When I met Sarah & Tom, they told me they wanted relaxed, fun and natural wedding photographs - just my style! I had a lovely day photographing their wedding on Saturday - it started with Sarah's journey to Windsor Guildhall in an amazing vintage pink cadillac (belonging to a friend of her car fanatic dad), followed by a ceremony full of love, smiles and laughter, then down to the pub and the Long Walk for photographs with the wedding party, finishing off with a quick whistle-stop tour of Windsor landmarks, before the reception in the beautiful Harte & Garter ballroom. Thanks Sarah & Tom for choosing me to capture your wedding memories, I wish you all the best for a very happy life together - congratulations!

I'm often asked what the best age is for photographing babies and children. There is no right or wrong answer to this question - your child is your child and you will treasure the memories at any age. However, you will get different kinds of images as they grow, so it depends what you're looking for from your photographs and depends on your baby or child's development and what they are able to do at that stage.
Newborn baby photographerBest age for photographing newborn babies	Up to 4 weeks (newborn) If gorgeous squidgy sleepy photos of your tiny brand new baby are what you'd like then a newborn shoot is the one for you. I consider any baby up to about 4 weeks a newborn (after this they become more awake and start to stretch out their arms, but are not yet smily or strong enough to hold up their heads, making photos between 1 and 4 months a little awkward - though not impossible!). My style is natural without using complex props or poses for newborns - capturing memories of your tiny baby as they are at this age. I'll take a combination of sleeping and awake photos, as well as some with you as new parents, and some macro shots of tiny hands, feet, lips and lashes. I allow plenty of time for newborn sessions to allow for feeds and changes, it is a very relaxed session. It's best to book in your newborn shoot before your baby is born and we can flex dates if they arrive very late or early. You may also wish to consider a maternity shoot to remember your beautiful bump!
4-6 months (not yet sitting) Unless you urgently require photos, if you miss having a photoshoot in the first 4-5 weeks, I generally recommend waiting until your baby is four months old. By 4 months, your baby will be more awake and much smilier, with their personality starting to shine through. Your little one will also be getting sturdier and able to support their head, giving variety in posing as they can be photographed on their backs, fronts and sitting up supported by parents. Despite these developments, they are still very much babies, giving you lovely reminders of how little they were. They're also still likely to be sleeping quite frequently, so you have the option to have a mix of sleeping and awake images. At this age, it's still possible to get lots of lovely macro images of all of the cute details - tiny toes and fingers, long lashes and little pouting lips.	4-month-old baby photographerBest age for photographing babies
9-month-old baby photographer portraitsBest age for photographing babies. First birthday photographs.	6-12 months (sitting and crawling) This is one of my favourite ages for photographing babies - they are much more alert, smiles are almost guaranteed, and you'll get some lovely images of them sitting up by themselves and crawling (or trying to!). They're also much more aware of what is going on, interacting much more with me as a photographer and 'posing' for the camera. It's also your last chance to capture the memories of them as babies before they become toddlers! At 12 months, you may wish to book a birthday photoshoot - this can be a cake smash, gift opening or other celebratory images.
1-2 years (toddlers) For this age group, I recommend outdoor photoshoots. They've found their feet, they're on the move, and they don't want to stop! It's lots of fun to photograph as they run around outside and explore the world around them. Time to capture the moment your baby turns into a toddler. If you'd prefer a studio photoshoot, then this is still possible with just a little patience required on the part of you as mum or dad, as you will find you have to chase your little one around back to the spot where I need them! Again, smiles are easy with this age, I have lots of tricks ready to raise a giggle. It's another milestone worth capturing, as that toddling phase where the world is full of wonder doesn't last long, before your toddler has developed into a little boy or girl.	Toddler photographer child portraitsProfessional toddler photography, photographing my walking toddler
	2, 3, 4 and more! By the age of 2, your little one will have well and truly developed into their personality. They are confident walking and starting with the talking. At this age, your child's language skills have developed so that even if they aren't yet fully talking, they understand what is being said to them and can follow directions. This opens a whole new world of possibilities for your family or childhood photoshoot, as I work with them to get beautiful photographs (rather than just following them as they run around). I'm still very natural in my approach and ensure your photoshoot is full of fun and relaxed play. At this age, their development is not as rapid as it has been up until now, but there are still lots of changes year-on-year: inches grown, experiences had, skills learnt. Don't forget to capture those memories, otherwise in a blink of an eye your child will have become a teenager!

There really is no best age for baby and child photographs, just different results and different memories to be captured. Please take a look through my galleries to see what kind of images you'd like. Think about what you'd like to put on your walls or look back at in an album. I love talking to new clients, so please do get in touch to discuss your photoshoot requirements and chat about the best age for your child and your family!

