Snap Happy Tuesday - Keeping It In The Family

Hi there lovely people,

Today is obviously Tuesday and that means it's the day when I share some of my photographs with all of you lovely people.

So today I thought I would share images of my youngest little sister Aimee. Now, before this goes any further, I would like to clarify for the record that I am in no way favouring her over my other sisters, nor do I think she is the prettiest (they are all equally beautiful), but she is quite literally, the only one of my sisters to willingly sit for me. Hence the choice to share her images.

"Staring into nothingness"
ISO 400 - 25mm (18-55mm lens) - f/4.0 - 1/60 sec

"Dappled Thoughts"
ISO 200 - 55mm (18-55mm lens) - f/5.6 - 1/60 sec

"Into The Soul"
ISO 400 - 32mm (18-55mm lens) - f/4.5 - 1/60 sec

"Lean On Me"
ISO 200 - 30mm (18-55mm lens) - f/5.0 - 1/125 sec

"That Gaze"
ISO 400 - 42mm (18-55mm lens) - f/5.0 - 1/60 sec

Ok so believe it or not, when these images were taken, Aimee was just 11. She is quite simply a stunning little girl and a photographers dream client. She's super willing to take direction and loves having her photo taken. 

The photos with the white background were taken in my home studio, in front of a plain white backdrop. I had envisioned a kind of raw shoot, filled with attitude, and this was the result of that vision. Even though she was in fact only 11 at the time, she is very much a diva and has been for years, thanks to watching and then emulating the behaviour of my other sisters. So when it came to doing this shoot, the attitude was just oozing out of her, and I think it's really very visible. 

The outdoor shoot was a little different in terms of my vision. I wanted Aimee to look young and vulnerable and lost in amongst her surroundings, but still standing out if that makes sense. It was a super hot summers morning that we set out to a wooded area near my home and we played about a bit with the lighting, which turned out to be really quite bright and harsh with it being so early in the day. So after failing to find good enough light that wasn't creating harsh shadows on her face and body, we resorted to shaded areas inside of the woods, and this is where the trees became our props. I got a few quite catalogue looking shots of her standing and leaning against a tree branch, which I was really happy with and this was actually supposed to be the last shot of the day, when I noticed some beautiful dappled light coming through the trees on our way out of the woods. This is where the "Dappled Thoughts" shot came from. Green is always a pretty difficult colour to work with in photos as it often creates a murky hue, that can often look quite sickly on the skin, but this shot just felt like utter perfection to me and is still actually my favourite shot of all time. 

Oh and it's also worth noting that this shoot was actually part of one of the assignments for my photography course (Using Natural Light), before I had even qualified, and it ended up being the highest marked image in my portfolio. 

As always lovely people, I have included the camera settings used to capture these images, and although they're not exactly complicated shots, I think it's important to share these settings with you in case you fancy trying to create a similar shot. 

Anyway, as ever I hope you enjoyed looking at these images, and I really truly hope that you get out there with your cameras and start shooting. It really is the best feeling in the world to capture beautiful moments and be able to keep them forever. Far too much of life is missed and forgotten about, and photographs are a way of being able to love and treasure our most wonderful memories until the end of time.

Take care lovelies. X

International Women's Day

Hey lovely people! Today is International Women's Day and I thought I would use this post to share some of the inspirational women I have in my life, with you all. 

1. My mum.

This photo was taken at a family event last year and from left to right it is my sister Joanne, myself and my mum Grace.

She has been my best friend for my whole life. She has always done her best to provide my siblings and myself with whatever we want, keeping us grounded and selfless at the same time. After struggling in a difficult marriage with my step-dad for over 20 years, she finally made the decision to move on with her life and make it better, which has been hard but ultimately paid off in the long run. She never judges anyone for their mistakes and would take your secrets to the grave with her. She is the best person I know and the first person I wanted to talk to when I'm sad or upset. I love her with all my heart and soul, and thank God for giving me such a wonderful mum in my life!

