NOT LOUD, NOT IN YOUR FACE
I'm not loud.
I'm definitely not in your face.
If you’re looking for someone zany, wacky, loud, crazy, extroverted … Someone who turns cartwheels and makes monkey noises to try to coax a smile out of your toddler …
Well that’s not me.
My style
When we get together for our session, you’ll find I’m quite calm, relaxed, unassuming, and easy going.
I’m good at talking to quiet, shy children and bringing them out of themselves, but if your child is a space cadet who’s happier zooming around and swinging from the trees, that’s fine too – I make a point of observing the action and capturing it for you.
You want the personality that’s already there captured, don’t you? So lets not manufacture it with stiff posing and “say cheese” grimaces.
Your photographs are taken outdoors to take advantage of the natural light and time of year, whether that’s in the glorious shades of autumn leaves, the daffodils in spring, or the vibrant greens of summer. Snow and frost are fine too, but if it’s wet or really windy we’ll reschedule.
What you'll love about working with me
As a family photographer in Edinburgh and the central belt of Scotland, I usually photograph families like yours on location at parks, beaches, farms, woods, in your garden, and I'm open to other suggestions for locations you might like. (Although a dark, north-facing room in a basement flat in the New Town might not be a goer!)
As I know exactly how frazzled you are, I’ll make it as easy as possible for you by guiding you every step of the way.
Oh and don’t worry about rictus grins and the kids not “performing” – I’ll take care of all that so you don’t have to.
When I photograph your family, I want to capture:
The stuff you need to know
The first thing we’ll do when you decide you want to book me is to agree a date, time, and location.
If you have somewhere particular in mind we’ll have a chat about it, but if not there are several places I can recommend.
The main thing is good light, which is vital so we can showcase your family at its best.
If you’re not in Edinburgh, don’t worry, talk to me – I love getting round and about and am very often happy to travel!
You’ll get an electronic invoice for my session fee when we put you in the diary, then all you have to do is pay by card. It’s really easy and quick, then when you select products afterwards, you just pay for them separately when you order, debiting the amount of the session fee.
Once your invoice for the session fee has been settled, it gets a bit more fun!
You’ll get my “What to Wear” and style guide checklist, because I know figuring out what clothes to pick for your session can be daunting.
But remember, you’re not on your own here. I know what looks good in photographs and I really want you to do everything you can to maximise how much you enjoy looking at them for many years afterwards.
You're not on your own once you have your new collection of brand photographs - we have another meeting to discuss how you can make the most of them.
We’ll start by finding a spot with great light and take the slightly more posed group photographs there.
Don’t shudder when you see the word “posed” – it’s honestly not hard, and I’ll show you what to do! And if your children are small, don’t worry, we’ll make sure this doesn’t take too long.
Then after we’ve got all the groupings you’d like, we can just move off, go for a wee wander, and as you enjoy some time out with your family, I’ll capture those moments for you when children are busy just being themselves – climbing trees, playing hide-and-seek, or splashing in puddles… Whatever they love doing!
Natural looking portraits come from photographing the moment as it is, rather than directing too much.
I know you'll be excited to see your images, and I usually have them ready for you in around a fortnight in an online gallery for you to view.
Then it's time to decide which images you would like to purchase and how you would like them displayed. What kind of frames? What size? Will you have prints and digitals too? I'll guide you through the selection process - it's fairly straightforward although it's often very hard to decide which of your photographs you really want to keep!
This takes as long or as short a time as you like - there's no time pressure because I want you to be absolutely delighted with the choice of images you purchase.
Once I've received your wall art from my suppliers, I arrange a time to come round to yours with it.
I love this bit!
Because then I get to see your face when you open it.
And I think you'll love this bit too.
The peace that comes with seeing beautiful images on your walls and albums created over the years of the people who mean the most to you is absolutely priceless.
Reminders of the good times together, the deep connection and love you share as a family, so often lost in the daily grind.
Stop for a moment, slow down, take yourself back to those moments of love and fun you see immortalised in print, on your walls. Feel a smile soothe and warm your frantically ticking mind.
There. Affirmation right there, on your walls of your home, that, actually? You’ve got this. You ARE doing a great job.
or perhaps you might like to know a little more about me first?