Helen Rae Photography

Maternity photography in Altrincham, Cheshire

2011-12-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

I think this is probably the last post of 2011 and possibly the most exciting!

I was lucky enough to be asked to photograph Karen and her beautiful bump, along with husband Colin last week at their home in Altrincham. The couple are expecting twins in January and they've booked me to photograph the new babies within the first 10 days of their birth - I can't wait to get the call to say they've arrived!

Karen was so easy to work with and we had a great time photographing her lovely shape and chatting about their new life with babies arriving soon - sooo exciting!

8-day old newborn baby, Cheshire

2011-11-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

Jacob made his entry into the world back in October and I was lucky enough to capture him at just eight days old. Isn't he beautiful? ... If you would like me to photograph your newborn baby, please make sure your due date is in my diary in your last trimester of pregnancy to guarantee your session within the first 2 weeks of birth. I cover the whole of Cheshire, particularly Chester, Knutsford, Altrincham, and South Manchester, so lots of babies to fit in!

Newborn Baby Photography in Chester

2011-11-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome to little Freya, who was born a few weeks ago in actual fact, but it has taken me ages to blog the images.

Newborn baby photography provides some of my favourite times photographically, plus the fact that I get to cuddle other people's babies and hand them back when they need a feed or nappy change!

My aim is to make every baby session really relaxed and happy and this is helped by the fact that all sessions take place at the client's home in and around Cheshire - baby photography in Chester, South Manchester, Knutsford, Hale, you name it, I've photographed babies there ... great fun, and a great document of when a little one is still so small.

Anyway, THIS is Freya

Children's photography at Abbeywood Estate and Gardens

2011-10-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was invited along to Abbeywood Estate to take some images of a little girl called Rachael. Rachael is 5 years old and lucky enough to live in the big house, surrounded by woods and very beautiful gardens.

In case you didn't know, Abbeywood is on the A556 Chester Road in Cheshire, and is now open to visitors and serves really delicious lunches and snacks (there's a children's menu too) and is becoming increasingly popular for weddings.

The gardens are just beautiful, even at this time of the year, and we were really lucky to have a sunny day - perfect for my favourite backlit images ... the light is gorgeous at this time of year. We had a lovely time, searching for, and finding snails, running in the newly fallen leaves and the time just flew by!

Keep your eyes out for a really special event or two in the Spring - to be blogged about soon

Children's photography in Kelsall, Cheshire

2011-10-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I say children's photography, I should really say 'young people's' photography! We had a lovely sunny day when I photographed Rosie and Grace at their home in Kelsall - we spent the whole time in and around their house and into the fields at the back, with the most amazing views over the Cheshire Plain.

Cats featured large in our plans for the photoshoot, but as anyone who knows cats will understand, they just weren't playing the same game as we were. I got them in the end though ...!

Children's photography in Cheshire

2011-10-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

A way back, I supported the Bunbury Cricket Club Ball by offering a free photoshoot and framed print for their raffle prize. The lucky winners were Andy and Mari who decided to have their two children Katrin and Ioan photographed by me a few days ago. We spent a lovely couple of hours in and around Bunbury, taking photos in their garden and then, appropriately, at the cricket club itself. Beautiful children, coupled with lovely light - a recipe for gorgeous images, even though I say so myself ; )

Family photography in Cheshire

2011-10-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to photograph my friend, Sophie's family near Tarporley, Cheshire. We had the shoot lined up for months as Sophie had bought a Christmas Gift voucher from me back last December. What with a house move and four children doing different things at different times, we managed to get it together only in September. Congratulations to the family as a whole - they all performed an amazing charity walk week in the Lake District in August to raise money for the SMA Trust. Brilliant job guys!

Baby photography in the Cheshire sun

2011-10-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

As a Cheshire children's photographer, I love it when I can do a My First Year photoshoot package. This is the third of four sessions with smiley little William, who is now 10 months old, and we were lucky enough to have the sun and warmth for the whole photoshoot...

Zach at 8 months, baby photography Cheshire

2011-07-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

I have photographed this little chap before at 3 months old - it's amazing how babies change in their first 12 months. He's obviously not quite at the walking stage but he's exploring as much as he possibly can, and he definitely doesn't want to be held for longer than a very small amount of time!

Baby Eva -newborn baby photography in Hale

2011-07-27T04:19:00.000-07:00

Little Eva was born only three days before I took these images of her. She didn't realise that she was supposed to stay asleep for the whole session and not keep needing a feed on and off throughout the whole time I was there!

Baby Jessica in Lymm, Cheshire

2011-07-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

Jessica is 6 months old and for her mum's birthday she mentioned to dad that mum might like a My First Year photoshoot package with me! So, our first session was last week at the family's home in Lymm, and now I can't wait for the next one ....

Newborn Harry - baby photoshoot in Cheshire

2011-07-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Baby Harry was only 3 days old when I photographed him just last week. I absolutely love photographing tiny newborn babies, but it meant mum, Helen and I had to get a provisional date in the diary before he even appeared.

As it happened, he was about 10 days premature and came so quickly that he was delivered in the doorway of the hospital!

So here he is, the little sweetie ..

Wedding anniversary photoshoot in Cheshire

2011-06-20T05:09:00.000-07:00

Brenda and Peter have been married for a whole 40 years so invited me along to their beautiful home and garden a few days ago. I really loved this shoot, and came away with a few gardening tips too!

Newborn photography in Cheshire

2011-06-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

Baby Anna is just two weeks old and tiny, as she was two weeks premature. She is definitely very sociable and took a while to get settled and sleepy. Below is a selection from the photoshoot of this beautiful baby girl. Broody, me?!

Teenagers' photography in Cheshire

2011-06-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I borrowed my son and three of his friends from school and took to the wilds of Cheshire for some fun and photography. All four of the students are currently on study leave after their AS level exams and really kindly gave me nearly a whole day of their time to play about with backgrounds and looks in various parts of mid Cheshire. Often, my clients like to stay at home for their photoshoots or go somewhere 'green', I just want to show that sometimes peeling paint, good-old Cheshire brick and wasteland can look great too.

Thanks to Ollie, Jamie, Olivia and Lauren, my models, and to Riverside Organic in Davenham, Blakemere Craft Centre, Sandiway and Weaver Hall Museum (formerly known as The Salt Museum) in Northwich for the venues.

Three-month-old William's photoshoot

2011-05-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

It's nearly time for baby William's 6-month photo session so I thought I'd better pop my favourites from his 3-month shoot on the blog! Nothing like being ahead of the game (and this is nothing like it).
I photographed Mum and Dad's wedding about 18 months back and it is really lovely to keep in touch with them and to be allowed to photograph their little bundle.

William was a delight to photograph, I particularly love the cheeky smiley run of images here when he was still in his car seat after his nap.

Chester family photography - just before the rain came!

2011-05-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

The weather has been a bit tricky for photographers recently; although I haven't had to cancel a shoot so far because of rain, a little bit of tweaking on meet-up times has had to happen.

And so it was that I made my way to Upton, Chester to photograph Isabel, Lucy and Peter under grey skies and threatening clouds, hoping that the rain would hold off for our photoshoot time. Issy is a sophisticated 14, Lucy 8, also a calm character, and Peter, very nearly 7, providing another unpredictable element of the morning!

Lovely kids, beautiful light - and we just made it before the heavens opened!

Uk photoshoot-reunion with the Whartons

2011-05-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since I've seen the Wharton family - they are still in Holland, having spent some time in Malaysia in the interim, and we have been back in Cheshire for nearly four years. Jane and I were class mums together when my youngest and her eldest were at nursery together in The Hague, over 8 years ago!

Having recently hit the big 4-0, Jane and Mark decided that a family photoshoot would be a good way to mark the passage of time and they thought of me! So, during a trip to sunny Preston, we met up at last and the following are some of my favourite images from their shoot, featuring their three beautiful daughters too - Esme, Phoebe and Leila.

As it was Jane's special birthday, I incorporated some of the kind of images I would do for a Real Women shoot (more of this in a later post, but some examples have already been loaded on the website). Looks fab, doesn't she?!

Tarporley photography competition winner

2011-04-27T03:01:00.000-07:00

I ran a competition with The Flower Room, on High Street in Tarporley over the Mother's Day weekend this year, and the winner of a photoshoot plus framed image was Kerry and her excitable girls, Alicia and Sasha!

We had a lovely couple of hours getting all giddy (them) and some bubbly images (me!) at the start of our sunny weather last week. Here is a peak at some of my favourite images from the photoshoot, including the famous cupcake wall.

