Anna and Sky in the Spring sunshine

Horse and handler both beautifully posed.

Spring is just around the corner which for many of us signifies the beginning of our ‘horsey’ year.  We have already been out to photograph a few events this year but I look forward to the summer outdoor shows hopefully standing in the sunshine on dry fields.  I always find this time of year exciting as a horse owner as you start with a clean slate, all those long dark winter evenings planning what to do with your horse this year is now beginning – anything is possible.

It is this time of year in our business that we start to get busy again, shows are booked in the diary, new commercial clients are organised and our stock library is ready for the Spring buying frenzy.  It is also this time of year that we start to get people asking about  portrait sessions so I thought that it would be a good idea to present to you some of the regular questions and worries that I get asked from potential  portrait clients.

How long will I get for my session?

One of our equine models enjoying himself.

In our experience, to photograph one or two horses with their owner should take between 1 – 2 hours.  This of course depends on what sort of images the owner would like and most of all it depends on how the horses react to the situation that they find themselves in.  There are not many horses that we come across that we can’t get to co-operate with the correct combination of tricks and bribery!

What should I wear – what should my horse wear?

I always tell people to wear what they feel comfortable in and what best represents them.  Some people choose to go casual, and others smart – it really doesn’t matter.  I would always tell people however to avoid bright patterns and stripes as when you stand next to a horse your eye will go straight to the patterns or stripes and away from your horse.  The most important thing to remember is that you horse needs to have a clean bridle or smart head collar.  Just like when you choose your own outfit, you need to find something which will complement your horses colour and head.

I don’t like having my photo taken but I would like to have some really natural looking images with me and my horse?

Some people naturally know how to stand in front of a camera, other people less so.  There is a common misconception among both photographers and clients that to take natural looking shots you just let the client ‘get on with it’ and you will achieve something wonderful.  In our experience this is not so.  Nigel is very experienced in posing models, so he will tell you exactly where to stand, how to stand, where to put your arms, your head and even your eyes so you don’t need to worry about anything.  I will make the horse look exactly where we need him to look to complete the image.  It is one of those funny things about photography that generally the more natural looking the image, the more it has to be posed to make it look like that.

Horses usually soon get used to a reflector held close to them.

All horses react differently.  We make sure that we introduce the horse quietly to all of the kit that we use at the start so if there is anything that they take a real dislike to then we can use something else.

How many photos will you take?

How long is a piece of string?  I see portrait photographers that advertise their sessions by proudly saying that they will take over 200 frames at a session – that is a lot of images for you to look through!  We like to aim to end up with 20 images, each one different and each one as perfect as we can make it.  If you want somebody to take hundreds of images then we are probably not the photographers for you.

What happens after my session?

For us the session is only the beginning.  Once we get back to the office, all of the images are looked over and the very best are selected and are processed by Nigel.  Each image is looked at as an individual piece, and will have different things done to it, all by hand and not by a pre-set button.  This means that you will end up with images that will be unique to you.  These images then get uploaded onto a private gallery for you to view and you get an email from me when they are ready.

Both horse and handler lit with beautiful reflected light.

We usually ask clients to purchase within 28 days but if you need longer then you can always let us know.  You will be able to choose from a wide range of individual prints, print packages, canvas prints and framed prints.  Nigel can also design you a ‘storyboard’ which is several of your images on one piece for you to see.  We do not do the hard sell – I am confident that the images are strong enough to sell themselves.

How can I book and how far ahead do I need to book?

You can book a session by emailing me in the office or giving me a ring.  We do take the session fee of £50 upfront to hold your date.  If you would like to book for a weekday session then we need about 2 weeks notice, if you need a weekend date then we need about 2 months notice from late Spring.  If you make a booking and then the weather is bad then we will swap it for another date.  Contact details are as follows –

office  – 01394 – 450448

email – easternlightphotos@mac.com

One of Nigel’s personal favorite images – this was shot on a panoramic camera and won an award in the prestigious Epson Pano Awards.  This image was also selected by David Ward and Joe Cornish to appear in the photography book ‘Vision and Style’

It’s hard to believe that we have been in business for 10 years.  In some ways the years have gone by in a flash but the business itself has changed beyond all recognition.  The idea behind the business was originally to provide high quality landscape images to magazines and for prints.  Nigel, along with fellow photographer Barry Cross, were regularly exhibiting landscape images all around Suffolk with great success.  At this time everything was shot on slide film with a variety of medium format and panoramic cameras.  A few years into the business Nigel was able to give up his job as a technical support manager and retained fireman to work in the business full time.

This image was one of the first rolls of film Nigel shot with a medium format camera – it has been to date been his best selling landscape image and has been on numerous front covers.

As digital gradually hit the market replacing film then the market for quality landscape images started to dry up so the business became more aimed towards commercial photography providing work for big companies such as The Port of Felixstowe and Archant.   About this time, Nigel met me and my horses and his love of photographing horses began.

It took quite a few years for Nigel to produce equine photographs on a commercial basis.  He believes that when you take on something new in photography you should practice in private for as long as it takes for your work to be good enough to sell.  So when we were ready we tentatively booked in some equine events and within 6 months we had a full diary with repeat bookings for the following year.  I gave up my job as a teacher to work alongside Nigel full time as we also moved into equine portraiture which lead to landing some big equine commercial clients and more recently launching a specialist equine stock photography library.

“Princess In The Forest” – One of Nigel’s first projects of combining equine and landscape. This images won an international photography award.

We have moved as a business from film to digital and are now in the process of moving to mirrorless cameras.  Nigel however continues to shoot landscapes on the same equipment as he was using 10 years ago – he feels that it is just as good as the latest equipments but it just takes longer to produce images and needs a lot more skill.

“Suffolk Stallion At The Stable Door” – this image awarded a prize in a Fine Art competition and is now published in a book.

Where will Eastern Light Photography be in 10 years time?  Who knows, but whatever we do we will do it with an undying passion to produce the very best images possible for our clients.

So what are Nigel’s tips for becoming a professional photographer and staying in business?

– be passionate about what you do

– try to be the best in what you do

– don’t become arrogant and complacent, however good you think you are you can always be better

– customer service is as important as the images that you take, listen to what they want

– don’t let your photography out into the public domain before it is ready, it takes a long time

to build up a good reputation and a few days to have it destroyed on Facebook

– a good camera will not make you a good photographer, make sure you take the time to learn the basics of photography before investing in expensive kit, I can produce as good an image with the kit I used 10 years ago to what I use today

– don’t give your work away for free, if it is good enough for somebody to use then it is good enough to be paid for

A beautiful location in beautiful light – something which typifies Nigel’s work. This image also won an international photography award.

– work as hard on the business side as you do on your photography, doing a portrait session and providing all images on CD for £30 cannot sustain into a long term business

– make sure that you have several sources on income into your business so that if one dries up you are not in trouble

– be very very very critical of your own work, lots of friends telling you how great your photos are won’t help you improve

My favorite image of Nigels. This image won an Epson Pano Award. This image also got Nigel to runner up in last years Professional Photographer of the Year Competition.  This image appears in the book “Vision and Style’.  This is one of the few photographs that we have hanging on our own wall.

“Spanish Beach” – runner up in this years PPOTY competition, taken on a Fuji 6 x 17 on Velvia slide film on a deserted beach near the Costa Brava a few winters ago.

There is no doubt about it, running a small business is really hard work.  The phone can ring from 7 am to 11pm weekdays and weekends and you have to be prepared to field questions ranging from the usual “how much do you charge for ……….” to ” you’ll remember me, I was the lady with the bay horse at that show last summer”.  Don’t get me wrong, we are always happy to talk to clients both potential and existing and if there is work for us then I don’t care what time of day it is!  When you work for yourself, especially in the photography business, it is like being on a long car journey – just you and your partner together, no chance to talk to other drivers, trying to stick to the rules of the road because that is what people want and hoping that your car doesn’t let you down.  In photography, you should never reach the end of your journey as if you are a professional or amateur you should always be trying to be better, take better images, improve your technique etc etc etc, if you arrive at your journeys end then you have no where else to go except home again.  Sounds a bit dull, but on that long car journey that is our professional life on occasions you drive up a steep hill and you find yourself being able to stop the car, get out and take a moment to admire the view beneath you and see how far you have traveled.   The past couple of weeks has been one of those times for us in our business, and although we have no where near reached the top of the hill the recent view from where we have stopped  has been spectacular.

A couple of weeks ago we had an email from Professional Photographer Magazine saying that one of Nigel’s images had been shortlisted for Professional Photographer of the Year 2013 – we heard a few days later that this image had been awarded runner up in his category, medium format.  Over 5000 professional photographers from all over the world had entered this competition, so to be invited to accept his award along with the other 36 winners and runner-ups in the various categories was a flattering and humbling experience.  It was an opportunity to meet other professionals working in a range of genres most of which our paths would never of crossed, to chat about the photography industry – its current problems and its latest innovations and ideas.  Photography is one of those strange professions that nobody seems to talk to anybody else, there is little sharing of ideas and there are plenty of people happy to take but not give anything back, so it was great for Nigel to find himself amongst like-minded hardworking professional for the evening in a free exchange of views and ideas.

But of course you can only stop and dwell on a beautiful view for so long before people stack up behind you.  You have to get back in the car and continue on your way, and here we are today, back in the office doing the routine jobs that keep the business running, improving, refining, learning and  always working hard for our clients who join us on our journey for a short while.  And who knows where the next stopping off point will be or when it will come, but as long as we keep going forwards and upwards, then we will both enjoy the journey.

A great stopping place for Nigel earlier this year – this portrait of a Suffolk Punch Stallion won it’s place to be printed in the book “Ex Arte Equinus 6” – an art competition for equine artists working in all mediums.

We often get asked if we have a photographic studio to work in – well the answer is yes, you just have to step outside and there it is!  When we live in such a beautiful part of the country I don’t know why I would want to work indoors.  Where our office is we are on the edge of one of the largest forests in Suffolk, we are 5 minutes from the sea and surrounded by heath-land which very soon will be ablaze with beautiful flowering heather.  I cannot think of a more suitable and dramatic backdrop in which to photograph the horse and dog.

You have to be up very early to capture light like this – no amount of time in Photoshop can recreate it. This was taken at 5am one summers morning.

Nigel began his photographic career as a landscape photographer.  Shooting on medium format film, each click of the shutter was very expensive.  Because of this he developed a great ‘photographers eye’ – the ability to look at what is in front of you and know exactly where and how to capture it at its most beautiful.  In order to be a good landscape photographer you need a good ‘eye’, good technique, good knowledge of the weather and lots of patience.  You also need to be able to get up very early in the morning to capture the best of the light that nature offers us.

A simple bridle path but in the right light and the correct framing this image became a competition winner.

When we moved our business away from landscapes and more towards equine and canine portraiture Nigel still used all of the same skills as he did with his landscape work – all that is different is that you have to learn how to stand a horse and pose a model in sympathy with it’s surroundings.   Horses are outdoor creatures so I believe that they look best photographed outdoors in as natural a light as possible.

The very best studio photographers can recreate any type of lighting situation and they can guarantee that they will be able to reproduce it time after time.  When we photograph outside you have to learn to work with the light available.  Natural light is very difficult to control, to much sun and you burn out parts of the image and loose detail, not enough light and you can’t photograph at all.

 

Just like in a studio, you can move and bounce natural light around to put it where it is needed.

But when it’s good then it’s really really good.  Unfortunately, great light can  be a fleeting thing so you have to be able to predict when it is going to happen and to be ready for it.

Mother Nature created this wonderful photographic set – Nigel captured it.

This year has seen us working in some wonderful locations, on the beach, in the forest and woodlands, fields and meadows.

 We like to use whatever flora is available to us as well as natural tree arches, hedge lines and not to much sky.

The natural tree arch as well as the yellow of the flora really suit the grey stallion.

Each situation is unique, each venue is unique, and you can keep going back to the same place for a session and it will be different every time you go.  We are coming up to the time of year when most horse owners are thinking about winter, the on-set of winter coats, when to clip and when not to clip.  Nigel however is thinking about the wonderful variety of Autumn colours and the rich golden light that you only get at this time of year.  So welcome to our amazing studio – please step inside and take a look!

I sometimes question why I own a horse.  He is a quirky chestnut beast who likes to jump out of his field yet won’t jump a show jump.  He likes to tip water buckets over and splash in them yet he won’t walk through a puddle.  He will of course do anything for treats. I daren’t add up how much he costs me per year, what with field rent, hay, feed, feet, vets etc etc – I am sure that the money could go towards something much more important.  It is like living with a child that is permanently stuck in toddler mode, either on the go or asleep, either angelic or like the devil, either moving at great speed or can’t manage more than a walk.  But then he is my special golden horse who has taught me a great deal since I have had him and once I had learnt how to listen to him.  And yet I am just one of thousands and thousands of female horse owners in the UK – one of the many little girls that loved anything to do with ponies and who’s parents said “she’ll grow out of it”.  But many of us, myself included, do not grow out of it, and in fact the pony phase turns into a life changing obsession.  I always think that owning and riding a horse is a bit like being in a long term love affair.  You need love, trust, understanding, patience and respect from both parties in order for it to work and for the relationship to last and to mature.  Although of course you can’t put your husband or partner up for sale if you want something bigger, younger or one with more scope like you can do with a horse – imagine that!  If I could work out what it was that creates this fascination that girls and women have for horses and put it in a bottle then I would be rich person.

I am very lucky to spend a great deal of my working life also around horses and I get to see first hand the very special relationships that women have with their horses.  Some relationships look like they will last forever and unfortunately  some look like they could end in disaster.  I have seen boastful riders left eating dirt after their bullying relationship with their mount has gone sour and the horse has said ‘no, I won’t do it for you if you ask me like that’ and I have seen riders with tears of joy because they have achieved something that appears to the onlooker to be insignificant, but to the rider they have just successfully climbed their own personal mountain together.  I have met  owners whos love and relationship with their horse has helped them overcome huge barriers both physical and mental.  It is both a privilege and a challenge to be able to capture some of these relationships with a photograph, that is what we do.  Of course it helps when you have Nigel as your photographer who can see beauty in all horses whatever shape, size, breed or age.

As for my personal love affair with my golden boy, well we have our ups and downs, small triumphs amidst all the work, mud, sweat, tears and that is what makes it worthwhile.  That lovely whinny out to me when I walk up to his field and that look that he gives me as I walk away, I own him and he owns me.

Cob in the woods

Buying photos from a photographer can be a confusing business. If you are buying from an event photographers website you can buy pretty much any image in any size, 5 x 7″, 6 x 4″, 6 x 9″, 10 x 8″, 10 x 9″, 10 x 12″…………… the list is endless! It’s the same when you try to look at  portrait photography, the choice of product is endless image wrap canvas, image blocks, acyclic blocks, multi-image acyclic blocks, aluminium prints, box frames, gallery wraps, float mounted, flush mounted etc etc……….And then of course it is sometimes really difficult to work out what thing will actually cost either because you are unable to get a price list or product range and size is so vast that you can’t work out what is best for you.  It’s a bit like going into the supermarket and buying fruit and trying to work out if it is better to buy it pre-packed or loose, one is priced by kilos and one is priced by number of fruits, how can you make an informed choice?

Due to the poor weather we have had recently, I seem to have spent a lot of time in the office.  I have been preparing our new price and product list for this years portraits which will be available within the next week.   We have kept our shoot fee to £50 from clients within East Anglia this year as we would prefer that people have more to spend on products.  I have tried to make things simple for our clients with a limited number of sizes and products.  There is nothing to hide in our pricing, no ‘prices start from’ which is a pet hate of mine.  What it says is what it will cost you.  I would say that on average our clients spend between £60 – £350 on products.

Lilli and Ozzie with evening light reflected onto them in a barn in Essex

We offer all of our prints in sizes which are relative to the camera kit that we use, this means that the images do not need to be ‘cropped to fit’ as this is done in camera.  This means that what you see on your proofing gallery is the image that you get.  We have also decided to offer our images on products that have been popular over the past few years.  These products, especially our canvas prints, are produced by professional labs that are not available to the general public and they produce work of the highest quality.  Fantastic images need to displayed on fantastic products!  What we are concentrating on this year is increasing the number of our bespoke storyboard designs as these are becoming more and more in demand by our clients.  It also gives us the chance to offer products that are difficult for others to copy!  You know what they say about business – you may think you are on the right track but if you stand still you are sure to get run over.

If you would like more information on our portrait sessions and products and prices then please feel free to email me in the office. easternlightphotos@mac.com

The finished image.

Many of those that follow us on Facebook and Twitter will be aware that Nigel had one of his images placed in the Art competition run by Art Horse Magazine.  This is a fascinating magazine  for people interested in horses and  art with articles featuring different breeds, horses in history and equine artists.  Every year they run a competition called Ex Arte Equinus.

The book front cover featuring the stunning image ‘Dark Horse Emotive’ by Lyndsey Warren, VA

The Ex Arte Equinus competition strives to promote the horse as a subject of Fine Art.  The competition provides equine artists the opportunity to show case  their work on the International Stage.  I think that one of the great things about this competition is that photography is included as an ‘art’ and is given the same weight as painting, drawing and sculpture.  Unfortunately this is not a view shared by all of the art world although photography is a very new art form when you look back at the heritage of painting and sculpting.  The competition itself has a panel of judges from across all the art forms to pick the best of the best to be presented in a book of winning images.

