Gary Maxwell Portrait Photographer

Thank god it's Saturday!

2009-09-20T11:24:00.001+01:00

For most of you your working week ends on a Friday. You have two full days to go and enjoy yourselves. If you are teens, according to the the papers, you will getting drunk and beating up old people. If you are 20 to 50, according to the same papers, you will be neglecting your family and getting drunk. The 50’s are also getting drunk and terrorising anybody in a hoodie! Us photographers have to work.

Today in studio has been a good day. For a start, everybody turned up. No swine flu. Not one mention of the credit crunch or global warming! Just families, babies and ladies.

Since I re modelled my web-site I am having customers asking to be included in the galleries… Great.

In this blog are a couple of pictures of one such session. And shows a mother and child who came in on my Cherub Sessions. This was a pre - cherubs session which is based on white clothing. The inclusion of black tops on the parents is also giving some good results. (see my previous blogs)

Sunday tomorrow … my day off!!

Enjoy the images

Byte Size

2009-09-18T16:19:00.001+01:00

They say – DO NOT WORK WITH CHILDREN OR ANIMALS - well guess what. I do! I did work for the guide dogs for a good ten years and learnt a lot about how to handle and understand dogs. A trip to Crufts will show you how much people like and have time for their babies!

Over the past two weeks I have had a few such doggy portraits in studio. It is my policy to only have one pet session on any one day, else it is unfair on the second session. I also like where possible to involve the owner. This helps put the pet at ease

as the studio can appear a foreign environment to them .

If you bring your pet to me follow these words of advise as well as the others mentioned. DO bring treats BUT keep them till needed. Before coming into studio do walk them around a little a little (not recommended for goldfish!). DONOT over exercise your pet. Bring their favourite toy.

If a cat owner, make sure you bring a bell to put on its collar. That way we will be able to hear where it is when it hides in the dark areas of the studio.

Oh yes, before I forget. In my time in studio I have only been bitten five times… that was all by the same dog!! What a session. The owner bought well by the way… he had too!!

Great Expectations - da bump

2009-09-18T10:24:00.000+01:00

As you know by now, I have great passion for my portraiture. My sales technique is based on having a good product and making the experience as enjoyable as possible for my clients. What they put in they get out. Good work sells itself. I cannot and will not pressure sell… with great portraits I don’t need to… and people come back.

A more recent addition to my repertoire is or are maternity based shots. Although in it’s basic form I have now put on line http://www.frombump2baby.com/ This is very much aimed at the mum or couple that want to enjoy the pregnancy and then to get some classic images of the new born. The package also brings on born my Cherubs baby scheme.

Only last night I was doing one such shoot with a great couple. She was very proud to be a mum and wanted to capture it. She was also lucky in so far as generally keeping her figure (other than the obvious) and looked like she had stuck a ball up her jumper!

This sort of portraiture can range from being reserved and wearing nice maternity style clothing, showing the outline of the bump rather than flesh, right through to a nude or implied nude set. I favour implied rather than full on as pregnancy should be loving empathetic rather than sexy.

When coming to one such shoot bring clothing that will look the part. If you are keeping it simple try to avoid frumpy. If you want a more semi style bring clothing and underwear that looks good. Baby doll tops are brilliant. Keep pants none see-thru. If you have no shame, still bring both sets of clothing but remember strap marks!

In general when you get your confidence, like I find with my Makeover clients, you will get a little more adventurous - be warned

Always where possible bring your partner and sometimes slightly elder siblings can lead to good bump family portraiture. My site shows a sister kissing mum's bump ... how sweet

Keeping looking at the website and I will be introducing a few packages to suit all tastes.

Portraits are a waste of money!

2009-09-17T15:54:00.000+01:00

I have been a portrait and wedding photographer for the best part of 28 years now. I have had many a conversation on why you as an individual should have portraits taken on a regular basis. FACT:- the average middle American family go to a professional studio once every four years. (The average American means middle class, not just the ones who live in Denver!). I regularly get clients who are involving themselves in a portrait session with their son or daughter who has just graduated, often for the first time since the offspring were babies. Countless times they come in looking at the family portraits that adorn my walls stating “shame we did not do that”. Yes it is a shame.

Life is full of other things to do. Always has been. New car… new bedroom furniture… got to spend a fortune on the wedding …. Need a new dress … you get the message. Memories however seem to take a back seat.

Ahh but we have digital cameras now I hear you say… true…. How many of your images actually make it to print? How many get framed properly. In recent years we now at a point where their never have been so many images taken. At the same time we are at a point where the fewest images are printed. In years to come most of the digital images taken today will not exist! Except those taken by professionals. You have paid to have these taken. They are in print (normally). They will be around 100yrs from now. (Well most of them… a few wedding ones will get destroyed!!)

Coming into the studio of a professional portrait photographer should not only be a pleasure, it should be looked on as an investment in your family’s history. You don’t need to go mad… a few prints will do but do something with them. Wall portraits are great in so far as they will be around and enjoyed for years. I always think that a good portrait will have a wall life of 10 years or more.. not bad for £200.00.. some of your cars will not see that date!

It’s easy for me to say but no portraits are far from being a waste of money. The family in this blog love their portraiture... I love these type of customers.

Little Miss Model

2009-09-16T18:45:00.002+01:00

I have been doing makeover photography for over 15 years now. In that time I must have seen over 1000 customers go through my studio's. Most of them have been aged 18 years and over. Some as young as 16yrs. In more recent timesI have had requests for makeovers with girls as young 13 and 14. they are great fun. It is nice to see how this age group can bring in outfits that are bang up to date. Frightening in fact.

I have now decided to pander a little more to this age group and to bring into my Fresh portfolio "Little Miss Model" this is aimed at any girl aged from 9 to 16yrs. Images will be taken in accordance with age and based around a fashion shoot similar to Next or Monsoon. Makeup will only be provided from 11yrs onwards. A parent or guardian will be present at all times.

This will be an ideal gift for Christmas or birthdays. Also a great idea to stop tantrums if an elder sister has been in for a Fresh session.

For more deatails contact me on 01926 885755 or e-mail me from my main site.

Here are a few images purchased from a recent session. Her mum said that the young lady hasn't stop talking about it. they are thinking of coming in for a family portrait session. i must have done something right. Customers coming back to you always gives a nice feeling.

I have left this post open for comments. Thank you

Lead by example

2009-09-16T09:38:00.006+01:00

Funny, I have just noticed that two of my first three blogs have involved babies! Well here goes another one. In my business I photograph a lot of babies. The saying "Don't work with animals or babies" is something I have missed. In fact they are great fun! However the sooner you can get them into studio the better. Many will wait until they are smiling but miss out on all the images that can be got from the very young.

As a photographer I belong to the professional body called The Master Photographers Association. We for the past seventeen years have a scheme for photographing the first year of your baby called "Cherubs". If you are in my area contact me. If you are outside my area contact the MPA for your local photographer. With the very young babies (14 weeks or under) I recommend that parents involve themselves in some of the portrait sessions. Obviously when they are very young there is only son much that can be done. Involve the parents and many more shots come into play. Many of you are reluctant to involve yourselves, but believe me, many of my customers are grateful for my insistence. Family portraits at this stage can be very loving and full of empathy.

In recent sessions I have started to use Black as well as white for my setting. With a stripped down to nappy baby this can work wonderfully. It also gives variety and therefore choice to a portrait sessions

The involvement of elder siblings is also recommended. I had one session that also involved the Childs grand parents! Three generations! When it comes to baby portraits, where possible, involve yourselves... lead by example.

The Eyes Have It

2009-09-15T19:13:00.001+01:00

It is amasing how often in studio that parents can get anxsious over whether or not their little bundle of joy is smiling or not.

This normally comes just after they have told you that they would like a natural look to their images ... you know... "nothing posed"! They then leap around like CeeBeeTv presenters trying to get the smile that junior does not want to give.

I love it when they come back to view the images and hear the ooh's and aah's as they see those soul full eyes staring back at them.

It is expressions that I like to photograph... a smile is one of many. I like watching the in-store photographers that miss so many expressions whilst trying to get that elusive smile.

Join me on my Cherubs scheme to see how to photograph small children. A child will do what it wants... the art is to get it to do what you want as it does what it wants. Any good expression comes from the eyes.

The eyes have it ... naturally

If you go down to the woods today

2009-09-15T15:39:00.000+01:00

Two of my favorite photographic disciplines are Makeover and Fashion. It was great to combined them both when on a recent shoot with Sarah Horne, a local florist in Leamington Spa.

We have been working extensively on her new Floral Art book. The ladies will like it, if only because it has a male nude as it's theme!!.

During one of the many shoots I spoke about my love of fantasy and a desire to emulate some of the Victorian scenes involving fairies (don't ask)! Anyway this got Sarah thinking and she came up with this outfit. Kayleigh, a young budding model, came to me for some makeover style pictures and with her elfin looks was ideal for the image we wanted to produce. Kayleigh has also made it into a chapter of the book! ... helps to balance up the otherwise male dominance. . ha.

When the book is published I will show more images of the shoots. .... promise.

Blogging .. a first time for everything

2009-09-15T14:54:00.000+01:00

Well here we go... my first attempt at blogging! Do I tell you what I've had for breakfast?! or that I am off the the little room?! Hate that in blogs and twitter. No, I hope to lay out some images and talk a little on what "Rocks my Boat".

I have been a Portrait Photographer for over 25 years now and have seen fashions come and go.

I remember a time when my customers wanted floral frames!! I learnt how to use light and shadow to invoke feeling and character into a portrait. Now days it is a case of blasting the subject with as much light as possible to lose any shadow detail. Certain high street stores will even make you look like the Simpson's by ignoring skin tones! I laugh to myself when some of their customers suddenly see this some £3000.00 later.