This little bubbly girl came for her photoshoot with her Mummy and Daddy and what a delight she was to photograph. Her parents were looking for a relaxed family portrait sitting to update their collection of beautiful photographs at home.

Playtime is the best time

Nora had a lovely time playing with toys and posing beautifully for the camera. She is sweet darling who loved nothing more than cuddles with Mummy and Daddy or her Bunny.

It was the perfect family portrait session filled with laughter and making new memories together. Nora instantly felt relaxed in the studio. She was happy to explore and be herself. This helped to capture the most natural expressions, in which we can see her shine.

Outfit choices is key

The family dressed in co-ordinating white t-shirts. This keeps the imagery clean and makes their interactions and captured expressions the main focus of their photographs.

I hope to see them again and see how much little Nora has grown into a charming little lady.

To see more of this family’s beautiful photographs, please visit our studio portrait gallery or in her facebook gallery.

The post Beautiful Family Portraits Berkshire – Cherished memories. first appeared on One Life Studio.

We shoes a beautiful quiet location on s sunny autumn day. The feathery ash grass and the delicate autumn leaves make the perfect setting to capture her in all her glory.

Dance photography is all about the photographer and the dancer working in harmony to capture that perfect moment. It takes a huge amount of strength, stamina and flexibility to hit each position. So the photographer must have the focus, light and camera angle ready to capture the shot in as few takes as possible. This is where being a dancer myself and owning a dance school comes in handy! I know how to correct the dancer to create the best photograph that captures their beauty and it helps we also speak the same lingo.

It’s hard work being a dancer and you have to be incredibly disciplined. What’s even harder is dance on grass…in boots…in jeans…and using a prop. I don’t want to make it too easy for her. I love to get the best out of my dancer and I know how much potential each dancer has and how hard to push them. And of course I let them have a rest. Lol.

Flower arrangements supplied by Dream Day Designs. Hair and Makeup by Melissa Clare Hair and Makeup

The post Dance Photography first appeared on One Life Studio.

A makeover photoshoot makes a unique birthday gift for any teenage girl. Dessie and Lottie had their hair and makeup done before the photoshoot by Melissa Clare Makeup and Hair. Their makeovers were outstanding. Lottie’s should length hair was transformed into beautiful braids and both of them had makeup that complimented their skin tone, eye colour and (at 11 and 13) most importantly their age.

It was a lovely experience for the sister, spending time with each other and just enjoying each others company. They brought lots of outfits with them which complimented the setting. Pretty florals or dresses and skirts with small patterns work well to create a boho feel teamed with leather ankle boots and Fedoras.

We were so lucky to have our flower arrangements donated to us to use for the photoshoot by the incredibly talented Amanda at Dream Day Designs who supply faux flower arrangements for weddings, parties and any special occasion. Here the girls are wearing beautiful little flower pins and are holding bouquets and dream catcher.

There were so many incredible photographs from this shoot. To see more please have a look at our wild and free gallery

The post Outdoor Boho style Location Photoshoot first appeared on One Life Studio.

L and T are previous clients of mine, but this time they brought their little girl C with them for her first family portrait sitting. With Covid 19 and the government restrictions we made the most of the great outdoors.

C loved looking at the beautiful colours and feeling the texture of the leaves. At only 5 months old she was especially alert for a baby of her age and was fascinated by the glimmering light between the shimmering leaves.

We brought a selection of props with us to set the scene. The orange pumpkins brought out the blue colour of C’s eyes and were useful to prop C up in her adorable Burgundy dress and knitted sweater.

Colours are so important when photographing on location. The choice of clothing and especial it’s colours and patterns/textures can enhance and compliment the scene. A carefully chosen wardrobe and choice of props can give a natural setting and frame the subjects beautifully.

Capturing these precious family moments is my favourite bit of being a family photographer. These are moments any parent will look back on and cherish. C was a little angel and very comfortable with being photographed. It’s all about keeping the mood calm and drawing focus and making Mum and Dad laugh when needed too. T and L are naturals and smile without any props needed, but who would need any with this gorgeous baby in your arms.

I would love to share all their wonderful photographs with you on this post, but to see more you will have to check out our location portrait gallery. Enjoy!

The post Autumnal Family Portraits first appeared on One Life Studio.

On a crips October afternoon we ventured out to a beautiful meadow in Surrey to take some boho inspired photographs of my daughters and their friend from dance class.

I wanted to create a carefree environment and make the most of the warm autumn light. The children really enjoyed exploring nature and my little one especially loved running through the meadow with a big girl.

