Anna McCarthy’s Blog

Happy New Year!

Posted in Family, Miscellaneous on Monday 9th January, 2012

This month I am looking forward to shooting some pictures for the company Little Dish in Notting Hill again. I produced some pictures for Hilary its founder a few years ago so its lovely to be asked back again. I am especially looking forward to catching up with her lovely sons Monty and Ridley who will once again be models and chief tasters in the kitchen.

I also have a very special portraiture session coming up with Derek (1912 - 2012 and counting…) who will celebrate his 100th birthday on the 20th (more on this soon), and then at the other end of the age spectrum I’ll be photographing 9 months old baby Louis who I met yesterday and who I defy any woman not to get broody over.. an utterly gorgeous little character.

Later on this month an interview with me about my family photography will be coming out in the 200th edition of Digital Photographer magazine. The interview was conducted on the telephone while I was in the throes of Christmas orders so I hope I managed to say something sensible. And in a few days Sarah and I will be heading to the annual SWPP (Society of wedding and portrait photographers) trade show and convention in Hammersmith, armed with various lists to research some exciting new products we are planning to offer clients this year, as well as attending a some masterclasses and seminars. Even after 10 years (this June) in this industry there is always plenty of new stuff to learn and be inspired by, as well as the show being an opportunity to hook up with other photographers (old and new) and exchange ideas - and yes have a good moan too!

Back to Christmas, I did pretty much down all photographic tools over the holidays but in between the revelry and domestic duties that took over with a house full of guests and children, I managed to snap a few images. After a Christmas day of the usual rituals - tackling lego kit instructions from 6am in the morning, wandering aimlessly from room to room with alcohol in one hand and waste paper basket in other clearing away discarded wrapping paper, retrieving half eaten squashed chocolates lodged between sofa cushions, and saving the contents of crackers mangling up the hoover - if you have kids this will all resonate - we managed to get out for a blast of fresh air on Boxing Day. These are my two favourite images - of my brother and his partner taking ‘time out’ on a park bench whilst the cousins let off steam.

Happy New Year!

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Happy clients on Christmas Day: Wedding Photography, Suffolk

Posted in Anna McCarthy Products, Weddings on Monday 2nd January, 2012

A belated Happy New Year!

In my previous post, I included some pictures of Beth and Ed’s beautiful Queensberry wedding album that arrived on my doorstep a few days before Christmas day and which I was able to deliver to her mother’s house so that Ed could present it to Beth on Christmas morning.

And brilliantly Ed took this snap of Beth’s anticipation and excitement upon being presented with it:

and then a day later, I received this from Beth:

We absolutely LOVE the album and it was so special to receive it as a surprise on Christmas Day! Having got engaged and married here in Sudbourne this year, it wrapped up 2011 brilliantly.

You have created a family heirloom and something of which we are both immensely proud. I can promise you it will bring us, as well our friends and families, many many years of happiness whilst turning the pages and reminiscing (and no doubt smiling and giggling at the fun and frolics!). As well as a set of fantastic images, you have told the story of our day fantastically well as well as capturing those special moments - so much so I want to do it all again!

We knew from the start that we wanted an album and now I know we absolutely made the right decision.

Thank you for your hours of hard work and patience with us - I hope you are even half as pleased as we are!

Beth

To see images of the album itself, please scroll down to the previous post.

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Wedding Photography in Suffolk: A Queensberry Wedding Album surprise for Christmas Day

Posted in Anna McCarthy Products, Weddings on Thursday 29th December, 2011

I photographed Beth and Ed’s wonderful country wedding in Sudbourne and Orford in Suffolk back in September this year which was blessed with indian summer weather and packed with beauty, character, humour and emotion. Beth’s wedding speech thanking her mother for her upbringing was one that will stay with me for a long while.. straight from the heart and expressing that deep love and respect that can exist between daughter and mother.

Beth and Ed chose a 17 page (100 images) Queensberry album as part of their wedding package, and since their day, I have been working with them both, and the team of experts at Queensberry, to produce this story of their wedding day within the pages of this stunning heirloom.

Queensberry albums are the rolls royce of wedding albums. All are bespoke printed and crafted with incredible attention to detail and using the best quality materials. From the initial design through to the binding and finishing, they are a labour of love. There really could not be a more beautiful nor satisfying end result for your wedding photography.

