February '13 News

Did you miss me? I’ve decided to go bi-monthly so that I can always send you jam-packed newsletters. The start of the year got off to a flying start for me, with a very busy January. Shoots ranged from hot cross buns to Helen Flanagan. From 99p babies to 31st weight loss. February seems to have fallen asleep under the snow. Such is life! Let’s travel back to last summer:

Last August I photographed a lovely woman called Victoria for Fabulous magazine. Victoria, who was abandoned as a newborn baby, was brought up by a loving adoptive family. She has always wanted to know the truth about her birth family. She has made a touching YouTube video appealing for information.

I loved shooting the gorgeous Jennie McAlpine, for the ‘Fab does’ article in Fabulous magazine. She plays my favourite character in Corrie. The brief was to photograph Jennie having tea and cakes with the writer. We also managed to squeeze in a nice portrait at the end (plus we found time to tidy up the props by eating them!).

It’s always fun to shoot at Media City for the BBC. It was extra fun to shoot in the Blue Peter studios — even if it was only to borrow their lights and camera for props when they went for a lunch break. We photographed Russell T Davies, screenwriter and producer of (to name but a few) Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures – a real privilege.

A very poignant shoot now for Woman magazine. Sheila’s daughter Carly was murdered by her boyfriend in 2006. Although devastated, Sheila and her husband have found the strength to start the Carly Fund, which works to raise awareness of domestic violence in the Wigan area, and they have raised thousands for the local victim support service.

Pheobe was a pleasure to photograph for a Child Genius feature in S Magazine. Pheobe has been singing and dancing since she was a tot. She has starred as the young Eponine in Les Misérables, and more recently as Annie at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. A real star with one very pink bedroom!

Married but living apart. When Sarah, mum of three, and Martin, dad of three, fell in love, they dated while living hours away from each other. They are due to get married this year but still plan to live apart. Combining their families would prove too disruptive to the children’s lives. I can imagine you can tell straight away which member of the family gave me trouble!

It was a pleasure to meet twins Rachel and Jordan for a shoot for Femail. I was very touched to observe the way Jordan gently supports his sister, who is undergoing treatment for a rare brain tumour. A really brave family.

A lovely summer shoot of editorial photography with mum Emma and her daughter Nakita for Fabulous magazine. Nakita, at 13 years old, was brave enough to announce she is gay on Facebook. The feature follows the feelings and emotions surrounding this by both mum and daughter. Shooting outside seems like a distant memory at the moment!

That’s all for now — I hope you’ve enjoyed the newsletter. The next one will be along in April.

C
xxx