There is a good reason why all my wedding packages include a pre-wedding shoot. Far from being something to pad the package out, I see true value in them; so much so, that I'm reluctant to photograph a wedding without first having had a pre-wedding photoshoot. Below you can see some examples and can read on below to find out why I feel they are so important...

A chance to practise

Your wedding day is one of the biggest day of your lives, and will fly by in an instant. By having a photoshoot before the wedding day, we can practise poses and settings that you'd like to use, and spend time discussing what you'd like for your photography, freeing us up to focus on you and your big day when it comes to it.

After the pre-wedding shoot, I will send you a set of images that are yours to keep, but more importantly are yours to critique. I ask every wedding couple to let me know what they do and don't like about their images; that way on the big day itself I can ensure we use poses you like and give you photographs you know you'll love.

Tips for looking your best

At our pre-wedding shoot I will share tips with you on how to look great in photographs. How to stand, how to angle your body, what to do with your hands - all these are key to making a photograph look natural and helping us look our best. By spending time before your wedding day sharing and practising these tips, there will be no need to go into the detail of how and why on the big day itself when we have much less time.

Relax and let's have fun

A pre-wedding shoot is also a great opportunity for us to get to know each other and relax in each other's company. My style is relaxed and natural, and I hope my clients feel they have fun when I'm photographing them. By meeting and photographing you before the big day, we can get rid of any nerves in front of the camera (and believe me, I know what they feel like - there's a reason I'm behind the camera and not in front of it!). I like to think of my clients as friends and hope you'll feel the same way when your wedding day comes around.

Planning for the main event

I send all brides and grooms a quick questionnaire before your big day, asking for key timings, the important people to photograph and a few other questions that ensure I capture the day the way you'd like me to. At our pre-wedding shoot, we'll go through this questionnaire, so that we're both prepared to get the most out of your wedding photographs.

All the above will take about an hour. I hope you'll feel it's an hour well-spent. It certainly is for me and ensures I capture your precious memories the way you'd like so you treasure them forever.

When I first met with Caroline & Sebastian they told me their wedding was a family and child-centred day that would be full of fun and games; and they weren't wrong. Guests were invited to come in fancy dress themed around games. Costumes included lifesize dominoes, playing cards and a family of Pictionary, as well as some more quirky characters from games designed by their friends. Friends and family were central to the day including some very talented ones having a hand in creating it, with Caroline's beautiful blue dress made by a friend and the amazing games-themed cake made by her sister. A fun day filled with love was topped off by the twirliest first dance I have ever seen, I'd expect nothing less from a couple that met through dancing. Thank you, Caroline & Sebastian for involving me in your day - I had lots of fun and would like to wish you very many congratulations and all the best for the future!

Choosing a photographer for your wedding day is an important decision. Not only are you going to be spending the majority of one of the most important days of your lives with them, you are also entrusting them to capture the long-lasting memories of this big day. So what should you consider when choosing your photographer? These are my suggestions and should help you decide if I am the right photographer for you.

Style

Each photographer has their own style that defines them and their work. The images you have of your special day need to reflect it the wa y you remember it; and should be images that you love. Style can mean both the way the photographer works from purely documentary (only capturing what happens and not setting up any posed photos), through to formal and fine art (where the images are highly crafted), as well as a variety in-between.

It also means the style of the images you’ll receive; which can vary from dramatic, bold, vibrant, quirky, fun, dreamlike, ethereal, vintage, romantic, and more. The best way to know if a photographer's style is right for you is to look at their portfolio of work - do you like what you see?

Take a look at my wedding portfolio and you’ll see that my style is vibrant and natural, I like to have fun with my brides and grooms. For the majority of time I will be taking a documentary approach, photographing action as it unfolds, emotions as they happen, candid little moments. However, I will also take time to set up some photographs, the portraits that will end up framed on the wall. My approach to these is relaxed and I aim to make it fun not formal. I also spend time photographing all the details that you have considered and planned for your day, whether it is flowers, cakes, the dress or decorations - whatever is important to you.

Personality

Some will say this doesn't matter - I disagree! We are spending a lot of time together on one of the biggest days of your lives - you want to be happy in my company and trust that I’m going to give you the photos you’d wish for. For this reason, I include a booking consulation in all my pacakages so we can get to know each other and talk about how we'll work together. I also include a pre-wedding shoot, where we'll spend more time together, I'll share posing tips that I've learnt during my career, I can find out what you like and don't like in photogaphs, and we can discuss ideas that you have for your images.

Recommendation

It's always reassuring to book a photographer that you know others have been happy with. Ask friends and family for recommendations.

There are plenty more reviews on my Facebook page if you’d like to read more, and I'm always happy to provide references.

Planning

It’s your big day, one to enjoy and remember forever. It should run smoothly and your photographer is key to ensuring that happens. I put a number of things in place to ensure that your photographs capture everything you would like without you having to spend time thinking about it on the day. At your pre-wedding photoshoot, we’ll discuss timings and key details for your day. I also have a questionnaire I ask you to complete - it takes just 5 minutes but ensures I know everything that’s important for you so that the memories I capture are perfect for you. You can also relax knowing that I'm fully insured with back-up equipment and spares for everything!

Cost

Every wedding has a budget and whilst it’s important not to stretch yourself beyond your means, I’d  advise against choosing a photographer only on price. A professional wedding photographer invests in professional-level kit  (including the back-ups I mention above), training, insurance, software and time. Whilst you may only see us for a couple of hours beforehand and 8-10 hours on your day, the average wedding is approximately 50 hours of work in total, including planning, preparing kit, downloading and backing up your images, editing and processing your images, and designing your album. I've included cost on my list of decision factors, as I know it's important when planning a wedding, but I've put it last, as your photographer should tick all the above points first and be the right photographer for you and your big day.

If you think I might be the right photographer for you, then please get in touch. It would be great to meet you and hear more about your day.

I'm starting to photograph more newborn babies and back in the autumn, I had a couple of newborns within a few weeks of each other (and sharing the same name!).

As you can see, my style of newborn photography is very natural. If you're looking for a photographer that specialises in  newborn photography using complex poses and props, then I'm very happy to recommend a couple of good local photographers - it's really important to use someone specially trained for this to ensure your baby's safety.

I allow a little longer for a newborn shoot - approximately three hours, which is a lovely relaxed session with most of the time spent feeding baby and ensuring their comfort. When you book, I'll provide a help sheet which gives you lots of tips on preparing and what to dress your newborn in. I photograph newborns both clothed, wrapped and in the nude (for the sessions shown here, one family chose to have their newborn clothed and the other has asked me not to share the nude photos).

I like to include family photos with siblings and the new parents, as well as baby on their own. I also love to photograph lifestyle sessions where your home and baby's nursery is used as the backdrop (rather than my studio backgrounds) - watch this space for an example coming in the next few months. If natural newborn photographs are what you're looking for, then I'd love to hear from you!

I have been photographing this family for five years now - at least once a year since the little girl was just six months old. It is such a privelege to be invited back to capture a family's memories and see how the children are growing. These two have changed so much since I first met them and it's a real pleasure to see. For this shoot, we opted for a combination of indoor studio photos at home, as well as an outdoor location shoot. You can see the range of options you have for a family photoshoot - the choice is yours! For the outdoor shoot we headed to the Brocas in Windsor to get some images with Windsor Castle in the background whilst the sun set - one of my favourite locations giving a great taste of Windsor to your images with the castle and the Thames.

Back in the Autumn, I spent a great day with Aspire Photography Training photographing styled childhood images. The day was hosted by Aspire and The Guild of Photographers (with whom I hold my qualification for family portraits) and went into the details of styling a photoshoot.

So what is a styled photoshoot? At it's simplest, nearly every shoot I photograph is styled to a certain extent. Styling is about choosing clothing and (where appropriate) props that will enhance and complement your images. It is up to each client how far you wish to take the styling, from following the simple clothing tips I offer when you book, through to hiring a stylist to dress your family for the shoot.

When you book a family photoshoot with me, I'll send you a helpsheet on preparing for your shoot, including clothing tips. As a minimum, I recommend avoiding t-shirts with slogans, logos and pictures - these will all draw your eye away from the faces in the final image. Block colours, simple patterns and stripes all work well. Your family style and personality will drive colour choices, but it is worth co-ordinating amongst all those who will be photographed - either with complementary or contrasting colours.

I'm always happy to offer a pre-shoot consultation over the phone where we can go through styling recommendations in more detail. If you are opting for a studio photoshoot, then we'll discuss which colour backdrop will complement your skintones and co-ordinate with your chosen outfits. The web offers a host of tools for planning your styling from colour co-ordination tools (such as coolors) to Pinterest where you can find and share styling ideas.

If you're looking to invest in a larger piece of wall-art that you would like to stand the test of time, then you may wish to invest more in the styling of your shoot. I can recommend a local stylist who can consult on your styling either from your current wardrobe or for new outfits specifically for your shoot.

If you'd like a theme from your shoot, then we can discuss options, from glitter and glamour to rustic countryside and the pursuits of childhood.

When it comes to props, I generally prefer to keep my shoots simple, using nature's props - trees to climb and stumps to sit on! - but if you would like to include props in your shoot then I'm very happy to discuss and advise.

Whatever you decide is right for you and your family, your photoshoot will include an element of styling. Just contact me to book your shoot and discuss your options further.