This morning I took Isabella, a friend’s daughter about the same age as Isaac, to nursery. Louise, her mum, had an early meeting and we live just round the corner from the nursery, so it was an easy favour.
Having another child to look after was an eye opener for me about just how ‘bespoke’ we are as parents. I’m so used to Isaac and the way he smiles, squeaks for attention, runs around the house…and what he weighs…that Isabella gave me a little culture shock.
I know I’d have been more than able to cope with any upsets (not that there were any, Louise!) but in terms of basic interactions it was all a bit of a learning curve. Plus, I am so glad we chose our buggy! That Mclaren thing kept getting under my size 11s and driving me mental.
And by the way, I will be taking some pictures of Isabella in the New Year, once that grandparental haircut grows out…watch this space!
Cuckoo in the nest?
Isaac Vol 15
Isaac,
Winter’s here again, and with it comes your nice warm orange coat! I find myself thinking of you less and less as a baby and more and more as a little boy. Your walking’s getting better and better, especially in your giraffe shoes – and by the way, have I mentioned your first official word? It was “Hello”. Swiftly followed by iddleiddleiddleardledardledardle, but nonetheless, your first official word! We’ve always asked each other “did he just say…?” – and lately the answer’s usually yes. You’re babbling more, and the sounds are more like words now.
Unfortunately, along with the words, you’ve found another use for that purty mouth of yours…and it involves trying to turn your nursery friends into snacks. We keep having to sign forms to affirm that you’ve maimed another child during the day. I feel like one of those parents that gets interviewed on the news outside the courts – “Whatever he’s done, Isaac’s my child and I love him. He didn’t mean to firebomb that post office, he’s just misunderstood”. We’ll have to start calling you the Mallard’s Wood Mauler.
We don’t see that bitey side of you at home. We see the affectionate boy who brings you his favourite book (currently Up! Or Maisie’s Party) and climbs into your lap so you can read it to him. We see the clever little man who takes the keys out of the drawer and goes to the front door to put them in the keyhole. We see the cheeky monkey who pulls Mummy’s cardigan over his head and goes toddling around the room to entertain his audience. We see our beautiful son who makes us fall in love with him a little bit more every day. In fact we can’t bring ourselves to believe you could have such a vicious side…which is probably how all the best serial killers start their careers.
Love,
Daddy
Aron
Last weekend I went over to the Tiller family for some pictures of their little boy Aron. He’s a very serious little boy most of the time, but when he’s in the mood he lets rip with the most infectious giggle!
Britain’s Next Top Toddler?
The Great Little Trading Company (they sell high quality kids’ furniture, toys and clothes) are having a competition to find new models for their next catalogue and website. I’ll be putting Isaac forward, obviously!
You can see the details here.
All change
I’ve got an announcement to make. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working with Martin Grahame-Dunn, a photographic legend, on my photography and my business. His guidance, and some other industry people I’ve been listening to lately, have helped me come to a decision.
I’m not going to be primarily pursuing wedding work. I’m going to be specialising in family portraiture, especially children. There are so many reasons for this change, but the most important is that this type of work is how I can best connect with people. Removing the stress and tension of the wedding day allows me to focus on creating beautiful, unique, meaningful images.
I’ll be updating my main site, and this blog, to reflect the change. I have a ton of ideas and am really excited about the future for the first time in ages. Watch this space!
Buyer beware!
There’s been a story in the press recently about a couple suing their wedding photographer. It’s now made it onto the BBC (here).
I really feel for the couple in question. They did their research, visiting several wedding fairs, paid for a professional service on their big day, and have ultimately been let down. These memories can’t be restaged.
It really just goes to show the importance of choosing the right photographer for your wedding. If you don’t have friends who can give you a recommendation, you can give yourself the best chance of finding a reputable photographer by starting your search with industry organisations such as the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers, or the Association of Wedding Photojournalists.
In any case, ask lots of questions (some ideas in a previous post here), make sure sample albums contain the photographer’s own work, and most of all – trust your gut instincts! If you don’t have total confidence in someone, walk away.
Let’s be careful out there.
Blog love
Just a quick note to point the blog of a fantastic wedding planner – Lester Gethings of No.10 Weddings. This week he’s been featuring articles written by yours truly. You can see them here, here and here. The rest of his blog is well worth a look, too – he knows some superb suppliers and finds the most amazing stuff!
For the love of it
Developing as a photographer can be an overwhelming pursuit. It’s complicated, expensive and time consuming. We do it because we love it. I don’t believe you will ever speak to an active photographer, professional or amateur, who doesn’t feel that photography has huge importance. I’m no different, and here are my top 5 ways in which photographs enrich our lives:
1. Back to the happy place
S*!t happens. The boiler blows up, or you have a particularly dull piece of admin to do, or you find yet another ‘we missed you while you were out for 3 minutes’ card from a courier. But when those things happen, I just have to look up at my picture of Kata Tjuta, or the one of Jenny walking down the aisle, and I get a small but noticeable lift. Makes the nasty thing seem slightly less important.
2. Salad days
Apparently, on some deep level, we always feel we are as old as we were at our happiest. Maybe that was your Madchester period, with your flared jeans and curtains. (Personally, I don’t think I’ve been as happy or hopeful about life as I am right now, but that’s a bad example. The power dressing shoulder pad years, becoming a mum or captaining the first XI would probably be better, but I’ve done none of those). That tin of old photos can take you right back to when you felt your best, which can be heady stuff.
3. See the unseen
Other people’s photos let you look through their eyes. You gain the ability to see the world as they saw it in that moment – whether it’s a newborn baby you’ve not met, a fantastic beach you never even knew existed, or a beautiful moment that you’d missed at your own wedding. It’s such an effective, immersive way of sharing our experiences with others.
4. You’ll be a man, my son
Kids, eh? Actually, if you don’t have any kids of your own, this could well apply to your nieces, friends’ kids, siblings or pets (or your particularly hairy niece with the floppy ears). When I look back at my photos of Isaac, now a cheeky, grubby, toddling chimp, it’s amazing to see the transformations that have happened over his 14 months. You miss this stuff at the time, but a series of photographs gives you such a unique perspective.
5. We’ll meet again
People do go AWOL. They pass away. Sometimes cosmetic surgery makes them unrecognisable. But if you have photographs of them, you can vividly remember the times you shared together. Before that nose job they think no-one noticed.
You may not recognise all of these. But I’d be willing to bet that at least a few cause a smile of recognition to the vast majority of people, because photographs are important to us on a deep level. Quality photography is a seriously powerful way of documenting your life. In some form, I think everyone should make it a priority – but then, I’m biased…
Isaac Vol 12
This is pretty late, but here’s Isaac’s 1st birthday. As well as his party, August also saw a big family holiday to Tuscany, where he decided it was time to start walking!
Seconds out again
Last week I shot another white collar boxing night for City Warriors, this time at the Troxy in Limehouse. It was another superb night, and after a marathon editing session to get down from the 2,000 frames I shot, this is one of my favourites:
Gary always manages to get well known boxing champs to attend, and this time he had someone pretty special. Steve Collins famously beat Chris Eubank to become the super middleweight champion of the world. Then he sucessfully defended the title against Eubank and Nigel Benn – twice. If this man ever asks for a favour, don’t keep him waiting:
by drpbier
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