My crazy 2014

This year has been one of the weirdest of my life so far. I've lived in three countries, in a total of 5 different homes, and gone from being unemployed and learning swedish, to running my own business in the UAE, to say its been unsettled is an understatement. But finally, as I sit down to write my review of the craziness that was 2014, from my pretty little office, in my new little home, with my scruffy dog at my feet, I can look ahead to an exciting, settled, and hopefully very successful 2015. 

But where to start with this year…? 

Well when my husband told me, back in April, that we were moving back to the UAE and that me and my little business would have to support us financially until we were settled, you might think that i'd have been furious, petrified even, but I was actually elated! I was totally confident that my amazing clients would support me and that I would do what ever it took to feed us and our beloved maisy dog… Of course in reality it wasn't quite as dramatic as that, my earnings merely meant us dipping into our savings less and hubby soon had work, but in my mind I was the bread winner and it was motivating. 

*loving the motivational quotes on pinterest 

My quest to become successful this year has motivated me beyond anything I've ever felt before, it inspired me to invest in a business mentor, to face up to my weird and wonderful demons by seeing a hypnotherapist, it motivated me to put myself and my business out there - which is quite a vulnerable place to be I can tell you, but none of this bothered or worried me because all of my focus was on 'becoming successful' (whatever that means). As it turns out putting my self out there led to more clients, forming great business relationships and even working on a shoot for barnardos (A-MAZING). 

Aside from dinkyheart, I finally completed my degree in Psychology (after 7 years of studying), achieving a 2:1, at the beginning of the year I climbed the highest free standing mountain in the world, mount Kilimangaro, aaaand I not only survived, but loved camping at glastonbury festival, mud and all. I didn't quite achieve all of my 2014 resolutions though, I still can't play the Ukelele, unless you count one song as being able to play? And I'm still not fluent in swedish, although I pretty much gave that up when we left.

So this year I have learned that we, as women, as photographers, as people, can pretty much do anything we set our minds to! So I'm not a great Ukelele player but to be honest I never really expected to be, but I am running a business that has potential, and that is exactly what I had envisioned and expected, and even better than that, it's making me happy and fulfilled :)

Sooo whats next for 2015?

I will, of course work on my Uke, travel more (as always), spend more time relaxing with my amazing family, and this time learn Arabic, but my target motivational word for the year will again be success. I'm not sure how to measure success, money doesn't really motivate me, so I guess its more of a personal thing, but I will keep pushing on until I'm there, where ever there maybe! I have already signed up to the FPA shining Lights membership program, which I hope will challenge me and help me grow as a photographer, and I'm looking at different ways to expand my little business :)

So as I get ready to see in the new year I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my friends, family, clients and of course my amazing husband, from the bottom of my heart for your support this year. 

Enjoy the last few hours of 2014 and I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. 

Baby Blue Eyes

This baby girl spent most of the session rolling around mummy and daddies bed whilst we chased her from side to side, she may look like she's calmly posing in the photos but she's seriously fast!

And doesn't she have the most beautiful eyes, piercing blue with amazing long black eye lashes  ♥♥♥

The Secret to magical festive snaps

With so much happening on Christmas day its easy to not give much thought to the pictures you're taking, and quite often, after the big day you find you're disappointed with the results, they don't quite hit the spot, don't quite capture the magical moment that you remember… sound familiar? ... well to help avoid disappointment, here are a few tips to help ensure you capture those all important moments.

Preparation is key

No one wants to spend hours setting up, preparing and posing for family pictures on christmas day so have the prep sorted before hand. Think about outfits, lighting, colours, backgrounds, so that on the day you can snap away. Make sure you understand your camera, work out how to change the ISO, how using a lower aperture will help, and what the rules are for slow shutter speeds and hand held shots… if you're unsure about any of this take a look at this post.

Let there be light

Photos taken with natural light not only look so much more natural than with a flash but also it allows you to be more candid in your approach, therefore capturing genuine expressions rather than lots of 'cheesy' smiles ;) Make sure the curtains are open and you know how to turn off your automatic flash.

Take the family outside

Rather than (or as well as) the cheesy family photograph around the dinner table why not take some nice candid and posed family photos in the garden, or even better during a mid morning walk. The light will be beautiful, everyone will be nice and relaxed and you can capture some genuine festive family time.

Capture those all important details

We spend so much time preparing for Christmas and in a blink of an eye its all over for another year, so make sure you capture those important memories that will all too quickly be forgotten, you know the ones, handmade christmas decorations, letters to santa and everything else that is special to your family. 

Don't Say Cheese

OK so a few posed pictures on Christmas day are fine but try not to annoy the whole family by getting them to pose and say cheese constantly, some of the most beautiful pictures are the ones that no one knows you're taking. Tell the family to ignore the camera and then capture the magic.

I hope these tips have been helpful and you 

manage to get some fabulous festive shots. 

Have a very merry Christmas,

Lianne xox

Oliver

I love this session because it absolutely highlights what a dinkyheart family photo session is all about and why I love what I do.

Oliver's mummy had warned me that Oliver can be quite shy around new people, so I'd prepared myself for quite a slow session, getting to know him before taking any pictures etc etc, but I'd totally under estimated the power of talking about the gruffalo and my trusty bubble machine, because within 5 minutes we were firm friends and he was having a ball. Mummy and daddy played, ran, jumped and chased Oliver, and he had a super time, totally unfazed by the camera. 

This is the key difference between a studio photo session and a lifestyle shoot, Oliver wasn't focused on me, the camera, or an unusual situation, but on having fun with his parents in the park, and this is why a lifestyle photo session is especially suited to a child who is a little shy. 

As it turns out Oliver is a funny, cheeky, confident little boy and was an absolute joy to photograph :)