Rebeccas Photo-Shoot Party

Rebecca had her 13th birthday party with us at the studio. They were already in a party mood when they arrived in style in a limo provided by Jet Set Limousines.

Everyone had some photos done in their casual clothes before changing into party dresses and heels for the fun group shots - I can't believe how high the heels are on some shoes today! The girls all looked fantastic and were really into the posing by the time the feather boas and hats came out.

We finished the party with a few shots of them in the limo before they headed off for an evening of bowling and pizza.

21st Birthday Photo-Shoot Party

Michael and her friends came along to our first adult photo-shoot party as part of her 21st birthday celebrations.
Bringing along a couple of bottles of bubbly and a box of chocolates the party began with each of the girls having a stunning make-over provided by our make-up artist, Lisa. We can offer a hair stylist as well if wished, but this time the girls opted to style their own.
As with all our parties we took some individual shots of everyone after their make-up had been applied and then when they were all finished we started the group shots.
All the girls had brought a selection of outfits with them which allowed for a variety of different poses to be undertaken throughout the session, with their final pictures being done in their sailor style dresses and hats which looked fantastic with their scarlet red shoes!

I hope everyone enjoyed the party and that the rest of Michaels birthday weekend to Leeds went well.

If you would like to book an adult photo-shoot party then please give us a call on 01204 413459. A party for up to 8 ladies will cost £100 with make-up provided at £10 per person and hair styling at £10 person. If having hair and make-up applied please allow up to three and a half hours to ensure a throughly relaxing experience.

Bonny Baby Competition

In October we launced our Bonny Baby competition. This is open to all babies from newborn to 8 months and will run until June 30th 2010. All entries will receive a free sitting lasting about 30 minutes and will select their favourite image to be entered into the competition. They will also receive a 6"x4" print of the image.

In July 2010 the winner will be chosen by an independant judge and they will receive a 16"x12" print of the winning image presented in a 20"x16" frame.

So if you think your baby is 'the most beautiful thing you've ever seen' then why not enter them and show them off. Appointments can be made by ringing the studio on 01204 413459 and are available Tuesdays - Fridays anytime between 10pm and 3pm.

Vicky and Lydia

Vicky and Lydia had a photo-shoot party with us for their 7th birthday. What a fantastic group of girls they were - think we may have some budding models of the future.

They all wanted to be first to have their photos taken and wherever possible tried to be on the back of each others pictures - the great thing with digital is being able to edit them off afterwards!

When the costumes came out the noise level increased and the feathers from the boas went everwhere - looked like we had been plucking a parrot by the end of the party!

Hopefully everyone went home having had a great time and they have a fantastic selection of photos to choose from. You can see a few above.

Photo-Shoot Parties

Our photo-shoot parties for children are proving a great success. Aimed at girls from the age of 6 years we host a 2 hour party for up to 12 children. After greeting your guests at the studio we head upstairs for a fun filled party.

We start the session off with a mini photo shoot for each child where they get to 'strut their stuff' and pose like the celebrity models they see on the telly, then we get everyone together for some group shots of them all. Before long the feather boas, cowgirl hats, fancy dress costumes etc are pulled out and the fun continues with shots of the girls jumping, spinning, dancing - we've even had them playing leapfrog or doing cartwheels!

Drinks and sweets are provided throughout the party with kareoke available for those who can sing better than I can! Since opening the studio in January we have held many parties for girls between 6 and 16 years and each one has proved to be completely different. Everyone seems to enjoy themselves and most of our bookings come from recommendations from previous [parties (so we must do something right).

With the success of these parties we are opening them out to provide a fantastic evening for the ladies. Why not book a party for your own birthday, hen night or just as a treat for the mums - we can arrange for a make-up artist and/or hair stylist to attend the party to make sure you all look and feel your best before the photos are taken. We'll provide some drinks and chocolates (bring your own wine!) and have a great evening. Come along in your casual clothes for an informal style or get dressed up in your evening dresses to add a little glamour to the night - or if you want a set of more sexy pics doing bring your lingerie along with your heels and we can do a boudoir style of portraiture. The choice is yours!

If you are interrested in a childrens or adult party please contact us for more information. Popular dates go fast so book early!

Caroline and Tim Saturday 19th September 2009

Caroline and Tim held their wedding at their local church, St Teresa's in Up Holland. A large lawn at the front provided an ideal location for the photographs to be taken after the service.
I hope they both enjoyed their day and love their photographs.

