This is just a quick little post to wish all of my blog readers a very merry Christmas! I hope you’re all having a fun-filled and restful holiday season. I’m spending mine eating far too much food, catching up with old friends and relaxing with my family – you can’t ask for much more than that.
I know we don’t have any snow this year, so here’s a suitably festive little photo from a couple of years ago! See you all soon for my 2012 Review of the Year!
It’s been a while since I blogged any awards from the International Professional Photographers’ Network (IPPN). Things have been pretty hectic here over the past while, so I haven’t managed to enter every month, but I’m very honoured to have been awarded some medals in the months when I did enter. The standard of photography there is improving every single month, so I’m constantly feeling like I have to up my game to stay in touch – which can only be a good thing! The lineup of recent winners includes some of my favourite newborn, family and wedding photographs from recent times, here’s a little rundown!
It’s that time of year, when photographers try desperately to take advantage of the slight lull before the storm of the wedding season to tick off all those little (and big) tasks that have been lurking at the bottom of the To-Do list since October! I’ve deliberately blocked two weeks off from shooting to try to get through them, from tax returns to editing, promo design, wedding fair materials, sample albums etc etc. I think I might have been a little bit optimistic, two months might have been more realistic…
One of my main priorities this weekend has been my web presence. The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed some changes around the blog recently, a tweaked background, new header, new font and watermarks. It’s not finished yet, but I’ve been using it as a bit of a testing ground for ideas for my portfolio website (www.laurenrutherford.co.uk), which is currently undergoing a bit of a rejigging. It’s early days, but the basic structure, colour, and overall look has been set so I thought I’d show a little preview!
It has also been announced that Showit, the amazing company who I use to build my website, are introducing html5 mobile capability! This is big news for us Showit users, and something we’ve been waiting on for a long time. I can’t wait to get the new website and mobile version launched, I hope you like the look of it too : )
For many people the arrival of a new year means a time to take stock, make plans for the year ahead and get themselves motivated. For photographers there’s no better place to do that than at the annual SWPP photographic convention in London. Thousands of photographers, a packed schedule of seminars and workshops, and all of our suppliers under one roof make it the perfect way to start the year. Last year I attended the convention for 3 days, but this time I thought I’d go all out, and booked tickets for the full week. I had a good feeling when I saw this gorgeous sunset as we descended into London…
For the first 2 days, my photography buddy Colin and I sat in on the SWPP Business School, led by Catherine Connor of Aspire Photography Training. The very first photography-related course I attended was given by Aspire, so I knew it would be a packed two days, full of loads of tips about branding, marketing and generally running an amazing business. Classroom seminars aren’t so good for photo opportunities though, so I won’t say too much about them here!
On the Thursday, I had the good fortune of attending a full day location shoot with one of my favourite of the so-called “rockstar” photographers, the American wedding photographer Becker (yeah, he only needs one name). I’ve been a member of Becker’s [b] school for about a year now, and absolutely love what he does for the photography industry, freely giving advice and information and motivating pretty much everyone who comes into contact with him. He’s also pretty funny (and I know he loves it when people say that!) so it was easy to see how he manages to put his clients totally at ease in front of his camera.
I was travelling light this year (well… probably not when it came to clothes, but definitely when it came to camera equipment!) so I was kitted out with my new favourite toy, my Fuji x100. I think Becker was a bit bemused when 3 out of the 6 of us on his course were rocking the little Fuji! Anyone who has second shot or assisted with me knows that I love my action shots of me at work, so I asked the very lovely and super-talented Dutch photographer Martin Hogeboom if I could post a few of his x100 shots in this post alongside mine – just to prove to my photographer friends that I really was Becker’s shoulder-surfer for the day : )
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Pretty swish location for a class! (c) Martin Hogeboom
After spending some time in the (very fancy) classroom in the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, we headed out into the streets of London to do some shooting with our two lovely models Zak and Vivienne. At one stage a couple of curious police officers came over to see what we were up to, but I wasn’t quite sure if we’re still allowed/not allowed to take photos of the police so I played it safe and kept my camera out of their faces : )
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So stealing Becker's shot : ) (c) Martin Hogeboom
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Taking our turns with the models (c) Martin Hogeboom
When I was talking to my friend Colin about this course beforehand one of the things we said was “it’ll be really interesting to see how Becker deals with the terrible UK weather, with no gorgeous Californian back-lighting to work with”. Well we’re still wondering, because the rain held off and London provided him with that gorgeous Californian-style back-lighting!
I was putting the skills I’ve learned from a year of second shooting to good use by holding the model’s coat – I’m well used to taking photos while holding various shrugs, bouquets, trains, champagne glasses etc.
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(c) Martin Hogeboom
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(c) Martin Hogeboom
And here’s the photo I was setting up in that last action shot!
The SWPP convention really is one of the highlights of my calendar, and I always come home feeling totally motivated to have an amazing year. Watch out for lots of little changes in my business over the next 12 months as a result!
Great post Lauren! Very nice meeting you in London, hope to see you again next year. Good luck on using all the inspiration you found!
Hi Lauren
Thanks for looking after me at my first SWPP, I’d have never have found the hotel that first morning with you ! Great shots from your Becker shoot, I’m definitely doing the full week next year, I was on a huge high from SWPP. X
hey stalker! thanks for coming out to see me a couple times in london. it was lovely meeting you and i wish you all the best. keep in touch!
I’m a bit late I know! I planned to post this review of the year at the end of December, but I was just too busy in the run up to Christmas, sorting out last minute orders and trying to get as many portrait sessions edited as possible. So it’s had to wait until after the Christmas holidays (which I’m still officially on for one more precious day!). 2011 was a brilliant year for me, and it started off with so much excitement and uncertainty. My business was in its very early stages, my appointments book was empty, and I had no idea if I’d be able to survive the year. Fast forward 12 months and I’ve photographed 16 newborns, 6 babies, 5 families, 4 engagement shoots, 2 models, 2 corporate headshots, 2 graduations, a conference and 7 solo weddings, not to mention second shooting 24 more weddings. I really couldn’t have asked for more from my first full year as a full-time professional photographer, and I can’t believe the difference 12 months can make. Here’s my year, in pictures : )
I started 2011 with a trip to The Societies Photographic Convention in London, where I was lucky enough to sit in on seminars by some of the biggest names in photography today. On my return I was inspired to set up a model shoot with aspiring model Orlagh Flynn in Lady Dixon Park.
January can be a slow time for photographers, even more so for a photographer who’s just starting out, so I had plenty of time for strolling around parks, doing some personal photography and working on my “desktop backgrounds” folder!
Newborns Kieran and Erin were my first little baby clients of the year : )
In February, I shot my first ever wedding, the marriage of Emma & James at Larchfield Estate. I loved every minute of it and suddenly I was hooked on weddings. I knew that I had to accelerate the plans to build the wedding side of my business, my plans to build it slowly over 2-5 years went straight out the window! I was absolutely chuffed when this wedding was featured on the amazing blog Rock n Roll Bride.
My first family photoshoot of 2011 was with the McLaughlin family at Inch Abbey. Beautiful Cara was one of my favourite little models of the year.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2011 was to undertake more training, so in April I hopped on the plane to Birmingham for a wedding photography course with wedding and music photographer Steve Gerrard. Walking round the back streets of Brum with two gorgeous models, we learned loads and got some fab shots. An added bonus was meeting and chatting to lots of other like-minded photographers at dinner – it was almost worth the trip just for the chats : )
Baby Jasmine was an absolute star in May.
Something a bit different with twitter friend and keen cyclist Lisa!
May also saw me start to regularly second shoot weddings for local wedding photographer Janine Walker. I feel so lucky that she chose me to be her assistant, I’ve learned so much and we’ve had loads of laughs. We started off with a wet one, the first of many this year! : )
By June the wedding season was in full swing. As well as second shooting, I had two weddings of my own this month. The first was the wedding of Wendy and James at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, a fun day full of laughs.
Newborns Sadhbh and Sonny kept the cuteness factor of the blog high!
My next wedding was the marriage of Suzi and Fabien at Belfast City Hall and the Slieve Donard hotel. I absolutely loved the intimate feel of a wedding with just immediate family present. I’m certain I’ll remember this day fondly for a long time.
Connemara in Co Galway was my destination at the start of July, for the gorgeous wedding of Niamh & Franck. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful backdrop for wedding photos, even in the pouring rain – I’m a lucky photographer! I got even luckier when this wedding was featured on the amazing blog Rock My Wedding. Some of these photos also accompanied an article about my wedding competition, which appeared in my favourite magazine Photo Professional.
I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities, so when my old PhD supervisor asked me to be the official photographer for a physics conference that was being held at Queen’s University Belfast in July, I jumped at the chance. My role was basically to capture everything that happened in a relaxed and informal style, which suited me perfectly since that’s exactly the approach I take to my wedding photography. I definitely enjoyed the week-long challenge.
