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During the first week of the new year, I was asked to photograph a series of scarves for Ladycrow Silks. We had a very enjoyable photo-shoot with model Nadia, and I would love to see Gail and Mike back again. The scarves themselves were very vibrant, and I was interested to learn the creative process involved in making the scarves. Please visit the Ladycrow Silks website to view more lovely scarves and products!

Last year we had the pleasure of a portrait session with the Kerr family. This family were so lovely, I felt as though I really got to know them during the session which always helps with portraying their personalities. They also brought a few different outfits which is great for mixing up your session, along with trying different backgrounds. Here are just a couple of images from their studio session.

Back in November we had a quick photo shoot for Dundee band The Law. The boys were a great laugh and really easy to work with. They had a clear idea of what kind of shots they were looking for, and were up for trying a few interesting looks and ideas. The Law are currently gearing up for their promotional tour and release of their new album "Trigger" in February.

We were very pleased when the Evening Telegraph ran a feature on our studio in December 2011. Since the feature appeared in the paper, we have had many lovely comments and messages about it, along with many more new clients for Boudoir sessions. You can read the article here:

I really enjoyed this session with the Robertson family - Faith and Brandon were so well behaved! Brandon was a little superstar with a huge array of poses and expressions just waiting to be captured, and he was like a professional model changing his pose every time I pressed the shutter! I could barely keep up with him, he was adorable. 10-month old Faith was just gorgeous and so patient, she made it through the whole hour session without any tears! Mum Teresa stepped in for a few shots too, and I was really pleased with the results of the session. Thanks again to the Robertson family, I hope to have you back again soon!

Here at the studio, we do a lot of Boudoir sessions and I never tire of them. Understandably, most clients prefer to keep their photos private, which means we can't always share images from our Boudoir shoots on this website or blog. Ocassionally I will work with a suitable model to produce new images for sample albums and website use, ensuring our enquiring clients have regularly updated images to look through and gain ideas and inspiration from. Most recently I worked with Kirsty Reid, a gorgeous model from Fraserburgh, to produce a new set of Boudoir images. We had a great shoot, Kirsty is lovely and I'm very happy with the images.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working withTaisir Gibreel and her amazing scarves. Taisir was looking for catalogue-style images for her new website along with a few close-up detail shots of her signature silk scarves. The scarves were of a very high quality with lovely bold designs and strong colours - definitely an amazing way of brightening up an outfit, and Taisir herself was that wonderful mix of approachable, chatty and very professional. I have to admit I was really impressed with Taisir and her work, and I am positive we will be seeing a lot more of her in the future!

Again this shoot really marked the passing of time for me - it certainly doesn't feel like nearly 15 months have passed since our Guthrie Castle photo-shoot! This time around we went to Tentsmuir Beach to photograph Glitzy Angel's latest range of summer clothing. Our lovely models Elaine Ford and Julie Renwick braved the harsh sun and typically Scottish unrelenting high winds to model the bikinis and dresses, with Nadia Ramage and Danielle Fyvie providing the hair and make-up styling. It was a great day, giving me the opportunity to stretch my legs and peek my head out of the studio for a while! Many thanks to everyone involved, especially Gemma and Chris from Glitzy Angel for popping in with a bottle of wine!

How quickly time flies! It didn't seem as though a full year had passed when I was approached by Mcintyres Salons to photograph their entries for the Wella Trend Vision 2011 competition. Last year was great fun and I was thrilled to be asked back for the 2011 entries, wondering how the entrants could possibly better what they did last year. I'm happy to say that 5 stylists from Mcintyre's were finalists, with Sammy going on to win a place as Scottish finalist! I'd like to say a big congratulations to Sammy and the regional finalists and of course I'd like to extend my thanks to all entrants. Here are the 5 images from the regional finalists:

Stylist: Samantha Galloway

Stylist: Ally Deacon



Stylist: Annette Linn



Stylist: Lisa Findlay



Stylist: Michael Howie

These 2 adorable kids came down to the studio for a secret photography session as a gift for their mothers upcoming birthday - with a little help from their father Fraser. Grace and Sam were just full of beans and coped very well with the session - they even managed to keep it secret right up until mum's birthday! Thank you all for a great session, I'd love to see you again sometime!

The Branney family popped down to the studio for a nice and relaxed family photo session, which was booked to celebrate Joan's Birthday. I really enjoy seeing families having a great time here, and the Branneys really were a pleasure to work with - they weren't afraid to laugh, get a little bit silly or be themselves. They even left some lovely feedback on my website which always makes my day! Thank you to the Branneys and I'd love to see you all again soon.

By curious coincidence, Lauren and I stumbled upon each other at roughly the same time. I was looking for some new faces to work with on some projects, and I happened upon Lauren's profile on Facebook. After a few messages, we were swapping ideas for upcoming shoots and trying to pin down a date for our first shoot. I had been interested in working on something different, challenging myself with some new lighting techniques and image processing along with a darker edge to the styling and overall look. As with most new models, it's difficult to tell which type of modelling and styling they will prefer or be more adept at, however I knew that Lauren's naturally dark and mysterious look would work well for the ideas I had in mind.

Having reflected upon various model sessions from the last year, I realised that I had a tendency to throw a session together at short notice, paying little attention to the ideas and styling behind a shoot and just focusing on new images, or practicing lighting techniques. Sometimes the best images come from an unplanned session however I felt as though I was becoming sloppy - this had to be remedied!

Thanks to my latest gadget, the Apple iPad, I lounged on the sofa at home during the evenings and scoured the internet for inspirational images - images I then passed on to Lauren and Danielle Fyvie, a make-up and hair stylist I plucked from Dundee College. I realised that even a little research goes a long way, as we all started to relay our ideas and come up with a plan! I know this is not ground-breaking news, I just needed to show myself that sitting down and putting a little effort into planning a shoot can really help the flow of ideas instead of my usual "we can wing-it" approach to model photo-shoots.

Fast forward to the day of our session - what a day we had! I was impressed by Dani's approach to hair and make-up styling, and her initiative when she used everyday craft materials to produce a striking make-up look. Lauren had a great studio presence and a natural talent for modelling too, and brought some really amazing outfits. I tried hard to push myself into refining my lighting to create different effects and moods, continually trying and changing things until I was happy with the look. In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn't leave the studio until 10.30pm! We finished the day feeling tired but very content with the days' work. Here is a small selection of images from the shoot:

I had the pleasure of producing some photographs for Annabelle Miller, a graduate fashion and textiles designer from Dundee University. Annabelle took inspiration from the Victorian era along with modern architecture and created strong shapes with delicate frills. Annabelle kept the attention on her clothing by requesting on-trend but simple make-up and hot-off-the-catwalk wet-look hair. Up-and-coming model Meghan McIntyre posed in Annabelle's designs for our photo-shoot, with Nadia Ramage providing the hair and make-up styling. I'd like to give thanks to all of the girls involved and hope these images have helped to build the foundations of Annabelle's fashion career.

I was asked to photograph a variety of candles and fragrance goods to be used for the Casa Candles Website.

Megan and Lynn brought over 80 items to the studio and gave me a little education on candles. My candle knowledge is fairly limited to overpowering and short-lasting high street varieties - I mean who knew you can buy such amazing candles that burn for 80+ hours?! Nearly every candle I smelled was beautiful and they really do offer something for everyone, along with lovely gift-wrapping options. I personally found the candles to be better value for money compared to some high-street brands that I've tried before and have kept some products in mind for upcoming birthdays of friends and family.

All in all, it was an enjoyable day and I hope to see Megan and Lynn again!

I was planning on going through all the sessions I have done so far this year and blogging them however I think it's best if I just highlight key sessions instead of boring you all with work that is a few months old.

I have to admit that blogging is much harder and more time-consuming than I thought it would be - the studio is keeping me very busy which is great but WOW the months are flying past! I must try and commit more time to updating the blog.

I'll start by showing you images from a boudoir session with Jayde:

We also made a boudoir video so if you have ever been curious about boudoir sessions, please watch our video for an idea on what a session is all about!

