Katy's Blog

An Exciting New Chapter

Katy — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:47:07 +0000

I started Serendipity Photography in January 2008 and have had an amazing 3 years running a business which I am so passionate about. I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful couples and families as well as businesses and up and coming models/singers.
Every shoot I have done over the last three years has been individual and special. I have got to know a lot of families really well as I have photographed their little ones with my Shutterbug shoots. I hope that during this time I have created some very special memories for those familes, I know I will treasure these times.

It is now time for an exciting new chapter in my life. In December I was offered a very exciting job working with the wonderfully talented Julia Boggio and her husband James Derbyshire in their photography studio in Wimbledon. It was too good an opportunity to say no to as they want me to come on board to work with developing their business which focuses on baby and children portraits as well as Vintage Boudoir.

“We are proud to announce that Katy Thomson is joining our expanding team. Katy’s job, aside from taking beautiful photographs, will be to assist us in managing the rapid growth of our studio & to help open more studios in the future. Having looked for someone that would be a perfect fit for over a year, Julia & the team are thrilled to have found Katy, a trained teacher as well as a talented photographer.” Julia Boggio

It will be hard to leave Sheffield which has been such an important part of my life. I studied here at Sheffield University and then then stayed on for a further 3 years. Sheffield is the city where Serendipity Photography & Shutterbugs was born and nurtured. I have a lot of wonderful friends here and have made some fantastic contacts through all the networking groups I have belonged too. It has been a great place for me to start my business and has taken me to where I am now….ready to move back down to London and continue my photography journey.

I am passionate about photography and taking wonderful photos, especially of children. This new chapter is going to enable me to continue to do this whilst also working with one of the best photographers in the business. It is a real priviledge to work with James and Julia and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me in my business I have loved every single minute. I will keep you all updated on my progress as I move to the home of tennis and wombles. : )

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 24th December – A Winter’s Shoot

Katy — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 09:00:48 +0000

On the 24th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A Winter’s Shoot.

As my Strawberry Advent Blog comes to an end it is with great pleasure that I post this final shoot. When I do family photoshoots I either go to their homes or to a chosen location. In this case the family who I was photographing were from Preston in Lancashire. They had been given a voucher to have a family photo shoot when their little boy was born. Some of their family live in Sheffield so they travelled over to Sheffield to combine their shoot with spending time with their family. We started the shoot off in my “studio” and then wrapped up warm to head out to a cold and snowy millhouses park to take some photos of them together.

I love doing shoots in the snow as the light is amazing and as long as you’re wrapped up warm you get some fantastic shots. With all the snow that we have been getting over the last few weeks it seems only right that my last blog on Christmas Eve is of a shoot in the snow.

Cheeky Grin

Peek-a-boo

Time with daddy

Bubbles with mummy

Family Time

Playing in the park

Giggles

Blue Eyed Boy

Baby Portrait

Watching

Giggles with mummy

It's too cold!

Thank you for taking the time to read my Strawberry Advent Blog. I have loved sharing with you some of the great shoots and weddings that I have been doing over the last few months. I’d like to take this moment to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and to thank you for all the support you have given me and my business in 2010.

As we move into 2011 there are some exciting changes about to take place so I am looking forward to sharing those with you but in the meantime let me wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here is to a fantastic 2011.

Merry Christmas from the Strawberry Photographer

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 23rd December – 3 Cheeky Brothers

Katy — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:00:01 +0000

On the 23rd day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….3 Cheeky Brothers.

As we come to the end of the Strawberry Advent Blog I was struggling to choose which last few shoots to share with you as it has been a fantastic few months. I have picked this one as it has to be one of the ones where I giggled and laughed the most throughout the whole shoot. The main reason for this was because I was photographing 3 very cheeky brothers (7, 4 & 2) who had the most infectious laughs. When I said I wanted to take photos of them they got so excited that they ran around sorting out the “background”…their choice of blue blanket. They then posed individually and giggled a lot when I had them sat together for the shot that their parents wanted. There were a lot of “out takes” for this shoot as they all loved to pull silly faces and stick out their tongues. When these 3 grow up I think I might just employ them to be creative art directors for my shoots…they’d be so much fun to work with!

The cheeky 2 year old

Butter wouldn't melt...

The handsome 7 year old

A cheeky smile

The giggly 4 year old

Model in the making

A quiet moment

Brotherly Love

Cheeky Boys

Giddy!

3 very cute boys who I’m sure will be heart breakers when they’re older!

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 22nd December – A very tiny Shutterbug

Katy — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:00:42 +0000

On the 22nd day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A very tiny Shutterbug.

