Where did it all begin?
I met Laura through a womens networking group, The Dream Life Business Club, that she hosts in our town of Ampthill. It’s a really lovely feel good session, where women can come together and chat all things work and life. There are often guest speakers too, who inspire and challenge our work processes.
We got chatting one day as Laura wanted to update her branding images. Laura had some previously taken, but wasn’t entirely sure they represented who she is now and what her brand is all about as it has grown and evolved.
Laura knew that I could offer light and bright images, a fun approach and guidance in a session to really showcase who she is!
Before the Shoot
I always like to find out what a client is looking for so that they can get the most from their shoot.
Laura really wanted a relaxed feel to the session. It was important for her to show her personality, her office space, client meeting format and just a bit of who she is in life generally.
I like to check out clients on social media, get a real feel for them and their brand , and then I know I can do them justice in the shoot.
Shoot Day
Arriving at Laura’s house was a real treat. Her house is beautiful and it was the perfect setting for her session. Luckily for myself and Laura, we are both good friends with the lovely Jodie Gearing Bespoke Jewellery Designer, who came along to the session too for a bit of moral support for Laura, and to be a model to vary up the shots a little.
Of course no session would be complete without starting with a coffee around the table and some homemade muffins (Laura is an incredible baker!) I always love to start a session in a relaxed way like this, it puts everyone at ease as most people feel a bit nervous about getting in front of the camera!
“I can honestly say the photos blew me away!”
Laura Cruise
Laura had chosen four outfits for the session and we kicked off in her favourite colour – pink! This beautiful dress made Laura glow, and she totally rocked it. The light in her kitchen is divine, so it was very easy for me to get her in the right positions for the perfect photos.
As always with most of my clients, there is a lot of giggling. I honestly believe that laughing is the best for photos, so whatever it takes, I will get some laughing. This is always very easy with Laura as she is such a spirited person, who is full of life and always gets my sense of humour!
After the shots in the kitchen were complete, we moved down to her office at the bottom of her garden. More pink was there to greet us, so again her branding was totally being captured in all areas. We did some mock up client work with Jodie (more giggling ensued) and I did a few details shots around the office too, in case Laura ever wants to post little details on social media. We also did some shots of Laura hard at work at her desk, where she records her podcasts.
We moved back up to the house for a quick outfit change (Laura is a big fan of leopard print), so it was only right that we got some of that in the session too.
We went for a bit more of a relaxed feel to this part of the session, where she was in her living room, reading books, researching and just trying to showcase moments from her working day. We also did some more client based shots too with Jodie.
Laura has a book coming out in March 2023 so she wanted a couple of mock up shots as well, of her holding a book for potential use at a later date. Another outfit change was involved of course, to really have some versatility with the photos.
We finished the session outside by Laura’s studio, with a bold jacket (which I want) and some more leopard print action.
Laura really wanted lots of options for social media and her website, so using the four/five locations and different outfits, really helped with creating an array of images.
“Nicola has a gift for capturing the essence of people, and letting their spirit shine through.”
Laura Cruise
Post Shoot Low Down
Laura seemed really happy with everything when I left the session, so I was buzzing to get editing the images and get them back to her as soon as I could.
The editing stage was very easy, as I’d chosen great lighting locations within the house, so just a little bit of cropping here and there, and I was ready to get the gallery back to Laura.
After 10 years of being a photographer, I still get those little butterflies creeping in as I press send on a gallery!
The butterflies were totally not needed, as I think Laura got back to me within about 10 minutes, declaring her love for the images! Phew! The biggest compliment of all is when I then see those images being shared all over social media. Which is what Laura did!
Laura was in fact so pleased with her photos, she has booked me again for a spring update this month and I am capturing her book launch too!
I cannot wait to work with Laura again and create more images for her to make her business shine!
“I loved the photos so much that we are doing more this week.
Laura Cruise
Thanks Nicola, you are amazing!”