Getting a stallion of this size into the right position takes time and patience. Here we see Tracey – Head Groom at the Suffolk Punch Trust – getting Paddy into position. This stallion was so well-mannered that he didn’t need a rope or chain across the door to keep him in position, only Tracey’s words of command.

Nigel was delighted this year to receive the email telling him that his image ‘Suffolk Stallion At The Stable Door’ had been selected to appear in the book.  It was a proud day to see his name amongst the worlds best equine photographers such as Bev Pettit and Tony Stomberg among others.   If you are interested in equine photography then it is well worth a visit to their websites – they are inspirational!

Nigel’s photo features the Suffolk Punch Stallion ‘Colony Paddy’ from  The Suffolk Punch Trust.  The image was captured while Nigel was giving a photography course demonstrating how to photograph horses at the stable door.  I think that the gentleness which Nigel has captured in this beautiful horse is what makes the shot very special.  Sadly, since this competition Paddy has passed away, but the appearance of him in the Ex Arte Equinus 6 book is a fitting tribute to him and the staff that cared for him.

The book featuring all of the winning art work is now available to purchase.  You can preview all of the winning art work or purchase the book by following this link –

http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/4109128-ex-arte-equinus-6

You can also follow Art Horse Magazine on Facebook if you would like to know more –

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Art-Horse-Magazine/61179469120?fref=ts

Sometimes it’s just really hard to choose the right person for the job.  A couple of weeks ago I was looking for a builder to repair our garden wall and having Googled, Blinged, Facebooked, LinkedIn, Tweeted and even consulted the Yellow Pages, I was inundated with various builders in my area.  So how was I supposed to narrow down my list of about 70 names to the one or two business that were right for my job?  Of course if you know the right questions to ask then it’s easy.  Can I see examples of their work?  Do they come recommended by friends and family?  Do they have the correct skills for my specialist job or are they a ‘jack of all trades’?  Can I contact them on a landline rather than just a mobile number?  How much is it going to cost me and what will I get for my money.  The list is endless.  However, being a typical Suffolk girl who does not like to part with her money, I believe that spending time researching the right person is time well spent.

So if it was that difficult for me to find a good local tradesman how difficult is it for somebody to find and book a photographer for a specific event?  I know nothing about builders and building but I do know a lot about photography and the business of photography and I am happy to share with you some tips about finding someone suitable for you.

Firstly I would recommend that whatever event you need a photographer for then you look for one that is a specialist in that particular area.  There are some fantastic photographers that only specialise in weddings, and some that specialise in children’s portraiture, some that only photograph food or cars.  If I had the nerve to get my kit off for a photo shoot then I would certainly want a photographer that would emphasise all my assets and hide all the bad bits!  One of my favourite model photographers at the moment is Damien Lovegrove based in Bristol, he strives to make all women look beautiful – I bet he makes a fortune!  We specialise in photographing horses and dogs, we take on very little other work these days.  Being a specialist does not happen over night, Nigel has been concentrating on equine photography for the past 8 years having spent many years before that developing his craft as a professional landscape photographer.  He is constantly learning and evolving his style otherwise your work stands still and looks the same as everybody else.  I am tired of looking at photographers websites to see that they claim to specialise in several different things, I just don’t know how that is possible – back to the ‘jack-of-all-trades’ scenario that I had finding my builder.

Secondly, I would recommend that any photographer you are interested in you have a good look at their recent work on their website.  When you look at a website it should represent the very best work of the photographer, their showcase to the world.  If it looks mediocre work then medioce is the best that you can hope for from them. You are looking for somebody that has a distinct style that you like and has the ‘wow’ factor if that’s what you want.   Anybody can quickly and cheaply set up a Facebook page, slap a few images on it and call themselves a ‘professional’, but it takes time, money and some great images to have a great website and it is sign of professionalism.

