Our Exciting News!!!

For the past several months we've been working on a project that is going to completely transform Christina Lauder Portraits. Previously we've been working from our home. We have a dining room which is big enough to convert to decent studio space whenever we have sessions booked in. But it has always meant moving furniture and making sure the entire house was clean every time we had a client come around. And it makes it very difficult to do laundry when I can't hang it out to dry by the dining room radiator.

Well these are problems of the past for us now. In less than a week we should have our new studio up and running (I hope I've not just jinxed it by putting this revelation in print). This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.

This was our backgarden at the start of the build. It seems like such a long time ago. At that point it felt like we would never finish. This photo was taken on September 11th. But it wasn't until October 8th that the first wall panel was erected.

This was a very exciting day for me as it was the day it all started to take shape. A

nd amazingly all wall panels were erected on the same day. In fact this stage only took 5 hours which was a shock to us all.

Unfortunately it wasn't the walls that were the difficult part though. It was the roof, with panels that were twice as thick (therefore twice as heavy) which needed to be lifted over ten feet high and not at all in a standard roof like formation.

Unlike the walls, which went up relatively easily, the roof took much longer than 5 hours. Although still not bad at about 12 hours.

And yes, that is our kids playing on the roof. It took Kieran several trips part way up the ladder before finally mustering up the courage to get on the roof. I suspect that was only because his little sister managed to make it up.

This is a photo of the inside a couple of weeks ago. Andy, my husband, wanted photographic evidence of his handy work. He did the battening before the more trained came in to fix the plasterboards. Amazingly he got most of it right. Only a few battens needed moving.

And finally the plastering could be done. This was the part I was looking forward to most because it meant just a matter of days before we could paint.

And yesterday we began the painting. Well actually I should be more specific as Andy began the painting. I just helped him in the evening and all day today. The painting of the white walls is now complete and tomorrow we start on the charcoal wall. I'll take photographs of that tomorrow though.
So its really not long now. In fact, it can't be as we have our first session booked in for Thursday afternoon. Which only leaves us 4 and a half days to get it all done. Well to get the inside done anyway. The outside still needs a lot of work and that isn't going to happen for Thursday. But I'll keep you posted of the progress.
Finally my dream is about to come true. I can't wait.

Comments

Anonymous said…

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

26 November 2009 at 06:42

Unknown said…

Your studio looks GREAT! Who did you get to do it for you?

Did you design it yourself?

Darren.

16 December 2010 at 14:24

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...

Burbage Carnival 2009

For the past few years my husband and I have been attending the Burbage Carnival and remarking to ourselves at how much better it could be. The carnival seemed to be declining in recent years. Earlier this year I met someone (Harvey) who mentioned that he joined the committe. When I asked him why he said he had been remarking that the carnival could do with some improvements. The response he received was rather than complain why don't you join the committee and do something about it. Its hard to argue with that. The following week I found myself, along with my husband, at the Burbage Carnival meeting. And we've been attending (most meetings) ever since. With this being our first year we didn't want to dive in head first. We contributed where we felt we could but it was great to see that what little we were able to offer still made a difference on the day. We're now very much looking forward to seeing just how much of a difference we can make next year. I just hope it ...

Limited Edition Storybook Portrait Sessions

Well in the end I didn't take this promotion as seriously as was required in so much as I didn't allocate any budget for advertising. I relied only on the few posts on Facebook and as such I only did 2 sessions, which to be perfectly honest, was all I could handle this year given that I'd not properly planned for these sessions in an already busy time of year. However, what I did do proved to me that this is something that deserves proper attention and a concerted effort to push this promotion forward. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it, from shopping for props, to the sessions and then the editing. I really love the fun that these sessions provide and the look of the finished images. Spring will see a second go at this special collection with plenty of advertising in the run up to our event. I will get another chance at shopping for additional props and tools to run this limited edition promotion and I can't w...

5 Reasons you Should Consider Getting a Professional Headshot

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm Optima UK who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will ...

A Most Wonderful Portrait Session with 3 Lovely Ladies

This was a dream session for me. Not only did I have 3 beautiful young ladies, but they also brought with them a fantastic wardrobe and their very own hair stylist too (mum owns her own salon). So all the elements for beautiful portraits were there. And I was thrilled to get this opportunity. Its easy to think of having portraits when you have a new baby or when you get married or have a special family occasion where you get the entire family portrait done. But its less often that people think of having their growing children photographed. After all I suppose, they are photographed at school. I even do some of those school photographs. However, those portraits are made in less than a minute per child and they are assembly line style portraits while they are wearing their school uniform. They are never going to be as special as what can be created with unlimited time and outfit changes in the comfort of a private studio. Its in this environment that I can take the time to...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog