At home with the Chesters family...

When you arrive at a family's home and are welcomed in so warmly by everyone it really is a great feeling.  I know that a lifestyle 'at home' photography session isn't for everyone, but as it's what I am used to documenting most with my own family I feel right at home doing the same for others.  And I think there is true value in it too.  You capture people where they are comfortable.  Where they feel safe.  And where they spend time together living and loving.  To me it just makes sense to document it and preserve those memories.

The morning I spent with the Chesters family was wonderful.  They are a family full of energy and love.  Super happy kids and relaxed parents.  I couldn't have asked for more.  I think I possibly gained an assistant in their son too, taking after his Mum's creative talents - as he was able to direct me on the shots he wanted me to take.  What a star!  And not that you would be able to tell here, but the youngest of the family was still getting over chicken pox.  If it wasn't for the smallest of spots still present on her face I would not have known.  She was full of smiles and perfectly happy to have me snapping away.

The following images show a small selection of my favourites from the hour I spent with them.  I loved every minute!

Many thanks for looking ~ Fleur x

(as always, click into the images to see them at a better resolution...)

What the Davies' do: Lilli, 10 years in the making.

There's too much to say right now.   I've started this blog at least 4 times.  I've typed and then hit the delete key over and over.  I can't find the right words to express how I feel about my first born getting to double digits.

10 years have gone in a flash.  We couldn't be more proud of the girl who first made us a family.  A whole decade of parenting has completely flown by.  And I feel like we've done OK.  There's been many a tough time, hundreds of arguments, plenty of tears and tantrums - not just from her.  Ha!  But the be all and end all of it is that this kid (along with her younger sister and brother) makes us the happiest parents ever.  I could carry on and on about how much I love her.  But I don't need to do that.  I'm certain many of you know exactly how I feel if you have children yourselves.  High tens all round for our amazing offspring!

The following images were taken a few weeks before she turned 10.  I had came across these fun sunglasses for a great price in Home Bargains and Lilli was excited to use them to create some new artwork for her bedroom wall.  There was no pressure here.  Just a Mum and daughter having fun.  The studio wasn't even fully ready at this point - it was literally just a wooden box.  But we didn't let that put us off.

As Lilli wanted these for her walls I opted for a variety of fun editing styles.  Which I love.  It was a bit of an epiphanic moment actually.  I spend so much time thinking my work 'should' look like this or that.  And it should stay looking like this or that.  But why?  I always describe myself as eclectic in my tastes.  It's going to start coming through more in my work from now on too.  Now that I'm officially old and wise! 😉  Or thats the plan anyway...

Thanks for looking,

Fleur x ~ https://fleurdavies.wixsite.com/fleurdaviesphoto

(As always, click into the images to see them at full resolution.  Cheers loves!)

A Mother's Dream: I will be in the frame too!

A Mother's Dream blog-circle:  I will be in the frame too!


And so here we are in May, at the second month of the lovely blog circle I joined at the start of April.  It's so lovely to see how us photographers who are also Mum's (or vice versa) like to document the time we spend with our kids.  Creating art, or (in my case mostly) just snapping away trying to document every tiny little moment and detail that I will no doubt forget at some point.  Lost to that part of the brain that only recollects with the help of an image on a a piece of glossy paper.

My last blog (not from A Mother's Dream cycle, the one immediately before this) documented my youngest turning 6.  I went for a different style than I'm usually used to shooting.  I would normally just go with real life.  Embracing the mess of our house or the surroundings of wherever we might be with my camera.  But for that moment.  Just after he'd got dressed and just before he opened his gifts, I had asked him for a few minutes of photos.  I wanted to simply capture him and his massive amount of character.  He did well considering he was probably daydreaming the whole time about the new HotWheels and Marvel goodies he had asked for.

So now we come to this month's dream cycle.  And the images that go with it.  They are much more me.  More us.  They are the unplanned.  The off the cuff.  The 'I must remember how cute he looked'. The mess of our home.  But what I loved most about these is that, as I was taking them, I at first was instinctively trying to not show my reflection in the mirrored wardrobes.  But what was I thinking?  I spend so much time behind my camera and never in front.  My kids obviously in years to come will know that it was Mummy who was taking the photo, but in this set I can be seen.  Baggy t shirt, grubby jeans and messy hair to boot.  But that's how they know me.  I'm the Mummy who will play silly games, sing in funny voices, speak in strange accents to make them laugh.  I can definitely make fun of myself.  I am the person that I meant to be because of my kids.  And I will from now make more effort to be in the frame.

Even if it is as a rule breaking reflection in a mirrored wardrobe.


Thanks for reading.  And after you've viewed the pics you can head yourself over to the next blog in this month's 'A Mother's Dream' circle here: "Easter holidays with my little ones." By the lovely Jenna.

Fleur x

(PS - It's best to click into the pics too see better quality versions...  Thanks Peeps.)

Oh Lensbaby!

Who visited the Photography Show in Birmingham last month?  Did you?  Well I did too!  And I had THE BEST time.  It was my first visit.  I went alone.  And it was incredible.

I won't waffle on too much about my day, but I will tell you that I came away completely inspired and excited.  Wanting to try new things, create some new and fun work and pick up a few things that I'd begun and not continued...  In the last few weeks I've been pretty successful with those plans.

But for now I wanted to show you these images.  Only a few here right now, but wanted to pop them here while they're still fresh and as a marker of the beginning of my Lensbaby journey.  The following photos are taken using a Lensbaby Composer pro with a Sweet50 optic.  Lensbaby lenses allow for manual selective focus and add blur effect within camera.  And they are so much FUN!  I have seen images that friends have created with their lenses and I spent a lot of time playing at the Lensbaby stand at the NEC before deciding to add one to my kit.

So here you go.  My first play about with my new lens...

Thanks for looking peeps.

x Fleur x


(PS - the trick to seeing better quality versions of the images is to click on them... Cheers loves!)

What the Davies' do: 'A school skiver in her natural environment!'

I'd just finished lunch and the phone rang.  The house phone rarely rings - so I knew it could only be the call all parents dread...  A call from school!

True enough, when I answered, greeted with the "Oh hi Mrs Davies, it's *** Primary School here...."

My split second instincts were confirmed.  My middle one was poorly - she's never ill.  She never complains of feeling unwell and is generally an upbeat, fun loving kid; in school as well as at home.  So when she goes to staff within school to complain about a sore tummy and headache, they do tend to take her seriously.

Hence the phonecall...  I was told she'd eaten some lunch, but started to feel poorly and the member of staff I spoke to reported that she also was a bit of a funny colour.  Uh-oh!  There have been plenty of tummy bugs going around, perhaps her time had come?  I work from home mostly and fortunately could be at the school within 10 minutes to collect her.

I brought her home, tucked her up on the sofa, get her a warm juice and popped a Netflix movie on.  Classic 'feel better' routine.  And sure enough it worked.  All I can say is that she definitely knows how to beat the system if she fancies an afternoon chilled out on the couch.  She was back to her usual self within an hour - she obviously knows how to wrap her teachers around her little finger.

She was sent straight back to school the next morning!

Thanks for reading peeps ~ x Fleur x



(PS - the trick to seeing better quality versions of the images is to click on them... Cheers loves!)