A Second Go for one of my Clients

In this incidence my client made specific requests for her daughter and friend to have a fashion shoot with the purpose of providing images for the girls' bedrooms. And those images were provided to their satisfaction. However, it was later identified that an image for mum's lounge was also required and I didn't quite get what she was hoping for. I could sense she was struggling to make up her mind, not because they were all too good to choose between but instead because there wasn't one that stood out for her as an image for her space. So the best solution to that problem was to bring her back in and concentrate instead on what mum wanted for her lounge wall.

So that is just what we did. And I am so glad we did as it made it easier to concentrate on just one child and what works for her and I had a great time, really stretching myself and even trying a couple of new things that produced images I am certain I will be replicating in future sessions.

Just something for you to note here. I used only white paper as the background for this session. I love the versatility of the white paper. In a single session I can go from pure white to shades of grey and even bring it right to black (even though pure white isn't common in my studio sessions these days).

It takes a good understanding of light along with the right tools to have this ability to turn white paper black. It is another example of the skill level I'm able to offer my clients. My lighting is what sets me apart from many other photographers and it is always a priority of mine to provide technically superior images. Its not just enough for me to capture expressions in an average environment. Everyone has a camera these days and I don't see why people need to pay photographers unless the photographer is able to produce images they themselves cannot produce on their own.

Prior to becoming a photographer myself I only ever paid another photographer if they could give me something I could not produce. The cost of the sessions and portraits we purchased was worth it to me because I got something really special that I will keep for a lifetime. And I will visit photographers again in future as there are still things I cannot do (ie a family portrait, and to be honest, I have plans for a boudoir session for myself sometime next year). I really cherish the special photos I have of my friends and family making them the most valuable things I own.

Perhaps needless to say, mum was a little spoilt for choice this time around. I myself struggled to choose my favourite but this session did provide me with a new really big sample for my studio which I absolutely adore (its the black and white with the black background, in case you wanted to know).

Comments

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

Never Work With Children or Animals

Or so the saying goes. But I have to say that working with dogs has been so lovely. They have been almost entirely a dream to work with. I say almost entirely because we have had a few moments where a dog has needed to settle. And one moment where the dog had settled but one of my cats decided to have a look through the glass door which, as you can imagine, rather quickly unsettled the dog. Still, that didn't stop us from creating incredible work. In fact it was during that shoot with the cat instance when I created two of my favourite pieces, shown below. (It was while sitting on the couch here when he noticed the cat peering through the curtain) I don't know if I've just been lucky or all dogs are just easy to work with. I photographed a french bull dog puppy and I thought that would be tough as he hadn't had time to be properly trained yet. But he did everything we wanted in no time at all. And this included the props we used here (below), which to me

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

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

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

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog