fantastic mr fox

Fantastic Mr Fox, Newborn Photography

Creating composite images: A behind-the-scenes look at how it’s done                 

Hello everyone! This week I’ve been busy in the studio creating a fantastic Mr fox photo, once again working with children and animals (I must be mad, ha ha!).

As you may know I’ve photographed dogs and ducks before but this was the first time ever that the KW photography studio had been visited by a pair of chickens! Kindly brought in by my pal Laurraine, these lovely clucky feathered friends, Thelma & Louise became the co-stars of a photograph that’s due to be published in an up-coming edition of DORSET magazine in conjunction with CobWebKnits.

Because I like to do things differently every now and then, I wanted to capture the hens alongside a sleeping newborn baby wearing an adorable fox hat by CobWebKnits; our very own ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ and his clucking friends!

fantastic mr fox

Here I’m going to explain how I took the concept from a vision to reality, and how I achieved the final, composite, image; what I’m calling my ‘clucking creation’!  Suffice to say that it involved a lot of chasing chickens around the studio (!), all the usual newborn baby soothing and posing, and then some magic in Photoshop.

Most importantly, at no time was the baby actually in the studio at the same time as the chickens, as I am absolutely committed to ensuring a baby’s safety at all times. (You may also be interested in my recent blog post about safety in newborn photography here). Im also a member of BANPAS.

The chicken session

Stage one was the chicken shoot! They came in the day before baby was due to be photographed, and kept Laurraine and I on our toes, as we followed them around the studio and repeatedly placed them in position (they weren’t very cooperative!). Honestly, you should have seen us! We had such fun. It was like the famous Benny Hill sketch with the chasing chickens – we just needed the music to be playing in the background to match the mood in the studio that day!

chickens and a basket of eggs

The baby session

Next up was gorgeous baby Arlo, just eight days new. He came in the following day, once I’d thoroughly cleaned up the studio, leaving no trace at all of the feathered fun that we had had.

Positioned safely within the basket with his mum carefully holding and supporting him at all times, Arlo was such an adorable, obliging subject. He slept well while I took the shots, including this one of him in the ‘head on hands’ pose

baby being held in a basket

It’s magic!

The final stage, the post-production stage, is when I was able to combine the two images together. Thanks to the magic of Photoshop it appears that Arlo was posed without support, and that the chicken and Mr Fox were photographed together, but as you all now know… they weren’t.

Check out the video of the shoot here

to take a closer look at how it was done. I hope you enjoy!

Until next time,

Karen x


KW Photography featured in Woman & Home magazine

Today I have some very exciting news. I am in the current edition of the national women’s glossy, ‘Woman & Home’ (March 2016 edition)!!!

‘Meet the new solopreneurs’

I’m featured as part of a positive article about women entrepreneurs and in the article I talk about my journey from working in print production for more than twenty years, to becoming a successful newborn photographer.

Woman and Home is a leading women’s magazine in the UK, read by almost 350,000 women each month.  It covers lifestyle, fashion, business, home and travel stories and is genuinely one of my favourite magazines.

So it’s hugely exciting (and slightly embarrassing!) that I’m in the magazine myself!

I was interviewed for the article and then the magazine came and photographed me at my studio in Poole in mid-December.

While I’m never a fan of photos of myself (I prefer to be behind the camera, as most photographers do!), I’m really pleased with the pictures they took of me and the studio.

I was lucky enough to have the gorgeous baby Lucy join me in the photos. She was a complete star! Big thanks must go to her mum Gemma for bringing her in.

I wonder if any avid Woman & Home readers among you spotted me before you read this?! Ha ha! I would love to know!

Life after Redundancy: A Photographer’s tale

The whole thing came about when I heard that the magazine was looking to feature women who had a positive story to tell about being made redundant.

I’ve previously blogged about my redundancy story, but for those who don’t know; I was made redundant in February 2011 and while it was a shock and a massive blow at the time, I used the opportunity to embark on a completely new career.

I let my passion for photography lead me into a career in newborn photography and, well, the rest they say is history!

Since then I have carved out a niche in newborn and family portrait photography and almost five years later I’m extremely thankful for the way things have turned out. I get to work every day doing something I am so passionate about and absolutely love.

So that is my story.

If you’d like to see how Woman & Home have told it, do grab a copy of the magazine while you can. It’s available from newsagents and supermarkets now. I’m in the March 2016 edition (with Julie Walters on the cover) on page 145-146.

Once you’ve read it, please do comment and let me know what you think.

