7th September 2023
Happy Birthday!!...
Recently I was asked to do another shoot for this lovely family. It was this special little girls birthday, and instead of the stereotypical cake smash, or balloon style shoot, they wanted something more natural which would last a lifetime.
This little ones Daddy has an artistic eye, and usually for our shoots, he knows exactly what he wants. In this way, I feel as though we work really well together to capture what they want as a family, and the images really do turn out perfect.
As you can see the actual day, weather wise, was perfect! The skies were so blue! The sun was shining, and at one point we had to make our way back to the woods for some shade.
This is a small selection of some of the gorgeous images we captured.
5th September 2023
Back from holibobs...
We have been back from holiday a few weeks now, and we are still all reminiscing about how good it was, how nice the weather was, and how good it was being all together, as well as the different type of lifestyle people generally have abroad..
The kids have struggled to adapt, as after three weeks away all together, they enjoyed the time all together and didn't want it to end.
We had a fantastic time, at the pool, the beach, learning about the different sea creatures during a boating experience; we didn't even know what a Sand Dollar was, and our eldest got to hold a sea urchin. We also discovered the most gorgeous shells, the sizes were amazing! Dolphins that swam literally 15m off-shore, as well as a vast variety of fish, crabs, and sand snails.
Aside from this we all ate way too much and t was good to get into a bit more of a normal eating routine once we were home.
A few photos above from our trip... xx
27th June 2023
Merseyside Breastfeeding Week...
Once again thank you to Bambis Breastfeeding Support Liverpool, for having me. It was a pleasure to photograph this event for you!
Yesterday a crowd of woman, men, and children, gathered at St George's Hall in Liverpool City centre, to support and celebrate breastfeeding mums everywhere. Whether this be solely breastfeeding, expressing, or combo-feeding, this was an event to support and encourage Mums on their feeding journey.
It started off with a lovely group photo at St George's Hall, followed by a walk and picnic near Liverpool One.
If anyone would like more information on the services or feeding groups that Bambis offer, or perhaps want to be involved in the celebratory events in the future, please don't hesitate to contact them.
Looking forward to next year!
22nd June 2023
Birth Your Way...
This was the second shoot for the lovely Sarah, owner of Birth Your Way.
Taking place in Sarah's home, we continued to shoot business photos for her brand new website which is currently under construction.
Within her lovely home environment, Sarah is able to offer relaxed and informal hypnobirthing courses online, as well as private 1.1 sessions. These are ideal if you don't want to do a hypnobirthing course in a group and want the privacy, and also opportunity to ask as many questions as you need. Sarah takes great care to go into detail on all things birth, covering everything you could imagine.
Our next shoot will be in a completely different venue and I'm very much looking forward to capturing another set of business images!
19th June 2023
It's a boy!...
Recently, I had the privilege of taking another set of photos for this beautiful family.
I think this was the fourth or fifth shoot we have done together, and it's been so lovely to watch their family grow over the years. This time round, they were welcoming their latest edition; a little boy!
Over the years we have combined a mix of outdoor shoots, as well as shoots taking place at home. This time round these images were taken at home were all the children were most comfortable; No Studio, No Props, No Forced poses.
This little chap is going to be the luckiest big bother with such loving big sisters.
Thank you for having me again! xx
13th June 2023
Germination...
Germination... the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore.
It was lovely to re-visit Manic Organic in Scarisbrick a few weeks ago now, to the view the seedlings that we had planted, and see how far they had come. The greenhouse was a sea of green with all the different varieties of plants growing happily.
Each plant is carefully monitored for its needs and thrives in the appropriate environmental conditions such as suitable temperature, as well as access to water, and oxygen.
Julia & Clayton also sell some of their plants.
Why not pop in and see what they have for sale at the moment!
The kids and I currently have tomatoes, kale, and spinach growing :)
2nd June 2023
Birth Your Way...
Recently I had the pleasure of starting a series of business images for the lovely Sarah, who is the owner of birth Your way.
As a fellow Mum herself, Sarah set up Birth Your Way after having her own children. With a passion for all things hypnobirthing Sarah has so much knowledge surrounding the physiology of pregnancy, labour, and birth, as well as birthing and breathing techniques, and how hormones can effect the birth journey.
Our first shoot was in the most loveliest of spaces: Curiosity Play in Tarelton. Such a relaxing and warm environment.=, Sarah immediately made the group feel welcome and shared her vast knowledge and own experience.
Looking forward to our next shoot!
24th May 2023
Seedlings...
As I write this post, I am conscious that I am super behind with updating my blog, just because I have been so busy. However I feel it's important to showcase the project I am working on for Manic Organic from start to finish.
Back in March, was when planting season began for Julia and Clayton. I was blessed with the opportunity to be able to photograph some of the very first stages of their farming season. Even more blessed that my son, who is Flexi-Schooled, had an amazing Home Education day at Manic Organic in Scarisbrick. He was able to get his hands dirty and assist with the process, in his idea of planting heaven. He had such an amazing day and it was so lovely to encourage his education of where food comes from.
As mentioned in my previous blog post, the planting process, here at Manic Organic, begins firstly with soil blocking. This is before those tiny seedlings make their way into the greenhouses and polytunnels. Julia physically makes her own soil blocks to plant the seeds into. Seed by seed, Spinach, Chard, Kale, Tomatoes, amongst many other fruits and vegetables are all carefully placed into individual blocks of soil and then popped into climatised greenhouses. It is literally as you see in the images above for much of the farms produce.
As you can appreciate this takes times, love, care, as well as effort and hard work. But the reward is a good quality produce that hasn't had chemicals, or pesticides added to it, or been sprayed with something you don't know the name of, to keep it fresher for longer.
Manic Organic is well-known by the regulars who visit for their high quality produce, and Julia and Clayton strive to ensure it stays this way.
If you haven't had a chance to visit yet, go and take a look...
Manic Organic
518 Southport Road
Scarisbrick
L40 9RF
They are also on Instagram and Facebook.
10th May 2023
Bambis Breastfeeding Support Liverpool
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking photos at one of the most lovely breastfeeding support groups.
Bambis Breastfeeding Support is such a lovely organisation based in Liverpool. Ran by a team of breastfeeding peer supporters, they offer support and information to pregnant women, breastfeeding Mums, and their families.
I had met Sarah, Bambis Co-ordinator, previously during World breastfeeding Week 2022, and after having a conversation we thought it would be a lovely idea to offer Mini shoots to the Mums at one of the groups.
I have been doing breastfeeding photography for seven years now and have attended several local groups as well as covering larger events in support of World Breastfeeding Week, and The Big Global Latch On.
The photos above are a selection of what I was able to capture on the day.
If you are in the Liverpool area, and would like some more information about breastfeeding, please get in touch with Bambis, via their website or social media.
4th May 2023
Your Body Your Birth
Recently I had the priviledge of taking photos for Fiona, owner of Your body Your Birth.
Fiona runs hypnobirthing courses and classes from her home studio, based in Birkdale. She specialises in group courses, as well as offering private sessions for Mums and Dads to be.
The studio itself , or 'The Sung' as it's called, is just gorgeous and as soon as you walk in it feels like such a calm and relaxed environment.
We took a great variation of images which Fiona will be using to showcase her business. A few more snaps can be found here!
26h April 2023
From Seed to Sale - Logo Design...
How cute is this logo?! I don't know if 'cute' is the right word... But I think it's cute!
Designed by my lovely friend Anya, who has hopped on board the from ' Seed to Sale' project, this lovely logo fits perfectly with our project and what we are trying to do.
Anya, who previously owned The Crystalline in Southport, has now moved into graphic design, and also has a strong interest in ecology. Alongside her logo creativity, she decided to start doing some filming for us, which ended up tying in quite nicely with the photography side.
Anya works with several highly thought of professionals, and has connections to people who share the same interest and passion in organic farming as Julia and Clayton, from Manic Organic. Anya and I, also have the same views on organic food, supporting local businesses, and supporting local farmers, which in turn all relates back to the key word 'community'.
Through my photography, Anya's filming and connections, and Julia and Clayton's knowledge, the idea is that a community of people interested in supporting local, eating organic, and possibly growing their own produce, will start to form. The whole process is an education for me alone, and hopefully through imagery and storytelling we can also enlighten others on the road of what it is to be an organic farmer.
Expect to see a few image and film montages over the coming months!
19th April 2023
Flexi Schooling
I am often asked about Flexi Schooling, which is something that seems to becoming more and more popular. I often receive messages from people who have been pointed in my direction because they know I Flexi School, or quite often people see my posts on social media during our Home Ed days, and then message to ask for more information. So I thought I would write a bit about it on here.
Firstly 'Flexi Schooling' is 'legal'. Anyone can do it, and any School can do it, it's at the discretion of the Head. If it's something you would want to do, you would simply have to contact the Head Teacher at your School to ask whether this is something they would consider. Sometimes they ask for your reasons why, and what you plan to do on your home days.
Flexi Schooling is, for us, an ideal mix between School and Home Education. The mix of 'home days' and School days can vary depending on what you would like to do and what the School agrees to. For us three days in mainstream School, and two Home Education days, for the time being, works.
I am often asked what we do on our Home Ed days. We do all sorts; trips to museums, exploring the coast, the woods, den building, bug hunting, learning about wildlife, plants, wild mushrooms, building with real tools, crafts, music lesson, planting, growing. The list is endless. However the bottom line is that we follow the interest of the day/week and incorporate it into our learning for the day. This always includes some maths, writing, and reading.
One of the questions I am also asked is why we choose to Flexi School. For me, and this is my opinion only, rather than saying this is actually correct... For me, the School teaching system is archaic. Thats not referring to the Teachers, as we have met some wonderful Teachers and our little ones current Teacher is just amazing! But the School system hasn't changed since I was at School. They are still teaching the same things, and ticking the same government standardised boxes. It feels stagnant, as though not much has moved on. The School system is also lacking life skills (again my opinion). It's all well and good saying 'I got 10 out of 10' on my spellings, but can you ride a bike, or use a hammer and nails. They are just examples, and probably really bad ones. But children should be taught a variety of life skills and academic skills, not just purely academic.
SATs tests at age 6 and 7 years old are ridiculous... for what purpose? So the School can tick the Government box of where the child is up to. Its a bit like having a baby... You're immediately put under a Health Visitor who then gives you a tick box sheet in which you have to complete to say where you're little one is up to. Yes this can be helpful if a parent has worries, but generally there is no need to standardise children. They are all different, and learn at their own paces, not to mention have their own interests. And when they get to High School, they are so bombarded by the amount of exams and tests, as well as all the different subjects they have to take part in, that they pretty much come out a 'jack of all trades, and a master of none'.
When do we start to teach children to hone in on their talents and interests, rather than just passing exams and tests, and having to sit through lessons they may not ever be good at, just because they 'need to'?
Again all this is my opinion, and everyone does what they think is best for their child. This is what works for us. Hopefully I've answered a few questions that I often get about Flexi Schooling, with a bit of a rant in the middle :)
17th April 2023
"Soil Blocking..."
Preparations at Manic Organic commenced several weeks ago now.
I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph some of the very first and early stages of their growing season, which for me, is an education in itself. I have learnt so much already, and we are so early on in the process.
For instance soil blocking... This is a more traditional, and more challenging way of making and preparing your own soil for planting. Looking at the images above, I'm sure you will appreciate that there are much 'easier' ways to do this. But being Organic farmers who are passionate about what they do, Julia and Clayton pride themselves on doing things properly. There are definitely no quick fixes at this farm shop. Everything is prepared, and then grown with love and care.
The day I took these images, I spent some time watching how Julia works and prepares her soil; mixing, blocking, and then planting the seedlings into the individual holes. I even had a little helper; my son, who is Home Educated a couple of days a week, and came along with me. What a learning experience! He even got to plant his own Chard, and Spinach.
This is what is really special about Manic Organic, a small local farm shop business, not only do they do everything from scratch with very little heavy machinery, but they are so open to people helping (if they wish). Julia and Clayton are so knowledgable about what they do, and the shop is more of a community.
There has ben a lot of talk, depending on what circles you mix in of course, in being 'self sufficient'. But community sufficiency really is the way forward.
14th March 2023
"From Seed to Sale..."
I have recently started a very exciting project with a local farm shop. I use the term 'farm shop' lightly, as I feel that calling it such doesn't really capture exactly what this hidden gem actually is.
But first I'll give a bit of background as to why I have started this venture...
Several years ago, an illness, made me change the way I ate. It changed the way I viewed my body and what I was expecting it do on the nutrition I was putting into it. Now I've never really been someone who has been particularly unhealthy, but then what is it to be 'unhealthy'? Is it someone who eats bowls of pasta, or has a takeaway once a week? Is it someone who eats takeaways regularly and snacks on crisps and chocolate? That's for each individual to decide. What one person sees as being unhealthy, another may see as not being that bad. But for me, the illness that I encountered, made me question everything I was putting into my body.
