Hertford Family Photographer Blog by the Visual Storyteller... A bit about Photography, my local community, and my passions

12 Day Christmas Giveaway - Day 4

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 12:53:47 GMT

On the 4th day of Christmas, my photographer gave to me...

A picture of Santa and me...

Until 22:00 Tonight (Friday 4th December) order any Santa frame with one photo (that doesn't require editing) for only £8!

Yes, you read that right... ONLY £8!!!

To purchase at this special rate please:

"Like" my Facebook page and tag all your friends who may be interested in the comments.
Join the Lockdown Christmas Photos group
Chose your background and send me the photo you want to use over messenger quoting "Day 4"

And for a chance to win an incredible gift on Day 13 of a free photo session**

* You are purchasing a digitally edited image which will be provided as a Jpeg that you can print or I can source professional lab, mounted prints for you.

** Subject to location in or around Hertford, Hertfordshire

12 Day Christmas Giveaway - Day 3

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 09:10:22 GMT

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my photographer gave to me...

... Buy one, Get one Free*

What's better than getting a family photoshoot for yourself??? Giving one to a friend for Christmas too!

* Photoshoot sessions are £99... But today you can buy 1 session and get another for free. Use them both yourself or give as gifts.

To claim this gift please message me via the contact form and include your address:

Offer available until 22:00 on 3rd December 2020

12 Day Christmas Giveaway - Day 2

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 09:17:15 GMT

On the 2nd day of Christmas, my photographer gave to me...

... a second print using the same photo for free*

To enter please:

Leave a review for "The Visual Storyteller at Joanne Lewis Photography" by searching for me on Google Maps App on your phone...

OR if you have a google account Leave a review here .

"Like" my Facebook page and tag a friend in the day 1 giveaway post.

And for an extra entry AND a chance to win an incredible gift on Day 13 of a free photo session*

* Giveaway is for a second free edit using the same photo I have already used in a Christmas edit of as a 2 for 1 when purchasing.

If you have already left a review comment "done" and tag a friend.

Giveaway will be announced on the fb page at 21:00 GMT

12 Day Christmas Giveaway - Day 1

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 00:28:02 GMT

On the 1st day of Christmas, my photographer gave to me...

... a mounted print of a photo she's created for me*

To enter please:

"Like" my Facebook page and tag a friend in the day 1 giveaway post.
Join the Lockdown Christmas Photos group

And for an extra entry AND a chance to win an incredible gift on Day 13 of a free photo session*

* Giveaway is for a 10"x8" mounted print from my pro-lab on lustre paper of any photo I have taken for you or any edit I have created... Available for photos from future sessions if you have not yet purchased from me.

** Subject to location in or around Hertford, Hertfordshire

Giveaway will be announced on the fb page at 20:00 GMT

Unbelievable Photography deals Black Friday 2020

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 23:32:22 GMT

Family Photography Deals in Hertfordshire Studio

I couldn't let Black Friday 2020 go by without some amazing deals for my wonderful and valued customers... I've missed you all so much this year, but have loved the few shoots I was able to squeeze in between lockdowns and Home Education.

With all the optimism I can muster for next year (I am naturally a pretty positive person) I am offering some spectacular deals on vouchers for my Hertford Studio and outdoor or on-location sessions next year (packages may be given as gifts, but please confirm preferred locations around Hertfordshire and some parts of London, Cambridgeshire and Essex with me before booking).

Black Friday Deal 1...

Gift Vouchers, great for Christmas gifts:

- Half price session . Just £49.50 for a session voucher (usually £99) available for sessions in 2021.

Black Friday Deal 2...

Purchase your package now and receive a 20% discount off the package price PLUS a FREE £50 voucher towards wall art:

- Platinum: Session including 15 Mounted Prints and ALL Digital Images £479 (usually £599)

- Gold: Session including 10 Mounted Prints and Matching Digital Images £399 (usually £449)

- Silver: Session including 5 Mounted Prints and Matching Digital Images £279 (usually £349)

Black Friday Deal 3...

Upgrade your session: Buy your wall art credit now and receive 20% off .

- £50 buys a £60 voucher

- £100 buys a £120 voucher

- £150 buys a £180 voucher

- £200 buys a £240 voucher

- £250 buys a £300 voucher

- £300 buys a £360 voucher

Whether you're ready to book now or not, I hope the rest of 2020 is kind to you. I have a limited amount of availability left in December, and am still providing my Christmas Composites with your own photos if you're still locked down.

Black Friday Deal 4...

30% discount on all professional mounted prints of Christmas Edits (collection from Hertford or plus p&p)

10"x8" £17:50 (usually £25)

8"x6" £14 (usually £20)

All offers are available until Monday 30th November (subject to availability) and vouchers must be used in 2021.

14 day distance selling regulations will be honoured for refund requests.

Egg Box Halloween Crafts -Bat and Ghost Bunting

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 18:54:08 GMT

Easy Halloween Crafts with your kids this October - Bat and Ghost Bunting from Egg Boxes

You will need:

an egg box
scissors
black and white paint
paint brush
googly eyes
glue (hot glue gun ideally)
black felt tip pen
string or ribbon for hanging

Cut the top off your egg box and cut across into 3 slices, then cut each slice in half... Discard the 2 ends and you will be left with 4 usable slices.

Cut the ghosts with soft curvy lines and paint white. Cut sharp and angular lines for the bats and paint black.

Draw 3 black dots on the ghosts eyes and mouth and stick goggly eyes on to the bats. they can be the same size or different for extra fun.

Once you have finished decorating your bats and ghosts, stick to a piece of string or ribbon with a hot glue gun (an adult may want to do this) or stick on with sellotape or staples then hang your bunting for spoooooooky decorations.

Well done - Your craft b at and ghost egg boxes are complete... How about trying some of the other Halloween egg box crafts following these tutorials...

Egg Box Halloween Crafts - Ghosts

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 18:17:32 GMT

Easy Halloween Crafts with your kids this October - Ghost Egg Boxes

You will need:

an egg box
scissors
white paint
paint brush
black felt tip pen or sharpie
goggly eyes and glue (optional)

Cut the top off your egg box and cut out each individual egg holder.

Paint 2 egg cups white for each ghost.

Draw 3 circles for eyes (or use googly eyes) and mouth and stack on top of each other with an offcut spacer inbetween for extra height

If you'd like to decorate your house with even more ghosts, this ghost and bat bunting also uses old egg boxes.

Well done - Your craft g host egg boxes are complete... How about trying some of the other Halloween egg box crafts following these tutorials...

Egg Box Halloween Crafts - Pumpkin

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 18:05:18 GMT

Easy Halloween Crafts with your kids this October - Pumpkin Egg Boxes

You will need:

an egg box
scissors
Orange (or yellow and red) paint
paint brush
black felt tip pen or sharpie
lollypop stick
glue
green paper/card for leaf

Cut the top off your egg box and cut out each individual egg holder.

Paint 1 egg cup orange for each pumpkin.

Draw a scary face on your orange egg cup using a felt tip pen or sharpie.

Cut a lollypop stick in half, cut a whole in top of the egg cup and slot in.

Cut out a leaf from green paper of card and glue to the lollypop stick.

Well done - Your craft pumpkin egg boxes are complete... How about trying some of the other Halloween egg box crafts following these tutorials...

Egg Box Halloween Crafts - Vampire

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 17:14:52 GMT

Easy Halloween Crafts with your kids this October - Vampire Egg Boxes

You will need:

an egg box
scissors
black paint
paint brush
googly eyes
glue
Red paper/card for bow-tie
White paper/card for shirt and teeth

Cut the top off your egg box and cut out each individual egg holder. Keep the tops of the middle points as spacers to make your figure taller.

Paint 2 of the egg holders black and carefully paint or draw the outline of a heart for the vampires headand paint the rest of the egg cup.

Cut out a long triangle of white paper for the body of the vampire and two very small triangles for teeth.

Use the red card to cut out a little bow tie. Stick the white triangle upside down with the bow tie about half way down.

Draw a smile using a felt tip pen or sharpie and stick the teeth just below the black line .

Stick on googly eyes and stack your 3 egg holders on top of each other with a spacer in-between (you can use glue to make the models more durable - I recommend an adult use a hot glue gun if available as PVA isn't particularly sticky on these cartons).

Well done - Your craft Vampire egg boxes are complete... How about trying some of the other Halloween egg box crafts following these tutorials...

Or for simple decorations try this bat and ghost bunting .

Egg Box Halloween Crafts - Witch

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 17:01:38 GMT

Easy Halloween Crafts with your kids this October - Witch Egg Boxes

You will need:

an egg box
scissors
green and black paint (or I used a green egg box for the head)
paint brush
googly eyes
glue
black paper/card for hat
orange paper/card for hair

Cut the top off your egg box and cut out each individual egg holder. Keep the tops of the middle points as spacers to make your figure taller.

Paint 2 of the egg holders black and 1 green for each figure.

Cut out 8 lon g rectangles of orange paper or card and stick on to the green holder as hair.

Cut two circles out of a piece of black paper/card. Cut to the centre line of one and twist on itself to make a pointy cone.

Stick the cone to the other black circle to make the witches hat and stick onto the witches head.

Draw a smile and nose using a felt tip pen or sharpie.

Well done - Your craft Witch egg boxes are complete... How about trying some of the other Halloween egg box crafts following these tutorials...

If you'd like to make your house even spookier for Halloween, why not try this egg box craft bat and ghost bunting .

Egg Box Halloween Crafts - Frankenstein's Moster

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 16:34:36 GMT

Easy Halloween Crafts with your kids this October - Frankenstein's Monster Egg Boxes

You will need:

an egg box
scissors
purple, green and black paint (or primary colours for mixing)
I use pink (red & white) and blue for a nicer mauve
I used a green egg box for the head
If you don't have paint, felt tip pens or sharpies will do
googly eyes
glue
black paper/card for mouth and eye brows

Cut the top off your egg box and cut out each individual egg holder. Keep the tops of the middle points as spacers to make your figure taller.

Paint 2 of the egg holders purple and 1 green for each figure.

Paint or draw zig-zag hair on the top of the green egg box.

Cut out two rectangles of paper or card and stick on to the green holder as a mouth and eye brows.

Well done - Your Frankensteins monster egg boxes are complete... How about trying some of the other Halloween egg box crafts following these tutorials...

To complete the spooky halloween look, why not decorate your house with this egg box crafte d bat and ghost bunting .

Halloween Egg Box Crafts

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 16:14:20 GMT

Egg Box Rainy Day Halloween Crafts

We always save egg boxes and toilet rolls. My boys, especially the youngest, love nothing more than crafting, and I love recycling or re-using anything and everything, so it's a match made in crafting heaven (saving the environment and my pocket one egg-box at a time).

Most of the time, they just stick various bits of cardboard and coloured paper together to make rockets, towers, and robots, but as it's halloween, I thought we could have a slightly more focussed crafting activity this October half-term.

Follow along for step by step instructions to make Ghosts, Bats, Vampires, Frankenstein's monster, Witches and Pumpkins... we have plans to make monsters too, but havent got there yet - I'll update this once we do.

What you will need?

Depending on which scary figures you want to make, will determine which paints you need. If you know about the colour wheel, you can make any colours you need with red, blue and yellow (however for Frankensteins mauve body, I prefer to mix pink and blue as red and blue tends to make a darker purple. If you don't have pink, just add little red to white paint). For the bats and ghosts you will want white and black paint, but lighter egg boxes could be used as they are for the ghosts and felt tip pens could be used for black bats. If you don't have googl y eyes, felt tip pens (we used sharpies) or paint could be used.

Adults may want to help with cutting the egg boxes. I found they were a little awkward to cut through and I spent an hour the night before preparing. In the morning the boys painted everything, then in the afternoon we came back to stick all the pieces together and decorate.

So... now you have everything you need. follow my easy step by step instructions and keep your kids entertained for hours.

Bats and Ghosts

Frankenstein's monster

Witches

Dracula and Vampire friends

Spooky Pumpkins

Ghosts

Daily walks in Hertford during the Lockdown

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 19:46:54 GMT

Are you getting out for some exercise?

Almost a month into lockdown for Covid-19 here in the UK, and I don't know about you, but I know we are cherishing the opportunity to get out of the house for a family walk or more vigorous exercise.

It occured to me about a week ago, whilst taking a walk through my local forest that was carpeted in the early buds of bluebells how much I am missing shooting already. I had a big long think about if it might be possible to document other local peoples daily exercise whilst taking part in my own. I have a long 135mm lens, which allows me to stand very far back from my subjects (a minimum of around 10 meters), and having so much beautiful countryside right on my doorstep provides so many opportunities.

I hesitantly offered the opportunity for me to join locals from Hertford (specifically those in Bengeo) on their daily walk... The criterea were very clear:

Available to individual households only - no meeting with extended family or friends.
The location must be walking distance for us both - absolutely no driving to take a walk
No stopping and posing - This was a documentary photoshoot and I would simply be observing from a distance.
Maximum of 1 shoot per day and up to 2 a week during my own exercise in the evening when it is quieter.

I would like to make it really clear how far away I was during these walks - I am religiously abiding to social distancing measures. The couple featured here very kindly took a couple of photos of me shooting during the walk so I can demonstrate how far away I was... Any photos that appear closer have been cropped during post-production in Photoshop.

For me, joining other people in lockdown was an incredible experience... A lovely insight into how other families are living and coping with lockdown, and I even discovered a new pathway only a few minutes from my own home. Best of all, this walk made me feel useful and offered me some purpose, while giving another family some memories of this ever so strange time we find ourselves living in (it turned out these photos are even more precious, as they were due to get married in a few weeks and now sadly cannot).

It was quite nice to talk to other human beings too.

The best part of it though, was the reaction I got after sending this family their album.

"Wow Joanne, your pic's are absolutely amazing!

They are even better than we had hoped and the best family pictures we have together.

Thank you so much!"

Glen and Helen. April 2020

As always, these comments make my heart sing and everything I do worthwhile. Thank you for taking a walk with me.

Free Photography Tips - Light

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 20:50:43 GMT

Photography is "Painting with Light"

Everywhere around us is panic and fear. We are living through the strangest and most surreal time of our lives - Lockdown - not only in our country, but around the world. Children are home from school, parents have become teachers... For me as a self-employed photographer, I find myself without any income or idea when I might work again? But that doesn't mean I have to put my camera down. I will be sharing some free lessons, hints, tips and challenges with all those Home Educating. Please leave comments below if you or your children have any questions.

I shared a challenge today in Hertfordshire Free Classes and Tutorials asking children to shoot using hard and soft light, finding patterns and was really pleased to see people taking part.

Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light.

Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography. - George Eastman

I really love hard light, such as that from direct sunlight in the photo taken above by a 13 year old boy who took part in my challenge. Hard light creates dark shadows with very distinct edges, As opposed to soft light where the distinction between highlights and shadows blends. If you are taking photos of your children during this time, you may find soft light creates a nicer photo. On a bright day, you can find soft light in the shadows, or on a cloudy day, the clouds act as a natural diffuser, like a soft-box in a photography studio.

I took a few examples while out on our walk today to demonstrate why you may prefer to seek out soft light and how to do it. In this first one the boys were sitting on a log. In the hard light, my eldest son had lots of shadows on his face from his hair which are distracting... I simply moved them to the other side of the log where there was shadow.

What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time. - John Berger

In this second example, I quite like the hard light, but just by taking a step forward into the shadow I feel there is less distraction. It does feel a little dull though. If this were a real photography session, I would probably have taken a reflector with me to brighten up his face, and would add a little more contrast during editing, but for the purposes of these photos I've uploaded the SOOC (straight out of camera).

I hope you've enjoyed these little tips. Please let me know if there are any other topics you'd like me to cover?

In the meantime, if you'd like some more in depth photography training to keep the kids occupied, please contact me about online 1:1 photography classes.

Coronavirus in Hertfordshire - Helping your community

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 22:04:10 GMT

5 ways to help your local community during the Coronvirus

I won't lie, I've been a little bit upset seeing all these images of crowds swarming into supermarkets to buy 700 toilet rolls and clearing the shelves of hand soap. Just 1 month ago, my social media feed was full of people preaching how we should be kind to each other in light of mental health awareness, but the slightest fear of isolation and apparently it's each man for himself.

I'm not judging, I get it, I really do - people want to make sure their families will be ok - but last week, when we were down to our last toilet roll, it took me 3 visits to different supermarkets to find some. We were fine, we could have lived without it, we had kitchen roll. However, it did really get me thinking about my 94 year old client who gets the bus half an hour to the shop once a week. What happens to her when they don't have essentials in stock? She doesn't have a car that she can just drive around to other places until she finds some. She can't go back at 8am to fight her way through the crowds. What about those who live pay check to pay check and can't stockpile?

In light of all this, I have been looking at ways that I can help those who are more vulnerable. If you've been thinking the same thing, here are a few great tips.

1) Print off this little note and pop it in your neighbours doors.

If you are part of a local community group, you may find that streets are already being allocated, so check it out and see if you can help? I know we have some elderly neighbours down my road who I haven't spoken to personally, maybe this will be a lifeline?

2) Provide meals for those who can't afford them

I've seen this little offer of help going around Facebook and I have no doubt that if schools become closed, there will be families who rely on free school meals that will depend on this community support:

C O R O N A V I R U S ��

If the school closures go ahead and you have concerns about your child not being able to eat breakfast or lunch let me know.

I will do what I can to help.

A cooked meal , A box of cereal, jug of milk, bread, sugar and cheese, jam.

Whatever it may be, I will try to help.

Do not be ashamed we all need help at times.

Come in confidence that it will be confidential!!

If you too can offer help then copy and paste to your page to let others know they can come to you for support!

3) Donate to your local Foodbank

Food bank donations are really down at the moment... Please donate a little if you can at the following collection points in Hertford and Ware :

4) Spread a little cheer

There are some lovely ideas circulating with suggestions of how to spread a little love, especially to the elderly in nursing homes who may not be allowed any visitors now, or for the foreseeable future, or those self Isolation. These can double up as a great activity to do with your children if they are home from school.

Get your kids to write notes, draw or colour-in pictures and send them to your local nursing home?

There is a great list of nursing homes in Hertford and nursing homes in Ware .

Alternatively there is a facebook group "Postcards of Kindness" you can join to reach individuals who are lonely and vulnerable.

In Spain they are putting rainbows �� and “everything is going to be okay” in the windows ... This seems like a lovely way to cheer up your neighbourhood.

5) Help your Children/Grandchildren study if isolating

I LOVE this facbook post by Jean Parnell. It has been shared on facebook 36,000 (and counting) in 3 days, and I can totally see why - what an amazing list of FREE online educational resources that may help you keep you children entertained (and educated) if they are self isolation, or due to school closures. I will certainly be taking some time to go through each of the links.

School closures will no doubt come, for any parents worrying this list was put together by the home ed community �� feel free to share.

FREE online education resources

A non-exhaustive list that might help those affected by school closures due to coronavirus, compiled by home educators.

Feel free to share.

Khan Academy

Especially good for maths and computing for all ages but other subjects at Secondary level. Note this uses the U.S. grade system but it's mostly common material.

BBC Learning

This site is old and no longer updated and yet there's so much still available, from language learning to BBC Bitesize for revision. No TV licence required except for content on BBC iPlayer.

Futurelearn

Free to access 100s of courses, only pay to upgrade if you need a certificate in your name (own account from age 14+ but younger learners can use a parent account).

Seneca

For those revising at GCSE or A level. Tons of free revision content. Paid access to higher level material.

Openlearn

Free taster courses aimed at those considering Open University but everyone can access it. Adult level, but some e.g. nature and environment courses could well be of interest to young people.

Blockly

Learn computer programming skills - fun and free.

Scratch

Creative computer programming

Ted Ed

All sorts of engaging educational videos

National Geographic Kids

Activities and quizzes for younger kids.

Duolingo

Learn languages for free. Web or app.

Mystery Science

Free science lessons

The Kids Should See This

Wide range of cool educational videos

Crash Course

You Tube videos on many subjects

Crash Course Kids

As above for a younger audience

Crest Awards

Science awards you can complete from home.

iDEA Awards

Digital enterprise award scheme you can complete online.

Paw Print Badges

Free challenge packs and other downloads. Many activities can be completed indoors. Badges cost but are optional.

Tinkercad

All kinds of making.

Prodigy Maths

Is in U.S. grades, but good for UK Primary age.

Cbeebies Radio

Listening activities for the younger ones.

Nature Detectives

A lot of these can be done in a garden, or if you can get to a remote forest location!

British Council

Resources for English language learning

Oxford Owl for Home

Lots of free resources for Primary age

Big History Project

Aimed at Secondary age. Multi disciplinary activities.

Geography Games

Geography gaming!

Blue Peter Badges

If you have a stamp and a nearby post box.

The Artful Parent

Good, free art activities

Red Ted Art

Easy arts and crafts for little ones

The Imagination Tree

Creative art and craft activities for the very youngest.

Toy Theater

Educational online games

DK Find Out

Activities and quizzes

Twinkl

This is more for printouts, and usually at a fee, but they are offering a month of free access to parents in the event of school closures.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Twinkl are offering everyone Twinkl Ultimate free for a month, to help keep children learning at home. Visit www.twinkl.co.uk/offer and enter the code PARENTSTWINKLHELPS to set up your free month of Twinkl Ultimate.

I hope these suggestions have helped. This is by no means a comprehensive list, so if you have any other suggetsyions, please ad them in the comments below.

Being a published photographer

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 21:35:38 GMT

How art I created from photos has been viewed around the world

I came home today to a package and thought "What have I ordered now?" - as you do. I didn't remember ordering any photos?

The utter shock, to find this book, in which some of my images and quotes have been featured was so unexpected, it temporarily took my breath away.

About 6 months ago, I was contacted by a lady I didn't know from Canada, who had seen one of the images I had posted online for what would have been my son's 3rd birthday. Isn't the modern world incredible, how you can reach and touch people you have never met through social media. She explained how she was writing a book about bereavement and memory through photography and would love to be able to demonstrate contemporary approaches to the production of joint portraits that include absent loved ones.

Of course I agreed for her to use my photos. I had created these images for myself - the only way I could ever get a glimpse of my three boys together - but to think they may impact on the way others see, feel, and understand parental bereavement has become an underlying current in much of my work over the last few years.

I skim read a few pages of the book, and must say, it is written incredibly well, so eloquent, and Felicity (the author) while she has not experienced child loss herself, has captured what it is like to be a bereaved parent perfectly. The loss of not just what was, but what could have (should have) been. The isolation, in a society where people are afraid of talking about death, and so would rather avoid the subject, and people, completely.

The most startling thing for me though, was to see how she had tracked bereavement photography through history, and how what I had done, was nothing new. I was aware of the Victorian's photographing the dead sitting in chairs, and cots in the case of babies, but not the techniques in which an image of a loved one was combined with a newer image of a relative, almost like a faded imprint, or featured shadow.

Apart from seeing our son Phoenix's name in this book - which really touched my heart - it was incredible to see my images in a book containing historic photographs from the last few centuries, and realising that in the future, this book will become a permanent legacy that people may look back on, and there are my boys, all three of them, not lost online in the never never, but prited for posterity.

My greatest pleasure comes from being able to give the gift of bespoke storytelling images to other families, both documenting their living children, and when asked, giving a nod to their missing child either in the form of a shadow, or something that symbolically represents their loved one.

This book shines a light on how semi-private social media groups enable the bereaved parents of today to navigate their grief in the modern world. The author explores how creative, and sometimes contested, incorporations of photography within these online spaces demonstrate a revival and renegotiation of historic practices. By shining a light on recurrent tendencies and their evolution within new media this book offers an opportunity to observe the complex relationships grief can prompt some individuals to form with the portraits of absent loved ones.

Parental Grief and Photographic Remembrance is available to purchase on Amazon and directly from Emerald Publishing . You can even easily recommend it to your local or school library using this request form .

Master Builders Lego Parties Hertford and Ware

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 21:33:12 GMT

The Best Lego Party in Hertfordshire

If you're children are into Lego like my sons, then I can't recommend a Master Builders session or bespoke party enough. We attended one of Darren's groups in Ware during half term, and my boys just got stuck in making a variety of vehicles to send down the ramp, pure creativity in action. After the best part of an hour I eventually persuaded them to explore what else was available, and my eldest discovered the Lego Basketball and Lego football sets. He played really well with another little boy, and when he left Darren himself stepped in to play a few games while I entertained my youngest who had moved onto creating a fire engine duplo pirate ship.

On the way home, when I asked how much they'd liked it, Master Builders was given a resounding 8 out of 10... Very high praise indeed for my sons, especially when there wasn't a computer game in sight.

I immediately called to book Master Builders for a small party at home for my sons 8th Birthday. There were just 5 children attending, but that was the ideal number for this sort of party in a home setting.

Darren brought everything with him; more lego than anyone would know what to do with - wheels, figures, timers and kits, his car ramp; he even hires environmentally friendly re-usable plates, crockery and serving bowls for your snacks (in the form of lego heads) making it the easiest party to organise.

The funny thing about kids is, and I don't know if you've noticed this? They can be really fascinated with simple things - cardboard boxes, pouring water, and in the case of lego, it's not always about buying a pack and following the instructions, the boys just tucked right into the boxes, using their imaginations and building incredible contraptions to race down the ramp.

