Photoshoot gift vouchers!

I've been meaning to get these babies underway for a while now. If I wasn't a photographer I would probably book my mum a photoshoot of the family for her birthday as she loves to have photos of us around the house (what mum doesn't?). 

So here it is! I got these gift vouchers printed and then handmade the envelopes that they go in. 

The voucher entitles you to a 1 hour photoshoot, 20 photos on disc and 2 10" X 8" prints in a nice little birthday package. The shoot can be with anyone you want, including family, friends or even pets.

The price is only £60 and it's definitely a present they won't forget!  

To buy a gift voucher please email your enquiry to Becky.netley@live.co.uk (Please note, any shoots outside of Brighton and Hove will require travel costs).

'What should I bring to the shoot?' A client guide to a photoshoot.

Getting a little stuck on what to wear or dress your child in for a photo shoot? Never fear, here is my tips on preparing for your photos! 

For solo shoots

The beautiful Sabrina Gunston. Check out her music here

Solo shoots can be anything from your simple head shots to glamour shots or promotional pics for artists. The types of clothes will be different depending on the type of photos but here are some tips:

• For classic headshots, for modeling or acting photos, its best to wear either plain black or white, to seem more professional. 
• If you're planning on a fashion shoot or promotional pics then it's best to bring a range of outfits, ones that depict your style and fashion sense. maybe 3 or 4 different outfits depending on how many photos you require. 
• Be prepared for all types of weather! It may look sunny but it could be windy too, so prepare for this by bringing hair ties and bobby pins. 
• Bring your make up with you in case a touch up is needed. 
• Bra straps can be a nightmare, so make sure your wearing one that is well fitted and doesn't show under your clothes. 
• Props! Don't forget to bring anything that you might want as prop, for example you may want your guitar if you're musician. Or to try something fun, you could get some bright lollipops. 

For baby shoots

Babies can be a little tricky to photograph if they're having a bad day, but there are some tips to make the best of the situation! 

• Always bring baby wipes with you to clean any drool or boogers away!
• A change of nappies (although this probably goes without saying)
• A change of outfits.
• Book your shoot around the time that the baby is mostly awake, and fits in with your daily routine. 
• Keep their favourite toys at hand to get a smile 
• Keep those little toe and fingernails trim for some super cute close up shots. 
• Figure out if you would like to be the photo as well, for example holding the baby, if so remember to keep your nails neat too!

For children shoots

• Explain the idea behind the shoot and why you want some nice photos before taken your children. 
• Let them have a little play before getting them to pose, let them relax and get comfortable with the photographer. 
• Take them somewhere where they can interact naturally with the environment, like a park. 
• Bring some toys!
• And maybe a treat for posing so well. A little bribery always helps, although nothing too messy!
• A change of clothes is always good incase they get muddy. 
• Bring any costumes that they have, it can sometimes give them more confidence if they dress up as their favourite character. 
• If you choose to book a surreal shoot with me please bring along any toys that you want to be included. The more the better!

For maternity shots

• Gather some props, like baby shoes, ultrasounds, and little baby grows. 
• Do bring your partner! This helps you relax and it'd be great if they could get involved as well
• Wear something comfortable. 

Other advice

• Always chat to the photographer regarding any worries or issue you have about your session.
• Brainstorm ideas and run they by the photographer before the shoot. 
• Look for inspiration, pinterest is great for this!
• Check the weather forecast!
• Bring and friend or family member for support if your nervous.

Hope this helps, for further advice or to book in your next shoot please email at becky.netley@live.co.uk 

Thank you

Becky x

Photo-a-day for a month challenge. Week 1.

So I set myself the personal challenge of a photo-a-day for a month, starting in November. I wanted to really push myself and hopefully get more people interested in my work.

 I think I underestimated how difficult it would be, for a few reasons. Firstly I'm a perfectionist so usually if I don't like the photo, I won't upload it, but I don't have time to re-shoot every day so I just have to show what I've done. Secondly, I hate photographing myself, as I always end up criticising how I look and with this challenge I don't have time to find models and its often quicker to use myself. In some ways its probably good to do a challenge that really tests me mentally, to overcome the obstacles within my work. 

