Hey people,
Just letting you know that my blog has now moved, you can find it here!
Do pop over and catch up with what I've been up to, and don't forget to say hi, I always love hearing from you!
Hazel x
I have recently launched in to a new way of doing things on my blog. I decided that from here onwards, I’m going to keep it real. Somehow, The Universe (or God, or The Almighty Power of The Internet) knew what I was up to, and a shoot which I had thought would take place in several weeks time was moved forward to this week.
The timing is impeccable.
Sunday14th to Saturday 20th June is DIABETES WEEK, and this photo shoot involves myself (a type 1 diabetic) capturing 2 energetic, beautiful and captivating little girls, both with type 1 diabetes.
below: The sisters and I compare insulin pumps. Further down, big sister has learned to check her own blood sugars and is just beginning to learn the skills needed to manage her own pump. It's a complicated task involving being able to estimate the weight of carbs in every meal, and then being able to translate that in to the amount of insulin required, taking in to account activity level, viruses, hormones, emotions, stress and other factors.
Rather than sharing with you my more usual portraits of the family, I’ve decided to give you a little ‘behind the scenes’ window in to the every day reality of the balancing act that this family faces. With all of the highs and the lows, the ‘swings and the roundabouts’, the daily ‘juggling act’ - whatever you want to call it - the mother of these girls deserves a medal. In fact, scratch that. She, and countless other parents like her deserve much more than a medal - they deserve to not have to deal with this monster. I want to be able to take their children’s diabetes away. If I were to personify diabetes, he would look like a slimy, angry little gremlin, hell-bent on taking our best laid plans and just messing with them, one by one. I want to stamp on it, scream at it, beat it in to the shape of a cricket ball and then launch it in to space with a bat.
Sounds a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it?
below: India (9 months) is having her blood glucose levels tested. The steep curve shown on her device indicates that her continuous glucose monitor has picked up a rapid drop. Her mother treats it with juice, but she just keeps dropping. 3 rounds of sugar later along with some fresh air to calm her down, and finally baby's levels are back within normal range.
India wears a Kaija sofia baby pump belt
All is not lost. We may not be able to stamp out the diabetes gremlin just yet, but the diabetic community are WINNING in many ways. Daily, I see so so many examples of diabetics (and parents of diabetics) who are giving the diabetes gremlin the finger, refusing to let him dictate what they can and can’t do. I see countless inspirational people living life to the full, in spite of the challenges that this disease brings. We can keep the monster subdued and tamed. We have incredible, invaluable support groups online. These two girls have a mother who is an absolute gem in the diabetes community. Parents support each other, people come together to share knowledge and offer peer support. We can take advantage of the services offered by our wonderful NHS (God, Save the NHS!) - my team have been a lifeline for me on many occasions. We can raise awareness, share our stories and help the general public to have a better understanding so that these beautiful kids grow up in a world where they are understood and accepted.
​Below: This time, big sister Mackenzie's levels are dropping. Her best friend offers support while looking after her device to watch for her levels coming back up as she eats a packet of crisps. Support from friends and family is invaluable when managing type 1 diabetes. Further down: Baby rattles a little pot of glucose testing strips.
Some of the images I am sharing may be hard to look at (baby having the heel-prick test had me in tears), but this is just the daily actuality for families like the Emmersons. They have to keep blood sugars in a tight range; 'too high' leads to serious long term complications, and 'too low' can pose quite immediate risks. During this photoshoot we've seen mostly lows (even the photographer had to reach for the ribena!) but on another day the pictures could tell an entirely different story. Life for these guys is, in many ways, just like anyone’s life with 2 small kids. It can be busy and noisy, it can be wild and fun, or chaotic and non-stop. These two incredible little beings radiate so much love, warmth, energy, excitement, joy and an infectious passion for life. There is a big big difference though, as anyone managing a chronic condition will know. It’s all of those things I listed above PLUS having a part of your brain focused on managing sugar levels literally 24/7 - You can never switch off. You know those tantrums that your 4 year old has when he refuses to eat anything you put before him? Imagine that, but with the added risk that he will become dangerously unwell if he doesn’t finish his beans. That is just one example, I could give 500, but you get the idea.
Below: All sorts of things can contribute to low blood sugar in type 1 diabetes. Today was particularly warm, and that combined with using lots of energy running around the garden could have been what triggered the drop. Mackenzie's sensor (which can be seen on her arm) picked up the decrease. Sometimes, there is no rhyme or reason for the fluctuations - diabetes doesn't always play by the rules. Further down, Mackenzie's mum tests her levels and then treats the low with a sweet drink.
I’ll finish with a couple of the images from the main shoot.
These are happy, delightful children. They are faced with challenges but surrounded by love, total dedication and support.
Their Mum Anita finds it hard to think about the possibility of a cure. I’ve been there myself - hope can be painful when it is met with disappointment. When I was going through a phase of difficult illness, I remember telling my husband that I didn’t have the energy to hope because I was so scared of being let down. I asked him if he would hope on my behalf while I just focussed on surviving each day, until things became a little lighter again. Let’s hope for this family, and others like them. Let’s support JDRF who are involved in many avenues of research for a cure for type 1, and diabetes uk, who support and campaign people with all types of diabetes.
Dare to dream with me about the day when the only highs and lows these girls will have to think about will be on the swings!
Stay strong people,
And keep it real,
Hazel x
Hello people!
This is a Blog-Post About Keeping it Real
I’m embarking on a new way of doing things, and as part of this I plan to start communicating more with all of you, bringing you hints and tips for taking better photographs, tales from my daily goings-on, juggling small people with a busy work life and also sharing some of my own family’s art/craft/adventure successes and failures. (sign up to my newsletter here!)
I’ve been challenged on a personal level recently about being real. The quality that I most value is integrity, and
in today’s fast-paced social media world, there is so much pressure to present ourselves in a certain way online and in our businesses. Those of you who know me may know that I have had a few rough-patches in life, battling both physical and mental illness. Managing these kinds of hidden illnesses is not helped by the shiny, pinterest perfect lives presented by so many via social media.
I want to keep it REAL! I want to be on the right team - the team that is gradually daring to speak out against the tide of messages screaming “you must look this way” and “you must be able to balance work and life and kids and do it all immaculately or you are a failure”. I want to be one of the small voices who is unafraid to say;
'You know what? THIS is how it is for me today. It’s messy, it’s busy, It’s imperfect but I am being myself to the best of my ability, and that is what counts.'
I feel that this is especially important when working in photography. What kind of message do I want my kids to grow up with? “You are not good enough as you are. You, and your life, need airbrushing”. Absolutely not! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the odd bit of skin smoothing to get rid of a scratch, or cloning out a monster spot, or even more heavy processing in order to create a piece of art that conveys a certain mood or a deeper truth, BUT I want my children to know that they are perfect just as they are. How can they internalise this message if they see me trying to make my life/my body look like something it isn’t? If they see that I’ll gladly share the happy, rosy parts of our lives but neglect or even hide the hard parts? This isn’t just about pretending we don’t have a double chin when we erupt in raucous laughter (we all do - it’s fine, and natural, and beautiful!). This is about my children - your children - knowing that it is OK to not feel ok. It is OK to have a bad day/month/year and to need a little (or a lot of) help and support to get through sometimes. It’s WONDERFUL that our bodies are all different shapes and sizes...
...Be open, be real, be healthy… talk about it!
So, to round up my message today, I leave you with these two illustrations. When I take photographs, I notice the way that the light falls and I use that to capture moments in an artistic and flattering way. I may even use a touch of photoshop to remove some dribble, or a nasty spot, or make a tiny adjustment that I could have just as easily achieved with a slightly different angle of light. What I will not do is make someone look like somebody else. I won’t make you 3 sizes smaller or larger or 20 years younger! This is for the sake of the next generation. I want them to know in their innermost being that they are ACCEPTED just the way they are. They can’t believe this if we are bombarding them with the message that WE are not fine as we are. I want the grandkids to look back at photographs in years to come, and see what myself and my husband were really like, not what we thought we wanted to look like. In the future when my children are facing difficulties (health issues, body issues, stress, depression, relationships… anything!), any struggle that life throws their way - I want my children to know that their Mum went through a phase of being a little bit larger and she didn’t doctor her photographs to hide it. She went through a tough time with her health after giving birth, and wasn’t afraid to talk about it. I want them to know that it’s OK - that we went through it too, that they are normal and accepted, and that they can address their struggles without fear or being rejected.
Secondly (almost as a mirror of my thoughts on photographs) in the same way that I use the way that light falls to create a flattering photo, I may also be selective in the way that I present my struggles and hardships with you. I may turn certain aspects of myself to the ‘light’ and share them openly though my blog. There may be other things that I speak less of that only come up from time to time, but I will not hide. I am not going to photoshop my life - make myself in to someone else - in order to be accepted. A few people (who keep in touch mainly via social media and we rarely meet face to face) have said to me recently that I come across as ‘one of those people who does it all’ and ‘always doing amazing things with the kids’. I never, ever want anyone to look at my facebook feed and feel guilty, because of what I appear to be achieving. I want to keep it REAL! Those who see me regularly face to face will know that our life is messy, at times chaotic and bloomin’ hard work! I want my online presence to reflect reality. In a forum of professional photographers, I was recently encouraged to hide the fact that I am diabetic, to not speak of my past mental and physical illnesses, because after all - it might put clients off. They told me to share a link to a diabetes charity if I want to do my bit, without any reference to myself and with strong words of caution. I heeded their advice, but something didn’t sit quite right. I’m currently embarking on a training program with the Female Photographer Association, and I began to feel so inspired, uplifted and released by the honesty of other members - letting their true selves shine through their businesses.
It’s OK to be you! I am going to start demonstrating this by living it out. It’s ok to be me, too.
Enjoy your day people,
Be yourself, you are worth it!
Hazel x
​Don't forget to sign up for more refreshing reality straight from the hub of Hughes Central!
This beautiful family asked me to capture some memories of them all together, before they step in to the Next Big Adventure in the form of a brand new family member, due very soon :) Look out for the wonderful announcement toward the end!
Remember a few weeks back I accidentally stumbled upon a 3 hr old baby and had the opportunity to take some gorgeous fresh-out-of-the-packet shots? Well, a few days later I went back for an 'official' shoot, in order to capture the beautiful brand new little lady amidst the love of her older siblings, pets, and even the odd friend! Pat on the back to this family for producing from nowhere the most wonderful baby props. Antique scales AND a sweet shop! I'm ashamed to say that due to a poorly timed diabetic crisis on my part, half of the contents of said sweet shot found themselves being poured in to my mouth. Can't say I complained! Introducing baby Evie (for the second time!) and her family and friends :) Enjoy!
Here's a quick look back at a mini-shoot at the very start of 2015. Two brothers wanted a photograph of their families together, to present to their Father on his 70th birthday. I couldn't resist snapping a few informal shots while I was there. Had to make the most of that gorgeous twinkly frost!
Parental heads-up: *Contains Artful Nudity*
I had some studio time with the beautiful Michelle. I think she may secretly be a mermaid.
Wow. What an unexpected delight of a morning! I knocked on a friend's door to discover she wasn't at home because she was helping a neighbour give birth at home. I was due to photograph the little bundle a few days after her arrival, but thanks to co-incidental impeccable timing, I had the absolute privilege of taking her photograph at just 3 hours old! A boring admin day turned in to the best day of the month by far. Remember beautiful Hanna - the radiant blossoming bump in the snow? (see my last post of 2014). Here you will see her looking unbelievably fantastic after a drug-free (and pretty fast!) labour in the early hours. Introducing Hanna and Pete's beautiful, scrumptious, perfect little daughter number 3 - welcome to the world little one - 'may the road rise up to meet you and the sun shine warm upon your face' :)
Well I'm a little bit late to the game but here it finally is, a selection of the best from my 2014 shoots. I've included some of the commercial and PR stuff which doesn't usually make it to the blog. Happy scrolling and THANK-YOU for stopping by. To all of my clients over the last year - you've been AWESOME! I look forward to much more fun in the year ahead.
Part way down you'll see some double exposures from an exhibition I had in the summer. All of those photographs were shot on 35mm film and after shooting each roll, I passed it on to photographic artist Estelle Cadwallader who rewound it and shot the roll again and then worked her darkroom magic, so credit to her for her part in that. Here it goes...
This will probably be my last official shoot of 2014, and what a stunner of a model I have to end the year in style! The first half of this shoot (i.e. the none snowy shots) were a couple of weeks back. All along we had planned for a frosty shoot but given the impending birth, we figured we had better squeeze in a few shots before the snow/frost, just incase baby came too soon! Thankfully we got the opportunity to do both. I present to you the beautiful Hanna and her gorgeous bump. Can't wait to hear news of bump's safe arrival Hanna! All the best :)
There was an abundance of laughter, warmth, music, love and integrity at this beautiful winter wedding. It was a joy to be invited to photograph it. Congratulations Becky and Matt - you rocked it!