The flowers were kindly provided to me by Amanda at Dream Day Designs. They specialise in natural looking faux flower arrangements for weddings and other occasions.

We styled the outfits choosing delicate floral prints in dusky shade of pinks and blue. Then used the flower arrangements delicately in their hair and a flower crown on a hat.

The sweet little chair is a piece I have a had for many years. I find it the perfect size for photographing toddlers and small children.

To see more examples of our Boho and Nature inspired photoshoots visit our Wild and Free Portrait Gallery

The post Wild and Free – Boho Location Portrait Sitting first appeared on One Life Studio.

The Jones family have been coming to me for their photoshoots since 2012 when Lisa and Colin booked me for their wedding. Since then we have had countless photoshoots together, including three to celebrate the development of their daughter Olivia and now three more to commemorate their son’s milestones too. They chose a newborn photoshoot, a first birthday photoshoot and a preschool photoshoot to show the stages of his early years from the five categories offered within their package.

It was a beautiful crisp autumn day, all be it a little chilly, with soft cloud cover producing a lovely even light. The children didn’t mind the cold (and neither did we). We had fun playing in the leaves and splashing in the stream, playing poo sticks and having rides on daddy’s shoulders.

Lisa had put together a beautiful wardrobe for the family which complimented the background perfectly. The photograph above of Samuel captures the grey hews of the sky through his jacket and the mustard trousers echoing the yellow in the beech trees behind him.

Capturing a family with everyone looking at their best is a rewarding job for any photographer. The job is more than just composing a well balanced photograph, but also its being a children’s entertainer, a peace keeper between siblings and it’s being invisible at times when the family are sharing a precious moment that you want to capture naturally.

Children of Samuel’s age love to explore and play games using their imagination. Some photographs can be guided or arranged, but more often than not they are natural and happen organically and I feel this captures a family at their best. We see the relationships between parent and child, and their personalities shine through.

It’s been such an honour to watch this family grow. I’m so lucky that I have so many families that come to me time and time again, each time the photographs reveal a little more about their lives. I’m sure you as my readers have enjoyed watching the Jones family through their journey so far, as much as I have. I’m sure this is not the end of their photographic journey with me, but for now this marks the end of Samuels baby years. Onwards my little buddy, the world is yours for the taking! Go and explore it!

The post Autumn Family Portraits – Samuel’s Second Birthday first appeared on One Life Studio.

Experience.

Professional photographer’s photograph weddings as their job, so they have a lot more experience in carrying out the job. We know how to approach a group of guests who are camera shy and coax them out for a group photo. We know how to get the ushers onside and keep them feeling useful. We know how to reassure the mother of the bride when she is worried everyone is running late and we know how to communicate with the vicar and venue staff so that we all are working as a team to make your day run smoothly. We have the experience to know when to let the couple have their time together uninterrupted and when to keep to schedule to keep them ontime. We know when to hover and blend in and when to take action and co-ordinate a large group and how to do it in a way that makes everyone respond well. I’ve received many a compliment from the happy couple that every one of their guests commented on how professional or friendly I was, how hard I worked and how I helped the day run smoothly, but without getting in anyone’s way. To the happy couple they may not see much of what I’m doing as my aim it so capture the day as it comes. But to others who see me they may see me tucked behind a pillar at the back or side of the church. They may see me out a window getting a birds eye view or lying on the wet grass to get a low angle of children playing. (I have to bring at least 3 changes of clothing as you never know what could happen. In the photo above it poured down with rain and I got soaked through on more than one occassion, but there was glorious sunshine by late afternoon and it is still to date one of my favourite weddings.)

Professionalism

We know the processes inside and out and most importantly it’s our full time job, so we go about every minute with care and with pride. We are invisible when we need to be allowing you to focus on your guests and making your own memories and we are there when you need us. We are always reading the room and running to your schedule so that you don’t need to rush, but also so you don’t miss out on any part of the day that you have spent time planning. We won’t be accepting drinks from guests or chatting to people. We may build a report with a guest for a short time to get the best photo of say your grandparent with a smile that feels easy and comfortable not forced. We show your guests respect, but we are working for you always.

Equipment

For the most part a Professional Photographer will have high end professional equipment. The equipment will be fast to capture that moment just as it happens, crisper and clearer so you don’t end up with a blurred, fizzy or noisy photo. Higher quality so you can enlarge your photos or crop in tight to a person within a group. We have a variety of lenses and several bodies. Cameras fail, an amateur often won’t have a back up.