I told Beth and Ed that because Queensberry will never rush any job but only release an album from their headquarters in New Zealand when it is 100% perfect, that their wedding album was unlikely to be with us before Christmas. But last week it arrived on my doorstep and I immediately hatched a plan (with Ed) to take it to Beth’s mother’s house in Sudbourne where I knew they were gathering on Christmas eve so that Ed could give it to Beth as a surprise on Christmas day.

The story of this album is so lovely I will blog it over two posts. But first up here are some images of their album which I managed to snap in the chaos of orders and deliveries and preparations that were my pre-Christmas days, before delivering it to Beth’s mother in Sudbourne on Christmas eve morning.

Beth and Ed chose a microleather embossed cover for their album in Shadow:

The album has 17 pages 34 sides and 100 images so it has a really substantial feel to it as well as a comprehensive coverage of the visual story of their day:

and these pictures I hope show just how beautiful the construction is of these albums - designed and built to last for future generations:

Beth and Ed chose white metal edges to protect the corners of their album. There is an option to omit these if you prefer:

The pagemount border inside the album is grey and the mats (wonderfully thick luxurious boarded pages) are ivory

the black and white images look fantastic against the silvery grey border and the colour ones - many of which are on a blue/ivory theme - are perfectly set off

This image shows just how accurately each photographic print is positioned and fixed to the border:

Whichever way you position the album, everything is perfectly aligned in the construction:

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Baby Portrait Photography in Holland Park, West London, W11

Posted in Family, Portraiture, babies on Wednesday 21st December, 2011

Being a parent myself and therefore having an understanding of what an amazing (and bewildering) experience it is bringing a child into the world, brings even more pleasure to the job I do as a London children and family portrait photographer - and also really helps me to understand my clients and connect with fellow parents.

Last friday was a particularly special family photography shoot when I got up at the crack of dawn (setting out in the pitch black of a drizzly grey wet December morning) to visit Micaela and her absolutely gorgeous little boy Teodor in London’s Holland Park area.

Teodor, like my own daughter, was born prematurely so Micaela and I already had had lots of chat beforehand about Teodor’s journey from birth to coming home. There is something particularly special about prem babies. They have a strength and a stoicism - wisdom even - that is born of the fight they are required to fight so early in life for their health. And their parents - sexist though it might sound, their mothers - who have often suffered from that lack of immediate contact directly after giving birth followed by weeks of monitoring and sometimes operations, seem to have almost an added delight and appreciation in their offspring. Basically the lows are very low so the highs are then very high.. and to see this little chap so strong and happy and active was a joy.

We had a lovely couple of hours starting off inside, then a break while Teodor had a nap, followed by a super-quick whizz round the gardens before lunchtime.

Here are some of my favourite photographs from my session with Micaela and Teodor in Holland Park, London.

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Anna McCarthy Products to give for Christmas: Glacier Blocks - and a special offer for 2012

Posted in Anna McCarthy Products, Family, Weddings on Monday 5th December, 2011

For today’s post as we head ever closer to Christmas and many of us are wracking our brains for ideas for that special present for him or her, here is one of my most popular products that I just completed an order for.

These 5 x 5 inch glacier blocks are particularly popular with my family and wedding clients. Newly weds often purchase one of their favourite images from their day as a first Christmas keepsake for him or her, and parents like to give them to each other and/or as a gift to grand- and godparents. These 5 are destined on Christmas day for godparents.

It is hard to do complete justice to these lovely highly reflective blocks in a 2d image, but with the glacier block your print is mounted to the back of the 30mm acrylic block and encapsulated enhancing that ‘moment forever captured’ feel and giving a lovely prism effect. Glacier blocks are ideal on a bedside table, mantelpiece, shelf, coffee table or desk and are a particularly personal gift and keepsake. I have a number in my own house that I’d definitely grab in the event of a fire, and over the years, many clients of mine have their favourite wedding image or image of their child/ren in these by they beds as the last thing they see when they turn out the light and there beside them when they wake up in the morning - and make a point of telling me how much pleasure they give.

Glacier blocks are available in sizes from 5×5 inch to 12×10 inch. You will find more visuals of them including the 7×5 inch version here. For more information on sizes and prices, click here if you are a family client, and here if you are a wedding client, and to contact me to find out more or make a purchase email me at anna@annamccarthy.com or 07811 242266. There is still just about enough time for me to get one to you before the great day is upon us.

And while we are speaking of Christmas gifts, do click here to see details for purchasing Anna McCarthy Gift vouchers and here for a special offer for 2012.