#15 - Exhibit At A Local Event - Complete!

I started a list of 101 things I'd like to achieve in 1001 days recently and I'm very happy to announce that I've finally crossed my first goal off the list! 

Number 15 was 'Exhibit at a local event' and lucky for me I managed to get myself a spot at Colchester Free Festival this past weekend. I set up my stand in the Kidstival section and opted to give away free photos in my photo booth. All the participants simply had to do was supply me with an email address and their pictures were promptly emailed on Monday morning.

I have to admit we were much busier than I thought we would be. I had had visions of us standing in an empty gazebo all day counting down the time but luckily that wasn't the case. We were busy for most of the day and lots of people found the concept of receiving free photos hard to believe. 'Whats the catch?' was the most often used phrase. Not really sure what they were expecting at a FREE festival!

This is how we set up on the day. big thanks to my mum and sister in law for my bunting! The TV on the end of the table on the left displayed the pictures as they were taken and then was set to slideshow through all the images when the photo booth was free to new participants.

This was the prop table, which was hard to keep looking tidy! The props in the jars on the left are the ones responsible for making the tip of my finger numb whilst making them. I made glasses, hats, crowns, moustaches and various other silly things! As well as this we had lots of children's dressing up costumes, feather boa's, chalkboards and wigs. (My finger is still numb by the way!)

I also decided to run a offer on the day and thought it was a good opportunity to display some of my previous work. Being in the Kidstival section I decided that targeting the family market was the best idea and so I displayed a canvas, a photo book of the Costanzo's photo shoot and some business cards. I'm happy to say that I received a lot of good feedback regarding my work and even booked a few family photo shoots of the back of it.

I'm fortunate to have a family that I can talk into doing things with me! My little brother and my sister in law were my helpers for the day and did a great job of reeling in new customers in silly costumes.

Of course I and the family couldn't escape from the photo booth (even Rodney got in on the action!) below are some photos of us all.

On Friday I'm blogging 20 of my favourite pictures from the day, we had some great kids and families take part and I can't wait to show you some of the best!

Ellie & Aimee - Fun At The Park

Last week I met Ellie, Aimee and their mum in Holland-On-Sea for a fun photo shoot. We decided that going to the park was the best option to keep the girls occupied and a chance for them to really play ad have fun for the camera.

Lucky for us, we also had some glorious sunshine, giving the whole shoot a nice summery feel. After nearly two hours of running, jumping, cartwheels and bubble blowing we ended the day by the beach for a well deserved ice cream.

Thanks for being such fun girls! Enjoy the rest of your summer holidays!!

Lewis & Nicola: Married! (Sneak Peek)

Yesterday Lewis and Nicola got married in Colchester and celebrated with a reception in Coggeshall. Just as dusk was setting in I managed to steal them away for a few couple pictures around the streets nearby the White Hart Hotel. I just had to get a sneak peek up, as I loved the casual happiness the two have in this picture.

Congratulations to the two of you. I can't wait to show you the rest in a few weeks time!

Happy Birthday Mum!

Today is my mum's birthday and I'm out shooting a wedding! Eeek! So to combat my guilt at missing the celebrations (which I have managed to convince her, would be best on a Friday anyway) I thought a dedicated blog post may suffice!!

These pictures were taken a couple of weeks back when I joined my mum, brother and his friend for a picnic in the woods.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM! xx

Nic & Lewis: Engagement

Look who's getting married in the morning!! I'm really excited to photograph Nic and Lewis' wedding in Colchester and thought it only fitting to post the rest of their engagement pictures the day before the BIG day.

Alison & Martin: Married - Hunters Hall Norfolk

Back in June Alison and Martin got married at Hunters Hall in Norfolk. I was lucky enough to second shoot for Katherine Ashdown and loved the details of this wedding.

Alison picked a gorgeous tea length dress, with some statement shoes to match. Her details were so thoughtfully planned and I loved shooting them all. Her bouquet was also one of my favourites to date, I loved the way they included peacock feathers into the flowers and also into Martin's buttonhole.

The day started out rainy (Katherine seems to think I bring rain where-ever I go!) But we did get some bright, warm sunshine in the evening for some couple shots. Luckily for us, there was a cornfield nearby and Alison and Martin were happy to walk to it which meant we were able to get some fab shots amongst the corn. You'd never guess the day had started out so gloomy and grey.

Below are some of my favourite pictures from their wedding day. It was such a lovely wedding to be a part of, her family and friends were so welcoming and had a brilliant time.

Thank you to Katherine, Alison and Martin for allowing me to come along and capture part of your day!