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.

More photographic success....

Had some good news last night in the first round of the new season's competition at my local camera club, XRR Photographic Society.

Our first set subject of the year was 'Landscape' and my image of Herringfleet Wind Pump up in Suffolk on The Broads earned me a top score of 20 and was also chosen out of all the images shown on the night as the 'Best in Show' by our judge Terry Coffey from Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross Camera Club.

Here is the image:

Herringfleet Wind Pump.  © John Wood Photography

I captured the photo after a scenic walk out to the location from the nearest accessible point by road - a good 30min walk.  The pump used to be used to help drain the surrounding land to enable it to be used for agriculture.

There were several locations for capturing images of the wind pump (after working my way round the marshy waterlogged ground!) but this spot was my favourite and I was able to use the clump of tall reeds on the left of the image to hold in the frame.  The sky was quite moody and added to the scene I felt.

Hopefully this success is the start of a good season.

Thanks for reading.

Wedding photography - as a guest for a change!

For the last three or four weddings I've been to, I've been the official photographer and rather than spend the time relaxing and helping friends celebrate their big day I've been working hard to capture the day for the happy couple.  It is no easy job being a wedding photographer that's for sure!  There are constant time pressures on you throughout the day, you need good diplomacy skills when dealing with vicars / priests / registrars about what they will and won't let you do during the service and all the time you have to realise that you generally only have that one chance to get 'the shot'.

So, after those previous few weddings, it was a refreshing change to attend a wedding of some good friends of ours a few weeks ago as a guest.  No major stresses to worry about - save for our 2 year old being the flower girl and me having to get her dressed and ready, whilst my wife who was bridesmaid, was looking after the bride!

The day gave me a chance to leave behind the heavy backpack containing my D-SLR camera, assortment of lenses and flashes and all the other gear that I take with me to a commissioned job.  Instead I was able to take my relatively new Panasonic Lumix G3 micro four thirds compact system camera in a light shoulder bag (a Crumpler Muffin Top 2500).  Accompanying that in the bag was just the 14-42mm kit lens and Panasonic 20mm f1.7 pancake lens (for any low light shots where I didn't want to use flash).

I find I am using the G3 more and more these days when I'm out and about and want to travel light.  It gives fantastic results and has the full manual control I'm after.  I'm certainly finding it a great substitute to my D-SLR when so inclined.  I have been meaning to try it out on a studio shoot sometime but that will be another post when it happens.

With our two year old sorted, dressed and back with her mum to accompany the bride, I could relax a bit and put the G3 to work.  I was able to get a few minutes with the bride and groom to get some intimate couple shots of just the two of them (for some reason the 'official' photographer hadn't got got round to doing any of these).

Here are a selection - straight out of the camera with no manipulation, just a conversion to black and white in some cases.  The G3 shoots in RAW + Jpeg if selected and these are just resized version of the Jpegs.  The lens used for these particular shots was the 20mm f1.7 pancake lens (it was gone 8pm and starting to get dark when these were taken all at ISO 160 and either f1.7 or f2.0 with no flash).

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

Lumix G3 with Panasonic 20mm f1.7 ISO160

So there you have it.  Even though I wasn't the official photographer, I was able to get these images for our friends that otherwise wouldn't have been captured.  They're really pleased with them which is the main thing for me.

Boudoir photoshoot in St Albans, Hertfordshire

I recently did a boudoir photoshoot near St Albans in Hertfordshire with the lovely Miss P.  We got a great selection of shots in the 2 hour session we had set aside and this also allowed for plenty of outfit changes.

I had booked a suite at one of the best hotels in the area so we had a venue that gave us plenty of space to have different set ups for the shots.  I have used this venue for other boudoir photo shoots and find the location convenient and the facilities superb.

Around a week before the shoot I sent Miss P a copy of my posing guide which illustrates a wide selection of boudoir photo poses.  I have found this helpful for clients as it can give them ideas on poses they might like to try out during a shoot and also ideas on outfits and accessories to bring to the shoot.

Anyway, on with the photos:

1. Lack of eye contact adds more drama

2. Adjusting the look

3. Vintage boudoir look

4. Vintage look with pearl necklace

5. My favourite shot from the session

6. Selective focus on the eyes and lips

7. Dreaming

8. Anonymous detail shot



9.



10. Contemplation

Well there you have a selection of just 10 shots taken during the session.  I used a mixture of my studio lighting (just enough to achieve the looks I wanted without being overpowering) and natural light from the windows.  We ended up with enough shots for a complete photobook which is a popular option with my clients.

If you are interested in booking a boudoir photoshoot with me - perhaps you are getting married and want a suprise present for your fiance on the morning of your wedding day, or you want a gift for that special loved one in your life to celebrate a special occasion, then do get in touch to book a shoot.  Of course, you may just want to book a boudoir photoshoot just for yourself - why not give yourself that boost you deserve!

Do have a look at my dedicated boudoir photography website - Beautiful Boudoir Photos where you will find more examples of my boudoir photography, information about my services and a contact form to get in touch.