I have enjoyed volunteering to shoot some PR images for the Henley Living Advent Calendar this December – a new event for Henley and indeed the UK.  

Organised by Julie Perigo, Chair of The Henley Partnership's Business and Retail Group, this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Christmas involving all the community.  Businesses in Henley have been opening their doors and windows at 6.15pm every evening this month for shows by various local performers in order to raise money for seven local charities including Sue Ryder.

In the spirit of a real Advent Calendar, the identities of the performers remain a secret until their window or door opens on a particular evening.  I haven't been able to attend every performance but did enjoy the Henley Rock Choir on the opening night at Henley Town Hall, Simon Williams reading the Night Before Christmas to local children, the ladies Olympic Rowing team and Leander Athletes singing carols on the New Orleans Boat and the Badgemore Primary school choir singing carols at Hotel du Vin – just adorable.

Each shoot has been very different, with its own challenges – luckily some have been indoors, but I have worked through the cold and rain, keeping the equipment dry and trying not to shake too much!  The performers have been truly professional thought and have put on some fantastic performances.

What a lovely event to bring a whole community together and really celebrate the lead up to Christmas.  I think the children have especially enjoyed it and for the adults, the mulled wine has been a treat!

Feedback from Julie Perigo - "Catherine captured the spirit, innocence and joyfulness of the Living Advent Calendar for us.  She was never fazed, however unusual the venue, weather or the set of performers, and was always wonderfully unobtrusive.  We loved working with her"

Happy Christmas to all xx

Cat

Supported Charities:

The Regatta for the Disabled (1137459) | The Chilterns Centre (1101218) | Henley Day Centre (266950) | Sue Ryder (1052076) | Kenton For Keeps (253021) | The Face of Henley (1093521) | The Henley Youth Centre (304315)

Vintage style wedding photos

Recently I shot my first solo wedding – after plenty of practice and research I was still quite nervous until the morning, but happily as soon as I started shooting the bride getting ready I just got into the photo zone and nerves disappeared.  

I originally met the Bride at her Charleston Dance hen party where I photographed the 1920s style hens, so I knew her taste for vintage style and planned the shots with this processing in mind.  

The bride dealt incredibly well with a disturbed night after a flood in the Hotel the previous night leaving the upstairs rooms without running water, making getting ready more complicated than normal.  The make up artist did a fabulous job – she looked stunning in a lovely dress and sparkly shoes and concentrated on enjoying the day.

The ceremony itself was lovely, the Registrar from Buckinghamshire made it very special with a really wonderful service.  The tears flowed freely as did the smiles – it was a joyful family occasion, and I felt really honoured to be part of it and to be able to capture special memories for the couple.

We were lucky to have a really beautiful October day – sunny skies spotted with pretty clouds, and stunning autumn colours in the background.  High in the Chilterns, the red kites were flying despite the strong winds and the light and background were ideal for some lovely group shots.  

I love still life photography so I enjoyed taking detail shots of the venue and the cake as it was set up.  The cake looked and smelled delicious, I was quite jealous of the guests who got to eat it – three layers made up of lemon drizzle cake, sumptuous chocolate and traditional fruit cake.  

After the wedding I edited and processed the images to give them a vintage feel and emphasise the vibrant autumnal colours.

I wish the happy couple a loving and happy future together.

Cat

xx

The fashion show was attended by over 150 people and began in the evening with a look a like Michael Buble act.

Outfits were supplied by local boutiques in Henley including Kalikoo and a couple of local coutiers.

Many ladies stepped forward to have their hair and make-up done before striding down the catwialk to display day wear and evening wear.

The professional model Anastasia stole the show by wearing a stunning black evening gown at the end of the evening – to great acclaim.

The Fashion show raised over £3,000 for Sue Ryder Nettlebed and raised awareness of its charitable work.

Some of the photos from the event:

[Show as slideshow]

2. Make your own shade
If your subject is not movable (for example if you’re shooting macro work with a flower) create your own shade. Use your own shadow, the shadow of someone else or bring an object with you (like an umbrella, a reflector or large sheet of card) to block out the sun.

3. Use Fill in Flash
Most of us were trained to put the sun behind you when taking a photograph so that your subject will be well lit. Shooting into the sun may lead to lens flare or a dark subject – but at times it can improve it drastically – particularly if you use a flash to fill in the shadows that are created by doing so
 

Pack the camera – goes without saying? ITS EASY TO FORGET!

Make sure your batteries are charged and you have extras and/or the recharger packed.

Pack extra memory cards – have them empty and ready to fill up

Put someone on ‘photos’ – our family has someone on drinks, main course, dessert – why not put someone on ‘photos’ so that in the craziness of the day they don’t get forgotten.

Consider the light in the room that you’ll be photographing in. Is there enough light? Will you need a flash? Are the backgrounds too cluttered and distracting?

2. A White Balance Christmas
Pay attention to what type of light you’re shooting in and set your white balance settings accordingly. Alternatively, if you’ve got a camera that shoots in RAW you can shoot away and set your white balance later.  

3. Set up a DIY ‘Photo Booth’
While you probably can’t afford to hire a photo booth for your party you can set up a ‘portrait zone’ of your own where you’ll take photos of your guests. I always try and set up a little place where I  can take a nice shot of them.  I set it up in a well lit position with a fairly plain background with a few Christmasy decorations around the edges.

