Christmas At Home - Ethan's Story

So, like it or not (and I do, a lot!), we are in the Christmas build up. The tree in Hebden Bridge has been put in its place, the shop windows are being dressed & titivated, and there is a fresh chill in the air.

But this is Ethan's story.  We've been documenting his life through the seasons over the past year.  We've had a spring shoot in the bluebells & celebrated his third birthday in the summer. But our journey started last year when we photographed the family's Christmas preparations. I have to say the low light played its part that day. Just seeing the family together in their home getting ready for the festivities, was a lovely thing to be a part of. There was dressing the tree, the opening of advent presents through Ethan's excited whispers, and time out for orange juice and colouring. We ended our shoot by having a wander into Leeds, looking at the shops, and stopping at their favourite coffee kiosk for a cuppa.

Although this all made a beautiful backdrop, it really wasn't about this. It was about their time together. A few times I caught myself holding my breath at those little moments. Those glances, the hugs & kisses, and the beaming smiles. And now there's a new addition to the family, and we're looking forward to welcoming her into the world on a shoot together next week.

What do you like to do as a family in the run up to Christmas? If you'd like us to document your preparations, it would be lovely to hear from you!

Stories of the Everyday - Diya & Amba

A couple of months ago, I started a hashtag on Instagram - #storiesoftheeveryday. Folk have been sharing everyday moments of the little and big people in their lives, and what they've been getting up to during the day. It's a little community, but it's growing, and I've been really struck by the stories people have shared.

One Monday morning, I had the pleasure of spending time with these two. Diya & Amba are sisters, confidantes, they watch out for each other, they're sensitive beautiful souls. I documented their morning routine getting ready for school.

I love photographing life at home, especially at this time of year - cosy family time. I found this quote recently and it struck a chord with me; 'Home is people, not a place' (Robin Hobb).

So - let's celebrate the everyday! If you'd like us to tell your story, it would be great to hear from you. And if like me you're an Instagram addict, you can find me here. It would be great to see your images on #storiesoftheeveryday and I have set up a page too if you'd like to follow.

For now, I'll leave you with Diya & Amba.

Taster Sessions - Where Shall We Visit Next?

We had one of those 'blimey, was that a year ago?!' moments this week. We met one of our families in the street and we were talking about the shoot we had with them as part of our taster sessions last Autumn. We had wanted to blog about it back then, but as Autumn is here once more, it seems the perfect time to share some of the photos from the sessions. Me and Suzi were chatting a couple of weeks ago about running more taster sessions in Spring 2016. Those bluebells and green shoots might seem like quite a way off, but we thought we'd start thinking about it now. As we did the last one in Hebden Bridge, we were thinking of venturing a bit further afield, and we wondered if anybody had any particular locations where they'd like them to be held?

For now, here's that warm Autumn light from last year's sessions.

And do let us know if you'd be interested in future taster sessions, and where you'd like them to be.