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 

Sign up to my newsletter here

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! 

I had some studio time with the beautiful Michelle. I think she may secretly be a mermaid. 

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... 

Here are a selection of my favourite shots from the day.

Here is a small selection of my favourite snaps from the day :)

Take a peek, and thanks for stopping by,

Hazel x