I went up to Whirlow Brook Hall today to meet Jennie and Adam whose wedding I am photographing in July. I wanted to have a look around and take some photos of them together so they don't feel as awkward on the day.
After a weekend camping it was good to get a proper shower and sleep in my lovely bed. I was struggling to know what to photograph so went for the easy option...another photo of me with clean hair!
This is probably one of the most unflattering photographs of the 4 of us but we'd spent the weekend camping so we were allowed to look a little rough! We had a brilliant weekend and none of us wanted to come home. We're planning the next weekend already.
Our gorgeously sunny Friday turned into a wet, misty and miserable Saturday! We spent the majority of the day in our camper van playing games and eating, which was great fun, but there came a point when we needed some fresh air. We went on a walk up to where there is a stone circle. As it was summer solstace there were a lot of people there to celebrate the longest day of the year. It was really misty and as we got closer to the stones tents and people appeared through the clouds. It was really quite eerie and atmospheric. So much for the summer though!
I went on my first camping trip of the summer with Michelle, Dave and Mark. We found a great campsite and made sure that once the tent was up and our lovely camper van was sorted out that we had beers ready and chilled for the evening. A great start to a brilliant weekend.
I popped round to my friend Lucy's house this evening to pick up some things for my camping trip this weekend. When I got there Ella was in a lovely smiley mood and was really fun. She was keen to show me her new hat and modeled it beautifully for me. I couldn't resist a photo!
I was invited to have a stand at a Business Conference today which allowed me to spend some time networking with other businesses and get my name a little better known. One of the advantages of being a photographer is that "pictures speak louder than words" so I took a lot of my work to display. They put my stand in the foyer which meant I got all the passing trade as well as those who had come just for the conference. I had a lot of really interesting chats with people and hopefully a few of them will become work for me in the future.
My friends Claire and Stuart came up today, it was so lovely to see them. Claire has 3 weeks to go until their baby is born so it was great to spend some time with them before things get a little chaotic! Claire was having a craving for strawberries so we ate A LOT of them and played Mario kart on the wii. I quickly realised that being on maternity leave has given Claire an unfair advantage with Mario Kart....she'd definitely been practising!
I'm off camping next weekend with a few friends so we spent this evening planning where we're going....I'm getting excited!
It was a Thomson and Gibbs family time in Wales this weekend. My parents and Simon & Celia Gibbs met at university just over 40 years ago and as families we've grown up together. The Gibbs have an amazing cottage in Wales which we used to go to loads as kids so it was great to go there again this weekend and have a really relaxing time. The weather was amazing and we went on a few walks, played croquet, drank wine, ate lots of lovely food and had a great time. It was so good to get 12 out of the 15 of us together.
I'm afraid this is another last minute photo for my photo of the day! I have been doing a "dramatic pointing photo" challenge with a couple of people and this is my attempt at making a point! Apparently people can see why I made a good scary teacher with this photo! It's all in the eyes!
I am a little embarrassed by this photo but I have great plans for this room so I'm looking forward to putting up an "after" shot when I've made this into a great office for Serendipity Photography. It's been an odd room since I moved in and I want to make it into a room which is more productive to me working from home. I have a contact in my BNI group who runs her own house doctor type business (Moveability)where she does room make overs for people who want to improve the chances of selling their house or just de-clutter. I asked her to come round to see if she could work her magic on my room. She was great and I'm looking forward to seeing her ideas and then making this room somewhere I can feel good about working in.
I had another baby portrait session today. I got the contact through a friend of mine and was really happy to meet this family. The little boy was lovely but his attention span was really short and this had to be the shortest session I've ever done! I had about 10 minutes to get some shots of Jude before he started to get grizzly so it was hard work but I got some lovely shots of him and even ones of him smiling at the start!
A gorgeously sunny Sunday so time for the first BBQ of the summer! It was a brilliant afternoon spent enjoying the sunshine and great company. Hopefully there will be plenty more of these this summer. My kind of a Sunday.
It was Amy's 5th birthday party today. She had about 8 friends round (plus their siblings) for a party. It was a face painting party so a lot of the parents were given paints and the challenge of transforming their child into a butterfly or a fairy or a pirate! One of the highlights of the party was this brilliant bubble machine which Amy had been given for her birthday. The kids loved it and spent loads of time running round the garden chasing the bubbles.
I had another wedding today. The couple, Mark & Julia, were married at Sheffield Town Hall and then had their reception at the Royal Victoria Hotel. We took their photos in the Winter Gardens which was somewhere I've always wanted to photograph a couple and their guests.
I suddenly realised I'd not taken a photo today so I borrowed Dave's camera phone and took this of him, Mark and Chris.
Today is a Wednesday and that means "early morning meeting day". I'm always tired on a Wednesday so wasn't too inspired for a photo. I've been working all day processing photos and so decided to play with "photo booth" on my mac whilst I was watching The Apprentice and here I am in glorious technicolour! KT Pop Art.
My goddaughter Amy is 5 today! I went round for birthday tea and was greeted by a very smiley and excitable Amy who'd been given this great spanish outfit by her grandparents. 
Last week I was phoned by a friend of mine who works for a charity in Hertfordshire. She asked me if I'd be able to take some photos for them for some publicity they need to do. The charity works with young people who have been made homeless or who have walked out of home and have no where to go. They wanted some images of a teenager looking alone and in need of help which is what they, as a charity, aim to do. I spoke to a colleague of mine and asked if he'd mind if I used his daughter and her boyfriend as my models. They jumped at the chance and we had a laugh taking loads of photos in the park this evening. There was lots of giggling which went against the look we were going for in the photo but we got there and they were brilliant fun to work with. I'm still having to pinch myself that this is my job!! I love it!
A night out in Sheffield with friends for a birthday. I was attempting to get as many photos of people pointing at me as possible and didn't do too badly! A great night but my feet suffered from wearing pretty shoes!
My goddaughter Amy is 5 on Tuesday so I wanted to take her out for the day as her birthday treat. She's been learning about butterflies at school so I thought the Butterfly House in North Anston would be perfect. We had a great girlie day, set off with our sunglasses and pretty flip flops. We enjoyed feeding the goats, playing with all the games that they have, riding on bumper cars, watching birds of prey, stroking baby animals and walking through the Tropical House looking at all the different types of butterflies. We finished it off with cake, like all girls should! By the time I got Amy home she was fast asleep in the back of the car, worn out but happy.
It was a rushed shot today as I ran to catch my train back to Sheffield. I'd met my parents for lunch at the British Museum which is right next door to St Pancras Station but I still only just made my train! I did get a minute to take this shot of the roof..it's an impressive building.
I stayed at my friend Louise's house whilst I was in London. She has a gorgeous dog called Scooby and she wanted me to take some photos of her before we went to meet the couple whose wedding I'm photographing. We went out to the local park with Scooby and managed to get a few good shots of her. It's definitely different photographing animals but I just used similar techniques to when I am photographing children and made sure I had plenty of patience!
I came down to London today for a meeting tomorrow with a couple who I am photographing their wedding for in August. I think it is really important to get to know the couple I am photographing and have an opportunity to check out the venues before the big day so that there are no surprises!