Day 1 

Day 2

Day 3 - Comfort.

Day 4 - Paper Thin.

Day 5-On/OFF

Day 6 - Shaken

Day 7 - Reflections. 

One week down and 3 to go! Hope everyone is well, hoping to do some technical photography blog posts soon! 

Becky x

My top ten favourite photographers.

Here is a list of the photographers that have inspired and shaped the way I work. Lets get started!


10. Annie Leibovitz.

Annie Leibovitz, known mostly for her work in the Rolling stone and vanity fair magazines has photographed too many famous faces for me name! My particular favourite series of hers was her disney inspired shoots, which features famous faces as the classic characters in fairy tales such as Cinderella and sleeping beauty.  

9. Horst. P. Horst. 

This photo by Horst. P Horst, entitled 'corset', has always been one of my all time favourite images. The elegance and beauty of it made me want to create similar things when started shooting in film. Horst has shot over 90 covers for vogue in his fashion photography career!

8. Helmut Newton. 

During my foundation diploma I did a series based on Greek mythology. Whitest researching photographers for inspiration I came across this one by Helmut Newton which is based on Greek goddesses.  Looking into more his work, you'll see that he likes to push the boundaries of sexuality within his images, reflecting provocative and erotic scenes.

7. Kirsty Michelle. 

Kirsty Michelle studied 'costume for performance' at the London college of Fashion where she learnt how to create and design these wonderful costumes. She depicts her favourite fairytales in her photos by hand-making or designing everything in them! 

6.  Joel Robison. 

Joel Robison's work is whimsical and plays with reality. I fell in love with his style straight away and he quickly became one of my favourite photographers.  

5. Alex Stoddard 

Just like a few others on here, Alex Stoddard made his name through the photo sharing site, Flickr. I'm extremely envious of his talent and style, its so well edited that you could actually start believing in magic!

4. Nicholas Scarinto 

Fine art photographer, Nicolas Scarinto creates these beautiful surreal images that often have a vintage feel to them.


3. Tim Walker

My number 3 is a super famous fashion photographer who does alot of work for Vogue. It was a difficult decision choosing which photo of his to use as I love all his work! He used alot of influences from fairytales, and plays with perspective and size of props. 

2. Brooke Shaden. 

Brooke Shaden just had to be near the top of this list! Brooke creates these fantasy worlds within her work, creating beautiful scenes that look like they've just come out of a hollywood movie! Each of her pieces are conceptually stunning and shes been a HUGE inspiration in how I work. 

1. Rosie Hardy

And finally my number one is Rosie Hardy! Rosie was the first photographer I came across that did something different. I was at college at the time and was used to looking at classic portrait photographers, until someone told me about Rosie's work on Flickr. I instantly fell in love with the creativity and honesty within her work. She quickly became popular within the Flickr community, so much so that Maroon 5 found her work and hired her to do take their album cover photo for 'Hands all over'. Check out all her work here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosie_hardy/

So there we have it! Thank you for reading and be sure to keep up-to-date with my blog for more inspiration, advice and photography tips! 

Becky. x 

Here is one of my photos inspired my Rosie Hardy :)

New blog!

A little bit about me

I'm Becky, freelance photographer, who specialises in surreal family portraits. Experimenting within my personal work I created my signature style of work, which I now use in my commissioned shoots. Some examples of my work:

• Children with their favourite toys. For example, made miniature interacting with their toys.
• Made into fairies. 
• Put into jars.

 

Personal work.

My personal work started as a experiment to see if I could create something surreal using photoshop, after being inspired by my favourite photographer, Rosie Hardy. After HOURS of work on the computer, I had finally start to be proud of what I could do. I started taking photos of myself as it was just easiest and I could do a shoot whenever I fancied! Most of the themes in my personal work come from my battle with mental illness, and taking photos of how I felt was extremely therapeutic. 

Other themes within my work are often fantasy/dream like, collecting inspiration from classic fairy tales. Here are some examples: 

What you can expect from my blog

• Examples of my work, personal and commissioned.
• Tutorials on photoshop and cameras.
• Craft and DIY 'how to..'
• Information/ advice on being a photographer. 
• Things that inspire my work. 
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