My lovely 50mm lens

(Sorry for the annoying centre alignment - it's refusing all my efforts to left align - some bug in Picasa I think!)

I've been battling with this lens a bit since I bought it a couple of months back.

I'm not sure if every one is the same but I tend to have a breaking in period with any bit of new kit. I've used it a fair amount but unlike my other lenses, the results have been a bit hit and miss - too many over-exposed or out of focus shots. I've finally worked out that shooting at such low f-stops -it's the Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens - was the main cause of the problems. I love shallow depth of field, closely cropped shots, so was tending to mainly shoot at f/1.8 - 3.2 - this needs a huge degree of accuracy and is not easy with fast moving portrait shoots. When I have a problem with a new piece of equipment I force myself to use it exclusively for some non-work photography. So over this last weekend, which incorporated Father's Day, a visit to the mother-in-law's garden and a trip to the seaside, I left all my other lenses at home and had a proper play around with this one. With no deadlines or pressure to deliver I think I've mastered it and have a series of images that I'm really pleased with. With no other lenses to hand I've shot close up and distant in various light conditions. Subjects were as ever the kids and flowers. My 60mm lens is my fail safe, amazingly clear and sharp portrait lens but too narrow for close ups of three people, so to get some great quality, head and shoulder shots of the kids & Nic was good news. My favourite picture taken yesterday at Llandudno was of Abigail blowing bubbles off the pier (in black & white above). I think it really gives a strong sense of place and almost nostalgic atmosphere (but perhaps that's just the G&T talking!).

Nic's mum's garden never disappoints at this time of year - the beds and containers are filled to over flowing with scores of different flowers and shrubs. I was, for the first time over the weekend, seriously regretting not packing the macro lens but soon realised that using the 50mm lens was forcing me to compose differently, look more at the whole plant. And the f/1.8 aperture was creating some seriously beautiful background effects. Astrantia is one of my favourite flowers for plant portraits - so small and delicate but very architectural and with lots of interesting markings. I've shot them lots of times before but with the 50mm lens have managed a different take on them.

So it's turned out to be a real little beauty and worth much more to me than the £75 I paid for it.

The wonder of British weather

It only seems like a few weeks have passed by since we unloaded the campervan from the Easter holiday and here we are again at the end of a week’s stay in North Wales. We are only 45 minutes from home but it’s been a real break and respite from the daily grind. The glorious weather played no small part in making this a great week away. Today’s chilly and windy 13⁰C has been a reminder of how cruel British summer weather can be. For 5 perfect days we have lived the outdoor camping life, eating every meal al fresco, having water fights (us adults didn’t so much join in as get caught in the cross fire and then get very mardy very quickly!) and not needing any of the warm / waterproof clothing that you still have to pack for any UK holiday.
We’ve packed a lot as usual into the last week, even though we spent a few days chilling out on the campsite. I did a christening near Warrington last weekend, we’ve been to 2 beautiful but very contrasting gardens – one a more formal National Trust property called Erddig and the other a privately owned garden called The Glass House. Both were wonderful to explore, with many early summer flowers bursting out, no doubt spurred on by the warm weather. I’m a bit obsessed by irises at the moment, as I’ve got a big job on photographing them for a client, along with some other seasonal blooms such as peonies. I’ve always photographed flowers to nature’s timetable and it’s proving challenging to catch them in flower, at their photogenic best in line with the client’s needs!
The kids have had a whale of a time as ever, relishing the rare freedom that being on a campsite gives them and every meal a picnic outdoors. They’ve been swimming each day at the onsite pool and running around wearing very few clothes. But I knew we packed those jumpers and long trousers for a reason – we headed into Llangollen with all the rest of the soggy tourists today, trying to steer the kids away from more tacky toys and me desperate for my fix of Costa coffee. With tacky toy purchased for Sam (remember those little furry worms on a clear plastic thread...) and rather more sensible notepad and pen for Abby, I got my coffee and, even better, a lovely meal later at a pub overlooking the river. We relived some of my childhood memories after tea, jumping across the flat rocks along the river bank. Predictably Nic fell in (unfortunately only up to his ankles) and Daisy was in doggy heaven.
We’re snuggled away in the camper van for the evening, kids up top watching a DVD, us down below with a bottle of red, a few beers and a TV with a dodgy signal. Perfect. The wind is playing increasingly aggressively with the awning (hope Daisy is OK in the pup tent) and the forecast is for heavy rain (severe weather warning for 4a.m.) well into the morning when we will be de-camping. I suppose this is penance for the idyllic weather - what is the opposite of “every cloud has a silver lining”?

