Mermaid Photo Shoot - Christmas Gift!

If you have a little mermaid in your family and you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift for them then I think I might have the answer for you!

A mermaid photo shoot gift certificate will let them create a piece of beautiful art for their wall featuring them in mermaid form.The actual session is very simple as the goal here is to capture the perfect image to be transformed later on into a beautiful mermaid.  I provide the mermaid tail, bikini top and  a choice of headdress for use at the sesssion.  Although we don’t actually need the tail as we’ll be blending your mermaid into a digitally enhanced tail, I am a firm believer that you should always wear a mermaid tail if the opportunity presents itself.The session takes between ten and fifteen minutes, we chat about mermaids, have some fun, take some photos so I have plenty of options to work with back in my editing suit and then you’re on your way.The real work goes on back in my office where your little one is mermaidised (yep, pretty sure that’s a word) and you’ll be able to download your print quality artwork from your gallery about a week after your session – all ready for printing, framing, and admiring. Read the full article

Dog Gift Certificates

If you know someone who has a superstar dog in their life, then this is the perfect gift – a voucher for their very own photo shoot.

These mini sessions are tailored especially for dogs to give you a set of beautiful classic portraits to enjoy.  Our dogs are a huge part of our lives and family and it’s always worth taking the time to create some lasting memories of them.You can personalise and order your pawtrait voucher online! Read the full article

Mermaid Gift Certificates

Digital mermaid photo shoots can be booked at any time in the studio (you don’t need to wait for an event day) and so they are the perfect gift for your little mermaid!

A shoot as fabulous as this deserves a gift voucher to match it so I’ve designed this super special and sparkly one which you can personalise and order online! Read the full article

New Backdrops Added at the Studio - the Boho Collection

Introducing three new backdrops that have just been added to the studio – I’m referring to them as the Boho collection as I obviously had a style mood on at the time of ordering!

I’ve been wanted to update my backdrop collection for a while.  Some of the older drops needed to retire, either because they’ve been damaged over time or they’re just a bit dated now (some of them are pretty ancient and fashions change as much in the photo studio as they do everywhere else).I just love the delicate look of these and they’ll work well for pretty much any baby / small child shoot from an age at which kids can sit up unsupported. Of course, they’ve been added to the options form so they’re ready for selection when you come to visit. Read the full article

Classic Family Portraiture

Of course you don’t have to match outfits when you come to visit for a family portrait, but coordinating in terms of tone, style or colour really helps to tie your finished image together.

As you can see, this family have gone for the classic blue jeans and white top look for their family portrait, and it’s a classic for a reason.  It’s a simple style that never goes out of fashion either in the studio or on your wall. I’d definitely recommend avoiding anything patterned or with large logos as it will date faster and you want to be enjoying your images for all the years to come.We want the focus of the image to be your lovely faces and so I definitely recommend long sleeves.  The human eye is kind of pre-programmed to search for flesh tones in an image and bare arms can be distracting.  That sounds a bit Victorian when I write it down, like I’m saying you should be covered from head to toe and dare not flash your ankles but I don’t mean it that way I promise!  It really is about the keeping the focus on your face and expressions!When it comes to posing, we’re probably going to run through a variety of different set ups from standing to sitting and even lying down in some cases. So it can be good to wear something long enough for you to sit down without having to worry about what you’re revealing.  Yes, that sounds a bit Victorian too but it’s just a practical consideration.Generally speaking, you won’t be wearing shoes in the studio so you can either go with your socks or bare feet – totally up to you.  If you need an excuse to treat yourself to a pedicure, then feel free to use the portrait session. The same goes for a manicure, your hands will definitely be on show so you will want them to be looking nice! Read the full article

New Romper Added to the Collection

The other day I was mortified to discover that, when a customer requested mustard coloured bunting, I didn’t have any.

This is clearly not acceptable – if you’ve seen my bunting collection, you’ll understand how this was a tough moment for me. So I ordered in some fabric and whipped some up on my trusty sewing machine.  There was enough fabric in the bundle to make a romper too so I really didn’t have a choice. Now, if you want mustard as part of your photo shoot, I am ready, willing, and able! Read the full article

Introducing Two New Digital Mermaid Options

When I launched my Mermaid Photo Shoots, I had already spent a lot of time researching the perfect digital backdrop to ensure maximum magic in the finished images.

It was the first one that you see above and I still love it very much. However, as time has moved on, I’ve come across two others that I also feel are magical enough to make mermaid wall art for your little girl.   So they’ve been added into the collection.I’m often asked about getting additional images from a mermaid photo shoot and I appreciate that it can feel like a very short session for the money you’re paying for it (£45).  Especially when you compare it to pretty much all of the rest of my photo shoots which are designed to give you as large and varied an image gallery as possible. Read the full article

New Backdrop - Blue Balloons

I’ve been wanting to update some of my backdrops for a little while now – over time, they get damaged through use and also a little dated as fashions change.

