Ruby Dee is a Rutland based Vintage solo singer who specialises in singing songs from the 1900’s and up. Whether it be big band hits or jazzy classics, she loves entertaining people and will bring a bit of old school glitz and glam to your event. Ruby is the voice of several bands, you can find her singing with The Rutland Big Band, at weddings and events with a Soul & Funk twist with The Top Banana Band, and also with Midnight City Band, a new female fronted band who play Disco & Soul.
Roo needed some new images for her social media so we got together and one sunny day in Greetham I took these images along with a bit of singing of course. We even managed to find a lovely vintage car to pose with!
I love how the photos turned out, I did add a bit of an old film look on some of the final edits and I don’t always do this, but I think the style works with what Roo wanted so I’m happy. I wanted her to feel pampered and comfortable in front of the camera and enjoy the shoot, which is one of the main things for me, once my client is feeling happy the images flow and it makes all the difference to the final photo.
The East Angles Brass Band played in Norwich at the weekend as part of Head Out Not Home, a live music and entertainment thing that is on until 5th September. I went along to take a few photos in the sunshine, it was a really good day out. There is a Dinosaur trail around the city and Dippy is in the cathedral at the moment as well which I didn’t realise until today.
There was so much on throughout the day I highly recommend you visit the city and enjoy the free music while you can!
Becky came to me with a colour idea for her branding session, she needed some new images for her website and she wanted to match her images to her site. She got her hair and makeup done and we shot outdoors in a local public space.
Nerves!
I knew Becky felt nervous, as anyone would be when doing something new! It was the first time we’d met, like many of my clients. We sat and had a chat over a coffee and took some photos indoors before changing outfits and heading outside to shoot. We quickly got into the swing of things and the shoot went really smoothly. Becky was taking my direction in her poses and we tried different ideas, some worked, some didn’t as well but it’s always good to try a pose and just move on if it doesn’t suit. My expertise is in creating these natural and personality filled images that you can’t get with a selfie or a standard headshot
Choosing brand colours wisely can impact how people perceive your brand. In fact, using a signature colour can increase brand recognition by a massive 80%
After a career serving in the Royal Navy, Becky launched her business Your Productive PA. She knows all about outsourcing and that is why she knew that a branding session would enhance her business. Why struggle with things that aren’t your area of expertise when you can get someone else to help you grow? It’s important to put a face to your business, I’ve written about this in more depth HERE.
She already had her website built so these photos were to help tie everything together and inject her sense of humour and personality into the site. She is naturally bubbly and positive and I really wanted her to have a wide range of images she could use, from natural and friendly to the classic headshot type image.
Before our session I sent Becky a personalised Pinterest board with some ideas for her poses so we were both on the same page, it’s easier to show another photo than explain sometimes! You can send me photos that you want to try to copy if it helps you describe what you need. I had also sent her my info sheet on branding and how to prepare for the shoot, my aim is to help you get ready and know what to expect at your session.
After the shoot I edited all the best shots and within the week Becky had her new photos. It’s an uncomplicated process, I resize the images for online use and I can also shoot your images to fit your site easily.
I always ask my clients to tag me on social media or shout from the rooftops if they enjoyed their session, here’s what Becky said when she shared some images on her LinkedIn profile.
Not only did she put me at ease the instant we met, but she made the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable and I didn’t end up with faceache (as a result of holding a fake smile), as I found myself smiling the whole way through.
Thank you, Lucy, for a very enjoyable session and some fabulous photos for the new website. Give her a try, you won’t be disappointed.
You can find Your Productive PA online at the links below.
Its a minefield out there when it comes to choosing rings, read on for some helpful tips.
Getting engaged can be overwhelming! It’s such an exciting thing to happen, my proposal story is a lovely one that I will remember forever and I’m sure you feel the same. I love hearing the romantic and sometimes funny stories from my couples and over the years I’ve gathered a few bits of advice to help you if you are going ring shopping together.
I said YES!
You’ve just got engaged to the love of your life, how do you choose a ring that will last a lifetime?
Aardvark Jewellery, Birmingham
First of all, are you a traditional person or would you prefer something more unique? If you are like me and DON’T want a ‘Normal’ engagement ring then traipsing around shopping centres and high street jewellers windows will frustrate you.
There are clearly two styles of engagement ring in the high street shops, that is a solitaire ring or a Halo style ring. The solitaire is the classic one stone diamond ring and prices vary massively. There are rings that look like a solitaire ring (one stone) but they will have 4 smaller stones to look like one, these are generally more affordable.
The benefit of the halo ring is that the halo is made up of lots of tiny diamonds and their purpose is to encircle the main stone and make it look bigger and sparklier. They will all come in different types of gold which vary in hardness and colour. It is a good idea to have a look and see what you do and don’t like. I quickly realised that I liked rings that had different shapes, and I liked the main stone offset with smaller stones either side. During a try-on in one shop the assistant told me the ring I had picked wasn’t really an Engagement ring. It was a 3 stone ring that looked pretty, I didn’t need her opinion!!
What is your favourite colour?
Alice ring by Alison Moore
So what can you do if you can’t find a ring? Instagram and Pinterest are great places to start but the main thing I think is to think about you, your own style, your lifestyle and your ethics. If you are a quirky type of person who loves colour, you may want a coloured gem, if you are very active you might choose a stone that is bevel set or has prongs holding the stone in place that won’t catch, or go for a platinum ring which is a harder metal. Many couples are choosing lab grown diamonds, fair trade, ethically cut diamonds or gemstones like Moissanite. My favourite are Grey diamonds and salt and pepper diamonds which have become very fashionable recently and they are beautiful, like small galaxies created naturally by inclusions in the stone. Each one is unique but you won’t find one on the high street!
Help. There are so many options!
This pretty solitaire is set by Lilia Nash in her signature flower setting and would be perfect for the person who doesn’t want prongs catching and it looks so unique as well. There is a really useful page on her website with design info and advice.
Rock n Roll Brides
If you prefer something that not everyone has, use colour and shapes, the symbolism of things that may be important to you like birthstones or a star theme. I’ve seen skulls, custom engraving, even tattoos. A custom ring may take up to 8 weeks to be made so this is something you need to factor in. This beauty by Ellie Air is all kinds of amazing!
Wedding Bands
Imagine what kind of wedding band you will need to fit your ring or buy a set that goes together. This pretty wishbone ring is so dainty and the gentle shape would fit with lots of engagement rings.
Custom Rings
If you have a custom ring made for you, think about the wedding band as well, will you get the same jeweller to make a matching band, will you be able to find something that will fit the same style?
Buying Online is perfectly OK!
It is lovely to get to try on rings and see them in person but it is totally fine to buy online, as long as you have done a bit of research into the company and know your correct size. I looked online first and then decided to choose a shop in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham so I could visit in person and see the rings. If you find a smaller family business or local maker it is easier if something happens to your ring like a stone coming loose or if you want an upgrade in the future. I chose a custom ring and it was really good to be able to get an idea of size because alot of the jewellery you see online are magnified by macro lenses in the photography, so being able to see if it suits you on your finger is a good idea. You could also mock up a ring at home using the measurements and see if it looks how you imagined, this is definitely something I’d recommend if you are buying your stones loose.
A lot of jewellers offer ethical custom rings now and are happy to work with you on a design. Here’s a few that I like!
Last weekend we took Friday off and drove to The Cotswolds for a quick mini holiday.
I think we’ve all been cooped up for too long and a trip away somewhere different was really needed. We came back Saturday evening and had all day to relax on Sunday so it really was just a night away but still lovely.
My main excitement was the thoughts of all the pretty houses and scenery of the Cotswolds, but also camping in a really interesting campsite I found online, The Wildings. There didn’t seem to be many places that weren’t booked up or that we could stay for just one night, luckily this gorgeous site was available at short notice, and had enough mod cons to not feel like it was hard work!
The Wildings is a small & friendly, family run campsite that is nestled in the wildflowers and trees of their farm and it is the perfect escape for those who want to unwind and explore a pretty bit of Cotswolds countryside.
Our bed for the night was Meadowsweet, a spacious pod, fully insulated with lighting and power to recharge the batteries (my own and the camera!) It was much bigger than expected and was on its own little patch in the wildflowers away from everyone elses pods. We had also booked a firepit to cook over, you can’t go camping without the campfire!!
The minute I walked onto the site I felt relaxed, I can only recommend you visit for yourself.
Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.
Eeyore
Before we checked in, our first stop in the Cotswolds was the small medieval town of Burford, we wandered around for an hour before deciding we were hungry and then it was off to Bibury. Lunch in the Swan Hotel was very welcome after a long drive so we sat in the sunshine and had a lovely meal sat outside in the sunny courtyard. It’s easy to see why William Morris called Bibury ‘The most beautiful village in England’ with it’s famously picturesque cottages of Arlington Row, built in 1380 and owned by the National Trust. It was such a sunny day, we spent a couple of hours walking around the village, had some much needed icecream and wandered up Awkward Hill.
Pretty cottages at Arlington Row, Bibury
Bourton on the Water was next, a mile from the campsite and often referred to as the Venice of the Cotswolds. This pretty village is situated on the river Windrush, with tiny bridges arching over the river it’s the perfect place to sit and cool off under the trees while people watching. We had a look around the model village before checking in to The Wildings to set up our beds. To finish off our day we drove to the Slaughters, the lower and upper villages are just pure prettiness! I loved the cottage gardens in full bloom and being near the river, the old water mill looked interesting but was unfortunately closed as it was getting quite late. I took loads of photos!
