Thursday 19 July 2018

Introducing Victoria J Photography Cake Smashes

Danny's Cake Smash Photoshoot


I'd been toying with the idea of cake smashes for a long time before I actually shot one and I couldn't resist when Danny's mum contacted me. Danny is turning one this month and his parents wanted a cake smash to celebrate- Danny loves messy play so it was perfect for him! We decided on a simple set up so all of the focus was on Danny; he was having a multicoloured giant cupcake so we didn't want too much to distract from that.

Danny arrived in the cutest dungarees and we got some smart portrait shots and loads of gorgeous smiles before we got him ready for his cake smash. The brown backdrop is one of my favourites for little boys, especially for sitter sessions and toddlers!

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury


Once we'd got some smart images Danny got ready into his cake smash outfit while I organised the cake smash set. 

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury


We got one or two photos of the cake and then it was all over to Danny! After a bit of a hesitant start and a bit of exploring Danny got stuck in. It was safe to say he loved the icing and the heatwave that we were in the middle of helped add to the mess! I had such fun as did Danny and we got some lovely images- here a just a few from the day! 

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury


All caked out and it was time to call it a day!

cake smash shrewsbury, shropshire photographer, baby photography, cake, first birthday photoshoot, photographer shrewsbury


If you are interested in a cake smash for your little one please visit www.victoriajphotography.co.uk for more information or 
email: victoriajphotos@gmail.com
call: 07817963316

Thursday 3 May 2018


Training With Sharon Wallis Photography

In my quest to be the best newborn photographer in the area I have booked myself onto a number of posing/safety and business newborn photography training workshops. In fact between January and July of this year I will have attended 3 in person workshops and 2 online retreats. In an industry that is completely unregulated, training is incredibly important! Not only do we all want to take beautiful, timeless images for new mummies and daddies to display and cherish but we have a responsibility to both precious new babies and their parents to do so in the safest possible way. 

In March I was lucky enough to train with Sharon Wallis photography. Sharon's photography is incredible! I want to have more babies so that she can photograph them! The colours, tones, posing, lighting, editing are just stunning so I knew I had to get myself booked onto a 1:1 posing workshop. 

I had an amazing day with 2 absolutely stunning babies. I learnt a huge amount and have been putting it all into practise with lots of beautiful babies who have recently been into the studio. Here are some of the images from the day. 

Posed by Sharon Wallis and taken and edited by myself:







If you would like any more information on a newborn session please visit my website or email me at victoriajphotos@gmail.com

I can't wait to meet you and your little one

Vicki xx

Tuesday 4 July 2017

It's too late for newborn photos- what can I do?

It's too late for newborn photos- what can I do?

Mummies and Daddies to be have so much to think about during pregnancy and for many a newborn photoshoot may not be top of the list. Your baby is only going to be curly, sleepy and easy to pose for the first few weeks so the time frame in which you can achieve those newborn images is quite slim. But it doesn't mean you can't still get beautiful images of your tiny baby.

From 3 or 4 weeks old your baby will become more alert and begin to find their arms and legs. From 6 or 7 weeks your baby may begin to give social smiles and possibly even a giggle! They will start to push up on their arms during tummy time and want to observe everything as they constantly learn about the very new world that surrounds them. All of these little milestones make for gorgeous photographs!


Babies from just a few weeks old can start to show off their beautiful personalities. I've realised from photographing my own little boy just how magical this age is and Victoria J Photography has now launched baby sessions for babies as young as 1 month old.




And when your little one starts sitting, you can achieve an even wider variety of images and these shoots are so much fun! I aim for lots of smiles, lots of giggles, outfit changes, props and many many gorgeous images! This is my absolute favourite age to photograph!


There are so many options for you if you want to document your babies first year! Keep an eye out for information on cake smashes too as I'll be launching these in coming months! 

If you would like some more information on these shoots please visit www.victoriajphotography.co.uk
or email victoriajphotos@gmail.com


Tuesday 9 May 2017

Behind the Scenes at Victoria J Photography

Behind the scenes- post production


During a newborn session, nothing is more important that your new precious bundle of joy and keeping them safe at all times. I pride myself on making all my photography sessions as relaxed as possible, leaving plenty of time for cuddles and feeding. It is important that baby is nice and warm throughout the session and that they are comfortable and safe in every pose. I felt it was important to write this blog and share with you all just how I create images in a way that is as safe as possible.

A number of images that are created during my sessions are composites, meaning they are created from multiple images in post production. The first one I will share with you is the head on hands pose. I love this pose, but as a newborn baby is unable to support their head the only way to safely get this image is to have a parent support the baby throughout the pose. This image is created by putting these two images (for example) together in post production.




They are then combined to create the final image.....


The 'potato sack' pose is completed in a similar way, but for this image I combined 3 images rather than 2.





                            

Finally, my favourite images...




All of these images take place on a bean bag. Never do I ask parents to actually lift the baby. The middle image has been edited in this way from the original:



Before I embarked on a photography career I made sure I had training with one of the best newborn photographers and I believe training is the most important thing to look for when choosing a newborn photographer. Taking images like this without compositing is putting the child at risk and I would not recommend trying to create them without adequate training.

I hope you've enjoyed a bit of a behind the scenes of post processing at Victoria J Photography. To book a session or to find out more information about what I offer please visit www.victoriajphotography,co.uk or email victoriajphotos@gmail.com.



Wednesday 9 November 2016

The first few months....


It's been little over 3 months since I launched Victoria J Photography and I can honestly say it has been the best decision I have ever made. I can't think of anything I would rather do more and I have fully enjoyed each and every session so far! In this blog I am going to share with you some of my favourites from the last 3 months and also tell you what my plans are for the next couple of months as I expand my portfolio.

Choosing a top 5 was really difficult as there are so many images that I love! It took a long time but I have eventually managed to choose just 5. Here they are.....





This lovely little girl had such beautiful eyes and I love the eye contact in this image. A lot of the focus in a newborn shoot initially is getting those beautiful sleepy, curly, squishy poses but it's nice to get gorgeous awake images too. 



 I think this is such a beautiful pose. This little one slept like a dream and was so easily posed. I love the slight smile in this image and the natural colours. 



I think this will always be one of my favourites. I love curly, sleepy newborn images and love how tiny and delicate newborns are. I think this little one looks so peaceful and I absolutely adore little baby rolls, especially in the first few weeks when they can be posed. 

 Only recently have I started doing maternity shoots but I love them! Pregnancy is such a beautiful time and one that deserves to be captured, even more so as life gets very busy once little one arrives. This photo stands out for me as I love the connection between these two. Can't wait to get them back in the studio with their newborn!


 I am a massive fan of black and white images and this pose has quickly become one of my favourites. I love getting parents involved in the images and will soon be incorporating a range of parent shots into my newborn packages.

So what does the future hold??

Welcome to my home studio! I've worked hard to make this a cosy, relaxed area and I'm now looking to expand my portfolio.... 

New flooring has been put down and backdrops have been ordered....









Now I need some models! I am looking for the following models for a free shoot (during November) including 1 free print (must agree to signing a model release form):


  • Newborns with parent(s) (baby must be under 3 weeks old at the time of the session)
  • Newborn with sibling(s) (must be under 3 weeks old at the time of the session)
  • Parents with babies between the age of 6-8 months who can sit unaided but are not yet crawling.


Interested in a portfolio session?
These will be free sessions and you will receive 1 free 8 x 10 print of the image of your choice. After the session you will have the option to view your images and purchase others, if you choose. As a portfolio building session, prices will be discounted accordingly.

Sessions are limited.
Please get in contact to find out more information or book a session:

victoriajphotos@gmail.com

or find me on facebook: Victoria J Photography