Taster Sessions - Where Shall We Visit Next?

We had one of those 'blimey, was that a year ago?!' moments this week. We met one of our families in the street and we were talking about the shoot we had with them as part of our taster sessions last Autumn. We had wanted to blog about it back then, but as Autumn is here once more, it seems the perfect time to share some of the photos from the sessions. Me and Suzi were chatting a couple of weeks ago about running more taster sessions in Spring 2016. Those bluebells and green shoots might seem like quite a way off, but we thought we'd start thinking about it now. As we did the last one in Hebden Bridge, we were thinking of venturing a bit further afield, and we wondered if anybody had any particular locations where they'd like them to be held?

For now, here's that warm Autumn light from last year's sessions.

And do let us know if you'd be interested in future taster sessions, and where you'd like them to be.

'A Day In The Life' Competition

We've been offering 'A Day In The Life' shoots for a while now, and we love them. It's a photo story about you and your family, just the way you are. Documenting real life in your home environment, there's such a truth and honesty to it. Those beautiful everyday moments you don't even have to step out of the door to find.

The more and more we do these storytelling sessions, we notice that the photos we like, and more importantly the ones you like, are the ones that make you feel. You can feel the warmth of that morning hug again, smell the breakfast croissants and taste your first cup of tea from the steaming mug. You can hear the music from the impromptu dance session, and the sound of the pages turning of the book you were reading. You can smell the wild flowers you just picked from your garden, and taste the bilberries you collected that made your tongues go purple. You can feel the fresh rain, and hear the exuberant puddle jumpers on your way to the market. The excited chatter from the brave adventurers building dens behind the sofa, and the splashes from the tired explorers covered in bubbles in the bath before bedtime.

The beauty's there, it's with us already.

Did we say how much we love these shoots?! So, we're launching a competition today for us to document your family life in our 'A Day In The Life' shoot. We'd spend a weekend day with you, telling your story in our images. After the shoot, you'll receive a framed 16"x12" fine art image. All you need to do is leave us a message on this blog, or on our Facebook page post about the competition. Tell us what are your favourite family times at home, and if you have a picture, please do post that too! For this competition, any entrants are to be within a 50 mile radius of Hebden Bridge.

We'd love to do more of these shoots, and we hope you like them too.  We're looking forward to hearing about your favourite family times, and good luck! The closing date is Friday 25th September, and the winner will be announced on Saturday 26th September.

The Meadow Runners

I'm writing this on a grey Tuesday morning.  Rain drops suspended momentarily on the window before slowly trickling down.  I'm even considering  bringing down the blinds and putting all the cosy lamps on.  I know there are more sunny times to come, but it's hard to imagine them on mornings like this.  Looking at these photos of these three sisters has already put a spring back in my step.  I'm hoping this blog post will remind us of those halcyon days we've already shared this year.

We met up with sisters Amelie, Isla & Molly before their shoot (with Mum), and we talked through what they like to do as a trio and individually.  There was excited chatter about tree climbing, trampolining and pool playing!  The day of the shoot came, big blue sky and big sun.  When we got to their house, we were greeted by the most vibrant meadow, buttercups, tall grass, clovers and cow parsley a plenty.  'Let's start here!' I exclaimed, with a rather excited tone.  I went with the intention of making every shot matter.  I've been slowing down on shoots, not clicking as quickly, being more thoughtful and connected.  It's sometimes hard to stay in that moment when there's so much going on around.

We had a viewing with them yesterday, and the three girls are very excited about being on the blog.  I was asking them what they liked about the shoot and the photos they'd just seen.  There were a few thoughtful moments.  'I wasn't nervous at all' Amelie told me, 'or me!' Molly & Isla said in unison.  'I was really excited' said Isla, 'the photos really remind me of paintings, and I really like that the photos show who we are, show us as sisters'.  I'm not sure if they noticed my half trembling lip, half beaming smile as we all reached for another custard cream.