Creating Real Portraits and Valuable Keepsakes.

Since I began as a photographer it has been my goal to provide more than just a photograph. I don't want to provide snap shots of a person but instead create something about the person. Just yesterday I heard an educator in the field refer to one of his friends who said that a photograph is OF someone but a portrait is ABOUT someone. And that is what I want to create for my clients, portraits about them, whenever I get the opportunity.

I've recently, thanks to my Fellowship, developed a style that is perfect for photographing a child that shows a little about themselves. And while creating my Fellowship I was fortunate enough to have a client like one of the images and ask for it for her daughter. She said her 3 year old loves dolls and doll prams and that shot would be perfect for her. So I asked her about her son and what he likes to do so I could come up with something for him. "He plays rugby", she said. Perfect I thought. "How do you feel about getting him muddied up for a portrait in his kit?"

I was so pleased she was keen on the idea.

I knew I wanted the intense stare for what would be the perfect portrait in my eyes. But just in case I made sure I got the a nice smiley one too. I know that artistically I am drawn to less smiley portraits but that not all my clients are, so I do like to play safe and capture a variety. In this case though my client chose the same one I did to be framed for their wall. I often find myself mesmerised by this portrait I love it so much. He did a perfect job. Although much to my surprise, it took him a bit to warm to the idea of playing with the mud. I think it was the idea of the obviously necessary shower he was going to need when he got him that was putting him off.

During these sessions I also create the standard simple portraits because I know my clients might need a variety of images for a variety of purposes.

I've recently had another opportunity for one of my real portraits which I am hoping to share here soon and I definitely hope to get more opportunities in future. If you're interested in having a personal portrait like this of your child or children please get in touch. I'd love to help you create a true keepsake. Give me a call on 01455 611069 so we can discuss.

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 ...

Winner of the Master Photographers Association's UK Family Portrait Award

This year for the first time I decided to join the MPA (Master Photographers Association). As a qualified member this entitled me to compete amongst other professionals throughout the UK. Last night the awards ceremony was held at the Hinckley Island Hotel (amazingly close to home for a change) where I received the news that my family portrait won its category. I am over the moon that it was a unanimous decision from all judges who felt it stood out against all others in the category making it the clear winner. And to have John Stoddart, a man who has photographed a great number of A list celebrities, present the award telling me this is a fantastic image was the icing on the cake. I'll admit that I have never really regarded family groups as my strong suit. They are hard work and not always the most challenging creatively. Until now that is. This project which I consider to be a joint effort along with my clients involved much planning and creativity. Together we came up...

Family Portraits - With the Entire Family

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Mum and Dad, their Son and Daughter and their Son and Daughter's families. It made for a portrait of 10 people altogether which of course comes with its challenges. But we got their in the end and I'm thrilled with the results. The hardest part of course is getting everyone looking their best in the same photo. It rarely works out in such a large group but I managed to get several with only a couple of Photoshopping, head swapping requirements. But my skills are up to that challenge quite well these days so I'm almost always quite confident that everyone will be happy with themselves in the final family portrait chosen. And I have to admit I love the challenge of taking a great face from one image and making it fit so no one notices in another image. As is usually the case, I also photograph the large group in smaller subsections as its a good opportunity, while everyone is d...

My Associate Panel

As I mentioned in my last blog, I achieved my Associateship in Portraiture with the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers). I just thought I would share with you the panel I submitted. Having sat through the assessment I see that there are a couple of images that I wish I hadn't chosen, more so due to not having enough variety rather than the lack of quality. but overall I am pleased with my submission. I always thought that once I achieved my Associateship I would be done with qualifications. Working towards a Fellowship just seems so unattainable. I don't think I can just sit here not striving towards a goal though. Besides, my husband has already set 5 year plan. So I guess I've not seen the end of qualifications just yet. But don't be expecting any news on this front for quite some time though. A fellowship is on an entirely new level and its going to take a lot of work.

Playing Dress-ups and Creating Fine Art Portraits with These Lovely Young Ladies

Now this is exactly what I like to do. This was not only a fun and creative session but it was also quite relaxed and low stress as each of these girls were old enough to both be patient with me and follow instructions. This allowed me to use my skills to pose and direct as needed, rather than what can happen with very young children who either don't understand the instructions or who really just want to do their own thing. Although the very young bring their own magic to a shoot, like a cuteness factor that can't be beat, being able to take my time and direct my subjects means I can create the vision that is in my head. Probably what is most frustrating about the very young is that I can often see exactly what I want to create but without a little help from the child its not always possible. In this case all four girls worked very well and I think they all enjoyed themselves too, even the youngest performed beautifully and I couldn't be happier with all their portra...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog