About Me:
If you are reading this, then hello & thank you for taking the time to find out more.
I am quickly approaching the big 50... (eek), am married with 2 sons (eldest is at uni & youngest doing Alevels).
I LOVE animals and as a child grew up with 4 dogs, 3 cats, puppies every so often, chickens, geese, doves, koi carp and ferrets. As a married mum, my house is a lot quieter with just 2 cats. I would one day like to have at least 1 dog again. This means I am over the moon when asked to photograph your pets (so far this has included reptiles, guinea pigs, cats, dogs and horses)..
I fell naturally into pre-school / nursery & family photography after becoming a mum and have been photographing live stage shows at musicals and bands for over 20yrs.
I have an excellent attention to detail when editing images and am always on full alert during a shoot,. I have fast reactions when photographing candid images at weddings (anticipating those laughs & emotional moments) & during live action stage / theatre shows. Musical Theatre is a big passion of mine, both on and off the stage. I have been performing (at an amateur level) since I was 12yrs old; then stopped doing shows and started photographing them once my boys were born. I get as much joy doing this as being on stage. I still occasionally perform but as part of a musical theatre choir - i even duetted with Gareth Malone at x3 venues during his 2023 concert tour!
Apart from photographing in pre-schools where my height isn't an issue, I'm actually a bit short to be a photographer. No-one wants a photo taken aimed up their nose lol... so you will often see me balancing on a stool or chair! A good way to get a wedding party group to all look at you at the same time is when they think you're about to fall off a stepladder lol !
As with most people who have a vocational career, my passion started as a child. I was fascinated looking through old photographs and as soon as I was old enough got my own camera. My skills were atrocious - wonky angles, heads chopped off and blurry images still haunt my photo albums but we all have to start somewhere, and if you are old enough to remember waiting in line in a shop to see your prints for the first time, you can appreciate the relief I felt when digital cameras were invented and we could 'delete and retake' as many times as we liked! No better way to learn than by studying your mistakes.
Once I had my boys, other parents would ask me to take photos of their children too, at birthday parties mostly, and it wasn't long before I was given money for my efforts. I photographed a friends wedding (I tried to say no and definitely did not want paying, but her confidence in me paid off. Her and her family were overjoyed at the photos and I gained much more confidence to offer my services elsewhere). The theatre school I belonged to had a regular photographer who let me shadow him during one show and handed me the reins for the next show as he was appearing on stage. I loved this style of photography so much and got a job for a photography company who sent me round the country photographing ballet and tap shows. This company taught the photographers how to take studio photos, how to use the equipment and set up poses etc. I worked there for over 6 years before deciding I wanted my weekends back as I was missing my children growing up.
I therefore went 'solo' and pre-school / nursery photography became my regular income with annual bluebell and Christmas mini shoots plus a few theatre schools, weddings, family and corporate shoots fitting around my family life. Living the dream - seriously!
10 years later and I'm as busy as ever - I have a selection of loyal customers who come back every year for photos of their children, or who book me for all their various family photo requirements from newborns, weddings and outdoor or studio shoots. I don't think I've ever said no to a shoot, so get in touch to discuss how I can help you. What do my customers think? This link takes you to my testimonial page