Christmas At Home

I've been really looking forward to putting this shoot up on the blog!  I know all the decorations have returned to their boxes and the last tree needles have been swept away, but I just wanted to suspend the magic for a little while longer with a gorgeous family shoot I did just before Christmas.  I'm a real Christmas person, always have been.  I have Christmas rushes  - they appear, out of the blue, and it can happen anytime of the year.  So, to say I was excited about this shoot is an understatement!  It was perfect - Harry and Jemima dressing the tree with ornate decorations, opening presents and reading Christmas stories.  Then to the kitchen, to make and decorate Christmas treats.  Harry, in Great British Bake Off mode, was the master of the mixer and clouds of icing sugar filled the air.  The finale of the shoot ended with fireworks - well, indoor sparklers,  and I went home to wrap my presents well and truly full of Christmas!


This is the second shoot in my seasonal package with the family.  We are now planning a spring shoot in the woods and a summer shoot by the seaside!

New Beginnings, Family Photos and Reminiscing.

I've just spent a couple of days in the Dales at my parents' house, enjoying Mum's homecooked food and walks around Grassington.  It's been good to have a bit of time to reflect and to think about the coming year.  I'm really excited about new beginnings in 2012 with the launch of Sarah Mason Photography, lots of lovely weddings and photographing families through the seasons. 


Over the past couple of days, we've been reminiscing and looking back at our old family photographs that Mum and Dad keep in an old Quality Street tin.  It brought back a lot of childhood memories of family holidays, summer picnics by the river and building igloos in the depths of winter.  But the majority of the photographs taken of me and my sister, Katy, are in the woods.

My Dad's a lumberjack - he's worked outdoors since he was 16.  At this point in my ramblings, I'd just like to point out that he has planted many more trees than he has felled! 

Dad getting a little bit of tractor help from my Grandad.

My love of the great outdoors has definitely been inherited from Dad.  In the summer holidays, me and Katy would often go and join him in the woods for the day.  We'd help by dragging the brash to the fire and collecting smaller twigs for kindling to take home.

 

Mum would have packed us potatoes in foil to put in the fire and we'd smother them in butter and salt and eat them for lunch.  For the rest of the time, we'd build dens, climb trees and depending on the season, Dad would take us foraging and we'd take a stash of blackberries, hazelnuts and sloe berries home.  We didn't sample the fruits of our labour on the latter for a few more years to come though!

 

  Me and Mum

A love of  the great outdoors and adventure, sprinkled with the magic of nature and the seasons are the qualities I want to achieve in my portrait photographs. 
I'm now planning going 'back to work' with my Dad to take a series of new images before he retires next year.  Bring on those fire baked potatoes!!

Anna and Jonny - an autumn engagement shoot

What a day we picked for Anna & Jonny's engagement shoot.  Being out and about in the countryside on such a beautiful day certainly set the mood.  Our adventure took us over moor, through woodland, by water, and standing in a crop field!  I think they both thought I was a bit bonkers when we pulled up by the edge of the field but I'm so pleased they went with it as we're all really happy with the images!  They're a fantastic couple and I've really enjoyed getting to know them both over the past few months.  Plus, everytime I pop round, Anna's Mum Carol has baked a new cake for us all to try out - perks of the job!  I'm really looking forward to being a part of the wedding next August in the contemporary surroundings of The Hepworth.  Enjoy the rest of the preparations you two!

Nicky and Ben

I've had some lovely engagement shoots over the past few weeks.  They are a great way for my future wedding couple and me to get to know each other and to have a bit of fun!  Nicky and Ben's shoot back in October was no exception.  We had been emailing quite a bit prior to the shoot about the usual things, location, what to wear etc. and then when I suggested the 15th October for the shoot Nicky wrote straight back to tell me this is the exact date Ben asked her out 7 years ago!  Nicky's Mum and Dad live in beautiful Soyland so we decided to take a walk around the area for the shoot.  Nicky's Mum, Ann joined us and quickly became chief balloon holder and we all ambled down to Millbank woods.  It was so peaceful and the sun was shining through the branches, I love working in this light.  It was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours on a sunny Saturday morning and here's looking forward to the wedding next year!