As you may have seen throughout my December blogs I love photographing babies and children. Shutterbugs is one of the favourite parts of my job as I get to be part of such special times in my clients’ family lives. It is such a privilege to be asked to come into a family home and take photos of their precious little ones especially when they are very new to this world.

Today’s blog is of Baby L who is the youngest and tiniest Shutterbugs I have photographed. He was absolutely adorable and didn’t grumble as I moved him round to capture the cutest photos of him. I am adding quite a few photos to this blog because there were too many to choose from….be warned, your heart may melt!

A sleeping babe

A Father's Love

Mother's Love

Adorable

Wide Awake

A lovely bundle

Baby Blue

Little Bear

Father & Son

Live Forever

A Perfect Family

I hope you’ll agree that Baby L is very cute. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in a few weeks to take his next set of photos.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 21st December – A Family Wedding – Peacocks & Birdcages

Katy — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:00:22 +0000

On the 21st day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A Family Wedding.

Today’s blog isn’t one of my official shoots but I just had to include it as one of the 24 blogs in December. The reason I wanted to share these photos is because they are of my sister’s wedding and it was a truly special day for them and all of us in the family. Fiona & Bill got enagaged last December so this year has been spent planning their special day in London with their closest family & friends.

Their day started with a lovely ceremony at Chelsea Registry Office with a small group of immediate family & friends. We then jumped in cabs and made our way down to the River Thames where we boarded “Pride of London” which was to be the location for their 2nd ceremony. As we made our way down the river towards London Bridge to collect the rest of the wedding guests, who had all been told to be ready to board at 3pm, we had lunch and got Fiona changed into her wedding dress for the ceremony. Fiona wanted to break all traditions with her wedding dress and opted for a beautiful gold gown which she made with my mum. She looked absolutely stunning and with the accessories of her fascinator with birdcage veil made by Imogen’s Imagination and lace fan & garter made by my mum she looked radiant.

I was bridesmaid for the day but couldn’t resist taking a few photos….I had to have a few memories of my sister’s wedding. The offical photos were taken by Stephan Gregoire, it was so lovely to step back and let him get on with capturing the day.

The Pride of London

Final touches

The gorgeous golden gown made by my mum & sister

Birdcage Veil

Mum's handmade lace garter & horseshoe

Lace & Peacock Feather accessories

After the ceremony on the boat we sailed along the Thames past all the main London landmarks before mooring up at Chelsea Harbour to head to the reception at Imperial Warf. Whilst we had a few hours on the boat the guests enjoyed drinks & photos plus a few fun games to get all the guests talking.

Mr & Mrs Frost

Happy

Love at the Tower!

Fiona & Bill with his best men

Once we moored up all the guests gathered on the docks for an “everyone” photo before walking to the pub where we all enjoyed a wonderful meal and fantastic evening. Fiona & Bill had themed the room with peacock feathers and flower arrangements in beautiful birdcages. They also had a “superhero” theme to go with Bill’s love for Marvel comics so all the tables were named after a superhero. The cake was topped with a tardis to show Bill’s love (obsession) with Dr Who.

All the wedding guests

Dr Who inspired Wedding Cake.

After the meal & speeches Fiona & Bill did the most amusing first dance to Basement Jaxx. Their dance turned into a bit of a dance off to the hilarity of all the guests! To keep the party spirit going my cousin Ben & I put together a photo booth area where the guests could come along and have their photo taken wearing ridiculous hats & wigs. It was a great end to a wonderful day.

The Frosts

Sophia with my parents..my dad suits that hat!

The bride & her bridesmaids...Sarah, Fiona & me (Katy)

The girls

Gorgeous

Dejected?

Ben & Claire

Fun times

It was a very special day and it was so wonderful to see my sister so happy. We are all so pleased to have Bill as part of the family and I now have the brother I always wanted.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 20th December – A Teenage Beauty

Katy — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 09:00:40 +0000

On the 20th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A teenage beauty.

I often get told that I should never work with animals and children so when I got asked to do this next shoot I should have walked away! However I love both animals and children/teenagers so when I was asked to photograph Laura with her beautiful dog I couldn’t say no. It was Laura’s birthday so her parents had wanted some up to date photos of her and she wanted to have photos of her and her dog.

I love photographing teenagers. I have met all sorts of different characters from the confident Britain’s Next Top Model wannabes to moody, quiet and very shy individuals. When I do a portrait I am really keen to take some time to get to know the person I’m photographing. I really want them to feel comfortable with me as well as to feel confident and happy in front of the camera. Laura was quite quiet initially but as we got into the shoot she relaxed and enjoyed her shoot. I posed her and constantly gave her pointers about how to stand. I wanted her to feel gorgeous and special. We had a great afternoon and both her and her parents loved the results.

The birthday girl

Smiles

A teenage beauty

Laura

Beautiful girls

A model pose

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 19th December – Autumnal Wedding

Katy — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 09:00:38 +0000

On the 19th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….An Autumnal Wedding

There’s something about autumnal photo shoots and weddings that I absolutely love. I’m not sure if it’s the crisp sunshiny days or the wonderful colours that come with autumn but whatever it is it’s beautiful.

In October this year I photographed the wonderful wedding of Mike & Simone in Sheffield’s stunning Botanical Gardens. They had a beautiful day for their wedding and the colours in the gardens were so beautiful. Simone had chosen orange colours for her bridesmaids so bouquet so everything fitted so well together.

I met Simone in the morning as she was getting ready at the Copthorne Hotel in Sheffield. Simone and Mike are keen Sheffield United Football Fans so it was very appropriate that Simone was getting ready at the hotel which is attached to the football ground. Simone then got a wonderful surprise when she found out that one of her family friends had arranged for her to go and have some photos taken in the grounds before going to the Botanical Gardens for the wedding…Mike was really jealous!

Arriving at Bramall Lane

In the home team's dug out.

Loving being at Bramall Lane

The Blades...and Simone

Once Simone had been congratulated by the guys at SUFC and kicked the match ball it was off to the Botanical Gardens to get married.

The Bouquet

The Botanical Gardens...ready to celebrate Simone & Mike's Wedding

Walking up the "aisle".

The beautiful bride & her mum

A very happy couple

Congratulations Mike & Simone

After the stunning ceremony and whilst the guests enjoyed a few drinks I took Mike & Simone around the gardens to get some photos. We went to the bear pit, Japanese gardens and got some wonderful photos of them together.

The Bear Pit

The gardens

Beautiful Autumnal Colours

Happy Couple

Once we’d taken the photos around the garden we headed back to the entrance of the gardens where the infamous Ice Cream van was parked. It was only right to get some shots of Mike & Simone with an ice cream but not before I got a great shot of Simone with her 4 brothers.

Brotherly Love

Ice Cream for the happy couple

The Bridal Party

Strawberry Sauce

Fun

Mike & Simone’s wedding was so much fun to photograph. I wish them all the best as they start on married life together.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 18th December – Bumps & Cupcakes…It started with a Tweet.

Katy — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 14:41:22 +0000

On the 18th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….”Bumps and Cupcakes…..It started with a tweet.”

I am very excited to share this blog with you as it really celebrates the power of social networking and small businesses coming together to support each other. I am a keen Twitter fan and have been tweeting (@KTSerendipity) for well over a year. During this time I have got to know some amazing people and really developed my network of business contacts both here in Sheffield as well as around the country and in some cases, the world. As a sole trader running your own business can be a lonely place so meeting other like minded people in similar lines of work through social networking has been a real godsend. It has been so good to get to know other suppliers and pass work to each other as well as recommened each other for work that we come across. The best part of it has been getting the opportunities to work together.

In today’s Advent Blog I am sharing with you photos that were taken as a result of a shoot that started with a tweet! Over the summer I got talking with Laura from @Geniicupcakes and Philippa from @Kell_weddings. Laura runs her own cupcake company in Southampton and Philippa is a Wedding Planner based in Doncaster. Our conversation started when Laura mentioned that she was coming up with some new cupcake recipes which would be good for pregnant mums to be. She was trying out her ginger cupcakes with lime frosting and was also looking at other flavours based on food which helps with morning sickness or cravings. I had always been impressed with Laura’s cupcakes and her website so I was really intrigued with this new line of cupcakes that she was making. In a fly away comment I said that we should combine her cupcakes with my Shutterbugs photography as we both cater for maternity and new borns. As our tweets were going back and forth Laura suggested a photoshoot and then Philippa got involved and said that she would more than happily model as she was 7 months pregnant and loved cupcakes! Before we knew it our ideas and tweets were becoming reality as we arranged a time in our diary for Laura to come up to Sheffield with her cupcakes and for a photo shoot to be arranged.

I got my friend Natasha from Natasha Lyons Styling (@natashalyons) to help out with the styling of the shoot and Philippa arranged to have the Leopold Hotel in Sheffield as the location for our shoot. Philippa also arranged for a makeup artist to come on board as well. Before we knew it Laura was driving up from Southhampton and the photo shoot was taking place. It was an amazing day and was so lovely to meet Philippa and Laura. Due to all our conversations on twitter we chatted like we’d known each other for years. Natasha styled Philippa beautifully and Laura’s cupcakes looked divine. I was so impressed with the styling of the cupcakes as well as the thought and detail that Laura puts into her flavours and icing decoration.

The photos from this shoot have been used by Laura to help promote her cupcakes and I really hope that her business continues to grow from strength to strength. Philippa has since given birth to a gorgeous baby girl and continues to work as a wedding planner in Doncaster.

To find out more about their businesses have a look here: Laura from Genii Cupcakes, Philippa from Kellington Weddings, Natasha from Natasha Lyons Styling.

If you’re on twitter then say hi and follow us! @KTSerendipity @GeniiCupcakes @Kell_Weddings @NatashaLyons

The Beautiful Philippa

Bumps

Surrounded by Cupcakes

Delicious Cupcakes

Stylish Cupcakes

Baby Cupcakes

Yummy Mummy

It's a boy!

It's a girl!

Just want to eat it.

Ginger cupcakes with a lime frosting

Now I’ve written this blog I want to go and eat cupcakes!

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 17th December – A Little Cherub

Katy — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:00:38 +0000

On the 17th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A Little Cherub.

I have already blogged about 2 of my little Shutterbugs who are the babies of some of my wedding couples. Today’s Advent Blog is another very special little Shutterbug….Baby B. I met baby B’s parents in 2008 when they asked me to be the photographer for their wedding on 1st May 2010. They were the first wedding couple that I ever booked when I started Serendipity Photography. Alex and Jessica had chosen the 1st May as their wedding day as it was a very special date for them. Due to that date being booked up for their wedding venue in 2009 they were looking for 2010 for their wedding. I loved photographing their special day earlier this year but was even more excited when I got a call to say that they were expecting a baby and would I photograph the 1st year of their baby’s life as well as their wedding? I jumped at the chance and it has been a real privilege to photograph such important times in their life as they grow as a family. Baby B was born in January 2010 so it has been a wonderful year not only photographing Alex & Jessica’s wedding but also taking lovely photos of their little girl and being able to watch her grow.

To start this special blog here is a photo of Alex & Jessica’s special day.

Alex & Jessica's Wedding Day

Here is a photo from our first shoot together last January.

Beautiful Baby B with her lovely mum.

Very proud daddy.

Here are some photos from our latest shoot. She is a gorgeous little girl with a beautiful smile. These first photos were of Baby B in her Christening gown as they had just celebrated her Christening at the same church where Alex & Jessica got married earlier in the year.

Cheeky

Giggles

Beautiful B

Once we had taken photos of her in her Christening gown she was then changed into a very stylish outfit. Baby B has to be one of the most stylish babies I have met. She looked gorgeous.

Cute

Baby Feet

Curious B

Smiles

Waving

This is a very lovely family and it has been a pleasure to be part of such an important year for them. Congratulations to Alex & Jessica on their wedding and also on the birth of their gorgeous little girl.

A Happy Family

Daddy's girl

Beautiful Girls

I’ll be finishing the year of Baby B in January 2011 by photographing her 1st birthday.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 16th December – A Vintage Bride

Katy — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 09:00:13 +0000

On the 16th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A Vintage Bride.

I am very excited to be sharing this shoot with you on the Strawberry Advent Blog. It is one of my favourite commercial shoots of the year not only because of the end products but because of the amazing mix of people who I worked with to get the photos that we all loved.

I was approached by Laura Green from Little White Book who was helping to organise a wonderful Vintage Brial Soiree at the Chimney House in Sheffield. She was organising the event with Hansley Beard Events, Coco Catering & Swallows & Damson Florists. They were looking for images to use for the marketing and PR for their event. I was asked to take some beautiful images that could be used on blogs, press releases and in adverts. We approached the Chimney House, where the event was taking place, to see if we could do the shoot there. It is such a stunning location and I was really excited to be using it in the shoot. Laura then organised a beautiful vintage dress from Choola and the most stunning bridal bouquets made by Debbie from DCBouquets. We then asked the stunning Laurra from One Life Ceremonies to be our model.

We had a fantastic morning taking these photos and I loved every single second of it so I can’t wait to share this advent treat with you.

Vintage Bride

Bridal Bouquet by DCBouquet

The Chimney House

Beautiful

Vintage Beauty

Bouquet & Headband by DCBouquet

Chimney House

Natural Light

Window Light

Chimney House Staircase

Laughter

Reflection

A beautiful shoot in a stunning location with fantastic suppliers and organised by the talented Laura Green. I feel very privileged to work with such wonderful people in Sheffield. The Vintage Bridal Soiree took place in September and was a fantastic evening. Well done to everyone involved.