November - Nell The Diva Dog!

I recently took some further head shots of Jake and we thought it would be fun to bring Nell along and give her a studio session. Well folks this must the world's first Diva Dog; we all had so much fun with the session, which will become apparent when you see the slideshow. To give you an insight into the wacky world of photographers, I was barking and howling to get her to 'sing' with me and tilt her head, and something that got her running around the studio was squirrels; not actual squirrels I hasten to add just the mere mention of them. The finale was the glasses as suggested by Mandi her owner; we both think she looks like Uncle Bulgaria from the Wombles.

Anyway enjoy the slideshow, this session had me splitting my sides.

Claire

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW

November - Family Fun at East Court, East Grinstead

Good Morning,

I have added a new taster slideshow to my Studio and Locations slideshow page called Vicky's Family Fun Day out!

We all had great fun during the shoot and enjoyed the beautiful Autumn colours at the same time. I think we are so lucky to have the seasons and for photographers they create such a varied range of looks throughout the year. I use East Court a lot as is has lots of great photographic ingredients and with its look changing so much during the seasons, I never tire of going there.

Have a lovely day and I hope you enjoy the slideshow.

Claire

October - Project i phone

I love the cameras that I use for my professional photography and I am a Nikon D700 full frame user. My cameras are brilliant in low light and they are wonderful pieces of kit and enable me to become even more creative in low light. I recently had a few days off and was going to take one of my Nikons with me; but then a thought struck me; what would happen if I was stripped of everything and went right back to basics, how would my training and skill set cope? It was then that I set myself a challenge, and for me stretching myself photographically really helps me to continue to find new ideas and ways of taking an image. So for this challenge I took it back about as far as back to basics would go; the gear I took was an i phone, an app, a pair of sunglasses and a bonus thrown in by the hire car company…tinted windows!

Once I laid down the gauntlet to myself I wondered how the whole thing would go, but I really enjoyed the challenge and yes the kit had real limitations but I enjoyed finding ways to overcome them to achieve the results I had in my head. I call this project i phone and when I look at the images it made me think that a great camera is only as great as its owner, but a basic camera can be great because of its owner; and just owning the biggest and best camera in the world will not guarantee wonderful images. It is the skill of the photographer combined with great equipment that really makes for the best team.

I loved doing project i phone, for me it was very stretching and thought provoking. It has made me appreciate my lovely cameras and equipment even more but at the same time I see my little i phone in a different light now because in the right hands it too can achieve lovely images albeit a little restricted!

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL PROJECT I PHONE SLIDESHOW

October - Photo Noir with Ruby Sue

This is a Photo Noir session with the delectable Ruby Sue and I hope you all agree she is absolutely gorgeous. I am photographing Ruby Sue's Parents' wedding next year and this is the first of Ruby's studio sessions, she will be so comfortable in front of the camera by the time Mum and Dad get married. Mum and Dad are also having their pre-wedding shoot sometime in the Spring, so don't worry they will not be left out of the proceedings!

I do love Photo Noir it is such a classical look and they make such beautiful timeless prints.

As usual there is the DVD slideshow and a couple of images to look at.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

October - Hello

Good afternoon everyone,

I have been a little remiss with by blogging this month. Apologies for that and I have some images that will be going up in the next few days including project i phone, which I know some of you will have already seen on my personal facebook page and it will feature here too.

Happy October and enjoy the Autumn colours.

Claire

September - Photo Noir Promotion for October

I really love low key lighting and just in time for Christmas I am running two photo noir days on Sunday 24^th and Sunday 31^st October. This is beautiful, timeless photography that you will treasure forever.

The session fee is £40.00 and comes with a free 7 x 5 inch print.

Sessions are on a first come first served basis,; when they are gone they are gone.

The two dates are dedicated to photo noir and I would love to see you so come on folks give me a call and let’s create some beautiful classics!

Claire

September - Jake

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

Had a busy weekend in the studion and on location. In the afternoon Jake came over for some updated headshots that he needed for his acting work. Once we finished those it was off outside to try something a little different; we dodged the rain and embraced the rain and here are a couple of shots from the session along with the usual slideshow.

September - Jane and Graham East Court, East Grinstead

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

Had a great pre-wedding shoot on Saturday with Jane and Graham despite the rain. We still managed to laugh our way through the shoot. They were holding a 999 day at the venue so it was a case of dodging the various emergency vehicles so as not to have them in the backdrop! Jane and I had to work really hard in keeping Graham away from the hot dog stand, and I think we did rather well.

Here is a completely whacky image from the session and I think this proves that rain can be fun too. The blobs of light are all part of the image; they were the raindrops with the light reflecting through them and very little post production done to this image. As usual there is a dvd slideshow showing a selection from the session.

