Hitchin photographer - highlights of 2017

2017 - the year in pictures

Hello, it's been a while! Things have been quiet on my blog, and it's good to be back. Our new baby daughter Jessamine arrived in May and she has brightened all our lives.  So although this year has been quieter work-wise due to my pregnancy and her arrival, it has been one of my most fulfilling photographically. Each project taken on has been carefully timed and planned to fit in with my maternity leave which has been so great.  I end the year far more sleep deprived than I ever thought possible. However I also end it with a heart very full, more adventures under our belt and excited for 2018.  So here is a year in the life of a Hitchin photographer.

Spending time photographing my own family

This is the place where my heart has been growing and learning for most of the year.  Making the effort to take my 'big' camera out every now and again to record our daily life has become so important.  And I am so glad I did. Jessy is now 8 months old, rolling, crawling, clapping and waving - turning into a proper little person of her own.There's no denying, this is a long blog post and I wanted to include all of the images.  I realised it's been a whole year since a photograph graced the pages of this blog! So scroll through quickly or settle down for a few minutes."I just don't know where the year has gone." We all say it! This for me is what drives my photography - capturing connections as the days race by so quickly, helping me to focus on the little things in life.  The thought that will be looked back on in years to come and bring back some of that feeling and atmosphere.  My husband Dafydd hardly ever picks up a camera but the first picture he took of Jessy when she arrived (see below) will always be precious to me.  To be honest, most of the time I use my phone to photograph the kids , like we all do, the best camera is the one you have with you!

An adventure to France in October half term with my parents.

Cornwall, oh how I love you.

We watched from the cliff tops on St Michael's Mount with our friends and saw several dolphins playing in the water below.  Squint and you can see them.  The 35mm lens is my favourite but it is definitely not a wildlife lens!  Well, this photo captures a feeling for me of that moment at least, even if you can't really see the dolphins! While we were in Cornwall I took Jessamine to St Ives by myself for the day. I showed her the boats, we sat on the beach, I ate a cream tea while she slept and we visited the Tate gallery.It was utterly wonderful. A bit of time for myself in my favourite place, with my girl along for the ride.  We took Sebastian with us to St Ives for a holiday when he was a similar age so it felt like a bit of a pilgrimage.  Amongst the chaos and emotional rollercoaster of a newborn, heading to somewhere your heart feels home is something I would thoroughly recommend.Seb is now 3 and a half, and adores an adventure. He is an absolute ray of sunshine, and so far he likes singing and music as much as I do!  Our little conversations, his observations of the world and his growing imagination are my favourite thing ever.  That is not a stone he is carrying in the picture below, it is a dragon's egg, believe it! The picture below is my Grandad Alan, in his garage. I took this the week before he and my Grandma moved house.  This has been his workspace, his tinkering space for the last 30 years. It felt emotional to sit and talk to him about all the things he has fixed and created in here and I picked up my camera to capture it, a very special moment.2017 WeddingsWell what can I say? This was my last year of weddings (at least for a while) as I move to focus on photograph families and portraits in the coming year.  These last weddings were utterly wonderful.  Thank you to all my couples and your families for having me, I have loved you all so much. It's such a privilege of a job to capture a wedding day and I adored every single minute.

Keyla & James (Polhawn Fort, Cornwall)

Sarah & Dean (engaged, I can't wait to photograph their wedding in February!)

Julia & Robert (South Farm, Cambridgeshire)

Holly & James (Highgate)

Sarah and Neville (Horsham)

Suzy & Sim (Danish Camp, Bedfordshire)

Hannah & Peter (Polhawn Fort, Cornwall...oh and the most amazing light ever!)

Carron & Vicky (Hitchin, Hertfordshire)

2017 Family sessions

I am so excited to be following my love of these shoots into 2018.  Capturing families at home, where they live and grow is where it's at for me.  Thank you to all the families who asked me to photograph them.  It is such an honour to be welcomed into your homes for the morning or afternoon.  And an absolute joy sending off your galleries.  Knowing that these photos will be looked back upon in years to come is the best part of the job.

Commercial shoots 2017

The year ended with two shoots with some incredible local brands, first up a winter look book for Jolly Brown Vintage in Hitchin.  This collaboration was extra special, to celebrate their 10th anniversary of trading and I was so happy to be a part of it! When Anna from Little Flea Kids magazine asked me to photograph the front cover for their online Christmas gift guide I was super excited - it had a Princess and the Pea vibe going on, and was a wonderful afternoon working with the team again.And finally a portrait session with Sarah and Yoshie from Sas and Yosh.  They are wonderfully talented designer and illustrators who asked me to photograph their collection at the same time as capturing their personalities.  Their gallery of images is being shared on instagram as part of their social media over the coming weeks. I loved this little project and am really excited to photograph more small businesses over the next year.

If you've made it to the end, well done! Here's to 2018 and all that it may bring. As the year begins this is how you will mostly find me: hanging out with the babies, juggling the days with my husband Daf and finding a balance with motherhood and self employment. I am determined to get into the frame with my children more this year, because I want them to see me in their family photos when they are grown. So I vow to use the self timer function on my camera every now and again this year - my one and only resolution.