On the personal side, my good friend Clara and cousin Hollie both graduated this summer. I also attended the wedding of my friend Geraldine (as a guest for once!), and I couldn’t resist getting some shots of the first dance. You’ll also see a bit of a rarity below – a photo of me! The old cliché about photographers hating being on the other end of the lens is so true when it comes to me, so this photo of my boyfriend and me is a collector’s item : )
Baby Freya just had the best head of hair ever! And baby Carter was well looked after by his big brothers Cohen and Cooper.
In July I also finally got round to organising a shoot-up, where local photographers could get together to chat, share tips and photograph our model for the day, Debbie. It’s always great to try something a bit different in your spare time, keep the creativity flowing! I also took the opportunity to take some photos for fellow photographer Colin Tuff, whose wedding I would also shoot this year.
August started as July ended, taking photos of Colin! But this time he was joined by his lovely fiancée Cheryl for their engagement shoot in Lady Dixon Park. I love engagement shoots because it really gives me a chance to get to know couples, and it’s usually a good laugh too : )
I managed to take a few days off to visit family in August, and we went retro by visiting the seaside at Portrush – lots of childhood memories!
There were, of course, more babies on the blog, this time Mya and Jude were the stars. This photo of Mya would later appear in Photo Professional Magazine, in an article about the International Professional Photographers’ Network, of which I’m a proud member.
I absolutely loved photographing the Hughes family in my home town of Derry – though their dog Harvey did steal the show!
By now these two need no introduction – September saw Cheryl and Colin’s wedding at Ballygally Castle. Photographing a wedding photographer’s wedding was nerve-wracking to say the least, but a great honour at the same time, and it was a brilliant day.
September was all about the newborns! Two babies called Jack (here and here), a boy called Teddy and a little girl called Lacey-Eve – so much cuteness : )
On a rare day of sunshine, I got out and about in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens for Nicole and Adam’s engagement shoot.
As we rolled into October, I thought that thing might start to calm down a bit, but I found myself busier than ever. This month I did two of my favourite photoshoots ever, but unfortunately I’m not able to show the photos for privacy reasons – that makes me sad!! One set of photos that I can show were taken at a charity shoot for 3 year old Billy, whose mum is trying to raise money for an operation that will allow him to walk again.
Ben and Violet were the newborn stars of October…
… but I think Lillie stole the show with her cute pink tutu : )
Adele and Connor were married on 11.11.11, a date to remember! I’m sure they won’t forget the torrential rain in a hurry either, this was definitely my wettest wedding yet. They held their wedding reception at the Redcastle Hotel in Donegal
November saw lots more babies – newborns Freya and Olivia and older babies Sophie and Caleb.
I also had the pleasure of shooting family photos for Caleb’s older brothers Ethan and Aidan, as you can imagine photographing boys this age is hectic but fun! I also spent an afternoon at the Argory with another Ethan and his big sister Rebekah – lots of gorgeous late-autumn colours meant it was one of my favourite locations of the year.
December for me was all about getting as much editing done before Christmas as possible. A busy November meant a huge to-do list so I only took on one portrait shoot this month. I’m very glad it was with baby Harry, celebrating his first Christmas : )
The highlight of the month for me was definitely heading over to Glasgow to photograph Jo-anne and Fraser’s gorgeous winter wedding at the House for an Art Lover.
With such a busy summer, I didn’t have time for a holiday this year, so my boyfriend and I decided to go for a last minute trip to Paris just before Christmas. It was a much needed rest!
And I think that pretty much sums up my 2011, well done to anyone who made it to the end of this mammoth blog post! Thanks so much to everyone who I’ve met and photographed this year, it really has been brilliant and has exceeded all my expectations. I’m so excited about the weddings I’ve got coming up in 2012, and I’m sure there will be many more gorgeous babies and families on the blog too.
Happy New Year to all of my blog readers! : )
amazing photos – you have such a talent lauren. wish our first weddings looked like yours!!!x
Marvelous year; marvelous post! Good luck for 2012.
Lauren, gorgeous summary of a fantastic year for you, id say there will be twice as many photos next year and we were delighted to be your clients in 2011!Happy New Year 
xx
what a brilliant year you’ve had, amazing photos. I wish you every success in 2012
Amazing images Lauren! I hope 2012 is as good as 2011! :0)