Christmas!

Thats it, summer is over, the days are getting colder and darker and we are all beginning to think about the approach of Christmas and with that come the inevitable problems of what to buy everyone. I don't know about you but I am always struggling to think of something different and special to get people, especially for parents and grandparents. Well here's the answer - why not have a fantastic portrait session for you and your family!

Book in for one of our complimentary portrait sittings either at the studio or on location in the local area (great for sunny autumn days). Your sitting will last for up to an hour and we will take a variety of shots for you whether it be family, baby, children or pets or a combination. The following week you will be invited back to the studio to view your images via a slideshow, before selecting your favourites for printing.

We offer a wide selection of products from fully framed portraits and storyboards, canvas wraps, albums and stunning acrylic designs. Why not choose your favourite image to be printed onto our christmas cards for you to send out to all your family and friends (available in packs of 20) or we can design a calender for you with your images.

As a xmas offer, available until the end of Decemeber 2009, we are offering a print only package which consists of 2 10"x8" prints and 4 7"x5" prints for the special price of £99.00. That's 6 separate images of your choice in colour, black and white, sepia or colour tinted as wished all for only £99.00 and remember the sitting is FREE too!

Gift vouchers are also available for any amount you wish and can make excellent gifts for someone who has it all!

Rachels' Party

Rachel and her friends were celebrating her 12th birthday with a photo-shoot party at the studio. They all brought a change of outfit with them which allowed for a variety of shots to be taken of each of them and when they changed into their party clothes we brought out all the feathers boas and plastic balls for some fun shots. They were a great group of friends and I hope they all love the photos and had a great time.

Victorias Party 20th September 09

Victoria has had photos with us a few times in the past and when her elder sister attended a party her earlier in the year she decided that she was going to have her birthday here too. The shy, quiet group of children soon turned into normal, noisy 6 year olds as Vicky led them upstairs and started modelling for the photos. We got a few rounds of musical bumps and statues in while the music played then the plastic balls came out. Mum and dad came on for a few pictures with the kids and it wasn't long before dad became used as target practise and was bombarded with plastic balls from all directions (not convinced mum didn't orchestrate that!). After two hours of fun parents began to arrive to collect their not so shy and quiet children and hopefully everyone had a good time. Happy Birthday Victoria!

'Trash the Dress' August 2009

For the past couple of years 'Trash the Dress' has been all the rage in the USA and it is now getting a foothold over here. Trying to get brides to sign up for a session without first seeing any images has been a bit of a struggle. Finally however, I managed to coax a friend into volunteering as a model in her wedding dress for me, her daughter wanted to come along so we decided to put her in a bridesmaids dress along with my own daughter and whilst we were all going we might as well bring my sister along in her bridesmaid dress.

So one sunny Friday morning at the beginning of August found the five of us parking up in the countryside. We pulled up on the car park at the same time as a group of 20 ramblers going out in all their walking boots etc and here we were climbing out of the car with a bride and three bridesmaids! They thought we were mad.

Hitching Charlies' dress up we squeezed our way through the gateway and into the hills - country gates aren't made for big wedding dresses! Ilona had on her stunning walking boots under her bridesmaids dress whilst the girls, forgetting to bring their trainers, had to contend with walking along rough pathways with wedding sandals on!

Starting at the small footbridge across the stream we began with some pics of them with the hills and sheep in the background. Everyone was a little nervous to start with but after the first few pictures were over they soon began to relax and really get into the swing of things.

We walked along the stream following it up into the hills and getting pictures of the girls paddling in the edge of the water and sitting on fallen trees etc. Charlie was great! We decided that there would be a fantasic view from the top of an outcrop of rocks so kicking off her shoes (sorry, flip flops) she scrambled, in her wedding dress, up this steep hill that even I was struggling to get up in normal clothes. The effort was worth it though and we got some great shots of her overlooking the whole of the area. Whilst up there balancing precariously on the edge of the cliff a man out walking stopped to ask if he could take a picture of Charlie as his wife didn't believe him when he told her there was a bride up here.

Amazingly I didn't slide down the hill on my behind when we made our way back down to where Ilona, Kiera and Jess were all waiting for us. Again a little scramble down a couple of rocks found us back on the banks of the stream and it is here that we got some of the best pics of the day. Up until now the dresses were all relatively clean and dry, but that was soon to change! This is the part of the shoot where, with no persuassion at all, Charlie got into the stream in her dress and sat down. It wasn't long before Kiera and Jess were asking if they could have a go too!