I then had my son, who was diagnosed with allergies very early on. This forced me into having to look at the ingredients on various packages. I was then shocked to find ingredients I had never heard of in simple things like bread. There was even things like milk in ham, and chicken. At the time, it was easier to simply make a lot of things myself. After this my daughter came along, who also had allergies, and a few intolerances which my son didn't have. So I continued to cook everything from scratch.
Several years of nitpicking ingredients within food, has made me realise how detached we are from our food. We live in this 'grab and go' society, a fast paced world, where everything is needed 'now' , and I'm not sure how much longer humans can sustain this for. It isn't healthy for our body or our mental wellbeing. We seem to have become so dis-engaged to where our food comes from, and the amount of work and skill required behind growing a potato, an apple, a tomato. When I look back, I feel as though when my Grandparents were growing up, and even Great-Grandparents, that this was probably the last time a good chunk of 'health', food wise, was felt in society, due to the way they ate.
So I have decided to start a project which will hopefully capture this food journey. The project will be called 'From Seed to Sale' and aims to really highlight the enormous amount of time and love spent growing the food that we can so easily grab in supermarkets. It also aims to highlight the need for more people to shop in local and small businesses.
The way I see it, is the supermarkets are the middle man. They hold the stock, and don't pay the farmers anywhere near their worth for their produce. So why not skip the middle man and go direct to the grower, direct to the farmer, (obviously where possible).
I am a foodie, I love my food, and hopefully this will not only enlighten and educate myself and others , through a variety of images, and the story that will be told, about a local farm shop, striving to produce the best they can for the local community.
Watch this space...
1st March 2023
Social media stress...
Social Media... Does anyone else find its becoming a bit of a chore?
When I first started using social media for business purposes in 2017, it really was worthwhile. People engaged in posts more freely then they do today, and it was much easier to be 'seen'. However, with algorithms constantly changing, it seems using the likes of Facebook and Instagram successfully, has become more and more of a challenge.
Initially it was simple posts, comments, and likes. Then the algorithm changed, and moved into Stories. Now it's Reels. And if you're not doing a Reel, you pretty much don't get seen. I look at other business, some who I know personally. They update every day, sometimes twice a day, and yet they get maybe 3 likes, maybe 15. But for hundreds or thousands of followers, they just aren't getting seen.
I've spoken to so many businesses, including friends who own businesses over the last year or so, and generally they seem to be totally put off by the ever changing goal posts.
I remember saying to a few of my clients around a year ago, that I wanted to ideally get rid of my social media and just have my website; one single platform to update, rather than three. And I think I am probably one of the 'lucky' ones with only three to update. I don't have Tik Tok, or Twitter, or Flickr or any of the other platforms requiring constant attention.
I also really don't want to be updating my social media platforms at 9pm at night. I would much rather be editing, or replying to clients, rather than stressing about an update and how much attention it's going to get.
That being said, I am going to trial not updating my social media accounts with posts. I will share the Blog links, and update my stories but that's it. This will give me more time to focus on the things I need to focus on and more peace of mind knowing that I don't have to update with posts followed by however many hashtags :)
Wish me luck! xx
26th February 2023
Our Holiday...
This week we landed back after a lovely and warm, family holiday in Florida. The skies were so blue over there, not like the grey we experience here in the UK. We did have one or two cloudy days but for a fourteen night stay, one or two days isn't bad.
I was speaking to a lady from Minnesota over there who started chatting to me, and she was saying how, even though it's cold at home, the skies are blue so she doesn't mind. She was surprised when I explained that we can go a few days here without seeing proper sun.
We did a few parks this time round with the kids. Usually when we go it's later on in the year and the heat is just too much some days. This time round it averaged around 28/30 degrees, so it was a nice time of year and we were able to walk round. We did Disneys magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, had a quick wander round Epcot, and then headed to the coast for a day.
The kiddies were made up and unlike round by the pool wanting one of us (mainly Daddy in), they played happily by themselves in the sea and the sand.
We also had some really good food. Good food is hard to find in Orlando as everything comes ready made from a packet, which they then heat it up. We found this out early on having two kids with allergies. So we have now learnt where to go for the fresh stuff!
Here are just a few mobile snaps from our holiday...
24th February 2023
A lovely family photoshoot in the woods...
I was asked by this lovely family, to capture some new images of themselves and their two girls which in turn would make some fantastic presents for family members. So went to a gorgeous wooded area to take some photos. It was so nice watching the eldest play in the leaves, climb, and have fun outdoors. We got some really gorgeous natural shots to make the day.
These are just a couple of the images the family chose and are happy for me to share with you.