Southport's Christmas Lights Switch On

It feels far to early (oh dear, I'm sounding like my mum!!!) but today, over 4 weeks until Christmas, Southport had it's light switch on parade tonight. Rob and I thought we'd go along and take a look - there were very few pictures worth taking, but here are a handful that were ok.

Annabel Williams Course

I love to keep pushing myself with my work, and always look for ways I can learn new techniques and develop new skills, so this week I took myself up to the Lake District to attend a one day course run by Annabel Williams of CPT (Contemporary Photography Training), called Making Women Look Great. There wasn't a mass of new stuff for me to learn on the course, but I did come away with some real nuggets, and I look forward to putting them into practice with clients over coming months. It was also good to meet up with old friends and to make new friends on the course in Stavely, and I loved just having some me time too, where I could reflect on the type of photographs I particularly love taking.

Here is Annabel with some of the other students taking photographs of our willing model.
The weather wasn't the best - it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale! But we were all brave ... for a short time, anyway!
And then it was back under cover when the rain became too much - although that was more for the model than for us!
And here is our beautiful model, one of Annabel's staff who is not actually used to being photographed, but she did an amazing job with Annabel using the techniques she was taking us through on the course.


If you would love to look great in your photographs, get in touch - I am offering a complimentary portrait session to the first 3 women who contact me or Pauline on 01704 544666 - all you need to do is make yourself available on a weekday in the next 4 weeks, get to Southport, and then you can buy from any of our products with a 10% discount.

Places for the Boudoir Brides and Boudoir Beauties have been snatched up fast, and we had more slots to fill for that, so get in touch now to make sure you can take up this fantastic offer!

Gown Again for Emma, her Mum and Friends at Albert Dock, Liverpool

In the USA there is a phenomenon amongst brides to Trash The Dress - but I have always wondered why you would want to trash the dress that you got married in, such a beautiful gown, something so precious to you. So I have introduced Gown Again, where I photograph the bride wearing her dress after the wedding, along with friends if she wants, in a relaxed fashion shoot style. And the dress is enjoyed, but not trashed!

Back in June I photographed Chris and Emma's wedding at Mere Golf Club, and Emma was eager to have a Gown Again shoot, which we eventually managed to get organised yesterday at the Albert Dock in Liverpool. We had a good laugh, with passers by stopping to wish the bride luck, some guys telling her it wasn't too late (little did they know!) and many tourists looking on for entertainment!

Emma and her mum and friends all really enjoyed the shoot, and they all said how great it is to be photographed all dressed up but without the nerves of the wedding day. And as a result, we managed to capture some fantastic photographs. I particularly love this first one with the enormous bug behind Emma. And you'll see in the second photograph how Emma decided Uggs were the appropriate footwear to keep her warm under her dress!

Boudoir Brides and Boudoir Beauties - Only 2 Places Left!

The Boudoir sessions are proving really popular, and so if you think that you would enjoy this kind of photo shoot you need to get in touch quickly as there are only 2 places left!

UCI Cycling World Cup Classics, Manchester Velodrome

Yesterday we went to the UCI Cycling World Cup Classics at the Manchester Velodrome - it was great to see the GB Team doing so well, with 14 of the 17 titles won by them. I'm not a sports photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but it was good to get these shots - we had some of the best seats in the whole Velodrome.

A Walk in Ruff Woods, Ormskirk

It was such a gorgeous day yesterday that Rob and I decided to go for a walk in Ruff Woods - we used to live in Ormskirk and often did this walk, but living in Southport now we tend not to go to the woods very often. It was really good to go back to an old haunt. And with the sun shining through the leaves we got some beautiful photographs too.