THE NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW 2015

As usual I have been keeping busy and last week was no exception! After kick starting the week off with some 1-2-1 training down in Kent, it was time to head to Birmingham to take part in The Newborn Photography Show 2015. Much fun was had teaching some familiar and new faces and the weather allowed for lots of outdoor work.  Here’s a brief look at what we got up to…


Our first day was a brief but in depth look at the fundamentals of lighting which was part of the pick and mix classes the show offered. It proved to be a popular class as we only just managed to find a seat for everyone attending! The class was aimed at helping fellow photographers really grasp a good understanding of light - its properties and how we can control it to create beautiful and interesting imagery.

Such great feedback was given on how beneficial this knowledge was and I look forward to seeing everyone experimenting with this new understanding of light within their future work.  The image to the left shows a quick shot taken from the session to illustrate a simple two light setup in a typical studio environment.

Days 2 and 3 were all about maternity and how to create flattering and beautiful imagery for a client. We were able to cover both indoor and outdoor scenarios and the Botanical Gardens offered some great areas to work within.

With such a great bunch of attendees we were able to take an in depth look at how to construct a successful maternity session including posing, styling, composition and most importantly – lighting! 

(poncho provided by Sally Slack)

Once we had covered the essentials indoors, we were then able to apply the same principals to our outdoor session using both natural and artificial light.  It is a common misconception that I prefer to work with flash only. The truth is I choose to work with the best quality of light I can get. So, if natural light is there then I will use it…

But sometimes the use of flash is necessary to enable me to shoot in a location I want to without having to compromise on quality of light. Often, I am not trying to overpower the ambient. Flash can be added very subtly to give directional light on our subject without the image looking unnatural.  

This image is a great example of how we were able to overpower the harsh sunlight we were presented with flash in order to maintain our choice of location and a correct lighting pattern on the subject.

Unsurprisingly 3 hours didn’t seem enough time but boy did we pack a lot in! We even managed to squeeze something a bit more dramatic in on the final day…

For more information on upcoming training dates or 1-2-1 training options, you can find out more at:

 GDH Photography Training 

or head over to Just Pose for all of our upcoming intensive workshop dates.