Eleanor Stobbart: Photography Blog

Filming on the Beach

2012-01-30T22:04:00.001Z

For some time now I have wanted to experiment with the filming capabilities of my camera but every time I'm out, the urge to photograph rather than film takes over!

While out location scouting for a sunrise shoot and experimenting with my new Lensbaby, I thought I would spend a couple of hours messing about to see what I could achieve on the spot and the short film below was the result!

Lensbaby Beach from Eleanor Stobbart on Vimeo.

Torbay

2012-01-29T07:37:00.001Z

After the first sunrise at Torquay (The Island) I really wated to go back and shoot another sunrise from the far side of the bay. So one morning I made a last minute decision to head back down the coast.

The angle that I wanted to get was much lower down the rock face, closer to the sea level. But wet, slippery ground meant that I wouldn't reach it due to the very steep slope and muddy ground.

The shot above was my favourite shot from the morning - I love the colour of the water and the way the sun is pushing through the clouds.

Dartmoor

2012-01-24T20:55:00.001Z

Since moving to Devon nearly 5 months ago, I just haven't been able to get enough of the coast - every opportunity I get I head to the beaches and coastal paths but recently, I broke the habbit and finally had my first day out on Dartmoor!

The photograph above was taken at Haytor, a very popular tourist site with (as you can see) an enormous Tor. You can get a good idea of the scale of it with the people stood on the top! Even without climbing the Tor, you can see for miles around and the views are absolutely spectacular.

It was great to get to see these huge landmarks and it was so different to the Yorkshire Moors - more exploring on Dartmoor is a definite!

The Island

2012-01-20T18:45:00.002Z

Another recent sunrise - Thatcher's Rock in Torbay.

Normally, I would scout out a location before shooting there but on this occasion I had decided to do a sunrise the evening before due to the weather forecast, so there wasn't really any time to prep!

It was a beautiful sunrise though with some fantastic clouds and I found a few other nearby locations that I will be shooting from in the near future!

Teignmouth Pier

2012-01-13T11:30:00.003Z

Just before Christmas I did a sunrise shoot on the beach in Teignmouth.

There is something very rewarding about watching the sunrise. The the way the light falls on the world makes everything look so different and its well worth watching.

For more images from this shoot, please see my Flickr Page here.

Still Exploring...

2011-12-22T14:16:00.000Z

A couple more shots from Dawlish as we continue to explore our new local area...

Light Orbs

2011-12-14T17:27:00.001Z

Something else I have wanted to try for a while - Light Orbs!

This was one of the first shots that I tried and I'm really please with how it came out! It was great fun (although I think that most of the passers-by thought we were crazy)...

It was much easier to do than I had thought and I'm really keen to try out different light sources so watch this space...!!

Beach Huts!

2011-12-07T10:19:00.002Z

One sunny winter's morning...

We're still exploring the local area so there will be plenty more shots to come!

Star Trails

2011-12-05T12:12:00.003Z

Something that I have been wanting to try out for a while now is Star Trails. These are very long exposures (or a series of shorter exposures blended together) that show the movement of the stars at night.

It was a beautifully clear night and I had seen a good location so I went out for a test shoot. It was freezing cold on the seafront in Teignmouth and this shot took about half an hour to take, but I think it was worth it. I hope you all enjoy it too!

Google+

2011-12-02T16:05:00.001Z

I'm now on Google+ so please add me to your circles: Eleanor Stobbart Photography Google+

Dawlish

2011-11-23T11:47:00.002Z

In October we finally made the big move from Leeds all the way down to the small town of Dawlish on the south Devon coast.
Its a beautiful little town and so different to Leeds, but we're much happier here so it was definitely a good choice! As you can imagine, we have been exploring the area and here are a few shots taken from the seafront in Dawlish...

Strobes, Models and Photographers

2011-11-11T17:57:00.001Z

About a week before we moved away from Leeds, I had one final photoshoot. Quite a different photoshoot too. Jointly organised with a fellow photographer, Gavin Forster, this was the follow on from the Strobist shoot at the start of October.

Involved there was a total of 7 models, 6 photographers and an awful lot of flashes!

We started early so there was the opportunity to take some shots with natural light and those with limited experience had time to get to know each other and the equipment.

As the evening progressed, it began to get dark very quickly and the strobist equipment was out and helped to produce some very different images.

Before the end of the shoot, we did a much larger set up, using 5 flashes/lights and motion to produce some very different and more dynamic images. This was a really good laugh and the shots were really fun.

It was a brilliant evening and everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was really nice to work with a group of both models and photographers as this isn't something that I often get chance to do!

Owen's 1st Birthday!

2011-11-03T10:43:00.001Z

It was Owen's 1st birthday this week so I went to Gloucestershire to visit. Needless to say he was spoilt rotten, but he's such a lovely little boy and so well behaved he totally deserved it!

We took him to 'Magicland', an indoor play centre in Cirencester and then to Prinknash Bird & Deer Park.

Wedding: Tom & Emily

2011-10-29T15:16:00.000+01:00

Just two rather hectic days after moving, I had the pleasure of photographing Tom & Emily's special day at Stonehouse Court in Gloucestershire.

It was a beautiful day, the weather held out and the location was stunning. Emily looked beautiful in her wedding dress and Tom was a very relaxed groom.

The happy couple went to Cuba for their honeymoon and had a fantastic time!

Goodbye Leeds - Hello Devon!

2011-10-15T11:58:00.001+01:00

As the title of this post suggests - I've finally moved!

We have moved to the small seafront town of Dawlish (famous for the railway line that runs along the seafront), just south of Exeter in South Devon.

It's a beautiful little town and we have a fab little cottage a 5 minute walk from the beach.

The only downfall is that I don't have an internet connection yet! Dawlish has VERY limited 3G signal on my network - the only place I can pick it up is on the beach (nice but not always practical)! So please bear with me - web updates, blog posts, flickr uploads, regular tweets etc etc will all be coming again very soon!

Strobism (Off Camera Flash)

2011-10-06T14:30:00.002+01:00

I recently participated in a mini strobism workshop in preparation for a night time model shoot that I have been organizing with several other Leeds based photographers. One of the photographers, Gavin, had more experience with off camera flash by far that everyone else and kindly offered to give us all a mini workshop in the art of off camera flash.

It was great fun and I learnt quite a lot. Although I do use and have experience of studio lighting, strobism is quite a different skill with very different equipment.

Using several flash guns (up to 5 at a time) off camera with remote triggers and a willing (and slightly crazy volunteer) to model, here are a few of the test shots...

Model Shoot: Lauren

2011-10-05T13:36:00.001+01:00

I managed to squeeze in a couple of shoots before moving away from Leeds, one of which was with the beautiful Lauren.

Lauren was in need of some up to date shots for her book since dying her hair red, and a fabulous red it was! Lauren not only models, but also sings in a girl band in London so she was an experienced model with plenty of confidence. It was a pleasure to shoot with her.

Model Shoot: Jodi

2011-10-01T12:34:00.002+01:00

I managed to squeeze in a few model shoots before the big move, one of which was with the lovely Jodi.

Jodi has very little experience modeling and was looking to test the water to see if modeling was really something that she wanted to do. Jodi had recently been approached by New Look to participate in a television advert which kick started her interest in modeling.

Here's a few shots from her shoot...

Owen #8

2011-09-25T14:23:00.001+01:00

One from Owen's eighth shoot back at the start of September. He's quite mobile now and crawls along at lightening speed!

Children's Portraits: Luke

2011-09-18T13:21:00.002+01:00

A couple of shots from a recent portrait shoot with baby Luke. He has such a big smile and bright eyes!

The big move: DEVON!

2011-09-09T16:24:00.000+01:00

After much deliberation, conversations, exploring and so on, we have finally decided that we are going to move to Devon. So this is going to be a BIG move at about 285 miles south and just under 5 hours in the car.

Leeds was always going to be a temporary stop as both of our families are in the Cotswolds and Devon so this seemed like a logical choice. Its also at the bottom of the M5 so easy traveling to see my nephew Owen (BIG YEY!) as well as being able to cover weddings across most of the South West.

About 20 minutes from the coast for landscapes, Dartmoor national park, Cornwall in easy reach - oh I can't wait!

Don't get me wrong, Leeds isn't a bad place. But I'm a coast and country girl, not a big city girl and I miss the trees and grass - red brick terraces just don't do it for me. Of course I will miss York, Whitby, Robinhoods Bay, the yorkshire dales and all of the other fantastic places we have visited up here and I will be back for visits and the odd wedding I'm sure.

Anyway, the move will be coming very soon - watch this space!

Hirst & Miller: Commercial Shoot

2011-09-01T12:57:00.001+01:00

I recently teamed up with another photographer (Emma aka Black Cat Photos) to do a commercial shoot for a Leeds based Hair Salon, Hirst & Miller.

It was a fun day and really nice to work with another photographer for a change. The images will be used to promote the styling side of the business as well as produce a portfolio book for the salon.

Here are a few shots from the shoot...

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

2011-08-25T13:30:00.000+01:00

At the weekend I finally visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I have been meaning to visit for ages but I particularly wanted to see the Jaume Plensa exhibition that is on at the moment.

It was a brilliant day out and I would recommend it to anyone. Although I would suggest taking sun cream if the weather is nice - I got a little bit sun burnt!

I really liked the mesostic poems on plant labels - 'Propagator' exhibit by Alec Finlay as well.

Some fantastic works of art to see and I plan on visiting again before we leave. I would really like to see the Jaume Plensa exhibits lit up at night.

Little Lewis

2011-08-23T09:45:00.002+01:00

I recently had the pleasure of photographing little Lewis. At just under 2 months old he is tiny! Here are a few shots from the shoot...

NEW WEBSITE!

2011-08-17T17:11:00.003+01:00

Its up - its finally up! The new website is now online.

Please have a browse - I hope that you enjoy it. You will need Adobe Flash Player to view the images though...

Feedback is always welcome! Thanks!

Visit the NEW website here; Eleanor Stobbart Photography

Owen

2011-08-13T21:47:00.003+01:00

My sister and nephew cam to visit for a few days recently. It was lovely to see them and it was Owen's second visit to Leeds.

I can't believe how big he is getting! I only see Owen every 4-6 weeks as we live so far away but I try to make sure I can see him as often as possible.

We took Owen to the park to feed the ducks for the first time (which he really seemed to enjoy) and visited Tropical World at Roundhay. Of course, Owen had to have some photos taken before he left!

You can see more on my flickr page HERE

A few changes...

2011-08-09T20:55:00.002+01:00

Ok, so I have been rather quiet lately and I haven't been positing much on my blog. In fact, I think my Facebook page is actually more up to date which makes a change!

There is a reason for all of this though...

As you will have noticed, the blog colours and design have changed slightly. This is to keep the blog design in line with the website. There is a NEW, fresher, crisper looking website to come soon which will showcase more of my work and hopefully be a bit more attractive to everyone.

More information will follow soon as well as updates here, on the blog.

Owen...

2011-07-02T16:12:00.001+01:00

Having recently upgraded to a Canon 5D, I am starting to dabble with video a little and Owen is my muse at present! I do intend on doing a bit more video work, but at the moment, these are just short clips for experimenting.

I had to post this one - its so funny and Owen is a proper cutie!

For best quality, please view in HD.

Robinhood's Bay

2011-06-09T19:06:00.001+01:00

At the end of May, we spent a rather windy weekend at Robinhood's bay. Despite the sun being high, the wind was relentless on the Sunday and may of the other campers had to leave with damaged and broken tents. We were some of the lucky few whose accommodation was still habitable (with the help of extra guy ropes and selotape)!

As we have been camping more and more over the last year, I had thought about making postcards from my travels so when we go away now (where we get chance), this collection will start to build up...

Model Shoot: Ellie

2011-05-26T15:56:00.003+01:00

I had a last minute shoot with Ellie the other day. A lovely young lady who is an aspiring model. With very little prop time or location scouting, we shot at a familiar location outdoors in between the rain showers.

Although Ellie had little experience, she was very confident (even with an audience) and never let it show on her face.

Ellie was a pleasure to work with and I hope to shoot with her again.

Bluebells...

2011-04-25T14:06:00.003+01:00

Well, it just wouldn't be right if I didnt'!

The bluebells are out in full force up here at the moment so of course, I had to post at least one shot.

Owen - Shoot Number Four!

2011-04-15T13:50:00.000+01:00

As I don't get to see my nephew Owen much, each time I do he has a few photos taken.

These are the most recent and I can't believe how much he has grown and I'm missing it all! He is so much more alert now and his facial expressions are a lot more lively.

My sister had asked for some photos of Owen's toes (she had seen a shot that I had taken for a client and really liked it). Owen really didn't seem to mind this and he has this really cute oblivious look on his face!

I should see him again at the end of April so there will be more photos again soon!

Portsmouth

2011-04-06T19:28:00.000+01:00

We recently spent a weekend away in Portsmouth with my sister, brother in law and my nephew. I don't get to spend a great deal of time with them all as I live nearly 200 miles away, so it was really nice to go away for a few days together.

I didn't spend much of time exploring and photographing the area but I did manage to take a few shots at Hayling Island one evening.

Laura

2011-03-28T13:15:00.000+01:00

This shoot had quite a dark and grimy feel to it, despite being beauty shots.

Laura had very little experience modeling and after a few test shots, she warmed up to it rather well and seemed to be enjoying herself.

Rebecca (the MUA) was very professional and helpful. She even got involved assisting with the shots.

Model: Laura Walker

MUA: Rebecca Davidson

New Business Cards!

2011-03-25T11:29:00.001Z

My new business cards!

I have been meaning to order some more for a while now and I am really pleased with this new set.

Preview: Laura

2011-03-21T18:43:00.002Z

More to come soon!

New Facebook Page!

2011-03-13T21:13:00.000Z

Ok, so I have finally given in...

You can now find me on Facebook as have recemtly opened a page for my photography.

Please show your support and 'Like' my page here.

This page is still developing so there are some older and some newer images

I appreciate your support!

Annie Leibovitz

2011-03-08T17:56:00.000Z

I recently came across an article about Annie Leibovitz and her series of Disney themes portraits featuring celebrities so I just thought I would post the links in case anyone else might find them interesting.

Fantasy portraits is such a popular theme but Annie Leibovitz really brings a certain panache to the images.

BBC News: Annie Leibovitz Disney Portraits

More images from the series can be seen on the Disney Blog here.

Family Portraits: Amy, Ollie & Joel

2011-02-28T10:10:00.000Z

A few shots form a family portrait session recently.

The little boy, Joel was very shy that it was quite a challenge to get him to look at the camera at first but after a short while he became a bit more comfortable.

Owen - Shoot Number Three!

2011-02-23T22:26:00.000Z

My nephew, Owen has recently had his third shoot. I don't get to see him very often as I live nearly 4 hours away so I make sure that I take plenty of photographs. This time, I managed to get my sister, Alex, in front of the camera, which isn't something that she does willingly very often!

It was nice to be able to capture some intimate images of a new mother and her son, and despite Owen being a bit grumpy, he was still quite happy to pose for the camera!
You can see that he is already practicing his look of disapproval for his mum's attention - I'm sure he will put that to more use when he eventually starts school!

Alex isn't a fond fan of photographs of herself, however, she has taken a liking to quite a few of these!

A photo of me!

2011-02-22T21:47:00.000Z

Its so rare that you see a photograph of me because I'm nearly ALWAYS behind a camera!
Anyway, I found one, a photo of me. And guess what...? I'm behind a camera!

Taken in Northumberland on a November sunrise. It was VERY VERY cold!!

Cotswold Town & County Councillors

2011-02-15T21:29:00.002Z

With the local elections fast approaching, some of the Cotswolds' Town and County Councillors were in need of some fresh head shots for their promotional materials and websites.

This also gave me the perfect opportunity to experiment with my new portable backdrop so now I have a fully portable studio for shoots!

I am not used to producing such static images but the images were to serve illustrative purposes rather than sentimental or creative and feedback was definitely very good!

I wish them all the best in the elections!

Eleanor, Andrew & Ollie

2011-02-13T18:08:00.003Z

Last week I had a family portrait session with a lovely family back in the Cotswolds, Eleanor, Andrew and 2 and a half month old Ollie.

This was Ollie's first photoshoot so I was very privileged. Ollie was ever so good (although a little tired) and seemed quite comfortable in front of the camera as were his mum and dad.

The family were very pleased with the photographs and have asked for another shoot when Ollie is a little older.

Ollie's First Photoshoot

2011-02-07T19:39:00.000Z

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing 2 and a half month old Ollie and his parents.

More photographs to follow soon!

Owen's Second Photoshoot

2011-01-03T20:23:00.003Z

On Boxing Day, my nephew Owen had his second photoshoot. He is going to have a well documented life so he might as well get used to the camera sooner rather than later. As it happened, he seemed to love it in front of the lens!

I haven't seen Owen since just after he was born as I live so far away, but I can't believe how much he has grown in just 6 weeks!

Oh, and he has the teeniest little hands!

Christmas Shortbread

2010-12-29T16:44:00.002Z

I always try to make something at Christmas for friends and family. A couple of years ago I knitted everyone scarves, last year I baked biscuits and cakes and this year I made shortbread.

I didn't want to go with the typical 'biscuit box' idea so I decided to package them slightly differently...

Busy, busy, busy...

2010-12-23T19:19:00.000Z

I haven't been posting as often as I would like recently for a number of reasons. I have been working full time which has meant that I am limited to evenings and weekends for camera time and of course, there has been Christmas.

Heading into the New Year, I have a lot of plans so my blogging should start to increase a little more soon and there will be some rather big changes to come too!

Owen's first photoshoot!

2010-11-09T22:44:00.002Z

On Saturday, I finally met my nephew, Owen. At only 5 days old, he had his first photoshoot!

He is adorable and so tiny! No doubt, more photos will come soon!

If you would like to see more images from this shoot, please see my Flickr page.

I'm an Auntie!!

2010-11-02T19:32:00.004Z

After months of waiting, my little sister finally gave birth to a beautiful little boy at 9.09pm last night.

His name is Owen George and he was 8lb 3.5

As they live just short of 200 miles away and I can't get any time off work, I haven't yet met him and have to wait until the weekend - this week is going so slowly!

The Bump!

2010-09-30T19:07:00.004+01:00

I have been meaning to edit these images for a while now, but I just haven't had time!

This is the bump...My sister's bump...

She's due early November so baby photos will follow soon after no doubt!

Alex and Paul (her hubby), are keeping us all in suspense as they have decided that they don't want to know the sex of the baby so we all have to wait until November now!! I keep buying her baby clothes... one in pink and one in blue! Haha!

Also, the word 'bump' is driving me insane...

Every time I hear it, I get the lyrics to that old cartoon 'Bump The Elephant' stuck in my head!

"Bump the elephant isn't quite as elegant,

because his feet, are not so neat...."

...and I can't remember the rest, I just end up humming.

AAAAAARGH!

Update & Gwynneth's 80th Birthday Celebrations

2010-09-20T14:24:00.006+01:00

Ok, so I haven't been updating my blog much since I finished Uni - thats not because I haven't been up to anything, but because I've been too busy!

I spent a lot of time over the summer camping - mainly at Robinhood's bay (just south of Whitby). We have found a lovely camp site with stunning scenes (see earlier posts) and we just kept going back. Needless to say, while camping, I haven't been able to use my computer and update my blog due to the lack of plug sockets and internet connection!

My photographic work was put on the back burner while I was finishing uni - I didn't want to risk taking wedding bookings and end up with too much on my plate, hence the lack of new wedding images. I am taking bookings again now so the images will start to flow again soon.

It was my grandma's 80th birthday in July so we had a very large family lunch and I met loads of relatives that I never knew I had!

Anyway, there will be more to come soon. As you can see from the photos above, the pregnant young woman on the left above is my sister, Alex. She is expecting early November so there will be bump and baby photos soon!

Employed!

2010-08-24T18:54:00.001+01:00

Now that uni is over, I have managed to get myself a full time job. I am now a Helpdesk operator, and conveniently, the office is about 3 minutes up the road from my house!

I am not just doing Helpdesk support... I will have design work to do aswell...

Less time for playing with my camera now... Boooooo! :(

Whitby

2010-06-29T19:59:00.001+01:00

As the weather has been so nice recently, we thought that we ought to make the most of it and as I have finally finished uni, we thought we would go away and celebrate.

We spent the weekend camping at Robinhood's bay, with stunning views from our tent! (Excuse the quality of the image below - I took it on my iphone and not my camera...)

I had a lovely time, took a few photographs, relaxed on the beach, went walking, got a lovely tan and we also managed to find rather a lot of the local geocaches!

No more Uni...

2010-06-25T19:21:00.003+01:00

I would just like to say...

I HAVE A DEGREE!!!!!

(An Honors degree too...)

Yey!!

Kirsty & the Bluebells

2010-06-12T16:32:00.000+01:00

This has to be my favourite shoot so far this year and Kirsty was very confident and full of ideas.

We had discussed the bluebell theme prior to the shoot and bounced ideas off each other so we knew what we were trying to achieve.

I had borrowed a mirror from a friend to use for a shoot at some point and thought I would bring it as a prop - Kirsty loved the idea and the images worked really well!

The bluebells had come out much better than I had expected and when we both arrived at the location, we were shocked as to how intense the flowers were! The weather kindly played ball for the day and we had a very productive shoot.

Kirsty and I are planning another shoot in the near future...

Ramona

2010-05-22T10:24:00.000+01:00

Another image from my shoot with Ramona - this one is probably my favourite.

Jessica Bailey (MUA) kindly came to do the make up and hair for the shoot. The weather was very unsettled though so we decided to shoot where there would be some shelter rather than have to rearrange the shoot.

Unfortunately, it did rain and the dampness in the air made the curls fall out of Ramona's hair quite quickly. We got some nice shots though and everyone was happy with the results.

Preview: Kirsty

2010-05-20T23:48:00.001+01:00

I said there would be a bluebell themed shoot - more to come soon!!

NEW WEBSITE!

2010-05-18T10:38:00.005+01:00

I have finally given my website a complete over-haul and redesign. It is a bit simpler, but hopefully a little more elegant and professional in appearance!

It was niggling at me that (when viewed on a mac) one of the links buttons dropped down to the line below which made the whole bar sit out of place. Finally, I think that is solved...

I am sure that there will be a few tweeks and adjustments needed to the site. It is quite frustrating that I can only view the site on a mac at present so I am having to reply on others with access to a PC to check the layouts and display for me!

The galleries need to be updated which will happen shortly but I am 3 weeks from finishing my degree so please bear with me!

Preview: Ramona

2010-05-12T12:21:00.000+01:00

If you go down to the woods today...

2010-05-06T12:24:00.000+01:00

I have been visiting the woods on a very regular basis recently. I have been waiting for something...

Bluebells!!

At last they are here! Yes, rather not surprisingly, there will be a bluebell shoot coming soon!

Leanne: Fire Dancer

2010-05-05T11:46:00.000+01:00

I had a bit of an unusual but very fun shoot the other day. I had been taking to a make up artist (Jessica Bailey) about shooting some portfolio updates for her. Jessica had, in turn, been talking to Leanne, a dancer from Huddersfield.

Leanne isn't any old dancer, it turned out that she did fire and stilt dancing!

Having recently been scouting for new locations, I suggested a derelict site on the edge of Leeds with plenty of graffiti and different structures. Having sent a few images, both Jessica & Leanne loved the look of the site so we set a shoot date. Jessica had expressed an interest for a street dance themed shoot and liaised with Leanne for wardrobe and make up ideas.

I have been wanting to experiment with off camera flash on location for some time now and this shoot gave me the perfect opportunity to do so. I had a radio trigger but also a second flash so I had the options of different set ups. I do need more practice with the strobes, but I think that they worked really well with the theme and style of the shoot.

Both Jessica and Leanne are really pleased with the images produced and I will post more feedback from them soon.

The full gallery can be seen on my website; Leanne's Gallery

Client Feedback

2010-05-02T16:08:00.006+01:00

Following the beauty shoots with Kimberley Brook (makeup artist) earlier in April, the full galleries are now available and a couple of new testimonials.

Laura's Gallery

Helen's Gallery

"Elliye is a fantastic photographer, whom I would highly recommend to anyone looking to achieve professional photographs. As a makeup artist, Elliye understood exactly what I wanted to attain from the shoot and the results were of very high quality.

Professional and a pleasure to work with! Thank you Elliye!"
Kimberley Brook (Make Up Artist)

"Elliye was a pleasure to work with, the photographs are amazing and I hope to work with her again in the future.

Thank you!"
Laura Booty (Model)

Stacey in the woods

2010-04-29T14:27:00.002+01:00

Here are a few images from my shoot with Stacey a couple of weeks ago. Stacey is new to modeling but she was enthusiastic and a very lovely, chatty person.

She was a pleasure to work with.

More images from the shot can be seen on my website in the gallery 'Stacey'.

New Packaging Presentation

2010-04-19T09:06:00.007+01:00

I have finally decided that I am no longer going to use the same packaging and presentation for test shoots as I do for paid shoots. This is for a number of reasons but mainly because it is not cost effective especially when you consider all of the elements involved including; ink, dvd cases, labels, postal packaging and pricing etc etc.

I am still very conscious of the presentation of my work, so I have replaced the DVD boxes with plastic sleeves which only require a small insert rather than a full A4 printed cover. This also means that I no longer need to use a jiffy bag for postal packaging and I can send discs out as a standard first class packages. This means that discs still retain a personal touch - I don't want to loose this, as most models that I have worded with always comment on my presentation!

The original boxed presentation and packaging will remain on all paid shoots for the time being.

I would be interested to hear your comments on the changes in packaging. It will change again at some point - I am currently investigating recycled packaging that is more environmentally friendly.

Beauty Shoot Part 2: Kim & Helen

2010-04-16T21:15:00.000+01:00

Helen was the second model of the day and we had planned 3 different looks for her.

Helen holds the current title of 'Miss Black Britain' as well as 2009's 'Miss York'.

The first look was the most complicated - a leopard print pattern across Helen's eyes.

The second look was a 'mac barbie' styled look, using bright pinks and greens.

Once again, the final look involved quite a lot of glitter so it was saved for last and the glitter ended up everywhere!

Helen was up for a bit of crazyness too...

So the shoot went well and everyone had a good laugh.

Both Kim and Helen love the images :)

Beauty Shoot Part 1: Kim & Laura

2010-04-07T18:49:00.001+01:00

I have been chatting to Kim, a local makeup artist for some time now, discussing ideas for beauty shoots and fresh portfolio shots.

Kim is in her final year studying Make Up Artistry in Bradford. Kim specialises in Airbrushing and often provides make up for weddings as well as fashion models.

We eventually agreed a shoot date and found 2 local models who were willing to be painted up; Laura and Helen.

Laura was up first and had 2 different looks. This was the first, inspired by feathers (hence the feather lashes).

The second was a blue glitter look. This had to be done last as the glitter can get quite messy.

We then decided to add another punch of blue to Laura's lips and I used a completely different editing style for variation.

I was quite concerned that both Kim and Laura may not be too keen on this style, but to my surprise they both really liked it!

The shoot went really well, everyone got along amazingly and I hope to work with both Laura and Kim again soon :)

I will post Helen's images soon as I am still working on them :)

Courtney: Model Shoot

2010-03-23T12:12:00.003Z

Last week I had a studio shoot with Courtney. The idea was to get some basic studio based shots (both fashion and lingerie) for her portfolio to add a bit more variety.

Having not shot lingerie before, I was a little nervous and not quite sure what to expect. I also found it quite hard to give direction, despite having researched and prepped as best as I could.

Courtney was really pleased with the images and her response was;

"There are a lot of great sots in there! They should add a little something different to my portfolio - thank you!"

Courtney had brought her boyfriend to the shoot but in reflection, I think that this was a mistake. I will ask models in the future not to bring a chaperone as I feel that it impacts upon their ability to model too much. I can quite understand why some models prefer to bring a chaperone, but when a shoot is in a public location or a University studio, I really don't think that it is necessary.

Although it doesn't always cause a problem, I felt that the shoot would have been more productive and Courtney would have been more confident and modeled much better to her ability without the distraction, as was evident when her chaperone left the room for a few minutes!

Ideas ideas, ideas...

2010-03-12T18:02:00.003Z

Ok, I have been working hard on this now and finally I have some ideas - yay!

I still haven't decided exactly what I will be doing for my final uni project, but I'm hoping that a couple of shoots will give me the kick start that I need right now. I will post some more on this next week :)

Lacking Inspiration

2010-03-04T17:49:00.000Z

Ok, so it has been a while since I have done many self initiated shoots, this is mainly because I feel as though I am suffering from a severe lack of inspiration.

I'm not quite sure why I am feeling like this but it is very frustrating and in turn, I am struggling to find the motivation to organize anything. Perhaps it has something to do with the time of year, its cold and despite taking a trip up to the Dales, there wasn't much greenery about yet.

I'm also not sure if I should be taking up a different direction with my photography as I'm now starting my final major project before I finish my degree - I just need to work out what I want from it...

WEDDING: Caroline & Andrew

2010-03-02T10:45:00.003Z

I have been looking forward to uploading some of the photographs from Caroline & Andrew's wedding in January. It has taken longer than I would have liked, but with my dissertation deadline a little over a week after the wedding, I knew it would take some time to get them up for you all to see.

The wedding was held at the Devonshire Fell Hotel (owned by the Duchess of Devonshire) in the Yorkshire Dales. With all of the recent snow, it was very lucky that it had cleared for a few days as access to the venue would have been very difficult otherwise. There was still snow on some of the higher hillsides and despite the bitter temperature, it was a beautiful sunny day.

The venue was beautiful and the who;e day ran smoothly. I covered Caroline's preparations and right through until the start of the evening reception.

The full gallery is currently on client preview but I will post details soon.

Wedding: Kate & Mark

2009-12-08T19:25:00.000Z

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing Kate & Mark's wedding in Wiltshire.

It was a lovely day (despite being rather cold) and everyone had a lovely time.

The full gallery can be seen here; Kate & Mark

More Northumberland photographs...

2009-11-23T15:48:00.002Z

These have got toi be my favourite 2 shots from the weekend.

The first photograph is of Bamburgh Castle and the second was taken near Dunstanburgh Castle at Canonball Beach.

Lindisfarne Castle

2009-11-19T18:46:00.000Z

Dawn Photography

2009-11-13T12:25:00.001Z

My stay in Northumberland was brief, only 3 days so I had to make the most of it.

I had planned my shoot locations using OS maps and photographs as I knew there wouldn't be time for scouting and I needed to make the most of the short time that I had there.

Each morning I got up before 5am and headed down to a location, determined by tide, sunrise and weather to set up by 6.30am, well before sun rise and leaving everyone else fast asleep.

It was freezing (hence huge scarf, coat and hat in the image below), made worse by being on the open coast line with icy cold winds, but it was well worth it as you will see in posts to follow soon.

This gave me further experience in to what landscape photographers go through on a regular basis to get their shots. I was well aware of this, but I had never dedicated a whole holiday to achieving the shots that I wanted or braved such cold weather but I can fully understand why they do it and the satisfaction that they achieve.

You can see two other photographers just below the castle in the image above, but there were about 20 of us out on the beach that morning!

Seals!

2009-11-12T18:14:00.000Z

As we were staying 20 minutes from Seahouses, I though it would be rather rude if we didn't go over to the Farne Isle to see the seals, especially as late October/early November is peak breeding season and there would be plenty of seal pups.

The only issue, as per usual, was the weather. The boats wouldn't sail in any more than a force 4-5 and the shipping forecast wasn't looking good for the weekend.

As it turned out, the weather on the Saturday was perfect. The sea was very calm and the wind gentle so we booked a boat.

There were more seals than I had expected, although I was rather disappointed that most of the pups had been colour marked, which wasn't so pleasing to the eye. Due to the time of season, the Puffins had migrated along with may other sea birds so there wasn't a great deal of variety in the wildlife, but it was still well worth it.

I'm fairly happy with the shots that I managed to get, but it is very difficult to take shots of wildlife, especially while bobbing up and down on a boat while using very bulky and heavy equipment!

I love this 300mm f2.8 IS USM L!

2009-11-09T23:54:00.000Z

I can see the mooooooooon!

Any excuse to play with a new lens :)

Northumberland

2009-11-05T21:17:00.000Z

Northumberland weekend is finally almost here!

I think I am all set and I have even borrowed a lens from uni; a 300mm f2.8 IS USM L which I can't wait to start using!

I have planned most of the weekend - shoot locations, weather forecasts, routes, walking gear..... fingers crossed the weather doesn't turn at the last moment.

Images to come soon!

New Challenges

2009-11-03T23:40:00.000Z

Having chosen to focus on Landscape and Wildlife photography, I am finding it far more challenging than I had expected.

The main issue that is causing such a hindrance, is the weather.

I am so reliant upon it, that by the time I reach a location for a sunrise, the weather conditions are often unsuitable despite watching the weather forecasts so closely.

This is extremely frustrating as I am unable to get the images that I had set out to accomplish.

It also feels like a complete waste of time, having got up at 5am to travel an hour to a location and set up in time only to be disappointed for reasons out of my control.

I also feel that I had previously under estimated the necessity of using filters for landscapes.

ND grad and ND filters, I know know are essential for shots and I needed much stronger ones than I had.

This has resulted in spending nearly £40 on two pieces of resin (glass) that are about 4"x4" which seems a little excessive, but after seeing the difference, I don't feel so bad about spending the money.

So, I have learnt a few essential things so far and I am sure there are plenty more to learn too, but I am getting there and enjoying the process.

Landscapes: Malhamdale

2009-10-22T19:14:00.003+01:00

Although I haven't written much on here about my current uni projects, I have been up to quite a bit!

I have decided to focus on landscape photography for both the current project and my dissertation so the direction of my work has changed quite dramatically.

It has been quite some time since I last did some landscape photography and it doesn't seem to be coming as easily as it used to. I'm not sure if it is because I have spent the last 18 months focusing on portraiture and model portfolios, using more and more flash lighting and not so much natural light, not to mention that they are nearly two completely different entities with specific techniques and skills to match.

Anyway, I decided to head up to Malham for a day of shooting.

The weather had forecast clear skies at silly o'clock and cloudy with sunny spells for the rest of the day..... they lied!! I was in Malham for sunrise and as the sky began to light up, it was cloudy. Very, very cloudy. Grrr! So that spoilt that plan and none of the sunrise images came out anywhere near how I would have liked them to.

I stayed in Malham for most of the day, and still it remained overcast and cloudy.

After the sunrise location, I headed up to Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss (which was just a trickle compared to my last visit up there). By this time it was about 8am and the campers were still hiding away in their tents (not that I blame them)! So while it was quiet, I made a little time to Geocache :) but..... (I was having a very bad day), I didn't have enough signal for my GPS to work! I remembered the location clues and managed to find the cache anyway but I couldn't hunt down the others as the GPS just wasn't playing ball.

After this, I went for a bit of a wander and headed up to the top of Malham Cove along the limestone pavement. It seemed so surreal, all the lime stone running over the fields like a river up to the cove with such an immense drop.

The views were beautiful, it was just a shame about the weather. It would have been perfect had there been a nice sky with huge clouds casting shadows across the landscape.

Fingers crossed for Northumberland!

Jeni's 21st

2009-10-19T17:38:00.000+01:00

I recently provided the photography for Jeni's 21st birthday.

I had not covered a birthday before so I was a little unsure of what to expect.

It was a family party so there were people of all ages and the little girl in pink provided no end of entertainment to everyone!

Jeni and her friends headed off for a bit of a drinking session after, to no one's surprise!

The family are all very happy with the photographs too :)

The Sunshine Underground

2009-10-13T22:09:00.001+01:00

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours on the set if the new music video for Leeds band, The Sunshine Underground so of course, I didn't say no :)

Because of the short notice of the shoot, I didn't have the chance to work on the whole video which was a shame. I did manage to get a few shots though and I will post more info on this when the video is finished.

There are a few more images from this on my Flickr page.

Anastasia & Tony's Wedding

2009-10-08T21:47:00.000+01:00

A few days ago, I photographed Tony & Anastasia's wedding in York.

The happy couple live in London so I didn't have to opportunity to meet them before their wedding day, but the groom is from Yorkshire, hence the choice of location for their wedding and Anastasia is from Russia.

The morning of the wedding, I was starting to get a little worried as the weather really wasn't playing ball. Gale force winds and rain was forecast!

I left Leeds with plenty of time to spare, expecting the A64 to be closed or to be stuck in traffic.

As it was, the A64 was actually quite empty but York was packed. It took me about an hour to get to the registry office!

Fortunately, it didn't rain. The sky's remained grey and the wind wasn't too bad in the city centre so we managed to get the shots that the couple wanted outdoors and they were up for a bit of fun too.

Geocaching

2009-10-05T17:18:00.003+01:00

Totally unrelated to either work or Uni, but I have started Geocaching.

I figured I might as well and if I'm going to be doing a lot of walking for my photography, I could do this at the same time and it sounded like good fun.

For those who don't know what Geocaching is, it is basically a game of hiding and seeking hidden treasure (no, not expensive treasure...more like trinkets)... oh, and hiking.

You need to sign up to the GeoCaching website to get the longitude and latitude co-ordinates of the caches (so you need a GPS, there is also an iPhone app).

There are several hundred caches in the Leeds area and thousands more beyond.

Here is a trailer from 'Splinterheads', describing a little more about what Geocaching is, although its a little more extreme that the caches that I know about.

Oh, and I found my first Geocache today - yey!

Photographer of the Year Competition 2009

2009-10-05T00:51:00.003+01:00

I almost forgot... this year, I managed to pluck up the courage to enter the Digital Camera Photographer of the Year Competition.

Now, I am under no illusion what so ever that I will win, but I didn't see the harm in entering and thought it would do me some good, not only for confidence but to get my work seen as well.

I entered a total of 6 images under 6 different categories and you can see them on the website here; Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2009

The categories I have entered are; Planet Earth, Fashion, Destination Everywhere, Landscapes, People & Portraits and Black & White).

I have just had a look and I actually have votes on a couple of them! Yey!

If you can spare the time, please have a look and vote if you like my images - it would be most appreciated!

Thank you!

Charlotte - Shoot No.2

2009-10-04T23:23:00.003+01:00

I have been talking to Charlotte quite a bit since my shoot with both her and Stefanie. She really enjoyed the shoot and would quite like to do some more modeling (I'm so glad she enjoyed her first experience despite location and weather issues)!

Anyway, in order to get more shoots, its helpful to have a portfolio with a bit of variety and some clear head shots so we decided to do another shoot, mainly studio based.

It was very clear on the shoot that her confidence had increased dramatically. She was a lot more confident in front of the camera, which really showed in her images.

We used a make-shift studio to start with a few different changes to add variety. This was also quite interesting as we had not discussed clothing in great detail and the majority was white!

I was so worried that she would blend into the white background and I didn't want to have to use massive shadows to bring her out.

As it went, it wasn't really a problem at all! I made sure that the background was well lit and gave the impression that there was more distance between Charlotte and the backdrop.

We even had time for a few shots outside, in a more urban setting than I would usually use but it worked well and offered more variety for Charlotte's portfolio.

Full gallery link & feedback coming soon!

Back to Uni - Final Year!!!

2009-10-03T20:34:00.001+01:00

I'm just over a week into my third year of uni now and I'm feeling a little bit lost already this year. Obviously, I will still carry on with photography, but its just which area to focus on.

I really want to go back to landscapes and wildlife but at the same time, I really enjoy the conceptual shoots with models. Its really nice to work with different people on a regular basis. I believe that it is very beneficial in order to improve further and I really enjoy it.

However, as with during the first 2 years of the course, I greatly miss the countryside and I just haven't been able to settle comfortably in the city so this would provide more chance to get out on a regular basis.

I will definitely cover landscape and wildlife photography for at least one of my projects, but I'm just not sure about the other. There are benefits no matter which area I focus. I feel that I should follow landscapes and focus specifically there for the whole year to get the most from it, but then I wonder how much time I will have to continue with the fashion side in my spare time...

...I guess I'm going to have to go and buy myself some nice ND's!

Evil Epson

2009-09-30T22:53:00.001+01:00

That's it - enough is enough.

I have now lost all faith in Epson.

I had a brand new SX400 Printer and the alignment went after about 2 months, got a replacement... the print heads were knackered.

Josh also has an Epson, so I thought I would borrow that for a few days... the print heads have gone on that too (its only been used twice) and I just spent £30 on ink!

Aaaaaaaaaaargh!

The good news...

I'm getting an upgraded printer - a Canon...

This one had better work. If I loose my faith in Canon, I'm going to have to swap all of my camera equipment for Nikon! lol!

Rachel & Josh (Portraits)

2009-09-25T20:15:00.002+01:00

This week I did a portrait shoot for Rachel and a couple of shots with her boyfriend Josh.

Rachel was quite comfortable in front of the camera, relaxed and looked natural in her poses.

She photographed so well and wasn't intimidated by studio lighting at all and did some really good face pulling poses too!

Josh however (who hates being photographed), was very uncomfortable in front of the camera. The second I started to lift the camera up to my face, he froze and tensed up.

Nothing Rachel and I tried made much of a difference!

Eventually, he relaxed a little and we tried 'fun' poses as opposed to the more traditional and serious ones. This seemed to help and I the end result worked much better than the forced looking shots.

Tetbury Upton Parish Council's Website

2009-09-22T14:50:00.003+01:00

Not my usual line of work, but I have been asked by Tetbury Upton Parish Council to give their website a bit of a revamp.

This project makes a change from my photography work and will hopefully develop my web building skills a little further.

It is also nice to be doing some more work relevant to where I lived prior to university - the Cotswolds.

The current site does its job well but they are looking for something a little more modern in design, while still being very easy to navigate.

The current site can be seen here; Tetbury Upton Parish Council

More to come soon on this...

Rachel (Preview)

2009-09-21T17:47:00.000+01:00

A preview shot of my shoot with Rachel - more to come soon!

Jessica & Kady

2009-09-10T14:15:00.000+01:00

A few shots from my recent shoot with Jessica & Kady.

Again, I was very lucky as they were both so good. Kady at just 5 weeks, was mesmerised by the lights and Jessica couldn't wait to have her photograph taken!

Stefanie & Charlotte: Model Shoot

2009-09-05T19:54:00.002+01:00

Further to the preview post, here are some more shots from my shoot with Stefanie & Charlotte.

Stafanie works as a model and the shoot was primarily for her portfolio. She brought her friend Charlotte with her as she was interested to know about shoots and have a go herself.

Both Stefanie & Charlotte were easy to work with, both really friendly and good fun.

It was quite interesting to work with two models on one shoot too, as I haven't had this experience before on a portfolio shoot.

Stef knew exactly what she was doing - she didn't need any instruction at all and Charlotte was quite resourceful and improvised as well as listening and asking for advice.

They both worked really well together on all levels making the shoot a really good experience.

Despite Charlotte having no previous experience modeling, her confidence built very quickly and it was obvious that she was enjoying the shoot - even with an audience at times as we were shooting in a public location!

More images from the shoot can be seen on my flickr page here; Flickr

Stefanie & Charlotte (Preview)

2009-08-30T20:26:00.002+01:00

Last week I had a shoot with Stefanie & Charlotte.

This was the first time that I have shot with two models in one sitting, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect...

But the shoot went really well, apart from a location issue.

In the end, we used a woodland, the canal locks and a folly so there was plenty of variety in both surroundings and themes.

More shots to follow soon...

Tom & Charity's Wedding

2009-08-28T14:04:00.000+01:00

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing Tom and Charity's wedding in Leeds.

It was a beautiful day and the weather held out nicely.

Its lovely to see different weddings and Tom and Charity's was very different from any other that I have photographed so far.

They had combined the traditional with the modern extremely well.

The wedding took place in a beautiful, traditional church with stunning arches and Mouseman carved woodwork.

Instead of a traditional white wedding dress, Charity wore a beautiful dusty gold dress with a contemporary feel - she looked stunning.

The reception was held at their home, and there were so many details to capture, even personal messages on the decorations.

The buffet was Thai themed and the wedding cake was a cupcake tower.

I loved the strawberries, their little chocolate jackets must have taken the caterers ages!

Devon

2009-08-18T13:48:00.003+01:00

Last week, we headed down to Devon. It was nice to get away for a few days and spend some time in the countryside as well as by the coast.

We spent a day sailing, down the river Dart from Totnes and round to Start Point (by Hallsands, where the village fell into the sea during a storm in 1917). Well, when I say sailing... it was more motoring as there wasn't enough wind to keep any of the sails up!

Obviously, I made time for a bit of photography and I even managed a sunrise at the Daymark by Kingswear.

The Daymark was built in 1864 as a navigational aid for ships entering Dartmouth (as the bay is fairly hidden amongst the cliffs). It stands 25 meters high and is owned and maintained by the Dart Harbour Commission.

We also visited Sharpham Vinyard (very nice wine) and there were some beautiful views of the River Dart leading up to Totnes.

Although it is nice to be home, I have to say that I really didn't miss the terraced houses looming over us and I still can't wait to move out of the city!

Katie & Peter's Wedding

2009-08-07T19:36:00.000+01:00

Here are a few photographs from Katie & Peter's Wedding in Elslack, on the edge of Skipton.

Their wedding day was lovely (apart from the rain), but as the wedding was all in one location, this wasn't too much of a problem and there was plenty of space for group shots indoors.

The wedding cake was brilliant - decorated with dolly mixtures and this made a lovely change.

It also really suited Katie's bubbly personality!

A splash of colour...

2009-07-31T19:08:00.004+01:00

Its been so dark and dismal lately with all of this rain, I thought that it was time for a splash of colour!

I feel a bit happier now :)

All this rain...

2009-07-29T19:27:00.003+01:00

All this rain is starting to depress me, especially after all of the nice weather that we were having just a couple of weeks ago.

Everything is so gloomy and I really want to get out of this house and breathe some fresh air!

I think my camera is also starting to feel quite neglected.

I really hope the weather turns for the weekend.

I am photographing Katie and Peter's wedding in beautiful surroundings on the edge of Skipton and I would really like the weather to be nice for them so that they can make the best of their day and location.

The papers have been saying that we are going to have a heat wave in mid August, so I am planning to visit my dad in Devon for a few days.

It will be nice to see some greenery rather than red brick terraced houses that look so dark and dismal in the rain and the sea air will be a welcome change.

It has been quite some time since I was last down there so I'm already planning my coastal walks and sailing trips!

A perfect opportunity for some coastal and landscape photography :)

I'm also planning a trip to Northumberland in a couple of months, although by that time it will be out of season for the Puffins, however, the coastal landscape up there is supposed to be stunning and I will finally get chance to visit Alnwick!

Fingers crossed that the weather improves soon!

Where The Wild Things Are

2009-07-21T17:22:00.000+01:00

I don't usually post about films but while being in danger of sounding a little bit sad, I really don't care as I'm so excited about this film! It was my favourite book as a child and I can't wait to see it at the cinema!!

Its a bit of a shame though as I don't have anyone to share my excitement with, as no one seems to remember the book! But to my delight, I discovered that my 6 year old neighbour reads the book at school! Woo hoo!

I really hope that this film will be everything that I hope it is. From the look of the trailer, I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

It is shot so beautifully - the composition of the shots, style of filming, costume design... and I think it really reflects the book so well.

Have a look at the trailer and decide for yourself... those of you who don't know the book might not quite understand what is going on or what the hell it is actually about, but take it from me, it is an awesome book and imprinted on my memory as a child so well that I can still remember most of the lines! haha!

I can't wait!!!!!

Aaaaaaar wooooooooo!

Joanne & Joseph's Wedding

2009-07-09T13:21:00.003+01:00

The beautiful weather held out for Joanne & Joseph's wedding. They had a Catholic service which was different as I couldn't take photographs during the ceremony.

It was also quite odd because I had not met the Groom prior to the wedding as this was a very late booking, but everything went well and both the bride and groom had a lovely day.

I will post more feedback from Joanne and Joseph, as well as a link to their gallery once they have had time to look through the photographs properly.