See you for the viewing next week, girls!!

The Little Book of Cheshire

2011-04-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

I advertise very little and mostly rely on word-of-mouth recommendations - thankfully most of my clients seem very happy to do this!

However, every so often I will put an ad in an interesting magazine - and at the moment I really like the Little Book of Cheshire. The design is lovely and it is available for free in many places across Cheshire. I had a great response when I advertised in the Christmas magazine so now I've not only advertised in the Summer one but also in the gorgeous Baby Book. Thanks to models Josh and William and their parents for letting me use their lovely faces to advertise my services!!

If you see my Little Book of Cheshire ads out and about this summer, please send me an email - helen@helenraephotography.co.uk - and I'll keep you up to date on photography promotions and offers I have going across Cheshire.

Win a family photoshoot when you pick up your Mum's flowers this weekend

2011-03-28T04:55:00.000-07:00

Helen Rae Photography is teaming up with some of the leading florists in Cheshire this Mother's Day to offer you the chance of winning a family photoshoot when you collect Mum's bouquet. And hopefully there's one of these gorgeous florists in your neck of the woods!

Each florist will have their own prize to offer one of their customers dropping in this weekend giving you a fantastic chance of winning. The prize consists of a family photoshoot with Helen Rae Photography, to be taken anywhere in Cheshire in 2001, plus a framed 8x10" print. But you need to get your skates on as the offer is only available this weekend and the draw will be made on Tuesday 4th April (closing date for entry is 3rd at midnight).

The following Cheshire florists are taking part in the prize draw:

The Flower Shop, Water Lane, Wilmslow, owned by award-winning florist Ian Lloyd

The Flower Room, High Street, Tarporley

Fresh Floral Design, Chester Road, Hartford

Living Colour Flowers, Walton Road, Stockton Heath

Snap Dragon Florist, Faulkner Street, Hoole, Chester

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY!

Latest shoot in sunny Stockton Heath

2011-03-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

I have been very bad about blogging this year so far. I have been unseasonally busy photographing a wide range of people - babies, corporate images and families alike -plus designing some new brochures to accompany a brand new product for me this year. It's really exciting and I will blog more about this in the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, I thought it was about time that I blogged some more images, and here are some of my favourite images from this weekend's photoshoot with Josh and his Mum and Dad, Emma and Andy in Stockton Heath. It was a really sunny day so the light was a bit tricky, but I'm not complaining!! The nearer we get to 'proper' weather the better - that's me as a person not as a photographer speaking.

Zach's Number One

2011-01-26T04:04:00.000-08:00

Little Zacharius was the very first baby to be photographed by me this year. A lovely little boy, just a few weeks old, but chatting away (as babies do!) and very sociable. It was lovely meeting him and Mum and Dad, Sarah and Scott, and I look forward to seeing Zach's progress through the year as he is signed up to my My First Year package - yippee!

Look at all that hair!

Enter the Kidsguide/Mother's Day competition!

2011-01-26T03:48:00.000-08:00

Helen Rae Photography and Kidsguide have linked up to offer a free family photoshoot to the winner of a Mother's Day competition run through the Kidsguide website.

It's never to early to plan and The Big Day (for mums anyway) is April 3rd. To enter, all you have to do is go to my contact page on my website, tell me where your favourite place to spend time with your family in Cheshire, send me your address and contact details, and you're done.

Closing date for entry is 28th February 2011 to give me enough time to work my magic at your photoshoot, see you again at your viewing and get your free framed print ready in time for Mother's Day. So come on, make Mum's Day! (In fact, so far, only Mums have entered - you can see how keen they are to get their hands on a Helen Rae Photography photoshoot!)

Alderley Edge Christmas Fair

2010-12-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Helen Rae Photography has a stall at the Alderley Edge Christmas Fair and Market at Alderley Edge Cricket Club, Cheshire this Sunday, 12th December. The fun starts at 11am and the aim is to raise funds for East Cheshire Hospice.

There will be a Christmas market selling Christmas trees, decorations, even turkeys, plus gifts and craft items - and if you fancy giving a gift of family photography once the sun appears again, then you could always buy a gift voucher from me! I have a great Christmas offer so please come along and have a look at my work and say hello.

It's great for kids too - there's a Santa's Grotto and fairground, plus a torch-lit carol service at 4.30pm (and don't forget the mulled wine). I think I'll need lots of layers though, with only a marquee to keep me warm.

