“Reflection is one of the most underused yet powerful tools for success.”
Richard Carlson
It’s been quite some time since I last wrote anything on here and I’d love to say the absence was beneficial but I’d be lying if I did lol.
Photography has taken a back seat lately while i have been dealing with some personal issues. Covid hasn’t exactly helped either but not much we can do about that. In fear of my camera becoming more of an ornament these days I’m looking to take on some new projects, I would love to venture into different genres and capture images that I’ve never tried before. If you follow me, feel free to throw some ideas out there. you can leave comments in the provided space below 🙂
Hopefully have more to talk about soon. Until then, Thank you for reading, please subscribe for updates, future posts and please click… Like x
My most recent shoot was a newborn shoot. If you are a photographer reading this then you will know how unpredictable babies are *head in hands* lol.
Now let me start by saying, I am not a newborn photographer, nor have I taken any newborn courses, so I am basically like a fish out of water here. My first newborn shoot was with my step daughters new baby and there was no pressure. The shoot was basically a favour for family, under familiar circumstances and even at that it wasn’t a walk in the park. I done my research, found some useful tips and learned that to capture the best images the shoot should be done within the first ten days, this is when babies sleep the most (apparently). Well apparently not….. this defo wasn’t the case for this little madam, eight days old and she stayed awake for the whole shoot, well up until the last five minutes (bearing in mind the shoot was 1 and a half hours and 4 outfit changes) lol. I’m not going to lie but I really had to work to capture the money shot and I swore I would never do it again until I’d taken a newborn photography course. Unfortunately covid denied me of any course and put a haul to those plans. Not sure if that was a good thing or bad to be honest, lol.
Anyhoo my recent shoot was also a favour and before the shoot I was already fearing the worst. This little lady was a week old and i swear she could smell my fear *massive sigh*. Two hours and she just wouldn’t settle, I knew I was walking away with nothing as we tried everything to comfort her and send her off to sleep. Lack of knowledge played a massive part in this, and all involved were stressing that there wouldn’t be any pics of this beautiful newborn baby girl. A hot water bottle provided by mum and dad at the very end, placed under the blanket that she lay on soothed her long enough to take a few pics before traumatising everyone. The moral of this story?? Don’t do anybody any favours lol! No but seriously… knowledge and experience is defo the key here and bucket loads of patience.
Adley Rae Adley RaeAdley Rae
I was extremely lucky to get these images and thank my lucky stars that I had something Nice to show mum and dad. Never again! Well, not without proper knowledge lol. I take my hat off to newborn photographers, it’s defo a talent. Probably don’t get the credit and appreciation they deserve.
I would like to take a moment and thank you all for joining me on my photography journey, and listening to me babble on and on, not forgetting my bad grammar lol. I’m taking some time out just now but won’t leave it too long! until the next time 😘
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The days are warmer, the schools have finished up and outdoor locations and attractions are packed….. must be summer lol.
Most of you will think I’m mad but I’m not a massive fan of summer, for me it’s the heat and I don’t cope great in the heat. I do however like the nice feeling that the sun brings, nature comes alive and the nights are less of a bore.
Most people if not everyone is outside, enjoying not only the weather but the easing of restrictions in Scotland. photographers are making the most of the nice weather and venturing outside with their cameras. This is a great season for outdoor photography and a busy time for working photographers. Unfortunately Ive had to postpone both professional and personal projects as I make some personal changes within my life, i won’t go into too much detail just now but if you follow me I will explain these at a later date.
Ive not been blogging much really, as I’ve not had much me time but i will get back to boring you all soon lol. Anyhoo… I had the pleasure of doing my first communion this month, the weather stayed dry and that’s all I could be thankful for. Being a photographer I thought I could go out into the world and capture anything.. I’m quickly learning that isn’t the case. I’m not the most confident person and I’m extremely hard on myself, maybe too hard sometimes. I’ve learned that outdoor portraits isn’t my strong point and I put a lot of pressure on myself to capture something different, this does not do me any favours. Did I enjoy doing the shoot? No. Did I capture something different? No. Will I do it again? Probably 😂
This shoot was extra special because the girl making her first communion was my niece. Having me as her auntie, she is a pro in front of the camera as you can imagine and she looked gorgeous ☺️ I’m starting to babble on now so I’ll just show you…
Caoimhe McCluskeyCaoimhe McCluskey
Her mum, like all other mums out there just wanted a nice picture of their child that represented their special day as a keepsake, and I think I managed to give her exactly that.
