Before a wedding, it’s great to be able to meet up with couples to chat about the big day and for a portrait session. This is a great help to everyone. It helps me to see how to best to work with them to create a set of photographs they’ll love.  Everyone reacts differently to the camera and having a relaxed time to test different approaches really pays dividends on the wedding day. The couple have seen the results of being photographed and have an extra level of confidence in my abilities. They tend to relax and even forget I’m there, which all helps to capture special natural moments.

It was therefore great to be able to meet up recently with Emma & Steve to do just that: chat and snap. It certainly helps to have a beautiful bluebell wood and lake (courtesy of Log House Holidays). Based on the evidence, I think thier wedding photos are going to work out, just fine. 🙂

Walking in the woods

Bluebell portrait

Bluebell portrait

Reflecting on life together

Family: together

Some images just cry out to be crafted in Black & White.

Photo-mosaic portraits

It’s easier than ever to create photos and we can sometimes be a bit overwhelmed by them. If you have hundreds of good images, how can you display and enjoy them in the home?  “A picture is worth a thousand words”. We’ve all heard the saying and know that memories and emotions can be more easily be conveyed far more effectively by an image than a description does. So what happens when you have a thousand images; what magnitude story can that tell?  One way is via a photo-mosaic. In the same way that a tile mosaic is created by small individual pieces of ceramic making up a greater whole, a photo-mosaic uses hundreds of images to create something larger, something greater than the sum of it’s parts.

The mosaics I’m sharing today are particularly special to me, as it’s my own children, my own family memories. These images literally are a labour of love; made with, for and by love. It’s a project that’s been a long time in the making. The photos of D cover the first eight years of his life, while the photos of D cover her first six. Making the selection from the library of images has been the hardest part of this task, as I have thousands of each of them. There’s all sort of photos: smartphone snaps, test shoots, proper portrait sessions, photos from family & friends, you name it, there are all in there.

Once the library of images was edited down, I analysed the colours & overall feel of them to see what would work best as the background/main image. As there were a lot of blues, greens & yellows, photographing the kids by a wheat field seemed a good choice. They wore red tops and blue shorts/dress in order to give the best contest and make the best use of the colour balance. Once we were happy with the background image, the work could start on the mosaics themselves. There’s a software package that helps with layout and then it’s into Photoshop to make sure that the photos in both portrait and landscape are displayed properly and that the images are balanced and optimised correctly. These images are going to be printed at 45 x 30 inches  (115cm x 76), with each photo around the size of a photographic negative or slide film.

H wheat field photo-mosaic

D wheat field photo-mosaic

Close up detail of D’s photo-mosaic

Often I print out a smaller preview to check the placement of images in details and  to confirm that the balance is right between the individual photos looking good closeup, versus the overall image showing well at a distance.  Once we’re happy with everything, they can go off to the printers and from there onto pride of place on the wall.

Jonathon at GIN networking group with photo-mosaic previews

Each individual photo tells a story. Every time I look at the mosaics, I see something different, some fresh detail, some renewed memory. It’s a great privilege to be able to create personalised family artwork such as this. These thousands of photos are worth more than I can express.

I recently attended a business networking event at Rush-SkatePark near Stroud, Gloucestershire and had the chance to photograph a few of the riders doing demos. There were BMXers, inline skaters and scooters, lots of scooters. They have toddler sessions and apparently even have a session for Silver Surfers’, defined as those of us over 30. #Cheek 😉  Highly recommended for everyone with gravity defying adrenaline junkie tendencies.

Who needs a saddle?

Gravity? Optional!

Near miss

Flying high

I’m delighted that images created for Kathryn Minchew (also known as the Pyromanic Chef) have been used in the nationwide Waitrose weekend magazine, at the top of page three no less! PhotoGlow is all about crafting memorable images of people & places and this article uses the best of both. PhotoGlow have been working with Kathryn for a while and are taking part in the crowdfunding project for her cookbook. There’s still time to help launch the book featuring amazing flavours from breads, to bonfire steak and beautiful puddings on wood fires in your garden. We’re looking forward to capturing & creating many more memorable images for her. Watch this space…

Waitrose weekend newspaper featuring PhotoGlow images

Closeup on Waitrose weekend newspaper article about the Pyromaniac Chef featuring PhotoGlow photographs

The Pyromaniac Chef’s Yurt

Kathryn Minchew, aka the Pyromaniac Chef