One of the perks of lockdown has been testing out my new Canon R6 on my teenage daughters. And practising different techniques and styles for teenage portrait photography. I find teenagers much more relaxed when they can be doing something they enjoy.
I’ve been considering investing in a mirrorless camera for some time now. But when Canon launched their R5 and R6 last summer, I felt the time had come for me to bite the bullet. After extensive research, I concluded that the R6 best suited my requirements. I also invested in two bespoke RF lenses: the RF 24-70mm f2.8 L IS USM and RF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM. I was quite simply blown away with the camera and both these lenses. The speed and accuracy to focus were incredible. And RF 70-200 f2.8 was so light in comparison to my EF equivalent that I could take photos one handed! And what’s more, the quality is every bit as amazing as my Canon 5D iv.
I have since sold all my old cameras and lenses through a fantastic new 2nd hand camera company called MPB. They collected all my kit free of charge, offered very fair prices and speedy payment. An incredibly slick service. This enabled me to invest in the full shebang of RF lenses, including the RF 85mm f1.2 USM. Indeed, I took this portrait of Flora with this very lens, at a f1.2. I love how it throws all the background completely out of focus, despite the fact that this was in fact no further from me than I was to Flora. I can’t wait to share more images with this incredible new camera and lens.
Please visit my website to see more examples of my teenage portraits. And please contact me if you’re interested in a family portrait photography session. Whilst I’m based in Dorset, I travel throughout the UK.
Capturing the spirit of school life and providing schools with compelling images to use for advertising, prospectus, website, PR and social media is one of the areas of my work that I most enjoy. Indeed I photograph regularly for schools across South West England, from Perrott Hill School (as per the above image) in Somerset, Sandroyd & Pinewood in Wiltshire, Leweston, Hanford and Castle Court School in Dorset, Cheam and Twyford in Hampshire, Horris Hill in Berkshire and the Westminster Choir School in central London.
I love the colours, light and composition in this image, but it’s the way that the boy is looking cheekily up at the little girl that brings the image to life – reflecting the most important qualities we, as parents, look for in a school – the happiness factor – and the same reason that Country Life Magazine chose this for the front cover of their annual supplement School Life.
As a children and portrait photographer, I’m often asked to capture a family together. This is I think one of the most challenging jobs for a portrait photographer – everyone looking good at the same time in a not too cheesy pose! I have however learned over my years of photography that a family portrait doesn’t need to have everyone smiling perfectly at the camera. In fact, they tend to be more compelling if they look more natural and capture a moment. This requires a little forethought – composing the image and then creating the moment.
In this case, the brothers were all sitting on the bales of hay, when on cue, their father ran in to give them a good tickling, enabling me the change to capture a spontaneous image which exudes the fun, laughter and love shared between the father and his sons.
I find these type of family portraits far more meaningful and likely to stand the course of time. Indeed, I hope this photo will remind these boys of how much their father loves them… forever.
One of the many things I love about my job is returning to photograph the same children and families over the course of many years. I have been photographing these siblings every 2-3 years for over 15 years – now with a pretty unbeatable collection of A* A’Levels and GCSEs behind them, they were a far cry from the little rascals I photographed in my studio in London aged 4 and 2 years old!
I love the composition of this image – the sister on the fence smiling down at her younger brother, both looking happy, relaxed and confident, framed within the urban context in which they have grown up.
As a mother of three daughters myself, I love photographing girls.
There was something so special about these two sisters (aside from both being naturally beautiful and photogenic). A combination of their contagiously happy spirit, gentle confidence, humility, kindness, and deep routed love for each other. Whilst I captured a variety of stunning portraits of the two of them together (and individually), this image epitomises their relationship. The subjects don’t have to be looking into the your eye to capture your attention – a moment can be every bit as powerful. This was a moment for me.
This is a portrait of Milo – future musician of the year! Well, at least his hand positions on the piano certainly suggest this – he looks like a total natural. However I can assure you the noise coming from the piano suggested otherwise!
As a portrait photographer nothing could stop me picking up the camera and photographing this friend’s son whilst they were staying with me in Dorset this last weekend. His captivating eyes, engaging smile and happy & relaxed temperament made him the perfect model. I can’t wait for our photoshoot in the New Year.
I had such a happy day photographing 3 generations of a wonderful family in Hampshire, ranging from an elegant and charming grandmother down to this divine 2 year old boy, Arthur. This year seems to be ‘year of the grandparents’ as this must be at least the tenth family photography booking I’ve had this year involving 3 occasionally even 4 generations.
As a portrait photographer, I photograph people of all ages, but children photography is my passion. Whilst children can of course be challenging, as long as you keep the session fun, they are immensely rewarding. Their expressions are so diverse, their energy and enthusiasm boundless, and they are blissfully unselfconscious.
I had such a happy, quite intense, day photographing Lucinda’s gorgeous children and nephews and nieces for her new cookery book. This is potentially the front cover – deemed the winner by our Facebook followers.
Lucinda is a highly respected and sought after naturopath who is in the process of writing a book full of wonderful recipes to help children stay healthy and strong. I arrived with Amanda Jackson Sytner, my lovely make up artist friend, in time to photograph the children having breakfast, and staying until tea had been served. Read more…