Tip 1   Using the sun to light your photos
Natural sunlight provides some of the best lighting for great shots with more detail and vivid colors. Be careful:

• Really bright sunlight casts harsh shadows
• Overhead sunlight can wash out detail in faces

Tip: For best results, avoid taking photos when the sun is directly overhead. This can cause harsh shadows. Also, try to shoot with the sun behind you. This prevents loss of detail caused by bright light.

Tip 2  Get creative on grey days
Less-than-ideal weather conditions won't keep you from getting that perfect shot. Cloudy skies produce unique photos:

• Get interesting highlights with enhanced mood
• Make colours pop in contrast to the grey sky

Tip: Shooting in the rain can be fun, but be careful not to damage your camera. You can waterproof your camera by wrapping it in a plastic bag and cutting a hole for the lens to poke through.

Tip 3 Capture breathtaking evening photos
The key to great night photos is turning off your flash. Just follow these guidelines:

• Set shutter speed slower to let in enough light
• Stay steady, slow shutter speeds blur photos
• Use a tripod or place camera on stationary surface

Tip: Place your camera on a tripod and set its shot timer so there's no risk of your camera moving when you press the trigger.

Tip 4  Get more effective flash photos
The flash is a great tool if you know how to get the most of it. The key is keeping your distance:

• Your camera's flash has a range of about 10 feet
• Too far? Your photo will be too dark
• Too close? Bright light blows out detail

Tip: The best way to avoid overexposed flash photos is to step back and zoom in to your subject. This way, the flash is a good distance from your subject, but you still get your close-up.

• Food preparation
• Putting up decorations
• Wrapping gifts
• Kids throwing a tantrum while getting dressed in their Christmas outfits
• Setting the table

The shots before the event starts properly are often great because they show everything at it’s best before everyone descends on your party zone.

5. Before and After Shots
Speaking of shots before the party starts, why not set up some before and after shots both of the place you’re holding your party and what it looks like afterwards. Make sure you take the shots from the same position.

6. Christmas Lights
Photographing Christmas lights is something that can be tricky to do.

A: Turn off the flash. Most on-camera flashes are designed to light up the area 4-6 feet directly in front of the flash, and then darken down what is beyond that range. Most holiday light displays are more than 4-6 feet away. So what happens when you don’t turn off the flash is that you light up whatever is directly in front of you (a wall, a tree, the lawn, or people) and put the holiday lights into darkness. Your camera may complain with a bunch of beeps) about not using the flash in the dark, but this is one time when it’s best to override the automatic functions and turn off the flash.

B: Increase the ISO or film speed. A higher ISO will let you have shorter exposure times. If you are using a film camera, try using ISO 400 film. For a digital camera, reset the ISO setting to at least 200 or 400 (on some digital cameras, setting at ISO 400 or above results in very grainy pictures).

C:  Brace Your Camera. Even with a higher ISO, you’re likely to be shooting exposures longer than a person can easily hold a camera perfectly still. And any camera movement shows up in the pictures as blurry lights. The best thing to use is a tripod. If you don’t have a tripod, place your camera on a table object, like a wall or a table, and use the self-timer to take the picture. If there’s nothing available to put your camera on, try leaning against a tree or a pole to help keep yourself steady.

Tip 5  Golden Hour – A great time for some photo magic
Sunrise and sunset are what photographers call the "golden hour" or "magic hour." Photos taken at these times are rich and dramatic:

• Get "golden" light instead of blinding midday sun
• Your photos will have warm and inviting colors

Tip: Using the golden hour is especially good for people shots so you avoid harsh shadows on faces caused by midday sun. Experiment with angles and zoom to find the perfect balance of light.

Tip 6 Keep annoying "red-eye" out of your photos
The flash reflecting off the retina of your subject's eyes is what causes the common problem of red-eye. Reduce red-eye by following these guidelines:

• Move outdoors or into brighter light
• Have your subject avoid looking directly into the lens

Tip: Many cameras offer in camera automatic red-eye removal.

Tip 7 Move your subject for more compelling photos
You don't have to center your subject in every photo you shoot. Create more visual interest by using the Rule of Thirds:

• Divide your photo into a tic-tac-toe grid
• Place the main "interest" at grid intersections
• Use photo software to crop later if necessary

Tip: You don't always get the perfect shot to begin with, so keeping the Rule of Thirds in mind, try cropping your photo after you've shot it .

Tip 8  Change the angle and create more impact
The difference between a good photo and a great photo is sometimes just a matter of how you approach it.

• Change the camera angle for creative shots
• Move your camera in relation to the subject
• Zoom in or out to change the composition

Tip:Try these ideas to get a different perspective when you take a photo:

• Hold your camera at arm's length above your head
• Lie on the ground
• Get very close to your subject

5. Change Your Perspective
Sometimes moving your subject isn’t possible – but moving around it can give a different impact. This might be moving to the other side of the object, shooting from directly above or even getting down low and shooting up. Doing so will change the angle of the sun hitting both your subject and the camera and give your image a completely different feel.

6. Use a Lens Hood
Suffering from lens flare? If your lens came with a lens hood – get it out and use it. If you don’t have one – it’s not difficult to construct one out of card – or to even use your hand to shield your lens from the sun. Just make sure that your shot is free of your hand or the DIY hood that you’re using.

7. Filters
Sometimes a filter can be handy when shooting in bright sunlight. I try to take a Polarizing filter or Neutral Density (ND) filter with at all times. The polarizing filter will help cut down on reflections and both will cut down the light getting into your camera to let you use slower shutter speeds and smaller apertures if you’re looking for more control over these elements of exposure. Polarizing filters have the added bonus of giving you some control over some colors – particularly when you’ve got a blue sky in your shot.