The next day we managed to fit in a bit more exploring. Breakfast in Bourton watching the world go by followed by escaping the Dragonfly Maze, definitely worth checking out if you can (it has a fun twist.) There is a bird park in the village too which we didn’t visit but apparently a long time ago when my dad moved overseas they took in his African Grey parrot Phillip.
We survived the maze and headed to Winchcomb for lunch and a walk around the grounds of Sudeley Castle, taking in the pretty surroundings and taking more photos. In Stow on the Wold we had cake and coffees in Lucys Tea Room, which was a bit of a shambles due to the social distancing rules, the town had some interesting shops and we visited the famous doors of St Edwards Church which have been said to have inspired Tolkein in the lord of the Rings.
Trying to fit loads of things in we decided to find the Cotswolds lavender fields in Snowshill, it looked really busy because it was such a lovely day so we just parked up away from the tourists and enjoyed the view of pretty purple fields before a long drive home.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about all the pretty places, there’s so much to see and do. It was a lovely mini weekend away with loads of walking and sunshine and I can’t wait to go back!
It’s been planned for a year and today’s the big day, but it’s raining, what do you do? Don’t panic for a start, hopefully you have thought about this, we do have somewhat unpredictable English weather.
I think I’ve been very lucky with the weddings I’ve photographed, I can only think of two weddings where the weather was slightly annoying! I’ve shot weddings all year round so have had to deal with Winter light and it being dark as early as the ceremony finishing to windy days where hair and flowers were hard to hold down. Every wedding day is different.
One of these I will share a few images from, it rained aaaaallll day. But did it stop everyone having the best day ever? Nope.
Weather wise, use props like pretty umbrellas to your advantage, shelter under trees, bring alternate footwear, wear cosy coverups for outdoors. If it really is awful you can always dress up again and do a couples shoot later on in the year.
There are some things you can do to help your photographer at your wedding. Think about the time of year and your timeline for the day, it is a fact that in the winter it will be dark earlier. You could have your ceremony a bit earlier than normal so you have time for outdoor portraits. Maybe you find a photographer that is confident shooting in low light, using strobes, or have your portraits indoors which may give a different look to them.
Summer weddings bring their own difficulties, two big things I can remind you about is the harsh summer light outside and heat, makeup melting, we don’t want that!! Your images will look better if you are photographed under some kind of shaded light, under trees or in a garden. This ties in with your wedding timeline again, if you want some pretty golden hour portraits you need to expect to go back outside maybe during dinner or just before your first dance to get those gorgeous warm sunflarey summer portraits. Talk to your photographer, they will help you, but most of all just enjoy your day as it comes.
Launched in 1998 and after having a 9 year break, The Willow Festival has made a comeback! Peterborough was treated to a huge amount of live music 21st – 23rd July 2023. I was there Saturday & Sunday and my aim was to photograph as many bands as possible, and the 4000 photos snapped and 32,000 steps walked would suggest I succeeded!
Previously a free event, this years festival was £10 which is a fair price for being able to come and go over the weekend. For the price of your ticket as well as bands there was a funfair, kids activities, a music hub, the Rock Bus, plenty of food options, a Kopperberg bar, and even good parking options. There was a steady crowd all weekend, moving between stages. The pair in the picture above were keeping the atmosphere alive right up until 11pm on Sunday, good job lads!
The Glorious One Eyed Cats on stage overlooked by Peterborough Cathedral.
The festival was held on the embankment behind the Key Theatre, under the watchful gaze of the cathedral. With a choice of 7 stages (all named after local pubs that are supporters of the music scene) you could see any amount of live music you wanted. The sound and lighting was great, a professional job on every stage, thanks to CWS Sound & Lighting who ran most stages. They did a decent job over the weekend to ensure everyone was heard and seen but they also ensured everything ran on time. The bands were unpaid for their time and talents, turning the festival into a showcase event for many bands, a large number of them local to Peterborough. Selling merch and CDs has now become standard for many musicians trying to earn money these days so I was a bit surprised there wasn’t a dedicated merch stand for the bands.
You can read The Willow Festivals mission statement here if you are interested in what they are all about, all good things but in my opinion bands need to be paid.
Brass section of Rebelation
The weather was terrible on Saturday and I think it kept some people away, which is a real shame for the bands as ticket sales indicated the crowd would be 20,000 strong. It seemed very quiet on Sunday as well, it could have been due to the festival area being so vast you didn’t notice crowds, it certainly wasn’t lack of choice of music that kept people away! I really enjoyed seeing some ‘new to me’ bands although it was quite rock heavy. There is a lot of talent out there and if we want to keep going to gigs we need to support bands.
