Light and Day Photography

 

Some of you may know that I have a new partner in business, the marvellous Ruth Harrington. Beady eyes amongst you may remember I photographed Ruth a few months ago, shortly after I met her at a networking group. (And again, more recently.) It was clear after a while that we have a similar view of life and that we had to work together; great plans are afoot, wonderful ideas are evolving, and you’ll read much more of that on the blog in months to come. Ruth has had a baptism of fire into the world of portrait photography, and has assisted me on several shoots as she learns just how things tick in this business. I’ll let Ruth describe in her own words how she got on at our first shoot together, a couple of months ago.

“My first official shoot with Maz and I have no idea what to expect. When our client Louise arrives we have tea and biscuits, (all very civilised) chatting about Louise’s work and what she is looking for from her shots today. She tells us that she wishes to use them for her new business on the website and other promotional material. Very soon it’s like chatting to a friend. ‘Work?I’m missing something here because this is too easy‘ -but then I notice something as we begin to talk more of Louise’s business and her aspirations for it. As she shares her thoughts she becomes more animated; gone are any nerves that she may have had and here in front of us is an inspired and animated lady who wants to bring good to the world in her own special way. I smile to myself as I watch her face change, her eyes light up and her body relax.

 

 

Ah ha, so this isn’t just us chatting then, this is where the work begins! It was clear that if Maz had started clicking away within minutes of Louise arriving, she would not be this relaxed. As we all carried on talking Maz got her camera out of her bag in an autopilot manner -similar to mine when I apply my lipstick in the car while driving- (ed’s note, she’s joking, of course, for any traffic officers reading) She introduced that camera in such a quiet way that she had already taken several pictures while Louise and I were deep in conversation and before Louise noticed-and fluffed her hair!

 This is where the game stepped up and I began to feel that we had started the real work, although I was now aware that it had started the minute that we said hello. I got to play with such things as reflectors and difflectors (though for the life of me I could not work out how to fold them back into the tiny bags that they popped out of! ) I was chief bag carrier and followed Maz and Louise where ever Maz directed. It was amazing to watch as I got to see Maz as the true professional that she is; there was no indecision, she knew exactly what she wanted to capture and how and where we were going to go in this interesting building to find it. She had an eye for the light, the background, and every little detail of the shot.

 

 

Louise is an interesting lady with so much knowledge about her work that she talks openly and with such passion; as I watch I see every word of authenticity reflected in her eyes. I am beginning to see what it is that Maz wishes to capture in her photography, the true essence, character and spirit of each person that she works with.

 

Though with all this said, no-one prepared me for how much fun the experience would be, lots of laughter and smiles all which were natural and relaxed. I’m no photographer, and in the past I’ve always shied away from formal photography shoots as I thought that they were too manufactured and would feel uncomfortable. This experience has taught me otherwise. Still, you can’t know what to expect until you’ve tried it and you will certainly be pleasantly surprised on a shoot with Maz, as she uses beautiful natural light and conversation, and soon you will be open to her unique way of helping you express your magic.

So, how about that for teamwork! Awesome client, assistante extraordinaire, oh, and a photographer who LOVES her job:))

Incidentally, this is a fraction of the images  you will get if you book an extended portfolio shoot with Light and Day Photography. Many locations, moods, outfits, and many, many possibilities. Give me a ring to find out if we are a good fit for you.

Maz x