The weeks before Christmas can be quite a busy time for photographers with many families and individuals looking to give their loved ones a gift with a difference. Here are some of my favourite photos from December photo sessions. I'd like to say a big thanks to those who have allowed me to use their photographs in the blog and throughout my website!

I love working with experienced models, especially when we get the opportunity to try a variety of looks, and when I get to catch up with one of my very good friends at the same time. That is exactly what happened when Kirsty Miller popped in to the studio for a portfolio-building shoot in November - between us and make-up artist Nadia having a good gossip, it is a miracle that we got round to taking photos at all! Wrenching ourselves away from our cuppas and chatting, we got to work and managed to get a variety of looks done. Thanks to to Nadia and Kirsty for an enjoyable afternoon!
Here is a selection of my favourites from the day:

I really like doing boudoir photo-shoots for a variety of reasons. The simplest and most gratifying reason is that I like to make people feel good about themselves. People come for boudoir photo-shoots for a lot of different reasons - as a gift to a partner to mark a celebration or anniversary, as a treat to themselves, as a confidence-booster after battling an illness or going through a break-up or simply just to try something different. With each Boudoir client my aim is to make them feel good about themselves - I love it when clients see their images and say "WOW, I can't believe that's really me!". My clients view and select from completely unedited images too, letting them see how close the final images are to how they really look.

Siobhan came to my studio for a boudoir shoot and did brilliantly - It takes nerve to stand in front of a camera in your underwear and pose, not matter your age, size or shape! Nadia Ramage provided great hair and make-up styling that really brought out Siobhan's eyes and features. All in all, we had a great shoot and hopefully provided Siobhan with not only some nice photos, but a great experience too.

Back in October, Nicole Abbott came down to the studio for a quick but fun shoot. I had just extended the panel for wallpaper backgrounds and was looking forward to testing it out - if all goes well, I'm hoping to use it often, mainly for Boudoir backdrops and I'm planning on changing the wallpaper every 8 weeks or so. I find that working with models allows for more experimentation and practice with lighting and backgrounds, which is even more important when working in a new premises. By allowing me to focus more on what I'm doing with my lights, camera and backgrounds, working with models who know how to pose let's me practice techniques before using them with clients.

We decided to go for a pin-up style, but with some trendy animal print mixed in. Nadia Ramage kindly did Nicole's hair and make-up, while Nicole's clothing is from her own wardrobe.

After the initial excitement and stress of securing a studio premises, sorting out the details and moving 4-5 years worth of accumulated photography equipment and accessories out and in, the reality started to sink in – I have a proper studio now! How on Earth did I get here? The few previous years suddenly seemed all too short – was I ready for this? Do I have enough experience to see me in good stead? Mix anxiety and panic into the excitement and stress, and we have a mixed bag of emotions that I’m positive anyone taking their first steps into the world of commercial premises has to lug around with them for the first few weeks.

Thankfully I had a lot of support and not just from my friends and family – my clients were patient and understanding too. After the first test photo-shoot, Memento Studios felt less intimidating and much more like home, and I was gaining enthusiasm and energy thanks to the freedom of more space. The initial panic, stress and anxiety wavered and I started to believe in myself and my business again, believing I have made the right choice at the right time. In truth, anyone can rent a premises and call it a studio – time will tell if I really have what it takes to run a successful photography studio. For the moment I still feel excitement when I open the doors in the morning, when I welcome clients in for a chat or a photo-shoot, or when I sit at my desk editing without the distractions of home life.

Moving on, it is time for me to stop rambling, and invite you to have a look around my studio! Thanks for stopping by :)

This is the main studio room. You can see the main photography area along with the studio entrance/exit. The black wall is a panel decorated with nice black wallpaper which offers an alternative boudoir-style backdrop.




This image shows the studio seating area, usually for chatting about weddings or upcoming photo-shoots as well as an area in which a clients friends and family can watch over the current session.




This room is part office, part styling/dressing room. The large table with mirror on the left is where you will be pampered should you choose hair & make-up styling as part of your photography session. My desk is over in the right corner, and the rest of the room is mainly used for the storage of props, clothing and accessories. The essential tea, coffee and refreshment facilities are on the left by the door.