In the fear of writing a novel and talking too much I will keep my recent shoot for another blog lol. Until the next time 😘
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With the diary reopening and filling up quickly, I’ve had to put my personal projects to one side. With the summer months passing quickly I plan to capture that landscape I’ve been talking about and wanting to get for a while now ASAP. In the meantime I’ve been kept busy…
With the diary full to the end of June, I thought I’d take some time out to update my blog and show you all some pics from a recent sitter shoot I done. I’ve chose to share these images because the model is too cute not to share.
The following images are from a sitter shoot with 6 month old, Miss Georgia Mae. Georgia was a photographers dream, she sat the whole time without falling and she was full of smiles and we managed to hold her attention for the whole hour.
Georgia MaeGeorgia MaeGeorgia Mae
Each shoot is different from the last because not only does everyone look different but they all bring a different personality which reflects in every image.
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So the Scottish weather improved and lockdown restrictions eased, this is the best outcome for landscape photographers.
I love a good landscape picture as do most of us. A good image can make you feel a certain way, you can imagine being there in person and it can inspire you to go visit the location. Landscapes are pictures that you can hang on your wall and they look pretty within the home, even if they were captured by a complete stranger. Now imagine being the photographer of that beautiful picture??
All that said, I have decided to give it a go. This genre is far from what I capture, but I’m excited to explore it a little more and see how I get on. I mean it looks easy enough, right?? Lol. I know it’s not easy and I learned this through studying the genre briefly in college. There are many aspects to consider before even venturing out for example; the location, framing, point of interest, accessibility, angle, weather, sky, time of day, tide times if at sea and even where the sun is and how it effects anything within the frame. That’s not everything but a start, the biggest downfall for me is patience 🙈 I am not the most patient person and landscape photography requires patience.
I captured my first landscape in 2018. I had stumbled across a lovely picture of the cloch lighthouse, Gourock, Scotland and decided to go take a similar pic. I grabbed my camera bag one evening, a friend and a tripod and headed out to capture this image. On arriving the tide was out, the sun was directed towards the white lighthouse and the rain was close by (not ideal). I wanted a slow shutter speed shot and In order to achieve this, a filter was needed to restrict the amount of light entering the camera. Unfortunately at the time, none of the filters in my bag where good enough for this, and I was unable to get the shutter speed I would have liked. I didn’t fully explore angles or viewpoints and snapped a few shots regardless. 🙈 let’s just say… I was extremely unprepared and uneducated and it shows, as you can see for yourself…
Cloch Lighthouse, Gourock
I wasn’t impressed by this and decided landscapes weren’t for me lol. Regardless of how I felt or my poor attempt I still had a brief to fulfil, so I turned to research and lots of it. Research is dreaded within the college course as its intense, tedious and hardcore throughout but I soon learned that it was necessary. I came across some beautiful places, but it’s impossible to find a lovely location in Scotland that hasn’t already been captured 100 times over. Eager to complete my course and push myself, I visited a few more beauty spots, and even managed a sunrise at 5am…
Kilchurn castle, Loch AweThreave Castle, Dumfries and Galloway Craigtoun country park, st AndrewsThe lone tree, Milarrochy Bay, Loch Lomond
To date I am in the process of planning my next landscape and I have chosen my location, went and seen exactly what I want. I’m just waiting for that perfect day, you’ll need to keep an eye out for that ☺️
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It’s official!!! I’m back in business baby!! Lol. The 26th of this month seen most of Scotland’s small businesses, shops, retail, among many others including photographers open their doors for the first time in 5 months. A huge relief for many but still a long time to go before we can relax.
I’m just happy to be able to capture images once again taking the Proper precautions. The diary was opened and the preparation has begun ☺️
Looking forward to working with some new faces, trying out some new ideas and continuing to capture and make memories.
Guidelines are still necessary and should be followed at all times. They have been reposted across my social media platforms where applicable to help maintain a safe working environment and relationship with all involved in throughout the process.
Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel, I suppose time will tell. Best of luck to everyone getting back to work or beginning a brand new journey, stay safe.
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A few weeks ago, I decided to capture a set of three images that would all tie in with each other, in one way or another. I had a few ideas with the first being of a romantic nature. This idea involved two people, a male and female, a red heart and a fair bit of photoshop work. I managed to organise the two required subjects and organise the photoshoot for a few days later. Unfortunately for various different reasons I was unable to capture what I had envisioned, but unwilling to walk away with nothing decided to create a set of three using a little creativity.
With my set of three images complete I realised that I could make a series and add to the series,bit by bit, using different subjects and other creative touches. I used a quote to name the series, it’s the perfect title for this series….
“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect”
Alice Walker
“Deserving of beauty”“Beauty surrounds you““When beauty meets”
All the above images are modelled by the lovely Iga Brola.
This series will continue, becoming my new project among other things 🙈😂… watch this space ☺️
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It’s been a few weeks since my last blog. I don’t know about you, but Lockdown is starting to take its toll. As a photographer I have no inspiration these days and the camera is beginning to collect dust 🙈 I’m hoping it won’t be too long before I can venture outside the five mile radius in order to capture something that excites me.
On a brighter more positive note, last week and this week have brought some exciting news 😁 I recently sent some of my work into my local papers and they were selected to print. Friday seen the first of my images chosen by the glasgow camera club to be printed in the Glasgow times. The image printed was my first ever newborn shoot featuring little baby Sofia Irvine…
Sofia Grace – original imageGlasgow times
I was chuffed to bits that my work was chosen to be printed in this paper and that a wider audience would see it ☺️ first time for me.
Then while browsing the Scottish Daily record on Saturday evening I was blown away to see that another of my images was chosen as a £100 winning image ☺️ totally buzzing. This is a great achievement for me and it fair cheered me up. The winning picture was a long exposure shot of Charing Cross in Glasgow…
the City never sleeps – Charing Cross
Scottish Daily Record
And if that wasn’t enough yesterday this image was also chosen as picture of the week in my local newspaper the Hamilton advertiser 😁
Hamilton Advertiser
So you could say it’s been a good week for publicity ☺️ I wonder what’s next… stay tuned to find out.
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I can’t believe it’s the beginning of March tomorrow. The last few months have been quick and I thought I’d take some time to reflect on February. This month is usually a very busy month for me, I usually celebrate my sisters birthday which starts the month off and then my two nieces birthdays, but the celebrations have been put on hold this year. My stepdaughter also gave birth to her beautiful baby girl, Sofia Irvine on the 11th of Feb last year and this year we celebrated her 1st Birthday. I used the word celebrate because a first birthday is a special day, but there wasn’t the usual birthday party celebration 😔. I still intend on capturing her first birthday cake smash, even if it is at a later date.
Happy 1st Birthday Sofia 11-02-2020
I also had the pleasure of having my work featured on my friends photography blog this month and I answered a few questions about photography in another one of their blogs. here is a wee snippet…
Ive not been as active behind the camera this month as id have liked to be, uncertain times have left me with a backlog of clients and unfinished projects. Ive had a few ideas but have been finding it difficult to accommodate them as I see them in my head. I will keep trying and hopefully have something new to post and talk about very soon.
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Today’s blog is all about dogs. Now I know dogs aren’t Everyone’s cup of tea, but if you have had one, do have one or just like dogs.. you’ll know that they make the best pets. They are loyal, affectionate and fantastic companions. My dog is a yellow lab, he is 12 this year and is most certainly classed as part of my family. I’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old, and it hasn’t always been fun and games but with plenty time, patience and training he settled in quickly and does exactly as he is told. Approaching 12 he has some cheeky senior moments and selective hearing lol, but i wouldn’t change him for the world 🥰
Few weeks ago I set up indoors for a mini portrait shoot with my wee old man, to capture his newly grey beard and older wise eyes. He has changed soo much from the day I laid eyes on him and i like to document his years. Before you see the pictures I captured, I forgot to tell you how much he hates the camera 🙈 ironic I know considering, but it’s true. He hates his picture being taken and always has 😂. So here he is… meet Bailey, my wee old man.
I used my shoot time wisely capturing some extra images to play about with. I tried something a little bit more creative for fun. I created a cartoon feel image, concentrating on his lovely big eye, using window light to create a more natural outdoor feel and adding a wee piece of nature. It’s always fun using my imagination and photoshop to create something a little different, I quite like the outcome….. what do you think?
“In the eye of nature“
In keeping with today’s dog theme I would like to announce that my sister, after years of waiting eventually got the puppy she always wanted. My sister has asthma and can only have specific breeds of dog, she also has three young girls so waiting was the right thing for her and it paid off. Her new fur baby is adorable, she is a wee black Cavapoo (cavalier King Charles spaniel/poodle) girl with the temperament of an angel, she is patient with the kids and extremely respectable, she has found her place in the family and settled in instantly. I had the pleasure of meeting her outside and introducing her to the camera. She was very unsure of the camera but with consistency and more meetings she will come around. I’ve included a few wee images from that day and I think she done really well for her first shoot ☺️. This is Belle….
“Belle”
I plan on capturing Belle again, only next time within an outdoor location, eg. A park or woodland area. Just waiting on her getting her immunisations ☺️. Until next time…😘
You can see all my work on both my Facebook and Instagram pages.
Lauren Foster Photography 