Flashfields Photography - adventures and musings on life with my camera

Blog On Hold

2010-02-23T17:01:00.005Z

This Blog has currently moved to http://www.susannahfieldsphotography.wordpress.com

Please visit my website http://www.susannahfields.co.uk/ or become a fan of my facebook page for updates. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flashfields-Photography/105407662957

The sound of wedding bells on New Year's eve

2010-01-18T15:04:00.014Z

............so whilst many of you were boozing in bars, at parties and dinners on New Year's Eve, I had the honour of photographing my very good friend Sarah's wedding to her lovely husband Rob.......what a great way to ring in the new year......

I arrived early in the day at the house, full of ladies running around getting hair and make up done, whilst the father of the bride tried to keep out of everyone's way.....

By the time I got to the beautiful wedding venue, Dyram Park, along icing (but luckily not snow-filled) lanes, the place was buzzing as the band were setting up and guests were lingering in the corridors.

The groom was waiting nervously with his multitude of ushers, and the very glamorous crowd were starting to fill the registry room. When Sarah walked in she looked the perfect bride, stunning, overwhelmed and very very happy. Exactly how a bride should be.

As you can see from the pictures, there were a million lovely moments to capture, and actually simply not enough time to get it all 'on film'. The first dance didn't happen until 10:30pm and the cake (cheese not actual cake!) cutting at 11pm! So by midnight, as my camera finally took a rest, we rang in the new year on the dance floor with all 125 guests still at the party.

By 1.30am it was starting to wind down but not before the ushers let off fire-filled lanterns into the sky and then sent the bride and groom off with an fabulous applause of sparklers outside........

What a lovely way to start the new year - and of course Sarah and Rob are now obligated to have a party every new years eve to celebrate their future anniversaries.......of course providing endless champagne to remember their happy day is a must!

Here are a selection for you to browse.

The full set are under the recent function section of my website. www.flashfields.com/social/index.html

End of the year - where did it go.......?

2009-12-23T17:12:00.002Z

Well I am not sure what happened to the last two months, I guess I've been busy shooting away, so I haven't had much chance to write - new year's resolution 2010, update blog more regularly!

In the meantime, I'd like to wish all my readers a very happy Xmas and New Year and thank you for all your support and business over the last year.

See you in 2010!

A 'country' portrait

2009-11-02T12:36:00.004Z

What better place to take a lovely Autumnal portrait then my very own non-private garden, a.k.a Hampstead Heath.

Liz used to work at a company I worked at several years ago and had been on my mailing list ever since. As soon as Liz called me about doing some portraits I remembered who she was and though we didn't work closely together, I remembered her fondly as she was always warm and friendly.

I was excited to hear that Liz had recently left the company and launched her own business 'Pause For', which specialises in consultancy, mentoring and coaching. It's always great to hear of others 'jumping ship' and launching their own initiatives.

Like any good business, Liz called me as she had decided it was time to get some really decent professional pictures of herself that she could use on her website, for magazines and any other time a photo might be requested through her line of work. I suggested that we go for the more relaxed approach - almost lifestyle portraiture - rather than a more conventional studio headshot as the images would reflect more her personality and the philosophies of business. I think the pictures also go rather well with the business strap line "taking time out to find your potential."

Liz wrote to me once she saw her selection of pictures and said this "you did a brilliant job......I'm amazed that I'm comfortable with as many of the pics as I am!" words I love to hear!

If you would like to know more about what Liz does, please see her website http://www.pausefor.co.uk/.

Here are a selection of shots below:

How hard is it to photograph a wedding.......indeed..

2009-10-08T19:07:00.003+01:00

......well quite a few of you have probably seen the recent coverage about the couple in Yorkshire who successfully sued their wedding photographer after he completely mucked up their wedding photographs and appeared to shoot pictures at the same level of a small child with a toy camera.

I had to comment of course, how could I not? For years I have been preaching the virtues of using a professional if you want the job done right and not resenting the costs - as you have to pay a professional a decent fee for the quality of work you want doing.

The problem is, Gareth Bowers from Fresh Images, who shot Marc and Sylvia Day's wedding, appeared by all accounts to be a professional wedding photographer. He even had sample albums to prove it. The only problem was it appears the albums were not actually his own work. His price was not so cheap as to raise alarm yet low enough to be more than tempting and, whilst I don't know too much about his character, I assume he came across fairly well - at least enough to convince the couple to part with their cash.

But there really are several ways to get to know the integrity of a photographer and to work out if the work is really theirs, if they care about their clients and will do a great job for you. It's very simple - interview them, as you would a prospective employee. Ask them questions about their work and what their style is. Get them to talk through the wedding albums as they show them to you. Discuss lighting, cameras and potential glitches with them. Any photographer who is decent and confident in what they do will happily talk through your questions and worries, and in fact will be a little disappointed if you don't study the photos carefully and make comment.

Personally when couples come to me, I have over half a dozen different wedding albums for perusal, pictures on my wall, which show my creative photography (this is usually a good indication of a photographer's passion for their work, the fact they actually shoot things for fun as well as the paid stuff) and every single wedding I shoot goes live on my website, so you can see 400-600 quality pictures from each function. The name of the bride and groom is on there as well as their wedding venue so if you were really worried you could even check up on me!

Some people are throwing around the old cliche with the 'Fresh Images' case "you get what you pay for" but I don't actually think that is necessarily true. Someone could buy a Jessops wedding kit, two in fact for back-up, shoot some decent 'reportage' wedding pics, create a package call themselves and pro and charge £3000 for it - does this mean they are now going to be brilliant? No of course not, what happens when it rains and the whole party has to be shot indoors? What happens when the ceremonial room has really low lighting and no white walls to bounce light off? What if the bride always blinks and the groom is camera shy? If the couple's parents are divorced and you have to manage the group photos with sensitivity. If there are a large number of kids and you need to be 'fun'.......you get the point right?

So don't be fooled by price, whether exceptionally high or exceptionally low. The market rate for professional photography is the price to go on and the rest is down to you using common sense when you meet your potential photographer, and taking some real time to study the photographs in question. Then you'll hopefully never come across a problem like poor Marc and Sylvia had to face....I wish them the best of luck I really do, but lets hope some lessons have been learned from this and the general public start to appreciate the work of real professional experienced photographers again, like they used to......That way everyone gets to have a happy ending......

If you are looking for a wedding photographer for 2010 or 2011, please do have a look at http://www.flashfields.com/social/brides.html and feel free to get in touch with zillions and zillions of questions........!

Ten minutes and counting....

2009-10-05T13:47:00.017+01:00

It's no doubt every photographer's ideal scenario for an editorial photo shoot would be to be given a brief that includes a creative vision of the photograph they're going to take, an hour or so brain storming ideas with an art director, a prior scout of the shoot location and a few hours on set to bond with the sitter and actually create the photograph......

The truth however is that shooting for a business magazine is not like shooting for Vogue or Times Style. You're dealing with real people, in real jobs, with really little time. Usually you've been given a name, a job title and a some information about them as a person. The subject has been told that a photographer will be taking his/her photo but they probably didn't pay too much attention to this fact, as they're running from meeting to meeting dealing with much more important issues. If you're lucky, they'll remember to pop on their best tie/shirt/dress for the occasion and if you're really really lucky they'll have an efficient assistant who will have pre-thought of a place you can take the photo that's not an office or corridor or at least let you look around for one.

Oh and you have approximately five minutes (ten to fifteen if it's good day) to take the photo, capture the person in a flattering way and leave with a good strong image that will do justice to the words written next to it on the page of the magazine.

Ok, so it ain't glamorous, and it's no 'America's next top model' but it is a good test of photography skills, and an ability to shoot 'on the fly', a bit of an adrenalin rush in fact. I think now it would almost be boring if the shoot was set up beforehand me and all I had to do was direct a little and press the shutter on my camera. If I had an assistant to help me out and test lights for me, a clear concept of what I was going to shoot beforehand and a subject ready and waiting with a stylist, make-up artist and art-director on hand and a few hours spare what fun would that be? Nah, who needs that.

Well judge for yourself anyway - here's my summer's worth of ten minute business portraits, no make-up artist required........oh hold on a minute, I've got to go, I think Vogue's on the phone.....

Rachel Belam - Head of food services - Westfield Shopping Centre

Kiaran MacDonald - General Manager - The Savoy Hotel

Katie Benson - Managing Director - Langham Hotels

Jody Scheckter - ex-Formula 1 champion turned farmer - Laverstoke Park Farm

Gary Rhodes - Chef & Restaurateur - Rhodes 24

Gary Davis - CEO - Village Hotels & Resorts at Village Farnborough

Derek Picot - Regional Director - Jumeirah at the Carlton Tower Hotel

Andew Wilson & Carolyne Vale - Wilson & Vale Catering

Alison Vickers - Head of Business Development - Yo!Sushi

All images above were commissioned by, and published in, EP Magazine www.epmagazine.co.uk

Behind Close Doors.......

2009-09-23T16:30:00.008+01:00

Last weekend was "Open House Weekend", a fantastic opportunity for anyone with an interest in architecture to look behind the closed doors of many of London's famous landmark buildings and see what lays behind those grand walls.

As a photographer it's a great opportunity to take photos especially if you can get onto the balconies of the highest buildings and see those wonderful views of London. So it was with great disappointment when I realised I would not be able to join in this last weekend and do just that, thanks to prior commitments.......Instead it got me thinking about the fact that my job actually entails an awful lot of door openings and I am not speaking metaphorically either.

In the last two years I've had the pleasure of walking through these doors whilst on assignment :

The Ritz, Kensington Roof Gardens, City Hall, The House of Commons, Wembley Arena, The Oval, St Paul's Cathedral, The Royal Courts of Justice, Portcullis House, The Dorchester, Buckingham Palace, The Royal Festival Hall and lots of wonderful castles and beautiful manor houses.........

Here are three of my favourite photo opportunities -

Open House No.1 - City Hall - View from the balcony

Open House No.2 - Paul's Cathedral - Christmas Carol Concert

Open House No.3 - Buckingham Palace - State Banquet Set Up
Remember - if you see an open door, do not be afraid to walk inside - you never know what you might discover behind it. You can take that metaphorically or literally - I'll leave that up to you.........

Blooming Marvellous......

2009-09-15T21:21:00.014+01:00

I am almost beginning to mark the passing of each year by the annual Estates in Bloom Awards Ceremony that I have now photographed for the fourth September in a row. Before the award winners get the prizes however, it's my job to visit the various estates and take pictures of the nominees gardens and balconies.

What I love most about this particular job (apart from working outdoors in the sunshine of course) is that each year I see even more glorious flowers being nurtured in some of the poorest and built up concrete areas of South London. The gardens I see are a true inspiration, which prove that no matter where you live and under whatever circumstances, you can always improve your conditions even if it's as simple as planting a smiling sunflower in front of your window......

What I've also noticed over the last few years, is that my own interest in gardens has grown a little, and my 6 foot balcony now proudly displays several pots and planters all of my own. Last year I was given beans to plant in a pot, some pink flower cuttings smuggled in from Tunisia (living life on the edge) and a few other bits n' pieces by the local residents. This year they are all blooming marvellously in my own little concrete space and they truly make me smile when I see them. And not just because I can't believe I've still kept them alive.

Here are a few samples from my collection of the award nominees. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and if you do one thing this weekend - make sure you plant a seed or two - you never know what might turn up next spring time....

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside......

2009-08-18T12:17:00.013+01:00

.....oh yes I do - and I especially love it when I am there on assignment. Which is why when I got the commission from one of my clients to go down to The Whitstable Oyster Festival, which they were sponsoring, to capture the atmosphere, feature the branding and take some product shots on location, I was especially pleased.

Whitstable is a lovely place, really old fashioned and pretty, with a little bit of the 'unspoiled' about it that you don't necessarily get in other seaside towns in England. And the beach, pebble rather than sand, has a rather wild feel about it, though the harbour brings back some sense of structure to the place.

