Wouldn't Change a Thing Charity Shoot
Wouldn't Change a Thing Charity Shoot
I was honoured to be asked by Kate to be her family photographer for a Wouldn't Change a Thing charity shoot. After it's successful book launch in Australia, Celebrate T21, wanted to create a charity book in the UK, to spread their positive message about Down Syndrome.
The Wouldn't Change a Thing charity are:
"trying to achieve a world where negative outdated perceptions of Down syndrome are a thing of the past."
"Our projects are designed to be uplifting, emotive and positive; offering insights into how enjoyable life for all those associated with the condition can be. Our intent is to leave those who view our work feeling challenged and changed making them more willing to accept those with Down syndrome and to consider them as valid members of society, as schoolmates, as work colleagues or as employees."
Celebrate T21's aim for the book is to:
"portray the true stories of positive, lived experience typical of the majority of real people with Down syndrome and their families."
You can buy the book on the Wouldn't Change a Thing website.
James was star of the shoot but it was important to show James as part of his family unit and for him not to just be photographed alone. Kate and Mark wanted to show how James fits perfectly into their family. You can read their beautiful words below on their double page spread of the book.
The shoot took place just before sunset on a beautiful evening in South Wales. We spent some time together exploring the gardens. James was brilliant at encouraging his brother and sister to relax. It was wonderful to spend time with such a loving family!
See more of my family work in my family portfolio and blog.
Get in touch to book your shoot.
Gem x
Mini Beach Shoots 2020
MINI BEACH SHOOTS 2020
After the success of my mini beach shoots 2019, they are back in 2020 but with a few tweaks! The perfect gift for Mother's Day!
I very quickly realised that I can't do a shoot at the beach in 30 mins, so I've extended the time to an hour. I also discovered that to get the best combination of tide, weather and sunset times I can only do one shoot per day. This is all good news for my clients as sessions are now longer and more flexible. Hooray!
So, what's included in the Mini Beach Shoot package? Well, you have an hour long photo shoot at the beach, plus 5 prints and matching digital images for only £199! If you fall in love with the rest of the images (I will warn you that EVERYONE that had a shoot last year bought extra images, with most clients upgrading to the full digital package), there are upgrade packages available.
I'm only offering 10 slots (I ended up doing many more last year), as I need to make sure I've got time and weekend availability for all my family shoots too.
So, if you want one, be quick! You can book directly through the website.
See below for a small snippet of my beach fun from 2019. There's a real mixture of shoots, from a baking hot day to a crisp windy day. There was also a grandparents session, a maternity session and loads of gorgeous sunsets. If you want to see more, visit the blog, or check out my Instagram account.
BOOK NOW!
Gem x
BOOK A BEACH MINI SESSION NOW!
Winter beach family shoot
I love taking photos at the beach all year round. This winter beach family shoot, just after the snow fall in February, is gorgeous.
The shoot was booked as a surprise for Dad's birthday. The idea was to get some lovely pictures of the three children (plus puppy) together, to be printed on a canvas. I say 'children', even though the two eldest are officially adults because you're never too old to take part in a family shoot. Just because you're in your twenties, doesn't mean that your parents don't want to look at photos of you.
The shoot took place at my favourite local beach, Southerndown (Dunraven Bay). If you look closely in the background you can see a bit of snow left on the hillside. It was absolutely freezing but we managed a walk around the gardens and made it to the beach in time for the sunset.
It was super slippery and myself and youngest both fell over and had a nice coating of mud. I managed to hit both cameras on the floor as well as getting covered in mud in the car park before we'd even started! Not the first time I've fallen over on a shoot and I'm sure it won't be the last either!
But, it's all worth it to get a beautiful set of images.
Have a little nosey below to see what we got up to. At the end of the post, you'll see a 9 image collage - my most popular product. Putting 9 images together from a shoot is a great way to display your favourite images. Find out more about my products on my Products page.
Book your family shoot
If you'd like to book family photo shoot - have a look at my Family Portfolio and Pricing page for more information.
