My why…..

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to go on the Welcome Home workshop with Emma Case and Pete Smyth. I've admired Emma's work from afar for many years so to actually meet them and learn from them was a wonderful opportunity in itself.
What actually happened on the workshop sort of knocked me for six. Like, seriously. It was more than a workshop, it was like a big bundle of everything that makes me love what I get to call a job.
Its hard to explain and I'm pretty bad with explaining myself with words (hence why I love photography!! lol). But I walked into the room expecting to be taught about business skills and posing, and came out remembering exactly what my 'why' is.
I'm not going to go into too much detail and ruin the workshop for anyone who hasn't been on it yet, but your 'why' is the reason you do what you do, what makes you tick, what makes you have passion, what makes your soul sing.
When you finally make the jump to become self employed like I did 3 years ago, the rush of adrenaline is immense. You don't know where your next wage is coming from, you constantly promote yourself, you take any work at any price just so you can make ends meet, its like a crazy, amazing ride that hopefully takes you to a stop where you have a stable income and business you adore and are proud of and can sustain for years to come.
But the reality is once it all settles down, it becomes a job, and like all jobs there are parts of it you don't like such as, paperwork, tax, invoicing, backing up everything a million times, chasing people for money, the 90 hour weeks, the endless inbox to reply to, not having a day off for 6 months, the list goes on and on and on. And the actual part of the job that you love such as the taking photos, meeting AMAZING people, finding locations and props, sharing in peoples happy once in a lifetime moments, can all get a bit buried underneath all the bits we don't like so much.
I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining about what I do, because I'm not. My passion for my job is the one thing that carries me through all the bad bits, and I'm so grateful for each and every client future, past and present. All I'm saying is sometimes, you forget what your 'why' is. It gets buried under all the stuff you don't enjoy doing as much and sometimes you need some one to reach down through the rubble and rescue it.

Emma and Pete rescued my 'why'.

They made me remember 'why' I love what I do, they made me remember that having a 'why' is the most important thing. This is my 'why'…..

My 'why' is my family. My 'why' is being able to capture these memories of my family, the good, the bad, the happy, the crazy and the grumpy and look back at them when times are tough and laugh, cry and remember. My 'why' is wanting to to that for other people. My 'why' is wanting my photographs to be the ones you pass on to your grandkids and tell them the story behind them. My 'why' is wanting to give people memories to cherish.

I just want to say a massive thank you to Emma, Pete and ALL the people I met on this weekends workshop, you were all a total inspiration. I left there with a wonderful need to carry on doing what I love and to continue being myself.
To anyone out there who is doubting themselves or wondering if what they are doing is the right thing to do, go and find your 'why' and you will have your answer :)
xxxxxxx

Clayre and her Angel Babies

I'm quite rubbish with blogging, I never seem to find the words to go with the photos, or make it interesting or 'buzz word' friendly enough to warrant a ton of followers or blogger fame. But if I could get everyone to read about Clayre and her angel babies, and then share it with one other person, I would be eternally grateful.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to do a photo session with one of the strongest and amazing families I've ever met before. Clayre and her 2 daughters, Maddy and Isobel are not only beautiful, but wonderful too. This blog post is dedicated to her and her 2 'angel babies'.

Clayre's youngest daughter Maddy has recently been diagnosed with Late Infantile Batten's disease, which I'm sure most of you will have never heard of before but it's a particularly cruel disorder. It's a degenerative disease of the nervous system which currently has no cure, and will rob Maddy of many things including her sight and use of her limbs. You can read more about it HERE its an awful disease that no child deserves to suffer with, and will ultimately take her life. As a mom myself I don't know how Clayre and her family even begin to cope with news like that, but they have to, and they're strength and determination to make every day fun filled for Maddy is a complete inspiration.
The photo session for them wasn't about actually having their photo taken, it was about an experience they could all share together and look back on in years to come. It was also, and most importantly about being princesses!!!
We'd decided to give the girls a sort of princess day and had spent weeks searching for the perfect  outfits, locations and props. We also had a lovely lady called Diana Jean Morton who offered to come and do the girls hair and make up on the day so they could have a mini make over, and be treated like real princesses. I was so excited to meet both of the girls!

Isobel (Clayre's oldest daughter), is a wonderful young lady.

 She's so kind and pure of heart. The way she helped her sister throughout the photosession was just breathtaking, I don't think I've ever met a person who emulated so much kindness for others before.

Then there was Maddy. She may be a poorly little thing but my gosh was she determined!! She didn't want to sit in one place for too long, and with Clayre and Isobels help, was able to have a little walk round the forest, as well as being a fabulous model. She doesn't say a lot but her piercing blue eyes speak volumes. 

Over the last few weeks Clayre's friends and family have been tirelessly fund raising to send Maddy to America for treatment

 With the help of the community and Tividale Football and Social Club they've put on fund raising days and Maddys dad Paul and 20 other guys have even done a sponsered cycle from London to Tividale! With wonderful people around them they've managed to hit their target and send Maddy off to New York next week for her treatment, which is fantastic news! The treatment can't cure or reverse the effects of the disease, but it can slow it down which means they have more time to fill her days with fun.

There's still plenty to be done for Maddy though and she needs support and help, and so do her family.  I went to their home tonight to show everyone the finished slide show of images from the session, and unfortunately Maddy has gone down hill somewhat since we did the photos and is now being fed via a tube. There is a group on Facebook for her which you can join by clicking HERE I know not everyone who reads this will rush off and donate money ( if you can though please do!!), but if you have a few spare minutes, maybe you could go join it and leave Maddy some kind words and her family some support.

Thank you Clayre and your angel babies for letting me capture photos of you.

Im now a Mumpreneur member!

You may have noticed a nice shiny new badge on my blog and website! I'm now a member of the Mumpreneurs!

If you havent heard of Mumpreneur UK, they are a company set up with the sole purpose of helping mums who own and set up businesses. They say on their site

"Mumpreneur UK is the UK's leading support network for mums in business, offering advice, resources, articles and events to parents who run their own business. Flexible working can be fantastic for families with young children, and starting and running your own business is the perfect way to achieve flexible working hours.

As well as supporting and celebrating "mumpreneurs", a mum who juggles running a business with family life, Mumpreneur UK are also keen to provide information and support for mums considering starting a business, and reach out to the public and let them know that starting a business is achievable."

As I come to the end of my first 12 months of trading and look to push my business up a level, I'm finding their advice extremely handy!

If you're a mom thinking of starting up your own business or need help and advice with the one you currently have, go take a look at their site

www.mumpreneuruk.com/

New Look Blog!

Well I've finally got round to updating my blog. Not all the links are working properly yet but they will be in the next few days, promise!

In the meantime please enjoy a few spring time snaps from the weekend! I'm a little bit in love with the blossom this time of year so if anyone is interested in a 'Spring has Sprung' shoot get in touch. You can contact me via the Facebook page (link on the left!) or by emailing me on angelfirephotography@sky.com. I will be doing 5 of these sessions at a reduced price for anyone that would like to come and have a go at modelling for me :) Might as well make good use of the beauty of spring while its here! (the offer doesn't include newborn or children's sessions, ladies or gents only).

Happy Bank Holiday Monday everyone!

My 2011

I know its a cliche, but I cant believe how quickly this year has gone! Look at the difference in Max!
This is December 2010

And this is him now!!!

This time last year, my little boy was 4 months old and to be honest, I was still quite poorly from the labour I'd had which had resulted in an emergency c-section and then a Bell's Palsy. I didn't think I would ever feel 'normal' again, and the thought of running a successful photography business myself was really impossible. But 12 months later, I cant believe its true! I've quit my day job and gone full time pro and its actually working out better than I could have ever hoped for! Thanks to my very supportive boyfriend Steve, who's had to listen to all my worries and fears, and especially thanks to my mom, dad and sister, who are always there for me, I'm making my business work!. Sometimes its really tough, when I'm still at the computer at 11pm and I know Max will be up soon, and I'm not halfway through an edit, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I honestly love my job and I never thought work could make me this happy! I would also like to thank all the amazing clients Ive had this year, I really feel as if Ive shared some amazing moments with them, and I really hope they've had a photo experience more than just a photo shoot. Below are a few of my favourite images from this year :)



2012 doesn't look like it will be slowing down either. As of next week I'm launching an iphone/pad app for my clients who are/have brought a disc of high-resolution images as a thank you for their custom. I'm really excited about this development as I don't know of any photographer in the UK that currently use mobile apps as part of their packages! I will also be launching a mom and baby package complete with makeover for mom in the coming weeks so watch this space! I've also been given the job of official photographer for the cultural champion awards in March next year which is so brilliant!!! So many exciting developments to come, I cant wait to get 2012 kick started!!!
Most of all, I wish everyone a happy new year and a wonderful 2012. Thank you to everyone I've met, you've all influenced and inspired me in one way or another! I hope next year brings you everything you desire!
Love

Lucy

Entry for Rock the Shots November Competition 'Family'

This is my entry for this months Rock The Shot competition, 'Family' go check out their site http://www.rocktheshot.com/ its packed full of useful actions, templates and advice!


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My entry for the September 'Rocktheshot' competition

Here's my entry for this months Rock the Shot competition. Its a photo from a recent maternity shoot I did with a lovely lady called Jamie. I love that you can just see her tattoo but not so much that its distracting and the heart on her ring which adds a touch of detail to the shot. We did the photos by her gorgeous conservatory and the light was just perfect that day it was brilliant. You can see the rest of the shoot here along with some other recent maternity sessions.

Go take a look at http://www.rocktheshotforum.com/  for some great tips and brilliant vendors, lots of lovely things, wish they weren't so far away!!

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