Everyone seemed to be in a really good mood, helped along by the wonderful long sunny days. One of the days, as I left London, cloudy and grey and arrived in Whitstable it was like a different country, apparently it rained all day back home but not by the sea, lovely and bright, with kids everywhere gobbling down ice-creams and adults enjoying Oysters, fresh prawns and other strange sea-foods. Of course it would have been wrong of me not to take a little break myself and try some of the local ice-cream. Pretty hard to eat whilst balancing two cameras though!

What was especially great for me, as a photographer, was the fact that everytime I went to photograph the kids holding up one of the branded products, the families would line their children up and get them to pose for me. Given some of the hostility photographers sometimes get from people when trying to take shots on location, I was pretty lucky that everyone was so willing to stop and pose for me.

Further on in the week I set up a little photo shoot on the beach of all the products the company were giving out to people.

And on the last day, I captured some ambient shots of the sun setting and the beginning of the 'making waves' event, where they released hundreds of candle lit wishes into the sea using lanterns to light the way....

Taking pride.........

2009-07-20T14:55:00.011+01:00

Well I went along to Pride a couple of weeks ago with The London Fire Brigade as they were taking part in the march to demonstrate the fact that gay people are very much a part of London’s fire and rescue service and to show their support as well as educate people along the way about fire safety issues. Before the parade started and I was hanging around, I captured a few people passing by and had to take their snaps. Who could resist?

As the march progressed we seemed to have a tag-along in the shape of the 'Red Bull & Cola Lady' - hard to see from the pictures but hanging off the skirt part of 'her' dress were dozens of Red Bull and Cola Cans. Let's hope 'she' didn't drink them all herself!! Actually that might explain 'her' energy levels!!

And here's one of the LFB staff and friends:

The whole parade had a great atmosphere, full of warm friendly people and The London Fire Brigade received their usual cheers from the supporting crowd.

Fun though as the pictures above are, it's important to remember what Pride is about. A quote from the official Pride London website states that:

"Pride aims to promote equality and diversity through all of its campaigns. The two week Pride festival uses theatre, music, debate, art and entertainment to raise awareness of discrimination and the issues and difficulties affecting the lives of LGBT people around the world. Our Parade is an explosion of Pride in the heart of the capital, attracting over 500,000 people in a celebration of diversity. Through this we aim to promote a sentiment in favour of equality, uniting people in a celebrative atmosphere where all are welcome, and fostering a sense of community within the LGBT population. Overall, Pride London hopes to promote understanding and cooperation, as well as education in diversity, in order to get rid of the discrimination faced by LGBT people."

At the end of the day, it's all about celebrating our differences as human being and making sure that we try to avoid discrimination as much as possible and I couldn't agree more......how boring would like be if we were all the same?

The many faces of Lambeth's younger residents

2009-07-13T14:54:00.006+01:00

Well I've been shooting a few local 'fun days' for Lambeth Council over the last couple of months and amongst all the shots I took, I particularly liked the ones of all the kids, showing the many different faces of the younger residents of Lambeth Council.

In between eating candy floss, jumping around on the bouncy castle, making badges & re-usable 'green' bags, (and that was just me!) having their faces painted & generally running around and having a great time, the kids were still happy to stop what they were doing and pose for a quick photo.......here are a selection of them below.......

Heated debate with UNICEF UK's J8 & Minister Ed Miliband

2009-07-07T18:06:00.008+01:00

Last week I was asked by UNICEF UK to accompany their Junior J8 team to the Department for Energy & Climate Change in Whitehall where they were meeting with the Minister for Climate Change, Ed Miliband, to discuss how young people can get involved in international decisions on global climate change issues.

I was rather impressed by how articulate and passionate the teenagers were, especially since they were having a really long day and during a heatwave too. Though the fact that we were working in exceptionally hot conditions only helped them highlight the important issues of global warming.

I shot several natural pictures of them 'around the table' as well as some posed shots in front of the department and with Mr Miliband himself.

It was not the easiest conditions to shoot in with a small room and fighting for space with an entire camera crew!

To see the full story and how you can get involved or learn more please visit here: http://www.unicef.org.uk/press/news_detail_full_story.asp?thesource=rssnews&news_id=1343

Be a fire safety champion......

