Mabel & Elijah

November 02, 2018  /  Rebecca King

The part of my job that I enjoy the most is photographing children. I find them so much fun and you never quite know what kind of photographs you will get, as it all depends on what mood the children are in. I’ve been very lucky with all the children I have photographed, as they have reacted well to me and my camera. They have enjoyed it. It’s the reason I like location shooting more than a studio as it is more of a fun adventure day out than a pressurised environment of a studio. This time though as Mabel was only a couple of weeks old, location shooting does not work, so I have a temporary studio I put up in my home. As it is a home environment it is still a relaxed atmosphere for the children, so they still enjoy it. The last thing you want to do is make the children feel the pressure of your one hour to perform and you get unhappy, sad children.

Mabel and Elijah were fantastic, Mabel slept the whole time (I got to give her cuddles to settle her for her photographs) and Elijah was a very attentive big brother. We had lots of fun and plenty of beautiful photographs of them. I even discovered that Elijah is fond of saying “Norman Price” in a bad Welsh accent, the same as my husband, so the two of them got on very well, talking about Fireman Sam.

Comment
categories / Photography, Family photography, Children's portraits, Portraits
tags / children, babies, baby, portrait, family portraits, location shoot, home studio

The Fantastic Foxes

October 22, 2018  /  Rebecca King

We recently had a photo competition, where you could win an one hour portrait session. The family who won were, the Foxes.

We were going to have the photographs at Priory Ruins but the rain was torrential, luckily enough there is a tunnel in the same area, so we had some photographs in there, it was quite serendipitous, as the look of the graffiti in the tunnel really suited the family. The children of the family were adults so a more mature background was better.

They were great sports and happy to venture out in to the rain, I had my many different umbrellas with me, so no one was going to get wet, of course the rainbow umbrellas are always the favourite.

It was unusual to photograph such a mature family, I am so used to doing little children’s portraits. The family said that they felt awkward at first, because it’s not every day you have a professional photographer taking your picture, but they very quickly got used to me and my camera and they actually quite enjoyed it.

The most important part of being a photographer to me is to make your clients feel comfortable and happy. If the clients are relaxed then the photographs will turn out so much better, as everyone will act more like themselves and the end result will represent how the family and the individuals really are.

Comment
categories / Photography, Family photography, Competition
tags / portrait, photo, photographs, family, family portraits, Lewes, priory ruins

Lizzie and Tim

September 26, 2018  /  Rebecca King

It was a rainy and cloudy day for Tim and Lizzie’s wedding but you couldn’t meet two more bright and sunny people. It was such a pleasure to be included in their wedding day with all their wonderful family and friends. It was also lovely that it took place in my home town of Lewes, so that meant I could walk there and I know the area so well.

They had their ceremony at the beautiful Southover Grange Gardens. It looked stunning, as all the flowers were out in bloom and in full colour. The ceremony moved on to the historical Anne of Cleves House, while the guests were having drinks and canapés we walked to the Lewes Priory Ruins for some photographs of just the two of them. We were lucky, as the rain held off for a short while but we came prepared with some glorious rainbow umbrellas. They really added some colour to the photographs, as well as Lizzie’s marvellous bouquet and the fabulous Lego mini figure button holes (I love Lego). The Priory Ruins are a favourite place of mine to go as the flint walls makes a lovely textured backdrop and the views over the South downs are glorious. There are so many little nooks and crannies to take photographs in, it even has a spiral staircase, that leads to nowhere. The site goes all the way back to the 11th century and was demolished under the reign of King Henry VIII, up until recent years it was fenced off to the public, that was until it received a lottery grant and they were able to open it up so it could be explored and appreciated once again. The party then moved a little further down the road to The Swan Inn. The sun came out and everyone was able to enjoy the rest of their day in the gardens with good food and drink.

This was such a special wedding to be part of, they were all so welcoming and kind, they were such a lovely family, I even got a little picture and note from one of the children there. An extra bonus for me was that my niece was helping me out that day and my daughter was supervising their wedding at Anne of Cleves, so I got to share it with them too. It really was a day about the importance of love and family.

Comment
categories / Photography, Wedding Photography
tags / wedding dress, weddings, newlyweds, Lewes, wedding bouquet

Matt & Lia

September 05, 2018  /  Rebecca King

What can I say but "yes, I do feel ashamed", It's been over three month since my last blog post. Is it any excuse if I say I've been very busy? I've been lucky enough to be a part of several wedding, maternity and portrait shoots. Also it's been busy personally with two 18th and 70th birthday parties. I was also lucky to visit (at last) Paris. In addition my daughter, Harriet will be off to university very soon, argh i'll loose one of my fabulous models (and best friends). 

One of the weddings I have been fortunate to be part of was for Matt and Lia. It would turn out to be one of the hottest days of the year, which also coincided with the England V Sweden quarter final, so it was a day with an excited and joyous atmosphere. 

The wedding would take place at Eastbourne Town hall. It was my first wedding there. It's a very beautiful old building with a grand staircase. Unfortunately you're not allowed to use a flash during any wedding ceremonies and all the shutters were closed because of the heat, so It did make it a very difficult ceremony to photograph. Light, especially natural light is pretty essential for my job. A Korean festival was also taking place there that day, so during the ceremony we could hear beautiful music being played in the room next door. 

The reception was taking place at the beautiful Grand Hotel, which is situated on the seafront. We had photographs in several places, including two churches on our walk to the Grand. A favourite was the steps of the town hall for the confetti pictures. I love a confetti cannon! They make amazing photographs, so much confetti. It was a lovely walk, so many people said "congratulations" and beeped their car/van horns. We also came across graffiti of a heart.  I did most of it walking backwards though as I was taking photographs of the newlyweds. We had planned to take photographs of everyone on the seafront and the western lawns but as with most best laid plans...there was a 999 fete and display day, so we couldn't use the lawns. I improvised and we took most on the seafront and some fun ones at the fete. They didn't fancy a go on the bouncy castle though. We all had lots of fun and thanks to the hotel for putting a television in the lounge room so we could also watch the football. 

 

Comment
categories / Photography, Wedding Photography
tags / weddings, wedding dress, Eastbourne, The Grand Hotel, Seafront, Confetti, confetti cannon, newlyweds

Lovely Liv - who's legs were too long!

June 08, 2018  /  Rebecca King

I always love doing location shoots around Lewes. The first reason is it's home and the second there are so many beautiful and interesting places to photograph in Lewes. I especially love the Priory ruins. I have photographed a few people and families there now and I feel it looks different in every shoot. I has a personality of it's own. I especially love the colour and textures of the flint walls. I'm a huge fan of soft whites and greys. 

I had a fun time photographing Liv. She did complain that she didn't know what to do with her long legs ( I wish I had that problem) We managed to fit them in the archway. I always enjoy the enthusiasm and energy of teenage shoots. They are always up for a bit of silliness and some good posing. Who doesn't want a great photograph for their Instagram of Facebook profile picture?

Shoots are £75 for and hour shoot and unlimited images on a USB. 

Comment
categories / Photography, Instagram
tags / photography, portrait, photo, lewes, priory ruins