Fine Art Portraits of Very Young Girls

Again this is the sort of work I enjoy very much. I love creating beautiful portraits and capturing a special moment that will produce a beautiful piece of art to hang on a wall.

However it doesn't always go to plan. I made burgundy tulle dresses, one for each, which I felt worked well for a Christmas time portrait. I thought it would be wonderful to create a loving sister portrait. But we can't always get what we want, particularly when working with 2 young girls under the age of 3.

First, the youngest was not keen to be wearing the burgundy dress. I understand that though. There were parts that were perhaps a little itchy. I get that, My daughter was the same when it came to dress up clothes. I couldn't even get my daughter in a cute fairy costume or princess dress. A sibling portrait was not to happen in burgundy. So we moved onto my ivory clothes. Now this was better. But getting them to look good next to each other at the same moment just wasn't possible. On this occasion we had to settle for individual portraits only I'm afraid.

I'm letting you know all this because I want clients who book me to be realistic. At the end of the day these are children and to expect them to perform for strangers in strange clothes isn't always going to go as we hope. I suspect next time it will be a whole lot easier as it has been with several of my clients in the past. Just don't stress about it as I always get something good and if it were to go horribly wrong we can reschedule. I don't mind when a session doesn't go perfectly smoothly and don't want my clients worrying about what might go wrong.

All that being said though, I am delighted with what I was able to produce. I got some very happy portraits and some thoughtful portraits which is always what I aim to provide. I like having a mix of both. To me the more serious expressions have impact and satisfy the artistic side of me while the smiles give a beautiful portrait that is sure to warm the hearts of parents and grandparents. And I leave the decisions to them thankfully because sometimes I really just can't choose myself.

If you would like to organise a session like this please get in touch. You can contact us via our website here or via our Facebook page here. You are also welcome to come in for a free consultation to discuss the options and see the studio.

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…

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…

Do You Have a Little Pirate in Your Family?

If so, why not capture it in a beautiful portrait so you can cherish these memories forever?

I designed and built this set for a client. She came to me with a son and daughter and during the consultation we discussed the interests of the children, as I always do. Our ideas for portraits for her daughter were going to be easy. She loved the idea of modelling pretty dresses so her shoot was sorted. Her son on the other hand was more difficult. Where ever possible I try to incorporate something about the children into each portrait. That can mean books, sports, dance, musical instruments or anything a person has an interest in. In this case he hadn't yet developed any interests, other than pirates.

Now my client didn't want me to go to too much trouble. We agreed it wouldn't be easy to make anything pirate themed look as though it fit my style and level of quality. A shop bought costume wasn't going to cut it. But I just had to try. I love dark wood in my portraits and I …

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…

Christina Lauder Portraits

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