So this little beauty has been added to the collection – it’s bright and balloon-y and perfect for baby and cake smash photo shoots.  I’ve gone ahead and purchased a few more as well that will be coming online as they arrive – I’m all about choice and, even though some of my older drops will be being retired, you’re still going to be spoiled for it when you visit the studio. Read the full article

Harry Potter Themed Photo Shoot

It’s always to get my Harry Potter accessory set out in the studio and Hedwig enjoys the chance to stretch his wings.

There’s something that is still very popular about the boy wizard, families of all ages still love him and want to include a little magical theme in their photo shoots.  It works well with lots of my backdrops but I think it does look especially lovely with my fine art canvases, this is picture is with the grey and there is a brown one that looks just as good.You’ll receive an email before your photo shoot to let you choose any accessory sets and backdrops that you’d like to include. Know, if you choose Harry Potter, you’ll be making me and Hedwig very happy! Read the full article

Photo Shoots to Celebrate Birthdays

Photo shoots are a great way to mark a special occasion – in this case, a special 10th birthday. This little lady came to visit with her mum, dad and little sister.

We had a great time creating a mix of images of them all together, just of the sisters and of course of the birthday girl herself.  There’s always time for outfit changes too and so we threw a few of those in there for good measure.  It’s a packed session that moves along pretty quickly but we keep it organised and make the most out of our time in the studio to give you the maximum amount of choice in your image gallery.  A birthday gift with the memories baked right in! Read the full article

Getting Mums in Front of the Camera

Look I get it – as women, we aren’t always that comfortable in front of the camera. I’ve made a career out of staying firmly behind it and that’s where us ladies (especially mums) quite often feel more relaxed.

There is a problem here though in that, while we’re busy capturing everyone else making memories with our babies, who is capturing us?  I know it’s a generalisation and yes, of course #NotAllMen, but the men in our lives do tend to be a bit rubbish at getting their phones out and capturing all the beautiful unplanned moments that happen in front of their eyes on the daily.  The moment kind of feels like it’s passed when you have to ask them to do it…So when you scroll through the average camera roll, you’ll find a ton of your kids and not that many to show you were there too.  So it’s all the better a reason to redress the balance when you come and visit the studio.Quite often when I ask if mums will be joining in the photos, I get quite a swift and horrified reaction.  Either that they’re not dressed right, having washed their hair etc and I totally understand.  Here’s the thing though – do it anyway.  The very worst thing that could happen is that you look at the photos and don’t like them. You never have to look at them again.  But you might just love them and that’s got to be worth it right? Read the full article

Family Photo Shoot - Reunited!

I don’t like to have favourites in the studio but I really do love this family. They’ve been visiting for a lot of years and their sense of fun is genuinely infectious.

So I was delighted to capturing a rare opportunity for them all to be together as some of them live overseas.  It’s a bit of a larger group in my little studio but hey, we made it work because it’s was too good an opportunity to miss to capture them all for posterity.  It’s lovely to think that they will have a permanent reminder to look at of all being together especially after an extra long separation due to Covid. Read the full article

Pastels in the Studio

I recently felt an urge for something a little bit pastel in the studio and when you have an itch, you have to scratch it right?

So here is the result, a little pastel quilt for my ever popular miniature white bed.  It’s one of my favourite props as there are just so many ways to style it to match themes and colour schemes – from cute pastels and teddy bears, through festive reds to vintage lace and florals.  And now pastels.There’s matching bunting too, because it’s me… Read the full article

Love - a Girl and her Dog

Following on from yesterday’s post about my Cover Star series on the theme of Love, I thought I’d share another sneaky peek from one of this year’s shoots.

This time I wanted to capture the love between siblings of all natures – including the furry ones that we have in our family. I was lucky enough to find two amazing models in Erin and Rusty and we had a blast capturing them together.  Rusty was definitely happy to receive lots of extra cuddles and treats for his stellar performance in the studio and of course he looked very natty in his bow tie! Read the full article

Love is in the Air

Just for fun, I invented a ‘Cover Star of the Month’ spot a few years ago.  It runs along a theme that I pick for the year and this year’s theme is Love.

I figured we could all use a little more love in the world and plus, if I’m being entirely honest, I’ve done a lot of the other obvious themes in previous years so this was one idea that I could expand to series of twelve images.  The shoots each year are some of my most fun as, as much as I love all my clients, it is kind of fun to do something just for the sake of it and also something that I have complete creative control over.This year I’ve explored different types of love and for this session I asked one of my favourite clients to come and visit and play with the idea of loving life and loving love!  We had an amazing photo shoot and she was up for all of my crazy ideas around heart shapes and roses and I can’t wait to share the rest with you later in the year.Of course in this session, I was picking the theme but I’m always happy to work with you at your portrait photo shoot if you would like to introduce themes of your own! Read the full article

Mermaid Kisses & Starfish Wishes!

This little girl was a definite mermaid enthusiast so have her very own mermaid art created for her bedroom wall was the perfect gift!

She already had the perfect spot picked out on her wall and she was very excited.  Although the session really only requires a single image to be created as the base for the digital mermaidisation, we always take a few so my little mermaids can enjoy the experience, wearing the tail and flower crown and generally so we can talk about all things mermaid! Read the full article