Burbage Carnival 2010

This is the second year now that I have been a part of the Burbage Carnival committee. And since our new studio has been built we hold the bulk of the meetings here. Now that the better weather is here though, we are venturing out to the various village pubs for a change of scenery.

The carnival itself is well underway. With a record number of floats entered this is due to the one of the best carnivals yet (weather dependant of course). It hasn't rained in a while on carnival day so it is bound to one year. I just hope its not this year (and I am sure I will say this next year as well).

We recently held the Prince and Princess competition where we actually had 3 entries for the prince which is great considering it was the first year we included boys in the competition. Each winner in the competition won a portrait sitting and free portrait taken by myself, of course. For our program and the local press I put some images together in the style of our Clique party group shots.

Speaking of the program, it has just been received from the printers and it is looking great, if I do say so myself (I designed the cover and some of the ads on the inside). We'll be at the next Burbage Farmer's Market on Saturday June 5th selling them if anyone is interested. So if you are in the area please drop by and support this event.

The Burbage Carnival, although there in part just to have some fun in the village, is also about raising money for local charities. Each year a large number of charities share in the funds raised. The greater the support the more each charity can be given. And as with most things in life, every little bit helps. Which also reminds me, if anyone is interested in volunteering to help out with the carnival, please get in touch. We can use as much or as little help as you can offer. Even if you only want to help out on the day it would be much appreciated.

Hope to see you on the day, which is Sunday June 20th if you don't already know. The parade will be starting at 12 noon this year, instead of 1pm as in previous years to account for the bigger turnout. (Visit www.burbagecarnival.co.uk for more information)

Comments

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m

Its a Dog's Life

When life gets tough I always look at dogs or my cats and think how lucky they are. I know not all are treated well but those lucky enough to be in a good home, like the ones who come into my studio, have a really great life. They look so happy and its a wonderful thing to see. I honestly love photographing dogs. They are a joy to work with and its almost impossible to produce a bad portrait of a dog which does of course make my life a little easier. I am someone who really needs to love the work I create. I can't help but love the portraits I've created of all the dogs I've photographed over the years. And this shoot was certainly no exception. I found it a real pleasure using a lighter background this time too. I do often gravitate towards darker looks but seeing as this dog had a light coloured coat I thought I'd produce lighter images. This gave me the chance to use a canvas I painted a couple of years ago but never really used and I absolutely love it

My First London Fashion Shoot

Well I finally did it. I bit the bullet and faced my fears and headed to London with a good friend, Mr. Panikos Hajistilly to do my first location shoot. We chose our locations together and Panikos organised a model and brought so much of his gear which he kindly shared with me. And probably most importantly, he showed me how it's done. I was so surprised to see just how much wonderful light was there, just waiting to be used. I am a studio photographer and while I understand the use of studio flash very well, I am very much out of practice and out of my comfort zone with using available light. Its one thing to place lights and backdrops around my subject in the comfort of my studio. Its very different to find the right light and the right backdrop in unfamiliar territory and to place my subject in it. That may sound simple enough but honestly it is not, particularly on a day with no clouds in the sky. One of our planned locations just wasn't possible as a result of the

Family Portraits with Fine Art Flair

I have a love and hate relationship with family portraits. I love the finished piece and creating something that is truly special to the family. I love that in years to come something I made is going to be a cherished and valueable memento for this family. What I struggle with, is getting all members of the group to look their best at exactly the same moment in time. You would be surprised at how difficult this actually is, particularly when it comes to 6 children. But I always get there in the end, whether it is the luck of a moment or with the aid of Photoshop. I ensure that everyone in the portrait is looking their best, even the dog. Seeing as this family is actually made up now of two families we also did portraits in their respective groups which I chose to do in different style to their main group. I love adding a bit of style for the overall main group and what you see above is something that is proving popular with my clients. I love adding props and giving a sort of Vani

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog