About Emma

Origins

I’ve always found huge pleasure in visually beautifully things – of course images, but also textiles, crockery, the bare branches of trees silhouetted against a winter sky, the sharp clarity and detail in a child’s iris. In my early 20s I discovered that photography, a skill I’d previously assumed belonged to my siblings and spouse but not me, was something I seemed to ‘have an eye for’. The joy of sighting something beautiful or unusual through the camera lens was surprisingly addictive. I have never really looked back. I find photography the most wonderful creative outlet, and an incredibly expressive way to tell stories or share important moments.

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Gallery Notice : Images have either not been selected or couldn't be found

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Focus

Although I like to capture the beauty in objects I see – the texture of the knotted wood in a signpost, the way the paint peels around an elaborate door-knocker – my true passion lies in photographing people. I take some posed shots, but truly love to try and capture more natural moments. For me photography has this wonderful capacity to capture, in a split second, important moments and relationships. It’s challenging to catch the fierce joy of a toddler pulling a kite along a beach, or the tenderness of mother stroking a baby’s head, but it’s so worthwhile.

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Interests

Along with photography, one of my big passions is babywearing. What began as simply a way to hold my baby close to me and give me free hands for making lunch has turned into so much more. I love the carriers themselves – the beautiful patterns, colours and textures of woven wraps are endlessly fascinating. I am part of worldwide community and have made wonderful, close friends. I am also very lucky to have the privilege of regularly hosting ‘tester’ wraps. This is where I have found my two hobbies intersect nicely, as I have worked on the challenge of capturing the beauty of woven wraps and the closeness this brings to parents and babies. I  Initially I worked primarily with myself and my children as the models, using a tripod and IR remote to shoot.  More recently I have branched out into using models, and I’m enjoying the extra creative opportunities this affords me. My reviews and photos are published on my blog, Adventure Woven in.

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Equipment

Currently I shoot with a Nikon D40X and either a Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AF-S or Nikkor 35mm 1.8 AF-S lens. I enjoy shooting with these prime lenses, which give great quality images. I’m hoping to upgrade my D40X soon as I shoot primarily outdoors and would like greater flexibility for shooting in low-light situations.

About Shaun

Origins

My interest in photography began back in 2011 when I discovered urban exploration and met lots of lovely people from all walks of life as we went on adventures exploring abandoned buildings ranging from old asylums to huge industrial sites all with the intention of seeing things off-limits to the general public. This was the first time I had encountered anyone using a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera and at that time I had a point and shoot. The idea is that you share the photos you have taken of your visit with a community both to document the places visited for historical purposes and also to show your perspective of what had been seen.

I quickly realised that when there is limited natural light and you want to take photographs that are clear enough to share with others that it would be a good idea to upgrade to a DSLR.

It wasn’t long before I was carrying around my DSLR camera everywhere and soon after I started attending wedding fayres in preparation for my own wedding. One of the first wedding fayres that I attended led to me connecting with a sweet company called ‘Candy Girls Tables’ who used some of my photos in their advert which was published in ‘I Will’ wedding show magazine. This was followed by a photoshoot with a newborn baby which gave me a glimpse of the joy and challenges of working with people rather than buildings or objects. This work was invaluable both for me as a photographer and also to the parents who have photos they can treasure forever of their ever growing baby (now in school).

My work with Baby Dominik and Candy Girls Tables led to me being asked to provide photography services for a large company called Allensmore (who supply plants to well-known chains like Homebase and B&Q) to celebrate their 40th year in business by taking photos of their staff and products. Again this was a fabulous opportunity to work with people (this time adults) in order to produce professional images for business to show of their employees. I also took a number of photographs which were then used in their catalogue to sell their products. I had by this point become accustomed to using lightroom to process all my images.

Interests

I saw images recently that my Father took before he passed away a number of years ago and realised photography was something we had in common. Whilst he enjoyed landscape photography, having worked with families and companies my focus professionally has remained with people including models, wedding parties and birthday parties. In my personal life I have been enjoying photography involving my Wife and young Daughter most recently whilst on outings to National Trust properties.

Focus

Based on my experience I focus mainly on photographing children and weddings. Both can be unpredictable but unexpected situations can be minimised with enough thought, research and discussion with the client. To produce beautiful images these areas require significant experience and understanding of equipment and confidence working with people whilst thinking on your feet. I have therefore worked hard on my technical understanding of the equipment that I use so that I don’t miss critical shots and can concentrate on creating visual memories rather than hoping each shot is going to work out.

Equipment

I started out with a Canon 400D which is still going strong and makes a nice lightweight second DSLR when a shot using a different lens is required without the delay. I now work mainly with a Canon 5D Mark II which is far better in low light conditions and when needing to produce large prints. Whilst I own a multitude of lenses, my lens of choice is a Canon EF 100 mm F 2.8 L Macro IS USM prime lens, which enables me to take shots in low light or very close to the subject. It produces very detailed images either of objects up close or further away for accurate portraits with beautiful lighting and bokeh (background blur). In an enclosed space where an overall view is required I will use my Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Ultra-Wide Angle Canon EF Zoom Lens.

I carry a number of Canon 580EX II Speedlite Flash Units along with wireless transmitters/receivers which enable me to modify/enhance the lighting of a subject from several angles when required either in low light or for artistic application.

Introduction

Greetings and welcome to a new section of the site which is being written for those of you who are interested in taking control of your camera so that you can take beautiful photographs of your subject. Once the core principles of using a camera have been established, we will be focusing on photographing children who can be the most difficult yet rewarding subjects to work with. There will be a few examples of working with adults as well for those of you that want to concentrate on that particular discipline. If you are serious about photography, even as an amateur, you will need to invest in some kit to get the best results.

Throughout the articles to follow, we assume that you have a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera, a basic understanding of the buttons or access to the manual for reference so that you can follow the articles and a copy of lightroom.

The information we provide will range from basic principles through to understanding how each control impacts upon the photo taken, tips on composition, lighting, clothing, posing and locations and instructions detailing how to process your images for the best results.