Baby Albert Returns with His Big Sister

Since the session the other week went so well Albert's Mummy decided she wanted to have a go bringing in her first dog so they could have a portrait taken together. I believe we were lulled into a false sense of security with Albert's professional ability when on his own. Things didn't go quite as smoothly as we had hoped. I always knew this could be the case but still I had high hopes. However I chose to just relax and enjoy the session rather than panic that things weren't going to plan which in the end meant I got something I could be pleased with. (To see Albert's first session click here)

I believe as long as everyone is realistic and not expecting perfection some great portraits are still there to be had. They are animals at the end of the day with no understanding of our wishes. And when one is a puppy who's not had the benefit of long term training we had to take what we were given.

The session ended for me expecting to get very little. I had glimpsed a couple of images I thought had potential but chose not to show the client on this occassion, which I had done a hundred times in Albert's first session. I didn't want to raise their expectations. I wasn't certain whether or not I got something I would love. I was pretty sure I'd have something I'd be satisfied with but mere satisfaction isn't good enough for me. So I needed to manage their expectations and not build up any hype in case I couldn't deliver. The last thing I wanted was disappointment.

So instead I left them believing we'd get something but probably nothing as perfect as Albert on his own.

Well when I loaded them onto the computer for a closer look I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps lowering expectations was as much for my benefit as it was their theirs. I'm genuinely very pleased with the results and can honestly say I have images I love, just not as many as gorgeous Albert on his own. But then again, I wasn't aiming for a wide variety of images here. It was just meant to be a quick shoot to grab a couple of the two together. Oh and one of Albert in a Santa's hat. Now that really was a tricky situation. Putting a hat on a dog is only going to work if the dog doesn't mind the hat. Otherwise they will always try to get it off pretty much instantly, which Albert did. So unfortunately we have a choice of one here. This definitely could have gone better.

While we were at it we took the opportunity to create a portrait of Albert's big sister too. I'll admit this was a little more difficult than Albert's, which was a good reminder to me that not all pet shoots are going to be as easy as Albert's. But it didn't take much to get exactly what I wanted either. This portrait below is one I keep coming back to admire again and again. I adore it.

If you would like portraits of your cherished furry family members then please get in touch. To contact us or book a session you can either ring us on 01455 611069, follow this link to our contact us page on our website, or send us a message via our Facebook page here. We look forward to hearing from you.

Comments

Zoe returns, this time with baby!!!

This was a great opportunity for me to experiment in my new studio. Zoe let me do this with her baby bump a couple of months ago with great success so we took the time again, this time with her new baby. Some experiments were successful and some where not. But that comes with the territory. You can't find new and exciting ways to shoot without finding a few bad ways too. I'm just greatful that the only mess we needed to clean up in the end was a little wee. It could have been a whole lot worse.
As usual, Zoe photographs so well and I am again so pleased with the results. She is going to have some great images to show her daughter when she grows up. Zoe looks absolutely fantastic, and without any signs of having been pregnant just a few short weeks ago. Of course, apart from her bump she hardly showed any signs of even being pregnant. If only all women could be this lucky.

I had forgotten how easy it is to photograph newborns. They can't run or crawl away. Th…

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 my list…

Portraits of a Beautiful Young Woman and Her Guitar

You may remember a while back when I did a casting call looking for teenage boys and girls. Well this is the girl I chose. I had quite a specific look in mind, one which included really long hair. I have always had a thing for long hair. The choice also became quite simple when this young lady put herself forward as she is someone I've been photographing through school for several years and she is a past member of the Hinckley Athletics Club where she has been coached by my husband for nearly as many years. He's always had a soft spot for her, being one of his first members which helped my decision. When I have projects where I want to work with a model rather than a paying client I like to use friends or past clients whenever possible as it enables me to give something to those who have been loyal to me.

Wallis has been a pleasure to work with. She is a stunning, confident young woman. In addition, she could bring props with her that I love. I've been wanting to photogra…

4 Merits, 3 Finalists, 2 Awards and a Masters!

This past week at the Societies of Photographers Convention in London was just about perfect in every way. As always I look forward to this event with mixed emotions. As a judge and speaker anxiety levels can be high. And I always know that through both working and socialising it can be an exhausting experience that is often hard to get through. However the high I finish on is simply incredible and worth all the sleepless nights and hard work, in large part due to the incredible people with whom I get to spend this week.

(Photo Credit: Mike McNamee - Sitting on a panel)
(Photo Credit: Mike McNamee - The entire judging team including print handlers)
Being amongst the judging team just gets better and better each year. It is very intimidating sitting on that panel and being resposible for assigning a score and then often providing a critique to substantiate it however the rewarding feeling when doing it well is immense. I know I am still a relatively new judge but hope I can improve each…

Isabelle's Photography Experience

I'm Isabelle Stratford from Redmoor Academy and I've been doing my work experience here at Christina Lauder Photography with my friend Sophie. I'm very interested in photography and currently taking it at GCSE and working here throughout the week has helped me learn several different things about the profession.
Sophie and I testing out the set up and lighting for prom
Our first day consisted of mainly watching Christina edit some photos and her explain different elements of what she does which then prepared us for the rest of the week when we began doing our own things. She also showed us many of her favourite final edited images that she keeps as samples and told us where she'd got her inspiration from to shoot in the style that she loves. To help her Sophie and I also completed some small tasks that needed doing like filing and clearing up. On Tuesday a client came in for a trial shoot in preparation for a prom so we helped set up for that but then watched as Chris…

Christina Lauder Portraits

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