Until next time,

Karen x


Choosing your newborn photographer

Choosing your newborn photographer

Newborn photography is now a popular lifestyle choice for many new parents. As the genre has become more popular in the UK in recent years, after first becoming en vogue in America, families throughout the country are now generating an unprecedented demand, which has, in turn, led to an increasing number of photographers offering a newborn photography service. Let me help you with choosing your newborn photographer.

twin newborn baby sleeping together

Yet, when it comes to choosing your newborn photographer – someone in whom they are to trust handling and manoeuvring their precious just-born baby – it can undoubtedly prove difficult to decide who to choose. Should they select solely on price? Or are there other factors to consider?

Since there is currently no official qualification that a photographer offering a newborn photography service needs to achieve, unfortunately, the industry is, in effect, unregulated. To put it bluntly, anyone with a camera could potentially claim to be a newborn photography professional, and I can say for certain that there are many very unprofessional, inexperienced people doing just that!

baby boy asleep in a round basket

It genuinely frightens me to think of how these so-called ‘professional’ newborn photographers must be posing the newborn babies presented to them. Without any professional training whatsoever, and therefore without having learnt the essential skills of how to safely pose babies, photographers are out there trying out baby poses and positioning these young children in potentially dangerous ways. And all the while, the unwitting parents are none the wiser to the danger that they have put their babies in since they’ve probably never had newborn photos taken before, and they’ve trusted and believed the claims of the ‘professional’ photographer without question. Even looking at a photographers portfolio can be misleading, there are stock images you can buy or unscrupulous photographers will actually just use other photographers photos and pass them off as their own. This very thing has happened to me more than once, sadly there are people out there happy to make a fast buck.

New baby in pink wrap

I believe there’s also huge concern about those newborn photographers who are promising a photo session and photos cheap some as low as £20! In my view, such a price can only reflect the fact that the photographer is sub-standard and potentially unsafe posing your baby.

Ideally all newborn photographers would adhere to a professional code of conduct that is designed to safeguard babies and their parents. My hope is that in time, organisations such as the Baby and Newborn Photography Association (BANPAS) will be able to make this a reality.

baby girl with brother

I’ll undoubtedly blog about this topic again in the future as this subject is one very close to my heart and there is so much more to say. In the mean time I’d love to hear your opinions, and to learn what factors made you choose your newborn photographer, whether you used me or someone else. Please comment and I look forward to reading your responses.

Until next time,

Karen x


MAMUK

MAMUK commissions KW Photography

National baby brand commission complete for MAMUK!

If you’ve been to me for a newborn photoshoot this year you’ll be well aware that I have been working for national baby brand MAM UK. They are the lovely people who have been providing loads of free baby products which I have been giving out to you all in goody bags after every newborn photo session!

The partnership with MAM UK came about earlier this year, after they saw an article with some of my newborn portraits in the national press. They liked my work so contacted me and we’ve worked together ever since. I’m hugely excited about it because while I have done commercial photography projects before, this is my first commission from a national brand!

MAMUK was after some new baby-focussed photography for their marketing materials. So I recently photographed their new range of dummies at my Poole-based photographic studio with the assistance of some obliging and extremely gorgeous baby models Marnie , Daisy Theo and Max – I couldn’t have done it without you!

MAMUK

After sending off the final images to MAM UK, not only did I get some really positive feedback from them but I’m delighted to see that they have already started to use the images in national advertising and in social media campaigns!

They’ve been posting the new campaign on their Facebook page and you can also find out more about the great range of MAM UK baby products on their website.


lucky the duck

Lucky the Duck Newborn Photoshoot

I am always one to take on a new challenge I try to never shy away from tricky photo shoots. Sometimes I get some very strange Newborn photoshoot requests, from weird and wonderful props to can I bring my Duck?!? Well of course I said yes! , and i was delighted to meet lucky the duck our adorable little feathered duckling. This duck is just a fluffy bundle of gorgeousness, i really wanted to keep him or her ( I’m not actually sure!)

Never one to shy away from the challenge I invited Lucky the Duck to the studio in Poole with his grown-up helper 5-month-old Edie. Edie was super cute herself in a fluffy yellow tutu to compliment the duckling’s downy feathers. The pair of them got along just great!

Well, Lucky the newborn Duck just a few days old was a pro….He/she enjoyed their photoshoot especially enjoyed the cuddle with the photographer 😀

lucky the duck

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to photograph this bundle of fluff, so much fun was had when the duck came for its baby photoshoot. I mean how fantastic it is to welcome this cute duckling into the studio. I was quite worried it was going to get really messy but actually, we got away with the minimal mess from the duck and baby. The session took about 30 mins and we made sure the bird wasn’t stressed out at all during the session. In fact, quite the reverse happened! We managed to find some perfect friends for the duckling with the little bath ducks to keep him company, he preferred to cuddle up with me in the barrel of my lens. I wonder if id be allowed to keep him? Im not sure my two dogs would appreciate this fluffy newborn as a friend.

Bye for now

Karen x