Darren didn't do much led activities, as the boys were all quite happy just playing on their own, but towards the end, he did get out some individual pre-prepared sets and showed the boys how to make catapults which they all really enjoyed. He has other activities that he could do with groups who prefer led activities, such as tower building races, and for children over 9 you can book a Legobot robot wars party (or a Junior Legobot party for children 7 plus).

Darren runs a variety of stay and play and after school clubs around Hertfordshire that you can attend aimed at children 5 to 11 years old (although he does bring duplo for children 4 and younger if you have siblings). He also runs clubs in conjunction with SPACE for children with Autism and ADHD , and clubs for homeschool groups . You can book onto sessions at this year's Ware's the bricks on the 18th and 19th April

and find out more about bespoke parties on his website and Master Builders Facebook Page .

Melody Monkeys Birthday Parties Hertfordshire

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 23:51:46 GMT

Looking for a party entertainer in Herts? Read on...

I first met Sally who runs Melody Monkeys a few years ago when she was running weekly classes for pre-school children with special needs in Hertford and Cheshunt. It would often take my son 40 minutes to settle into baby music classes, by which time they were usually finishing, so the small numbers and Sally's calm but passionate demeanour worked so well for us, and quickly became the favourite hour of our week.

This year for our sons 4th birthday we decided to have a few friends from school over. We were thrilled to discover that Sally also offers bespoke parties. We didn't hesistate to book her while she had some space to fit us in as we knew she would be the perfect mix of party fun and warmth.

When Sally arrived, she briefly set up, and then gathered the children together sitting in a circle on the floor. I had gathered up all the cushions in the house for them to sit on, but this wasn't really necessary as they were jumping up and down for the entire party.

To get the children settled, in the way a support act opens for a comedien, Sally asked if anyone knew the song "wind the bobbin up" (which of course they all did) and then surprised us all with her own special version with altered tempo, unexpectedly fast then slow, and impossible to keep up with or predict. Within two minutes all the children were engrossed and the whole room, adults and children were laughing. I honestly don't know how she did it... so natural but such a skill.

When I booked Sally, she sent me a form to complete... She offers specific superhero and princess themed parties throughout Hertfordshire, but even when just going for a standard party, she will try to work in your theme if possible. We had a lego cake, but on the form mentioned our son loves vehicles and construction... by the second song, Sally had already fed into this passion with a vehicles song, complete with little props of paper vehicles on lollypop sticks. My son's face was an absolute picture, he was already completely engrossed and having so much fun.

Sally seamlessly led this into a train song with a choo choo train whistle, and a conga line, led by the birthday boy. Walking in a tight circle, they adventured out of our party area into laps around the kitchen Island... I'm sure if you hired a hall this would be a really fun song exploring.

After all of the vehicle songs, out came the Parachute. I don't think a parachute ever fails to bring out smiles, joy and laughter. There was a crocodile, lion, flying birds and even a snow storm bouncing up and down on the parachute - but my favourite bit was when it actually rained inside (with the help of a fine mist spray bottle). The children were all allowed under the parachute too. It never ceases to amaze me just how wondrous sitting under a coloured piece of material can be.

Even as I write this, I find it hard to believe just how many activities were packed into a one hour birthday party with Melody Monkeys. The parachute games were followed by throwing coloured swatches into the air, and a bit of peek-a-boo. The Gruffalo made and appearance, as did good old baby shark (do-do-do, do-do-do), and a song accompanied by finger puppets, which I know from previous Melody Monkeys sessions is a staple and favourite.

A stretchy piece of material helped keep to theme with the introduction of construction vehicles being bounced high into the air, and regularly flying into the crowd and onto the floor met with rautious laughter from the kids. I tried my best to photograph this, but ended up with a lot of yellow blurs from the flying tractor, whilst simultaneously helping to lift the material with my other hand... maybe I should try less multi-tasking in the future?

Any party for toddlers and pre-schoolers wouldn't be complete without bubbles, with young, and youngest alike all enjoying the wonder of watching them float in the air and land in their hair.

To finish the party, Sally needed a dark room for disco lights, but with 4 meters of glass doors and a skylight, we weren't going to get much in our party room. Thinking on her feet, she suggested we move to the playroom which has curtains, and I've never seen the room look so magical... In fact I think as soon as I've finished writing this I will be heading online to buy some disco lights myself.

I can't thank Sally and all of our guests enough for braving the gale force winds to attend our birthday party today. Despite 3 power cuts during the party, the entertainment was unaffected (and thankfully the pizzas and hot dogs did get cooked - eventually).

If you'd like to attend melody monkeys weekly sessions they run in Ware, Stansted Abbotts, Buntingford, Braughing and Hoddesdon. You can also book a bespoke birthday party throughout Hertfordshire , or even a princess and superhero themed party - I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Sally is my number one reccomendation for children with Special Needs - she has a calm presence, puts no pressure on children to join in (but welcomes them naturally) and puts a fun spin on all the classics.

I photograph all sorts of events, including birthday parties for all ages at a variety of locations throughout Hertfordshire, London, Essex and Cambridge - Here's an example from a recent first birthday party in Harlow . Or if you're looking to capture the milestones in a more relaxed setting, please check out my cake smash and splash or find out more about studio sessions .

Photography with SEND families in Hertfordshire

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 22:00:08 GMT

Are you considering a family photoshoot with SEND?

Over the last few years, I have become one of Hertfordshire's most sought after photographer for families with additional needs. I have worked with many local charities and families who use SPACE Herts, ADDvance, Angels, Families in focus, and members of Bishops Stortford, Hertford and Ware Additional needs Mums groups.

Why, you may ask? Well, because of these two angelic looking little terrors.

My boys are both Autistic, the youngest was born prematurely at 32 weeks, was in the NICU, SCBU, and came home with a feeding tube, and the eldest has ADHD too. So, when you enter my studio with a child who has sensory processing issues, may get distressed with transitions, doesn't like eye contact, or maybe has other behavioural, neurological or physical challenges, I haven't just met a family with similar needs - I have lived it.

Most families with special needs children come to me because they have seen my wonderful photos, but more importantly, have heard the many reviews from other families who have felt relaxed in my studio and seen their children relax in an environment with no pressure or expectations.

I had a lovely family in last week who I met via the Additional Support for Additional Needs - Parents (Ware and Hertford) group who left me this lovely recommendation on the facebook group page: "Hi everyone, I just wanted to post to say that we recently had a photography session with Joanne Lewis who took the most beautiful photographs of our children. We wanted someone who was patient and who really understood the reason we wanted updated photos. Chester had plenty of time to settle down and although they were a little whirlwind together, the pics are lovely! Absolutely love them and I would highly recommend her".

If you are looking for a photographer close to Hertfordshire, Essex, North London or Cambridgeshire, please contact me with any questions about how I can make your photoshoot easier (I can send photos of the studio and help with social stories upon request).

I also photograph Newborn babies, and am friends with some incredible photographers in this industry. I am so proud to shout out to my friend Natalie Moss who won Newborn Photographer of the year 2019 at the Societies of Photographers International Awards last week. Check out her blog about winning and Maternity and Baby Photo Shoots in Surrey .

Cake Smash and Splash in Hertford

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:23:12 GMT

First Birthday Birthday photoshoots (and beyond)

Possibly my favourite session. I love cake smash and splash photoshoots. Typically aimed at children around their first birthday (although I did one with my own son for his second, and third birthday's) they are a great way to celebrate and document all the leaps, bounds and changes they have made in the last year.

At a cake smash, I start with a few nice portraits in smart clothes to capture their personalities, then the birthday child will usually be given a cake to play with. This makes for a lot of fun and some really great natural photos...

A cake can be provided by a very talented baker I work with, however, the cake can also be exchanged for a watermelon for variety and colour or even a wooden cake if you prefer.

Once they've got nice and messy, I get out a little tub with some warm water and bubbles which usually induces joy and wonder. Sometimes a milk bath with strawberries or flowers is just the ticket too.

You will be invited back to my studio around two weeks after your session to view your final gallery of around 15 beautiful edited and enhanced images. This is your opportunity to choose which photos you love for your walls and decide which package you may wish to purchase.

Investment

You will be invited back to my Hertford studio around two weeks after your session to view your final gallery of a minimum of 15 beautifully enhanced and fully edited images. It’s at this point when you may decide which package of digital images, prints, and wall art you may want to purchase.

There is no obligation to purchase a single image, however, should you wish to order just a few images or prints rather than a package, due to the time involved in processing, ordering and printing etc. there is a minimum order fee of £349.

A £99 non-refundable retainer is required in order to secure your booking. This will be deducted from your final order.

A beautiful cake can be provided from £40. More specialist designs may be ordered upon request.

Next week I'll be talking about outdoor photoshoots. One of my favourite outdoor photographers is Noosa Photographer in Australia

Birthday party photographer Harlow

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 23:43:34 GMT

Birthday Party Cake Smash Photos on Location in Essex

Possibly the only thing more special than celebrating your baby's first year, is celebrating one of a rainbow baby. I have been so honoured to be there for the whole of Raine's journey with her mum, through a worrying pregnancy, to being one of the first people lucky enough to meet her at her Newborn photoshoot in my Hertford studio, all the way to her first birthday.

Raine's first birthday was meticulously planned, from the beautiful matching pastel coloured rainbows, balloons, cake and decor, to the entertainment - all topped off by an amazing gathering of family and friends.

The biggest difference for me as a photographer, was that I was documenting a cake smash on location in Matching Tye Village Hall, all set up by the parents, rather than in my photography studio in Hertford. It was such a beautiful set up, all with so much meaning to mum, and the effort she had put in to creating a stage for some timeless photos that will be cherished for an entire lifetime was evident.

Raine has allergies, so the cake was made up of two tiers, one made using standard sponge cake ingredients and the other lactose free for the cake smash. Mum really thought of everything for the party and photos... I will have to take notes next time I organise a party for my children.

Raine's big brother didn't want to be in the photos - there was far too much fun to be had with the soft play and piñata, but we did manage to grab him for a quick family portrait.

The food spread was beautiful and delicious... I quickly took a few photos when I realised people were helping themselves before it all got eaten up. The pick and mix station was a huge hit with the kids (and adults alike).

I can't wait to watch Raine grow up and have the family back for more birthdays and annual family portraits as their children grow. Thank you for trusting me to document such an important occasion in your lives.

As we all have camera phones these days, you may be tempted to take your own birthday party photos, although, all too often it's easy to get distracted and miss the key opportunities. Something else you may have considered is taking your own Newborn photos. While I would never recommend trying to copy the poses a professional photographer has trained for, using window light for natural shots at home can be very effective. Rayah Sunshine Photography has shared some great tips for Photographing your new baby .

2010s in pictures

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 23:50:49 GMT

This was my decade - what are your memories?

Ten years ago, I couldn’t have - in my wildest dreams - imagined what was to befall me. It really was a decade of the most extreme highs and lows that could be written into the plot of any film, let alone real life.

I’m not one to hide the hard parts of my life, or post a picture perfect fallacy on social media. I am what you see – a heart on my sleeve kind of girl – and I believe that serves me well in life and in work.

That being said, seeing the reality of life can sometimes be too much for people, and I respect that, but I’ve always believed by being open and honest about the good and the bad, I am helping myself and others who are going through similar experiences.

In 2010 I got engaged and married the love of my life 6 months later. My husband has continued to be my best friend, absolute rock, an incredible father, and a protector and provider for our family (in a very modern, non-stone-age sense).

We went on a 7-month honeymoon in 2010-11. Travelling around the world on a budget (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, Bali, Malasia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China – gosh it was exhausting). Sharing hostal rooms with 6 or 8 other people, sleeping on night buses, and enjoying the kiwi-experience with young adults who were the antithesis of a married couple – and had the absolute time of our lives.

In 2011 we bought our first house and fell pregnant with our first child.

This was also the year I became a “real photographer” and photographed my first wedding

My husband often used to joke that I had a check list for “life” and whenever some life event happened, he would say to me “tick”. He said “tick a lot in 2011. It was a great year.

In 2012 our fist son was born. That must have been one of the most incredible and scary moments of my life. Through everything he has brought us love and joy. I still scroll through the album of photos from that first year with all the milestones, from our professional photos still mounted on the wall, to first time he smiled, rolled, ate, sat, swam, crawled, cruised… The development of a young baby is like nothing you could imagine before becoming a parent.

I’m honestly stuck for what happened in 2013? I think we just settled into family life, spent time with our son and local friends from Hertford and Ware.

2014 is the year that my life was split into the before and after. I was ecstatic when I fell pregnant with our second son, and 6 months later my entire world was torn apart when he died during premature labour. 5 years on, I surprise myself that I tend to function as a normal human being on a day to day basis, because back then, for the first few years, I was broken… not a bit sad or depressed, but a broken person and I will never ever get over the loss of our second born son.

2015 was pretty much a blur – alongside me somehow functioning through the fog, our living son experienced the most horrendous year at pre-school and nursery, resulting in him being referred to a paediatrician and the childhood development clinic for autism assessment… Anyone who has been through this process knows that it is slow, long and drawn out.

During all of this, I fell pregnant 3 more times, losing 2 pregnancies to miscarriage, and having weekly scans and visits to hospital in London to help me keep the 3rd. For some reason, we thought it would be sensible to throw buying a new house and moving into the process - 2015 was a stressful year.

2016 I gave birth to our 3rd son at 32 weeks – he was only 3lb 4 oz, and I spent the whole of February in the NICU and SCBU with him, and the next several months having him almost permanently attached to my body in a wrap. Ironically, I met 4 of my favourite people in the NICU and have loved spending the last 4 years watching our tiny babies grow into strong healthy children – wow what a blessing. My eldest son received his Autism diagnosis and moved schools, which finally relieved so much stress.

2017 and 18 – just work and family – things were finally starting to turn around and go well again – just normal life (all I ever wanted) – and then, bam!

2019 I found out I am BRCA2+ which is a genetic variant that puts my risk of certain types of cancer at an incredibly increased risk (around 75% for breast cancer) and suddenly I’ve been thrust back into surgeries and quite significant life choices… I’m now on a waiting list to have my “currently” healthy breasts removed – and you can bet I’m facing it head on and you’ll be seeing a photographic project around breast cancer in the near future.

I had my 15 faces of baby loss project printed in 2 local papers, including the front page of the Bishops Stortford Indy. I even managed to turn a very personal creative photography project on baby loss into a viral blog that has been posted, re-posted, written about in several countries and different languages, and am looking forward to seeing some of my photos published in book by a Canadian author in the coming year.

In life, I have lost and made friends during my ups and downs. In work, I have managed to build an incredible business that I love. I have photographed many families who have been through some of the same experiences I have. In fact, while my openness and honesty may be off-putting for some, I am so pleased that others have come to me because I understand and can relate and empathise.

I would love to hear about your decade… and wish everyone reading and every one of my customers a very special year and decade ahead with health, love and happiness… I will be celebrating my 40th birthday, and having surgery – wish me luck xxx

Must-have buys for a newborn baby

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 21:42:40 GMT

Gift wish list when expecting your first baby

I saw a post on my local Ware and Hertford mums facebook group asking for suggestions of gifts she should add to the list for her baby shower. The mum-to-be wanted ideas for things she may not have considered, and little-known must haves. There were some really great suggestions on there, some I had, some I wish I’d had when my own children were young, and others that have been invented since.

I thought I would share some of the suggestions here - and a few of my own. This is in no way a comprehensive list of everything you need with a newborn baby, but hopefully will be a good start for a first-time parent. If you can think of anything else I should add to my list, please pop a note in the comments.

Car seat wrap

It’s not advised to have babies in coats in their car seats for safety and overheating. Wraps were advised by several mums in the group and they think they’re brilliant! You’ll get use from birth, and while there are many wraps available with slits for buckles and a variety of designs, the one that stood out to me was the Snugglebundl . This is a hammock styled baby wrap with strong handles made of soft natural cotton. The design gives secure head support for your baby which means you can move them still asleep when lifting and laying. This gives more precious sleep for your baby’s development and more rest for you! Great for those late nights when you need to settle your baby. Gentle rocking in the Snugglebundl relieves the pain of colic and gently lifting with the handles helps with reflux.

It’s the only product that allows you to remove a baby from a car seat without waking so it reduces all risks of over-using car seats from hypoxia to flat head syndrome. Reduced stooping also helps with pregnancy, back pain and recovery from any post birth symptoms, including c-sections. Recommended by midwives, doctors, sleep experts and car seat experts too!

Electric thermometer

Nothing fancy here, but an electric Thermometer can alert you to fevers that may need immediate medical care. We still us ours with our 3 and 7 year olds, so it’s worth investing in an accurate thermometer built to last. We had the Braun 5 in 1 in ear thermometer with probe covers so it can safely be shared between family members without spreading infections. If I were to buy now though, I think I would choose the Braun 3 in 1 No touch forehead Thermometer with Age Precision . This dual technology means that you get fast and precise temperature readings in two ways: In the Touch mode by placing the thermometer on the forehead and in No-Touch mode, by holding the thermometer in front of your child's forehead, reducing stress for your child, and allowing you to check their temperature while they sleep without waking them. The Food & liquid mode allows you to easily measure your baby food, drink or even bath temperature.

Baby Bath

We tried various baby baths and an in bath seat with my baby's, but we found just supporting our sons head in a shallow bath worked best. There were however some issues with this - mainly the strain on our own backs, and only having one hand to play and splash. The Shnuggle Baby Bath with Bum Bump Support and Cosy Foam Back Rest won Mother and baby awards best bath product 2017 and seems like a really great bath for newborn babies that combats both these issues. I thought this review from a real user described the pros and cons well.

“I looked at this for a few months before deciding to buy it as I thought it was a total gimmick but I have to say I'm really glad I got it. My boy was 6lbs 10oz at birth so pretty small but he can sit up in this by himself - I've been using this since he was 10 days old. I used a normal baby bath for his first bath & it didn't go well - he was slipping & sliding everywhere. I got this and the bum wedge really works well and helps hold him upright - he does fall to the side a bit if I'm not holding him but not enough to get his face in the water. I don't need to hold on to him the whole time he's in it which means I can play with him more rather than grip on to him for dear life. I use it in my kitchen sink - it's too tall for me to comfortably use on the counter top. I would definitely recommend this as it's helped take the stress out of bathing”.

White Noise

The Marcpac Hushh is a portable white noise projector perfect for helping your baby get off to sleep. Most Newborn Photographers use something very similar during their sessions and I can testify that white noise is very soothing for most babies. You can also ask Alexa to play white noise or find apps on your phone.

Newborn Photoshoot

Of course a newborn photoshoot may not be at the top of your list, but those first few weeks go so fast. Before you know it you've missed your chance to documentall those little wrinkles and dimples in your baby's new skin. If you're having a baby shower, I can provide a meternity or newborn photoshoot vouchers in smaller denominations, or receive payments from various parties to cover the entire shoot, or a package. Even better, if you've already booked, vouchers can be put towards packages and wall art. Don't forget to add your photoshoot to your wish list.

Make New Years Resolutions You Can Keep

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 09:45:53 GMT

How to make New Year's resolutions you'll keep in 2020

January 1st is that time of year that many of us see as an opportunity for a fresh start after all the indulgence (or sometimes a few days later in my case, as on the first I'm usually still indulging, and don't want to fail before I've begun). But how many of you have ever actually stuck to your new year’s resolutions for more than a month?

I saw research last year that said 60% of us make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8% stick with them… so the odds aren’t great.

This year, rather than just making a resolution… break it down into SMART goals.

To help you out I’ve included a few examples of how to make you goal SMART, and therefore more likely to be accomplished.

A SMART goal for a top New Year’s resolution of eating healthier and losing weight would be:

Specific: (use quanitities)

Measurable: (this helps you to see if you are sticking to your goal)

Achievable: (small achievable goals equal progress)

Relevant: (goals should be relevant to you, not generic)

Time-bound: (give yourself a time scale for achieving your goal – i.e)

I will lose 10lbs within 3 months by eating 5 pieces of fruit per day instead of snacking on biscuits between meals.

By setting small goals in this way, you can adjust them once achieved so you are always progressing.

Setting smart goals will help you make healthier food choices. You can split your goals into the specific eating goals (e.g. eating less biscuits), and the behaviour change goals (e.g. preparing fruit and vegetable pots to eat on the go).

Both types are important.

Examples of SMART eating goals:

Start with just a few at a time, maybe 3 small goals, and see how you get on. Better to start with a few you can stick to than a huge goal that you can’t.

'I will...

Limit my chocolate intake to one fun-sized bar three times a week

Eat at least three pieces of fruit everyday

Cut my alcohol by half

Examples of SMART behaviour change goals:

'I will...

• Sit down at the dinner table to eat all meals an eat without distractions

• Avoid keeping food temptations in the house

• Serve food on smaller plates

Getting good at goal setting

Measuring success

How are you going to measure success? Think how long it might take to achieve a specific goal and set a date for checking it. Tick if achieved or not by the review date. When a goal has been achieved, allow yourself a reward or treat, such as going to see a favourite film, buying a new CD, or going for a swim. Something for YOU - you deserve it!

Support

Making changes is tough, and to be successful, you'll need support and encouragement. Where will you get your support from? It might be a friend, family member, your GP, practice nurse or dietitian, or a group perhaps. Someone to say "Well done!" or "How's it going?" on a regular basis can make all the difference to your motivation and confidence.

Planning ahead

It really is worth planning ahead. Think about possible barriers, or obstacles that might get in the way of making changes. Your food diary might help you with this. Once identified, think of ways to overcome them, and plan ahead. Click on 'Keeping going' for more details.

What if things go wrong?

It's normal! There are bound to be times when other things get in the way of you achieving your goals: family pressures, busy periods at work, holidays, illness...

To get back on track:

• Remind yourself of the reasons for your goal

• Look at what you've achieved so far

• Remember that a small lapse in your plan is not the end of the world

• Adjust the goal if it is no longer achievable

This SMART goal setting technique can be applied to anything you want to achieve. Other popular New Year’s resolutions include:

Exercise more

I will get up 30 minutes earlier 3 times per week to run. Within 3 months I will run 5km in this time.

Learn a new skill or hobby

I will learn how to play my favourite song on guitar. I will attend 1:1 classes with a guitar instructor once per week and practice at home for 15 minutes each day to achieve this within 3 months.

Spend more time with family and friends

I will research and plan family activities and excursions for at least 2 weekends per month and organise at least 1 evening per month to meet up with friends for a social activity. After 3 months, I will increase this to 2 evenings per month.

Are any of these resolutions on your personal list? Maybe this is the year you will achieve all of them? Here's to a new year filled with much success and happiness.

Hertfordshire Photographer - What sessions are on offer?

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 21:43:24 GMT

Your ideal photoshoot in Hertfordshire and Essex? I've got you covered

I offer a variety shoots in and around Hertfordshire and Essex where you may be looking for a Photographer.

You may not be aware of what is available and what each photoshoot includes, so I thought I would offer a summary here:

Newborn Baby

I take newborn bookings from 12 weeks. I typically photograph newborn babies between days 4 and 14 while they’re still squishy and sleepy. I will pencil an approximate date in the diary based on your due date.

My newborn sessions can last between 2 and 4 hours depending on your baby's disposition on the day. I never rush or force positions and work around feeds and cuddles. At this age, I will aim to get a variety of naked, wrapped and posed images in props. I can never guarantee we will get a specific shot, but will always try my best.

If you have missed the early newborn baby stage, I am still happy to have older babies in for a more relaxed 1-hour mini session. This shoot is more natural with parent cuddles, details and fewer poses.

Sitter Session for Toddlers

As part of your baby's first year, they will hit so many milestones. Before you know it the event you've been waiting for so eagerly has come and gone. This is why hiring a photographer can be so important.

Once your baby is sitting, typically around 7 months, a sitter session is an amazing way to document these changes.

Cake smash and splash

Possibly my favourite session. I love this shoot which is typically aimed at children around their first birthday... although I did one with my own son for his second, and third birthday's. Even a very special 40th with balloons, champagne and chocolates.

At a cake smash, I start with a few nice portraits in smart clothes, then the toddler will usually be given a cake to play with and eat. This makes for a lot of fun and some really great natural photos... In cases of intolerances (or simply for preference), the cake can be exchanged for a watermelon or even a wooden cake.

Once they've got nice and messy, I get out a little tub with some warm water and bubbles which usually induces joy and wonder.

Family Studio Sessions

Would you like to capture some timeless photos of your family? Let me freeze this moment in time for you. Fun relaxed sessions in my Hertford studio (or out on location) where your personalities shine through. These shoots make beautiful portraits for your walls and amazing gifts for grandparents.

Due to the size of my studio, standard family sessions are limited to 6 people... I can accommodate much larger groups with notice and planning. I often find that people who have come to me for a newborn shoot return with their entire families for a special anniversary or as a Christmas gift for grandparents.

Please discuss larger groups or specific requirements with me when booking.

Seasonal Mini sessions.

The outdoors is always beautiful, but at specific times of the year, it is significantly enhanced. Subject to availability I may be able to offer full, or mini photoshoots on specific dates throughout the year.

My favourites are Bluebells in the Spring, lavender and sunflowers in the Summer, poppies and falling leaves in the Autumn and Snow in the winter (this can be edited in as we are so rarely blessed with the white stuff).

Easter, back to school, and Christmas mini sessions are also very popular in my Hertford studio.

Lifestyle

Photography sessions in your own home (within Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridge, Bedford and London) that capture the real you. These sessions are usually aimed at the whole family unit, and documenting your home and what you all like to do there. These sessions are especially great for families who have recently renovated or have a lot of large windowns and natural light.

