Virtual Bluebell Walk

Back in April I had the absolute pleasure of working with the incredible Heart of England Forest. Their work focuses on conservation and education and so far, they have created 4,000 acres of new woodland. That’s more than 1.8 million trees. The forest is free to visit with plenty of woodland walks to choose from & the charity is always looking for new supporters, so please do check out the link below to find out how you could become a friend of the forest.

https://www.heartofenglandforest.com

With forest schooling and various guided walks having to be postponed or cancelled due to Covid 19, I worked with the incredible team at Heart of England to bring the forest to peoples homes. Check out the virtual bluebell walk below and take some time to just relax and enjoy nature at its very best.

This spectacular display of bluebells is in a beautiful, ancient woodland that we protect within the Heart of England Forest. We open this closed area of the...

Front Gate Portraits

So 2020 hasn’t been the year many of us expected. A global pandemic for months, has stopped us from seeing our loved ones and going about our normal lives. So with all the downtime I wanted to do something positive.

I decided to start Front Gate Portraits to help raise money for the amazing NHS key workers and show my love and gratitude for all that they have been doing to keep us safe. Visiting over 60 families in just 3 weeks we managed to raise over £1300.

It was an incredible experience, meeting so many amazing families. For many it was a reason to put some proper clothes on and do their hair, for others it was the first photographs of their new born baby that they could now share with loved ones. My face ached each day from smiling so much, so thank you to all that took part, here are some of my favourite images.

Getting outside with my new camera!

Just two weeks into my new life as a full time self employed photographer and Its been going better then I could have possibly wished for. Some incredible new clients on board, some brilliant existing clients discussing new projects and all of this at a pace I can control… sounds pretty perfect right?

Well then there’s the admin... I mean, they tell you about the admin… but its not until you’re there and doing it, you realise just how much of this life you spend at a desk rather than with a camera in your hands. Being the salesman, accountant, marketeer and IT support of your own business can feel pretty taxing. So last week, I needed to get out the house and do the thing that I love… take some photos!

I’ve just made the move from my trusty Canon 5D mkiii to the Sony A7iii and I needed to test my new mirrorless setup! So I got my boots on, grabbed my new kit and headed for the woods. In my opinion, the woods are one of the trickiest subjects to shoot. Getting the exposure correct throughout your image is a near impossible task. The dense forrest suffocates most of the daylight, with the occasional beam of light bursting through the branches like a calling from heaven. Theres also so much going on.. too much distraction for the eye to handle, let alone capture in a photograph.

But this trip wasn’t about getting perfect images.. it was about escaping my desk and realising the best part of my new work life, being in control of my own day!

So here’s a selection of photos from that little trip, all shot on my Sony A7iii with a Sigma 14-24mm 2.8.