portrait

When you book a family portrait there are a couple of things you can consider to make the images look even more fantastic. I always recommend that you choose a colour theme for your clothing. One or two colours maximum. This means that you'll be looking at your gorgeous faces rather than thinking that Dad's shirt clashes with the childrens t-shirts.

For the past four years I have photographed this family every year. I thought it would be fun to pick one family photograph from each year to show the differences in the boys growing up. The little one was just 2 in the first portrait so he's the one that has changed the most but you can see that the older brother is getting taller.

Some of my customers like the idea of having their photos taken in a location which means something to them. In this article I'll be looking at some of my favourite North East portrait locations.

Bolam lake is great as there are a few different backgrounds to use. Woodland and this fabulous boardwalk. This was taken in May so the leaves are all very fresh.

What are children's Fine Art Portraits? I've always loved the more serious expressions on portrait photos and this embraces this look. Dark backgrounds, classical poses and timeless expressions. I love the classic looks of old Hollywood movie star photos and I'm trying to emulate this in these sessions.

A few weeks ago we looked at the pros and cons of having your portrait session at home. This week it's the turn of location portrait sessions. So, again, let's start with the good things.

1. You can incorporate your location portrait session with a lovely family day out. Why not take a picnic to have after you've had your photos taken and spend some quality time together?

As a photographer who works from home, I offer portrait sessions on location, or in your own home. Both have pros and cons and I thought I'd look at each option individually so you can choose which is best for you.

Today, as the title suggests, we'll look at having a portrait in your own home. So the good things first:-

1. You don't have to travel anywhere, I come to you.

Before Christmas I held a prize draw at the Great Park Christmas fair to win a portrait session. One of the 2nd prize winners wanted some photos of her grandchildren. We did the session in the school holidays and it happened to be snowing!

Thankfully, the mum didn't call it off and I met them at the community centre.

Treat your loved one with a Valentine's Day photo session.

The "Love-in-a-mist" session is one hour photography with a 10x8 photo for £60 instead of £76

The "Forget-me-not" session is one hour photography with a 10x8 framed photo for £135 instead of £170

It is too late to have a portrait session and get prints back in time for Christmas (unless you only want to purchase digital files), but it's not too late to buy a gift voucher. The gift of a family photo is so special. Your loved ones are special to you and you can treasure those memories for years to come with a beautiful portrait photograph.

Here's a first look at the family portrait I took in Rothbury at the weekend. I managed to find a bit of shade so everybody wasn't squinting.