Anna has an individual approach to social portrait photography which
is very much in vogue. She calls it "lifestyle" photography: the art
of capturing the way people feel – not just how they look. A photoshoot
is fun for everyone, especially Anna, and results in relaxed and spontaneous
images that mirror today's informal lifestyle.
Anna prefers to shoot outdoors
nowadays rather than be confined within an uninspiring, artificial white
studio. In her experience people often said they wanted formal images,
wearing formal clothes, shot in a studio. But she found, time and time
again, that people always preferred the shots taken in inspirational
locations such as woodland and beaches wearing casual clothes.
People
are natural today with light make-up and wear casual rather than formal
clothes. They want the same look in their pictures: to be themselves,
interacting with their families, not just staring into the camera. While
everyone, especially the children, is enjoying the experience and freedom
of being outdoors Anna is capturing the fun. Kids have got a short attention
span so she is used to working quickly and keeping things moving. These
are the pictures people actually want!
Before the shoot gets underway
she encourages people to choose their own special places to add meaning
to their photographs. This way people always have unique images which
can even be designed to complement the colours of their homes. She also
advises on clothing, and finds out as far as possible who the pictures
are for, where they are going to be hung, whether they may be displayed
in an album, and whether there is a possible preference for black and
white, or colour images. (All images are shot digitally however, hence
can be in colour or mono).
She encourages women to bring along makeup,
which Anna can help apply to enhance the portraits, and a variety of
clothing options (see the fact sheets for additional suggestions). She
recommends allowing three hours for a photoshoot which gives plenty of
time for relaxed photography and a coffee break.
The images are ready
for viewing about a week later when Anna will help you design a bespoke
portrait album or frame the images, singly or in multiframes. Choosing
a few images, when you love all of them, is harder than you might think!
Many
people never get round to organising a portrait photoshoot for their
families and regret it. Anna has taken photographs of people since the
age of 9 when she was thrilled to receive a camera as a Birthday present.
Her photographs are the most precious thing she owns as she has countless
happy memories of her family, friends and travels…….She
sincerely recommends you photograph the people you value before the moment
has passed!