It was only a matter of time until I included this in my Why I Love This Shot series. Taken during my friend’s wedding, this is a moment where the groom stole an extra kiss while leaving the ceremony. It makes me smile to see how happy they are!
Tag: friends
Be Careful What You Post…
Yesterday I learned a lesson. A lesson on taking more care about what I repost.
I have been working through a few things recently and come up against some fairly common challenges for soloprenuers in small, creative businesses. Issues with payment, making ends meet, being sustainable, people not giving you credit for your work – all that wonderful stuff. So when a blog from a well known Scottish company entered my feed about their troubles with trademark infringement I thought “Brilliant – that captures exactly how I’m feeling.” and I reposted it on my page.
Within the hour a good friend got in touch and questioned this decision. And that’s exactly what good friends should do. Question you when they think something you’ve done doesn’t quite sit right. With a gentle shove she quickly made me realise that this company was NOT one I wanted to align my business ideals with and opened my somewhat naive eyes to a rather unscrupulous couple of guys with questionable ethics. I’m so glad she did.
Checking company backgrounds and ethical practices is something I’m normally really good at. I’ve got a long list of ones to avoid and ones I’m happy to give my hard earned money to. I don’t always get it right but I do make the effort to do my research and try to stay on top of things. Yesterday I got caught out and it reminded me how important it is to pay attention. I don’t doubt it will happen again, but I know I can rest assured that my friends will be there to call me on my missteps. And for that, I’m always thankful.
Baby Claudia
A while ago… in fact, a long while ago now, I was asked to take photos of a beautiful family and a lovely friend. The friend who is responsible for my websites and for teaching me the crazy world of web editing. Or at least how to scratch the surface.
It was so long ago, that this family is now a family of four! Baby Claudia is big sister Claudia now and her little brother arrived at the end of last month. I’m so delighted for them all and hope to meet them soon.
Congratulations! xx
Lovely Family Storrie
Soooo, I just realised I didn’t finish my blog about this shoot. It’s from last year and is a very special one for me. My cousin Dawn has always been a big part of our lives and when she asked me to take photos for them I was really excited to catch up with this part of our family. My mum is one of 6 so as you’d imagine, we’re a big extended family and we don’t spend enough time together these days.
So off to the Gleniffer Braes we went last autumn. An afternoon of love, laughter, tree-climbing and gymnastics. I thoroughly enjoyed capturing the moment for them all. Here are some of my favourite shots:
A Family Portrait
It’s been a long, long time since I blogged. So much has happened this year and I’ve let blogging fall by the wayside. But after this shoot in Glasgow’s Pollok Park, I had to share my favourite shots with you.
I worked with Lynn many moons ago in Glasgow Science Centre and we reconnected through her business Paws On Pet Services and her brilliant blog: Glasgow With Kids. Sometimes Facebook has it’s upsides.
So we got together last month and I finally had the chance to meet Lynn’s daughter, the inspiration for her blog and her husband David. Lynn is pretty great with a camera herself so it didn’t take too long for everyone to feel at ease.
We lucked out with the weather for the shoot and caught the tail end of those delightful few weeks in June when the sun was shining. A walk through the park provided a lovely backdrop for this gorgeous, happy family!
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I had such a lovely morning with these guys. My job is pretty awesome! xx
The Mpiana Family
The lovely Mpiana family visited my studio early this year. What a privilege it was to capture moments of them with their new baby girl! Anaya is one of the cutest customers I’ve had so far and she was an angel to work with. A beautiful family! x
Farewell 2014! Hello 2015! x
There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts – before this, and after this. – Fallen
This past year has been a big one for me. I’ve been given the amazing opportunity to start up my own business doing what I love, taking photographs. It’s been a dream of mine to own a small business and I’m so excited to be chasing after my dream. So far it’s been challenging, exciting and demanding as I learn the ropes and just begin to understand all that’s involved.
The support has been amazing. I’m blessed with a extraordinarily talented and generous group of family and friends who help make everything just that bit easier. So it seems fitting that I end 2014 with a Thank You to everyone for their love and support. I’ll try to remember everything but if I forget something let me know!
Thank you to…
- My parents! For always encouraging me and supporting my decision to leave my job and go out on this adventure and for helping me find the funds to add to my ever-growing photography kit. Plus, they also have a growing collection of my work in their home. I’m sure they’ll show it to you if you fancy a visit!
- My talented friend Stephen who spent many, many hours working with me to design my logo. I love it and get compliments on it all the time. Thank you for your patience.
- Jenny & Robert at Glasgow Science Centre who made it possible for me to have my first ever exhibition and kept it on display for a whole year.
- Johanna, who has been a fan and supporter of my work for a couple of years now and even traveled to see my exhibition (it was lovely to finally meet you a couple of weeks ago!).
- Louisa, who bought my first official print and made me believe that this might actually be something I can do.
- Kim, who not only encouraged me to go for it after finding success and happiness in her own small business (Kimmycakesuk – check her out!) but also got me my first official portrait session booking with the lovely Peer Family.
- Katy, who has been working on her own business venture and cheering me on with mine, every step of the way.
- Ian, Sharon, Katy, Morna & Yaz who booked me to return to GSC and capture photos of the events there. I had a great time and was happy to be involved. Exciting and engaging people with science will always be an important part of my life.
- Everyone who has worked with me and given me honest feedback to help me figure out what works and what doesn’t.
- Laura, who put in hours of work to build this website and also spent weeks teaching me how to edit it and structure it myself. Your never-ending patience has been amazing while I struggle through all the jargon!
- Craig, Sophie, Jo, Joanna, Johanna, Claire, Lynn, John and my parents for looking over my website and checking it made sense.
- Fiona, Jennifer, Ian and Steven who have agreed to be part of a mini advisory board and offer their expertise and guidance in the future.
- Claire and Mairi who bought various prints of my Squirrel photos – some of my favourite shots from the year and made me even more determined to move in to wildlife photography.
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- Siobhan, for taking the time to look over my contracts and terms & conditions and made all the legal talk something I could actually follow!
- Everyone who has liked my page, retweeted my images, commented on Facebook, 365project or 500px – it may seem a very small thing on your side but trust me, it means a lot to me. Every little like and comment lifts my spirit and keeps me ploughing through the less glamorous side of being a small business owner (special nod to Jo B, Johanna and Sophie as they’ve been especially supportive in the world of social media!).
- And last, but far from least, Ewan. My other half. My better half. He has been everything from a problem solver to a food provider; a shoulder massager to a copy editor; a tech adviser to my much needed comedy relief; my number one fan and the all important shoulder to cry on when I’ve been completely overwhelmed by the process. I would not be here without you.
Thanks so much to you all. You’ve all played a part in making a dream come true. I cannot wait for the excitement and adventure in 2015 and I’m looking forward to my first run of bookings with my niece’s birthday party, the Mpiana family and a trip to see the Red Kites again.
Best wishes for you and yours in 2015! xx