Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is.

For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a combination of their own clothes and mine.

Ideally I prefer a bit of both. The chance to dress up is fantastic, and to wear something you might not purchase yourself is a great opportunity, however also being able to wear your own clothes so that we are capturing memories at the same time is equally important. So I encourage clients to take a look at what they own and would like to include. Dance costumes, tutus or sports uniforms work very well as it includes their current interests as well.

This consultation helps guide me in planning my sessions. Every session has a plan of action so that I know what I want to achieve on the day. And by meeting my clients and seeing those I will be photographing I can actually picture the portraits I am going to create before I even begin. I have found this highly useful in producing work I am very proud of and my clients love. And a big bonus of doing this means the children I am working with get a chance to meet me so that I am not a complete stranger to them on the day. This definitely helps a lot.

This young lady worked wonderfully and the session seemed to go on and on. She never tired and I believe quite enjoyed her time with me. She's a performer who I suspect we might see in the entertainment world one day as she has recently acquired an agent. And I shall be able to say I knew her when.

(When I saw they each had leather jackets I couldn't resist including them in a couple of portraits)

I am saving one portrait from this session to enter into a print competition. I don't know if anything will come of it but its something that has struck a cord with me and I want to keep it a secret until the judging is complete. I can't wait to share it and its killing me keeping it to myself. I may be making more out of it than it is but I've got to try and hope for the best. Whether it wins anything or not, I will still love the image. I've chosen not to share it in order to keep it from the eyes of potential competition judges so that I can ensure it has maximum impact for them. If it is seen before or others attempt to copy the concept it will lose impact which could affect the scoring. So I, and yourselves, will just have to wait. But I promise to share it later in the year whether it does well or not. I just need to come up with a witty title for the print now which to be honest I'm not great at doing. But I think a good title will actually make all the difference.

So as per usual, please get in touch if you'd like a shoot like this for yourself or someone you know. Links to contact details are all below.

Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Website

Comments

Michele said…

Hello matte nice blog

22 June 2024 at 19:16

Glen P said…

Thannks for the post

17 August 2024 at 16:45

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab...

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...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog