Happy New Year!

I feel that 2013 is going to be an exciting and productive year for me.  I have a few weddings lined up already and a couple of personal projects and I just can't wait for the new year to get going. 

Here are some portraits I shot in the last few months..... 


Happy Dayz xx

At last a holiday!!

After 6 years of building our photography business we finally decided to take a short break. We had friends getting married in Finland so decided to extend the visit for a week to Berlin. Like many self-employed peeps, we are constantly try to redress our work/life balance, which has proved a challenge bearing in mind we haven't taken a holiday for this long. But we're getting there. This holiday totally rejuvenated us and we've come back with a check list of things to do; learn a language (our German was atrocious!), get fit and healthy, take more short breaks (for now) and move the business forward.


As for Berlin, a beautiful and awe inspiring place to visit. In fact, we plan to go back again as it was impossible to fit in everything in the week that we were there!

If you plan on a visiting, I suggest you stay at Hotel Gendarm Hotel fab place.

Here's a wee montage...

Happy Dayz x

Brother's 40th Birthday Party!

My brother celebrated his 40th birthday in the only style he knows best... loud and proud! A party was held at the Europa Hotel Gatwick - http://www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/gatwick/ - it was a very glamorous affair and full of energy. Of course I was on hand with my camera!  

Here are some of the pix.

I have to say these were the best cupcakes ever to pass my lips (and trust me, I have vast experience in eating food!). They were made by Sharon a friend of my brothers, so if anyone is interested in brilliantly designed and delicious bespoke cakes for their weddings, birthdays etc - give me a shout and I'll pass on her details.

 My nieces (Lauren, left and Chloe in the middle) provided entertainment with a dance routine which made their oldish Auntie very very proud!

The Birthday 'boy' takes the mike

The Birthday 'boy' takes to the dance floor

My mum (in the background) and Dad, very handsome couple methinks!

New born shoot.

I did a newborn (well sort of) photo shoot with 4-week-old Stephanie, her parents are friends with friends of ours and I was asked to do the shoot as a gift for them. Now ideally a newborn photo shoot should take place in the first 5-10 days of the baby being born. This way the photographer can TOTALLY manipulate the little bundle into any pose necessary, of course no harm comes to the baby. But with Stephanie being a month old, she was a lot more alert and wasn't shy in letting me (and her parents) know when she wasn't happy with the set up! Therefore, making this shoot a real challenge for me, however I did manage to get some nice shots of Stephanie and a couple with her parents. As with any challenging shoot I always want to go back and do it again...

Here's a few shoots:-

Brighton Marathon 2012

Ah no, I didn't run in the marathon - my brother Kevin and his wife, Julie did! I could barely walk from the station to the seafront without resting, so running for 26 odd miles seems insane to me.
The weather was beyond hot, the crowd were fabulously uplifting and cheered everyone who ran in the race. Here are some pics from the day...

My 'crazy' brother, Kevin in the red top in the middle of picture.

Allen's 50th Birthday Bash!

My sister in law, Julie asked if I would photograph her brother's 50th birthday party at The Copthorne Hotel, West Sussex - http://www.millenniumhotels.co.uk/copthornegatwick. Of course, I was happy to do this. However, the DJ disco lights and my camera do not always see eye to eye and shooting in - what sometimes feels like - no available light is a real challenge but thanks to my trusted flash gun and 50mm lens, I managed to fight through the darkness and get some fab shots!

Happy Dayz xx

 

 The birthday 'boy'

 My stunning sister-in-law, Julie

Brighton & relax!

Darren and I spent the weekend in Brighton, we have been so rushed off our feet lately that we've not even had a single day off in the last 3 months! We stayed at the Lansdowne Place Hotel (http://www.lansdowneplace.co.uk), which is situated just off the sea front and is easily walking distance to bars and restaurants etc. We planned to visit a casino, go shopping, go to the cinema and visit LOTS of bars etc, but we were so exhausted when we got there - plus the weather was gorgeous, that we just chillaxed the whole time! We ate, drank, sat still and soaked up the rays! 

Bliss!

Happy dayz..

See chillaxing!