Here are a selection of my favourite shots from the day.
I'm re-visiting a beautiful autumnal family shoot. It's taken me a few months to get this one up on the blog, but looking back on the images today has brought many smiles. So, here's a sneak peek into our blustery walk back when the leaves were still crunchy under foot. Look out for the trumpets - there were not many birds left in the trees by the time these two had finished!
I hadn't anticipated quite how much ground we would cover in this shoot. The songstress suggested a location up in the hills; a tranquil lake surrounded by soft pines, in the brief window of time when those beautiful rusty colours fleetingly kiss the landscape as Autumn fades quickly to winter. The subject was the talented and youthful miss Eleanor Every - a local, competition winning singer-songwriter with melodies that enchant and captivate the soul. Even more-so when she's lulling them softly into the vast beauty of raw open space. I felt like I was in Rivendell! Ellie's sister Megan - a budding and naturally gifted photographer - also joined us and had a stint on both sides of the camera. Here's a little glimpse in to what became a rather exhilarating hike! Relax and enjoy...
They tied the knot under a T-REX! Seriously, what could be cooler?!
Here is a small selection of my favourite snaps from the day :)
This family shoot took 2 takes, due to the first being quite suddenly rained off. On the short drive home in convoy, a most spectacular rainbow appeared just as we passed a field of golden corn. We leapt out of the car just in time to grab a few shots. It really was a delicious mixture of strong beautiful light and perfect scenery - a very happy accident!
Take a peek, and thanks for stopping by,
Hazel x
A perfect relaxed wedding full of laughter and warmth. Heather and Matt: here's to many happy years, and thank-you for choosing me to capture your day, it was an absolute joy!
My favourite kind of shoots are the ones which take a turn for the unexpected. A few snaps in the front garden of this enchanting family quickly became an exploration down a small alley out the back, which then led us to what felt like a portal to another world. Sunset, lots of grasses and some vibrant scenery made for a perfect photographic recipe :)
I have it on good authority that these ladies can change your life!
Hazel is feeling old. Can't believe it's over 10 years since I graduated. I never got to wear the fancy gowns - a good friend's wedding was the same day and that was altogether much more fun! Non-the-less, I absolutely loved having the chance to redeem my lack of robe-wearing by celebrating this fellow-photographer's big day with a little mini portrait shoot. Huge congratulations to this lovely lady, and I wish you every success!
It's hard to believe a whole week has passed since we packed up the tents and headed to North Wales for some Ymuno Festival fun. I had a beautiful few days and loved every minute of capturing this heart-filled event. You can see our 'best of' images here, but be warned - I may not be able to resist sharing more in the weeks ahead! Big huge thanks to Sammi of SJW Photography for second-shooting this event with me. She worked tirelessly and added some very quirky angles with her fish-eye magic and a keen eye. Have a browse - I reckon you'll want to come next year :)
A most wonderful morning was spent with this fantastically gorgeous couple whose wedding I have the pleasure of shooting later this year. What began as a 'quick couple shoot' in studio soon turned in to outfit changes and then gallivanting off in to a woodland for some magical adventures, capturing romantic gestures as we wound in and out of the tangly dappled wood-world. What I did not expect, however, was the last minute streak through a dreamy field (no, I'm not kidding - but you gotta scroll to the end to see it). Bare flesh in lush long grass = photographers dream!
I was delighted to be asked to photograph this concert hosted by Voice Warrington - an organisation which helps young Christian musicians write and perform their own songs, enabling them to express their faith through music. I was blown away by the level of talent, and also secretly a little bit jealous of the girl with the ukulele... Is it too late to learn?!
Look at this super-cute little crew! It was an honour to walk with these absolute stars, raising funds for the clubbed-foot charity STEPS. A couple of these chaps have been through an awful lot in order to be able to simply walk - something we tend to take for granted. A great afternoon had by all and a smashing amount raised for charity too.
I finally managed to shoe-horn in some time in my new studio today. Thanks to gorgeous model Estelle for a) being such a natural in front of the camera and b) indulging me in lots of geeky camera talk - she's a fellow camera head! Pretty pleased with the results, can't wait for more studio -time.
The weather was threatening to turn this lifestyle shoot into something of a challenge, but with a few umbrellas and patches of sunshine, we had a really great morning with plenty of smiles :-)
A very fast-paced shoot this evening, capturing a Smirnoff Gold promo event in Manchester. Here's my favourite shot from the night, which sums up the energy and vibrance of the event.
