Studying photography at A Level made me realise how keen I was to develop my skills further so I was over the moon when I got the job here at Artis Studios! I’m doing a ‘creative and digital media’ apprenticeship which involves me travelling to Ravensbourne College in North Greenwich every other Wednesday. Recently my tutor has visited the studio and watched me carry out a shoot with a 7 month old as part of my assessment! This really helped get the ball rolling with my practise shoots and recently I have been booking volunteers in regularly to help me with my training. Our current cherubs parents have been brilliant at passing on the message to their friends for getting me people to practice on.

Over the last six and a half months I’ve sat in on many of Hannah’s Cherubs shoots, slowly learning what it takes to be a baby photographer (including being able to make lots of silly noises and be a child yourself!). This really helped when it came to carrying out my own shoots.  So far I have been concentrating on the first and second cherubs shoots in the studio working with babies between 3 months up to 10 months.  I hope to move on to the third location shoot once the weather warms up a bit and then i’ll be working with children around 16 months and a lot more mobile!

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience that has not only opened my eyes to the world of photography but into the world of motherhood as well (it always amazes me how calm and collected mums can be with five bags and a screaming baby!).

Below are some of my photos from most recent test shoots.

Phoebe

We are always trying to think of new ways to reward our customers and last year we came up with a way to do that for our cherubs customers. Hannah teases me that I like to turn everything into a competition and this is just another way to do it, but it is a little bit true!

How it works is that anyone starting our cherubs scheme can become a cherubs rep which means that for every friend you refer to also do the cherubs scheme, we will give you £40 gift credit to spend on whatever you like. As well as that, your friends will get the cherubs scheme for £55 instead of the usual £65, so its a win win!

We give everyone who participates you have 6 months to refer as many people as you can. Then at the end of the year, the person who has referred the most wins a free canvas worth £325.

Our first trial year in 2012 went really well. We had a great competition, but our winner, Fiona Dickinson, managed to referred 5 friends so claimed her prize! Not only getting her free canvas but built up £200 of gift credit which she spent on a lovely framed montage.

“Referring friends to Artis couldn’t be easier. The moment anyone sees William’s pictures they ask where we had them done, so they speak for themselves! As a massive bonus we have received a beautiful canvas for being a successful Cherub’s rep, but I would have recommended their Cherubs Scheme to anyone and everyone even without this – it’s just the icing on the cake!”

Fiona Dickinson, Jan 2013

To be a part of this you need to be on the cherubs scheme, but if you are part of an NCT (and the first one from your group of friends in!) then it really helps with the referring. Both Fiona and all her friends have beautiful photos to capture their babies first years and its been lovely watching them all grow up together.

Here is some photos of William and Fiona with their canvas, and also some the pictures that made their final cherubs folder and montage.

Kat

Last Friday when most of the country shut down and people made their way slowly home, I grabbed my camera, announced on facebook that ‘if anyone was mad enough to go out in this weather – that we were available for shoots’ and braved it out in the cold (in many many layers) to do some snow shoots!

Over Friday and Saturday we did 4 photo shoots in the snow.  My first shoot involved an epic 2 hour drive to Windsor (normally a 20 minutes drive) to eventually meet up with my client who had similar battles with the snow and traffic.  As there was not a traffic warden or soul in site we dumped our cars next to the Long Walk and started my first snow shoot of the year.  The Long Walk is a popular photography spot for us but  I love the way such a familiar landscape can change so dramatically when coated in the white stuff.  My cute little subject was just under 2 years old and although a little perplexed as to why we were out in the freezing cold, did a great job of playing along with all our little games and distraction techniques to get some fantastic photos.  The whole shoot ended after 15 minutes as our limbs started to go numb and so began the 2 hour journey back to the studio.  Despite the speedy shoot we got some fantastic shots and expressions and everyone did a great job of smiling through the cold!

Our next 2 shoots were with 1 year olds experiencing snow for the first time.  Although initially they weren’t impressed with the white stuff we got some fantastic smiles through being silly and me acting generally crazy.  I even improvised at one point by borrowing a sledge from a family nearby to show our little model the wonder that is sledging.  Although he initially wasn’t that impressed,  I think he’ll appreciate it more in a few years  My final session was a model shoot with a very brave young lady who knew how potentially brilliant the photos could be so braved the cold in a little black dress and wellies!  We whizzed around Virginia Water trying to get as many different scenes in shot before hypothermia set in and Allie did a fantastic job including lying down in the snow at the very end!

All in all it was a tough couple of days but we always try to go the extra mile and in the end it was all completely worth it.  As always with snow despite the disruption and discomfort it provides, nothing can beat how fantastic the world looks when covered in snow!

Hannah

www.artisstudios.com

Windsor portrait photographer, Ascot Family Photographer

I am lucky enough to do a job that I love and everyday I get to meet new and interesting people and work with them to produce some really great photo shoots.

I have put together some of my favourite images from the year but this was by no means an easy task and there are too many favourite moments to choose from.

Nevertheless here is a run down of my 10 favourite images from 2012.  They are presented in no particular order, it was harder enough to narrow down just to 10 let alone pick a favourite!

1.  I had a brilliant shoot with Lily and her younger brother in Savill Gardens, Virginia Water back in the Spring.  Both kids were fantastic, well behaved and completely gorgeous!  This photo does not do justice to how pretty Lily is, but I love the innocence of this photo.  We had tonnes of brilliant shots from this shoot but this was one of those moments where I found a great spot, in great lighting and the rest just happened naturally! Her trusty teddy bear tends not to leave her side but that’s what makes the photo even more endearing.

2.  This was one of those moments in a shoot where everyone involves just thinks “YES!!” knowing that we not only nailed the shot but even exceeded our expectations.  These dogs were fantastic in their shoot and you wouldn’t believe just moments before they were running around the room like maniacs.  With the help of their owner (a veterinary nurse who knows how to handle her dogs) and a lot of patience we waited for the dogs to tire themselves out before attempting a ‘cuddly, sleepy’ photo.  Equally what makes this photo great (especially for the owners) is that little Milly, a Jack Russell x chihuahua puppy, refuses to settle down despite being knackered!

4.  This is a shot from a recent shoot with one of our returning families who periodically return to us to have professional photos of their children.  The kids were at brilliant ages (3 years and 6 years old) and we had a lot of fun in the shoot.  I particularly love this shot during a game we were playing where you can just see the kids conspiring against mum and dad.  This was one of the parents favourites too as it captures exactly who they are at this age!

4. With this shoot we really wanted to capture this students personality and interests.  Adriana was really interested in travel and nature so a location shoot was the perfect choice.  After doing various photographs for well over an hour, we chatted lots and got to know each other.  I found out that she was really adventurous and known by her friends as the one who will give anything a try.  We found this brilliant tree with really intricate branches and she was completely up for climbing it for some brilliant photos. I boosted the light source in the background to give an ethereal feel to the scene and it made the perfect photo for Adri who is originally from Venezuala.

5.  This little man is one on our very popular cherubs scheme.  Mum and Dad brought some fantastic props and outfits along for his 2nd cherubs photo shoot and although there were lots great shots to choose from, I love George in this one!  I love trying to find props and styles that complement fancy dress on children and I think the high back chair and his natural, pointy fringe makes him one of the cutest little vampires ever!

6. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with renowned animal psychologist Dr Roger Mugford at his ‘Company of Animals’ farm earlier this year.  I was asked to photograph his many pets that he has and absolutely loved all the animals on Rogers farm but especially the little lambs.

This perfect moment happened rather unexpectedly as we were walking through the farm, approaching what seemed to be a standard child’s play house, before I knew it a little lamb curiously popped his head around the door and I discovered Dr Mugfords housing situation for his orphaned lambs.  Luckily I was all set to go and captured this brilliant moment with this curious lamb.

7. Although I predominantly do portrait photography, I still shoot a lot of weddings with Kat to keep my skills honed in that area.  When it came up I relished the chance to do a wedding styled shoot in the studio. This lovely couple never got the professional photos they wanted at their wedding so wanted to get some done afterwards.  I love the feel of this photo and although we occasionally drape the vale over our couples at weddings, its much easier in the studio when you do not have the wind to contend with.  I have applied a subtle yellow/red toning to the image to give it a vintage, classic feel to a very romantic image!

8. As families get older many people forget or can’t find the time to get everyone together for a photo shoot.  However I find that sometimes when siblings and family members have busy, hectic schedules some of the best moments are captured when they all get together for a photo shoot and just relax and have fun.  Here is a brilliant shot of 3 sisters, each have busy schedules that take them all over the globe, who got together for a photo shoot with their parents.  The interaction was brilliant and the parents will cherish the friendship between them that comes across in this shot!

9. This was one of those shoots that had been booked in the diary for a while and there was very little flexibility to move the shoot, so despite the rain we all headed out for an wet, urban shoot.  Luckily for me Seth was fantastic and there was lots of smiling and having fun despite the rain (or perhaps because of it!).  I love this shot because of the classic, grey, british weather contrasted by Seths beaming smile.  We accentuated the rain drops by adding extra sharpening to the shot and desaturating some of the tones.

10. Last but definitely not least is the gorgeous Beau at his second cherubs shoot.  His mum had this fantastic vintage material with 1950′s cars on it.  So to incorporate this into the shoot we had to get him to play peek-a-boo with the fabric which he was brilliant at.  We applied a ‘half sepia toning’ to add to the vintage feel that the fabric gives.

2012 was a fantastic year for us and we have loved every shoot we have done.  We hope to constantly strive to get better and keep doing what we love, creating great photos for people!

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year!

Hannah

Back in August we took on our first (and long awaited) Photography Apprentice.  We have wanted to increase our photography staff for a while to help cope with the demand of our busy portrait business.  After months of recruitment we decided to try to find a photography trainee via the national apprenticeship scheme, and we were not dissapointed by the calibre of people.

We knew almost the moment we met Phoebe that she would fit in well with our studio and 2 months on she has proved to be a great asset.  When trained, Phoebe will be a photographer on our incredibly popular cherubs scheme.  She has been watching all of Hannah’s shoots so far to get a sense of the ‘Artis’ style and has completed several of her own shoots.  We have been really pleased with the results and wanted to share a few on the blog.

Any of our facebook fans will know we are constantly in search of volunteers who have children at the appropriate age for the cherubs scheme (1-4 months, 7-9 months and 12-16 months).  We are still looking for more volunteers for Phoebe to practice on and in return not only will you get a free shoot, but also a free 6″x8″ mounted print.  To sweeten the deal further we also offer a 50% discount on any further products.

Call the studio on 01344 870033 or email kat@artisstudios.com to volunteer.

www.artisstudios.com

Baby photographer, Berkshire family photographer

When planning a photo shoot in the studio, the first thing that often springs to mind are the bright white background shots with lots of big smiles. They are full of colour and are great to show kids having fun and playing games. We love this kind of shoot, but have found that what also works really well are the more soulful and artistic shots. They are typically shot on a darker plain background using lovely soft lighting. This can work really well with all ages, and we find we get some really exquisite results. Here are some of are favourites, just to show your child doesn’t have to be smiling to capture that brilliant shot!

Although we have a pretty good selection of toys in our studio, we really love it when people bring in their own toys, props and costumes for their kids to use during their shoot. It really helps make the photos more personal and representative of that stage in their life. They can look back in years to come and remember how much their child used to love that teddy or ball! It works particularly well for the 2nd Cherubs shoot as they are at that age where they are really interested in toys and doing things, and it brings out some brilliant expressions. Unusual props are also great to inspire some different images. Here are some recent photos where people have bought in their own things.

Now it’s getting warmer outside and we have officially entered British Summer Time, we thought it would be nice to take a look back at some of the brilliant winter shoots we had last season. Many people put off having their third Cherubs shoot between November and February whilst they wait for better weather, but we think this is a brilliant time for a location shoot! We get great results in all seasons, but the benefit of a winter shoot is the beautiful soft lighting it gives.We find that kids don’t tend to mind about the weather as long as they are wrapped up warm and running around having lots of fun. It also gives Mums a chance to buy really cute winter outfits!  Here’s some of our winter favourites:

We love it when kids raid the dressing up box before they come in for their portrait shoot and have recently had some brilliant ensembles passing through our doors! It’s a great excuse for parents to buy the outfits, and they can be bought along to add another element to the session. When children are dressed up in their special costume they have an air of confidence that really shines through in the photos.

Not only is it perfectly fitting for the Halloween season, but it’s also a lovely idea to use the photos to make cute Christmas cards. If you would like to have your own cards made, it’s best to allow plenty of time to have your photo shoot, and for the cards to be designed. We could recommend coming for your shoot at least 3 weeks before you need to send your cards out.

Here are some of our favourite costumes to inspire you!

We’ve been keeping busy this summer with lots of location shoots.  However, you have probably noticed the weather has been somewhat unpredictable.  This can be a concern for those on our cherubs scheme as the third shoot is on location.

Most people envisage a location shoot outdoors, however we have gotten some fantastic results photographing indoors.  Shooting indoors has many benefits; we don’t need to worry about our unpredictable British weather, there is much more lighting control indoors giving some fantastic results and kids and their parents are often more comfortable being photographed in their home environment!

When shooting in homes especially, we are able to incorporate kids toys, get great smiles by letting them do things they wouldn’t normally be allowed to (jumping on the bed), play peekaboo using the couch and create family photos without mum and dad having to leave the couch.

So when scheduling your location shoot, don’t just think outdoors at a park.  Some of our most interesting shoots have been indoors at customers homes, relatives houses and hotels. This way we don’t need to worry about the weather!