Thirdly, have a look at what they are charging and what you get for your money.  What a photographer charges for a wedding, session etc should be transparent, you may not always find full pricing information on a photographers website, but you should know exactly what products they offer and how much it will cost you upon request.  Beware the ‘prices range from……..’ statement that you commonly see on websites, when I was looking for my builder I knew what I wanted and I wanted to know exactly how much it would cost me.  I am not suggesting that you buy photography on price, as like all things in life you have to pay for quality, but everybody has a budget that they have to work to.  There are a few photography companies that I know both local and national that you have no idea how much products are going to cost you until you go to your ‘private reveal session’ or as I call it your ‘look at your photos and bring your credit card evening’!  As a business ourselves we have decided to put all of our products and prices on our website this year as we have nothing to hide and if other photographers want to copy what we do then I wish them the best of luck with trying to match Nigel’s skills for the price.

And finally I would recommend that you find a photographer that comes recommend by friends and family or by word of mouth. Find somebody that you can have a chat to face to face or at least over the phone especially if you are booking them for your very special wedding day.  It is very difficult to feel natural and at ease in front of a camera if you feel uneasy about the person behind it.   We are always happy to chat to people about equine photography when we are out and about on the show circuit, Nigel is alway happy to help Dad’s with their cameras and I am always happy to talk to people about our work.  It is also a good way for me to assess the person I am talking to, for example if they ask me how many photos they will get from a session then I know that we are probably not the photographer for them as Nigel works on quality rather than quantity – always a good asset!

I hope that this helps people find the right person for their photography work – it is never an exact science – and despite living in an age where social media is king and images are cheap, it is still possible to find a true professional.   If only it were as easy in the building trade – I still have a broken wall.

Since the hose-pipe ban in our area I can’t remember having so much rain.  This time last year the show season was in full swing and we were shooting portraits in the lovely early Summer sunshine.  This year we have been standing around on muddy show-grounds photographing only the very hardened of competitors.  Luckily all of our great Olympus kit is fully water-proof but unfortunately myself and Nigel are not!

A rare sunny evening for the shoot with Alfie in a ruined church.

Since Nigel’s recent success in the Equine Photographers Network Competition he has been keen to get out and about to start on some of the portrait bookings that we have.  Unfortunately we can work in most weather conditions except the rain, although sometimes it can look quite nice, but on the whole the light levels drop to low for good photography.  We have however been able get a couple of shoots completed in Norfolk and one in Essex.  Three totally different locations, one in a ruined church, one in bluebell woods and the final one in a barn.  The changing weather conditions can make the photography really interesting but it is also technically very challenging.

Working in between the rain showers with Carla and Billy in a bluebell wood in Norfolk.

So hopefully when the ground finally dries up a little and we get a little more sun shine we can get out and about more, both for shows and portraits.  Please get in touch to book yours, we can’t promise the sun shine but we can promise fantastic images for you.

Lilli and Ozzie with evening light reflected onto them in a barn in Essex

Nigel's finished shot of Paddy at the stable door.

On Saturday 10th March we were delighted to welcome several keen photographers to the Suffolk Punch Trust for an Equine Photography Workshop.

The people on the course had a range of previous photographic skills and a range of equipment but their common goal was to improve their skills and get the most out of their cameras.  It just takes a little knowledge and confidence to get your camera off the ‘AUTO’ setting and onto ‘MANUAL’ and then you can make the decisions about your images rather than your camera.  It doesn’t matter if you have a small point-and-shoot camera or a expensive DSLR, the only limitation to your photography is you.

Paddy enjoying his female fans.

The course members were lucky to have as their models the beautiful horses of the Suffolk Punch Trust. We photographed their two stallions as well as older and more experienced Eric who quite enjoyed being the model for the ‘abstract’ section of the course.  During the day Nigel helped the course members to take better head shots and moving shots by looking at the basics such as the light, background, composition and setting up your camera accordingly.  They also had a go at photographing Paddy in the stable door, a style of photograph that Nigel is always asked about.

Head groom Tracey getting Paddy into position.

I had a sneaky look at the backs of peoples cameras over lunch and under Nigels guidance, there was some really nice work.  When you go on a course like this, you have to look at it as a staring point.  You then have to take all the information learnt and go away and practice, practice, practice.  It’s great in these digital ages that you can make lots of mistakes with your photography without it costing you a fortune in film, but the trick is to only make the mistake once and learn from it rather than taking hundreds of shots and hoping for a good one – a lesson to us all!

Getting up close and personal with Eric

Many thanks to all the course members, I hope that they all enjoyed the day, and a special thanks to head groom Tracey for providing such stunning models!  We will be running further courses this year, details can be found by emailing me directly at: easternlightphotos@mac.com

Nigel, Eric, Baby Rose and all the course members