All set for Christmas?

2010-12-03T03:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm all set for the Grange School Christmas Fair tomorrow (4th December) at The Grange School, Bradburns Lane, Hartford, Cheshire, anyway. The proceedings start at 12pm until 3pm and promise a good afternoon for the whole family. Lots of stalls and things to eat and buy from the best suppliers in Cheshire - perfect for great quality pressies - and lots of stuff to keep the kids busy too. Plus, Santa is there with photos being taken by me!

If you are interested in buying a photoshoot gift voucher for Christmas, I have a special show offer on - so do come and visit the Helen Rae Photography stall where you will be ably assisted by my lovely husband, Andy, who is currently hobbling around as he had an ankle operation yesterday (and yes, I'm still getting him to man the stall!) I will also be around but mostly spending time with Santa instead ; )

Hope to see you there!

Oh, and I'll be at the Alderley Edge Christmas Fair next Sunday too. Can't wait!

Tarporley portraits in the leaves

2010-11-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

I have just finished processing the last of my photoshoots this year. The weather is really getting cold now and the light is fading fast! Having said all that, the light on Saturday was fab for a little while, and the leaves were still vibrant, if a little soggy - maybe my next portrait session will be in the snow. (Fingers crossed!!)

So I went along to Tarporley, Cheshire, (just down the road) to photograph the Eaton family of three children and their cousin, Olivia for Grandma's Christmas present - brilliant idea! The family had a great exploring wood behind the house so we spent a good deal of time there, as well as in the stables and around the garden.

Sunny Castlerock again!

2010-11-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

For the half term holiday a couple of weeks ago, the Rae family headed off to one of our favourite places in the UK, Castlerock on the North Antrim coast. We stayed with our lovely friends the Wilsons, the boys body boarding in the freezing cold sea and the more sensible among us catching up with the gossip and drinking tea. Aaah.

I photographed the gorgeous Wilson girls a couple of years ago, on our last visit, so was keen to capture them through my lens again now they have grown so much (and even dad, Michael, wanted in this time)

Violinist Sophie Rosa at The Grange School, Hartford

2010-11-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

Way back in September I was asked to cover the official opening of the new music department at The Grange Junior School, Hartford. Part of the jollifications involved the appearance of violinist Sophie Rosa, a former BBC Young Musician of the Year finalist and ex-Grange School pupil. I managed to get a few minutes with Sophie after her beautiful performance in front of all the spell-bound Junior school pupils.

Baby William and family at Dunham Massey, Altrincham

2010-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit slow on the posts this month, so here's a quick catch up of a handful of shoots undertaken recently.

6 month old William, big sis Alice and brother Laurie fancied a visit to autumnal Dunham Massey earlier this month. William is being photographed for his 'First Year' (a three-shoots- in- the- first- year- of- life package that I offer - see my website for details) and this was photoshoot Number Two. And Alice, Laurie, Mum, Dad and Grandma and Grandpa came along too for good measure.

I have posted some of my favourites here (in fact I love the photo of Alice so much that she is now on the home page of my website too!)

Morgan and Bibi's photoshoot at home in Cheshire

2010-10-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Morgan and Bibi (and Daisy the Westie) had their photoshoot yesterday in and around their home near Northwich in Cheshire - great job girls (all three of you)!

Here are some of my favourites - obviously, blue is my favourite colour this month! Actually, blue IS my favourite colour (you should see the wall in my hall) but it doesn't always feature in my photos!

Danish portrait photography in Cheshire

2010-10-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

My brother and family came to visit last week from Denmark, so we did the usual touristy things of going to Chester, Delamere Forest and, of course, the ice cream farm at Tattenhall. It was lovely to see them again, and I was asked to take some up to date photos of the kids, Emily and Alex - yes please!

The light was absolutely gorgeous in Delamere - we went up to Pale Heights where we could see over the whole of Cheshire and to North Wales.

Mushroom picking - it's OK, they're from Denmark so they know what they're looking for!

This is at the ice cream farm in Tattenhall - yummy ice cream but even lovelier blue walls (it's a photographer thing)

Portrait photography in Macclesfield, Cheshire

2010-10-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

I can only post this blog now as the photos were taken last month for Dad's birthday just a week ago - Happy Birthday, James! I hope you like your album of your four lovely kids having fun in the sun.

