Dog fun in South Parks - event photography, Oxford

My favourite from the day

Comedian Miranda Hart was in Oxford today as part of her Comic Relief 'Five Challenges', her task for the day to find some beautiful beasts in the city for a dog show on the Beeb tonight.  With hound, daughter and camera, I pitched up and took a few snaps; here are a few of my favourites.

Woof!

Contestants checking the paperwork whilst their 'lookalike' hounds look on

A contestant from the 'dogs that look like their owners' category

Successful candidate phoning home

Looking dapper

'Smile!' - typical doggie photo

Obviously been interviewed on telly before - look at the posture!

Patient waiting

Beautiful colours

And the other side of dog glory - my Ses, responding to not being chosen to compete in any category

Oxford photographer

Summer nostalgia - toddler portrait session, Shotover

When the Bee was just 22 months, and the sun was high and hot in the sky (photographic proof makes up for memory fail), we hit Shotover for a day lazing on a blanket under a solitary and well-climbed Oak.  In the company of our trusty and over-heated hound and our good friend Keith, we shared a picnic, picked the occasional berry, and listened to the calls of the Red Kites and buzzing of little planes overhead. 

Keith is one of the Bee's favourite people; they have a really lovely relationship, which I put partly down to his ability to be very much in the present moment with her whenever they meet, interested in everything she shows him, exploring the world with her as if for the first time.  I wanted to capture something of this relationship in photographs, as well as being keenly aware of my little daughter's fast-paced toddle towards two years. 

Below are some favourites, taken again with my lovely Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and D7000.  They already make me feel nostalgic, both for the cloudless deep blue sky and long afternoons, and for my little one-year-old (now my great big two-year-old).  They are also a good example of the type and range of different shots I like to offer portrait clients from a one-hour shoot, including the couple of surroundings atmosphere shots at the end.

Enjoy and happy half-term* :)


*if you're wondering what to do with your kids/parents over the half-term break, why not book a family shoot?  They're great fun, and like all my clients, you'll love the results.  Book now by emailing me to make sure you get a half-term slot.

Thoughtful under the tree

Evidence of enthusiastic berry consumption

The photographer's daughter

Hair clip adjustment (a favourite of mine)

Cuddle!

My brown-eyed girl

In search of berries

Sharing a snack

Banana in the sun

Banana in the sand

Hope

Hot dog

Split down the middle

Summer love

Oxford portrait photography
Child portrait photographer Oxford
Toddler portrait photographer Oxford
Baby photographer Oxford

More of a dog's life - portraits with my 50mm f/1.8 prime lens

I recently got my hands on a beautiful Nikon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens ('prime' means of fixed focal length, i.e. 50mm, as opposed to a zoom lens), and I've had lots of fun playing with it over the past two days.  The brilliant thing about this lens, and others like it, is its wide maximum aperture (f/1.8), meanings it is brilliant in low light conditions (it allows sufficient exposure with a very fast shutter speed), and you can get really cool photos with a really shallow depth of field (check out some examples here).

I love this effect, especially in portraits, so getting this lens is exciting - and what's more, it cost just over £100, which is cheap for a good lens.

Last night I shared a bottle of wine with a friend, hedgehog expert and photographer Hugh.  It was great to spend a few hours looking at each others' photos, discussing kit and our various attempts make a living from photography, and it reminded me of why I love photography, and left me itching to play portraits with my 50mm prime (Hugh showed me some lovely portraits done with his 50mm f/1.4).  So, this afternoon, Ses the dog napped as usual on the sofa, and I took a set of portraits - from time to time, she opened one eye to see if I was still bothering her, sighed and closed it again.  Below are some Sesi pics - I'm really pleased with how they came out - and the lens allowed me to do exactly what I wanted to do.  I also took a set of portraits of Maya, as well as a bizarre set of photos of moss at sunset, and will share these shortly.  Thanks for the chat, Hugh :).

http://www.mimsaxl.com