The whole idea behind this shoot was to promote Shadow Photography and broaden our portfolio of work.  We recruited a fab team of helpers (family and friends) and plenty of effort went on behind the scenes in the preceding weeks to arrange for the car, dress, bouquet, model, hair, make-up, transport, venue and good weather.  The day before the shoot, John and I spent our time cleaning, re-charging and organising the various bits of equipment required to turn a pretty lady in a beautiful location into an impressive image that people want to look at and buy.  And it’s expensive gear that has taken lots of saving and bargaining to acquire, so it must all be kept safe and secure.

When we arrived at the venue and had taken a moment to soak up the stunning scenery, we got into position and started taking pictures.  It soon became apparent that there were too many creative directors in the group as we all gave Fiona (our model) instructions to adjust her posture and her expression.  “Chin up please”, “Turn your head please”, “No, tilt it to the right”, “Sorry I meant my right”, “Now, the other way please”, “Chin up”, “No, not literally”.  To avoid confusion, we decided to put all requests through John and we quickly got the hang of it.

Time flew by and soon our tummies were rumbling and brows glistening, so we decided to take a break and enjoy the blankets, refreshments and snacks we had brought with us to keep the workers happy.  I yelled “Take 5 people” and Nathan (the chauffeur) shouted “Bet you’ve always wanted to say that” and I have to admit, I did rather enjoy it.  Wishing that I had one of those Hollywood movie clapperboards, I trotted off with my tail up high, had a slurp of water, grabbed one of my meaty sticks, and sat in the shade of an oak tree, watching a colourful male pheasant sashaying along the driveway, feathers on display.  While I contemplated my potential new career as a movie director, tiredness washed over me and I drifted into a gentle slumber.  From a distance, I heard John calling me, keen to finish the job we had started, and no amount of throaty purrs or cute whiskers was going to get me off the hook!!

So I moseyed on over to our latest spot and we continued our task in earnest.  By this time we imagined we were working like an elite team in field ops, efficient and organised to the core, although I’m not convinced that a crack team of secret agents would have burst into laughter at Natasha ‘getting her groove thang’ which involved a silly face and a shimmy wiggle.  What a pro!  The atmosphere was relaxed and we had loads of fun, making amusing comments, laughing at each other’s funny poses, taking selfies and not taking ourselves too seriously.  If you’ve ever wondered what’s underneath a bride’s wedding gown, it’s a pair of black wellies!

Photos for this Blog supplied by John’s daughter Natasha