News

Do you need a professional photograph of yourself to promote your business, use on social media profiles, your website or printed materials?



By booking your slot now, you can take advantage of this special offer and update your profile with a professional image for just £40. The event will take place in Kingston Upon Thames on Monday 13th September. There are no hidden charges and space is limited. Get in touch if you would like to know more or to book your place.

Click here to see the new special offers available and the full price list.

Take a look at my online wedding brochure for more information about packages and prices. Give me a call if you would like to chat or have specific requests that you would like to discuss.

Click here to view the online Wedding Photography Brochure.

A new YouTube video is now online containing a sample of photos from a wedding in Sussex in June.

Click here to view.

If you need a corporate headshot for use on your website, social networks or publications, make sure your image is up-to-date and professional.

On Monday 26th July, I will be running a special offer in central Kingston. You can get a professional headshot for just £40. For this, you will get a photo session, between 3-6 images to choose from and one digital image to keep, that can be used however you wish.

Spaces are limited, so book now to secure your slot.

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED.

This month's special offer:
- Book a mid-week photo shoot and get 10% off the first product you buy. Valid on all photo shoots taking place in July.

I was out this morning photographing some of the people taking part in the Three Parks Challenge 2010. This is a 15-mile walk (with 8 and 3 mile options) through three beautiful parks - starting in Bushy Park, through Hampton Court Park and along the river to Richmond Park, before returning back to Bushy Park.



Last year, the 300 walkers raised almost £50,000 and I am excited to see whether the walkers this year have topped that figure for the Shooting Star.

What I was quite surprised about was the diversity of people attending to raise money. I photographed one family where the youngest member was just 18 months, a 7 year old girl and her dad who were completing 8 miles together, a team of more than 30 sixth form students and many couples and single walkers of all ages. Despite it being really windy and cold at the start at 8am, everyone was in high spirits.

The Shooting Star Children's Hospice provides care, support and advice for children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families. These care services are offered free of charge to families, 365 days a year across the western half of London and north Surrey. It is an amazing charity and when I visited Shooting Star house earlier this year, I was blown away by the environment, staff and facilities, and seeing little children with smiles on their faces and playing, despite the difficulties they face. If you would like to know more about Shooting Star, here is the website: http://www.shootingstar.org.uk/ .

I was out and about photographing all the fun of the fantastic St Mary's Church Fete in Twickenham last Saturday. If you were one of the families or stall holders that I photographed and you need a reminder of the details required to access the full portfolio, then please get in touch. 25% of all print sales are being donated to the nominated charity Spear, which is a charity for the homeless in Richmond.

I was too busy working to enjoy the lovely cakes and other products on sale, but the stallholders and the organisers did an amazing job for the charity.

If you are stuck for ideas for a special Father's Day gift, consider a family photo shoot. Every Dad would surely love some beautiful photographs of their children. There are photographers up and down the country who will be able to help you with this.

Maybe you have thought about getting photos done and framed ready for Father's Day, but it is just a couple of weeks away now. It's not too late though... You could buy a gift voucher and have the photos taken as a family at a later date. Or you could have the photos taken now and let Dad decide which he likes best.

I personally cover Surrey, London and the surrounding counties, but if you live elsewhere, just google local photographers. You might want to consider a "lifestyle" shoot in the local park for some really natural shots, particularly now that the weather has finally turned sunny.

Take a look at my galleries and get in touch if you would like to know more. Gift vouchers are available and June special offers can be seen on my website.

The new special offers available this month:

• Book a mid-week photo shoot in the park including your favourite 6 images on a CD for £250 (a saving of £60)


• Buy 3 blockmounts and get the cheapest half price.


• Buy all images on a CD (priced at £495) and receive £100 towards products of your choice.

I've photographed lots of local business people this week with many different business backgrounds, from banking to alternative therapies. I enjoy headshots, because it's more than just a passport photo - I need to find of way of capturing the person naturally and in a way that reflects how they want to be perceived. Now that's not a simple task, particularly because many people feel uncomfortable in front of the camera. I put a lot of effort into making the experience painless, even enjoyable for people, by talking and engaging. I love it when someone who has entered the room saying "I really hate having my photo taken", leaves saying "Oh, I actually really like the photos and I normally never like photos of myself!". My headshot gallery has more examples of my work: Click here.

Would you like some great photos of your children? Do you live near Esher Rugby Club in Hersham? If so, get in touch now to book your slot for Friday 4th June. Space is limited, so book now to avoid disappointment. Click on the link to this flyer to see more information.

I have added a new gallery today, showing some of work with ballroom dancers and a local jazz band: View here.

I work with children of all ages and it can be handy to use toys during a photo session. Because I travel to my customer's homes to take photos, there are always plenty of favourite toys to hand. I often use toys as an icebreaker - children usually like to show their toys to people that are interested. Toys give children something to focus on and you can get some lovely natural shots while they are concentrated on playing. Colourful toys can also bring additional interest into the photograph. This little girl loves her lego and though it may look like a set up, she built this lego structure herself (and then promptly smashed it to pieces just after this shot was taken).

I often get asked how far I travel. Most of my portrait photography - baby and family photography is near to my home in Kingston Upon Thames - Surbiton, Teddington, Twickenham, Richmond, Esher, Cobham, Epsom, Leatherhead, Walton on Thames, Weybridge, Guildford. I cover all of these areas for the standard session fee. I am happy to travel further afield, though an additional charge to cover travel costs will usually be applied. So, if you are in Sussex, Middlesex, Berkshire or any of the counties surrounding London, then please give me a call for a quote.

The new special offers for May are now available:

• Book two portrait sessions to take place in a single location on the same day (one for your family and one for a friend's family) and you will both get 25% off your session fee.


• Buy a 3 image blockmount (priced at £185) and get a second half price.


• Buy all images on a CD (priced at £495) and receive a free 12x12” blockmount (worth £120).

Last week, I was working with another photographer on a job, photographing a country estate. As we methodically moved from room to room, setting up our lighting, selecting and changing lenses, adjusting white balance and generally taking our time to get every technical detail right, it struck me just how different this type of photography is to what I am usually dealing with – photographing people.

Portrait photography is 10% about photography and 90% about the subject. I spend the majority of my effort and energy during a family photo shoot on getting the best out of people. Photography is both a science and an art, but the balance of the two shifts depending upon the field of photography.

Visit my blog here.

I had the opportunity to shoot a Ball on Saturday night. Low light, no flash and fast moving subjects. It was great fun and a real challenge. To allow enough light to the sensor, I shot at high ISO, aperture wide open and shutter speed as quick as I could get away with, while tracking the dancers around the dance floor.

Visit my blog here.

Click here to see competition details and how to enter.

If you ask a small child to smile or say cheese, you usually get a big, fake grin that doesn't make a great photo. If you want to get a natural smile, you need to find a way of getting a real reaction. If you are photographing your own child, you will probably know what makes them smile or laugh.

When I am working with children for the first time, I try to figure out what gets a reaction - it could be funny noises and faces, tickling, using their toys to do silly stuff. Once you figure out what works, you can keep with it - I find that lots of repetition with small children is a good thing - often it just gets even more funny.

Visit my blog here.