Catherine :]'s photostream  

A few days ago we were walking Luna when we noticed some small 'puffball' toadstools either side of a path through the woods.

We made a mental note of their location and came back later, armed with cameras and a flashgun.

We were shooting from a low angle, using an off-camera flash lying on the ground (in this case frame right). We took it in turns to shoot and gently poke the toadstools with a stick, triggering them to release a puff of spores.

I think they look like quite magical little things, and I was surprised by the amount of detail I was able to capture :)

At long last I can have the pleasure of showing you something I have been working towards for a long time - a website, with my portfolio to date.

Since graduating from university in the summer, I have decided to take the plunge and follow my ultimate ambition, and turn my love of photography into a profession.

I hope you like the website, and please bear me in mind if you find yourself in need of a photographer!

Thankyou all for following me as my work has developed over the years - I couldn't have gotten this far without the feedback and help you have so kindly given me :)

Yesterday I had possibly the girliest photoshoot of my career so far - and loved every second of it. A very good friend of mine is setting up a vintage china hire business (ssssh, more details to come!), and I had the pleasure of photographing her stunning collection for the website.

I was greeted by a staggering number of pieces, every surface covered in wonderful little treasures in all shapes and sizes, and (with some help from Andy!) we set up and photographed a selection. It was props galore, with cupcakes, roses, ribbons, sugared almonds and confetti for decoration.

This turned out to be my favourite shot of the day, with the simple but elegant white rose sitting in the teacup being a nice finishing touch.

11/11/11 at 11pm - a date I shall never forget for as long as I live.

A special date, not just for the obvious reasons, but also because it is the date that Andy moves from Germany to England, and we can start the next chapter of our lives together.

Over 2 years ago, a misguided Flickr message led us to one another, and after an unlikely, but truly unforgettable start to our time together, we are about to embark on the next stage of our lives.

Thankyou Andy, for everything...you've given me so many wonderful memories, and now we can make lots more :)

I love you.

I recently had the pleasure of another portrait shoot - a wonderful lady named Di, who impressively still rides at the age of 73, wanted some photographs of her horse Carla.

This time of year is not an easy one for outdoor shoots, with weather and flat, grey light being problematic. However, while walking Luna the day before the shoot, I saw a wonderfully golden tree in the distance in one of the paddocks. I therefore decided that to introduce a bit of colour to a rather murky time of year, I would use it as a background for the portraits.

The shoot also gave me a chance to try out a rather nifty bit of kit - a mini softbox for my speedlite flash. When shooting in outdoor conditions, it is pretty much impossible to bounce the flash, and therefore having a little diffuser to soften the light as it fires directly forwards is invaluable. Thankyou Andy for a wonderful little gift :)