I also took images for the Aesthetique Beauty Training Salon in January as part of their upcoming new-look website. Aesthetique is not just any typical beauty salon. Okay, so you can go and have your nails done, treat yourself to a facial - however Aesthetique also play host to several SQA-approved courses such as make-up application and manicure/pedicure procedures. They have also acquired the first Regenalite laser in Scotland. The Regenalite laser is particularly effective for those with skin conditions such as Scars, Rosacea, Acne Scarring.

I can personally recommend of the acrylic nail treatments - I’m a habitual nail-biter but for the first time in my life I can actually bear to look at my hands!

- Kirsty

In January, I took some photos of the new G Casino in Dundee for their website. I was pleasantly surprised, given that I’ve never really been inside a casino before, that you can have a whole night out there without gambling away your life savings! The casino has bars, live entertainment, a sports lounge and a restaurant along with several areas for the more traditional roulette and poker tables. The casino is also very high tech, with a lot of the machines being touchscreen! All in all, a nice venue for stag/hen parties, continuing your night out after the club doors have closed, or simply going for lunch with friends.

- Kirsty

I did a test shoot for stylist Ally Deacon back in January. This shoot was a bit different for me, usually the focus of fashion style shoots has to be the clothing, but this time the focus was on the hairstyles and make-up, as well as the over-all look. I had a great time though, Kirsty and Ally (yes we had 2 Kirsty’s and 2 Ally’s present!) made perfect models, and stylist Ally had a great eye for detail as well as clear talent in the hair and make-up department!

Here are a couple of photos from the shoot, hope you like!

One behind-the-scenes for good measure:

- Kirsty

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my friends, family and clients a Happy New Year! Thank you for your support in 2009 and beyond, you truly have helped make my dreams come true, and I hope to see you all again in 2010.

This year I aim to improve my photography - I want to look back at my work this time next year and feel that I have truly pushed myself to improve and learn. This year I plan to be more organised too, which I am making a start at today.

I am also attempting the 365 photo challenge this year - this challenge entails posting one photo each day of the year, with the aim of getting more creative as each day passes. You can track my progress here - My 365 Photo Challenge. I may integrate this into the main website at a later stage.

I hope you have all had an enjoyable Christmas and holiday season!

Hello everyone, my word it has been a long time since the last blog again!

I’d like to share a few updates with you, namely the changes that have been made to my website. Instead of the 3 different form pages dealing with model, portrait and wedding enquiries, I have slimmed this down as most visitors do not fill out the individual forms, preferring to use the standard Contact page. I have taken those pages out, and compiled a page dealing with all 3 types of photography called “Services/Prices”. This page has links relating to my services and prices for portraits, weddings and model/boudoir-style photo-shoots, along with lots of information on these services and the prices for different packages. I hope you find this layout more useful and less text-heavy.

I have changed the layout and look of the website to what is hopefully a more professional-looking style.

I have also added the facility for you to have password-protected galleries - this is great for showing you previews of the original images, or if you have wedding images you want to share with friends and family but not the rest of the world!

I think that is just about everything for the moment, hope everyone is doing well!

Again time has been flying by far too quickly - a new blog post is well overdue!

The main news in my camp lately is that I have become a fully-fledged sole trader and no longer operate as a partnership. That’s not to say I won’t work with other photographers in the future, or that I feel I have outgrown the learning process (definitely not), however things are definitely moving faster and having all responsibilities resting on my shoulders alone is definitely the motivation I have been looking for to get things moving. My partner is also pleased that I am forging my own path, and I am eternally grateful for his never-ending support. Photography is now my one-and-only source of income and I’ve never felt better about the future. I’ve been meeting with some excellent people lately, which makes me feel very positive and confident for a change!

I have also added Gift Vouchers to my website. Delivery with all gift vouchers are free, and I have written up a handy guide to purchasing them.

So what have I been up to? Well as always, there are some things I can’t share but some things I can, so here we go!

I worked with a fantastic model, Nicole Abbott, twice in as many weeks. Nicole is very sweet and positive, always willing to listen to and try out new ideas. We also teamed up with make-up artist Sandra Cormack who did an amazing job with Nicole’s make-up. Sandra is a complete professional and a very helpful person to have at a photo-shoot as she has a good eye for detail and poses as well as the ability to create great make-up looks. I have some images from our shoot on my website under the Fashion Gallery, as well as on my Flickr account.

The day after that, I worked with another stunning model, this time the delightful Danni Menzies. This girl is beautiful inside and out, keep your eyes peeled for her in the future! I am currently working on the images from our shoot at the moment but I will share then as soon as I can!

Other upcoming images include couple shots as well as more fashion stuff! I am also in the process of securing a few shoots, so stay tuned! Sorry for the suspense

Our kitten Korben is growing like mad! He is a very sweet and affectionate little thing though, and loves nothing more than sleeping on my face at night, or hopping between Malcolm and I for cuddles, purring all the while and headbutting everything. Cats are silly.

Wow, I simply cannot believe it is approaching the end of July already!

Please bear with me as I try to find my bearings here. The whole reason I keep blogs is supposedly to help myself remember what I did and when I did it - an exercise which will not yield any results unless I actually remember to update regularly. /facepalm.

Okay, let us backtrack a little. on 30th May 2009 I photographed the wedding reception of Paul and Laura McKenzie at the Invercarse hotel in Dundee. The gallery of images can be seen on the website, and I had a great time being part of their day

Admittedly though, I have been spending most of my photography time with models. I love fashion photography, and it’s an area I definitely want to work and improve on. Over the last few weeks/months I have met some amazing models and I feel that by working with creative, inspiring people I am learning to improve my work.

I have a lot of new and different photos to add to the website, so please stay tuned!

Hi folks, I have a proper update on the way shortly, however I just thought I would mention that I will be present at the Abertay University graduation ceremonies tomorrow, at the Caird Hall. I will be there at around 12pm until at least 4pm and will be offering free photography to those interested! I will take photos of graduates, family and friends, class groups etc for free, and in 1 week the images will go on this website. There will be options to buy prints via the website, and you can pay for those via debit/credit card or Paypal.

I should be easy enough to spot as I will be wearing a t-shirt with FREE PHOTOGRAPHY plastered across it!

I hope to see you there tomorrow

You know, for all die-hard photographers that rattle on about how terrible Jessops are, I’ve had nothing but great service from them. I’ve been shopping there regularly since I started getting into photography, and any time I have had a problem, they have done their best for me.

Over the weekend, one of my studio lights popped. The bulb and fuse were both blown, however after replacing them, the light still didn’t work at all. I was frantic - I found my receipt and discovered the lights are still under warranty, so I phoned them and explained the situation. I was asked to come in and speak to a manager today, which I did. The manager then told me I could have the light repaired, which would take weeks, or he could exchange it with a new flash head, which would arrive in 3 days. This is the option I went for, and I am very pleased about the whole thing.

So my thanks go to the Dundee Jessops, for making my life less complicated!

Thank goodness the weather has been great lately. I love spring, especially as the days are getting longer once again!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been working on a few personal projects. I’ve been working on a few shoots for friends and new models, as well as a couple of commissions to keep me going. Wedding season is coming round again, although I’m torn between focusing on weddings, or trying my hand at other things.

I’ve just uploaded a bunch of photos from an event I covered in the Overgate, Dundee. VMskills hosted a competition inviting students and professionals to come up with the most creative and inspiring window-dressing designs. It was an interesting competition, and I was glad to be a part of the Scottish heat. Fingers crossed for the Scotland finalists, I hope they go on to win in London later this year!

I also worked on a bridal fashion shoot, which was just a blast. The dresses were from The Bride in Broughty Ferry. The Bride is run by Elaine, who is very friendly and relaxed. If you are looking for a wedding dress then I truly recommend visiting The Bride, you will be in very capable hands!

The shoot took place in the lovely Lands of Loyal Hotel in Alyth. I had already visited this hotel before during a wedding for a client, and the hotel definitely struck me as an ideal location for this type of shoot. The staff made us feel very welcome and provided us with excellent service throughout the day.

I’ve been fairly busy, but unfortunately I’ve also been struck with a cold that my boyfriend kindly brought home from work one day. As a result, when I’m not feeding him lemsips and flu-tablets, I’m trying to look after myself!

I’ll go for now, speak soon!