Find out more about how I work as a Lifestyle Photographer in Hertfordshire.

Pet Photography

In the studio and on location. Everything from puppies to tortoises. with and without their humans.

Events

Birthday Parties (for adults and children), engagement photoshoots, corporate events, and weddings. These events are as individual as you, please contact me to talk through your specific requirements.

Personal Brand Photography

Aimed at entrepreneurs and small businesses, Personal Brand Photography wll bring together your brand identity and how your portray yourself online and in print.

Bespoke compositions

Specialist dream and memory photography, magical composites, fairies and other mythical creatures - I take commissions for this very specialist area of work, and my photos in this area have been published and written about globally.

I like to keep up to date with some of my fellow photographers and Newborn Photographer South Wales New Fawn Photography is talking all about what's in store for 2020

Photography in the smartphone generation

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:00:38 GMT

Mobile phone cameras - a blessing or a curse?

In the last 20 years since Sharp introduced the world’s first 0.35-megapixel phone camera, technology has changed the face of photography available to amateur and hobbyist consumers. In addition to the leaps and bounds in camera phones themselves, the internet and social media have changed why we take photographs, how we document our lives, and who we share them with.

As time has gone on, the photography industry continues to change drastically. As we first moved from film to digital, and then from digital cameras to smartphones, most of us now have a camera in our pocket (or bag) at all times. Consumers have enjoyed the freedom that having this technology available to catch every moment of their children growing up, first foods, days out, holidays, birthdays , celebrations and everyday moments.

The problem with this is many of us have ended up with quantity over quality... thousands of photos clogging up our phones, micro SD cards, external hard drives and of course the cloud - never to be looked at again. Many of them are poor quality, blurry, and grainy, with heads and limbs cut off - but we love them because they're real moments documented. Unfortunately, most of us don't love them enough to print them, make albums or hang them on our walls . Editing apps and filters mean the internet is constantly updated with these photos which don't quite reflect reality. They may occasionally come up on time-hop making us smile momentarily, but for the most part, in our fast-moving consumer environment, once taken and shared they are never seen again.

I think the onset of digital technology initially scared many photographers, who resisted to move with the times and refused to offer digital copies of their work. There was no need to worry though, whilst camera phones are now pretty incredible, often with wide and optical zoom lenses offering far superior details at photography from a distance than they once did, they are still no match for a DSLR. Now with mirrorless cameras, DSLR's are becoming even sharper, better in the dark, and crucially smaller and lighter, meaning, even with the constant improvement of camera phones, they are still no-where near the quality that can be produced by a professional photographer who has the equipment, lenses, and most importantly understands the intention behind each and every photo they take.

The biggest advantage of DSLRs and mirrorless cameras over smartphone cameras is the option of using interchangeable lenses. Digital cameras can utilise lenses with varying focal lengths from ultra-wide to telephoto, macro lenses and more. I tend to use prime lenses, which only shoot at a single focal length, but allow a huge amount of light on the sensor and have no moving parts, unlike zoom lenses, allowing for sharp focus and a quick shutter. Until recently, the basic controls used for the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed) which allow the photographer to overwrite the camera's internal decision-making capabilities and fine-tune exposure were not available on camera phones.

However, last year I purchased a Huawei Mate Pro 20 which comes complete with 3 cameras (including a wide-angle lens and 3x zoom). This phone (and many others which are now being released) comes with a "pro" setting, which allows the 3 elements of the exposure triangle to be adjusted according to your preferences. Now I have to say I love my Huawei camera phone for holiday photos and daily snaps when I don't have my big camera to hand, or just don't want to take it with me, but even with these controls, it doesn't produce anywhere near the same results as a dedicated DSLR or a mirrorless camera would (despite my niece being pretty amazed that I'd taken some of them on my camera - although I'd like to put that down to my understanding of light and composition).

Firstly, in portrait mode, a bokeh (blur) is sometimes applied around the focal point in a circle, rather than in front of and behind the focal point - this feels unnatural and looks very wrong to my trained eye. Smartphone cameras stand at another major disadvantage as the digital zooms in smartphones are usually just cropping into the image and artificially sharpening the resulting pixels. As mentioned above though, even smartphones are now coming with several inbuilt lenses which go some way to improving this.

Overall I couldn't be without my smartphone camera. I often feel it is a blessing and a curse. I take too many photos and don't do anything with most of them. They're not as good as those on my DSLR camera, and detail is often lacking... But, wow - what a privilege to document my babies growing up - and I vow to do more with the photos I take in the future.

If you also find you have thousands of photos, but none of them are hitting the spot, being printed and cherished forever, why don't you book a studio or lifestyle photography shoot and get some beautiful pictures up on the wall or printed in a stunning album?

Lifestyle Photography shoots in your own home

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 20:00:40 GMT

What are lifestyle photography sessions?

I love photographing people. Everything from Newborn babies to great grans and grandads. While I particularly enjoy photographing family sessions in my Hertford studio - getting that perfect smiling shot that will be printed as a large piece of wall art hung up above the mantle; I have a particular affinity with seasonal shoots and working on location. Another area I have been falling in love with over the last few years is lifestyle sessions that aim to capture "a day in the life" of your family at home.

If you're not a photographer, this probably requires a bit more explanation. So, what are lifestyle sessions?

Well, it's you, at home, doing everything you love to do with your family. Board games, baking cookies or cakes, reading books together, jumping on the bed, playing in the garden on the swing-set or trampoline... and of course, the obligatory cuddle on the sofa, giggles, and tickling. Okay, so maybe it's less "a day in the life" and more "your ultimate family day at home photographed in a few hours" (this is where I would usually insert a smiling emoticon crying with laughter - you get my drift).

The main difference between documentary and lifestyle photoshoots is that in the former the photographer doesn't get involved in the action - at all - ever! Documentary Photography simply documents what is already happening, which is great for sports, wildlife, street photography and some weddings (also often described as reportage). However, sometimes at home simply documenting may leave people a little stuck for ideas of what to do and feeling awkward (especially if you don't feel very comfortable in front of the camera).

That's not to say that documentary isn't a very valid and wonderful form of family photography, but it can take much longer to get a great album of varied photos. I would usually spend anything from a day out to a week on holiday with a family to capture all the most important and natural moments.

During a lifestyle photoshoot, the emphasis is still on you being yourselves as a family. Photographing real connections, fun, and laughter. All this while guiding you towards better light, suggesting we move to the floor to play a game, sofa to read a book, and interacting with your children so that I can get wide smiles and glinting eyes. I am able to get the best of both worlds and find real joy emulating from each family member like warmth from a fire.

If you're still not sure if a lifestyle photoshoot is for you, let me tell you what to expect from your session.

1) Pre-session consultation

We'll have a chat on the phone, and I will send out some forms to find out more about the dynamics within your family. What do you like doing for fun and relaxation, how do your children interact with each other, and most importantly, what kind of photos you hope to receive from the shoot. I love to create coffee table photo-books from my lifestyle sessions, they are great to leave out and flick through. My son's pick up the photobooks from our own lifestyle photoshoot last autumn all the time. My youngest points and say's "that's me" - It's great for their self-esteem! I will also discuss clothing options, and I'm happy for you to send me photos of your proposed outfits if you would like my input?

2) Day of the shoot

I suggest you book for a time when your family is likely to have recently eaten and are relaxed but not tired. Putting your favourite music on before I arrive can help to set the mood, and I may even be lucky enough to snap some photos of everyone (or at least the kids) having a dance.

I usually ask for no shoes and socks for my studio photoshoots, and lifestyle sessions are no different. Bare feet - whilst many people think look ugly - actually, look great on camera and don't distract from faces in the way a mixture of different coloured shoes, boots and trainers might.

I'll follow your lead to start with, but if you are feeling awkward in front of the camera will offer slight directions for what you could do, or where you can sit. If you enjoy baking as a family, I will already have asked you to get your ingredients ready, so we can snap a few photos of the process, and this is a great way for everyone to relax and be themselves as it is a familiar task that takes focus, and therefore takes the focus away from me - a stranger - following you around your house. This same strategy can be applied to whatever your family enjoy doing together

4) After the shoot

All edited images are provided via online download (typically 20-30 high-quality impactful images which show love, joy, emotion and detail shots) within 21 days - often much sooner, depending on the time of year. I can also source amazing quality wall art , provide mounted prints and my personal favourite, create soft or hard backed photo-books.

If you'd like to know more about my lifestyle sessions, costs and availability, please contact me . Session dates can be secured from just £49.

Lights of Love Baby Remembrance Service

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 01:52:13 GMT

Remembering our loved babies at Christmastime

Christmas is such a magical time of year for so many, but equally can bring up so many emotions of loneliness and loss.

I am very fortunate to have made some amazing friendships with other bereaved mums through Sands . Some of them work tirelessly to raise awareness, funds, and put on events so we can have a safe space to remember and honour the babies we birthed but who couldn't stay.

Tonight was one of those events... a Lights of Love service of gathering, remembering and looking forward. We read poems, sang songs that are special to us - as well as some traditional Christmas Hymns - lit candles, put notes to our loved ones on a tree, ate mince pies and drank tea.

The Reverend Reg Bailey from Holy Trinity Church in Bengeo gave a beautiful address. His take on our grief and love were both beautiful and poignant. Even though I am not religious, I felt completely at ease in this beautiful setting, and his words really moved me.

I have realised recently, after years of avoiding religious ceremonies (because I felt they were not aimed at me) that actually, the lessons and teachings often apply and are relevant to all aspects of our lives. They seem to come from a place of compassion, understanding, respect and love, which are qualities that sometimes seem sadly lacking in society today.

I hope that if you have lost a baby, but are yet to discover Sands you will consider going to a meeting, event, of seeking out your local groups Facebook page... There is something very isolating about losing a child that only other bereaved parents can ever truly understand.

Jenny Apostolos (Author of local blog Baby Likes Legacy ) performed a beautiful rendition of "My love, my life" by ABBA, which I've never heard before but was such a moving song.

The Snowdrop, a poem that was read at our sons funeral, was read at the service which always moves me. In case you haven't heard it, I thought I would share the words with you here:

The Snowdrop (author unknown)

The world may never notice

If a snowdrop doesn't bloom.

Or even pause to wonder

If the petals fall to soon.

But every life that ever was

Or ever came to be.

Touches the world in Some small way

For all eternity.

The little one we longed for

Was swiftly here and gone.

But the love that was then planted

Is a light that still shines on.

And though our arms are empty,

Our hearts know what to do.

For every beating of our hearts

Says that we love you.

"Liberty's Mother" Sophie Daniels, who wrote the song "I can love you from here" just 11 weeks after losing her daughter in 2011 and has performed it around the country and for Parliament honoured us with her presence and beautiful song which is available to download, with all proceeds going to Tommy's charity.

And after Bhavna Morris (Sands Befriender) read "Lights of Love" I took to the stage to sing "how long will I love you" which again was very emotional as we played it at our sons funeral, but it was very cathartic to get up and sing for him.

And then a poem written by a courageous mother I know, Frankie Brunker, who also wrote "These precious little people" - a book created in loving memory of all babies gone too soon. which explains to children about losing a brother or sister) Frankie knows from personal experience just how painful it is for a family to have to say goodbye to a precious little one and how difficult it can be to explain what happened to any living children affected. Anyone supporting children affected by the death of a baby can use this book as a way to provide a more positive focus and to help remember these precious little people with love and pride.

Her poem really captured all the emotions that surround Christmas for me...

'Tis the season (F. Brunker)

'Tis the season to be jolly - folk are wishing each other Happy Holidays!

Families everywhere enjoying festive fun

There's plenty of shopping eating, drinking and celebrating to be done.

But what if it doesn't feel like a very merry Christmas and instead you're feeling heavy hearted;

Perhaps you are grief stricken and missing your dear departed?

For some of us December is a month to dread,

We fid ourselves sad and yearning; the thoughts of what could have been sometimes fill our head.

So, what to do? Shut the world away? Refuse to celebrate on Christmas Day?

Is that what our little ones would want? For us to hide and keep others at bay?

The season may have lost some of the holiday cheer you once enjoyed,

We might struggle to see beyond the empty chair.

But close your eyes and feel it:

The love you have inside for those no longer with us is still there.

Let it flow through the veins warm you through and through.

It hurts that our children aren't here growing up with us like we wish they could be.

Its unfair, it's cruel, it's hard to bear, and makes it seem impossible to truly heal.

Yet here we are still standing;

A tribe of hardy souls carrying on despite the pain we feel.

That love we have for them is what gives us strength, keeps us going.

And if you dig deep it can give you more you know.

Those precious memories you cherish can make your heart sing once more,

You can remember the happy times if tears fall too.

That love that shines bright for the within can bring life back to your soul.

For as long as that love live on, our little ones aren't so far away after all.

They can be the diamond glints in the snow; the jingle of the bells ,

the sprinkles of glitter that catch sparkles of light from Christmas trees,

and the warmth from the candles that we burn in their memory

I've been checking out other photographers blogs to keep updated with the industry. Check out Maternity, Newborn and Family photographer Claire Butler from Ballynahinch, Co.Down.

What is Personal Brand Photography?

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 17:30:36 GMT

Are you an entrepreneur? Do you run your own business? Read on...

You may have seen some of my recent blog posts titled Personal Brand Photography and been left thinking "what is that about"?

I realised, that despite getting lots of branding photography shoots from local entrepreneurs via word of mouth, I haven't actually described this service on my website, so for those of you who would like to know more - here you go.

Personal brand photography is, in essence, corporate photography for the modern world. In particular I believe it is great for small businesses who want to show their clients who they are - the personal identity behind the brand. As an entrepreneur today, you are your business and using photos that show the real you will help to bring your brand to life.

I've noticed many local businesses posting regularly on social media using stock photography. While this can sometimes gain some attention and help to support the post (because a picture tells a thousand words), it doesn't draw potential customers in by showing them who you are. This is especially important when you are the face of your business. But I'm not just talking headshots.

The images on your Facebook , instagram and website are often the first thing your potential clients see - and people these days have short attention spans - you need to excite your potential customers ...quickly.

Whether you are in business as a toddler's music class teacher , Tai Chi Qigong instructor , birth doula, jewellery maker, road safety officer or a dance choreographer; it’s never been more important to show more of you in your business. You have to make sure that you're making the best first impression possible.

There is a lot of noise out there, so it’s essential that you build a brand that stands out from the crowd and excites your potential customers. You need inspiring photos that help you do just that.

Imagine having a selection of varied photos that show every aspect of your business, from the person your clients see, to behind the scenes planning, detail shots of props, and of course those all important fun, relaxed and natural headshots. This is exactly what you get with personal brand photography.

In addition to my photography, training, and editing skills, I have a postgraduate diploma in marketing, and 7 years experience in marketing representing multinational companies such as SKY. I understand branding and marketing and know how to capture images that will show the heart and soul of your business. I know how to create inspiring imagery that will appeal to your dream clients.

I work with all my clients in advance of our shoot to help them discover how they want their brand to look and feel (including logos colours and themes if this is something that is required) to help create authentic and consistent images that show your customers who you are and what you stand for.

Now, I know you probably don't like having your photograph taken - most of us don't - I think I became a photographer so I could stay firmly on this side of the camera. But I promise, I only provide the best images that show the best of you and the services or products you offer. I recently had a message from Suzanne at babacool who said:

"I rarely see a photograph of me that I like, but they were fab!"

Ok, I know it's not the longest review in the world - but for me that said it all - I want you to love yourself in the photos I take - and so far I have a 100% track record.

If you're not already putting out a consistent brand message, I guarantee you are missing out on vital potential customers. Imagine how great it will feel when it’s all done and you have a great selection of images you can use across your website and on social media.

I actually put myself on the wrong side of the camera recently for a family shoot in our home, and I'm telling you, when the photographer turned up I was sweating and felt so awkward, but within 10 minutes, the nerves had dissipated and I found myself actually enjoying it!

We always think we’re not photogenic enough, skinny enough, stylish enough. But you are enough, I promise!

My Personal Brand Photography shoots are a mixture of posed, planned, and natural lifestyle shots. I will capture everything you need to post new images regularly and gain a following.

If you run a local business and are interested in my Personal Brand Photography please contact me via my online form . I work with all sorts of businesses around Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridge and London, from small 1 man (or woman) sole-trader local businesses to large firms and franchises who are looking to consolidate their brand and send a consistent message to their clients about who they are and what they represent.

During a full day shoot, I can come in and provide enough images to post daily to social media for 3 months. I capture everything from the detail shots of products and premises, to action shots of you at work, planning, attending meeting and running your classes, to professional headshots. We will have a full planning meeting and set a thorough brief to ensure your photos represent your brand.

I also provide mini 1 hour shoots for small businesses including around 20-30 great images to help get you started with a consistent brand image.

Something I'm very passionate about is the environment, and sourcing local and sustainable products. My friend and fellow photographer from Bailie and Belle Photography in St Albans has written a great blog on bringing up an eco friendly baby . If you sell eco products please get in contact - I would love to work with you.

Are your Children in a Nativity? Thought about hiring an event photographer?

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:05:55 GMT

My proud mum moment... Watching my baby in the nativity

Have you been to see your child in their school play this year? Was it a version of "The Nativity"? I hope you took your camera and didn't have "technical problems" like me.

Today I saw my first nativity starring one of my own children, which may seem strange seeing I have an 8 year old, but his school's usually put on a musical "show" at Christmas, rather than The Nativity. Even if there had been a nativity, my eldest wouldn't have been starring in it, as unlike his mum (I studied performing arts at college, and was fortunate enough to tread the boards of west end stages including the London Palladium, Her Majesty's Theatre, and Saddlers Wells - forgive me for a little trumpet blowing as I relive my youth) the stage doesn't come naturally to him.

My eldest son was offered a line in this years school play and his response to his teacher was "I don't know what you're talking about?" - gotta love him. So, suffice to say, I'm expecting my eldest will stick to mathematics or sport ...but after today's performance, I'm completely sold on the idea that my youngest may follow in my footsteps, maybe the next Hamlet? Because he was the most magnificent, "sheep" I ever did see. Baaaaa.

Honestly though, I think this production put on by his school was nothing short of a masterpiece. The children were phenomenal. The songs were brilliant. The parents clapped and cheered in all the right places - and most importantly, the star that had forgotten how to shine, was shining brightly by the end. Bravo!

The worst thing for me was - I couldn't see my little sheep. I was sitting at the back of the church (Holy Trinity in Bengeo, Hertford - It really was a beautiful location), and as he is tiny and standing at the front he was completely hidden by the pew. After about 10 minutes, I decided I needed to see him, so I snuck down the aisle and sat on the floor in front of a pillar - I received a great big smile when he saw me which completely made my day.

The the second worst thing to happen? My phone stopped recording videos or taking photos because it was FULL! How on earth did I get to the point that my smartphone has literally no capacity left?

I'm sure there is a lesson (or two) in here somewhere - BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS! As it so happens, mine are backed up on google drive, but not on my external hard drive, because, lets face it - it's a faff, so I hadn't deleted all 13000 photographs from my phone - Oops.

Second lesson? WHY DIDN'T I BRING MY REAL CAMERA? I mean come on - I'm a photographer and have all the kit, I shoot these sort of events for a living - what a rookie mistake. Thankfully my son was standing directly in front of another child, so inadvertently ended up in all of his parents' videos, which they kindly sent me - so lesson number 3? Make friends with other parents :-)

The most amazing thing for me today though, was, that as my eldest (who has autism and ADHD, so you can possibly imagine his attention span for standing on a stage) has never really joined in an entire production, I've never had the pleasure of just sitting back and enjoying it. My youngest however - despite not rehearsing any of the songs, dances or actions at home - took part in the entire production - and it was honestly such a proud experience for me ...but now I'm just turning into a gushing mum.

I suppose when I think of a nativity I either think of the birth of Christ recreated fairly straight, with a narrator, two children playing Mary and Joseph, a baby doll for Jesus, and lots of other children dressed up as animals, wise men and shepherds. Or... "Nativity, the 2009 film where a primary school teacher Paul produces the school's nativity play. Have you seen it?

Competing against a posh rival school for the honour of best reviewed show in town, the stakes are raised when Paul boasts that his ex-girlfriend, a Hollywood Producer, is coming to see his show with a view to turning it into a film. The only trouble is - they haven't spoken in years. With eccentric assistant Mr Poppy fuelling his 'little white lie', Paul finds himself a local celebrity and at the centre of quarreling parents and over-excited children desperate in their bid for fame and fortune. Paul's only hope is to get back in touch with Jennifer and lure Hollywood to town so that everybody's Christmas wishes come true.

Anyway - that's the plot - it's pretty hilarious - watch it with your kids this Christmas if you haven't already.

So today, the lovely little song about a star, with a mixture of brilliant narration, songs and dances, was the perfect combination.

Hopefully next time, I'll be better prepared and take my camera... If you don't want to make the same mistakes I did, It's not too late to hire a professional event photographer. That way you really can sit back and enjoy the show without worrying about any unforeseen technical issues.

Christmas Carol Services Hertford and Ware

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 00:29:02 GMT

Guide to Christmas Carol Services in Hertford and Ware

I saw a post on my local mums Facebook page asking about where there were going to be Christmas carol services in Hertford and Ware over the Christmas period. It occurred to me there may be people not in the group who are equally interested, so here you go... My ultimate guide of Christmas services.

Mum's Chorus Presents... Carol's for Babies

I love the idea of this... a singing group where you can sing and entertain your children and babies at the same time. I wish I'd heard about this group earlier, as I saw on their Facebook page that they will not be continuing groups after this last service.

Bring your baby or child along to enjoy interactive, fun, and family friendly carols. Songs, stories and bubbles, this event is perfect entertainment for your your child whilst giving you the excuse to sing your heart out to your favourite carols!

Thursday 19th December 9:45am St Mary's Church Hall, Ware

£5 per family - Limited spaces

Christmas Services at Holy Trinity Church

New Road Bengeo, Hertford, SG14 3JL

Christmas Carol Service - 'Sing Noel', Sunday 22nd November, 6:30 pm

Christmas Carol service, with readings, led by Choir and worship band 'Daystar'.

Christmas Eve - Tuesday 24th December. Blessing of the Crib 4 pm

All Age worship around the crib on Christmas Eve with traditional carols, prayers and songs. Great for children and families.

First Communion of Christmas - Tuesday 24th December at 11:30 pm.

Midnight Mass of the Nativity, the first celebration of the Christmas season, including traditional Christmas carols, readings and a sermon.

Christmas Day, Wednesday 25th December, Family Worship at 10am

All Age worship on Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of Jesus, with prayers, Holy Communion and carols old and new.

Thursday 12th, 7:30pm - Lights of Love Service

This one is particularly special for me, I will be going to a special lights of love service in conjunction with East Herts Sands for parents and family members of babies who died before, during or after birth. A service of gathering, remembering, reflecting and looking forward. I will even be singing 2 songs myself.

We know that the family focus of Christmas and New Year can be hard for bereaved families and our service will be a space to come together and hold dear ones close. Light refreshments provided after the service. We hope you can join us to remember our babies.

All Saints Hertford

22nd Fourth Sunday of Advent

6.30 pm Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols followed by refreshments

24th Christmas Eve

4.00 pm Family Crib Service

Children are invited to come dressed as Mary, Joseph, King, Shepherd, Angel, or in a special Christmas outfit

11.30 pm First Communion of Christmas

25th Christmas Day

8.00 am Holy Communion

10.00 am Family Eucharist

6.30 pm Evensong (said)

St Mary the Virgin in Ware

Services for Advent and Christmas

Sunday 8th December, 4pm. Christingle Service

Sunday 22nd December, 6:30pm Carol Service, followed by mulled wine and mince pies

Christmas Eve, 4pm Crib Service; 11:30pm Midnight Mass

Christmas Day, 10am Family Communion Service

Thursdays during Advent, 7:30pm talk 'Advent Words,' 8pm Communion Service

Hertford Baptist Church

Courtyard Arts

I've been meaning to pop along to courtyard arts for ages now, I recently took up painting and would love to check out their courses. But for now you can kick off the festive season with song and cheer! Join courtyard Arts for a traditional Christmas performance, surrounded by the art of their talented members.

You will be treated to a festive set from the wonderful a-capella Courtyard Quartet. Participation is warmly encouraged!

Alongside the music, enjoy the opportunity to browse unique jewellery, artwork, seasonal gifts and cards from local makers… not to mention the delicious homemade mince pies and mulled wine.

Courtyard Arts, Port Vale, Hertford, SG14 3AA

Doors open 11:30 am – singing from midday

Homemade mince pies & mulled wine

Shop for unique gifts & cards

Free entry – with donations to Courtyard Arts fundraising

Cedars Park - Cheshunt

Sunday 22nd December - 4pm Carol Service

If you're going, you might want to head over a bit earlier as Cedars are having a Christmas fun day with all of their usual daily talks as well as games and competitions!

At around 2pm the usual mystery animal - meet and greet - will instead be with a mystery guest from the North Pole!

You and your children will be able to join in a fun session where we shall ask FC various questions about what he has to do in preparation for Christmas. You will be able to check if the children are on his naughty or nice list too!!

There will be opportunities for you to get a photo with Father Christmas but we will not be offering an individual grotto experience this year.

In addition, we will have our Teddy Tombola and Hook a Snowman stalls where you can win a prize EVERY time! (£1 per play).

The usual daily entrance fee of £2 an adult and £1 a child (2 years +) applies.

If you are having, or know of a Christmas carol service around Hertfordshire that I've missed, please add it in the comments and I'll update the post.

Personal Brand Photography - Road Awareness For Toddlers (RAFT)

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 12:40:55 GMT

Photographing local businesses - RAFT - East Herts

As a mum of a “runner” – aka, a child who runs off with no apparent awareness of danger – I was really interested when Laura told me about her RAFT (Road Awareness for Toddlers) classes.

I’m not sure what I expected? Probably something based on the old road safety classes I did at school 30 years ago based on the way I wrapped my two boys up on this chilly November day. I imagined them stopping at a chalk line and crossing in a straight line across a fake road.

In reality, the class I photographed was set up more like any pre-school class. There were 3 activity areas, and Laura lead the first part of the class with some educating, singing, and musical statues to “twinkle, twinkle, traffic lights”.

Laura split the group into younger and older groups for activities. One was making a Christmas card that they would later post to Santa by “safely’ crossing the road”. The other was listening to traffic sounds (cars, ambulances, police, and even Santa’s jingling sleigh) then picking the appropriate vehicle to drive home along a road.

The second two groups were driving in between some cones holding a steering wheel and stopping at a stop/go sign held by a parent. And lastly, crossing a road utilising the skills they’d learnt – stopping, listening, looking, and holding an adult’s hand – to deliver the letter to Santa into a post-box.

My eldest son was pretty chaotic throughout the session, and I wasn’t convinced how much either boys had learned? I even mentioned this to Laura at the end, because in our case, I thought a weekly class may have helped to reinforce the lessons. I was pleased to find out she runs a 3 week and a 6 week course as well as her pop-up sessions.

However, on the drive home, I asked my sons what they had learned? My eldest said “nothing I didn’t already know” (and the youngest copied), but when I probed “what did she teach you that you already knew?” He began to reel off all the lessons - stopping if a car has a green light, listening for traffic, always holding an adult’s hand. This may not seem particularly phenomenal if you have a child who talks about their day, but my son doesn’t.

For an entire year at pre-school, when I asked about his day, he’d reply “I was digging”. When I ask him daily what he’s done at school he says “nothing”, “I don’t know” or “I can’t remember”. For him to reel off details about anything is pretty miraculous, so I will have to concede, that Laura’s class really got through to him.

Apart from the class itself, I really love the concept. I think road safety is an invaluable and vital skill when children are young. I loved how Laura reinforced the basic lessons and presented them in a different way aimed at this age group with interesting songs, crafts and activities.

Why did I set up RAFT? My motivation . . .

In 2008 I took up a temporary post, as Senior Road Safety Officer, at a London Council after being made redundant. Before this moment, I knew little about Road Safety and had not really experienced being taught it aside from being shown a video of Hedgehog learning to cross the road! And knowing the Green Cross Code of course. What I learnt and was exposed to over the coming two years in post was a life changing experience . . .

As a Senior Road Safety Officer involved in community project work and schools programmes, I met young people affected and disabled by road collisions and bereaved parents and siblings. It had a profound affect on me as an individual. Meeting those people who were living with life changing injuries and worst of all parents without their children, brothers and sisters growing up without their siblings. I also worked closely with the emergency services to build awareness of road safety and I can hand on heart say that they do a lot more than just a ‘job’, they save lives and try to re-build theirs after seeing such harrowing incidents.

I feel privileged to have worked in Road Safety and been given the opportunity to do some amazing work with some truly inspirational people.

The little boy who inspired RAFT:

In 2013 I became a parent to a wonderful little boy and safety, in particular road safety, started to play an important part in our daily family life. I wanted my son to have the freedom to run in the park but the understanding to hold my hand when we were at the shops or near roads. My newfound experience of being a parent, coupled with my time as a Primary Teacher and Senior Road Safety officer, led me to instinctively create Road Awareness For Toddlers. The only sensory course of it's kind devised for 2- 5 year olds delivering interactive and engaging road awareness sessions to parents, toddlers, pre-schoolers and 4 & 5 year olds. The primary aim of RAFT is to keep little ones safe, whilst building on their environmental awareness.

Currently there are no road awareness or environment safety classes for this age group of children delivered in this unique and fun way. RAFT ensures that parents no longer have to wait until their children are school age (and often not until Year 2 or above - with increasingly limited resource spent on this area) to be taught the importance of road awareness and safety and how best to prevent accidents, when ‘bad habits’ may have already been formed. We take our children everywhere with us so it makes sense to teach them early on these vital life skills. They learn their phonics in nursery so why should they not be taught about their environment and how to be safe in it? In 2014, 2,412 children were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads. Most of these casualties occurred whilst the child was out walking or cycling (source: RoSPA, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents).

So far RAFT has been delivered to local nurseries, Children’s Centres, schools, childminders and parent & toddler groups. The courses and sessions have been gratefully received and the most rewarding part has been getting feedback from the parents and careers telling me that their child has become more ‘road aware’ and conscious of their environment whilst out and about, from shouting ‘look mummy, it’s a red light – STOOOOOPPPP!’ and ‘I saw a nee-naw car!’ to older siblings bossing their sister/brother about telling them to ’STOP/LOOK/LISTEN/CROSS HOLDING HANDS’!

‘Road Awareness For Toddlers’ is also about educating parents/careers and other child professionals. From teaching positive language, to creative thinking about relating to our environment, it has also made adults think about and evaluate their own road safety behaviour.

If RAFT can build on everyone’s awareness of Road Safety, that can only be a positive outcome. Since launching I have made contact with several local people who have lost members of their family through a road traffic collision, sadly being children and also a young person.

For more information on how my Personal Brand Photography can help your business, please find out more or contact me .

What's special about a dance photographer?

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 00:08:33 GMT

Choosing a Dance photographer for your portfolio photoshoot

After spending 9 years as a professional photographer, I thought I had tried my hand at most genres and styles of photography. It’s easy though to become focussed on a single area or 2 for client work. For me most of my photography is of families, weddings / events and corporate branding.

I love everything that I do, but I’m also always looking to improve my skills and experiences to see if there are other areas I would like to discover or explore.

Recently I let my inquisitive side take me to try out Dance Photography, and I immediately fell in love. I realise it is probably just as well I waited so long to move into this area because you really have to have some serious camera knowledge, shooting, and composition skills to do the dancers justice.

These are people who have spent years themselves honing their craft, hours every day stretching and practicing specific moves and dance routines, often until their muscles are weak and feet are blistered. So, they equally deserve having their photos taken by someone who has shown the same passion and dedication to their craft.

Why is this so important? Well firstly, how you compose a dancer can make the difference between them looking like they’ve hopped off the ground or are flying through the air. Secondly, Dancers are FAST. While many wedding and event photographers may shoot in aperture priority mode and find they get perfectly adequate photos, if you do that with a dancer you are likely to get unintentional motion blur. You need to set a really high shutter speed to freeze the motion.

Sorry if this is all a bit technical. I do cover this in a lot of detail on my “beginner’s photography” and “getting off auto” photography courses. For now, all you need to know is, that while mobile phone cameras have come a long way in the last few years (I often use my Huawei Mate Pro 20 exclusively for holiday snaps) they really aren’t going to be up to the job of reflecting the brilliance of a dancer trying to show off their agility and skill. Mum’s – put the camera phone down – give me a call and I’ll happily organise a mini dance portfolio shoot or am happy to come and shoot for an entire dance company in Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridge and possibly London of further afield.

When I saw these beautiful girls for a dance company shoot I did in the outdoor natural light on the edge of a beautiful lake and forest, I was blown away by how incredibly talented they are.

A few of the girls were a little timid and unsure to start with. I don’t come from a dance background myself, but I know enough about the various ballet positions, leaps and jumps names (and will try to demonstrate - poorly) to get the best out of the dancers I work with. In fact I think I gave some of them quite a giggle jumping in the air, holding my camera close, and almost knocking myself out with my unruly breasts ha ha.

I think the biggest lesson I’ve learnt about working with dancers, is you can take the most beautiful photo and edit it to rival any previous work. However, dancers aren’t after beautiful (well not just beauty). Dancers are looking at their technique, as perfect technique is the ultimate goal. I think this is why there was some uncertainty when I asked if the dancers could try some of the more complicated moves. The amazing thing was not just how much they surprised themselves with their ability, but how much they improved their technique and poses in a matter of minutes, by checking the back of my camera and adjusting. It’s like real life immediate feedback.

If you haven’t already seen, I have recently launched my mini dance shoots at an amazing introductory offer. These are 30-minute long outdoor dance shoots in a beautiful location. In 30-minutes you have the opportunity to show off some of your most impressive leaps, a quick costume change, and headshots if required.

Dance Photoshoot Vouchers make an amazing Christmas gift for a dancer you know (you could even go in with a few other mums and I'll do a small group of up to 3 best friends for a group photo session)

Current Offer Just £199 including 5 high resolution edited photos

(option to upgrade to extra digital images, prints or wall art).

So, what are you waiting for? Contact me now via my booking form . I can still get personalised vouchers out to you in time for Christmas.

I'll be writing some hints and tips for the Christmas period soon, but in the mean time, I love this post from Wirral Photographer about getting through Christmas.

Personal Brand Photography - Babacool - Hertfordshire

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 22:30:35 GMT

Photographing local businesses - Babacool - Welwyn, Potters Bar, St Albans

Life is busy. When I’m not working on my business - planning, photographing and editing - I have my family and home to look after. It’s true what they say, being a stay-at-home parent is a full-time job. It’s impossible to keep going day after day giving all of yourself without filling your own cup (you know the expression about running on empty). For me the one thing that keeps me going is my yoga. The class I attend is a tough class physically, but mentally it centres me and gives me a few hours a week where all I have to focus on is my breathing.

So, when I was invited to take part in Tai Chi Qigong and a gong bath, it seemed like it might be another really good way to fill my own cup a little.

Babacool is run by husband and wife team Suzanne and Alex. Suzanne describes herself as a yoga teacher and sound therapist based in Welwyn”.

As well as running classes and gong baths, she also teaches yoga privately. “My areas of expertise include trauma and mental health issues, chronic conditions, recovery from major illness & injury, and personal transformation” Suzanne said. “I am absolutely passionate about what I do and about empowering lives with the tools I have learned”.

Suzanne first tried yoga in her 20s when a friend dragged her along to a class. She was instantly hooked on the combination of breath, posture and meditation. “My love affair with yoga has only deepened over the years since then. I used to work as a fraud investigator for a bank and then later as a private investigator. My work life was often stressful and occasionally frightening. Having a daily yoga practice managed to keep me sane and helped me to manage stress effectively”.

I feel like I can really relate to this, and I suspect there are a lot of other people who either do, or would, benefit from having a daily focus like this outside of their busy lives.

Alex was in the military for over 20 years and then worked in the private close-protection industry protecting individuals up to Heads of State. He knows all about stress! He has found through his own practice of Tai Chi Qigong that the combination of mindfulness, gentle movement and breath has helped him greatly to overcome periods of stress in his life. He’s passionate about passing on the benefits of Qigong and teaches weekly classes in the local area.

The classes they run are “all about relaxing, slowing & softening – letting go of tension in the body, gaining greater awareness of your mind & emotions, understanding & releasing childhood patterns and also relaxing your approach to life. Letting go of the past, and lessening anxiety about the future, allowing you to live happily & peacefully in the present”.

That certainly sounds like something most people would benefit from to me.

What about the session?

When I arrived, the lights were dim, and yoga mats were set up throughout the room. I’d been told to bring my own mat, duvet, pillow and face mask, so I squeezed in the only remaining spot and set myself up. Alex started by teaching us how to stand and breathe for Qigong Tai Chi, then how to lean into each move, and with incredibly visual descriptions how to place our hands and arms.

Alex led us to visualise the ocean, forests, lakes and even that we were flying - when your mind is full from the daily grind, nothing helps to clear it like focussing on something else. He explained how the breathing and twisting motions were working on oxygenation our body and massaging our liver or helping with digestion. I spent about 50% of the session with my eyes closed, lost in the movement.

At the end of the Qigong Tai Chi we were invited to lie down under our blankets and make ourselves comfortable. Suzanne talked us through relaxing our bodies, from the top of our heads to the tips of our toes, and then they gently started playing the gongs.

A Gong Bath is a lot like a deep, relaxing massage using sound. It’s called a Gong Bath because you’ll be bathed in sound from the Gongs. You simply lie down, get comfortable and let the sound waves wash over you.

To start with the vibration frequency of the soundwaves made me feel a little uneasy. If you haven’t experienced the power of gong healing, it’s like subtle vibrations running through your body. It balances the nervous system so you can feel both deeply relaxed and energised afterwards. It’s a way to get the benefits of meditation without having to sit and focus for hours. Apparently the gong enables the brain to become efficient in producing Theta and Delta waves, which are produced by the brain during deep sleep and trance-like states. As a result, occasionally an unpleasant memory or feeling can be released, but this is momentary and is part of the whole healing experience.

When they moved on to deeper lower frequency sounds, my body became far more relaxed. Some people can experience a sense of timelessness, images or visions and may feel like they’ve been transported out of their body into the surrounding space.

Unfortunately (for me) it was a little too relaxing for some, and after 20 or 30 minutes the effects of the gong diminished as my senses became overwhelmed by surround sound snoring. I don’t suppose there is any way around this dilemma? I was happy for them, but kind of wanted to shout out loud for them to stop (I put up with enough snoring from my husband at home – in fact he joked that I could play a tape of gong music and I could have the same experience every night).

Ultimately, I really enjoyed the whole experience. I feel like my body, mind and spirit benefitted, and I definitely had a good night sleep.

“We are Gong-crazy” Suzanne said “our house is full of them. We’ve been to Germany to make our own, Alex has studied the science of them extensively, and we have trained with some of the world’s gong masters”.

“We have been running gong baths for a number of years in Welwyn Garden City, Potters Bar, St Albans, London and Leicester – in that time we’ve had people with insomnia report that they’ve slept better after a gong bath than they have in years, people with chronic pain and chronic conditions report a marked improvement, people suffering from stress report that they experience a sense of calm that lasts for days. The science of sound healing is in its infancy, but initial reports about its benefits are extremely promising – all this, and all you have to do is lie down. If you haven’t tried it yet, what are you waiting for?” Contact Babacool

Personal Brand Photography - Disco Ducks Hertford

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 21:44:24 GMT

Photographing and reviewing local businesses... Disco Ducks - Hertford and Watton-at-Stone

I’ve been to all sorts of classes since having my eldest son almost 8 years ago. We started with sing and sign when he was just 6 weeks old (I wouldn’t say he was that into it at the time, but I learnt a lot of Makaton which proved helpful). However, it was only when I was asked to photograph Disco Ducks in Hertford that I realised I’ve never taken any of my children to a dance class.

Given how much we love music and dancing in our house, I surprised myself with this revelation. I wonder if there are less dance classes aimed at, or advertised towards boys? My eldest used to attend gymnastics, but most of the dance classes our friends went to were ballet classes comprised completely of girls wearing baby pink tutu’s.

Laura runs Disco Ducks, in Watton-at-Stone and Hertford. This is part of a wider franchise described as a toddler and preschool funky dance class.

Laura started teaching belly dancing nine years ago. She said “It was my passion and I wanted to share it with the community. I was working and learning belly dance in London at the time”.

After the birth of her first son she left her job to run her dance school around her family, and after her second son she started running Disco Ducks. “I really love teaching movement and dance to little ones as they are so much fun” she said. Laura runs 3 classes a week which are generally fully booked. It’s a great add on to her dance school and flexible around her own children.

I totally get this, as a photographer I am able to work around my children shooting studio and location sessions during the school day and being there for school drop offs and pick-ups. Of-course I also know there’s a side to running your own business, which often means doing accounts, or planning and editing in my case, way into the early hours.

So, what about the class? Laura welcomes everyone with a big smile which put the kids immediately at ease. We were invited to sit down in a large circle, for a welcome song, but weren’t left sitting for long. Laura is full of vitality and exuberance and her energy is infectious. My son really loved getting up, jumping in the air and sitting again, spinning around and was smiling and giggling throughout this warm-up. Rainbow coloured streamers were handed out and there was lots of swinging, shaking and jiggling all around the room.

There was dancing while walking around the room, simple moves that the toddlers could grasp easily. Then all hands-on deck to put together a multi-coloured balance beam to practice balance and coordination. Then was one of his favourites “Sleeping little bunnies” with bunny ears and more jumping, before singing happy birthday to a birthday girl, saying goodbye, and getting stickers and biscuits – yum!

I did really like the class, although I had expected, being called “disco duck” that there might have been some black out blinds, swirling lights and maybe a glitter ball.

Laura clearly loves her job and the freedom it’s given her. She said “Whilst being self-employed is not always the easiest financially, the investment of time I've been able to make in my son’s early years has been more than worth it”.

Christmas themed classes are running at Hornsmill community centre on Friday 20th December at 9.40am or 10.25am. These classes are suitable for 18 months to 5 years old and costs £6 per child. There will be party dances, bubbles, snow (yes, she has a snow machine), parachute games and a small gift.

If you’d like to book a spot, please call Laura .

If you run a local business and are interested in my Personal Brand Photography or would like to find out more about being featured in my local business blog, please contact me via my online form . I work with all sorts of businesses around Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridge and London, from small 1 man (or woman) sole-trader local businesses to large firms and franchises who are looking to consolidate their brand and send a consistent message to their clients about who they are and what they represent.

My Black Friday Photography Offers and Christmas Vouchers

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 15:57:05 GMT

Wow... Where has the year gone? Photographing, training... what about you?

I know for me it certainly seems to have disappeared. Not that it’s been an easy-going fun-loving kind of year. So, while they say time flies while you’re having fun, I guess that also applies to “time flies when you’re running around like a headless chicken”?

Anyway, Black Friday is upon us (as if you could avoid it - in Amazon-land it’s been here for about 2 weeks already)… so while I’m doing a bit of my own shopping (for mirrorless cameras ) I thought I’d put a few of my own offers out there for anyone looking for an absolutely OUTSTANDING deal on their next photoshoot .

And to help you along I’m going to give a little outline on some of the services I offer.

Newborn

My Hertford studio newborn photoshoots are aimed at babies from 4-14 days. Of-course I will accept older babies if you didn’t book in time (I recommend booking after your 12 week scan to secure a slot) but they tend to not be quite so sleepy, and accommodating.

As I follow your baby’s lead during a relaxed photoshoot, they can take up to 3 hours. I have a lot more information on the shoot itself and how to prepare in my blog “ What happens at a newborn photography session? ”

If you’re looking for a lifestyle session in your own home, the newborn age isn’t such a priority, as I will focus more on all the little details and family cuddles, plus capturing their nursery and your beautiful home. Lifestyle photoshoots are great for families who want to document “a day in the life” with siblings joining in the fun. I find these sessions are particularly popular with couples who have recently moved or renovated and want to capture the details of their new home. These are also the most popular photobooks I sell, as they can just be left out for friends and family to browse through.

Newborn session including session, in-person viewing, 15 edited digitals and 15 matching 6x8 mounted prints, a facebook timeline cover, slideshow, £100 voucher off Wall Art and a £50 voucher off products purchased at your next session

All this Plus:

Maternity OR sitter session (shoot only)
Worth £698
Black Friday Sale Price Just: £450 (Only £99 required now to secure booking)

OR Newborn session including…

Maternity AND sitter session OR 1st Birthday Cake smash (shoot only)
Worth £797
Black Friday Sale Price Just: £500 (Only £99 required now to secure booking)

Family

These are fun and relaxed sessions in my Hertford studio for all the family (although larger families may need to be accommodated in smaller groups, with one whole family photo composited together).

Family sessions are wonderful for updating your walls, capturing your children as they grow, and making sure you have a photo of all generations together. For the latter I often get called when people are getting together for a special occasion. I will do my best to fit you in your date.

It’s lovely photographing the individual family groups and whole family photo, as it gives so many options to fulfil the wishes of all family members.

Family photography session including in-person viewing, 10 edited digitals and matching 6x8 mounted prints and facebook timeline cover

Worth £449
Black Friday Sale Price Just: £350 (Only £99 required now to secure booking)

Family Photography session including session, in-person viewing, 15 edited digitals and 15 matching 6x8 mounted prints in presentation box, a facebook timeline cover, slideshow, £100 voucher off Wall Art and a £50 voucher off products purchased at your next session

Worth £599
Black Friday Sale Price Just: £450 (Only £99 required now to secure booking)

Dance

I have recently launched my mini-dance shoots to great acclaim. These are 30 minute outdoor dance shoots in a beautiful location. In 30 minutes you have the opportunity to show of some of your most impressive leaps, a quick costume change, and headshots if required.

Dance Photoshoot Vouchers make an amazing Christmas gift for a dancer you know (you could even go in with a few other mums and I'll do a small group of up to 3 best friends for a group photo session)

Current Offer Just £199 including 5 high resolution edited photos

(option to upgrade to extra digital images, prints or wall art).

So what are you waiting for… Contact me now via my booking form and I can get personalised vouchers out to you in time for Christmas.

It's Black Friday... and I'm Photography mad

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 15:57:02 GMT

My Black Friday Photography Crushes - Mirrorless Cameras

It’s Black Friday – and I’m looking at mirrorless cameras to take my photography to the next level, or maybe just get a smaller cheaper mirrorless camera to take on holidays as I never take my full kit and usually end up using my phone.

While I’m looking, I thought I’d share a few that I’ve been looking at in case you’re considering the change too.

And I may even have a little Black Friday offer myself, so read on.

Fujifilm X-T20 Mirrorless Camera

OK, so this one won't be replacing my Nikon kit, but it's an amazing price for a great little camera.

The Fujifilm X-T20 Mirrorless Camera features a 24.3 megapixel CMOS III sensor, meaning that you can capture professional quality images. Paired with an X-Processor Pro, the camera has a large phase detection autofocus area to ensure that you don't miss those important details.

Choose from eight different artistic effects to compliment your images, while the Multiple Exposure function lets you combine two separate subjects into one photo (which is something I can't do in camera on my Nikon)

The Fuji is capable of recording both 4K Ultra HD and Full HD video, the X-T20 uses the X Series' Film Simulation effects to create unique and memorable footage. You can output recorded video to an external monitor using the micro HDMI port and input audio from an external microphone, allowing you to create a professional setup. You can also capture artistic time-lapse photography, with intervals of one second to 24 hours and up to infinity frames.

The X-T20 features a completely silent electronic shutter that can achieve exposures of up to 1/32000th second. As a result, you can shoot images with a shallow depth-of-field with the aperture wide open in bright conditions. This feature isn't necessary for everyone, but I know during a wedding ceremony a silent shutter is invaluable, and a s it has no mechanically operated parts, you can capture shots without startling the subject, making it ideal for wildlife photography.

With its LCD vari-angle touchscreen panel, the X-T20 can be used to shoot pictures from a variety of different angles with ease. Its compact and lightweight design makes it ideal for both stills and capturing video footage.

Thanks to built-in WiFi you can shoot remotely using the Fujifilm app from your smartphone or tablet – perfect for capturing group shots or long exposures. The app also lets you transfer, share and upload your images instantly.

The best thing about this current offer at Currys is, customers who purchase a NEW qualifying FUJIFILM Camera or Lens (“Qualifying Product”) between 15th October 2019 and 15th January 2020 (“Promotional Period”) will be eligible to claim a Cashback reward making it even better value for money.

Sony Alpha a7 III Mirrorless Digital Camera with 28-70mm Lens

This bundle is three times the cost of the Fuji, but it is cheaper than most retailers are selling the camera body alone for, so it seems like an incredible deal (but please do your own research on the retailer SLR Hut if you decide to buy, as I haven't used them before).

The Sony a7 III Mirrorless Camera offers photographers the best of both worlds. You get a full-frame sensor and professional specs, packed into a compact, travel-friendly body – it's the perfect choice for field work.

At first glance, the a7 III looks very similar to the previous generation alpha 7 from Sony. Look closely, and you'll find an all new chip, expanded ISO range, improved fps shooting, and an enlarged handgrip. At the heart of the alpha 7 III is a back-illuminated 24.2 megapixel full-frame sensor. Take advantage of the improved noise response at high sensitivities and wide dynamic range to capture dramatic RAW images that are perfectly exposed, even in the shadows and highlights. Colours are realistic, so you get natural looking skin tones, while wildlife and landscapes look true-to-life.

The Sony includes High Resolution 4K Movie Shooting with full pixel readout and no pixel binning across full-width of full-frame sensor, and t he longest rated battery life of any Mirrorless camera at 710 shots per charge. To take advantage of this extended battery life, there's dual memory card slots too. To the rear, you'll find a tiltable touchscreen for easy menu navigation, a joystick that can be used to control focus points, and plenty of handy new and familiar shortcuts.

Photo opportunities don't usually hang around for long. Supported by the powerful Bionz X processor, you can shoot up to 10 fps to freeze moments of action. It's perfect for subjects that are frequently moving, such as a dance performer, racehorse, or fox in the wild. Improved AF performance means no opportunity is lost. Because you can track moving and unpredictable subjects easily, you can photograph spectacular action or sporting scenes, such as a dramatic rugby tackle on the field, even on an overcast day.

Dim interiors or twilight falling shouldn't stop you shooting. Sony's 5-axis image stabilisation means you can shoot handheld without a tripod up to 5-stops faster. Your images are sharp, and videos are smooth, even when shooting long distances or close-up macro subjects.

Nikon Z 50 Mirrorless Camera (Body only)

The new Nikon Z50 is the first Z series DX-format mirrorless camera, launched at the same time as two completely new compatible Nikkor Z DX zoom lenses. Offering superb image quality, the all-new Nikon Z50 captures perfectly focused photos and 4K movies that are rich in detail, depth, and colour. It is aimed squarely at both stills and video photographers being is a great hybrid option.

The body is equipped with a high resolution 20.9MP DX-format (APS-C) CMOS sensor, bringing the optical advantages of mirrorless into a robust, compact DX body. Features inherited from the acclaimed Nikon Z7 and Z6 cameras include the wide Z-Mount for lenses, and the fast Hybrid-AF autofocus system. The Z50 also features a sharp electronic viewfinder, a tilting touchscreen, and the deep grip that makes Nikon mirrorless cameras comfortable to hold.

Other features include Intelligent Eye-Detection AF, which is ideal for shooting portraits, and up to 11 fps continuous shooting (with AF/AE) for action and sports photography.

Both of the new Z Mount DX lenses are optimised for the superb light-gathering capability of the wide Nikon Z mount. These zoom lenses focus quickly, quietly, and steadily, making them as great for video as they are for stills. This is ideal for videographers as the new body captures high resolution 4K video.

Despite the deeper grip, the body is remarkably compact at just 395g and will appeal to travellers as a lightweight ‘go anywhere’ companion. Approximate measurements demonstrate what a truly compact this is at just 126mm x 93mm x 60mm. The high resolution 3.2 inch screen also provides a welcome touch interface, which is second nature to many now.

“Whether your passion is photography or video, Nikon’s new Z 50 mirrorless system camera offers an exciting blend of creativity and power. Aside from the new NIKKOR Z DX lenses, you get seamless compatibility with all Z mount lenses. And if you have F-mount lenses and accessories in your bag, you can use them too. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Nikon DSLR owner or a first time Nikon user: the Nikon DX mirrorless system gives you plenty of room for growth.” Robert Harmon, Senior Commercial Planning Manager, Nikon UK.

... Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I promised you some of my own offers - And these are valid for bookings made now or vouchers valid for 12 months. Check out all My Black Friday Offers here .

Photography Centre at the V&A

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 00:06:25 GMT

Looking for inspiration in Photography?

Whenever I'm in London, I try to go to a museum or gallery. In fact, the Natural History and Science Museums in South Kensington are two of our favourite days out as a family. However, one place that doesn’t really work so well with my somewhat rambunctious boys, just on the opposite side of the road, is the Victoria and Albert Museum. So close, and yet so far.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be in London on my own (okay, maybe not that lucky as I was there for a hospital appointment, but hey ho… silver linings and all that). Anyway, since I’d travelled an hour and a half for a 5-minute appointment, it seemed a shame to rush home, so I used it as an opportunity for a little “me” time.

The V&A opened their photography centre in October 2018, and there are preparations to double the space with a study centre, studio and dark room in 2022. I’m really excited to go back and visit once they open phase two, but for now I thought I’d tell you all about my visit.

Well first, I got lost [do not go up the lifts if you enter from the tunnels – ha ha]. Although this did provide an opportunity for me to walk around lots of other collections. I enjoyed viewing the paintings, sculptures, tapestries, jewellery, silver and gold. The theatre section was particularly colourful and fun. If you (or your slightly calmer children) go there are costumes that they can dress up in which is great fun, and there was a school doing exactly that as I walked through. I’d definitely say go with a plan if you visit, or, dedicate a whole day and stop for lunch in the beautiful courtyard garden – There’s so much to see.

So, the photography… There are two main rooms and a real eclectic mix of photographic styles. I really enjoyed looking at some of the photographers working in the 1970s. Mark Cohen, known for his dynamic street photography presents a fragmented, sensory image of his hometown of Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania. This set of pictures was taken at a time when colour photography was just beginning to be recognised as a fine art. Until the 1970s, colour had largely been associated with either advertising or family snapshots, and was not thought of as a legitimate medium for artists. Cohen and other photographers like William Eggleston transformed this perception using the dye-transfer printing process. Although complicated and time consuming, the technique results in vibrant and high-quality colour prints.

Next to this was a small part of the 63 photographs by Linda McCartney that Paul McCartney and family gave to the photography centre. Linda won the accolade US Female Photographer of the Year in 1967 and in 1968 became the first female photographer to shoot the cover of Rolling Stone, later sitting for the front cover herself with her husband, Sir Paul McCartney.

The images span 40 years from the 1960s to 1990s, and includes portraits of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and family snaps. The images donated include a broad range of the photographic processes and techniques used by the photographer, although only a small selection were showing. I’m sure they will rotate the collection over time.

In the room next door, I saw the highlight of my visit, the astounding 3D stereoscopes. Stereoscopes gained international recognition at the Great Exhibition of 1851 at Crystal Palace, which was photographed by T. R. Williams for the London Stereoscopic Company.

“ A Stereograph is composed of two pictures mounted next to each other, viewed with a set of lenses known as a stereoscope . Taken around 7cm apart, roughly corresponding to the spacing of the eyes, the left picture represents what the left eye would see, and likewise for the right, so when observing the pictures through a stereoscopic viewer, the pair of photographs converge into a single three-dimensional image.”

I was truly blown away by the depth and clarity of these images. I sat there for ages flicking through the 8 images on each of the machines. This is a must see if you haven’t seen them before. Just outstanding.

Before I left, I sat down in the dark tent room (which feels a bit like being inside a box camera with a concertina dividing wall). This room was showing short videos about historical photographic shooting and printing processes like Calotype which was patented by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1841. It was so interesting for someone, like me, who has grown up with film cameras, and then the digital age. Watching these videos really inspired me to maybe go and study a bit more about photographic origins and learn how to use some of these techniques myself. My Grandpa (whom I never met) was a photographer and used his own dark room – I hope me following in his footsteps would make him proud.

Children Birthday Party Photography in Hertfordshire

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 19:18:32 GMT

Celebrate Your Child's Birthday Party In Hertfordshire With Event Photography

Of all the event photography I do, the biggest change I’ve seen in recent years is the meteoric rise of children’s birthday party photography. I am often commissioned for children's birthday parties from a small 1st birthday gathering at home to soft play parties and even horse riding or climbing.

So why has this type of photography grown so much? Why hire an event photographer? Well it’s quite simple really… You’ve spent all this time organising a special day that will become one of the favourite milestones you and your children reminisce about for years to come. After all that effort, you’ll want to capture all the special moments, but you don’t want to spend the entire party running around after the kids with a camera around your neck.

Event photography is different to my Hertford studio family portrait photoshoots. Through reportage and documentary photography, the atmosphere, fun and real essence of the event is captured. I get in on the action, following the children and hanging out at the bottom of slides, by the trampoline or under the high ropes to get action shots. I photograph the children chasing bubbles and the kid's entertainer crazy with energy. When children are engrossed in having fun real personalities are captured, and (sometimes) even the tears. My documentary photography focuses entirely on capturing the special moments of the party as they unfold.

I have a relaxed photography style and unobtrusive manner. I will create a wonderful record of the day for the whole family to look back on. As a parent, you definitely don’t want to be behind the camera. You want to be there for your child blowing out of the candles on the birthday cake.

In additional to the lifestyle coverage of the birthday party, I often get requested to take a couple organised group photographs while the family are all together. I’m quite happy to do this in small informal groups during the event or at the end just before everyone goes home.

To capture the whole event I photograph adults, children and babes in arms. My events packages include all usable photos edited via download, with an option to have them on USB if required.

Most of my clients fall in love with the photos and order an album or Wall Art. However, you can feel free to share online, send to relatives and print yourselves should you so wish. I shoot in colour, but do sometimes throw in black and white photos if it fits the mood. It’s best if we have a chat in advance to find out exactly what you’re hoping to get from the shoot. I photograph birthday parties indoors and outdoors. Locations within Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridge, London, and potentially further afield are all possible.

My Birthday Party and events packages cost £160 per hour, with a minimum 2 hours. This includes my time at the party, all editing in line with my usual event style (any major edits such as skin work can be discussed at an additional cost if required) and all images via online download (or USB’s are available upon request).

Here are a few great local venues I’ve photographed children’s parties at:

Woody's Play Barn - Ware

Both toddlers and children are sure to love the amount of activities on offer at Woody's Play Barn in Ware.

They’re ideally situated for families that live in Hertford, Ware, Buntingford and surrounding areas. Their team are there to take the stress away, giving you time to play with your children in an adventurous environment.

They offer many options including soft play parties for all ages in addition to exclusive hire.

Other options include:

Pitch and Party - with party food seated in the cafe or landing area
Camper Van Party - with private access to their soft play area
Laser Tag Exclusive - with a party room for your buffet and Laser Tag games
Soft Play and Laser Tag - with a party room for your buffet and Laser Tag games and soft play access
New customised Digital Wallpaper Party Room - where you can customise your party room to your own theme/characters for the two hours it is booked for plus have full access to the soft play area and a cold food buffet

Vertigo Adventures! – Welwyn Garden City

From little monkeys to those who want to ape around, there’s a package to suit. They provide refreshments from “Subway” with both party packages – including a cold 6″ sub, packet of crisps, cookie and unlimited squash and water.

Little Monkeys Party

For younger adventurers, a little monkeys party includes a session on the 10ft high Monkey Trail low ropes course, and a fun experience on the Crazy Climb, the Plummet or Flying Fox Zip.

• Guaranteed 1.5 hours of activities

• Parties last approximately 2 hours

• Minimum of 6 adventurers required

• Minimum age 5

• height restrictions apply

• £20.00 per person

Awesome Adventurers Party

Braver party goers will enjoy a session on the 30ft Hawks View High Ropes Course, and a fun experience on the Crazy Climb, the Plummet or Flying Fox Zip.

• Guaranteed 1.5 hours of activities

• Parties last approximately 2 hours

• Minimum of 6 adventurers required

• Minimum age 5 (8 for Hawks View High Ropes)

• height restrictions apply.

• £25.00 per person

If you're planning or attending a children's birthday at this time of year, I'm sure you will be checking out Black Friday deals. If you're interested, there are some great Black Friday deals at Maddy Rogers Photography and she has written about where Black Friday originated.

Why Book a Professional Maternity Photoshoot?

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 23:05:34 GMT

Maternity Photos You' ll Cherish Forever

I have to admit, having a photographer document my ever-expanding body was about the last thing I ever wanted to do during my first pregnancy. And I mean body, not bump. As my friend so eloquently put it at my baby shower “It looks like Princess Fiona (from Shrek) ate you” Hmmmm - nice! Thanks for that.

However, I was lucky enough that there was a snowstorm during what should have been a Newborn photography training day. The baby who’d been booked to model wasn’t able to get to us. As I was 8 months pregnant, the other trainees asked if I would mind modelling for them instead? Through gritted teeth I agreed, and I’m so glad I did, because I don’t think anyone has ever regretted getting Maternity Photos.

I do however, know plenty of people who have seen my Wall Art of maternity photos when they’ve come to my studio for their Newborn or family photoshoots, and said how they wish they’d left their insecurities and excuses behind to have documented the beauty of their own pregnancy. After all, they were creating life, and it is one of life’s true miracles.

I’ve learnt in the years since that first pregnancy, that my children don’t care if I’m feeling a bit fat, or having a bad hair day, they love me because I am their mother, and they are so intrigued that they grew in my tummy, and love penning through the albums I have of my pregnancy and their early newborn days.

I must admit, I love a beautiful figure-hugging dress for a maternity photoshoot. More recently though, I have found that so much can be done just with lighting or a piece of flowing material. I have fabrics and dresses that can be tossed and draped to stunning effect. I always recommend my maternity clients make a day of it by getting their hair and make-up done first, and maybe grabbing their other half for a nice lunch after… Doesn’t that sound nice?

I recommend booking a shoot as early as possible to make sure I can fit you in. I’m often fully booked up to 3 months or more in advance. Booking after your 12-week scan is ideal (this is also the best time to book your newborn shoot believe it or not). I book Maternity shoots in at around 30-34 weeks. This is a time that your belly is nice and round, but before you start to feel the effects of carrying around the baby weight. Although it’s tempting to wait until the end of your pregnancy to capture your belly, you should stick with the suggested time frames so that you are comfortable.

Of course, this date isn’t set in stone, if you find you are having a difficult pregnancy and are at risk of being admitted into hospital early, I will do my best to photograph you earlier. After being on bed rest from 21 weeks with one pregnancy, and 28 weeks with another, I understand how it can be hard to be in love with your pregnancy during difficult times. However, it is after these struggles that your maternity photos will have more meaning than ever.

If you’re expecting twins, triplets, or other multiples, I’d advise you to have your maternity photos taken during your second trimester at around 24 weeks. Your belly will appear bigger during the second trimester since you’re carrying more than one. You will be more comfortable though and be able to move around with ease.

I offer maternity photoshoots in my Hertford Studio, and Lifestyle photoshoots at home or on location around Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridge. I’m a particular fan of photographing maternity shoots out in nature.

Either way, if you’re willing to strip-down I can take incredibly tasteful nudes or photos of you draped in material.

Wardrobe wise, I prefer Classic and Simple. Something that doesn’t date the year like lace, chiffon, knitted cardigans and sheer fabrics. Feeling beautiful and confident is what matters most.

A few top tips to keep in mind when planning your maternity shoot. Make sure your belly is moisturised, and don’t wear a tight-fitting bra or clothing immediately before your session to avoid marks on your skin.

I always do my best to ensure you feel comfortable. If you feel great during your maternity photoshoot, you can expect your photos to be everything you dreamed of (and more).

My Favourite Hertfordshire Wedding Venues

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 20:22:56 GMT

You've found your photographer, but have you booked your venue yet?

I’ve officially shot my last wedding for 2019… Thank you to all my couples for trusting me to document your special day. I have to admit, the feeling of butterflies in my stomach on the morning of my weddings never ceases to leave me, because I’m always aware what an awesome responsibility being a wedding photographer is, and it really is such a passion for me. I’m eternally greatful for the opportunity to tell the story of one of the most important days in a couple’s life and help create memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Most of my weddings are in and around Hertfordshire, London, Essex, Bedfordshire and Cambridge, although I do travel throughout the UK and to destinations.

I’d love to share with you some of my favourite venues in Hertfordshire to consider for your wedding.

Tewin Bury Farm – Welwyn

Tewin Bury Farm is a 4 Star Hotel set in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside. Their uniquely converted farm buildings run alongside the Mimram river and they offer an exquisite fusion of old and new which will not disappoint. Tewin Bury Farm can accommodate everything from small civil ceremonies of up to 60 people in the Millstream Suite to 350 guests for a seated meal and up to 500 guests for an evening reception in the contemporary Meadow Barn. My personal favourites though, are the 17th Century red brick Stable and Tythe Barn with their exposed wooden beams and its beautiful solid oak floor, a minstrels’ gallery overlooking the reception venue, and a lovely walk-way bridge over the river, which takes you and your party onto your own private patio and meadow overlooking the river Mimram.

Hanbury Manor – Ware

From a small, intimate gathering, to a large, extravagant party - Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club is the perfect back-drop. Their stately Jacobean-style hotel is located on 200 sprawling acres of immaculately landscaped grounds and provides the perfect fairy-tale setting for wedding photos you'll treasure forever. The magnificent function rooms offer sweeping views and captivating surroundings for your ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening party. And if you're looking for a private setting with charming garden, choose the intimate Garden Court.

Ponsbourne Hotel – Newgatestreet Village

The house and gardens offer the perfect venue for a stylish yet intimate occasion to share with your family and friends.

Award-winning chefs conjure up culinary heaven with a range of menus showcasing the very best of British and continental cuisine. Opt for a relaxed buffet or a more traditional and formal meal for your guests with all dietary requirements catered for.

A selection of luxury bedrooms and suites can accommodate wedding parties both large and small meaning everything can come together simply and neatly in one location, the ultimate in ease and convenience for your guests and the bridal party.

The space and ambience of Ponsbourne with its unrushed style and hospitality will mean your guests will love to linger with plenty to keep them entertained and occupied in this beautiful location. Create a day to remember with photos and shared memories to treasure for your lifetime together.

Fanhams Hall - Ware

Set in 27 acres of stunning grounds, Fanhams Hall is a grade 2 listed Jacobean mansion tucked away in the Hertfordshire countryside. A rare balance of relaxed comfort, informal surroundings and impeccable service, Fanhams Hall is my favourite location for engagement shoots just a few minutes from my studio. The historical Long Gallery and Great Hall, as well as grade 2 listed Japanese tea house and fountain plaza, make for picture perfect weddings.

The Hertfordshire Golf and Country Club - Broxbourne

This is where I got married, and so it holds a special place in my heart…

With their majestic tree-studded lawns and impressive indoor and outdoor settings, the Hertfordshire is a wonderful venue at which to get married.

A grand Broxbournebury Mansion is one of the most picturesque locations, and a witness to many stories of love. Once owned by a prominent Bosanquet family, the mansion was celebrated for its renowned rose garden, grown by the mistress of the house herself, who even established her own kind the rose named after the family.

With a year-round green golf course, you have a choice of wonderous locations to capture the most fulfilling photos to cherish every moment of your grand day.

As one year ends, another begins… I still have a limited amount of availability for weddings in 2020 and 2021. No matter where you're having your wedding, if you love the images here on my website and are looking for an unobtrusive photographer to document your big day, then I would really love to hear from you.

Why should I purchase photographic prints?

Sat, 23 Nov 2019 09:19:44 GMT

Wall Art and Photographs Matter In Interior Design

When we moved into our house and built an extension we painted all the walls white, put in beautiful accent coloured furniture, and it look beautiful... and maybe a little clinical?

The day that all changed for me was when I began to put our photos on the wall… with just a few well placed framed prints, the main room turned from a house into a home… and I know this is the sort of thing that people say, but it really did transform the space, and when my children got home from school they were so excited to see their beautiful faces adorning our walls. I think it made them feel special, important and loved?

My boys are big fans of looking at photos and videos of themselves on our phone immediately after we’ve taken them, we have a smile and a giggle, but the moment is fleeting, and while I take tens of thousands of photos each year, they never get looked at past this initial viewing, occasionally a posting on Facebook or Instagram , and the books I create, or photos I print.

The last two are the ones I cherish, the ones I remember, and more importantly, the ones my boys will remember for the rest of their lives… because when you think about it, a lot of our memories - especially the early ones - quite often aren’t memories of events at all, but memories of photos we flicked through time after time in a shoe box or an album, or looked at every time we walked past the mantlepiece.

For all the reasons I’ve mentioned above and more, I believe printing your photos and adorning your walls with them is the only right thing to do after your photoshoot… When I first started my photography business I used to offer just digital images, but after a while, when people came back year after year, and told me “I must print those photos, they’re still on a USB in my drawer” it made me really sad, and really confused why they were bothering to come back and get updated photos when they weren’t displaying them, sharing them and enjoying them.

Photography in the home reportedly makes children feel valued and gives them a rich understanding of where they come from.

In 2009 I read an article in the Daily Mail that said research had revealed “Children whose parents display family photographs in the home grow up with greater confidence and sense of belonging” – I believe in this so much that I saved a link to the article.

Professor Geoff Beattie, Head of School and Dean of Psychological Sciences at the University of Manchester said “We cannot underestimate the power of photographs to keep us feeling linked to others and belonging… For children in particular, looking at photographs is part of the socialising process; learning who you are and where you fit into the family. By displaying photographs of our children at different stages of their lives, we are making a very public statement that we are proud of them.'

So when you look at my packages, and see that they all include printed images with complimentary digital images you now know why… The prints are why we do this… and in an ideal world you will print huge wall art and hang it on every wall not just because it’s beautiful, and it’s your family, and you want to see them grow and display their gorgeousness for the entire world to see; but because every time your child walks past that picture, be they 3 years old or 30, they will think… “that’s me, my parents must be so proud of me to want to look at me on their wall… and my Nanny must love me too because she has that photo where we’re having a cuddle in her living-room”.

One of the most basic principles of interior design is that every room needs a focal point, that will instantly draw the eye into the space. It goes without saying that a piece of wall art displaying your family could easily fulfil this position.

Imagine your favourite artwork hanging above the mantle of a fireplace in your living space or standing proudly above the bed in your master suite. Alternatively, a creative gallery wall could easily spice up a more traditional dining area.

When choosing a piece of wall art to be a focal point for your space, the most important consideration is size. Too small will get dwarfed by the surrounding furniture. I always advice clients to take measurements of the wall space available, so you know how much room you have at your disposal.

Aspiring Photographer? Grab these Black Friday deals to get started

websitebuilder@1and1.de — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 11:12:08 GMT

Do you love Black Friday as much as I do...

I'm a big fan of Black Friday... while some retailers use it as an excuse to get rid of old stock, you can actually pick up some really great bargains… Especially if you go in prepared. For me, the key is knowing in advance what you want to get your hands on, and checking out current, and historic prices.

Camel Camel Camel is a really fantastic place to check out if this is a real bargain or not. If you type in the name of the item you’re looking for, it will not only show you what Amazon (and other retailers) are currently selling it for, but will track their historical prices to show if the “previously sold at” price it is being discounted against, was actually the general price of sale for a consistent period, or actually just a spike on the price so they could say it had previously been more expensive.

And that brings me on to a few deals I have already spied that I think would be great for an aspiring photographer who wants to get some kit to play around with and take some nice photos at home of their family and pets.

This camera, the Nikon D3500 , is actually the newer version of the first DSLR I purchased when on my Honeymoon 9 years ago. I had no idea at the time that my new hobby, would by the end of that year, become my new career as a photographer.

This is a great little camera, and in this deal comes with the 18-55 non VR kit lens for £299 gives a saving of £180.00 (38%) and is less than the camera is selling for on it’s own, so you’d be crazy not to get the combo…

Don’t get me wrong, you’re probably not going to become the next Yongqing Bao who won the prestigious wildlife photographer of the year 2019 title for his image The Moment, using this camera, but it’s a really lovely entry level camera for someone who doesn’t have thousands of pounds to shell out just yet, for what can become a very expensive hobby.

So, you’ve found the camera, now you need memory to store your images. For the above camera this comes in the form of an SD card… I use SanDisk's most powerful SD memory card for maximum speed, performance and reliability. The SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card provides uncompromising image and 4K UHD video quality from your DSLR. Transfer speeds up to 95MB/s move your data fast. Write speed of up to 90MB/s handle rapid shots, sequential burst mode, and RAW plus JPEG capture with ease. This is the card that means I never miss “the” shot when shooting fast moving dancers and dogs.

SanDisk products are constructed to the highest standards and rigorously tested. You can be confident in the outstanding quality, performance and reliability of every SanDisk product.

And at just £9.99 from pic-stop, with 70% retail price, this black Friday it’s an absolute steal.

Once you've brought your camera, lens and SD cards, you need to keep all that kit safe, so a protective camera bag is a must.

I've had a few myself, and most recently pimped up a rucksack designed as a nappy bag, because I loved the design, it had enough zips pockets, compartments and pouches for my main camera, spare body, all my lenses and even snacks and for when I’m photographing a wedding. For just the one camera though, something much smaller will do. I love the National Geographic Australia Camera Holster/Belly Bag for CSC to keep your photography gear safe. The combination of materials used is inspired by the red and blue of Australia’s outback and seas. It is designed with careful attention to detail and premium materials: earthy-red, genuine Italian leather and water-repellent fabrics evoking Australian scenery and colours. On the inside, the bags feature a colourful eucalyptus-leaf print lining reminiscent of Australia’s typical natural landscapes. A fresh look and essential design helps photographers keep a casually low profile while gear is kept safe by the renowned Manfrotto Protection System.

Perfect anywhere - from desert to downtown – this bag fits a Compact System Camera with kit lens and additional standard zoom lens. By simply removing the internal divider, it can also fit a medium DSLR camera. It can be used as a traditional holster or as a belly pouch by detaching the shoulder strap and re-attaching it to the rings on the back of the bag. When a smaller size is enough, the two buckles can be attached to each other, making it more compact. A front zip pocket provides additional room for your belongings. At just £29.95, 50% off from its usual price of £59.90 it’s a bargain from Manfrotto.

Keep an eye out – I’ll be releasing information on more early Black Friday ideas over the next week, and a heads up that I might just be releasing one or two unbelievable offers myself.

If you'd like to be the first to know about my deals and offers, sign up to my Newsletter by telling what you're interested in on my contact form - Beginners Photography courses, studio photoshoots, on location shoots, weddings, dance shoots and events... See my gallery to find out more about my work.

Where is the empathy and compassion towards parents?

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 22:56:01 GMT

Where did all this judgement come from?

Before I became a parent I really worried about how good I'd be at it. I'd often joked to my friend that she'd have to come and help me raise my child because as much as I was desperate to become a mother, I'd never felt particularly maternal... but from the moment our eldest son was born, being a mum was the easiest thing I'd ever done.

Something I've felt ever since becoming a mother though, is there's a lot of judgement! Breast milk or formula, crying-it-out, attachment parenting, Gina Ford, the Supernanny, too much or too little discipline... What's a mum to do? How do I know if it's right?

Despite all of the potential avenues and unwarranted advice, I loved being a mum in the early years, my son wasn't easy, he didn't sleep, but he was energetic, inquisitive, happy and funny. Wow was I smitten. Then when he was 2.5 years old, he started pre-school, and I became that mum who was asked to stay behind after EVERY session to talk... From day 1 they were talking to me about a child I didn't recognise... This wasn't my son... My mum used to joke that he was "the devil incarnate" - but it had all been said in jest - now this was what I was hearing from his nursery.

I was judged about what time he went to bed, what was in his lunch box, if he spent all day watching TV or playing on an I-pad, whether he got enough exercise... It was only after they had exhausted every avenue of trying to blame my parenting for his behaviour (and failed miserably, because I was killing it), that they turned to the possibility that there was something "wrong" with him... and as it happens, according to society there was - 2 years later, after the worst period of my life dealing with a school who just wanted to blame my son for his behaviour without putting in any support, and several exclusions from nursery and reception when he was only 4 (I mean, who excludes a 4 year old?) he received his autism diagnosis, and an acceptance that he also had ADHD, although we had to wait a further 2 years for a diagnosis when he was 6.

The reason I'm telling you all this, is so that you'll understand, that when I heard a child screaming for 15 straight minutes at the supermarket on Sunday, my thoughts were "that poor family, I wonder if they need some help?"... So when at this same moment I heard an older lady berating the family to her adult son, it set something off inside of me.

"They shouldn't have brought him to the supermarket" she said, "It's just not right, can't they control their child" she continued... "we shouldn't have to put up with this, they should take him out of here" and finally "some people just shouldn't have kids"...

Red rag to a bull... I'm used to my son getting overwhelmed by sensory inputs, and I'm used to the stares, whispering, and judgement. What I'm not used to is saying something about it... but this time I did!

"SOME PEOPLE" I said "have children who are autistic or have sensory difficulties, Some people do their best to recognise and respond to their child's needs, but it isn't always possible to calm them down... I have an autistic son who doesn't respond well to supermarkets, but I'm lucky enough to be able to come shopping without him... Some people don't have that option, some people are single parents, or just want to attempt to get out of the house".

"It's hard isn't it" She responded...

"No, it's not hard to not pass judgement on other people. It's not hard to show a little empathy and compassion for the parents who I am certain are as tired of the screaming as you are, and tired, and stressed, and fed up with being judged.

She walked away.

When I got home, I debated with myself why I had spoken up, and whether it was right, after all, the women has a right to her own opinions. But that's when I realised, it wasn't the fact she had said "some people shouldn't be parents", it was the fact she thought it. Why so much judgement? Is a child crying really the worst thing that could happen during your visit to a supermarket?

If we all showed a little more empathy and compassion, I believe parents would be more likely to remain loving and sensitive to their children. Criticism makes parents feel incompetent, feeling judged makes it more likely parents will react in ways that are harsh, leading to children feeling bad, which in turn leads to more negative behaviour. It’s a lose-lose all the way around.

I want to ask you, next time you feel like someone isn't parenting the way they should, pause and think - maybe something isn't going well in their life, maybe their child has a disability, has hurt themselves, or maybe, they're just a toddler learning to navigate their world and work through their emotions?

To all you new parents out there, please just do the best job YOU can do... follow your heart and your gut instinct and things will go just fine. Don’t fear the judgers. Don’t give them power by letting them get in your head to question if your child should be behaving a certain way, or if you should be giving them more discipline/choice/freedom? Don't ever allow other peoples opinions to influence how you respond to your children. Tune them out and focus on what your child is struggling with and what they need from you to cope. Trust yourself: You know your child and what they need when they're having a hard time.

It’s not your job to please the judgers, it’s your job to raise a child who can cope with life’s frustrations and disappointments, and who knows, maybe have their back if you ever meet the judgers face to face.

I hope I didn't offend, I hope that lady went away and thought about what I said, and maybe next time will think twice? But more importantly I hope that next time you're out with your child, and they're maybe causing a scene, you won't worry about the judgers, because I promise, someone else has got your back (even if you don't know it).

As soon as I got home from the supermarket I ran upstairs to grab my camera, I wanted to document the raw emotions I felt in that moment, and create something that showed the stress of life, and how sometimes people are already going through enough without external forces piling a bit more on top.

I'm very lucky that I have trained under some really amazing photographers, who have not just taught me photography and editing skills, but how to think outside of the box, break the rules, and create art that tells a story... Fellow photographer Brooke has written a blog about family and newborn workshops in Australia , and when I was reading her list of amazing photographers who are training out there I realised I've been fortunate enough to train with several of them, and it's certainly whet-my-appetite to go and book some more, but I suppose I'll have to wait for them to come back to the UK.

What are your thoughts? Was I in the right or wrong to speak up? Have you ever felt judged as a parent... or do you judge others?

What happens at my newborn photography session

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 17:49:40 GMT

I want to book a newborn photography session... What happens now?

If you‘ve already looked around local photographers, asked for recommendations, decided on the style you want, checked out my gallery and decided I’m the photographer for you – Fantastic! Just pop me a message via my contact form , and we’ll talk about your hopes for the session and try to reserve you a slot.

Please be aware, due to the nature of labour not generally sticking to your predicated due date, I only schedule a few newborns per week, and these sessions get booked up quickly - I’m often fully booked 3-5 months in advance - so please don’t hesitate to call

Once you’ve reserved your slot…relax. My little studio is a calm environment where you can sit back, put your feet up, have a cup of tea and a cake while I do my thing… If you’re so inclined after a few restless nights, you can even have a little nap on my day bed.

I have been a professional photographer for over 8 years, and in addition to my experience, have had specific in-person and online training from some of the best newborn photographers and trainers in the UK on photographing newborns, posing, props, and most importantly newborn safety... because lets face it, no photo is worth putting your precious little baby at risk.

I take newborn bookings from 12 weeks, and pencil an approximate date in the diary based on your due date, but as I said above, I'm all too aware that babies rarely come when their due (my 3 boys were born at 41 weeks, 25 weeks, and 32 weeks respectively, so trust me, I get it). After the birth of your baby please call me as soon as you can so we can schedule your session – I always recommend you put this on Dad’s call list, when he’s calling and texting around your family and friends to tell them of your babies safe arrival, pop my number down too, that way he won’t forget. As you've pre-booked, I'll have availability, but we don't want to miss those little newborn features. I typically photograph newborns between day 4 and 14 while they’re still squishy and sleepy.

Newborn sessions last up to 3 hours long depending on your baby, I work around upset babies, nursing and pooey bums and never rush... The room will be warm, so wear some light layers, even in the winter as you don't want to overheat, and if you are bringing your partner or any other children for family photos, I recommend they go out during the main session, and come back at the end so the studio isn't too busy and everyone doesn't get restless.

You don't need to bring any outfits for baby - I love wrinkly skin shots, and have lots of different coloured wraps to choose from - but if you have something special, a hand-me-down, or special blanket, please bring it and I'll see if we can fit it in? If this is a shoot for a rainbow baby, items that remind you of the baby you lost can be incorporated – usually this is a small teddy bear from a memory box, or blanket that was knitted for them.

I like to include a few family photos, so if you could all bring some plain white and black clothes (long sleeved tops/shirts, leggings or jeans) I find they make for a timeless family portrait, but as always I want your personality to shine through, so if you have your own style, or want some advice, this can all be discussed. I always recommend getting your families outfits ready, ironed and put aside when you pack your hospital bag, if you leave packing a bag of clothes until your newborn is here something is bound to be forgot.

I'll send you a welcome pack before your session with more hints and tips, but hopefully this will put your mind at rest that it will be a lovely calm and relaxed experience.

I love to look at the beautiful photography produced by other photographers, someone I love to watch is Newborn Photographer from Huddersfield Mya Lau from Rayah Sunshine Photography in West Yorkshire - She has a great blog I love to read, and her latest talks all about why you should invest in a newborn photographer, so if you haven't booked yet, check out her wise words.

Photographs taken at training with Emma Jane from Little love photography .

Personal Brand Photography - Moo Music - Hertford, Ware and Stanstead Abbotts

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 18:30:14 GMT

Photographing and reviewing local businesses... Moo Music pre-school classes

Abi recently took over Moo Music in Hertford, Ware and Stanstead Abbott’s. She has 3 children of her own aged 10, 4 and 1 (she's so dedicated she was working on his birthday!).

I always like to know why people chose their jobs, where their passion and motivation comes from. Abi said "I started the classes because I was a previous Moo Mummy and loved the classes, when this opportunity came up I just had to go for it because it fits in so well with my home life and it’s a job I love doing".

My youngest son and I went along to Abi's class and had a fabulous time... I couldn't believe how much she stuffed into 45 minutes... Dressing up, songs, arts and crafts, sensory play with lights and textures... My son settled in straight away, and because I was occupied taking photos, Abi stepped in without asking to help him with his pirates bandana and eye patch.

Moo Music is a fun, sensory music class. Abi uses different props each week to go on an exciting adventure! The sessions are based for pre-school children aged 0-5 years.

After becoming a pirate, there was a quick change where the children were able to become Penguins swimming through the ocean... The smiles and laughter from the children were infectious, and my son seemed to particularly love this section of the class.

And what fun would it be being a penguin without ice and snowballs? Abi had clearly thought through the class and props really well.

After sailing the high seas as Pirates, and swimming at the North Pole as penguins, Abi handed out card and pain for a choice of three hand and footprint halloween card designs. I liked the spider, but my son chose a Frankenstein foot.

Thank you Abi for inviting us to your class, as I was writing this blog my son said "where was that?" and I reminded him it was from when I went to photograph the children at the music class, and he said "can we go there again next time?" so I guess I'll be calling you to book some sessions very soon.

If you would like to find out more about Abi's Moo Music Classes pop over to her Facebook page.

As a Personal Brand Photographer, I love getting in the mix of your work and getting natural images for you to use in advertising and on social media... I'm also able to get headshots at my Hertford Studio, your place of work, or natural looking (but slightly posed) corporate shots. Please send me a message with any enquiries or for for information... I'd also love to hear from anyone else who would like me to come and review their business.

I'm sure if you're here you also know I'm a newborn and family photographer too... I love following other peoples work, and someone I follow is Yeovil photographer Sarah Osborne. What people do you follow who inspire you?

Personal Brand Photography - "The Phonics Fox" in Ware

Sat, 26 Oct 2019 15:38:06 GMT

Personal Brand Photography - Chloe Pullara from The Phonics Fox - Ware and Hertford

I enquired a few weeks ago on my social media if any local businesses or entrepreneurs would like to be considered for a write up by a local photographer. I do lots of Personal Brand Photography around Hertfordshire and Essex, but never get to share my own impressions of the businesses, and I know there are lots of people out there who want to choose who they go to based on real life reviews.

I was overwhelmed with responses, and really taken aback by some of the wonderful stories behind the business owners and concepts. As I have a 3 year old, I decided to start with Chloe Pullara who runs The Phoenix Fox pre-school classes.

Chloe started her business The Phonics Fox, two years ago in October 2017. The idea came to her a few months prior to this. She was coming to the end of maternity leave with her fourth child and just couldn’t face the idea of going back into teaching - even part time.

"I didn’t want to leave my son for long periods. I was still breastfeeding and that was something I wanted to continue with until he self weaned. Teaching is so full on. The days are long and intense and although it’s supposed to be family friendly, it really isn’t. My girls had got used to be being at home and enjoyed me taking them to school. No one wanted me to go back to work - except perhaps my husband who felt all the financial burden."

Chloe had always been passionate about early reading. "Teaching reading was my favourite part of teaching, but something that never enough time was dedicated to on the curriculum. I had taught a Reception class and seen just what a fast pace phonics is taught at and had noticed that it was easy for some children to just miss it, especially if they had little prior experience. I had taught my three older children to read before starting school and felt that gave them a real advantage. And that’s when the idea was born. I would create fun early years classes to give children the early building blocks for reading and writing skills and empower parents and caters to support their children. I strongly believe that parents are their children’s most important educators."

At the classes each week children are taught a new letter sound using Jolly Phonics actions. The classes are all theme/story based and the children have the opportunity to do a variety of activities which are based on the theme, but are designed to help their reading development and support their fine motor skills for writing. Many other areas of the EYFS are covered too. Children are essentially learning through play and have so much fun, they don’t realise they are learning.

I attended The Phonics Fox Halloween themed class in Ware today and my 3 year old was immediately at ease. I was really impressed with how Chloe introduced the "oo" sound, her enthusiasm with her cuk"oo" clock impression, and that she gave the children all their own sets of "book" and "moon" cards to see how the "oo" can be said differently - but she put it back in the children own hands and said "Don't worry if you don't know which "oo" sound it is, you'll figure it out as you use it". I thought this confidence in the children was really brilliant.

After singing some songs and learning about todays sound, Chloe read "Room on the Broom" and encouraged parents to join in if they knew the book - which they did (especially the dads). Then it was time to choose which crafts the children wanted to do. This week they could make a halloween card, a wand, some spiders or fill a cauldron with painted pasta to make spells... Ezra managed to get through all 4 activities before we were brought back as a group at the end.

I was surprised when we were invited downstairs for drinks and cakes after the class... it was a step beyond what I've found at these sorts of classes in the past, and gave parents a chance to talk before leaving, which was really nice (I talked cameras with one of the dads who has recently purchased a mirrorless fuji - If you don't know anything about cameras, I can tell you - I was jealous!).

All in all, todays class was really enjoyable and educational... I'm kicking myself that we didn't try it sooner, as I've known about it for about a year. If you have a pre-schooler I'd encourage you to check it out for yourselves (I made a point of telling everyone who applied to feature in this blog, that it was about them and their passion, it would not be an advertisement for their business, but I genuinely think Chloe is offering something very special and unique here).

Chloe said "My classes took off very quickly with many of my trials all signing up. I started classes in Hertford and then soon added Ware and Cheshunt. It’s been hard work as I’ve planned as I’ve gone along. I currently teach 8 classes a week and I have my own (shared) premises to at Sucklings Yard in Ware." Now Chloe is settled at her own premises, someone else has joined the team to cover Hertford. Unsurprisingly, demand has continued to be high over the last 2 years and feedback from parents has been really positive.

It's recognised by Chloe how lucky she was that her mother in law has been able to help with her littlest one and said she would not have been able to do any of this without her. She is currently taking the next exciting step of franchising her business and will see where that leads. "I have lots of other ideas in the pipeline but just not enough time to do them!'

If you'd like to know more you can visit The Phonics Fox Website or Facebook page for more information.

Please let me know in the comments below if there is a business you would like to see featured in a future blog?

One of my other passions is working from my Hertford studio photographing families and newborn baby's... I like following other photographers to keep up with the latest trends, and someone I've been introduced to recently is Newborn photographer from Co. Down in Northern Island , Claire Butler

Natural Light Dance Photography

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 22:26:52 GMT

Dancers? I think "stage" or "studio"... but what about Photography in the forest?

When I met ballet dancers Hollie & Blanche in the cold autumn forest, I'm sure they must have thought "What is this photographer thinking?"

They didn't hesitate though, and despite the slight chill, stripped off into their matching dance outfits and were willing to follow my creative instincts into the middle of a heather field, a leafy path (pausing for the occasional child, family or dog), and most impressively by the end of the hour were performing forearm stands, jumps and leaps inches away from the edge of a jetty by the lake, just so I could get the perfect shot..

Photographing these two dancers took me back to my days at performing arts college, and I must admit, I was tempted to put the camera down and join in... but thankfully for them (and any onlookers) on this occasion I stuck to the photography.

So what did I learn from my shoot in the forest? Well for one, despite loving my little Hertford based studio, my heart really does love an outdoor natural light photography shoot, and if you're willing to go out in all weather, the diversity of light and locations offers the most amazing backdrops for your dance portfolio or family photographs.

As I'd love to do more dance photoshoots while the weather will allow, I'm currently running a very special limited offer... or if you'd rather wait until the weather warms up again, this would make an amazing Christmas gift for your little dancer (you could even go in with a few other mums and I'll do a small group of up to 3 best friends)

Starting at just £199 for a 30 minute shoot including 5 high resolution edited photos... with an option to upgrade to extra digital images, prints or wall art .

Becoming a Dance Photographer

183:784879152 (Joanne Lewis) — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:22:14 GMT

I'm a lover of the Arts. Photography, painting and dancing are such passions.

But, I've never combined these passions before... apart from the odd wedding dance that is. So this weekend I made my way to the forest with these beautiful young dancers from a local dance school and we took the studio on location.

I was blown away by these dancers athleticism and grace. I am completely sold and looking forward to adding these sessions to my photography portfolio.

Are you a dancer, or do you belong to a dance school? What do you think of these outdoor dance photography shoots on location? Is it something that would interest you on your own, or as a group shoot with your dance partner or friends? I'd really love to hear from you.

I'm going to start with a very special offer which would make an incredible Christmas gift for your little dancer... £199 for a 30 minute shoot including 5 high resolution edited photos... Who's in?

While I really loved my outdoor autumn dance photography shoot, One of my favourite genres of photography is still Maternity... I really love Newborn and Maternity Photographer Shropshire Amy who is talking about maternity sessions in her blog this week.

She Can 365 - Bio on a Photographer

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 22:15:47 GMT

Inspirational Female Entrepreneur Feature of a Photographer from Hertford

Beginning on International Women’s Day 2019, SheCan365 have been publishing a daily interview with an inspirational woman in business.

Told in exactly 365 words, each story celebrates a female entrepreneur whose superpower is showing up every day – making the world a better place for it.

I'm really honoured to share their story on me from day 220...

Joanne Lewis, The Visual Storyteller at Joanne Lewis Photography Studio

Telling stories through pictures – letting individuality and personality shine through

Our second son Phoenix was stillborn. Everything had been perfect until my waters broke at 21 weeks. I held on for another month, but he died during labour.

I went into shock and couldn’t function – let alone work. I have no words for the feelings of devastation. If you asked my mum, she’d say I was broken.

At the time, most of my ‘mum friends’ were pregnant with their second child, which made me feel even more lonely and isolated. They didn’t know how to be around me. When you’ve experienced baby loss, you want to talk about your child, but often no-one else does.

I had another two miscarriages; then 18 months after losing Phoenix, I gave birth to Ezra at 32 weeks. In baby loss terminology, he’s a ‘rainbow baby’ – our rainbow after the storm; my whole life focused on my boys. As Ezra grew stronger and healthier, I felt ready to rekindle my freelance photography business…

In 2017 I invested in a residential course – looking forward with excitement to learning from six of the UK’s top photographers. The only class I dreaded was Sujata Setia’s session on newborn photography. After everything I’d been through, I still felt too traumatised to be around other babies – avoiding classes with Ezra and requesting home visits from the health visitor.

For all my fears, when I looked through the lens, something shifted… I was able to create beautiful photos of the newborn baby. It was a massive turning point and, from that day on, I have actively moved back into working with families.

Since then, my studio has become a haven of inclusion and empathy for bereaved families, rainbow babies and children with SEND. My eldest son Zachary has autism and ADHD, so I can relate to it all; no-one ever has to apologise for their children or their tears!

My photographic contributions to The Travelling Dress Project – exploring grief and loss – went viral. People from all over the world have been in touch – asking to talk and write about my work. My photos are being published in a book entitled ‘Parental Grief and Photographic Remembrance’.

Breaking baby loss taboos is helping to heal my heart.

I have been interviewed and had my photos published in books and online globally... Please check out some of the articles:

Inspirational Female Entrepreneur - Joanne's Story - SheCan365

Portrait series inspired by the travelling dress project - SLR Lounge

Breaking the taboo around child-loss and grief - Bored Panda

Joanne Lewis - An intimate portrait - Thalmaray (written in Dutch)

Paperback Book - Parental Grief and Photo Remembrance by Felicity Hamer (Emerald Publishing)

Another Inspirational female in business is Natalie Moss - Baby Photographer in Woking, Surrey

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Fiona Russell

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:40:47 GMT

My baby boy was perfect - he just feel asleep.

October 15th is Baby Loss Awareness Day. At 7pm there is an an international wave of light that flows around the world for 24 hours - so please light a candle between 7 and 8pm for all the babies gone too soon. I will be meeting other bereaved parents at Hertford Castle tonight so we can light our candles and remember our babies together. Please feel free to join us if you live locally in Hertford, Ware, Buntingford, Harlow or Bishops Stortford.

This also means we have reached the end of our 15 Faces of Baby Loss (for this year) and I would like to end by introducing a beautiful woman I met at my first ever SANDS meeting. Fiona has only shared a few words, but they say it all really.

I lost my son Ernie at 34+4 weeks. He was born still. Ernie was my only pregnancy - I was never pregnant again, and will never have a rainbow baby.

My son was perfect and there was nothing wrong with me - he just feel asleep.

The pregnancy had been ok until the last trimester. I was quite poorly but they all said it was just being pregnant. I gave birth to Ernie at the Addenbrooks hospital and had counselling with Petals Charity - the staff were all amazing and helped me through.

I miss him every minute of every day.

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Georgina Ellis

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 16:09:09 GMT

So many what if's go through your mind...

I am that 1 in 4... what does that even mean? I have a particular dislike of this quote that has become synonymous with miscarriage and baby loss, because it has been taken out of context and suggests 1 in 4 women will suffer a pregnancy loss, but the reality is 1 in 4 pregnancies will end in miscarriage... It doesn't mean that 1 in 4 women will experience a loss, but rather that 1 win 8 will experience 2, or 1 in 12 will experience 3 - I don't know the exact stats, but in my own personal experience, and that of many bereaved mums I know, we often suffer loss after loss, and each one is heartbreaking.

I was reminded of this quote because Georgina said to me as part of her interview "I am proud to say I’m a mother of 4, 1 in my arms and 3 in the sky"... Just hearing this sums up baby loss to me. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

I met Georgina at Sunshine and Rainbows group Bishops Stortford, and it breaks my heart that she has been left with those gut wrenching questions that so many of us are left with... "what if". It's the ultimate question that will never be answered, and always follows us.

On May 4th 2019 I went into labour looking forward to meeting my little boy by the end of the day. I'd had the healthiest pregnancy you could have asked for (apart from the nausea, swollen ankles and general tiredness you get, but that comes with the territory). This was my 3rd pregnancy but only my 2nd going to full term. My first was an early miscarriage of twins at 8 and 10 weeks and then shortly after that I fell pregnant with our rainbow baby girl Grace, who is now 3.

With Grace I had a c-section due to her being breech, so I was hoping for a natural birth this time. As my body had never been into labour fully before, I wasn’t sure what to expect but we were excited to be meeting our little boy hopefully by the end of the day. I remember in the morning my contractions felt normal. How your body can go from excruciating pain to feeling normal and then back again, I just couldn’t get over. We were admitted into hospital around 10am. However the pain definitely changed come the afternoon. By 2pm the pain was so bad I could hardly move and I remember thinking I couldn’t tell what was a contraction and what wasn’t. I did voice it to a midwife that something wasn’t right, but she said it was all normal. I thought at that point she must see so many women in pain, she probably thought I was just being a wimp. I was given pain killers, however these didn’t touch the sides.

In the labour ward the heartbeat was monitored and it sounded all normal and healthy right up until around 8pm. That’s when our lives changed forever and it all kicked off. I remember the most severe stabbing pain and then a contraction that literally wouldn’t go away. This was when the midwife couldn’t find a heartbeat and I was rushed into theatre and put to sleep. My baby boy was born 8lbs 2oz and had to be resuscitated. He was brought back to life and put on a life support machine. He had severe brain damage from being starved of oxygen as my scar had ruptured inside me and his head had been out of the womb.

We found out his brain was so damaged, if we were to keep him alive, he would have no quality of life, he would be severely disabled and possibly not even able to recognise us.

We made the heart breaking decision to turn his life support off the next day, where he died peacefully in my arms with my husband and grandparents around him. I will never forget that day.

I never heard him cry or got to see his eyes open. We called him Gabriel and he looked so much like his sister but with mousey brown hair, where Grace was born with jet black hair.

So many what ifs go through your mind...

What if I had known that what I was feeling wasn’t normal I could have got the midwife to get Gabriel checked. One of the signs of a uterine rupture is a constant severe pain. I had this for at least 6hours before something was noticed, by then it was too late. I am not blaming anyone by all means, I just wish I was told the symptoms of a uterine rupture. They tell you the risk is small, you can’t be in the birthing unit or have a home birth as you’ll be closely monitored and induced differently if you don’t go naturally into labour. This is all I was told. If they had specifically told me what to expect would I be holding Gabriel today?

What if I'd just had a c-section, would this have occurred?

I think so many of us blame ourselves and I certainly blamed my body at the time for failing Gabriel. I now realise there is no point dwelling in these what ifs, we need to focus on what a little fighter he was and he was just too eager and excited to come out.

I am so lucky and thankful to have found the sunshine and rainbows playgroup, as I couldn’t face the playgroups I went to before, knowing that they were expecting me to walk in with a baby in my arms was too painful.

Grace has definitely kept us going and made me get out the door. With her infectious laugh and smile, she has definitely brightened our most darkest days.

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Justine Raja

Sun, 13 Oct 2019 21:19:03 GMT

Six years on, I have found what many bereaved parents call a ‘new normal’

Baby Loss Awareness Week is important not just as an opportunity for bereaved parents to talk about there children and help break the taboo surrounding this most heartbreaking subject, but also to help bring the topic to light with doctors, nurses and hospitals so that they can learn from past errors in care and reduce stillbirth and neonatal death rates in the future.

