I thought I’d give you all an awwwww moment on this gloriously sunny Wednesday (ok, it’s gloriously sunny HERE haha) … my BFF Becky recently folded and agreed to getting a puppy.  They had always had rescue (older) dogs before and so a puppy was a very new venture for them.  They felt that with their son George being only 7 it would be fab for him to grow up with a smaller dog, rather than bringing in one that is already bigger than him … very sensible.

So, enter Jerry,  very adorable and lively Collie cross (with what, we’re not sure, but I’m thinking Lab) … absolutely adorable, don’t you think?

Pet Portrait Photographer

Dear Blog …

I have been deserting you, I know.  Now, I have a million excuses, I really do, but the long and short of it is, I breathed life into you then left you abandoned, alone and empty (ok, bit of drama never hurt anyone).

I will totally make this up to you.  This summer was manic, in a great way.  I have had the pleasure of shooting some amazing people, whether at their wedding, their engagement session, with their families, the odd commercial shoot (not so keen on those, to be honest) … the list is endless … what’s that I hear you say?  You wouldn’t know cos you’ve not seen them?  I know, I know … they’re coming, I’m sorry.

So what HAVE I been up to … well, apart from the above mentioned shooting spree (that always sounds a bit wrong, doesn’t it?) I’ve been managing a house project that was in planning for a few years (boy, they don’t warn you how much of your time THAT will suck !!) and, well, I’ve had a bit of a medical drama these last few weeks … nothing that can happen again (you really do only have 1 set of appendix) but oh my goodness, knocked me sideways that one !  Then it was that annual event called “Birthday” … trying to ignore those these days … Oh and the annual trip to the National Wedding Show, 4 days of intensity, fun and meeting new people.

Apart from that, I have no excuse.  MUST.TRY.HARDER.  And I will … I’ll feed you soon, I promise.

Thanks for hanging around and staying alive !!

Your photographer, Gill x

AND TO MY AVID READERS … thank for hanging in there … I’ll make it up to you !!

I recently posted a sneak peek from this shoot, but thought I would do a proper post and show some more … Paul is my IT guy and also a photographer who has worked with me over the years … I love getting together with them all and hanging out, and of course taking some photos while we’re at it !  We decided that a picnic at Shugborough would be a fabulous idea and, what with it being my favourite place to shoot, we should grab some family portraits while we were there.

I’ll stop blethering and let you see some photos …

Like them?  Well, I can do this for you and your family too … give me a shout !

Stafford portrait photographer

This little face will be familiar to some of you who follow my blog … my friend Becky’s son, George, who I have been photographing since he was born !  He’s now a bouncy, intelligent and fun 7 years old … where did THAT time go !!

I popped over to Becky’s last week and she rather sheepishly pulled out the school photos that George had brought home … well, all I can say is … actually, my Mother told me “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” … moving on.

I told Becky to bring George over to see me in his school uniform so that I could take a few shots of him that mum and dad would treasure, rather than cringe at, to record this time of his school life.  It’s so important to remember what they looked like at every age, every stage in their life, so I was happy to oblige.  So, after a play on the iPad (he got a little addicted to a block game LOL) I managed to get him all comfy and took some portraits.

These are my favourites … I hope you like them as much as I do.

Stafford Portrait Photographer

OK, I realise I have been neglecting you all, so I’m going to start drip feeding the blog to see if I can resuscitate it … I’m going to start small and think big …

I have been following baby Haydn since he was a week old … he is the gorgeous son of my friends Paul and Cassandra (Paul is a photographer who has worked with me a lot over the last 3 years or so) … Haydn is growing up at an alarming rate, now a bouncy 9 months old and ready to get walking any day soon!  I simply can’t believe where the time has gone.

As always, it was great to have all the guys stay up with us, we got to chill, I had Paul come on a shoot with me on Saturday morning, then we all stayed on at Shugborough Hall, had lunch, had a good old mooch around (Haydn particularly liked all the animals) then topped it off with a family shoot for them as part of Haydn’s Year In The Life series.

This one image stood out immediately … there is a beautiful old stone structure in the grounds, orange washed walls on the inside that look a little grungy, a particular favourite of mine.  We plonked Haydn on his own, with dad not too far away, just in case, but I wanted to isolate him and show how adorable he is … of course, this was helped by his totally cool outfit !!

So, here he is … cutey patooty !!!