This family photoshoot in Macclesfield was all very secretive - goodness knows how Mum, Eilidh, kept the boys from telling Dad what had gone on in the park behind their house. Baby Iona was the only one who could have kept this particular surprise secret!

Here are some of my favourite images from the photoshoot.

New portrait albums are here!!

2010-10-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

I've just taken delivery of my new-style portrait albums and they're really lovely!

Existing clients will be aware of - and many will already have - one or a handful of my traditional leather-bound portrait albums: these new one offer an alternative to album-loving clients who like a more contemporary product with more control over the look of the end result.

Another advantage of my photocover albums is that you now have an option of only 5 pages (so 10 big images or up to 12 images per album) or up to 20 pages, making it a perfectly flexible present idea for family and friends alike. hope you like them!

This shows the dinky 5x4" album with 10 pages - sizes available are 11x14", 8x6" and 5x4" and in 5 or 10 pages.

This is the 8x6" in 5 page format

The whole range!

The Friday morning blues

2010-10-01T03:14:00.000-07:00

I got fed up with photo editing this morning and needed a break. The nice chap from Riverford Stockley Farm has just been with a box full of lovely looking organic veggies, so I left the computer, took out my camera and headed for the best light in the house - and I'm really pleased with the results.

We're having an extension to the kitchen in the New Year and some of these would look great on the walls - I'm thinking box frames ..

Autumn in Cheshire with Ffion

2010-09-20T04:16:00.000-07:00

Last week was the third and last of little Ffion's photoshoots. The previous two had taken place at home in Hale when she was six months and one year old. This time, as Ffion is up and running (literally), Mum Kate, Dad Joe and I decided to make for Dunham Massey, Cheshire for a morning of exploration and fun.
The light is beautiful at this time of year, warm and soft, and perfect for a family photoshoot. The fallen leaves add interest in the background, and keep kids occupied too!

Exploring the walls in Chester with the Lewis family

2010-09-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Chester is a fantastic place for a family photoshoot! I met up with the lovely Lewis family - more particularly Emma and Daniel who had just had their Christening the week before and felt they deserved a photoshoot! We got to know each other by taking some photos in and around their house (I already know Daniel as he was one of the models for the Baby Acorns shoot which took place back in July). Then we went to their local park, which just happens to be in the shadow of the walls surrounding Chester. Gorgeous. Hx

Baby William's photoshoot

2010-09-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Baby William Madden was welcomed to the world back in June this year. And I was lucky enough to record him at just a few weeks old. But I have been so late in posting these images that he is nearly ready for his next photoshoot as part of his My First Year photographs.

William's big brother and sister, Laurie and Alice, also got in on the act, so we had some great images of them all together enjoying the sunny weather in their garden.

What to do with the kids on a rainy day?

2010-09-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

We've got a few rainy ones coming in the next few days. I was sorting through my recipe files the other day and came across the following recipe for home-made play clay (not for eating of course, but it seemed like a good place to store it at the time!)

My school teacher Mum gave me this recipe when my boys were little and it's a great way to keep them occupied. We also loved the Early Learning Centre play clay case with all the cutters and squidging machines (do they still do that now?) When I travelled with little ones, I used to carry a little bag with a small pot of dough and some cutters in - kept them quiet for ages especially on a plane.

Anyway, here's the recipe. No photo this time!

Ingredients:
1 cup of plain flour
1 cup of water
1 tablespoonful vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartare (this helps preserve the dough so don't leave it out)
1/2 cup table salt (not Maldon!)
food colouring paste

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together in a microwaveable container. Cook for 1.5 mins on high in the microwave, take it out, give it a stir and then pop it back in again for another minute. Stir again. It should be coming together as dough by now, but if you think it needs another minute then pop it back in again. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead it for a few minutes - don't let the kids do this bit as it is still very hot. Once the dough begins to look right then split into as many portions as necessary and colour them with colouring paste (this is better than the runny stuff as the dough stays firm as you add more colour, and I love bright colours!)

It will last for a few days if you keep it in a plastic bag or pot - great fun!

Cashmere and Cheshire - a perfect photographic combination!

2010-09-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Once more, Tracy Farrow and the gang from Cashmere & Cotton and Helen Rae Photography took to the lovely Cheshire countryside to create the images for the Autumn/Winter collection. We had lots of new yummy colours to shoot for all sorts of gorgeous cashmere garments, modelled by Sally - also a Cheshire girl!

We started off at a lovely cottage in Tarporley, Cheshire (we have shot there before, for the Spring collection, and felt we could just keep going!). As luck would have it, cottage-owner Shelley was just having a delivery of organic vegetables from Box Fresh Organics so we borrowed the box as a prop!

This is the new edge-to-edge cardi in lots of fab colours!

Then we moved to Tarporley itself where our next stop was Fleur's of Tarporley, the florist on the High Street - thanks for lending us the bouquet!

Next we put the cameras and cashmere in the cars again and made for Tarvin - birthplace of Cashmere and Cotton - to The Gunnery to do some cafe society shots and then some evening wear images for use nearer Christmas. Oh, and then we had a really late lunch at the Gunnery - the food was very good as always and I recommend the fish cakes with some hand cut chips!

Here's to a really successful Autumn/Winter cashmere season, Tracy, you deserve it!

Photoshoot in Bramhall, Cheshire

2010-08-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

I was in Bramhall, another lovely part of Cheshire, with the lively Rufus and cute little brother Paddy, last week. We spent a good hour in the garden studying the raspberry plants, playing games and getting some great images of them both.

Photoshoot with Baby Acorns, Chester

2010-08-05T05:29:00.000-07:00

Fiona Lewis of Baby Acorns in Chester has been good enough to allow me to do several promotions in her lovely baby and christening shop on Watergate Street in the middle of Chester. Not long ago, she asked me to produce some images for her website www.babyacorns.co.uk and her internet christening wear business www.christeninguk.com

Below are some of the images from the shoot - I love working with babies!!

And finally, phew, it's great to just get back to my nappy!

Kathy Brodie - another Happy Mondays winner

2010-08-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

Kathy Brodie is an early years trainer and coach working from Handforth, Cheshire. Her website is here www.kathybrodie.com I met Kathy through her husband, Ian, a specialist in marketing and business development at yet another business network event in Cheshire.

Jane Ullyat, Coji Designs

2010-08-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

Jane won her head and shoulders photoshoot through a competition I ran alongside Happy Mondays networking. Jane designs, manufactures and sells unique, handmade jewellery including wine charms - find her here www.cojidesigns.co.uk

Ed Beattie - Through Creative in Macclesfield

2010-08-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have known Ed a little while now. We met across a crowded lunch table at a networking event and I was struck with how different his marketing company, Through Creative in Macclesfield, seemed from the many others around. But it wasn't until he won a prize draw at The Business Network that I managed to get his happy smiling face on camera! Ed's website is here www.throughcreative.co.uk

Tracy Farrow, Cashmere and Cotton

2010-08-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Tracy Farrow is the owner and manager of a fantastic Cheshire-based fashion company, Cashmere and Cotton www.cashmereandcotton.co.uk As a recent convert to cashmere pullies myself, I would recommend you have a look at the website for beautiful knits in bright and natural colours - scarves and jumpers by the gallon!

I met Tracy about two years ago when she was planning a new 'look' for her products brochure and website. We are due to shoot the third brochure this month and I hope to post some of the images from the session in the next few weeks.

Allie Pottinger - business portrait

2010-08-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

For ages now I have been planning a business portraits web page to go with the family galleries already on my website www.helenraephotography.co.uk/business-portraits.php

I think a good business portrait is really important for any business, big or small. So often the job is left to the guy in the office with the 'decent' camera because "it's only for the website". BIG mistake! A photo of members of a business team tells a prospective customer so much about the company itself, and if it's a dodgy pic, then you're not portraying the right image, simple as that! Below are some of my favourites from my most recent head and shoulders shoots - see what I mean!

Allie Pottinger is a watercolour artist based in Cheshire who specialises in gorgeous paintings of food, landscapes and animals that you would love to have on your walls. She also produces commissioned work, particularly to suit children's bedrooms. The website is here www.alliepottinger.com

Discovering Dunham Massey

2010-06-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

I have been really slow in putting some of my latest photoshoots on the blog - just because I have been so busy photo shooting!

I will post some of my favourite shoots from May and June over the next few days - including my latest offering of business headshots for my commercial clients - but I wanted to post a handful of shots from a belated discovery of Dunham Massey near Altrincham in Cheshire.

I was introduced to Dunham Massey (I know, a Cheshire photographer never worked in Dunham Massey before) by the lovely Kohl-Christian family. We spent a good while discovering the caterpillars and wildlife in and around the park, whilst getting some great natural shots.

Glamorous girls in Cheshire

2010-05-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

My other favourite shoot in the past few weeks was with two glamorous girls, Ellie and Charlotte, plus Mum and Dad, at home in their fabulous garden. I have posted a handful of my favourites from this shoot - and even managed to get some bluebells in, hidden behind the garden shed!

How was your May?

2010-05-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

I've had a really busy April and May and have got very behind on updating my blog. So although we're nearly in June, I thought I'd better post some shots from two of my favourite, but very different, photoshoots from the past few weeks.

The first, was with the delightful Tom, Ella and Jack plus Mum and Dad. Mum, Zoe, won a competition I ran last year in a local children's shoe shop, This Little Piggy in Hartford, Cheshire and we finally got a date together for the photoshoot at home in the garden. The children did lots of running round the garden being busy, but I managed to get some more thoughtful moments too. Great fun!

Tori's fashion shoot

2010-03-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, I spent a couple of hours with would-be model, Tori, age 11. She did a fantastic job and humoured me in my search for all sorts of weird and colourful backgrounds around Middlewich, Cheshire. You look great, Tori!

Baby photography in Hale, Cheshire

2010-03-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, I met up with one-year-old Ffion and her Mum and Dad in Hale, Cheshire. This was the second of three photoshoots set to show Ffion at 6 months, 12 months and 18 months and to record how much she will change in just one year. I'm looking forward to the next photoshoot already! Here are some of the images I captured in around their home in Hale.

Exhibition at Queenie Mumbles

2010-03-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

I've just come back from a delightful little child-friendly cafe in Goose Green, Altrincham called Queenie Mumbles - www.queeniemumbles.co.uk.

I am currently running a mini exhibition there, and just went to change over the images which have been up since before Christmas for some more up-to-date images of babies and kids. Alongside the photography exhibition, I am running a promotion, so that if you drop in for a coffee or lunch at Queenie Mumbles you get the chance to win a free family or baby photoshoot with Helen Rae Photography, well worth a visit!

Queenie Mumbles is genuinely child-friendly with a selection of yummy things for kids to eat and to play with, as well as a great menu for adults too. The cafe is also a regular meeting place for ante-natal, baby and networking groups throughout the week.

Family photoshoot near Chester

2010-03-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

That's what I love about my job - one day doing an 8-hour long fashion shoot and the next doing a family photoshoot in a lovely little village near Chester on a bright Spring day. I finally met up with a family of three kids aged 14, 12 and only just one-year old last Saturday morning, having met them originally at the King's School, Chester Christmas Fair last year. I have posted a few of my favourite images from their photoshoot:

Cashmere & Cotton 2010!

2010-03-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

I met up again with the lovely ladies from Cheshire-based company Cashmere & Cotton to do their shoot for the Spring /Summer brochure. I produced a range of images for the Autumn/Winter brochure and website so was thrilled to hear that they wanted some more shots for this season too! So, on a grey, murky day near Tarporley, Cheshire we set out to produce images depicting a bright Spring and Summer collection! Gorgeous new styles in the range and some great new colours too - the website is www.cashmereandcotton.co.uk for those interested in indulging themselves with a little cashmere.

Although I am a family portrait photographer, working in and around Cheshire, I do love to do commercial jobs too - still using natural light where possible. It's very different working exclusively with adults, most of whom are professional models, but I love that too! I have posted some of my favourite images, not all will be used by the client I suspect, but which show that we all had a lot of fun during the seriousness of shooting a brochure.

Welcome to my new blog!

2010-01-18T04:47:00.000-08:00

This is my very first, ever, blog and I thought that now was the time to take the plunge and get blogging like the rest of the world!

Although we are now in the new year of 2010, I would like to post some images from my favourite photoshoots in 2009. I met some lovely people last year, as always, who asked me to join them for a couple of hours and take some photos of them just enjoying life together. I work all over Cheshire and South Manchester, so the photoshoots featured have taken place all over the county - Hale, Knutsford, Lymm, Alderley Edge, Macclesfield, Tarporley to name but a few areas - but all images are created in a place which is particularly significant for the families concerned.