As I always say on here, I love taking headshots and this job was no exception.  This is the gorgeous Torie Campbell, a TV presenter who does a lot of work in the motor racing industry.  So we decided to do the shoot at Mercedes Benz World to reflect her very cool job. 

Now, I have to confess that I'm not a car person, at all.  But this place was incredible and I'm actually thinking of going back with my son so that I can have an even better look around. It's an absolutely stunning building across three floors with some really beautiful cars to look at, and that's from someone who isn't interested in cars! The most exciting of which was a beautiful 1960s white convertible that belonged to Peter Sellers.

And even better than that, we were allowed to get in it! A huge thank you goes out to the lovely people at Mercedes Benz World for allowing that to happen.

The first photograph is my favourite. Torie's styling really suits the car and thanks to her natural ability in front of the camera we got this gorgeous, relaxed image.  Plus, thanks to a bit of cropping, you wouldn't know we were sitting in a car showroom.

My individual headshot packages include 8 high resolution images, so I thought I'd post 8 images on here to demonstrate the variety of shots that come with the package.  It's also worth noting that each headshot is completely bespoke to that particular client.  We'll have a chat beforehand to discuss what you need to convey in the photos and come up with a location to reflect that.  We usually do 2 or 3 outfit changes too to give some variety to the final images.

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I photographed this family's first born when he was a similar age, and so I was delighted to get a call to photograph his little brother almost 6 years later. 

What I also love is that they decided to book me to photograph him on his own, without his big brother.  The reason I say that is, being a younger sibling myself, it's so often the case that there are hundreds of photos of the older brothers and sisters, and practically none of the subsequent children by themselves.  Well, not so with this little chap.

This family are NCT friends of mine and when I photographed their eldest son I'd literally just started out on my photography journey.  In fact, when I photographed him I think I still had every intention of going back to my PR job at Capital Radio, but the more little jobs I did during my maternity leave (I practiced on A LOT of friends), the more I thought I could turn it into a business.

The rest, as they say, is history.  I didn't go back to that job and slowly but surely I built my photography business and managed to be a full time mum at the same time.  The best decision I've ever made.  

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This is the very talented playwright and journalist Clare Dwyer Hogg  who needed updated photographs for her work.  This probably goes without saying, but I love portrait photography, especially when the subject is a/ gorgeous and b/ a good friend. 

Clare won't mind me telling you that she was very nervous before our shoot.  She told me that she always feels uncomfortable in front of a camera and was unsure how to pose and look natural.  This is why, when I photograph headshots, I always show my clients their images on the back of the camera as we go along.  That way they can shout DELETE at anything they don't like, but also see what kind of pose works and why.

We started off in the very cool Owen's Food Store in Muswell Hill, North London which is a lovely bright cafe with some very photogenic tables and chairs.  A prop such as a good looking chair not only adds interest to a photograph but is great for a nervous client who is unsure what to do with their hands and may feel a bit awkward standing up at first.  It creates a lovely relaxed shot and can ease people into a session.

When we'd exhausted all possible locations inside the cafe (thank you Owen's for putting up with us), we popped outside to a little road just behind the cafe where there was a lovely brick wall to use as a backdrop. The light was perfect back there and because Clare had really started to relax and enjoy the shoot, we were getting some very natural looking images. 

Finally we walked up to Alexandra Palace because I wanted to take a few photographs with a completely different background.  When I take headshots I always try to give my clients a variety of looks to choose from, and the stunning green grass and row of trees at the park were the perfect contrast to the cafe and brick wall.

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