Christina Lauder Portraits

  It is with immense pride that I am sharing with you my experiences over the past week.  As many of you already know each year I attend a photographic convention organised by the Societies, this year being my 8th in a row.  It is through this convention that I have made incredible friendships, learned vast amounts of knowledge pertaining to all facets of my career and gained extensive inspiration that has brought me to where I am today.  And now, after 8 years of working towards this achievement I can finally say I was successful and more so than I ever could have imagined.    I not only walked away with 4 merits from the 20x16 print competition which was judged earlier in the week, but I also received the awards of Pet Photographer of the Year as well as Portrait Studio Photographer of the Year and rounded up the evening taking 2nd place for the Overall Photographer of the year.  With nearly 14000 images...

  Cake smash sessions have been an interest of mine since I started seeing them around. Actually, 9 years ago for my daughters birthday I made her a mini cake to go along with the main cake with the specific purpose of letting her trash it. I just didn't have a portrait business at the time to turn it into special portraits. (We started with some clean shots so this session wasn't just about messy cake) So when I had the inquiry I thought how could I refuse.  I'm always up for trying new things and I love the challenge of trying new portraits and putting my skills and creativity to the test.  (Mum thought she'd try her in a dress even though dresses aren't really their thing.  Her daughter proved her right in that she clearly does not like dresses either)   Luckily my client had some ideas of her own. She supplied the bunting, which she had already purchased.  She also supplied the cake and the cloth nappy which together provided...

  I often admire the work of other photographers.  I'm always having a browse or spotting something interesting on Facebook or Pinterest.  Many of them have a very consistent style and subject, as is the case with many newborn photographers especially.  This has made me wonder if perhaps I'm not developing as a portrait artist as well as I could be.  We are taught early on within the realms of the photography world that we are to develop a distinct style and this of course must be clearly evident in any upper level qualifications panels we choose to submit.  However, when I look at my own work over each passing year I fail to see the same consistency.  I don't have a particular subject in which I specialise.  I can photograph anything from newborns to teenagers, toddlers to families and even the occasional male nude.  How can you put these together in an album and form a beautiful collection that I see many other...