September - Max and Millie

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

Well Max is now four months old and he has grown into the most bonny little boy. He has a gorgeous smile with dimples in his cheeks, he was delectable!

I have just purchased a Highlite and for those of you who have been following my facebook page will know how much fun we had trying to fold it up!! For this session I used the Highlite in order to create a high key look and this was its first outing. I decided to use high key as I thought this would be most suitable for Max at his current age. Once he is sitting up I plan to use a mid or low key look for one of his sessions. This was also a very important session for another reason, little Millie has now started school and I cannot believe how time flies, when Becs and Colin first booked me for their wedding she was not even two! I have seen an image of her in school uniform; what a grown up girl she is.

As usual I have included a couple of images and click on the link above to see a DVD slideshow.

September - Everdon Church Flower Festival

On Sunday I attended a get together with Everdon Village to present an album and DVD Slideshow to the florists responsible for the magnificent Everdon Flower Festival held on 5th December last year; it was also in celebration of Advent. The theme was pantomime. Sets were created for each pantomime and they were magnificent. It was the thought that went into each set to create the theme using a mixture of flowers and props, and of course Everdon Church was the ideal building to add atmosphere to the whole thing.

On arrival we were given a leaflet detailing each theme with an explanation and we were advised on the ideal route to view the sets. I walked around first of all to take in the themes and then commenced the photography in a slightly more random order so I could approach the themes without too many people in them.

All proceeds go to the renovation of Everdon Church, and I think it was such a lovely thing for the florists to do as the work they put in was clear to see in what they achieved. There was also a huge range of homemade cakes for sale and I really enjoyed a slice of choccy cake with a nice cup of tea.

The flower festival will be on again this year at the same time and it has a small feature in the Daily Telegraph ‘What’s On’ section. We are hoping to change that this year with more editorial and imagery, so watch this space to see if we are successful.

The ladies are underway with the planning and it will be full on from now until the grand opening; and knowing how much hard work goes into their creations, I would not blame them for having a holiday afterwards.

So all I can say is go for it ladies and wow me again, and I have every confidence you can.

Everdon Flower Festival, Everdon Church, Northamptonshire

Just a little update by Claire Hill

August - Natalie and Jamie Yew Lodge East Grinstead

It was a real pleasure to photograph the wedding of Natalie and Jamie; the service and reception were both held at glorious Yew Lodge. The building is really beautiful inside and out, and if that was not enough the grounds are magnificent. I was a little worried that we would not get outside and it was a bit hit and miss but in the end the weather was kind and we managed some photography in the woods. Natalie was really pleased as she was able to have some pictures under the Yew Tree, which is about 500 years old...wow.

Here a few images and a taster DVD Slideshow to whet your appetite. Natalie and Jamie are honeymooning in St Lucia, so really enjoy yourselves and make sure you have a cocktail with a cherry in it for me!!

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

August - New Article

I have published a new article in my Facebook Fanpage called questions to ask a potential photographer.

If you click on the facebook link to the right of this page it can be found in the notes.

I hope you find it informative and have a great week everyone and for me it will involve lots of post production so watch this space for more imagery!

August - New Article

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and just to let you know my latest article has been published on my facebook page. If you want to have a read just click on the facebook link to the right of this page and I hope you find it informative.

August - Lizzie and Tom Dale Hill Hotel and Golf Club

Had a lovely fun filled day at Lizzie and Tom's wedding last week. They are currently having the most wonderful Honeymoon in Las Vegas and Hawaii. We started the day at the Dale Hill Hotel and Golf Club, full of excitement with the preparations; it was then off to St Mark's Church in Tunbridge Wells and as you can see it is a magnificent building. Lizzie and Tom arranged for sandwiches and champagne to be served after the service and during the group shots and I think this was very well received by everyone! It was then back to Dale Hill for the reception with fun and frolics on the golf buggies.. Wow what views the golf club has. Thank you once again to James and the team at Dale Hill for being brilliant, as you know I always love photographing there and I hope to see you all again soon. Lizzie and Tom have a relaxing time and looking forward to seeing you when you get back.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

August - New Article

Hello Again,

The start of a new week; just to let you know I have published a new article on my Facebook Fanpage 'The Wedding Day - The Groom'. If you would like to read it just follow the link at the bottom right hand side of my blog.

Have a great week.

Claire

August - Welcome to a new month

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to August, the time of holidays and weddings so to all my fellow photographers out there, I hope the month is a good one and the weather is kind to us all.

