More than a house

That is especially true for the lovely family I had the pleasure of capturing yesterday.  Their house is their home and after seven years they are moving.  Before packing and leaving they wanted to create some images in their home, as a way of recording memories of a special place where their two young kids grew up.  It is also the home that they transformed with a beautiful renovation to make their own, melding the old with the new.  We took photos on the swing, in the tree, in the front yard, on the couch in the lounge and with the vertical garden as a backdrop.

The family had won a school fundraiser silent auction for a shoot with me.  So all the proceeds went to the school P&C.  Thank you for your generous contribution.  Here are just a few of the images I loved and wanted to share straight away.

These two never stopped giggling and smiling – sitting on their favourite swing.

The fifth member of the family who I really did want to steal (borrow).

This gorgeous dog is truly loved and these two have such a special bond.

Lovely to meet you and capture your wonderful ‘huggy’ family in your beautiful home.I loooove my job so much.  It is such a privilege to do what you love.

All content is the copyright of Louise Fletcher Photography.

A stake in the creative sand

Just start.  Just do something.  Take an action, any action.  Then keep going.

That is what my friend Angela did.  She is a wonderful and passionate artist, wife and mother to three gorgeous kids.  Her youngest is only 10 months.  She really wanted to take her art to the next level, to get out of her comfort zone and to put herself out there, in the world, in the public eye.

So Angela hired an empty shop space for 10 days and created a pop-up studio and gallery.  She was there every day painting and available to meet with and connect with people who visited her space.  She had conversations with them about her work, she asked them what they liked, what they were looking for, which images inspired them.  And she sold some work.

What Angela did was put a stake in the sand.  She booked the space then worked out everything she had to have ready for the opening of her gallery/studio.  She had a deadline that wasn’t going away.  It all came together and I told Angela how inspired I was by what she had accomplished.  She thanked me and said that my blog and progressing with my photography was one of the things that inspired her to take that step.  Ahhh, group hug!

I visited Angela in her studio one cold morning and took some photos to share with you all.  Please visit Angela at her website and her facebook page.  Many of the paintings you see below have been sold but she is working on a new series.  Not sure of the subject, but follow her to find out more.

What was so wonderful to see was Angela’s two daughters got involved. They were inspired by their mum to paint, exhibit and sell their own work too.  They achieved a tidy little sum.  So, go on, just start.  What is your first step?

All content is the copyright of Louise Fletcher Photography.

 

Finding your voice

My mum was an artist.

She studied fine art at University; she taught high school art; she had her own studio where she immersed herself in her work; she visited galleries big and small; she read books; she watched the news and documentaries and she talked to people all the time.

Her work evolved and transformed, but it was her voice, her point of view no matter what the subject or medium.

We each have a distinct way of seeing the world based on our own life experiences.  We all have something to say and a unique way of saying it.  Sometimes I find I am so concerned with finding my voice, that I forget I already have one.

Over the weekend I attended (virtually) a workshop which opened my eyes to a way of seeing families and portraiture that I hadn’t really been conscious of.  As I took a look back at my pictures, I noticed that my favourites shared a common thread of connection, of love, of moments shared.  There was a common voice I hadn’t seen before, or at least not in a way I was really present to.  Sometimes it takes something outside of ourselves to hold up a mirror to who we already are.

All content is the copyright of Louise Fletcher Photography.

New Interiors gallery

Please have a look at my new Interiors page, featuring some of my Interior Design Collaborations.

All content is the copyright of Louise Fletcher Photography.

 

A little bit of horsey magic

My big girl recently had a birthday and as she gets older it is proving to be tricky to find that “perfect” gift.  Her interests are narrowing as is the gift choice.  Horses are IT at the moment and there seems to be a complete gap in the market for young horse lovers.  Who knew it would be so hard to find horse movies, clothing, stationery, posters, craft, furnishings, ornaments, etc.

So I decided to get crafty and make some things. She has done a bit of riding and I have taken a few photos, but no great daughter and horse portraits.  So I chose the best of the most recent snaps and harnessed the power of Photoshop to transform an average snap into something frame-able and gift-able.

A few people who saw the final product (right)asked to see the before shot, so here it is.

She was thrilled with the framed enlargement which now hangs proudly in her bedroom.  She is already wearing her favourite colour, so thank goodness I didn’t have to change that.   Whew!!!

All content is the copyright of Louise Fletcher Photography.