What a star

Well its official, I think I have a slight obsession (although I don't like to call it that!) with the uber talented Jasmine Star. Often voted one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world, it really amazes me how much time she devotes to helping other photographers and I have to say that she has been such an inspiration to me in these early stages. Her facebook page is a mindfield of helpful information and her photography blog is genius! The first thing i do in the morning when I switch on my computer is check to see if she has updated her blog and feel rather deflated if she hasn't!

You even drop her an email and within 24 hours she gets back to you and fully answers your questions, not just one word answers! See she really is a star, by name and nature!

Jasmine started out in photography as a change of career, not from day dot (similar to me). She is completely self taught (similar to me - although I am still in the teaching stage!) and she has a crazy family (yet again, not unlike my own!)...I just love associating myself with her don't I ( I told you I had a slight obsession!).

But one day I really do hope to emulate her success and talent. Jasmine is proof that it can be done and that proof is really what I need right now to help me believe in myself and my ability.

Here is a picture of the lovely lady herself and her husband, JD, who is her second shooter... I wonder if I could ever get Andy to do that with me?!

Photo courtesy of jasminestarblog.com

Photography?!

Just having a browse down my blog, it would seem that all that is missing are lots of photographs!

What started out as just a photography blog, has turned into a blog not only about photography, but also about me, my thoughts and everything in between!

But I do promise to get some shots up sooon...so watch this space for beautiful images from my new baby.... i'm just waiting for my new 'pro' memory cards to arrive!!

Oh. My. Goodness...

... I have my first booking!

After a glowing recommendation from a wonderful friend, a colleague of said friend contacted me a couple of weeks ago to see if I would be interested in shooting her wedding in December!

Without hesitation, I agreed and we met yesterday to discuss the finer details and meet for the first time.

Kate and Gray, the bride and groom to be are really lovely and I honestly think that if Andy wasn't waiting for me ( I can't drive for another 5 weeks or so due to my knee!), I could have sat there and chatted with them all day!

I am super excited about shooting their big day at The Ashes on December 17th, I know its going to be amazing and I am super super excited to get my first official booking!! Hurrah!!

It's arrived!!!

The Amazon gods have finally delivered the heavenly 5d Mk ii and 2 super duper L range lenses and I can't wait to get playing with them.

Unfortunately however, I am feeling rather groggy and not even 70% after having my ACL (cruciate ligament) reconstructed on Saturday. I had a wonderful, if rather itchy (I scratched myself alive! On Sunday when I checked out of hospital I looked like I had been mauled by bears!) 24 hours dosed up on Morphine  on Saturday and Sunday and now the hard work begins. 6 to 9 months of rehab! I am hobbling around on my crutches at the moment and have had to move back in with the folks as the hospital wouldn't let me go back to my house due to my lack of banisters to help me up and down the stairs. I'm not complaining however, as I am enjoying everyone waiting on me hand and foot, although I'm sure it will be shortlived as they are all getting fed up of my demands already!

Hopefully in the next few days I will be feeling human again and get to play with the little beauty from Canon!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Final answer

Well I did it. 8 days, 4 dresses and a decision made! There were tears, and plenty of them (what a loser!), but I have made my choice now and I am sticking with it, if only for the sanity of my mum and bridesmaids! I really LOVE my dress, it's beautiful and unique and that's all i'm saying incase my lovely husband-to-be sneaks a peak at this!

Now on to the bridesmaids dresses...Four bridesmaids all different shapes and colourings, should be interesting! But thankfully less stressful for me I think/hope!

On a photography front, things are ticking along nicely. I am looking into courses at the moment and in talks with a few people about their weddings this year and next so I'll keep you posted.

Happy Tuesday- and a rather sprighty tuesday it is here in Knutsford, must have been that 6.30am gym sesh this morning!!

Super excited

Last week I had the most exciting phone call from Andrea Ellison; a really lovely lady that I met at an open day at the Annabel Williams studio last year. We 'connected' on the day, perhaps due to our lack of confidence and our intimidation by the 'professional' photographers in the room that were baffling us (well me anyway) with their chat and have subsequently kept in touch ever since.

Well true to Andrea's word on the day when she agreed that I, a complete stranger at the time, could shadow her at one of her weddings, she has asked me to accompany her on not just one but numerous weddings this year! And even better than just shadow, Andrea is even letting me loose with my camera!

I have told her not to rely on me for any perfect images just yet, and just do what she would do normally if I wasn't there, but I am hoping secretly for some pearlers to build up my portfolio and to present to the bride and groom alongside Andrea's amazing shots.

I can't believe how supportive Andrea is being and I am so incredibly grateful. She really is a breath of fresh air in this industry that can seem bewildering and rather intimidating at first glance. 

Andrea is relatively new to this photography malarky herself, but is doing really well already and has numerous weddings and portrait sessions booked for this year. I just want to say a massive thanks to Andrea, as it's people like her that will shape my career and give me the confidence and experience I need to be fabulously successful at this.

I also want to say a huge thankyou to Jodie Chapman, for answering my endless questions and giving me a boost. I really can't wait for our engagement shoot in May and our wedding day as I know she is going to take amazing shots of our big day.

8 days to go....

As you may or may not know, indecision seems to be my forte when it comes to this wedding planning malarky! So the countdown is well and truly on.

8 days... 8 measly days... that is all I have allocated myself to choose the 'perfect' wedding dress. Why 8 days? Well that will be 6 months to the big day and apparently ordering after this date is sacrilege amongst the wedding dress fraternity! And it would seem amongst the 'wedding chat room' bridezillas! I visited youandyourwedding.co.uk last week and what a mistaka to maka... In the 'I'm getting married in August 2010' room, they are all chatting away about how they are having their final fittings on the dresses they bought 12 months ago! Are they mad!

Feeling rather deflated and a little worried that maybe I have left it rather late to purchase the dress of my dreams, I have vowed to abstain from this site until further notice (i.e. a week before my wedding, when I feel I can actually be smug too!)

I have, with a LOT of help from two of my long suffering bridesmaids and my mum, narrowed it down to 4 dresses, in 3 different shops! So that's a start! Although I did spot another beauty today at the Tatton Hall Wedding Fayre, which I have requested to try on at one of my final trying on sessions.

They are just all so darn pretty. I'm hoping for some kind of epiphany next week, but I doubt it, instead knowing me, there will probably be tears...

I hope I pick the right dress, as today when I dragged my lovely husband-to-be around the wedding fayre, he was pointing out dresses telling me how ugly they were, most of which I agreed on, but there were a few I actually rather liked. Note to self... no bling and no lace that looks like a tablecloth, or I may be walking down to an empty alter!