I have published an article on my Facebook Fanpage; this item is called 'The Wedding Day - Bridal Preparations'. If you want to have a look just click on the link from my blog and it can be found in notes.

Have a fabulous month and whatever you are doing, have fun!

Claire

July - Facebook Fanpage

Hello Everyone,

I have a Facebook Fanpage that I have, to date used mainly to post images and DVD slideshows. I thought it would be a more interesting place to visit if I posted more articles, tips and advice so it will resemble an on-line publication related to my business and the photography that I specialise in; and at the same time be of use to my followers.

On my blog you will see a link to the fanpage Woodland Hill Photography, so please feel free to visit; if you become a fan I would love it and if you want to just have a look now and again I would also love it. The benefit of becoming a fan is the posts will pop up on your facebook page automatically, so you will be able to keep up to date with new items as soon as they are posted by me.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and find the information useful. My first article 'A Day in the Life of a Wedding Photographer' has already been published.

Many thanks and I look forward to seeing more of you there.

Claire

July - Natalie and Jamie Yew Lodge, East Grinstead

Had a great time with Natalie and Jamie at their pre-wedding shoot last week. The grounds of Yew Lodge are beautiful and we found some really lovely spots to use. Here is a DVD
Slideshow showing some of the images from the session. Looking forward to August you two!

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

July - From Peanut to Eva

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DVD SLIDESHOW

I had the privilege of photographing Baby Eva as part of my Bump to One Year project yesterday. Here are some images from the session with a DVD Slideshow. She was gorgeous and her hair is so lovely for one so young. Eva is 1 month now, so her next session will be at four months. As usual I set myself limits and this time the session took place in the studio; it was a low key setting and I used one studio light with softbox and one fill light. The lights were not moved during the session; with little ones you just need to capture the moment!

July - Gemma and Peanut

Gemma is part of my bump to one year project and here are some images of her when she was still pregnant with Peanut. Peanut is now the lovely Eva and I had the great pleasure of photographing her today with Gemma; she is gorgeous with beautiful luscious hair. When I photographed Gemma, I set myself the goal of using natural light, one studio light with softbox and a torch in Gemma's home to see what I could come up with. I will post some images of Eva with a DVD Slideshow tomorrow.

July

Welcome to July! It has been a really busy June for me and I still have a few things to put on my blog, so hopefully you will see these popping up during the course of the month. I had an extremely interesting day at the MPA South East Region seminar and regional awards yesterday. Desi Fontaine gave a wonderful talk on her work and career. She also explained in more detail the judging process for the competitions, which for me was very interesting.

I have only just joined the MPA and I am currently preparing for my DiP PP and Licentiate with them. Only qualified members of the association are permitted to enter competitions, so I had the wonderful opportunity to assist Desi and Claire Louise with the admin during the judging process. For me this was an absolute honour and a wonderful insight into the whole process; and at the same time to see such a vast array of brilliant photography. I kept saying to myself how lucky am I!!

I am raring to go this morning!!

Enjoy July and let's hope the glorious weather continues.

Claire

June - Lana and Mike Pre-Wedding Shoot Lingfield Park

Had great fun with Lana and Mike on their pre-wedding shoot at Lingfield Racecourse. They were having a grand opening when we went there, and Dame Judi Dench no less was guest of honour!

The Marriott Hotel is spectacular as you can see from the images, so it goes without saying that I am looking forward to Lana and Mike's wedding.

See you soon you two and here is a taster DVD to watch.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

CLICK ON LINK TO SEE DVD SLIDESHOW

Had a great time at Liz and Tom's Pre-wedding shoot last night. Here are some of the images and a taster DVD Slideshow will be uploaded later.

June - Off Camera Flash Day!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DVD SLIDESHOW

Had an off-camera flash day today and here are a couple of the results. I have loads to go through and will make a DVD slideshow later but all in all I am loving the drama of it all!!

June - Sarah and Vic Worth and East Court, East Grinstead

Welcome to June, how the year is flying by I cannot quite believe we are nearly at the longest day already!!

Here is a very small taster DVD slideshow and some images from Sarah and Vic's recent wedding. What a beautiful hot Summer's day, then it felt like Winter again a couple of days later.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DVD SLIDESHOW

May - Qualifications

I have just found out that I have passed my Licentiate with the SWPP, so I am now Claire Hill LSWPP!!

I am very pleased with this and it is good to be able to say I am a qualified photographer of the SWPP.

May - Bluebells at Wakehurst Place

I visited Wakehurst Place yesterday and the Blubells were just magnificent. The weather was a bit hit and miss though! The Millenium Seed Bank was very informative and the work they do there is amazing.

Here is an alternative view of Bluebells and I will post some more conventional ones later.