Special Offer

Two poses, two airbrushed images to view from and your choice of one as a 9×6″ print  – £75.00

Three poses, three airbrushed images to view from and your choice of two as 9″ x 6″ prints  – £99.00

You will need to arrive with your hair and make-up done but I can offer advice.

Call me on 07931 238280 to book a studio session which will last around 45 minutes.

31st January 2011 Couldn't resist these cherries. My favourite fruit.

30th Janary 2011 Rushed out to capture the sunset on Pinkneys Green, Berkshire.

29th January 2011 Practicing with a manual mirror lens.

28th January 2011 Spent the morning with Helen of www.lamapeach.com photographing next year's collection. These boots called Paige come in leather or suede and be available this Spring.

27th January 2011 We had lots of fun, games and treats to get this photo of Mabel.

26th January 2011 Making gift cards.

25th January 2011 Heard a noisy cat fight last night so was relieved to see our cat Tom in one piece this morning.

24th January 2011 I was photographing Paul Hay today who wanted a headshot for his website and social networking sites.

23rd January 2011 Got a cold!

22.01.2011 Got my daughter Nicky to stop for a photo just before she left for a party.

21st January 2011 We had friends over this evening so I opened this bottle of sparkling wine that was a gift from wedding clients who held their daughter's reception at the Vineyard in Hambleden, Oxfordshire. Thank you Peter and Becky.

20th January 2011 Another prop for the studio - a sensory ball that stretches and lights up!

19th January 2011 Met with Ute Wieczorek-King (above) and Mary Fraser today. These two ladies are a real inspiration. Among other things they are co-hosting an International Women's Day convention on Monday 7 March 2011, 18:00-20:00 at HSBC, Green Park, Reading

18th January 2011 A little snack for my friends Fiona and Julie who are coming for coffee today.

17th January 2011 We thought children coming to the studio would prefer Edward to wear something casual.

16th January 2011 We bought Bella as a partner for Edward bear in the studio.

15th January 2011 My daughter has donated Edward as a prop for my studio portraits.

14th January 2011 This lovely lady Clare Popplewell specialises in the Alexander Technique. She asked me to take a photo for her website www.clarefinzi.com

13th January 2011 Working on more wedding photos today. The bride and groom are my friends Helen and Charlie and the wedding was held before Christmas at Hall Place, Burchetts Green, Berkshire.

12th January 2011 Working on wedding photos today. Here is my favourite of the Groom and Best Man taken on New Year's Eve at the Sanctum on the Green, Cookham, Berkshire.

11th January 2011 Mint always reminds me of Summer and Pimms.

10th January 2011 Greek Basil which smells wonderful

9th January 2011 Bought some chives to inspire me to cook.

8th January 2011: I am following a blog where my friend's daughter Sarah tries one of his recipes per week. Waiting to see if she really can keep within 30 minutes! www.sierralimanovember.wordpress.com

5th January 2011 My daughter bought me a Lovelinks bead today. Thank you Nicky. X

4th January 2011 Home-made cappuccino – yummy!

3rd January 2011 I love coffee so the family bought me a coffee maker for Christmas. The pods arrived today. They should keep me going for a while!

2nd January 2011 Some people would say I am living my creative dream but it doesn’t hurt to check every now and again. This book was recommended by my lovely friend Pat Naylor - www.madebypin.wordpress.com

1st January 2011 New year’s resolutions starting tomorrow due to a little bit of a headache thanks to yesterday’s wedding and then curry party hosted by our friends Jo and Alex!

]]> http://www.alisoncrownphotography.co.uk/blog/2011/01/31/a-year-in-pictures-january/feed/ 2 http://www.alisoncrownphotography.co.uk/blog/2010/06/01/photographing-children-the-challenge-of-the-cheese-2/ http://www.alisoncrownphotography.co.uk/blog/2010/06/01/photographing-children-the-challenge-of-the-cheese-2/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:30:38 +0000 Alison Crown http://www.alisoncrownphotography.co.uk/blog/?p=752 Recently, my friend Catherine and I took advantage of the beautiful sunshine we’ve been having to take some outdoor shots of her two children, Daniel (4) and Elena (2). I’m not unaccustomed to taking shots of kids of course, but I decided to introduce a few new challenges for this shoot!

1. By moving out of the studio and into the garden, we benefit from the injection of colour from the beautiful spring flowers, but the wide open spaces give the children (and, therefore, me!) more scope to run around and it can be quite exhausting to pin them down. Toys offered a welcome distraction and we had most success with toys and objects that were new to them, such as the croquet hoops.

2. Daniel has just come out of a stage of not wanting to be photographed and, thanks to years of coaxing by his mum, now wants to say, “Cheese!” at every opportunity. The key here was to give him time to relax and start playing, and try to catch him unawares.

3. Elena, on the other hand, is the most serious-looking two-year-old I’ve ever met! Although we did get her to smile in the end, Mum was more than happy with the serious shots. Catherine told me, “These photos sum her up perfectly and when I look at them I see echoes of me at the same age and also my late mother and grandmother.”

Whether they’re overly serious or too obliging with the cheesy grins, it’s a real pleasure to photograph kids with character and we’re already planning the next shoot!

Get the children involved with photography projects this summer whether you are going away or not. Encourage them to look at the world a little differently, see things from unusual angles, notice patterns and experiment with cameras as much as they like. The great thing about digital photography is that it is instant which kids love.

Keep a photo diary for a day
Spend a day taking photos of interesting things they see during the day. This can be anything from having breakfast to Dad washing the car. Encourage them to use photojournalist skills by organising the photos in a diary, writing captions under the photos and even include their own drawings and funny comments.

A day in the life of their pet
Similar to the above but this time they get down to the level of the pet to learn what their pet sees (if you saw Jonathan Ross you will remember he put a camera around his dog’s neck for the day and then laughed because he had lots of photos of his other dogs’ bums)!  Kids will of course think this is hysterical.

Mystery Photos
Take close-up photos of ordinary objects and then ask friends and family to guess what they are.

Photo Puzzle
Glue photos onto cardboard, cut the picture into pieces, and create a personalised puzzle.

Create stories and slideshows with toys such as Lego people
This takes a little practice and you might have to help to start with but it can fill a whole morning or afternoon and by snapping the figures close-up they can make them look huge or scary.

Collections
Coins, shells, toys, anything that they collect or start a virtual collection of number-plates, silly signposts or flowers that are only pink in colour.

Photograph a bean growing
These grow quite a bit each day in a jam jar with blotting paper so even flicking through the photos on the back of the camera will be quite satisfying. They might need to keep one card aside for the exercise if they are taking photos of other things too.

Gurning – face pulling competition
Basic I know, but always a winner with children especially if Grandad takes his teeth out!

Macro – bugs
On many digital cameras there is a macro setting (it is usually a symbol of a flower). This allows them to go in closer and hopefully get some good photos of slugs and snails. Tell them to avoid bees for obvious reasons.

Make Christmas presents now – mugs, mousemats, keyrings
There are so many sites that offer these facilities at really good prices. If they get a good picture then use it to make presents for family and friends. I have seen a Christmas bauble on a website too which might be fun.

Fashion show
One for the girls perhaps. They can co-ordinate clothes and hairstyles so that they can refer to them when they go out.

Create a website for themselves or a friend

You can create a website for free with added games and space for photo albums. We made one for my daughter’s 16th birthday and asked people to write messages in advance. She loved it. Depending on how old your children are you can allow them to be in control of the admin or keep hold of that yourself. The only people who see the site will be the ones you invite to join it.

Bring the family for a photo session while you are tanned and relaxed
Holidays are a great time for getting family photos particularly as you can usually find someone to take the photo so you are in it too. However, if you would like a professional photo of all of you looking good, why not give me a ring on 01628 673948 and arrange a photo session. This could be in the studio or we could go to a location of your choice to take advantage of the good weather. I would love to hear from you.

These two are my favourites … You can find the rest of the images here.

Last week I spent a couple of days in Cornwall and had a chance to meet my nephew for the first time. Although he was about to go to bed and the light was fading fast I managed to grab a few shots of this gorgeous boy. I am sure his parents won’t mind me saying that their garden is less than landscaped so finding an uncluttered background was tricky. I got around this by throwing the background out of focus which also drew attention to his cute face. Plus, keeping Max in one place wasn’t easy either. I spotted the cardbox box and popped him in it. Turning the image antique sepia gives it a timeless feel and also disguises the fact that the box was bright yellow which clashed with his babygrow!

Lorna Weller has recently launched herself as a virtual assistant.  She is also a Mum, a great friend and the most camera shy person I know!  After a cup of tea and a bit of persuasion that even at 40+ she really did need a photo of her on her website I found a spot in my garden and took this image.  It certainly makes her more approachable than the arty shot of a pot of pencils she was going to ‘hide’ behind!

Read on and you will see as well as having a wonderful bubbly personality Lorna has a wealth of experience in business so please bear her mind the next time you need a solution to your admin problems.  You can call her on 07940 198980 or email lorna.weller@googlemail.com

 Where were you born?

Greenock, Scotland and I still feel as excited as I did as a child any time I go “north of the border”.

Where do you live?

Bourne End, Bucks – living by the Thames calls to me on a summer’s day.

Favourite Place to Eat?

Now I’ve reached 40+  I try to arrange a real treat once or twice a year and Sunday lunch at Cliveden has proved a great favourite – combining the grandeur and luxury of the dining experience with such a lovely setting and the choice of following lunch with a stroll through the grounds, or tea in the library.

What do you do?

After working for the last 18 years as a senior PA at a subsidiary of ICI in Slough where I joined to work for the Managing Director, I was made redundant at the beginning of the year.   I have really enjoyed having some time out and am now setting up as a Freelance PA / Virtual Administrator.   I am finding that my vast experience of office procedures, PC skills and event management are just as useful to small local businesses.   I love the diversity of working with different small businesses, by helping with their admin, routine or otherwise, it frees them up to do what they do best, and of course I love the flexibility it gives me.  I can be contacted at lorna.weller@googlemail.com.

What is your favourite movie?

Out of Africa – I’d let Robert Redford wash my hair any day!

Favourite Food?

Dare I say mint chocolate chip ice cream, but to prove I do have some sophistication my favourite drink is definitely champagne.

Best piece of advice?

Always smile when answering the phone – even if you can’t be seen the tone is instantly set.

What was the last book you read?

An hilarious booked called “I don’t know how she does it”; about a city broker juggling life as a working mother.   It was full of recognisable situations in a working mother’s life.

What is your favourite holiday destination?

Where do I start? – I had the most amazing time on a safari in Kenya which literally was a dream come true.   A couple of years ago I had a wonderful holiday with a couple of best friends and our kids at a villa in Spain – just playing in the pool all day or snoozing in the olive grove – bliss!  But I couldn’t possibly not mention Scotland with all its rugged beauty.

What do you hate most?

The increase in gun/knife crime, and the fact that so many kids get involved in alcohol/drugs – it’s a huge worry for parents.  We do, however, have to learn to let them go although we will always worry about them.

What do you value most?

My friends.   Childhood friends – we have supported each other through our own teens, marriages, divorces, children.  Local friends I’ve met through the children’s schools and friends from my marriage that I see infrequently but nevertheless still have a strong bond with.

Who or What has been the biggest influence on your life?

My mother – although she died when I was only 10 I think of her as a real go-getter.   In her youth she played hockey for Scotland, was a county tennis and badminton player and loved mountain climbing (something I’d be absolutely terrified to do).  She was a Land Girl during  WW2 and I wish she’d lived long enough to share her memories with me.  I know she wouldn’t take no for an answer, thought there was a solution to every problem and was always positive.  Unfortunately, she died aged 45 of breast cancer before they had the treatments they do now.   I try to remain true to some her beliefs and principles.