This will vary. The shoot could be over a day or two in and around your home or holiday home, or on a day trip to a place special to you such as a beach or country park. If you have teenagers in the family you may opt for somewhere more urban, for a different, edgy look. Shots of a tiny newborn babies will be fitted round sleeping and changing.
Best to discuss at the time of booking, bearing in mind that generally, if the shoot is unrushed, everyone’s more relaxed and has more fun - and your images will benefit by showing it!
Sessions can take place just about anywhere; but somewhere with significance to you and your family will add to both the shoot experience and the images. You may love walking on the moors, have a favourite riverside spot, or choose to go to (say) the beach where you got engaged. Maybe the session will begin at your home or holiday home, then move on with to a picnic in the woods...
Wherever it is, its a great way for you to have a great experience - having fantastic images made while just enjoying yourselves.
Having several outfits or changes of clothes put out in readiness is ideal. It helps for everyone to wear clothes they’re happy being photographed in, and which don’t clash too much with what the rest of the family are wearing. If your child has a favourite outfit, please feel free to include this - fairy dresses (and wings!), a frilly tutu, maybe a superman costume... ? For a location shoot, changes of tops, jumpers, casual jackets, hats and scarves can provide variety even if there’s not much privacy to change.
Make-up can be applied very slightly stronger than normal, simply to achieve the best possible results in front of the camera. If you’d like to have your make-up professionally applied and hair styled, Lesley can arrange this for you.
A baby shoot will include pauses to rest and for feeding and changing nappies and clothes. For slightly older children, it's good to schedule a time of day when they are rested and well fed, and to stop frequently for rest breaks, drinks and snacks. That way they'll stay interested, relaxed and responsive.
Favourite toys will have a lot of sentimental value in the future, so it’s great to include them. No matter how battered they seem now, seeing them in pictures in years to come will capture a special moment in time.
It’s very useful to have an idea of how you would like to see the images, eg on particular walls or in an album. If you’d like a particular image to fit into a particular space Lesley can arrange that. Her service is bespoke: tailored just for you.
After the photography session, Lesley will arrange a convenient time for you to view the images at her studio. This normally takes place about two weeks later, in the form of a projected slideshow of images from your shoot, all carefully selected and edited. You will be given plenty of time to make your selection and choose your preferred method of presentation.
The images chosen from your viewing session can be presented in different ways. Lesley provides them to you in finished form - in a bespoke album, framed, or on canvas or acrylic. They will always be beautifully printed and produced, to be enjoyed for generations.
You'll be able to look though options and some samples to help you decide.
Early evening viewings are often most practical and convenient for clients, so that they can sit down without the children jumping around, see all the images on a large screen and discuss options in detail before ordering canvasses, frames or albums. It may take a while, but avoids going back and forth by email or phone afterwards.
If you or your child are ill, for example, just contact the studio as soon as you can to rearrange the session free of charge. If you’re worried about nasty weather as your shoot day approaches, Lesley will be happy to shift the appointment to another date; but, as overcast or foggy weather can be great for photography (really!) have a chat with her first.
Yes - Lesley feels that variety keeps her photography fresh and technically sharp.
She takes a range of commercial commissions, and her work is regularly published, such as in the latest books in the "Go Slow" series by leading UK publisher Sawday's.
Her travel and fine art photography has been exhibited: a selection features on a separate website.
Lesley also photographs a limited number of beautiful weddings each year, on request. For more information, see her weddings website: click here.
Please do contact her for more information.
