What the Davies' do: Embrace the moments that mean more.

I'm catching up on a lot of personal editing this week.  I've backlogged a lot of days recently.  I have snapped away and forgotten about images.  Even though these photos were only a few weeks ago I had forgotten I'd even taken them.  It was only as I was getting around to archiving my monthly files as I do by routine that I remembered this evening down on the prom.  An evening that was intensely bright, the sun still so very high in the sky.  Basically a bit of a nightmare light situation, so maybe that's why the following images were abandoned at first take...

I opened these last night and realised I had edited a couple to share, but I went ahead and quickly did the rest too.  Sure, the shadows are awful but the content of the images isn't - not to me anyway.  I can look beyond the unfortunate light and see the connection and love between my 3 kids.  Any parent will know - even the ones who say their kids get on OK mostly - that having actual recorded evidence of them playing together and having fun is worth it's weight in gold.   I know I am far too quick to cliche their daily fallouts and hourly digs at one another as 'usual sibling behaviour', so images of them getting along can be as bad as they want as long as I've got them. 

This was Father's Day.  We'd had a lovely family BBQ earlier on and because the weather was still so lovely we headed down to the prom for a little drink looking out across the river.  The area was filled with likeminded families and as I sipped my grape juice (mine might've been of Sauvignon variety) I watched my 3 lovelies jump and skip around - taking their own photos and recording slow motion videos on my eldest daughter's phone.

They had so much fun - no arguments, no fighting, no teasing.  It lasted for at least 20 minutes.  Amazing!

Here you go.

Thanks for reading peeps.  Best wishes,

x Fleur x 

(as always, click into the images for better quality viewing - thanks!)

My husband also took some photos of what was important to him too....  ;)

All the light...

Remember I told you we visited the cinema before I took the portrait shots at the beach in my last 'A Mother's Dream' post?  Well the following images in today's blog are from that same day.

I love our local cinema;  The Light in New Brighton.  It's been around for a few years now as a main part of the regeneration of our seaside complex and has become a favourite place to go on a dreary weekend morning for the family AM film showings.

On this morning we had already booked our tickets on the word of my weather app that had told me it would be cloudy with some showers.  Fitting for sitting in the theatre for a couple of hours before lunch.  But wouldn't you know it.  We rock up to New Brighton with the sunshine already making our eyes all squinty at 10am.

We formulate our usual plan of one of either me or my Hubs going with the kids to get some snacks from Morrisons, while the other heads into the cinema to pick up a much needed (on my part) coffee. This weekend I headed to the cinema first.  I arrived, ordered our 'as large and strong as you can make it please' drink, then turned to find a seat in the lovely, bright foyer area.  To my delight I see that the tables have the most pretty and simple, fresh flower arrangements on them AND I had remembered my camera that day.  Winner.

My daughter and I spent the next 10 minutes taking photos and playing with the shadows.  We were having so much fun that we didn't care about the odd looks we were getting (it happens often) from others as we clicked away, chatting animatedly about how much fun we were having.  My daughter even took some herself using my camera.  She's desperate for a DSLR herself at the age of 8.  I'll add her photos too.

So here you go...

Thanks for reading peeps.  Best wishes,

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

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

Now Poppi's images.
She told me that she loved the orange so much and she wanted that to stand out when we edited. :)

A Mother's Dream: Above all, be grateful.

Another month has passed and here I am writing this instalment of my entry into the A Mother's Dream blog circle.  However this, this is the first one I am writing from my new desk in my new studio.  Woohooo!  Exciting.

It's a quiet evening in early July.  It's been a sunny day; warm and humid.  The kids have just got themselves off to bed and where I would usually take this opportunity to drag myself up to my bedroom and chill out with my current box set, I have decided to get this little entry posted.

Here I sit, the air has cooled and the general hustle and bustle of our terraced neighbourhood is slowing down.  I can hear a distant wind chime from a neighbouring yard and in my own yard, an intermittent soft clucking from my four hens whose run is about 8 metres from the new farmhouse chair where I'm perched.  I bought it today for my new desk in my new studio. *squeee*

No 'make this studio work' pressure being felt here!  Honest!  It's up and running now and I've been concentrating on further developing my portrait craft.  I love a good portrait.  I've been lucky enough to receive a huge amount of support with this slightly new direction.  For that I am truly grateful.  I am grateful to all my friends who have offered their time, ideas and kids up to help me out.  It means the world guys, it really does.  But my biggest thanks of all must go to my family - especially my husband who has let me throw so much caution to an unknown wind at this and also my 3 amazing kids.  They know no different than to be in front of my camera.  The day will come when they will moan, I'm sure.  But for now they're sort of ok with me clicking away at them.

