Lifestyle Newborn and Family Photographer in County Durham & Beyond
The Author.
So then, “who am I”? While that mystical question has long been the sole preserve of 21-year-olds off finding themselves at the bottom of their backpacks in Thailand, or middle-aged blokes discovering themselves in the rear-view mirror of a vintage sports car, I too am sat here attempting to answer that same question. Though rather than a backpack brimming with tie-die, you will find me wielding a camera bag bursting with lenses, and instead of cruising in a sports car, you’ll find me bouncing down the pothole-ridden roads in my vintage camper van –Velma.
Typically, I am only a few lines in and I’ve already started chatting! Now, this is something you will soon discover upon meeting me; I suffer from chronic ‘Chatteritis’. It’s a condition I’ve had my entire life and is particularly prone to flare up when I come into close contact with any other human, dog, telephone, or even a Tik Tok app. Naturally, I’ve learned to live with it, and whilst it does drive my husband, Martyn, to despair, I have found it has its plus sides too. Being able to chat makes people feel instantly at ease with me, a trait that sadly not all photographers possess and yet in my opinion is essential. Establishing a rapport with my clients is something I take great pride in, not only does it make them feel relaxed and freer to be themselves in front of the camera, but it also affords me better insight into who they are and how best to photograph them authentically.
In fact ‘authenticity’ is a word that holds tremendous value to me as a photographer. For over 15 years I’ve had the pleasure of training with industry leaders and honing my own unique award-winning style that’s entirely true to me. What’s more, authenticity is something I weave into every session, as I strive to always capture my clients just as they are – no cringe posing, forced fun, or fake smiles, just genuine joy and happiness! My studio is the great outdoors, or locations that hold meaning, my lighting is the sun and the only ‘props’ I come with tend to be emergency handbag snacks!
What else? Oh yes, I’m a wife, mother of two humans and two Cockapoos, all of which are housetrained, and of course ‘Franma’ to my little Grandson Jackson. When I’m not photographing, I’m normally planning my next Boho-inspired house project to keep Martyn and his drill busy, and when I do put my feet up it’s usually with a bottle (or ‘2 units’ if I’m filling in medical forms) of very red plonk, accompanied by very vegan food.
Another of my favourite past-times is reading; I simply love stories, and I LOVE creativity. In fact, I’ve always thought of storytelling as something of a metaphor for photography. Think about it, there are the main characters – you! The plot – your milestones and events! And the author who ties it all together – me! Now JK Rowling I am not, more’s the pity, but one thing I can do is tell your story… If you’ll let me.
Lifestyle & Documentary Newborn & Family photography covering County Durham, Durham, Newcastle, Northumberland, Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland and beyond.