2009-06-25T16:12:00.007+01:00

Well last week I was booked by The London Fire Brigade to do a publicity shoot for them, involving actor Cliff Parisi who plays 'Minty' in Eastenders, who has joined them to help raise the profile of the Keep Your Community Safe & Sound campaign.

Mr Parisi, who is almost a neighbour of mine, living up the road in leafy Highgate, was very friendly and provided quite a few cheeky smiles for the campaign as you can see in this picture below:

One of the funniest moments was when we asked him to do a 'line up' with a few of the fire fighters for a photo and he decided to adopt the same pose as them - what he referred to as the 'fireman stance' - not an official term I hasten to add!

Here is he (below) posing with London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson & the Vice Chair of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Liaquat Ali, holding out the very cleverly designed 'badges' - fashioned as to look like smoke alarms - the kind that everyone should have fitted in to their homes.

If you'd like to know more about the campaign and how you can make sure your own family and friends can reduce the risks of fire and keep your homes protected, please read the link from The London Fire Brigade's website here:

http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/NewsReleases2008_PR1122.asp

REMEMBER - Get a smoke detector fitted in your home and test it regularly. This simple act could safe your life. To find out other ways to protect yourself from the risk of fire, please refer to the following link, where there are a few very helpful tips:

http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/CSCampaign.asp

Turning the camera on me.....

2009-06-23T16:14:00.007+01:00

.......well after a couple of years of attending interviews and taking the interviewees' photos, I found the tables were suddenly turned on me, when I was invited by Digital Photographer magazine (http://www.dphotographer.co.uk/) to give a reader a photography workshop and then have them review me, yikes!

Luckily I got a lovely student, Nick, who was very enthusiastic, keen to learn, an avid photography fan and - most importantly, for me of course - very happy with the lesson I gave him.

To read the full review, you can find Digital Photographer magazine in most major magazine retailers, (including WHSmiths, Borders, larger Sainsbury's, Tesco's & Asda) or purchase a copy (issue no. 84) at the Digital Photographer eshop: http://www.dphotographer.co.uk/back_issues.php.

If this has got you thinking about booking on a photography workshop yourself, or as a gift for someone, be sure to check out the lessons section of my website: www.flashfields.com/commercial/lessons.html and book on an upcoming workshop or register your interest to get updates on forthcoming lessons. It's far better to learn photography in the great outdoors then it is in a classroom......

Different strokes for different folks...

2009-06-17T14:41:00.006+01:00

So whilst I have a love of photography, my friend Snezana has a love of painting, and a fine painter she is too.

Having left her job to have a gorgeous little boy, Snez decided now was the time to fully focus on her art works and start displaying some of her pieces online for potential buyers to see. But no online artist's website is really complete without a portrait of the artist themselves, so that's where I come in.

Taken on a sunny afternoon in my kitchen, here is the lovely portrait of Mrs Snezena Price and a few arty shots of paint bottles (painstakingling arranged by Snez herself) and brushes for her to use on her website.

To see Snez's work please visit: http://www.snezanaprice.com/index.htm

Chance to be a big kid - Hollywood Style

2009-06-17T14:26:00.006+01:00

Years and years and years (ok, ok, so not that many years) ago when I was a student at Keele University, I first learned the creative joys of Photo Shop and the crazy things you could do with the programme. Back then I had no idea I would be spending so much time using the programme to edit my daily work, I simply used it for fun - messing around with fonts on branded packaging, putting the faces of friends onto bodies of animals and so on - you know, you've seen it or done it yourselves. But for the last few years I've just used the programme 'sensibly' - editing photos and making them look polished and ready to be printed.

So when a very good client of mine asked me if I could do some kind of poster featuring her youngest son for his Oscar themed Barmitzvah party I jumped at the chance. As she works as a producer anyway, it seemed apt that we make Jonathan appear as if he had won an Oscar himself. And the name of the film he was to 'feature' in? The Barmitzvah of course!!!

Here is the before & after.....

Pretty in Pink

2009-06-17T13:55:00.012+01:00

Well I have been a busy bee - which is rather appropriate for spring time isn't it? One of my favourite jobs this last couple of months was photographing the very warm and friendly Sarah Wallingham for the magazine I regularly shoot for - EP. (http://www.epmagazine.co.uk/)

You might recognise Sarah from BBC2's 'The Restaurant', where she was an 'inspector'.