Over the last month I have dragged my kids in the studio plenty to help me out and I've got myself really fired up for this new venture.  I've found a greater respect for portrait photography and for the patience and time it can take to get more than just a snapshot of a face.  See, I have always had this little mantra when it comes to a lot of my work involving people:  "You being you".  And I don't really want that to change too much with my portrait work.  In fact I don't want it to change at all.   If you come to my studio for a session I want the portraits you leave with to be authentically you.  I know on occasion I will want some conceptual arty farty stuff going on and that's fine - it's playing - and we learn through play.  But right now I would love for you to look at your portraits, or your kid's portraits or your sister's, brother's, grandparent's and think - yep - that's them.  If you can look at a portrait and recognise the person's playful side, their happiness at that moment or thoughtful expression, or mischievous grin - my job is done.

So now that I've rambled for a while it brings me neatly to the portraits I tried to capture on a whim a week or so ago of my 3 kids.  We had just visited our local cinema in New Brighton on a Sunday morning, as the forecast the day before when we booked the tickets had been fairly dismal.  We watched our film and exited to a lovely amount of sunshine.   Looking down to the beach we see that the tide is out and so decide to take a little walk on the sand.  I haven't been taking my camera out with me as often as I would like, but I did on that day.

As we walked I asked the kids to help me out with some photos.  They were all happy to.  Although I did find myself getting agitated with my youngest.  He's a ball of fiery energy and the standing still for more than 10 seconds was quite clearly getting to him.  But do you know what?  It didn't matter.  I came away thinking "Oh well, at least I'm happy with the girls' photos."  It was only as I uploaded the files the following day that I laughed and laughed at all the images of my little fella.  Every photo was HIM.  His mischievousness, his distain, his boredom, his glee...  How could I not be happy with this?  It's exactly who he is, all rolled up into portraits.  And I'll be grateful for that.

Thanks for reading peeps.  Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening.

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

Once you've had a look-see at the 9 portraits attached you can head on over to the next

A Mother's Dream blog entry by Emily Frances - which can be found: BY CLICKING HERE.

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

A Mother's Dream: A breakfast for champions.

A Mother's Dream blog circle:  'A Breakfast for champions', by Fleur Davies.

Have you heard of the Harvester pub restaurant chain?  I bet you have.  But have you tried their breakfasts?  Well, if you haven't - get a move on.  I first discovered the wonder of their morning time menu a few months back with my son when we had a Mummy and Son date.  We wanted to try somewhere new.  

We'd been to the Derby Pool in New Brighton a few times as a family over the years for dinner and have frequently visited for a drink and crisps on a warm summer evening.  But breakfast was a new venture.

Basically, for me, it's breakfast heaven!  With any 'all you can eat' cooked breakfast ordered (and this also goes for the kids) you get free access to the continental buffet offerings too.  AND the option of unlimited coffee.  Can I get an "Amen"?!  All this for around £8 per adult and £3 per child aged 10 and under.  Of which we have three - with hefty appetites.  Bargain and a half.  

Now I'm obviously very excited about this, and I'm sure I have friends who will be dragging their bacon, sausage and egg loving backsides and offspring down to their nearest Harvester asap.  And why not?  You get to stuff your face like some sort of gorging animal with no need to eat again for like a week.  If you are familiar with the Friends TV show, refer your memories to the scene where Joey is left alone at the restaurant dinner table while everyone's meals arrive and he says to the waiting on staff:  "You boys are about to see something really special."  That's kind of how I approach a buffet style meal...  #sorrynotsorry

We had this breakfast in the diary for a week or so.  It's half term right now on The Wirral and keeping the kids occupied and alive is a must.  Breakfast is always a winner for us as we talk the kids into a lie in, bribing them with tablet time for half an hour or so.  Then we head out at about brunch time.  Knowing that we're in no rush and can take our time.  I always make a note to explain this to the kids.  I don't know why but for some reason it's like a survival skill in our household that eating as quickly as possible is standard practice.  

I knew I wanted to document our morning that day.  I was excited about it.  It's been a little while since I purposely took my camera out to document a whole event.  And I got everyone in on this one.  My hubs took some photos.  AND my middle kid did too.  She has a great eye and surprisingly strong arms to hold up the decent sized camera body and lens I took with us.

So here you go.  Our family brunch together.  This Mother's Dream - not only for spending some quality time with my nearest and dearest, but also unlimited bacon.... mmmmm bacon....

Thanks for viewing peeps.

Fleur xx

And once you've had a peruse through my set of images, you can follow the rest of this month's A Mother's Dream blog circle here: Its by the lovely Julie Grant Photography. 

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

Photo by Carl

Photo by Carl

Photo by Carl

Photo by Poppi

Photo by Poppi

Photo by Carl

Photo by Carl

Photo by Carl