Grabbed a few snaps of my little friend today. She's a fellow diabetic, like me. She doesn't let that stop her living life to the full though - if I'm ever feeling sorry for myself I just need to think of little miss D and I remember to keep positive. She's like a little whirlwind; running through the grass, twirling and skipping as she tells me all about some of life's little adventures. I'd like to be more carefree; we could all learn something from Little Miss D!
I'd been eagerly awaiting this shoot. The lively team at Kitson Architecture had asked me to provide a real mixture of shots - informal, round the office shots, formal head-shots, and a few architectural shots for good measure. I love a diverse brief such as this, and was made to feel at home by the friendly, relaxed atmosphere these guys provided which made it a real joy to capture. I also have a 'thing' about architectural drawings on paper - It truly is such a master craft and having a glimpse in to their daily goings on (with all the pencils and rulers, exciting looking plans and even the odd lego model!) was very interesting, and not without occasional fits of laughter!
A lovely morning mini-shoot, styled in an art deco fashion to complement this gorgeous competition winning cake from the Little Velvet Cake Company. The shoot ended with impromptu cake-eating and tea-drinking in the fresh spring sunshine. Who could ask for more?
What a fine way to spend Easter Saturday! We spent a leisurely couple of hours strolling around a gorgeous park - a perfect combination of beautiful people and flattering light. Here are a few of my favourite shots - enjoy!
It was hard to choose which images to share from Sam and Start's awesome games themed wedding (geek chic at it's very best) soooo I went for a huge chunk of them! Much fun was had second shooting for the lovely Ailsa of Kanashay Photography, and below are a selection of my personal favourites from the pictures I took on the day :)
The results of an impromptu head-shot session for a local gardener :)
A beautiful, fresh afternoon; perfect for a spring-time family photo-shoot. We started with a formal photograph of everyone together, and then I chased (and I mean chased - I have never known kids who run quite so fast as these lot!) the kids around with my long lens to capture a couple of candids. The last image is my favourite - it has a famous five feel to it, don't you think?
So much fun was had this afternoon with this very talented young actress. The brief was to capture some on-location head-shots for her portfolio. Despite some dubious weather and a whole lot of mud, we found some perfect spots which really brought out her character and charm. I'm looking forward to take-two which will include the more formal studio portfolio shots.
Hello! Thanks for stopping by my blog :D Having already photographed this mama in a more traditional manner earlier in her pregnancy, I decided to draw upon my Fine Arts background (where I had a strong leaning toward working with installation using film and photography projections) to create something a little different. Some of these images are created by projecting photographs on to her body, this adds a sculptural dimension to the images while creating bold shadows in the background. It feels symbolic to me to be starting the new year by venturing back to my old passion, and one of my goals for the year is to allow more time (alongside my usual work) to be experimental and daring. The model is a mother, who is also imminently going to be performing the ultimate creative act of giving birth (for the second time), with a new adventure of a brand new human just around the corner. All of this just adds another level of beautiful metaphor to the images we created. Here's a toast to creativity and new beginnings! Now that I have said all of that cheesy serious stuff... we finished the shoot by putting the blossoming expectant one in to a bath full of milk and blue food colouring, inspired by an image by Anne Geddes and talented 19 year old photographer Eve Allman. The results were rather hilarious and VERY surreal! Enjoy... <3
There was just SO much energy, creativity, skill, vibrance and wonder in this Christmas spectacular from GravityLive . Here is my favourite image from what was a truly magically magnificent display. One of the most entertaining jobs I've had to date :D
I LOVE having an excuse to get twinkly and sparkly. This family Christmas shoot was all -kinds-of gorgeous, full of atmosphere and festive joy :)
There's nothing quite like the feeling of crunching through the golden leaves on a glorious Autumn day. Add a beautiful blossoming bump and some streaming rays of sunshine and you have one seriously happy Hazel - such a perfect combination of elements!
My, this little girl was a whirlwind! So much fun and oodles of energy - an absolute joy to photograph!
It was an honour for me to be able to photograph the brand new collection from Elizabeth Cooper Bridal Couture, along with Kanashay Photography and Nicholas Austen Bridal Hair and Make-up Specialists, all at the fab new venue Colshaw Hall. Here are a few of my favourite shots from the day.