Knowledge and skill

An amateur may get some perfectly decent photographs in a set of hundreds, they may have an eye for photography and some amateurs may lack some of the points above but may be very good photographers. But with a professional photographer the percentage of beautifully framed perfectly exposed and correctly angled photographs should be far greater. After a wedding one of the bridesmaids emailed me after seeing the her friends photos and she said every photo was perfect, every single photo captured a memory or was filled with life and expression. She then went on to book me for her wedding.  If you’re as concerned about how good the photos look and you just want some kind of documentation then why not hire some basic slr’s and let guests capture the day from their point of view? That could be a really lovely way of capturing your day? Or then an amateur photographer could be the right choice for you. But you must remind yourself of what you’re paying for. I’ve done many reshoots for couples who were unhappy with their photographer. We have recreated their day or simply gone down a completely different route to celebrate their day in a different way. They would always say how their wedding photographer didn’t live up to their expectations and didn’t capture the day as they wanted. In this case I will always remind them that the amateur was doing their best, but they are amateurs and a lot of their work may still be in the trial and error stage. I think if you want to save money and you feel photos are not important enough to spend £1000+ then your expectations of the end result should also reflect this.

AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS

They are cheaper yes!

They are starting out so you may get photos from a fresh set of eyes

They may be willing to give you more things for free because they need the experience more then they need the money as they have a full time job.

But remember if they don’t answer your emails within a day or two this will be because your wedding is not their full time job and they need to prioritise what pays their bills, so please be kind and understanding.

If they make a mistake or they aren’t giving you the service you expect please remember they are still learning, or they are supplying you the service that the budget has allowed for.

If you want to give people a step up then hiring an amateur photographer wanting to pursue a career change is a great thing to do. But I would always check they have shadowed a professional first if they will be your only photographer on the day.

There will be difference between someone with a keen interest who is wanting to pursue this as a career and has a real passion for people and photography and someone who is just trying to earn extra few hundred pounds on their days off. The service you receive and the final product will be reflected in the price you pay for the most part whether professional or amateur. Research well. Ask to see whole albums of full days not just the best bits. It’s your day, so choose what works for you. x

The post What to expect when you choose a Professional Wedding Photographer first appeared on One Life Studio.

So when and called me to say she was pregnant with baby number three and she wanted to come for another bump to baby club session I was over the moon to share this journey with them and capture memories with their family as they grow from four to five.

Every child has had a theme. Scarlett was our little butterfly baby, Jackson our little super hero and Isabella now our little flower princess.

It was heartwarming to see Jackson and Scarlett as proud siblings, cuddling and kissing bump.

We kept the styling on this shoot very simple. Keeping to black and white wardrobe choices so the bump and the flowers really shone. The love and excitement is buzzing throughout this family. What a privilege it was to capture this moment for them.

The post Pregnancy Photographer Hampshire – Bump to Baby Club – Isabella Bump first appeared on One Life Studio.

It was lovely to go out and about exploring the autumn in the nature reserve with Samuel and his family. We knew from Samuel’s newborn shoot with his planes and maps that he was destined to be an explorer.

The cold late autumn day didn’t phase the family at all and they children even ventured into the river to splash about in the water.

Their outfits were chosen to compliment the autumn leaves. It’s always worth thinking about the scenery when choosing your clothing for a photoshoot. In this case the mustard reflected the burnt ambers of the trees and the navy warmed the dull tone of the autumn sky allowing them to stand out from the background yet remaining part of the landscape.

It has been an incredible journey capturing his development from new-born, first birthday cake smash and now second birthday. My bump to baby members become life long clients and friends. For this family this is their with photoshoot with me and it shows just how comfortable they are in front of the camera.

To see more of Samuel’s photographs visit our newborn gallery, cake smash first birthday gallery and our toddler gallery.

The post Location Photographer Yateley – Samuel’s Second Birthday – Bump to Baby Club Member Shoot first appeared on One Life Studio.

Olivia had never been in a photoshoot like this before. But she took to it so naturally from the start, following direction well and bringing her personality out. I often get asked to great model portfolio’s for children who are interested in becoming models or emerging models. It was so much fun working with Olivia. She is one of the youngest female models I’ve worked with, but she had the ability to project both a younger and much older personality in front of the lens.

Olivia is a very diverse young lady and this shows in her portfolio. I’m sure she will do really well in the modelling and acting industries.

The post Children’s Model Portfolio Reading first appeared on One Life Studio.