Poppi ~ when you were 6...

Our strong willed, fun loving, witty little rocket in your pocket is turning 7!

Wow - this year is going quickly.  This one has always been happy to be in front of the camera - and has fallen in love with being behind it too.  *note to self: get around to clearing her memory card that she has nagged me about for a while.

Happy Birthday sweet little one.   May all the wishes you have for yourself and we have for you come true!

Thank you for looking ~ Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk

Toast & Jam: A documentary with my older daughter...

So I told myself at the beginning of this year, that after I finished my 365 I would concentrate on monthly shoots for myself.  Maybe within a certain theme, or styled, or trying something new....  But as the days and weeks have gone on I have gotten lost in life and my everyday work.  This diversion, has however sent me to a place where I feel I can play again.  Where I am happy.  And there's nothing wrong with spending time in your happy place is there?

I stumbled back to where I first found my love of photography.  Capturing the tiny moments - the pure everyday - dare I say mundane...?  Those moments you'd pass by or forget the next day.  Where details are documented and memories can be preserved.

So this is where I am at the moment - a mind full with aspirations of something artistically incredible (ha!); planned down to the most weeniest of details;  Having a 'photography plans/to do/must learn/must try' list as long as my arm.  But for now - while my littles are little and they are developing the most unique of characters I will strive to capture it all - in collections of photographical impressions.  Purposefully picking up my camera to not have a clue what I might document.  All I know is that it will be real, authentic, me/us/them.

Here you go....

Toast & Jam: A documentary with my daughter.

(captured in 10 minutes of pure yumminess!)

Thanks for looking ~ Fleur

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk

Before and After.... at the beach.

Before and After...

I thought I'd lost this shot. It was dusk and the kids were running along the rocks at the beach and I was concentrating on working on some silhouette shots with the fast moving pastel clouds... Miles stopped right in front of me (I assure you - him being still doesn't happen often!) and my shutter was still fairly quick - quicker than it needed for a stationary little lad with such little light.

He calmly stood, just for a few moments and breathed the salty evening air deeply into his lungs. His face was a picture (pardon the pun) and I hoped that I could salvage what I'd got in my camera.

I checked the files a few days later when I moved them over to my workspace and was a bit deflated. It was underexposed, dark and grainy and I thought that it would just stay as a cutting room floor file. But I persevered this afternoon and AM I PLEASED THAT I DID?! By no means technically perfect - not at all... The colours are enhanced, I've played about as my artistic license will allow ;) But it's my boy - being himself - loving life and taking in the moment. And I'll take that. And I'll print it now too. <3

Thanks for looking ~ Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk

A day at the zoo..... Without the kids.

The kids were spending the day with Grandparents and me and the Hubs had a morning to ourselves.  So we decided on a date at the Zoo.   I was a cold day, so we endeavoured to stay within the indoor enclosures for warmth.  However - this isn't usually where I like to spend my time with my camera; the glass is hard to work with.  It's reflective, usually muckily splattered from the animals and most definitely scratched.  Hence usually why any animal images I've taken at the zoo have been of the animals outdoors.

But today the animals who are only watchable from behind the glass were animated, close by, interacting with me and a lot of fun.  I couldn't resist to snap them.  So I embraced the reflections (yes, that's me you can see - or my foot.....),  I threw caution to the low light wind and I didn't care about the marks all over the glass - mine at home aren't far from on par! ;)

So here we go a mini collection  - the penguins, the butterflies, a monkey and a turtle....

Thanks for looking ~ Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk

Treetops and skies - The part of Winter that I love...

Why don't I do this more often?

I walked one dusky winter afternoon with my family around our local park.  The kids had their scooters and my hubs was in charge of our dogs.  I was coming to the end of my 365 photo project, so obviously had my camera with me - eager to capture as much of our walk as I could...  As we meandered (term used loosely when navigating scootering children and inquisitive dogs around a duck filled lake...) along the paths, I noticed how beautiful the sky was looking.

I had to begin with been occupied with documenting the movements of my children.  But as they scootered further and more swiftly and the dogs keenly 'walked my husband' briskly on, I stopped. 

The sun was coming down quickly and the trees sparse branches looked black against the burnt orange and dusky blue.  On one side of me and my camera the clouds were whipped up and to the other the sky was a pale grey.  I marvelled at how amazing and varied the atmosphere above looked depending on where I chose to place my camera's framing.

Throughout the summer months these trees would be filled with leaves and the view would be quite different.   Where the sun was glowing, creating silhouettes of the pitch-like branches, would not be visible - only now in the midmost of winter could the sky look like this.

So I stayed.  And I shot.  And I am in love with the result.  I really should do this more often.

Thanks for looking ~ Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk

The 365 struggle was real.... (a jesting post)

So my 365 completion date is upon me with under a week to go...  I'm not going to pretend I loved doing it every - single - day, but on the whole I am very happy with the result.  I'll blog monthly collages as soon as I get chance (so like in 2017...), but for now I just want to share with you a funny aspect for me of this photographic journal.

Some days I would get a shot early in the day - in fact for most of the first few weeks - maybe even a month, I would plan and have an idea of something I would shoot that day.  I'd get it done quickly and efficiently.  And of course, on long, bright days in the summer and on days out with family I'd have plenty of images to choose from.  I was never one to be too concerned with the *must-get-a-truly-artistic-shot-every-single-day*, but when I had chance to really plan that was great.  It didn't take me long to just accept and embrace the fact that I was documenting mine and my families lives for a full year!  And so much went on in this year...  But any who - I digress - I'll go into more detail over that with a full year blog...

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So some days would be simple... And some days would not!  I work mostly in lifestyle photography.  Capturing moments - so naturally this sometimes means that time isn't on my side.  I have to get the shot and get it fairly quick (parents will know what I mean - these pesky (now) 8, 6 and 4 year olds can be rather unforgiving when it comes to waiting around for the camera...)  But I'm comfortable with that.

On the days where I had less daylight hours, no kids at home (alas this was the year my final baby started full time school) and dreary, typically dull British weather I would attempt still life photography.  Please don't chortle at my attempts!  I love all styles of photography, but because I don't practise it as much I struggle - always looking for a different angle or perspective...  So here is where my blog post is going:  Some days the 365 was a struggle - a real one.  What would seems like an epiphany of "Oh, yes, I'll use this moment now for today's entry..." (and in my head imagining it would only take me a matter of minutes to grab my camera and have the shot done) would turn into a reality of changing perspectives - click - alternate lighting - click - shooting specifically for a black and white conversion - click - changing perspectives again - click - trying an arty out of focus shot - click - going macro - click - shallow depth of field - click - realising my iso was way off - click again - pulling back - click again...  And this would go on and on, and before I knew it I'd spent the best part of an hour on the entry and had a compilation of shots of newspaper, a paintbrush and a picture frame!!

Ironically through (or fateful perhaps), the frame I was painting here is the one I will be displaying the final collages of this year long project within...  So here you go.  One day's "It'll take me two minutes" which actually took more than an hour from conception to completion! Ha!

Thanks for looking ~  Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk