Sarah

Last year I decided to get some photos of Daisy since I hadn't really done any after leaving college.  I thought it would also be a good opportunity to get a few of us together as we don't have any.  

I met Sarah online in the my love my life blogging circle I was part of a few years ago.  We would all write a blog about our children each month, usually covering a particular topic.  It was good to see how everyone interpreted it.  Then we linked our posts to each other so readers would see all the posts one after the other.   The stories were great and you got to admire the different styles of photography each person contributed.  I always thought Sarah's pictures were cool; such artistic shots of everyday life.  I was particularly interested in her black and white photography, something I felt I rarely got right. 

I booked a session in October last year and then started shopping for some clothes for the photos.  Trying to think what would look best in monochrome is tricky.  I wanted a classic look, so didn't go for any crazy patterns.  I was also worried that having a bit of photography experience if I showed up in something wrong she would be thinking, "what the hell".  Of course she wouldn't have because she's lovely.  Saying that, you have to put some thought in if you are going to invest in good portraiture. Classic looks are timeless. 

I later regretted booking a 10am slot as I set my alarm for 6am. You see I take ages to get ready.  I'm slow due to energy levels and I have medical treatments to do in the morning.  The studio is in Banchory so you've got to allow for driving there. PLUS, I have the slowest kid in the world who takes about 40 minutes to eat cereal! Seriously. 

The session was good.  I felt relaxed, Daisy played along for the most part.  When Sarah got her to make funny faces I thought oh my god, she's going do this for the whole session now.  Afterwards we had a nice lunch in Mains of Drum and like everyone else I wondered, when will I get the photos! 

I waited patiently for my gallery.  I didn't email asking when my photos were going to be ready, which is so not cool in Photography land.  There was definitely some anticipation brewing.  I wondered if I'd have a double chin or my dodgy eye would be obvious or if I'd look knackered since I was up so early.  And yes, I had all these things but I wasn't even bothered.  It’s difficult to describe that feeling when your gallery notification pings into your email.  It’s a bit like waking up on your birthday realising, it’s presents day! You make a dive for the desktop and get ready to do some happy claps…..or is that just me?

I looked over and over my gallery trying to narrow the images down.  I always wanted one or two more than was in every package. There was a different favourite each time I looked, a different one I imagined as a large wall print.  The only way forward for me was to purchase my whole gallery of images and I'm glad I did.  

So people, go get yourself some family photos.  Yes it can feel weird.  You worry what you'll look like, but your family won't see the insecurities that you do.  They'll see the people they love.

All images © Sarah Ferry Photography

Christmas

I’m finding that more and more people are following the trend of giving money to charity in lieu of sending Christmas cards.  Even Daisy’s school has changed their views on exchanging cards.  I used to love getting cards from my friends at school. It was really exciting posting cards into the red school post box. Then waiting eagerly for your card delivery; it was fun.  I personally love designing and sending my cards, which gives me that same feeling I did as a child.  

Since Daisy arrived I started making photo cards, which seems to be another American tradition that has crossed the pond.  The first year my photo cards weren’t so great, I thought they were good at the time, but knew there was room for improvement.  The year I felt I nailed it was 2013.  It was a cold morning down at the local beach.  Dog walkers kept getting in the way and making the steps all wet with paw prints, but we got there in the end.

I’ve already posted out our family cards for this year and it’s surprisingly really easy to do!  I use a company called SNAPFISH and mostly use the lay flat design.  On the run up to the festive period you can find lots of discount codes available online, so you can get a really good deal.  When I started making photo cards I would aim to take my photos in November.  However, over the years with the unpredictable Scottish weather I soon realised I should actually take these photos in the October school holidays to avoid getting stressed over lack of time and crappy weather.  It’s hard to fit photo shoots in with Daisy’s busy schedule.  I don’t even have all weekends these days as she goes to stay with her dad.  I felt stuck this year and was worried I wouldn’t get my photos and it’s become a bit of a family tradition, so I want to keep it going.  Daisy features on the front of the card which is a good idea because it lets people keep up to date with how she's growing, not everyone sees her regularly.   

This year I wanted cute outdoor shots like previous years.  I shopped for an outfit, a fawn leopard print coat from Monsoon with woollen poncho and skinny jeans, but the weather was not on my side and I found I was constantly washing and scrubbing her skinny jeans. I decided I needed to prepare a studio set up with an alternative outfit as a back up in case I couldn’t get outside.  I had been hoping to get photos of Daisy and I together like I did last year with Sarah Ferry since I never seem to be in any photos with Daisy.  This year I had the perfect photography prop at my disposal; my 1974 Bay Window camper van called Gaston.  Luckily Sarah had some space in her diary and agreed to take the photos I had been thinking about.  With two possible lots of images for our family card I had to decide what one to go with.  Daisy decided she wanted my indoor shots and I really liked Sarah’s ones, so we compromised and printed some of both. 

Daisy also made a snowman card at school from a drawing.  You can see it at the top of the page.  The school use a company to turn the drawings into cards, dishtowels, mugs and gift tags etc.  The money raised though the sale of the items goes towards school funds.  

Lots of people love cards, just yesterday I saw an old lady at the checkout in the local supermarket.  She joked that she must have left over cards in the house for every year she's bought them, this was as she was picking up another pack.  She said she loves sending and receiving cards, hear that people, she loves it. People still love getting Christmas cards from family and friends.  For some elderly people, they may even look forward to it. 

Here's some of our past and present photo cards to look at.

© Sarah Ferry Photography