For the shoot we had the privilege of photographing at Sarah's lovely home in Buckinghamshire - a rare opportunity to really get a chance to see the real person behind the business persona we see on TV. As a photographer this was a really great opportunity as I could immediately pick an area to photograph in which reflected the personality of the 'model'. In this case I chose to use a very funky pink chair she had in her lounge as a feature for the shot. What was particularly great was not only was Sarah extremely photogenic, but she was probably more relaxed than an average 'sitter' because she was in her own environment.

In the garden - by the kid's play area & back gate

Sarah loved the pictures I took of her on the shoot and contacted me afterwards to say that she'd be recommending that the BBC (and associates) use me for any future shoots they might need of her for the next series. So far they've decided to use this image - which was first featured in (and commissioned by) EP - for a magazine produced by The Big Lottery Fund. Fingers crossed there might be a future commission in the pipeline too......

Busy month

2009-06-01T16:15:00.001+01:00

Sometimes life gets too busy to blog it.........will be posting an update soon, for anyone who may be out there reading this.....!

Leaping into the unknown.......

2009-04-27T15:33:00.010+01:00

Ironically, given the mad hecticness of the city during the working week, on scouting locations for shoots, I have found that one of the most peaceful places you can be in the whole of London on a Sunday is the very centre. So deserted it has an almost graveyard quietness with barely a soul around and just a whisper of activity....

So what better place to go shoot a themed piece on the current economic crises? A little tale of a young man in London, whose lost his job and has found himself with time on his hands to contemplate his next move.

........the question is when he takes that giant leap forward, where do you think he'll land?

Resurrecting a local shop.....

2009-04-20T16:59:00.004+01:00

..........Well sometimes it's nice when you can help a neighbour........

I often pop into this local shop in Archway, where I live, called Resurrection Boutique, which specialises in selling second hand quality clothing and doing repairs. Over a period of time I became friendly with the owner Yuksell and started talking shop (pardon the pun) with her. Turns out business was a little slow, but not being a creative person she didn't really know how to improve the shop and attract more customers.

Well, you know, I can't turn down a challenge, so over a few visits I helped her re-arrange the shop and improve the layout. It then turned out that actually a lot of her business came from the repair side and so, of course, I felt that the only way to promote this was with a fabulous 'before and after' photo session to show of her sewing skills, which I could then make a poster out of......

The poster is hanging proudly in the window now, has been converted into flyers and used as an ad in a local business guide too. Apparently business has picked up, which is great to hear. Plus I never have to pay for a my trousers to be shortened again - who said photographers never got any perks with the job ay?

Not as 'Barmy' as it seems.....

2009-04-06T14:27:00.017+01:00

As you might know from my 'Life and Love' section of my website, I shoot a fair few Barmitzvah on the occasional Sunday evening and it's always struck me how not many non-Jews seems to know what it's all about - apart from one great big party and a chance to act like a big kid.

Well, a Barmitzvah (for a boy) and Batmitzvah/Bat Chayil (for a girl), is a 'rite of passage' - when a child enters into adulthood and is deemed mature enough to take their own responsibility on issues of spirituality, ethics and morals. For a boy this time comes at 13 and for a girl 12, an age when actually most parents, regardless of religion, are starting to allow their children a little more freedom and responsibility.

The Barmitzvah is a kind of 'coming of age', celebrated by friends and family after a religious service in the family Synagogue, where the boy has to read a learned portion of the Torah (the Jewish book of prayer, which consists of the first five books of the Old Testament) they have studied over the past year. In Liberal and Reform congregations (those not as 'strictly traditional' in their practise) girls also read from the Torah. This time in a Jewish child's life really is a very important period and so it is not taken lightly and though the religious part of the Barmitzvah (at the Synagogue) is taken very seriously, the party afterwards is one big wonderful celebration.

What I love most about photographing these functions (apart from the chance to indulge in some yummy kid's sweets or ice-cream) is the mix of ages that come together for the big party. You have Grandma on the dance floor with her five year old grand-daughter, teenage boys having a boogie with mum and just generally loads of kids and adults of all ages dancing like it's going out of fashion! Here are some of my favourite recent snaps:

Flying on the dance floor!

The grand-parents get on down.....

Mum & Daughter singing along to 'Grease Lightening'

Anyone have an explanation for the chair during Israeli dancing?

Mum and Dad on the dance floor

Like father, like son.....

Rock n' Roll

Learning some moves

And for some the evening has to end just a little earlier than others.....

All info on my Barmitzvah photography is here: www.flashfields.com/social/barmit-shul

Customers are not to be taken for granted.......

2009-03-24T12:16:00.006Z

It's funny how things develop, when you freelance and run your own show, you never really know what's around the corner, what new ideas develop and what will prove to be successful. I have certainly learned as time has gone on and running my own business has become like second nature, to relax more and believe that what will be will be. That for every person that doesn't book me, there's another round the corner that will. For every quiet week or two, there's a manic one up ahead. And that work can come from the anywhere and everywhere....

I believe 100% in good customer service and I also believe that every single job I do should be carried out to the highest degree of quality, care and attention. I don't care if you are paying me top rates or I am doing a shoot for my portfolio, integrity has to run solidly throughout the whole business, and no one must be left in doubt that I haven't given the job my full attention. Of course, I am human, and I do make mistakes, but I believe that, as a photographer and business owner, it's how you rectify those mistakes that matter. I always believe in good communication, and try to keep the doors open, in that respect, at all times. Partly the reason why I started this blog. I am not hiding behind a wall of 'trendy pictures' and a 'cool, mysterious' website, I am telling you who I am, what I do and I hope this, along with the pictures I shoot, is why you book me.

There's no doubt we are in tough times, with unemployment levels reaching depressing levels, people everywhere are pulling in their purse strings and I am not going to pretend that it doesn't affect me, it does. Photography is a luxury. It's not food, gas or lodgings! BUT and here's the big BUT, life does continue, and those fortunate enough not to have been greatly affected by the current economic climate are still going about their daily business, only now they're all being more cautious on where their pounds are being spent. So for me, this means one simple thing - work hard, work well and make sure that for every penny my clients spend on me, they feel it's money worth spending.

Unfortunately, money doesn't grow on trees!

I recently went to a well know chain restaurant on a 2-for-1 deal with a friend. We got seated and were then left for quite a while without being asked for drinks. Eventually on summoning a stressed waiter, we got the drinks menu and managed to get a glass of wine in and some water. We placed our order and checked the cooking time as we had a film to get to in an hour. We were informed 10-15 minutes. Twenty minutes later, wine glasses empty, water empty and no food, we started to get a little nervous about the time, so after (again) chasing the waiter, we were told food was coming. No offer of more drinks (rather foolish as surely this is where they would make up the ££s) and another ten minute wait, whereby our food finally arrived. Again the waiter rushed off, though we did manage a quick request for water, there was no point ordering any wine at this point anyway, even if they'd asked, because we had 15 minutes to eat up and the water request was not fulfilled. We finally finished our food, which was, by the way, fairly tasty, but left a bad taste in our mouths. Poor service, a feeling of being completely rushed, no water re-fill, no offer of drinks and we even had to go up to pay our bill so we could make the film in time.....

The moral of this story? Now is the time to excel, now is the time to show your customers and potential customers, why you are worth people them spending their money on you. And if you can't do it now, when business is tough to get, why on earth would customers return to you when the good financial times come back - and they will - again? I hope to excel, I guess you could say that's my mission statement, and I want to make sure my customers are happy and continue to recommend and use me. After all I am a consumer too, and I know what good customer service and value for money means. So to those out there reading this, be assured, if you are going to part with your hard earned cash and use me for your photographic requirements, I promise to make sure it's money well spent!

And on the theme of Zebra Crossings...

2009-03-16T16:08:00.005Z

......so for a little fun and to keep things creative, a few months back I was chatting with - at that time - a student - in the catering industry & we were playing with ideas for a publicity photo. We decided that it would be fun to re-create The Beatles's Abbey Road shoot with 'chefs' instead of musicians.