Baby portrait photographer

ABSENCE …

What can I say … I have been neglecting my poor blog … it’s sitting here, looking at me, with a petted lip, crying out for some content, for some photos, anything, ANYTHING to make it feel wanted, alive.

Truth be told, I just didn’t see this coming.  I thought “no worries, I can do this and run a business and pop on my cape and update the blog and all that stuff along with project managing a major home renovation”.  Boy, was I completely wrong.

Our dream started almost 3 years ago.   Whilst we love our home (finally, after moving 10 times in 10 years, we found a home we were happy with) we always felt that the architect who designed the downstairs, in relation to the upstairs, must have been on meds … or must have forgotten to take them !  For us, and for many others I suspect, it’s important to be living in a home that really works for you, for your family … and for me, for my work life, as this is where I run my business.  I am fortunate to have the layout I have, the front of my home is dedicated to seeing clients  in the viewing room, filled with lovely framed prints, canvases, box frames, albums, with no need to intrude on the family end of the house, at the back.

However, up until 2 weeks ago, this was a warren of small rooms back there, each with no particularly useful function, time to change that.  So, around 3 years ago, we started thinking about knocking down walls, making the space really big and lovely to live in.  Then we thought, why don’t we just move, and now we’re back to where we are after a disastrous house hunting few months (there was just nothing out there, you know?).

So, 3 weeks ago we started in earnest.  We got our contractor lined up, along with a bunch of other trades … and so it began.

Now I knew it would be tough.  I was warned.  No problemo, it will be cool, thought I.  As I sit here, in the only room in the house not COMPLETELY covered in dust and filled with stuff (my office) I will say this … if I could have afforded to move out while all this was going on, I would have.  No amount of warnings prepared me for this.  No amount.  None.

So, why have I decided to blog about this?  A few reasons … one is to let my lovely clients know that I am working 24/7 to ensure I am on top of the business as well as managing a massive project … you guys are so important to me, I am working longer hours for this short time in order to keep you guys happy !  Yay.  The other is to move onto this subject …

BUDGETING …

I wanted to post this as a piece of advice for any bride and groom budgeting for their big day.

When I set out on my project I pulled out a spreadsheet and started writing out all the things I would need for my new home remodel.  To give you a better idea, we are knocking through a dining room, a study and a kitchen to make a large kitchen, dining, living space.  Bearing in mind we have been planning for this (and saving for this) for 3 years, I thought I would find this pretty straight forward.  I pulled the budget together in what I thought was a pretty realistic manner.  I very swiftly realised that some things would need to take priority over others … and I guess that’s the case with ANY budget, including a wedding …

For me, there was the actual building work (let’s say that’s the venue and food), followed by the kitchen (the next most important thing) … now, this will differ from person to person and couple to couple but, honestly, every single one of my clients will tell you that the photography is up there, it’s one of their top priorities.  It may differ for you, it may be in third or fourth place, say after the dress or the cars … wherever you place these things, you need to realise that some things will be placed in higher ranking than others.  And here is where the bulk of my budget went … after that was a juggling match, weeks and weeks of researching products and prices, retail versus wholesale … there were some items I refused to budge on, those things that would need to stand a battering (cooker for example) and those things that were more cosmetic than functional … I guess the point is, I GET how hard it is to budget for a wedding … I can RELATE to it, first hand at the moment.

And of course, I will be completely and utterly biased to photography as an extremely important part of that budget.  The old cliche springs to mind … it’s all you’re left with once everything else is gone … so make sure your photographer fits well with you and your vision, that you are left with a gorgeous product that will be with you and your children for a lifetime.

I guess I should hit this home with some photos … warning, not for the faint hearted LOL

If any of you are on my Facebook, check in to see the progress … in the meantime, I’m here, I’m working through it all, you’re all keeping me sane hahaha

I thought I’d get in nice and early to wish all of you a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2011.

This year has been absolutely amazing for me (ok, most of it LOL), so much has happened and I really can’t believe it’s about to end … where DOES time go, exactly !!!

And, yes, I still have loads and loads to blog … coming soon I promise … there’s the Rome wedding, the Ireland weddings, all the weddings from October to December and a few portrait shoots as well.

Have fun tonight, whatever you are doing, thank you all for allowing me to be a part of your lives in 2010 … I look forward to doing it all again in 2011 !

Gill