Half an hour or so later it was time to leave and whilst the girls climbed out and dryed their feet Charlie made her way back across the stream. That was when we heard the splash!

I think everyone had a great time that day and I got some fantastic pictures for my portfolio. I can't thank the girls enough for volunteering to be my guinea pigs for the day and hope the pictures bring back the fun they all had. Kiera and Jess are already asking when they can do it again!

If you think you'd like to have a go at a 'Trash the Dress' session please get in touch, if I have done your wedding the session is free!

PS They are great for prom dresses too!

Jo and Ian 5th September 2009

I met Jo and Ian at a friends wedding in Lapland a few years ago where Jo was bridesmaid and wearing a lovely dress complimented with a great big pair of ski boots! That was definately a wedding out of the ordinary for me, however when they booked their own wedding they decided to stay closer to home.

Doing any wedding is nervewracking as you want to be sure the bride and groom love the results, but I think when it a friends wedding the nerves are doubled and you pray that everything is perfect for them, especially the weather! The forecast was for showers with it clearing later in the afternoon so keeping fingers crossed that it would stop raining at some point, I set off to meet Jo and the bridesmaids at Hair Revival. Despite the rain everyone was in a happy and excited mood whilst they had their hair and make up applied before heading back to the house to get ready.

I met up with Ian, his best men and the ushers at St Pauls church where we managed to dodge the raindrops to get some pictures outside. Jo and Ians' little girl, Lily, arrived and obviously became the centre of attention for all the arriving guests - she was having a great time trying to pull the hats from her nans head!

A beautiful wedding car, from St Leonards, dropped the bridesmaids off before doing the return journey to bring Jo and her dad to church. Luck must have been on our side as by the time Jo arrived the rain had stopped. She looked stunning as she stepped out of the car and made her way into church - not a ski boot in sight!

After the service finished and the confetti was thrown we made the short journey up the road to Dunscar Golf Club where the reception was to be held. The weather was improving all the time and by the time we were organising the groups the sun was finally beginning to put in an appearance. With the hills in the background and the sun shining we got some gorgeous pictures of Jo, Ian and little Lily.

I stayed to cover the speeches which they had decided to do before the meal started so as to allow Ian and his best man to enjoy the food without the nerves. After many laughs and a few tears the speeches ended with a toast to the bride and groom made by the best man, at which point I left to let them enjoy the rest of their wedding day.

Hope you guys had a fantastic day and enjoyed every minute of it!

Lois and Stephens' Wedding 22nd August 2009

The day started a little grey but by the time we arrived at the brides house the sun was starting to shine through. Lois and her bridesmaids were all arriving back from the hairdressers and the champagne was opened for a little drink whilst they got ready. I have to say, everyone seemed remarkably calm for a wedding day, unless they waited for us to leave to meet Stephen and his men at the church!

Getting married at Bury Parish Church on a sunny Saturday afternoon attracts a crowd of onlookers and by the time Lois arrived we had quite an audience - to the extent that someone asked me 'Is it someone famous getting married?'

The service was lovely and after the signing of the register Lois and Stephen were finally married. A few photos at the church while the bride and groom had chance to say hello and chat to their guests outside we headed off to the reception at the Bolholt Hotel.

The Bolholt is a popular venue and the grounds can be ideal for photographs and with the sun shining family and friends of the couple were able to have a drink relaxing in the gardens.

I really enjoyed this wedding and Lois and Stephen were a fantastic couple to work with. I hope they both had a great day and love the pictures as much as I do.

Stephanies Party

A group of teenage girls gathering outside the studio announced the arrival of Stephanie and her friends for one of our photo-shoot parties. Everyones always a little nervous when they arrive not knowing exactly what to expect (including me!) and no one wants to be the first to stand up in front of everyone, but after Stephanie opted to go first everyone was soon beginning to relax and we even had a couple singing on the kareoke in the background whilst the shots were being taken. We always start with some individaul poses of each person before moving onto the group shots and as everyone begins to unwind the fun shots begin - don't know what it is with feather boas but as soon as they come out they turn even the most shy member of the group into an instant model. Anyway two hours and over 600 pictures later we were saying goodbye to everyone. I hope they all enjoyed the party as much as we did and can't wait for them all to see the pictures. Here are a few of my favourites.