve and I. JB had found his feet, and found that he could stand … on a chair … and jump on it … and try to climb on the back of it! So much so, that we even turned the chair around.

When photographing babies, safety is my top priority, and I always make sure that at least one of the parents is within the baby’s reach, should they decide to launch themselves … babies do that!

And then it was time for month 12, the last one! JB had grown from a tiny baby into a funny, cheeky little person.

So thank you Mandy and Steve for letting me be part of JB’s journey, it’s been such a pleasure, and so much fun! I hope to do it all over again for his second birthday too …

And if you too are having a baby anytime soon, or know someone who is, give me a call or send me an email and we can have a chat about your “Watch them Grow” experience.

January 8, 2019

Family photography

Rupert’s Green Chair

by Ally December 29, 2018

Twelve months, twelve photographs and one baby!

This is Rupert, sat in his green chair the day before his second birthday.

Rupert was my first chair baby … I still remember when, a few days after he was born, his mum, and beautiful friend Clare, text me and asked to book me for a photo shoot on the same day every month for the next 12 months. And that’s how Rupert’s Green Chair came about.

Every month, we set up the studio in the same way, used the same background and the same green chair, and dressed Rupert in a little white bodysuit – one that Clare could easily buy in every size needed up to 12 months. That way, the only variable would be Rupert growing up, from one month to the next …

And this was the final result! 12 photographs of Rupert, one for each month of his life!

These photo sessions quickly became some of my absolute favourites. The first couple of months were a little tricky … one month old babies don’t do much, but by month 4 the sessions began to be really great fun. Rupert was getting cheekier every month. Check out his month 11 photo … enough to give both his mum and I a heart attack, but he was having the time of his life.

I would like to point out that safety is extremely important when photographing babies, and if it means photoshopping parents’ hands out of photographs I would rather do that. At all times, there is a parent nearby who can spot and catch the child should they need to do so.

Anyway, I was having so much fun, that I decided to offer this as a stand-alone product to all my other clients, and I am now enjoying photographing lots of babies in chairs throughout their first year. If you’d like to find out more about booking a First Year Chair package check out my Chair page here.

Babies grow and change so much, these photos are my most treasured memory of his first year. I forget how much he has changed some days, looking back shows the incredible journey we have all been on. We plan to put him back in the chair on his birthday and get Ally to capture him every year too …
Clare, Chichester.

And just like that, I am now looking forward to photographing Rupert on his third birthday in the same chair, and seeing the difference another year will make.

December 29, 2018

Family photography

Maternity session in a castle

by Ally December 28, 2018

Amberley Castle is the perfect backdrop for a fun photography session, especially on a sunny winter day

It had been raining for days beforehand and it was scheduled to rain for the next few days too … but on this particular Friday in early December, the weather was simply perfect for this beautiful photo session.

Sydnee and Brian had planned a last minute weekend away before the imminent arrival of their twins in a few weeks’ time, and they wanted to use the beautiful grounds at Amberley Castle as a backdrop for their photos. It was by far one of the most fun maternity session I’ve ever done.

We explored the castle, with all its hidden corners, secret doorways and beautiful grounds.

The golden hour is every photographer’s dream. The golden hour usually happens an hour before sunset when the light becomes soft and warm, and it makes for amazing photographs. And wow, did the golden hour make an appearance on this day

My favourite photo has to be the one with the pond in the foreground and the castle in the background. The way the light falls on Sydnee and Brian, the way you can see the reflection in the lake, and of course, the grand Amberley Castle in the background with the beautiful blue sky.

December 28, 2018