Babes in the bluebells – special promotion

I am running a special promotion during early May called ‘Babes in The Bluebells’.

Bluebell Woods

The promotion is for families or individuals who would like a location based portrait session held in the bluebell woods around Ashridge (just outside of Berkhamsted). The portrait mini-session will last around half an hour to 45mins and will take in an enchanted bluebell wood that has been selected to give a lovely backdrop to the spring colours that this season brings. Kids will be able to explore the carpet of bluebells, peep out from behind trees, little girls can don their fairy wings and generally enjoy doing what kids do – playing and having fun! Why not let me capture your family in this natural, relaxed way?



Babes in the Bluebells




Child portrait


For individuals wanting some photos of themselves – perhaps as a present for loved ones or families, this is an ideal opportunity to get something different to what you would usually give.

Perhaps you even want to treat a special person or loved one to a photo session. Why not book a slot for them with me now?

Babes in The Bluebells – Promotion Details:

• Dates: Sunday 5th, Saturday 11th May (weather and bluebell flowering permitting)

• Location: Ashridge Estate, nr Berhamsted. Full details of location to meet sent on booking

• Time slots available (Sunday 5th): 09:15, 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15, 16:00. (Saturday 11th): 09:15, 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 15:15, 16:00. Please note: Sessions start promptly at time selected (arrive early if you can!)

• Cost: £55 (Full amount required at time of booking)

• What you get: 5 high resolution images on CD for you to make your own prints from. (The value of the CD of images alone is £100, so this is a great offer). Copyright of the images is retained by the photographer but you will be granted a perpetual license to obtain your own prints etc for non-commercial uses.

• Other options: Additional high resolution digital images are available as are items such as framed prints, canvases and photobooks at my prevailing rates.

Contact me by email or phone me on 07941 758887 to secure your session now.

More competition success

I had the good fortune to win the set subject round of the final competion of the year at XRR Photographic Society last night (Weds). 

The set subject was 'Power' and my image (250,000 volts) below scored a maximum 20 and was Highly Commended.  My other images in the set subject class scored an 18.
 

'250,000 volts' by John Wood ©2013

The image was taken during a walk out on the Munden Estate which sits between Watford and Brickett Wood in Hertfordshire.

More after the jump.....

Mother’s Day portraits – promotion

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, have you considered the gift of a portrait of you and/or your family instead of another bunch of flowers that will wither after a couple of weeks?  Wouldn’t it be good to see your gift proudly displayed for all to see?

John Wood Photography’s Mother’s Day 2013 portrait promotion is for families or individuals who would like a portrait session.  The session lasts around an hour and will take place in the comfort of your own home or, if you prefer, your garden or a local park (weather permitting!).  Kids will be able enjoy doing what kids do – playing and having fun in surroundings they are used to!  So why not let me capture you and your family in this natural, relaxed way?


For individuals wanting some professionally captured photos of themselves as a present for that special Mum, this is an ideal opportunity to have something different to what you would usually give.  Again, the photo shoot can be held in your own home or out on location if you prefer.

If you do not want to have a photo session yourself but would like to give a family member or friend the present of a portrait photography session, then do contact me as Gift Certificates are available.

Mother’s Day Portraits – Promotion Details:

• Dates: Bookings and sessions during February and up until Sunday 3rd March (for photos required before Mother’s Day)

• Location: I bring my studio to you (within 20 miles of Watford, Herts) or if you prefer an outdoor shoot, your garden or local park.

• Time slots: contact me for details and availability

• Cost: £35 (full amount required at time of booking)

• What you get: A 10x8 inch print of your choice from the session

• Other options: Additional print and items such as framed prints, canvases and photobooks available at my prevailing rates

Contact me by email or phone me on 07941 758887 quoting (Mother’s Day 2013) to secure your session now.

Autumn portraits - sneak peek

I thought you might like to see a few shots taken during one of my recent Autumn Portraits in The Park shoots.

We had a wonderful autumnal day back at the end of October with a cold and sunny morning combined with a fabulous display of autumn colours that we seem to have had this year.  I had a great time photography Michelle, Mike and their daughter Lily.


Enjoying the autumn colours


The backdrop of Cassiobury Park provides lots of opportunities to make the most of different settings all within easy reach of each other. The fallen leaves added a wonderful golden carpet to the surroundings:


Autumnal walk through the fallen leaves

The freshly fallen leaves also gave Lily a chance to play around and have some fun.


Playing in the park



Running through the fallen leaves

If you are interested in arranging a family photo shoot, then please do get in touch by phone on 07941 758887 or by email. You can see more of my portrait and family photography on my website – John Wood Photography

Laura’s maternity photos sneak peek

A couple of months ago I photographed Laura from Stevenage for her maternity photo shoot after she contacted me via my Bump2Baby Portraits website.  All of the images you see in my post have kindly been personally approved for inclusion by Laura herself.

The package that Laura chose was my Bump To Baby package which includes a maternity shoot, then a newborn shoot followed by a shoot at around 4, 8 and 12 months during the baby’s first year.

I was delighted to hear that her baby girl who is called Miley was born a few weeks ago and is now home and doing well.  We’ve scheduled the newborn shoot for a couple of weeks time and I look forward to seeing how Miley grows over the course of the year.

For the maternity session I photographed back in August, I was able to set up my collapsible studio backdrop and lights in their living room which gave us enough space to capture the shots we were after.  I usually bring a couple of different backdrop options with me so that I can set up in pretty much any available space.

We started with some shots of Laura and her partner together.  Here are a couple of the images we captured:



Couple maternity photo



Couples maternity photo

We then moved on to capturing the shots of Laura on her own that she wanted.  We used a selection of backdrops – both light and dark along with different drapes to give variety to the photos.  Below are selection of some of the images I took:


Maternity silhouette

Maternity portrait

Many thanks to Laura and her partner for choosing me to photograph you at this special time in your lives and for allowing me to share a small selection of your photographs with my readers.

If you are interested in arranging a maternity photo shoot or would like me to capture images of your new baby and family, then please do get in touch by phone on 07941 758887 or by email.  You can see more of my maternity and baby photography at my dedicated website - Bump2Baby Portraits

Autumn portraits in the park

I am running a special promotion on Sunday 28th October called ‘Autumn Portraits in The Park’.

Autumn colours in Cassiobury Park

The promotion is for families or individuals who would like a location based portrait session held at Cassiobury Park in Watford.  The portrait mini-session will last around half an hour and will take in a few locations in the park that have been selected to give a lovely backdrop to the autumnal colours that this season brings and open space that Cassiobury Park offers.  Kids will be able to kick and throw leaves and generally enjoy doing what kids do – playing and having fun!  Why not let me capture your family in this natural, relaxed way?



Family photos in Cassiobury Park

For individuals wanting some photos of themselves – perhaps as a present (Christmas isn’t too far away!) for loved ones or families, this is an ideal opportunity to get something different to what you would usually give.

Perhaps you even want to treat a special person or loved one to a photo session. Why not book a slot for them with me now?


Autumn in Cassionbury Park

Autumn Portraits in the Park – Promotion Details:

• Date: Sunday 28th October (weather permitting)

• Location: Cassiobury Park, Watford.  Meet by Cha Cha Cha Café (MAP LINK).

• Time slots available: 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15. Please note: Sessions start promptly at time selected (arrive early if you can!)

• Cost: £50 (£20 non-refundable retainer required at time of booking)

• What you get: A 9x6inch print of your choice from the session PLUS 5 high resolution images on CD for you to make your own prints from. (The value of the CD of images alone is £100, so this is a great offer). Copyright of the images is retained by the photographer but you will be granted a perpetual license to obtain your own prints etc for non-commercial uses.

• Other options: Additional high resolution digital images are available as are items such as framed prints, canvases and photobooks at my prevailing rates.

Contact me by email or phone me on 07941 758887 to secure your session now.

Lisa’s maternity photos - sneak peek

I was contacted by Lisa from Kensworth a few of months ago via my Bump2Baby Portraits site enquiring about having a maternity photo shoot around her 36th week of her pregnancy.  We discussed what Lisa wanted to achieve from the shoot and I provided her with some idea tear sheets and we settled on last Saturday for the shoot.  All of the images you see here have been personally approved for inclusion in this post by Lisa herself – client confidentiality is paramount to me.

After arriving at her home, I had a chat with Lisa and her partner about the type of images she would like me to capture and we identified quite a few from the tear sheets that she would like to try.

I was able to set up my portable studio backdrop and lights in her dining room which would give us enough space to capture the shots we were after.  I usually bring a couple of different backdrop options with me so that I can set up in pretty much any available space – though ideally  the more room available, the better!

We started with some shots of Lisa and her partner together.  It is always nice to involve a partner in the photo shoot and I like to capture the connection between the expectant mum and the excited dad.  I find it also helps my client to get used to being photographed with someone familiar around and assists them in relaxing into the session.  Here is one of the images we captured:

© Bump2Baby Portraits 2012

We then moved on to capturing the shots of Lisa on her own that she wanted.  We used a selection of backdrops – both light and dark along with different voile drapes to give variety to the photos.  Below is a selection of some of the images I took:

© Bump2Baby Portraits 2012

© Bump2Baby Portraits 2012

© Bump2Baby Portraits 2012

© Bump2Baby Portraits 2012

I've just finished working through the final images and sent Lisa a DVD slideshow that she can watch on her TV along with a set of contact sheets to enable her to pick the images she likes.  She mentioned during our discussion before the shoot that she likes black and white images so I have made sure that there is a good variety of the shots in that style.  I’m sure that she is going to love them!

The whole session lasted around 2 hours from my arrival to when I had finished packing everything away again.  As mentioned above I like to have a chat with my clients first to discuss the sort of shots they would like me to capture for them.  This also gives me a chance to get to know them a bit better too.  I usually allow around an hour for the shoot itself as I feel that it is important that clients do not feel at all rushed and part of a production line when having a maternity photo shoot.  

I also like to capture a good selection of images including some that maybe the client hadn’t initially considered as I would hate to finish a session and for the client to end up thinking “I wish I had tried this idea or that one” when the moment has gone.

Now I’m looking forward to hearing about the safe arrival of their new baby in a few weeks time.  Thanks to Lisa and her partner for choosing me to photograph you at this special time in your lives and for kindly allowing me to share a small selection of your photographs with my readers.

If you are interested in having a maternity shoot yourself or know of friends who may be interested, please do let them know about my Bump2Baby Portraits site or contact me on 07941 758887.