Tis the season to get married (apparently we’re supposed to have better weather this time of year…), and this Friday, I’m lucky enough to be the photographer at Stewart & Tony’s ceremony.  I’m really looking forward to it, and have had some fun nosing round the venues in advance, scouting for lovely locations.

When working with wedding clients I have not met before, I like to offer a complimentary engagement shoot as part of the package.  The shoot gives me a chance to spend an hour having fun with the couple, allows us to get to know each other a bit, and to relax in each others’ company.  Wedding days are often kind of busy, so it’s hugely beneficial for both photographer and client to be at ease with one another, and for both parties to have a good idea about what to expect from the other on the big day.  We have time to find poses that work, find out likes, and more importantly, dislikes.  It’s also a really nice add-on for the client, as they get some couple portraits that hopefully they love, in a location of their choice.

If you’re looking for an Oxford wedding photographer, get in touch for a chat:)

Below are a few from my shoot with Stewart & Tony – congratulations both, and see you Friday!


In August 2006, I traveled around parts of South-West Canada, touching down in Quebec on my way home.  It was a stunning trip.  The other day a picture from my trip caught my eye, and I had the urge to dig some more out and share them with you.  Enjoy x

Right, enjoyable procrastination over, now back to my editing…

Oxford photographer

Vancouver sunset – a sweet arrival

Overnight Greyhound into the Rockies

Moon as my travel companion

Banff

Probably some Grizzlies in this photo, you just can’t see them

Joy is: a shop full of fur and tack mmmm

Stunning lakes near Banff

Kayaking down the river at Edmonton

Excuse for my trip – Edmonton Fringe with a poet

Alberta blue

Heading west to the islands

Vancouver Island

Exploring

There’s my moon again

*wow*

And back to the city – Vancouver at sunset

My travel companion

Mean streets of ‘couver

One of my favourites from the trip

Another favourite – Vancouver cafe

A friend’s lake in Quebec – yes, they *have* lakes in Canada!

They share it only with beavers

Lakeside

Montreal chic

More Montreal chic

A loan cowboy on our last day

The author J.F. Penn came to me from the smoke, in search of a new headshot for her novels and publicity.  To date, she has written two books, the ‘ARKANE thrillers’ Pentecost and Prophecy, both available on Amazon (both score an average of 4+ from the reader reviews).  Oxford features prominently in the novels (she studied Theology here as a student and frequently visits for research and inspiration), so the city centre with it’s ancient spires seemed like the perfect setting for the shoot.  My brief was ‘ancient mysteries, modern thrill’ and I bimbled round the city centre finding possible locations for headshots that would allow for a hint of the familiar face of Oxford  (think Radcliffe Camera, the Bod, all that) in the background of a headshot at ground level – we had hoped to climb up the tower at University Church and shoot downwards onto Radcliffe Square, but the tower is being renovated.  Here’s what J.F. Penn has to say about the importance of Oxford to her work:

“Oxford is a key part of my identity as a writer. I studied Theology here so the Radcliffe Camera was my library and where I spent my days studying. My thrillers feature a secret government agency, ARKANE, that investigates religious and supernatural mysteries across the globe. They have an Oxford base under the Pitt Rivers and Morgan Sierra, my kickass heroine, has an office in Bath Place near the Turf tavern. There are fight scenes set here as well as murders and chases, so I wanted to have Oxford as part of my author headshots. Mim did a fantastic job of incorporating the feeling of Oxford into the fantastic photoshoot.”

So, below are a selection of my favourites from our one-hour shoot on a grey Sunday afternoon.  Joanna was a great model, we had fun, and I’m looking forward to curling up with one of her novels soon!  You can check out her work and website here – she is currently writing her third book in the ARKANE series, Exodus, about a hunt for the Ark of the Covenant as the Middle East counts down to a religious war.

Oh, and here is a really lovely testimonial to boot:


“Mim chose some fantastic locations for the photoshoot that resonated with what I was aiming for, as well as bringing her own interpretation. She advised me on what to wear and made me feel at ease during the shoot. It’s never easy to feel comfortable doing these type of photos but Mim’s friendliness and encouragement really helped. I’m thrilled with the photos and will be using them on my site and also the covers of my novels.”
J.F.Penn, author. http://www.JFPenn.com

Over and out,
with love, 
Oxford headshot photographer

Wowza, so times are busy – it’s spring and all that, and between snapping and the Bee, I’m all used up and too busy to blog (gotta be good)… Tomorrow I start two days of shooting (never feels right using that word, email me if you have any good alternatives) all the staff and fellows of a beautiful Oxford college, and I’m hoping my cold will skedaddle before then, as no-one wants a photographer with a runny nose.  A lovely Kelly has appeared on the scene and now the Bee gets to go and hang out with her and her little one some of the time, giving me more time to edit, sort admin, hoover, drink tea and…blog.  So, coming soon, updates on all of the work I’ve been doing – headshots, weddings, family portraits, commercial work.  I’ve also been putting together some thoughts on ethical business, and what it might mean to be an ethical photographer, so a blog on that soon too.  Right, back to the editing.

In the meantime, a snap of the Bee and her dad from last weekend.

Oxford photographer

Wendy and I worked together to create some informal portraits on Monday morning.  Below are a few of my favourites, and check out the lovely testimonial she sent me :)  Thanks Wendy, lovely working with you!

‘I really enjoyed working with Mim. She was relaxed and friendly and welcomed me with coffee. I was able to chat with her about what I wanted, which was happily unlike my experience with another photographer who just wanted to arrange me in standard poses. It all seemed so like ‘having a few photos taken in the garden by a friend’ that I was amazed at the results. Merely by having me sit and walk around the garden she managed to capture a whole range of facial expressions and moods which are really ‘me’, together with a certain artistic atmosphere which is hard to define..She has sent me dozens of photos to look through and all are good. I think Mim provides a high quality service, and probably doesn’t charge enough!’
My favourite, hands down

Love this one too







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A different look and feel

I really like this one – not the most relaxed, but something intriguing about it


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