Get in touch if you have any questions.
Gem x
Autumn Photo Shoot South Wales
As a family photographer, you might think that I'm taking photos of my own family all the time, but that's not necessarily true. Yes, I've got loads of rubbish phone photos (my phone is awful!) but it takes a bit of effort for me to get my kids scrubbed up and ready for a shoot. I like to take them out at least once a year and capture them together with my 'proper camera'. This year it was the turn of the Autumn photo shoot...
So, I nipped out to the shops to get some new clothes for them - taking my own advice and buying a chunky mustard knit for my daughter. I knew I had a few family shoots coming up in the same location in the Autumn, so I used my kids and their friends as guinea pigs to test out the location. Turns out it was a winner!
There's so many great locations in South Wales. Depending on the time of year, you can find me shooting in a forest or on the beach. If you want to find out more about locations that I use for my family shoots, then check out my locations blog post.
I was very pleased to get my son to wear a pair of jeans for this shoot (small victories) as he normally prefers shorts or tracksuit bottoms and sliders. I've already printed a calendar for Grandma and a set of prints Nain and Taid from this shoot, as well as printing a set to frame for myself at home. Perks of the job! Gem x
What's the best time of year for a Cardiff family photo shoot?
This happens a lot. I'll be walking around Tesco or dropping my son at school and I'll get stopped by someone - 'Ah Gemma! I've been meaning to get in touch to book a shoot with you! When is the best time for a Cardiff family photo shoot? How long does it take? Where are the best locations?' etc.
So, I thought I'd write a little blog post to answer all those questions - if you would like to know more, please drop me a line!
Let's talk about the best time of year for a Cardiff family photo shoot. Honestly, family shoots can take place all year round, but there are certain times when nature will provide some stunning backdrops. Spring is always a fantastic choice because you have so many different options - there's crops of wild bluebells, fluffy blossom trees, blooming rapeseed meadows and life bursting at the seams. I have a whole host of favourite locations for each season, so I can recommend plenty of places to choose from. Have a look at some gorgeous Spring images below and the scroll down to see how the other seasons look....
Next up is Summer. Now I'm a real beach lover, so I opted for my own family shoot take place at the beach in the Summer. It's where I feel most at home and so couldn't imagine my family photos being taken anywhere else. Summer means beaches, sandy toes, playing in the surf, long grassy meadows, picnics, flip flops - you get the idea. Each family photo session is unique and there's plenty of time for a walk and even a snack break. All of my clients will tell you that I'm pretty chilled out during the shoot and I'm in no hurry to wrap things up - most of the time I have to be gently directed my back to my car or I'd keep on shooting! If Summer is your favourite season, then maybe that's the right time of year for you?
And on to Autumn. The time of crisp mornings, log fires and chunky knits. The colours that nature provides in the Autumn are just incredible. A whole range of yellows, oranges, reds and greens can literally light up the backdrop of your family shoot. This year, I've had some of my favourite Autumn shoots ever. Check out this lot...
Finally we've reached the Winter. It is probably my quietest time as an outdoor photographer in Wales but that's not to say there aren't opportunities out there for the more hardy amongst you. I wouldn't recommend taking VERY young children out for a photo shoot at this time of year, because they need to be bundled up in coats and hats etc and it makes it harder for them to move around and for me to see them properly. Older kids and adults though can still make the most of what Winter has to offer. I love a good snow shoot but the problem then is getting out of the village!
Here's some Winter fave's from me...
So there you have it. We're really lucky in the UK to have such a variety of beautiful natural backdrops throughout the year. There isn't one particular time of year to choose or avoid (oh alright, maybe January!). It all comes down to how you feel. If you're a beach bum like me, then you're going to feel more at home in the warmer months. If Autumn makes you feel all warm and cosy, then start shopping for chunky knits and get booking for September/October. If you love the verve and joy of Spring, then it's time to drop me a line.
What are you waiting for? See you soon! Gem x
