December News

Hello, I hope you are all safe and well and have survived lockdown number 2.  I had a very quiet start to November with two weeks of virtually no work and then a flurry of jobs in the second half.  I wonder how December will pan out for all of us!

Here is my December newsletter which jumps back to look at my jobs from this time last year.

This was my second education photography photoshoot for Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School and I was really pleased to go back and work with Sandra, the development officer, to capture some more images for their website and marketing material.  It really is a lovely school, the girls are brilliant and there is such a warm, kind and vibrant feel to the school. As usual with school photoshoots, we dash about the place going from subject to subject trying to make the most of the day and capture as much variety as possible. I always come away from these shoots thinking how fab it would be to go back to school and that I’d really listen this time! Above are some of my favourite shots.

Now I consider myself to be a dog person, I have one of my own and dogs seem to like me.  Not this dog.  She took against me from the moment I walked in the door and if I got within a metre of her she would growl at me.  I tried to win her over with charm and treats. I even tried disinterest – nothing worked, so we just had to do the photoshoot as enemies. It may look like she’s smiling in this photo, but I think she’s just keeping a close eye on me and my ankles.  The shoot was for Pets at Home Magazine with owner Rachael in Cheshire. I think Rachael liked me well enough…

One of my regular visits to law firm Mills and Reeve in Leeds, to keep their corporate headshots up to date.  The headshots need to be kept consistent in style to previous shots so they all tie in nicely. I also photographed a group shot that was needed for PR purposes (NB this was pre-Covid).  I’ve done a few corporate headshot shoots since June and it’s quite frustrating having to keep your distance from people. It feels quite impersonal now.  I’m used to making sure people’s hair is behaving, taking shine off noses and straightening ties. But at least it’s making me more precise with directions (that’s if people can hear them through my mask!).

Psychologies Magazine commissioned me to photograph their ‘My Life, My Way’ feature with Celia Gaze, owner of the Wellbeing Farm over in Bolton. The Wellbeing Farm is an amazing place and Celia hosts weddings in a beautiful big barn surrounded by gorgeous countryside.  They also do corporate events and parties. Oh, and they have Llamas that wear bow ties for special occasions!  I had plenty to go on for this 6 page feature but the weather was utterly against us – the sky was grey, heavy and oppressive.  However we didn’t let it stop us taking the Llamas for a little jaunt – sometimes you just have to pretend the sun is shining.

A Manchester based client asked if I could go and photograph their leadership team in London. Cashfac, an accountancy solutions company wanted straightforward headshots on a white background. I had the background delivered to the company and then travelled there and back in one day by train. Travelling by train is a lot less stressful than driving to London, but lugging my own body weight of equipment on and off the tube is quite a workout!

A photoshoot for the Co-op Food Magazine with Gemma the ice-cream product developer.  Gemma designed the Strawberry Rose Cones to launch in time for Valentines Day.  She researches the latest trends in London and Italy and then spends hours taste testing. What a job!  At the HQ in Manchester, I spotted a wall I thought would be the perfect backdrop – unfortunately it was behind three industrial sized fridges.  But with a bit of help and determination we managed to manoeuvre ourselves and the fridges to find a little bit of blue sky which left plenty of room for the text on the page layout.

A heartwarming story to end with. I met Katie and Teddy in Rotherham to photograph them for Real People magazine.  Katie managed to lose 13 stone so that she could start IVF treatment and try for a baby with her husband Mark.  It wasn’t an easy journey but happily Teddy was born in 2015.  He is a live wire and we had fun on our photoshoot.

Thanks for reading, stay safe and enjoy the run up to Christmas.
Claire x