2. My sister Joanne.

I apologise about the picture quality - these images have been taken from Instagram.

My sister Joanne (Jo as I call her) had her first baby (my first and only niece) Lily-Rose when she was just 18. I'm not lying when I say it was a worry for my mum and I, as to whether Joanne would cope with being a mum at such a young age due to the fact that she wasn't a particularly mature 18 year old. How wrong we were!!! I have never met such a good and dedicated mum in all my life, especially at such a young age. She has just taken it in her stride and has come on leaps and bounds the older my niece has got. Then when she had my nephew nearly 2 years ago - again we worried that it would be overwhelming for her. Again we were wrong. She makes being a mummy look easy, and loves nothing more than spending time with her 2 beautiful babies. I can only hope that I might be as good as mum as her, if I ever have my own children!

3. My husbands Grandma.

This is my husbands grandma Elizabeth and grandpa Bernard on their wedding day on the 1st of March 1960. Isn't this the most fabulous vintage photograph... and what about that dress??? Stunning. 

The reason I picked this wonderful lady is because she has overcome so much adversity in her life, from moving back home to Scotland from Australia when her mother fell ill, to fighting and winning the battle over breast cancer, to burying her daughter and my husbands poor mum when she died so young and tragically at 38 years of age. She has been a solid maternal figure in my husbands and his brothers lives since they were born and has often put their needs before her own. Not only is she a genuinely good person, but she is also a well read and very articulate lady who can converse at length about a multitude of different topics from art to politics, literature to football. She is just a wonderful person whom I feel has made me a better person from just having had her as part of my life.

4. The women I have lost in my life!

The above photograph is from my wedding day and to the right of the picture you can see 3 photo frames containing the images of 3 very special women in my life. 

The first is my gran Marion. She was my step-dads mother and a women who over the years I grew very close with. She was a published writer, poet and a damn good cook. She had lived in New York & California and had an abundance of the most interesting life stories you have ever had. She encouraged me to do well at school and helped with the majority of my English assignments. She was a fabulous lady & a very inspirational lady in my life. I miss her dearly.

The middle picture is of my gran Rose and myself as a baby. She was my mums mum and was the most special women I've ever had in my life. Now when people think of their gran, they often think of an old lady, who likes to knit and play bingo. A lady who is old fashioned and set in her ways. This was not my gran Rose. She was the funniest, quirkiest, most outrageous gran a girl could ask for. She had a wardrobe full of clothes, shoes and coats that wouldn't look out of place in a high end boutique. She was beautiful and never left the house without her face being made-up to utter perfection. She smelled of expensive perfume and she could party as hard as any 18 year old I have ever known. She was just a brilliant person to know and such a fun lady to be around. She battled with cancer numerous times in her life and finally succumbed to the terrible disease at the very young age of 67. There is not a day that goes by when I don't think of her, and mourn the loss of her... even after almost 13 years. 

The final picture in the far left is one of my husband and his mum Julie. She was 38 years old when she was taken from us and it's still one of the most shocking experiences of my life. She was an unconventional mum to my husband Michael and his younger brother Matthew. She was their biggest supporter, their best friend and their confidante. The first time I realised how special she was, was when I had lost my gran Marion and I felt like my whole world have fallen apart around about me. She took the time to speak to me and comfort me and told me to listen to a certain song and assured me I would feel better. Well I did. And after 14 years, whenever I hear that certain song I feel that connection with Julie. She was a great person, who had a very hard life, who was taken too soon. I know my husband hurts more often than he lets on, but I'm right there with him and I miss her very much too. 

So on a happier note, these ladies are the most inspirational people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and having in my life - even if for too short a time. I hope that everybody has somebody like them in their lives. I know for sure that my life has been a richer one for having had the privilege. 

Happy International Women's Day ladies... Keep inspiring us!!!

Take care my lovelies. x