Justine Raja is an incredible woman, beautiful soul, and has done so much not just to help me and other people from SANDS, but also helping raise awareness in the wider medical community.

Please read the story of her 4 pregnancies, and the beautiful girl Violet she never brought home.

I have had a positive pregnancy test result four times in my life. Each has been under different circumstances and each has resulted in very different emotions. When I saw the words “Pregnant 3+ weeks” on the digital test I took in autumn 2012, the overriding feelings were “how on earth am I going to cope with a newborn when I’ve got a baby and a toddler”. I am the middle of three daughters, and had I ever actually sat to plan it, I probably would have said I would ideally like to have three children too. The feeling of panic did pass, and when we learnt that our third child was also a girl, there was a sense of things falling into place, albeit a little sooner than either of us had thought. Oh and there was still quite a bit of panic.

Eliza was four and Celia was one. I knew how to be pregnant, how to give birth and how to have a newborn baby in the house. We didn’t discuss names, we didn’t shop for anything. We could do all that closer to the time, and we had everything already anyway. Even after a bleed at 35 weeks, which the midwives could not really explain, I was confident that the extra precautions they took as a result were enough for me and my baby.

In the very early hours of 5th April 2013, a similar bleed woke me up. Being almost 39 weeks pregnant at this stage, I took my hospital bag, the baby car seat and went off to hospital thinking they might not want to send me home this time, not being so close to my due date. I left my husband and the girls sleeping at home, why disturb them when he could just come along later when it just be more practical, it’s not like I was actually in labour yet.

I arrived at the labour ward at PAH. After being told pointedly by the well-meaning staff that I should have called ahead, they asked me whether I had felt the baby move today. In my state of tiredness and confusion, I was actually thinking about the day before when I answered confidently that yes, I had. And of course, why would my baby have stopped moving? I was on the bed as the midwife searched for the heartbeat, which she found, then lost, then found again. At some point, the realisation started to dawn that it had been my heartbeat she had heard all along, and after that, there is a dark and noisy blur in my mind when I think about the details. There was no heartbeat, she was dead.

Our families were told, doctors explained how things would proceed. I knew they wouldn’t offer me a c-section. I knew (and remember wondering how on earth she’d done it) that Gary Barlow’s wife had given birth to their stillborn daughter Poppy not many months before, and this is what I would have to do too. I was given a bright blue pill (to soften the cervix), and then we went home for a few hours, mainly to see our daughters and try to explain that their baby sister had died. There was still the risk of further bleeding so we were to return that evening to be induced.

We went to M&S to buy an outfit, not to take our daughter home in but to bury her in. We considered options of cemeteries rather than setting up her Moses basket. We discussed the best way to communicate the death of our baby to all those waiting to hear of her birth. My husband found out online that we should take as many photos of her as possible, and that there were different pain relief options available when the welfare of the baby was not a concern. There was not a shred of hope or chance of a miracle. But we were looking forward to meeting her.

Early in the morning of 6th April 2013, Violet Serena Raja was born in the peace and quiet of the Chamberlain Room at Princess Alexandra Hospital. The birth was mercifully straightforward (I was right in one respect, my body does know how to give birth) and our fears that she would look damaged or in pain were also mercifully unfounded. Violet was perfect and so like her older sisters. My body had kept her warm and she was soft, with dark hair, a tiny nose and lovely lips. We smiled, we were proud, and we loved her with the profound love familiar to all parents. But the silence in the room when she was born was just awful. The feeling when she didn’t cry and when I saw her lifeless body were unbearable. Until my dying day I will not be able to think on those things without feeling physical pain. She was still, she was silent and she would never open her eyes to see everyone who loved her so much.

We spent precious hours with Violet. She was washed and dressed, and cuddled by her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and also by the hospital Chaplain who held a naming ceremony for her. We were given a memory box, and we had handprints and footprints taken, and a small lock of her black hair. Her little body had started to change, she no longer felt warm, and we knew we needed to say our final goodbyes.

We held a funeral for Violet, and were so grateful that many dear friends were able to come and share her short life with us. We escaped down to Cornwall for a break before returning to the routine of work and school that couldn’t be avoided. Some nights I had terrible dreams. Some mornings I would wake up confused, was I still pregnant? Had I never been pregnant? But I got up and made breakfast for my living children. Life went on, because that’s just what it does. We got through the day. Not because we were superhuman, or even strong, but because there was simply no other option.

Violet’s death certificate says ‘placental abruption’. We found out that the first bleed had most likely weakened my placenta, and the second bleed was too much and Violet’s oxygen supply would have been immediately cut off. She would have felt no pain or fear, one tiny consolation in a lifetime of what ifs.

Quite soon I began to feel a real need to talk to people who really truly understood. We had been given some literature in the hospital from the charity Sands, and it included a card with details of the East Herts support group. We went along a month or so after Violet was born, meeting other parents who had lost babies in our local area, some years ago and some around the same time we lost Violet. I felt an immediate sense comfort and reassurance. I learnt so much from all of them, shared feelings of guilt, anger, disbelief, failure, love and pride. This club that none of us wanted to be in was a lifeline to me for a long time. I carry those precious babies in my heart and their parents in my contacts list.

The years since Violet’s birth are punctuated by the milestones that bereaved parents know all too well. Birthdays, holidays, Christmases, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, returning to work. Imagining Violet as a growing child is a strange ritual: she would be walking, she should be talking, her first day at school. The list goes on and on and I don’t see it ever ending. The dreams you have for your children are dashed in an instant on a hospital bed a lifetime ago, yet they reappear as regular reminders of what you should have.

I took one more pregnancy test, this was just before Christmas in 2016. We didn’t feel happy when we saw that positive result, rather we dreaded nine long months with no certainty we would be able to bring this new baby home. With support, great medical care and lots and lots of Picnic bars, we got through 38 weeks of worry. Our fourth child, our baby boy, was born in August 2017. Abel means “breath of life” in Hebrew, and his name sums up how precious and precarious life is and how we feel about him and all his sisters.

Six years on, I have found what many bereaved parents call a ‘new normal’. Life is good, and is worth living. I read a quote about grief which resonated with me: “the burden doesn’t get any lighter, only your legs get stronger.” Violet inspires me to spend my time with the people that really matter and to try not to worry about the things that don’t. I am by nature a positive person, and Violet’s legacy and my wonderful family and friends have made it possible to emerge from the darkest depths of grief with that part of me intact, although changed forever.

“Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its colour”. W H Merwin, Seperation.

Photographing 15 Faces of Babyloss - Rebecca Peckham

Sat, 12 Oct 2019 09:47:05 GMT

Our little Bean

As we near the end of Baby Loss Awareness Week 2019, nothing has made me happier than hearing about the safe arrival of one of our very own Mums rainbow baby's... "Our second rainbow baby boy was born on Thursday 10/10, 7lb 2.5oz. All doing well apart from no name yet!"

Congratulations Rebecca. I'm so incredibly happy for your family.

Please read her story, about how the loss of her first born son Bean encouraged her to found her local Cambridge Sands and Sunshines and Rainbow's groups.

We were excited to expect our first child, a boy, in autumn of 2016. In early August of that year I went to the Rosie with mild concerns about movements; I was really looking for reassurance but following a scan a consultant said the heart breaking words "I'm sorry but there is no heartbeat, your baby has died". I was numb with shock and disbelief - I didn't know babies just died like that. I somehow managed to call my husband who came straight down. I was induced and gave birth to my eldest son on 7th August.

We named our son Bean as that was what we called him during pregnancy and continued to call him after he was born. Picking a name off a list for paperwork - we hadn't decided on a name by the time he was born at 31 weeks - seemed too formal and grown up for him. We simply named him what we had always called him.

Since Bean's birth I have got involved in groups and organisations to raise awareness of baby loss; I have attended Rosie Maternity Voices service users group, am a founding committee member of Cambridgeshire Sands and run a monthly baby and toddler group for parents and carers affected by baby loss. Our second son was born just under a year after Bean's birth and we are expecting a third son in early October 2019.

Parents who raise awareness about baby loss, or any issue, do not want to make expectant parents fearful that their baby may unexpectedly die, but it is a misconception that babies that die in utero must have a problem or reason why they have died. In many cases a reason is not found and by making expectant parents aware that baby loss such as stillbirth can happen to anyone, we can try and prevent more cases and more parents joining the club no-one wants to be a part of.

The blanket I crocheted for Bean and was excited for him to have - something I had made for him, despite not being a creative person. The lamb we gave him because a day or two after he was born, I realised I didn't have a toy for him which made me really upset because one of the first things you give a baby is a toy and i didn't have this for him. The lamb I had at home so this became his and we bought a duplicate, so this one stayed with him (along with the blanket) and the duplicate lamb we still have as Beany's Lamb. This became an important symbol for us over the next few months and years, as a way of connecting with him and remaining close.

The rings picture I took the night we were told Bean had died - you can kind of see I am still pregnant in the picture. We made a conscious decision there and then to remain together and strong and it was hard at times, and we didn't always see things in the same way but this picture reminds me that we agreed to be strong, together.

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Hannah Neale

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 10:06:44 GMT

I have failed at the one thing I as a woman should be able to do

I am so proud to be sharing stories from 15 wonderful women around Hertfordshire and Essex for Baby Loss Awareness Week 2019.

Today I would like to introduce Hannah Neale who has bravely shared her story not just here with me, but also with the Bishops Stortford Independent published online today.

Hannah went to one of her many hospital appointments on her own, to be told with no-one there for support, that her son Leo had died.

On February 26th 2019 I had to say goodbye to my little Leo. From the very start of my pregnancy I experienced many common health problems that pregnancy brings like iron deficiency, heart burn and bad morning sickness which I thought nothing of as I had this with my previous pregnancy with my older son, Alfie who is now 5.

My pregnancy with Leo went a little differently as I missed my ‘You’re pregnant’ appointment due to intense morning sickness but as time went I started to go to all the routine tests and scans and did everything I should have. As weeks went my sickness was getting worse and I found it hard to leave my bed as I just didn’t have the strength and couldn’t go longer than 10 minutes without being sick, I had my partner and friends helping me with Alfie and his school were very understanding of my situation as my school run now took twice as long due to the constant stops to be sick.

As I got worse I was scheduled for more tests; with each scan he was measuring weeks ahead then with the next scan measured even further ahead than he should be. At this point they didn’t express any concerns but wanted to monitor Leo's development so I was scheduled for more frequent scans. At 21 weeks they did all the normal measurements and checks, they explained to me that his heart was measuring slightly smaller than it should compared to his size but said it wasn’t a significant difference to require further tests.

Leo was kicking and constantly moving, he was a very strong little boy. Both Alfie and Leo had a little spot on my lower right side which they loved to push deep into. It caused me pain but a pain that I loved as I got to push them back in and could feel them get comfortable.

I went to many of my appointments alone as I had so many. At 23+5 weeks I went in as planned but was told they couldn't find his heartbeat. I had gone to this scan alone. I really struggle to remember much after this as all I could think was how strong he was kicking me the day before. I felt like everything was just moving around me but I couldn't move or speak. They were talking but it just went through me. My brain clicked back in when I heard them talk about termination procedures. I had 2 options; carry for longer and be induced or as I fell under the government termination limit I could have a termination procedure. This was a choice I never though id have to make or even consider. There was no good option.

I felt let down by my body. I still feel let down. I have failed at the one thing I as a woman should be able to do, I couldn’t carry and protect my child.

I was scheduled for a procedure a week later. This was a decision I made, I made it quickly and before I had even got my head round what was happening. I couldn’t even think how I was going to tell my partner that my routine appointment was actually news that would change everything. I feel awful that I made the decision alone with out talking it through with him but once I explained it we both agreed its was the right choice for us. I knew I couldn’t carry him any longer knowing he wasn’t still growing. I couldn’t cope with the idea of people asking me questions like: how was I feeling? am I getting excited? when is my due date? and so many other questions, as just looking at me you wouldn’t know what I was going through. I wouldn’t know how to even answer questions like that and it would kill me little by little if I had to.

As I still had a few months left of my pregnancy we hadn’t chosen a name but I knew I wanted to name him while I still had him with me. I had to be alone for the day as there were others there so I was messaging my partner as we narrowed down names. We decided on Leo due to the meaning of strength which he had even till his last day, we gave him the middle name of Philomena who is the patron saint of babies and infants. Before I was put under I was asked if we'd want an autopsy to fully understand what happened but I declined. I couldn’t put him through that and we just wanted him to rest.

I was a shell of a person for a long time and am still not fully back. For the first few weeks a lot of things upset me like being able to easily pick something up off the floor, finding a top to wear that shouldn't fit me but it does or not feeling a pain from where he would always push his feet into my hip. I took my anger out on my partner, my friends and my family and I always feel bad for that. To this day they are still helping me through. I have struggled each day especially going towards my due date 29th June 2019 and watching others I love starting families of their own.

My hardest part was explaining to my son Alfie why my bump had gone and why his brother wouldn't be here with us. It was the first time I had to explain it in a simple and happier way. Strangely it helped more than anything else. We talked about how his brother is now up in heaven with other little babies and he is warm and safe. Alfie asked if it was like a playground and liked the fact his brother is playing and having fun. Alfie said Leo is up in the moon watching us and we can blow bubbles up to him, which we often do. Alfie often draws pictures for him and talks about him especially when we watch DreamWorks movies as it has the little boy who floats up to the moon. Alfie often asks little questions about Leo and I love answering as I like to think of Leo this way rather than remembering what happened. I do not hesitate talking about Leo and don’t mind when people have questions as yes it did happen but Leo still exists and as much as I want to I can’t change what happened.

We still don’t have many answers to what happened and I know we never will, but Leo is loved by so many people and will always be a constant in our lives. I am proud to be his mum. I am a mum of 2 boys, Alfie and Leo.

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Heather Sayers

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 15:03:39 GMT

My pregnancy was classed as low risk

As a family photographer, I love documenting the journey from marriage to maternity and newborn photoshoots. But what happens when the baby doesn't come home?

As part of Baby Loss Awareness Week 2019, 15 amazing women from Hertford, Ware, Harlow, Sawbridgeworth, Bishops Stortford, Stansted Takely and local areas have allowed me to take their photos and share their stories, in their own words.

Today I'd like to introduce Heather Sayers, who went to the doctors with reduced movements, and was told everything was ok. The next day, they found out their first born son Flynn had died.

In March 2010 we received the heart-breaking news that our first baby would not be coming home with us. I loved being pregnant. I felt healthy and I enjoyed planning for our first baby; decorating the nursery, researching and buying equipment and attending the antenatal classes. Although I was nervous about giving birth and looking after a new born, my husband and I were both excited about all the

adventures we would have as a family of three.

My pregnancy was classed as low risk and some of the antenatal appointments were with my doctor, rather than a midwife. At around 38 weeks, I noticed that the baby’s movements had lessened. I had an appointment that day and I mentioned this to the doctor and she checked me and the baby and reassured me that all was OK. The next day I was still worried so we rang up the hospital and they told us to come in. And that’s when we found out that there was no heartbeat and that our baby had died.

We were devastated and in complete shock. How had this happened? Why had nobody told us that after 12 weeks, (the ‘magic’ number), you still aren’t guaranteed to take a baby home? One of my strongest memories of that day is getting back to the car and seeing the empty baby car seat on the back seat and realising that it would stay empty.

The delivery, 4 days later, was traumatic, both physically and emotionally. Our baby boy, Flynn, was born silently into the world. He was big, with perfect features and with his Daddy’s dimple in his chin. Our family visited and we all took a turn to cuddle him. Its difficult to make memories in such a short time but we took photos, made hand and feet prints and we have a precious lock of his dark, silky

hair.

We then had to somehow continue with our life. I felt absolutely lost; all my plans for the future were taken from me and I didn’t know what to do. I also felt guilty, thinking that I had let everybody down: my husband, my family and Flynn.

We were fortunate to have lots of support. We had bereavement counselling through the hospital which really helped us to talk through our loss and gave us strategies to cope with our grief. It was difficult for our family as they had to deal with their own grief from losing Flynn but they also had to try to help us. It must be terrible to see your children so unhappy and know that you can’t fix it. Our work colleagues were amazing and I always had somebody to talk to. Discovering SANDS was a great help. Talking to other people who knew exactly how I was feeling made me feel less alone and it gave me more hope for the future. These extraordinary women were coping in life, perhaps, in time, I

could?

For Flynn’s 1st birthday we got together with family and friends and did a sponsored walk to raise over £2000 for SANDS. We chose to walk 17km as, at the time, 17 babies were dying before, during or shortly after birth every day in the UK. (There has been some improvement since, but there are still 15 babies dying every day).

When I became pregnant with my daughter, the pregnancy was totally different. Although I was monitored more, I had lost an innocence and I was worried throughout. I came to dread the question from strangers, “is this your first?”

Luckily the pregnancy was shorter and our daughter, Isla, was born early, but healthy, at 34 weeks, (the consultant was not taking any chances!). I had the joy that a new born brings to life but it also made me aware of what we had lost, so I still had a roller coaster of emotions. Over time things became easier and Isla helped us to be more optimistic about our future.

Two years later I became pregnant again, but this time with identical twins. Whilst we were excited about the possibility of two babies to love, I knew from meeting other bereaved women at SANDS just how high the risk was. Again, I was monitored very well and two healthy girls, Bessie and Poppy, were born 3 days after what would have been Flynn’s 5th birthday.

The girls know that they have an older brother; we visit his grave and talk about him. Its sometimes difficult to answer their questions and they can’t understand why he can’t come back to life like the characters do in the Disney films they love to watch so much. They say that they love and miss their brother and I’m glad that they feel that they can talk about him freely.

The grief of losing Flynn will always be with us but it is a more gentle grief than in the early, all-consuming days. Certain dates, places and songs will bring back memories that sometimes take me unawares and I realise that, although my life with three children is hectic and fun, he’s never really far from my thoughts. There will always be a missing piece to our family jigsaw.

Flynn has taught us how precious life is and how important it is to support and to be gentle with each other. He will always be loved and remembered. I am the parent of four children, all of them with a cute little dimple in the chin...

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - My own story

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 09:54:17 GMT

How I learnt the true meaning of eternal love

9th to 15th October is Baby Loss Awareness Week. This year I have taken photos of 14 other women from my local East Herts Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity) and they have bravely shared their stories of loss and eternal love.

Today I would like to join their bravery by sharing my own story about how a little boy called Phoenix irrevocably changed my life.

It is only whilst I sit here writing, that it has struck me I've never actually written the details of my story down before. I've talked about our son Phoenix pretty much constantly for the last 5 years, he has become a huge part of everything I do from photography to various arts and crafts. He is and always will be part of our family, but it is very painful to look back to that month all those years ago when everything went wrong.

My first pregnancy was tough, I had uncontrollable weight gain and water retention, as a personal trainer I had to stop working very early because I just couldn't keep up (thankfully the upshot of this was me pursuing a career as a photographer). I had pregnancy induced hypertension which ultimately turned into pre-eclampsia and wasn't allowed my planned water birth. Instead I had an induced birth, where my son "almost" died and was rushed into an emergency c-section.

By contrast, my second pregnancy was polar opposite, I stayed fit and healthy, managed to keep training and felt amazing. Our 12 week scan was perfect, the 20 week scan was perfect too; and that's it isn't it? Once you pass those milestones everyone knows you're halfway towards bringing a healthy baby home - or at least, that's what I thought. We were starting to buy all those lovely baby bits, decorating a room for our eldest so that the baby could move into the nursery, and discussing names; we were soon going to be a family of 4.

That is until just 5 days later, when my waters broke... at 21 weeks.

When my waters broke, it wasn't a gush like you see in the movies. I'd been walking around all morning feeling more wet than usual, and even had to go home to change my trousers, I saw a few friends at a local village fair and asked them if it was normal, they assured me it was, but I was still a little concerned that it didn't quite seem right, so my husband took me to the hospital. They didn't take me seriously - barely checked me - told me I was wetting myself and packed me off home. In the 30 minutes it took to get back to our house, I had soaked through a pad and another pair of trousers. We called the hospital who told us to come straight back. This time I was checked by a consultant, who confirmed my waters had broken.

I wasn't in labour, but no matter how long we hung on (this is when you start thinking about the magic 24 weeks "viability") his lungs would almost certainly be affected and we were told we should terminate the pregnancy. Five days ago we'd seen our fully formed healthy baby moving around on an ultrasound, playing peekaboo and just generally showing off how amazing he was, and now we were being told my body had let him down and we should give up on him.

Well I'm a researcher... I know. STEP AWAY FROM GOOGLE. But a search told me everything I needed to know about PPROM (Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes) while it was not good, it was not (necessarily) a death sentence. Some women, who took antibiotics and religiously went on bed rest managed to hold off labour for months. The magic number was 34 weeks - this was my new aim; all I had to do was drink water and lie on my back for 3 months.

Sadly, our hopes were crushed a week later when a follow up ultrasound showed that something awful had happened to our sons head. They had never seen anything like it before. The consultant started questioning whether we had a history of spina bifida in the family? If I'd consumed any raw meat or unpasteurised dairy in the first 12 weeks? If I'd taken my folic acid supplements? We reminded them that his scan less than 2 weeks before had been perfect. This abnormality was not genetic, it had been caused by my waters breaking, pressure on his skull had affected its shape and growth. Now, even if we held off labour to 34 weeks, we were told our son would be severely brain damaged.

But still, I was a mother and I was not giving up on my child. Over the next month I continued bed rest in-between consultants appointments and scans. We were very forcefully instructed by one consultant to terminate the pregnancy, as if there was no other choice? We politely declined, and were referred to a team of specialists at UCLH where some of the best foetal medicine consultants in the country sat us down, and explained while it was our choice, their recommendation was that we terminate the pregnancy. Our son by now was most likely going to be born with severe disabilities and would spend his first year in the NICU undergoing brain surgeries that he likely wouldn't survive. As we were now past 24 weeks, legally 2 doctors had to consent to a termination. They didn't hesitate.

We agreed we would go back a few days later for an MRI, and that we would terminate the pregnancy. It was the most harrowing decision we've ever had to make. Two days later, we got the train into London. I was howling the whole journey, tears streaming down my face, a broken woman - the carriage was silent!

Before proceeding, we had an ultrasound, and for the first time in a month I was struck by hope, the elongated skull had begun to look more normal. Pregnancy is an amazing thing - what if I could hold off labour for another 2 months - could my body heal our son? Even the slightest glimmer of hope was enough for me. I was not giving up on him. We looked at each other and both knew we couldn't go ahead with the termination. We got the train home again, exhausted, mentally drained, but quietly hopeful. All I had to do was drink copious amounts of water and lie on my back for 2 more months.

Two hours later I was in labour.

I tried to ignore it - this couldn't be real? I breathed through the contractions for as long as I could at home, hoping it would go away. At 4am I surrendered and went to hospital. We were put in a private room with a lovely midwife, where I had to explain our situation over and over again to her, the consultant, the NICU team (apparently hospitals don't share notes). Finally they left us alone. I bounced on a ball and breathed through my labour, still praying it would stop - then several hours later, it did. My contractions stopped and I had a rest; when they didn't start again a monitor was put on me and we were told what my body already knew - our son had died. The consultant came in with a portable ultrasound and confirmed that there was no heartbeat.

I blame the stress of that day for sending me into labour.

I blame my body for letting down our healthy son.

I blame myself.

18 months, 2 miscarriages, and another complicated pregnancy later, I gave birth by emergency c-section to our tiny 32 week old, 3lb 4oz, 3rd son... our rainbow baby, who has completed our family and helped heal all our hearts (a little).

But our family will never really be complete. A vital piece of our family is missing, and will always be missed.

Our son may have been stillborn, but he was "Still Born" and is Still Loved!

An amazing charity "Remember my Baby" can come to the hospital to take photos of your child and family if you experience a stillbirth. My friend and fellow newborn photographer Kathryn Hill from Alfreton has written a blog today about volunteering for RMB... please check it out https://www.kathrynhillphotography.com/post/remember-my-baby-charity-why-i-m-a-volunteer-photographer

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Letty Taylor

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 16:05:11 GMT

Louie's hand and footprints tattoos make me feel close to him

I was honoured to take photos of 15 amazing women for Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15th October 2019) and be part of the "15 faces of baby Loss" project, in conjunction with East Herts SANDS and Hertford and Bishops Stortford Rainbows and Sunshines groups.

Today I would like to introduce Letty and her rainbow daughter Ava.

Letty's son died at 2 days old leaving her to bring up his twin sister Skye, leaving no time to grieve his loss..

On the 14th Oct 2014 I gave birth to twins at 27 weeks after going through years of fertility issues, IVF was our next step, which was in its self a emotional rollercoaster. To be told we were having twins - the most amazing thing to be told - not one bundle of joy but 2, I did not even think about premature birth; I thought the hard bit was over with.

Skye and Louie were born and whisked away to be look after, but sadly Louie passed away 2 days later in my arms. This was the only chance I had to hold him as he had been too ill to come out of his incubator.

Our whole world fell apart. I didn't know what to do or how to act? I was just numb. My main concern after losing Louie was Skye and being strong for her. They was no time to grieve for Louie Skye needed me. I didn't even think about all the stuff I had brought - a double pram, I'd doubled up on clothes, and even got a new car. That all came after Skye came home, the realisation of what had happened and the loss we had gone through.

In time me and my husband managed to grieve for Louie with the help of family and an online dedication page the funeral company set up for us, which we can add photos and messages to him when ever we need to talk to Louie. The first year we set off a balloon with messages from all his loved ones. Writing down how we felt helped so much. Both me and my husband had Louie and Skye's hand and footprints tattoos done which makes me feel even closer to him . Skye recently started school which was another milestone that Louie wouldn't achieve. I found buying Skye uniform and getting her pack up all sorted so hard because I should have been doing all this for Louie aswell. I felt overwhelmed that Skye was the one who kept me strong and wanting to wake up everyday and she was heading off to school all day. I wondered if I would be able to cope without her? Seeing her doing so well at school has helped me so much, but I'm so wanting her brother to be standing at those school gates with her.

I am a mum of 3 Louie who should be age 4 Skye 4 and Ava 2.

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Gigliola Mazzone Hartley

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 12:45:39 GMT

I asked all my friends to photograph Livia's name & made a beautiful canvas

For Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15th October 2019) I have taken part of the "15 faces of babyloss" project. Today I would like to introduce Gigliola.

Gigliola was the first person I met who'd also lost a child after we lost our own son. It had only been 3 weeks, and I'd taken my eldest son to his settling in session at preschool where I bumped into a "mum-friend" who asked how I was. I was explaining that our son Phoenix had died, and Gigliola was within ears reach - she came over and explained not only had her daughter Livia been stillborn, but it turned out on the same date as our son (3 years earlier).

Gigliola has gone on to not only be a close personal friend, but also become a SANDS Befriender, taken over running East Herts SANDS, and founded Hertford Sunshines and rainbows group.

The midwives gave us a box with her hand and foot prints, a photo of her, and a lock of hair

My husband and I had been struggling to conceive for a few years after we got married, so we started some tests and discovered I have a uterus didelphus (or double uterus as some people call it) which means that chances of conceiving naturally were slim. We therefore were referred to an IVF clinic.

We went through the process, starting with injections after injections until the day of the extraction of the eggs arrived. 10 were fertilised becoming embryos, but only one survived and we decided to transfer it back in my womb. That tiny embryo was the only survivor out of 10, so when we were lucky enough to find out that I was pregnant with that embryo, we were so hopeful that our strong embryo would have been strong enough to become a baby...our baby!!

The months went by and all seemed normal. At the 20weeks scan we found out that our little ‘Bean’(as we originally called her) would have been a girl who we decided we would have called Livia (as my husband and I like Roman names).

Livia was full of beans... I started to feel her moving around since she was 17 weeks and since then she had never stopped. In particular, Livia started to move and kick when we listened to music... how funny it was feeling those kicks while I was driving on my way to work every day. She moved and kicked when she heard Daddy talking to her or while I was reading her a book.

My husband, being one of three boys, started to get used to the idea of having a girl thinking about what to do with her...I was getting so excited to get my baby doll, but I was refraining myself from buying anything as I didn’t want to take anything for granted...I sort of felt negative about the success of the outcome (although this definitely didn’t help to make things more bareable later on!).

Part of the condition of my uterus was the potential risk of premature birth as there might not have been enough space for the baby to grow full term, so from after 25weeks I was scanned every two weeks. I did everything the doctors said, never questioned anything, never doubting that the British health care system, one of the most advanced in the world, could fail me.

I wasn’t arguing the fact I was seeing a different consultant every time, I wasn’t arguing when they told me just to count the kicks, I wasn’t arguing that I didn’t need any monthly blood tests.

When reading through a diary I wrote about the pregnancy, it came up that at a scan done at 28 weeks the sonographer noticed a slow growth so I wished for better news at the next scan. At the 30 weeks scan, the news didn’t get any better. The sonographer noticed that Livia’s head was on the small side, so asked me if their was a family history of small heads? We had a long conversation about who in my or my husband’s family could have small heads, but there was no mention of doing further tests to find out why the head was smaller than usual.

The consultant - a different one again - showed her slight concerns, but told me not to worry and sent me back home telling me to count Livia’s kicks. They needed to be 10 in a day. Livia did her first 10 kicks first thing in the morning, so for what I knew she was fine, and therefore probably didn’t pay a lot of attention to the movements done during the rest of the day. We had a little pattern. She did a lot of kicking late in the evening, then she used to fall asleep while I was asleep and at about 6am she started kicking again waking me up.

On Sunday 8th August 2010, two days before my next scan, at 32 weeks, Livia didn’t wake up. I started prodding her, nothing, I read somewhere to drink something cold, nothing, I waited but nothing. I felt it wasn’t right but tried to be positive and waited for a few more hours. Then I took the decision to call the hospital. I was asked to go in to be checked. My husband and I went to the hospital. One of the midwives couldn’t hear the heartbeat so she thought to use a portable scanner. As it was Sunday only the portable scanner could be used. She still couldn’t see anything so she asked a consultant to come in and shortly after very bluntly he said: "I’m sorry, your baby is dead!".

We couldn’t believe our ears. We thought that something was not right but we didn’t imagine to hear those words. The doctor and midwife left the room and my husband and I hugged each other and started to cry. Our baby stopped living and our lives stopped with her, we couldn’t imagine a life without her. A new life with our baby that we longed for many years, a dream that was about to become true, suddenly had vanished, destroyed, and our lives were changed for ever.

When the doctor came back to talk through the options, I suggested c-section as my first reaction was to have the baby out of my body, but the doctor persuaded me to have Livia naturally. I got persuaded and I need to thank that doctor for encouraging to take that decision because I had the chance to get used to the idea of what happened and to have the chance to say goodbye to our baby before she was born.

We came back home still very much pregnant hopeful that the doctor had made a mistake. We were hoping that she would have suddenly woken up and all would have been ok again. It wasn’t the case. The next day we went back to the hospital and the big scanner confirmed that Livia died. I was therefore initiated to the process of preparing to give birth.

On Wednesday I went back to the hospital and I started to be induced. The pills didn’t start to kick in until the next day.

On Thursday at 1pm I gave birth with just two pushes to my beautiful girl. My husband helped the midwife while she was washing and dressing Livia. My mum was there with us in silence in desperation for her daughter and her first granddaughter. I was full of morphine, so my husband had to wake me up to give me the chance to hold her and spend some time with her before it was too late. I struggled to keep my eyes open and I don’t remember much of her facial features but I cherish those moments. She looked perfect, just as if she was asleep with those black hair popping out of the pink hat.

I gave her back to my husband and went back to sleep. At 11pm the chaplain came and I woke up again. We had Livia blessed. I was a bit more awake but Livia started to change colour so my husband and I thought it was time to let her go. We wanted to remember her in her pink colour. I do regret though being asleep and not spending more time with her. The cuddle cots didn’t exist yet!!!

Livia was taken away and on the next day the midwives gave us a box with her hand and foot prints, a photo of her, and a lock of hair.... they are the only things left of her and they are the most precious things I own.

The next day we came back home, still wearing maternity clothes, wearing a tight bra to stop the milk coming, we went back in pieces, devastated for the lost life we’d have had with Livia.

After six months I naturally fell pregnant with our rainbow Alex and after 3 years I fell pregnant with Marcus who, after a similar growth restriction as then we found out the Livia had, was born at 36 weeks.

People might think that the births of Livia’s brothers have cancelled our memory of her or our pain for losing her. On the contrary, they make it even more difficult at times as I always think that there is the missing piece in our family that can’t make me fully happy and that piece is my gorgeous baby girl Livia.

Photograph 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Michelle Sipthorpe

Sun, 06 Oct 2019 08:44:28 GMT

I didn't really have time to mourn...

As part of pregnancy, birth and infant loss awareness month, I am sharing the stories of 15 local women from Hertfordshire and Essex with Hertford and Bishops Stortford Rainbows and Sunshines groups and East Herts Sands.

Today I would like to introduce Michelle and her beautiful daughter Darcy.

Michelle lost her long wanted first born daughter Ivy May 6 years ago, and shares intimate details of her long and painful journey through grief and IVF to bring a living child home...

On the 16th September 2013 my world collapsed when I was told at a 'routine' appointment that my baby's heartbeat had stopped.

At our 20 week scan I was told something in my babies head was 9mm and they needed to double check in 2 weeks time to check it wasn't any bigger than 10mm. I was assured it was quite routine, it was booked for a couple of weeks later on my 1st day back to work after our holiday so I thought i'd go alone as my mum was away and my husband had work; i'll always be grateful that my mother in law insisted on joining me. The scan seemed quite normal and they took lots of measurements and I remember thinking, i'll let them finish and then ask to hear the heartbeat. The doctor then said I'm very sorry there is no heartbeat and my heart broke into a thousand pieces.

On the 18th September 2013 my perfect daughter Ivy May was born with all of her fingers and all of her toes, complete with tiny little nails... but she had no breath, no life, no heartbeat and I was too scared to hug her incase I hurt her; silly I know, but that's how I felt.

I didn't really have time to mourn as I quickly had to make the decision to go for my 3rd IVF attempt before my 40th Birthday or the NHS would not fund it. It failed, of course it did, the guilt I felt going through it when my baby had only been gone 3 months was too much. A year later I had one last shot with a frozen embryo, it failed, it was only then I started to mourn my loss.

We decided to live our lives, we were lucky we had each other and a good life. A year later we decided we would pay and try one last time to fulfil our dream to have a family, our 5th IVF attempt......

.....It failed!

We were told it was perfect and they had no idea why it didn't work. My body had failed me and my family again. We still had two embryos left but while they were there I still had hope, I did not think it would work so I dragged my heels, kept it quiet and it was 6 months before we used them.

I was pregnant!

We were so shocked when we were blessed with our Rainbow baby Darcy, she is a joy to the world, our little ray of sunshine but it is the hardest thing I have ever done. I tried to ignore my pregnancy which must have been hard for others. I broke down at every scan or appointment, and then I had a living breathing reminded of what we had lost, but I would not have it any other way.

I will never forget my first born. Darcy will always hear her big sister Ivy's name. She is not a replacement, she is a sibling. Through all of this East Herts SANDS and the special friends I have met have been my rock, they understand more than anyone else possibly can and they really were our life line.

I am blessed with wonderful family and friends and I love them all very much for being part of our journey and trying to understand xx

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Victoria Wheatcroft

Sat, 05 Oct 2019 09:54:50 GMT

18 years on, it's still a bit of blur

As a photographer, nothing moves me more than capturing real emotion and telling a story that people can understand without the need for explanation or words... But I don't think words or pictures can ever truly convey how it feels to lose a child, and how it impacts not just the following days, weeks and months, but everything you do for the rest of your life.

I'm honoured today to share Victorias story. She lost her son 18 years ago (it was his birthday this week, which I know hit her hard as 18 is such a big milestone). I'm not sure that people realise just how these anniversaries hit us hard... Even years and years later.

On the 2nd October 2001 at 9 months pregnant I headed towards QE11 hospital in WGC in labour and excited to meet our first born. Upon arrival at hospital I was pleased to be told I was already 8cms dilated and just needed to have a few checks before getting ready to deliver our baby. After numerous doppler & scans I was told the devastating news that our baby had died.

The next few hours are still, 18 years on, a bit of blur; but our family's arrived and we were given support and re assurance from the midwives at the hospital as to what would happen next. Oliver was born naturally at 20:34 that evening, he was perfect, he weighed a healthy 8lbs 6oz, 51cms long, a head full of dark hair and a perfect button nose.

We spent the night in hospital with Oliver in a cot beside us, he was washed, dressed and we spent lots of time cuddling him and telling him how much we loved him. Our families also got time to hold him, see him and for us to take precious photos and videos of him. Trying to make a lifetime of memories in such a short time is not easy, but we have foot & hand prints and a precious lock of his hair.

The following day we had the heartbreaking task of leaving our baby at the hospital and to return home in a car with an empty car seat in the back and a baby bag of clothes and nappies that we never got to use. Leaving the hospital without our son is one of the most heart breaking things I have ever experienced. To arrive home and see the mosses basket ready by our bed and the drawers full of baby clothes was just so painful. Instead of experiencing the first few days of motherhood I spent my time visiting cemetery's to decide where our son should be buried and visiting funeral directors to arrange the funeral.

Friends and family were incredibly supportive and cards, flowers and letters arrived, which I still have and bring me comfort to read. It was so important that our son was acknowledge by everyone, he did exist and although was stillborn he was still born! We had a post mortem done on Oliver and sadly his cause of death was unexplained which is unfortunately the case for a large number of stillbirths.

After the funeral and in the coming months I turned to Sands for support, their monthly meetings were so very important to me. To be able to talk to other mums and dads about Oliver and to have people who could completely understand how it feels was invaluable. I have made a great deal of good friends over the years through Sands. I continued to attend meeting for a few years, they also offered support when I was pregnant with Maddie as I'm sure you'd appreciate was not the easiest of pregnancies. I am now Treasurer of East Herts Sands and also a befriender; meaning I am now able to give back help & support to a charity who helped me so very much. I will ensure that the money raised will go to helping support families who need this at such a vital time.

Oliver will always be my first born son, I am a mother of 4 although you can only see 3, I carry him in my heart forever.

Would you like to Support Victoria?

To mark Oliver's 18th Birthday, Victoria is doing a skydive for Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, because she wants to raise vital funds to support parents.

By fundraising in support of the team target you will be directly helping to ensure families can continue to receive our free support materials including Family Support Packs and Memory Boxes within East Herts and across England. You will also be supporting our current network of Sands Groups, including East Herts Sands, ensuring they can continue to provide vital support services including local meetings. You will also be helping to maintain and expand Sands’ extensive bereavement care training programme for health professionals to ensure bereaved families receive the best possible care after their baby has died.

Research is also an incredibly important part of our work and your fundraising will also be helping to fund research to better understand what causes baby deaths and save babies’ lives to ultimately ensure every parent gets to see their baby grow up.

All funds raised on this page will support activities linked to the core charitable aims of Sands. All funds raised will be spent where the

need is greatest, helping Sands to continue to deliver its vital services to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, to improve the bereavement care received by parents and families, and to promote research to save babies' lives. To find out more please visit www.sands.org.uk

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. Please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/victoria-wheatcroft

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Stacy Hayzelden

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 13:22:28 GMT

Daddy's little Angel

For the "15 Faces of Baby Loss" project, with Bishops Stortford and Hertford Rainbows and Sunshines groups, I am sharing the stories of 15 mums from around Hertfordshire and Essex for Pregnancy, Baby and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

Today I would like to introduce Stacy Hayzelden

Stacy's daughter was stillborn 4 years ago... Here is her own story.

My name is Stacy Hayzelden and I am the face of baby loss.

On the 27th September 2015 our daughter Sienna was stillborn - but "still born”

I was 32 weeks pregnant, this was my second pregnancy, our first daughter Ella age 6 a healthy girl "our rock"

I had a routine check up on the 24th September and it was here our hearts were broken... we were told that our little girl didnt have a heartbeat. I didnt believe it and wouldnt believe it, I asked for another scan but it was confirmed. We were distraught, how could this happen to us.

After a traumatic 3 days in labour due to complications, I was taken to theatre and delivered Sienna.

She was tiny, and beautiful and looked so peaceful. We had several hours with her to say our goodbyes, never did we imagine walking out of a maternity unit without our baby.

We were all heartbroken and devasted - why us ... how were we going to explain this to our young daughter that her baby sister would not be coming home?

The 21st October 2015 was Siennas funeral. Never do you think that you would bury your own child.

In memory of our daughter, my husband has a tattoo of her hand and feet " Daddy's little Angel" and I had a ring made with Sienna ashes which I wear everyday, both shown in the photograph above - she is always with me.

4 years on and it never gets any easier, and you never forget.

Being part of the East Herts Sands group allows you to talk to people and share your stories and gain comfort that you are not alone.

We need to break the silence over baby loss.

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Sam Balaam

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 14:14:50 GMT

A Christmas Angel

This month I am sharing the stories of 15 bereaved mothers from around Hertfordshire and Essex for Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15th October 2019) as part of the "15 Faces of Baby Loss" project, in conjunction with East Herts SANDS and Bishops Stortford and Hertford Rainbows and Sunshines groups.

Today I would like to introduce Sam and her beautiful "rainbows" Alice and Lucas.

Sam's world turned upside down over Christmas 2014 when they found out her son, who was now overdue, had died...

Our Christmases will never be the same

In 2014 christmas was to take on whole new meaning for our household...our first baby was on the way! We found out at 20 weeks we were expecting a boy...we were so excited, naively preparing for his arrival. We sailed through our midwife checks and his due date came and went with no sign of arrival. Then the 23rd Dec arrived...those fateful words that would shatter our dreams were uttered. Im sorry theres no heartbeat, your babies gone. I just remember breaking down in tears and ringing my mum. We went home and cried all night. I gave birth to our beautiful Son Connor Matthew at 13.14 on Christmas day 2014.

The next few weeks were a blur...we grieved crying and shouting. His ashes were scatter at Holkham to be with his nanny Mandy and the ponies. I didn't know what to do. I came across a group for bereaved parents and took the plunge. I was introduced to a now lifelong friend at a similar stage of grief to me and we spent hours and hours chatting and crying together. I went to the group and met lots of new friends and heard their stories...its so nice to have a safe haven to chat and share stories (and still is when i can make it), a lifeline to know you're not alone.

In July 2015 we found out we were pregnant with our first rainbow baby, but the excitement wasn't there, we had lost our naivety. Instead of enjoying each stage we just wanted to move to the next step, clinging onto each time we could hear the heartbeat and each set of movements, panicking if we hadnt felt much for a while, never really believing she would get here safely. Eventually after a lengthy indiction Alice was delivered safely on 19/3/16 and brought a new light into our lives. Her brother Lucas was born 21/9/2018 and our family is now complete.

We will never ever forget our first born....he is so special to us and always will be. We talk to Alice about him and always include him in our lives. Our rainbows have helped to heal us but our wounds will always be a little open and raw. Xxx

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Aimee Nuttall

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:53:09 GMT

The boys were diagnosed with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS)

I was honoured to take photos of 15 amazing women for Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15th October 2019) and be part of the "15 faces of babyloss" project, in conjunction with East Herts SANDS and Bishops Stortford Rainbows and Sunshines group.

Today I would like to introduce Aimee and her surviving twin James.

Aimee had a traumatic pregnancy with her twins involving surgery to try and save their lives. After several weeks in hospital and a very premature birth, she had to grieve one son while bringing up his brother..

On the 31st January 2016, I gave birth 13 weeks prematurely to two beautiful identical twin boys; James and Arthur. Sadly, Arthur died shortly after birth as the decision was made that he was just too small and poorly to be put on life support. James was in intensive, high dependency and special care for a long time and has been in and out of hospital ever since due to health problems, overcoming sepsis and 5 operations to name a few.

I found the pregnancy extremely traumatic as a problem was identified at the 12 week scan and the boys were diagnosed with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) at just 14 weeks. By 15 weeks the boys were very close to dying and I had a specialist procedure called laser ablation surgery. This corrected the TTTS but left Arthur with a much smaller percentage of the placenta and led to my waters breaking at 24 weeks. At this point, we were told that Arthur was unlikely to survive but we held on to every last moment of hope until he took his final breaths in my arms.

After spending three weeks at UCLH and my dreams of both my boys surviving growing stronger everyday, I went into labour at 27 weeks. I felt the greatest amount of pain I’ve ever experienced when they gave me Arthur and told me to say goodbye. Whilst we had made plans for this moment, I can assure you that nothing prepares you for losing your child. I felt so helpless from the epidural and to this day I wonder if the right decision was made or if I should have fought harder and insist they put him on life support. Did they know that if he did have severe disabilities, I would have loved him with all my heart and brought him up with pride? Would he have had the strength and fight that his brother does and overcome their medical predictions? And why didn’t I think to ask someone to take a picture of them when they were taken out of me, cuddling each other and brining everyone in the room to tears?

Losing a twin brings with it so many more emotions than grief, and at times it feels like a very lonely experience; especially when your surviving twin faces his own challenges. I will always remember the day after Arthur’s funeral, James was rushed to the Royal London Hospital for life saving surgery and as I laid awake in charitable accommodation waiting for it to be over, all I could think about was whether or not we would be able to bury James next to Arthur if he died. Losing a child is no longer an irrational fear and one that I face every time James is taken to A&E with difficulty breathing.

And yes, I know that I am lucky to have James and I am so grateful for his presence, bringing joy to our life and family everyday. But he is also a constant reminder of what we don’t have and as he grows up and learns about Arthur, it breaks my heart that he too is missing his brother. I grieve for him as much as I do for me.

Having always suffered with anxiety, I am open about my mental health and was diagnosed with depression and PTSD six months after the boys were born. I am doing “well” now but I still have moments where I feel like I am falling back down into that dark pit. Fortunately, medication and supportive friends and family ensure that my head (at least) stays above the ground. Me and my Husband have decided that having another baby is beyond our emotional and psychological limits, although it is something we long for. We may consider adoption in the future but for now we are focusing on looking after ourselves and James. And always, remembering Arthur.

I'd like to finish this blog by thanking Aimee for sharing her personal journey of loss and love. When I asked Aimee if she had any photos of the boys together, she sadly did not. So for anyone going through a similar journey, I wanted to make you aware of a charity called "Remember my Baby" who will endeavour to send a photographer out free of charge to take photos of a baby who has died and their family.

Freephone 0808 189 2345

Website: www.remembermybaby.org.uk

Please check out Maddy Rogers Newborn photography, who takes baby photos in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Maddy is explaining today all about the Retouching service she offers to RMB families, as well as parents who weren't able to get a photographer to visit, but would like unto 3 of their own photos tastefully edited. https://www.maddyrogers-photography.co.uk/remember-my-baby-charity-why-i-am-a-volunteer-retoucher/

Photographing 15 Faces of Baby Loss - Katherine Kannegieter

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 09:04:37 GMT

October is Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month

Baby Loss Awareness month is an opportunity to recognise the unique grief of bereaved parents, and offer comfort and support to the many families who have suffered such a tragic loss. It is also a chance for bereaved parents to commemorate their babies lives and break the silence and taboo around pregnancy and infant loss.

I am one of those parents!

This year I am honoured to have joined together with my local SANDS and Sunshines and Rainbows playgroup and over the next few weeks will be sharing the photos and stories of 15 families who have lost a baby.

Why 15? Because in the UK 15 babies die every day either before, during or shortly after birth.

Today I would like to introduce Katherine Kannegieter (and her 3rd son Harvey).

Katherine started the Bishops Stortford Sunshines and Rainbows playgroup (a playgroup for parents to take their children born before of after a loss) after the birth of her second - but first living - son. She works tirelessly to bring bereaved parents together and raise awareness of baby loss.

Why I started a Sunshine and Rainbows playgroup

On the 11th April 2013 at 7am our son Finley was born naturally and silently into the world - one week late.

The previous evening we had arrived at the hospital in labour after a low risk pregnancy, fully expecting to be bringing our baby home soon. On arrival we were told they couldn’t find a heartbeat. I thought once you passed the first 12 weeks everything would be fine, I didn’t realise you could not bring a baby home. Instead we bought home a small box with a photo, some hand prints and a lock of his hair, and an empty car seat.

My husband and I were devastated, broken and empty. I felt so proud and totally overwhelmed by my love for Finley as I held onto him for a few very precious hours. He was beautiful and perfect and I was desperate to show him off and have normal new parent conversations. He had lots of dark hair, a cute button nose and really long legs, he had made me a mummy. Instead we were receiving sympathy not congratulations cards and were making funeral arrangements.

I was pregnant again with our rainbow baby (a baby born after a storm) within 4 months and that pregnancy was so different, I didn’t believe we would bring this baby home.

When he did finally arrive safely, although hugely relieved I found playgroups so uncomfortable hearing other people’s stories and experiences, mine was so different. I felt alone, and was mostly worrying that this baby was going to die too at any moment. This is why I started sunshine and rainbows playgroup for baby loss parents, as I was desperate to talk to others who understood and I thought there must be others that feel the same.

I am breaking the silence over baby loss. I am now a Mum of 3 boys. Finley, still born still loved, should be age 6. Reuben age 5. Harvey age 2.

Autumn - My favourite time of year to photograph

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 18:04:16 GMT

What's your favourite season?

I love summer, I'm not a sun worshipper, but love being active with my family, and in the summer we spend our evenings and weekends going for long walks in the fields behind our house, and bike rides along the river... So am I sad that summers over? Not at all! Autumn is an outdoor photographers dream... The muted brown and orange tones, falling leaves, pumpkin fields... This is the time of year, more than any other that I like to get out of the studio and take families out to experience nature.

But what should I wear for my Photoshoot?

Deep blue and purple colours can really contrast and compliment the forest at this time of year. Denim works really well against the orange leaves, so if you're a casual jeans kind of family you're in luck.

I always advise my clients to try to pick out 1 or 2 complimentary colours that they can pick out in their accessories... Mustard brown scarves and hats, or an aubergine jacket really bring through the feeling of autumn...

What about in the studio?

In the studio we can bring the feeling of Autumn to your photoshoot through the use of these same colours. I love this photo by Hannah Willis from Cherish Forever Photography... If you are looking for a newborn photoshoot near Cheshire-west I'd highly recommend checking out her beautiful website: http://www.cherishforeverphotography.com

Whether you'd like to join me for a fun relaxed walk through the forest, or for beautifully styled photos in the studio... Make sure you Book now to ensure you don't miss out... Free falling leaves video upgrade included with certain packages. Limited availability.