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Bluebell Cottage Gardens

Hidden away in a little dip in the relatively flat surrounding Cheshire countryside between Warrington and Northwich is a beautiful little garden and nursery called Bluebell Cottage Gardens and Lodge Lane Nursery. The garden is edged on one side by the Trent & Mersey Canal and the peace and quiet is only broken by the occasional chug of a canal boat motor or the distant whistle of a train. I first visited the garden last year after meeting the owner, Sue Beesley, at a charity event in Knutsford last summer. Sue offered to give me display space in her tearoom for my floral images and since then I’ve done a few jobs for her. A few weeks ago Sue asked me to shoot some pictures of her and the gardens for her newly appointed PR agency. Sue won BBC Gardener of the year in 2006 and a silver medal at the RHS show at Tatton Park last year and she and her gardens are increasingly in the media.
This was one of those jobs that you pray for – the weather was perfect (actually too perfect as the bright, sunny conditions made the shoot quite challenging!) and Sue was very relaxed in front of the camera. Shooting a subject who knows a little about photography also helped, as she was very aware of the light and how to position herself in it. The location was superb, with the gardens immaculately presented and spring flowers such as tulips, hellibores and pasque flowers in bloom. As the name of the garden suggests, there is also a profusion of bluebells in the nearby woods and we were keen to capitalise on this. There’s something special and unique about the light in a bluebell wood – the green canopy of leaves filtering the sunlight, the vivid blue haze of the flowers and the muddy brown of the tree trunks and branches. There was a very tranquil feeling in the woods and although the shots are all obviously staged, they come across as very relaxed and natural. Sue’s PR agency also wanted shots of children playing in the woods and my two budding models obliged later in the day. They enjoyed climbing along the falling branches and running along the narrow paths so much that it wasn’t hard to get some candid shots to meet the brief.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

The wonder of babies

Had a wonderful few days last week visiting and photographing babies. I met my great nephew Beanie (no official name yet) for the first time and caught up with Myrtle again, who is six months old and has tripled in size since I last saw her. Baby Beanie is a very welcome addition to the family - his grandfather, Ralph, sadly passed away last year and it's great for everyone to celebrate a new life. Beanie was just 5 days old when we visited and caused much awe in us all, especially the children who I've never seen be so delicate and attentive to anyone or anything. We spent a very peaceful afternoon sitting in the kitchen in the warm spring sunshine, with Beanie content and fast asleep for much of the time. We tried in vain to remember top new baby tips for Lucy and Alan but it's funny how your memory fades. My best piece of advice was to "just go with the flow" for the first few weeks - not that I followed my own advice but I wish I had! Lucy is a graphic designer and has painted the most amazing mural on Beanie's wall - see pics above.

Myrtle is our friends' Gael and Max's baby daughter. I spent a lovely afternoon in their back garden playing with her. She's sitting up now and it's such a lovely interactive stage. She was happy sitting there taking everything in, whether it was next door's cat strolling tantalisingly close by or pulling at blades of grass (and trying to eat them!). Seeing the two babies within such a short period of time really brought it home to me how quickly they grow and change. In just 6 short months Beanie will be sitting up, exploring his surroundings and engaging with people. I can't wait to see them both again to see how they've changed and to photograph them again of course!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Nunsmere Hall Hotel

I first became acquainted with Nunsmere Hall Hotel when my husband booked a surprise overnight stay for our wedding anniversary in 2004. We enjoyed a delicious meal in an intimate dining room and loved our slightly quirky room with its own little staircase and very comfy and luxurious bed. The next morning it was very cold, clear and frosty and after breakfast we strolled around the gardens, taking photographs of the white coated lawns raked with long shadows from the line of trees in front of the lake. Little did I realise at that time that my career would take such a different direction that I would end up photographing the hotel in a professional capacity a few years later. Through my portrait work I met the manager of the hotel, Mark, and his family last year and have photographed them several times now, with the hotel making a spectacular location for the shoots. When we had the so called “snow events” in February Mark invited me to photograph the hotel and grounds and will be featuring the above shot on the cover of the 2009 winter brochure. Other shots have made it into Cheshire Life, one as an advertisement and another (see left) accompanying a feature on top Cheshire restaurants. Mark and his team at Nunsmere Hall are highly professional, but also very friendly and informal and I always enjoy my visits there, whether for business or for pleasure!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

The meaning of Easter

What Easter means to me... usually the first opportunity since Christmas to really stop, relax and spend some quality time with Nic and the kids - without the hectic schedule and stress that inevitably accompanies the build up to Christmas. And this Easter break has been particularly welcome following a period of relentless business travel for Nic and the usual non-stop family and work routine for me. We opted for a caravan site in the Lakes and it's proved to be a real haven - a large site but sprawled over acres of woodland, with lots of tucked away little dells and copses, so it actually feels quite intimate. We are pitched next to a babbling brook, surrounded by wild garlic. Our little campervan and awning look a little like the poor relation to the luxurious caravans and motorhome around us, but we're not short of any home luxuries (if you ignore the fact that we don't have running water because the pump has decided to stop working). The kids are aghast that we only have 4 TV channels, but then they do have a CD player, laptop with mobile broadband and their Nintendo DSs should they need a fix of technology. Whatever happened to playing cards and ludo!? They've been happy to go off on their own, exploring, making dens and playing pooh sticks, although Abigail gets lost without Sam to lead her back again.

With warm, sunny weather this is truely camping at its absolute best - lazing around the campsite, reading and taking the dog for the occasional exploration through the woodland. At the bottom of the site there's a river that's perfect for a spot of paddling - for feet and paws. It's proven to be such an idyllic spot that we haven't ventured off out anywhere else, preferring to stay in our little slice of heaven.

Talking about Heaven, with a capital "H", I eavesdropped on a hilarious conversation between Sam and Abigail at bathtime a few days ago. They have been learning about the real meaning of Easter, but haven't accepted it unquestionningly. Abigail was firmly extolling the truth of the Big Bang theory and the dinosaurs but got confused about where Adam and Eve and Heaven fit in to this, whereas Sam was arguing that he believed that a greater being created the earth and all life on it. He even managed to weave the dinosaurs into a religious framework, having watched an episode of Primeval in which a dinosaur like reptile was worshipped as a god! Nic and I have tried not to influence their beliefs as we would like them to make up their own minds. I suppose it is inevitable that they will be sceptical about the existence of God and Jesus, being brought up in a mainly non-religious environment, other than what they are taught in school. We fall into the agnostic, sitting on the fence classification. Abigail came up with her own terminology for this position, declaring to Sam that she was "comme ci, comme ca" about whether she believed or not! But Jessie the cat, Ursula the next door neighbour and Uncle Ralph are all definitely in Heaven!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Dressing up

Kids just love dressing up, whether it's in a uniform or fancy dress & we love admiring them. I wonder what age they'll grow out of this - I guess just before they go to high school when the majority become more image conscious and more aware of the need to fit in with their peers - although both have already kicked in with Abigail sometime ago. She's got quite an individual streak but occasionally feels under pressure to be like everyone else. Case in point is her hair, which is short, suits her so well and makes her look gorgeous (in our biased opinion), but occasionally she suddenly feels singled out because of it and wants to be like all her friends. (Please note that decision to go for drastic short hair style was all her own!)

This week saw Sam enrolled at Beavers and proudly wearing his full uniform. I wish I could freeze moments like this, when he is so chuffed to bits with himself. Later, at home, we went from beavers to bunny ears and also conjured up an Easter bonnet for the practise Easter assembly the next day. I had to persuade both of them not to wear them in bed and then had a giggle watching them walk to school wearing them the next morning. It had seemed like a lot of hassle making emergency Easter head gear at 8pm in time for the next day (either I had not read the school note as usual, or the kids hadn't relayed the message to me on time - both very typical of our hectic school week), but looking at the pictures and their faces it was very worthwhile. Whether tissue paper ears and flowers will survive until the actual event is a different matter altogether.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!