Steven 'cute as a button' Munro - portrait session

Friends Robert & Gail had asked me to do photos of their gorgeous son, Steven, before his new little brother or sister comes along later this year. So I spent an afternoon at Gail & Roberts (stunning!) new house mostly crawling around the floor trying to keep up with him!

At only 9 months, he is a natural in front of the camera and has the most beautiful big eyes and the sweetest nature. He 'modelled' for the camera for almost an hour and seemed to take it all in his stride. The photos in this blog are some of my faves.

Jill & Keir engagement - blustery Troon beach

Last Sunday morning I headed for the coast to photograph the gorgeous Jill & Keir in Keir's hometown of Troon.

Known mainly for it's golf courses, Troon is a typical west of Scotland seaside town...it has the perfect mix of golden sand and rocky coastline and you can always guarantee a good blustery wind with a little bite to give your cheeks some extra colour!

It was great spend some time with Jill & Keir to get to know them a little better and begin to get a sense of who they are and what makes them click as people. Keir gives the impression of being 'the quiet one' when you first meet him but it wasn't long before I discovered he was a natural behind the camera and took to self-directing some poses or 'bossying' as Jill called it. One thing for sure is Jill & Keir are great together and I hope that shows in my photos...

Afterwards I was well looked after with offers of tea to warm me up and Keir's mum's 'rocky road' to see me right before the journey home... I had such a great time and can't wait to photograph their big day.

365/7 project - week one

Okay so quite a few folks on the photography circuit have started the year off productively by doing the 365 project. This basically involves taking a photo a day for the entire year. Amazing. It's a great way to ensure you are taking photos purely for yourself and for fun plus it helps get the creative juices flowing. It's all to easy to go from one job to another and not pick up your camera in between.

I did attempt this last year on blipfoto. I lasted 4 days and by the 4th day was using my iphone camera. So this year I've decided to embark on this project with a few adaptations to the rules.

Firstly, I'm not going to commit to a photo a day but instead a weekly photo (or photos). I work full-time as a project manager on creative consultancy projects with young people, I love my job but it's tiring work. Throw into the mix weddings/portrait/engagement shoots at weekends and I'm done in. So a weekly photo project  is certainly more realistic.

Secondly, I'm only going to use my digital SLR's. I love my iphone and all the crazy apps I've downloaded. I use it all the time, everyday, but I want to become a better photographer and by using my digital SLR's I'll hopefully develop my technical skills.

Lastly, I'm going to be honest. They might not be the best photos in the world, but I'm going to not worry too much about them and post them anyway. It's about recording my year, demonstrating and testing my skills... and having fun.

So, does that mean I can be part of the gang? hope so.

The images in this post are from Paul and I's trip to the seaside yesterday...the first time I've ever been on a beach covered in snow.

This is Paul and his new parka. To me, my husband is one of the most photogenic people I have ever photographed (and so is my sister-in-law, it runs in the family!).

I then decided to face one of my fears and turn my camera on myself, used my 50mm prime lens, knowing it would be the closest 'close-up' I've ever had. I'm living with the result.