The theme works on several levels, firstly the image is instantly recognisable as one of the most iconic ones ever created, so it would catch the attention of the viewer, second, it's visually pleasing and a fun way to capture a group of people and thirdly it works because back then The Beatles were always in the public eye and adored and followed by many, and now chefs have become our modern day celebrities, always in the public eye and sometimes achieving cookbook sales to rival modern day musicians.

It has to be said though, despite celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, selling over 9.5 million copies of his books, no chef and no musician has yet to rival The Beatles record sales of over 106 million!

Anyway, here is the result of our fun photo session - and by a great coincidence, as we were setting up the shot, a black cab pulled up and parked just behind the 'models' adding to the authenticity of the shoot. Unfortunately, whilst there was a lovely white Morris Minor (also a coincidence) parked in the next road, we had no way of locating the driver to ask him to move it for us....you can't win 'em all!

Zebra's and all things stripy.....

2009-03-16T15:59:00.005Z

..........So following on from my Kruger experience, and my photo below entitled: "Zebra's Crossing"

....a fellow photographer decided that it wasn't quite authentic enough.......so here is his improved version:

Got me thinking, Zebra Crossings, Pelican Crossings, Cat's Eyes - anyone think of any other animal-related road 'accessory'?

Learning to get happy with your snappy.......

2009-03-10T15:12:00.007Z

Well the first few one-to-one photo lessons went really well, and were especially exciting for me, as one of my first customers turned out to be Jon Moss, of Culture Club fame......remember them? Boy George's band who were massive in the 80s.

Well you have to take a 'groovy' portrait when your student is a pop-star don't you?

Jon was a model student, simultaneously getting to grips with depth of field whilst regaling me with tales of his crazy days as a pop star. I had so much fun talking to him, that I almost gave him his lesson fee back!

My other one-to-one did that thing you want every student to do, he said 'wow' - when I demonstrated how to use his camera's light meter to shoot a wonderful silhouette of a tree - 'I never knew I could do that' - and by only slightly adjusting the settings, I showed him how to get the same tree correctly exposed and in pin-sharp details. His dog wasn't quite as interested and was too busy posing for my photo, or rolling in the mud!

Photos lessons are definitely proving popular and I am happy to say I have a few more booked in, but like any new venture, I still need to spread the word, so please do tell everyone......

Who stole the sunshine?

2009-03-08T16:40:00.000Z

............well clearly South Africa did..........

Kruger National Park

2009-03-08T15:36:00.000Z

Well I came back recently from a wonderful trip to South Africa, where the grand finale was Kruger National Park - four days of animal watching, searching madly through miles & miles of 'bushveld' spotting zebras, elephants, giraffe, baboons, monkeys, rhinos, hippos and even a couple of lions.

A sample of my animals pictures are below:

After arriving back in London, only two days after seeing this lovely elephant above, it took me a while to stop looking out the car window in the hope of spotting an animal of some kind........somehow though pigeons just don't have that same thrill!

Day One

2009-02-13T09:53:00.000Z

It's Friday the 13th of January, by all accounts an unlucky day for those who are superstitious, but I am going to ignore this fact and crack on with starting this blog, as starting it was one of my new year's resolutions and so far I am 44 days late!

So why start a blog? Well to be honest, if nothing else it's a good way for me to witter on about all my little adventures and happenings without the risk of boring anyone senseless. After all, I haven't cornered you in a pub and forced you to listen to my tales, if you're reading this, you're choosing too. If your eyes are drooping or your mind is wandering off, you can simply press on that lovely little 'x' key and close this page.

Being a freelance photographer in London - one of the most competitive jobs in the city - can bring both highs and lows, rather like any adventure, it can bring about the best of experiences and sometimes the worst. Instead of talking to my wall when I get home and have a funny story to tell or a rant to express, I am going to put it here instead. Lucky you.

Being a service providing business, this blog will never compromise my client's privacy, after all it's my customers that I need to keep happy so I can keep working. So don't worry on that account! I also welcome comments and feedback from anyone out there whether you're a client, a fellow photographer or just someone having a nose.

Wish me luck, and I hope that soon, I won't be talking to myself........................! Susie Xx.