There were so many bands I liked, and I really love photographing bands that are fun & animated, rock bands especially with their rockstar posing and guitarists playing to the audience. Highlight of my weekend was Mr Griff, a funky soul band from Cambridge, I snapped up their new cd The Architect straight after their set.
“Moody, cool as hell, jazz funk driven beauty”…BBC Introducing.
Mr Griff on The Crown Stage
Other bands I loved were Titan, an 80’s heavy metal covers band with an amazing vocalist. Dogs! Teeth! were excellent, really quirky & fun with good lyrics. There were so many well known local acts, P Town Funk did a couple of sets over the weekend, The Glorious One Eyed Cats did a set on Sunday afternoon in the sunshine getting everyone dancing to their brand of rock n roll. New band the Very Beautiful South had a setlist of hits , Groove Cartell were there in the evening and drew a crowd of steadfast fans, with a fat 4 piece brass section, tight and punchy rhythm section, and the always-up-for-a-boogie Martin on vocals, you’ll be dancing along in no time. On Saturday I saw Rebelation (one of the best reggae ska bands on the scene), The Dan the D, rock band Blunden, Janus Stark, The Famous Unknowns (classic rock covers, another one of my highlights). Headlining Saturday was Austin Gold, in the pouring rain on The Crown stage, and The Tourettes were on the Ploughman stage, both bands drew a great crowd, showing local bands are really well supported in our lovely city. Another band to watch out for, with their awesome vocals, is Cush who played on Sunday, a newly put together rock band playing original songs.
Cush at The Willow Festival 2023
The Great Leslie were cool, a 4 piece band based in London, one to watch if you like modern guitar driven sounds, the band have been on an upward trajectory since their very first release in 2020, launching their career when their first ever single was selected as BBC Introducing’s Track of the Week and had one of their singles featured on the Made in Chelsea sound track.
The Great Leslies frontman Ollie Trevers
If you ask me, the festival was a success and it certainly blew the cobwebs off after the 9 year hiatus. The organisers did a sterling job of pulling it altogether and I hope the festival will be back next year where it can grow and evolve after this strong start. For next year I hope a few tweaks would make it even better; in my opinion it would be helpful to have a map on site, bigger signage on the tent stages (I found them hard to find) and a place where the line-up is posted on a site noticeboard rather than programmes only. I know you can bring a chair but some additional covered seating areas would be good as well, I lost track of how many laps of the embankement I did but there was a lot of walking. A covered and dedicated merch stand for bands would help bands promote themselves and let people show their support with a bit of cash. For those Jazz/Northern Soul/Funk/RnB bands reading this out there, sign up for next year as I’d like to see more of that genre represented.
Booga
The Willow Festival has a good website with lots of info about each band and social media links, they did well updating all day on facebook and Instagram. So if you missed out you can head over there to find some new music inspiration.
As someone who works the “gig economy” it is tough to find a regular income and whilst showcase events to promote bands to bigger audiences are important I think it would be better if bands were supported for their craft with money, guitar strings aint cheap! What do you think, would you pay a higher ticket price to help support gigging musicians or is there another way? I genuinely hope the organisers do bring it back next year, it’s a huge thing to pull off!
I’ll be sharing photo galleries on my socials but here’s a small selection below. Please go and check out some of these bands and keep supporting live music any way you can!
This Platinum Jubilee weekend has been a busy one for photos so far and I’ve been very happy sitting in the sunshine being surrounded by great music and happy people.
If you like jazz and live close to Peterborough then you will know about this band! The village of Castor put on a brilliant community event today full of live music, serving local ales and there’s even fireworks later. The village looked really lovely today with all the flowers blooming and the festive bunting everywhere.
Mark creates bespoke lamps and other lovely pieces for your home from junk. To you and I it may be scrap but rusty bits of engine, tank parts, even an old jet wing have been transformed by Mark into some fantastic objects that would look stunning in anyone’s home. This is the art of Bear Industries. He is a real life Womble!
I was at the warehouse to record some behind the scenes action while he was getting filmed for a new TV show that will be airing on Quest very soon. The crew were recording the big reveal of his newest work to his client, all very cloak & dagger. He really hadn’t seen it so the reaction on TV will be real.
If you’ve read my blog before you might normally know me as lucytakesphotos, wedding/portrait/boudoir photographer from Peterborough who likes music, but on this day I was doing a different kind of photography I also enjoy, creeping around watching how things work and getting those documentary style behind the scenes shots.
I do enjoy being a wedding photographer, especially here around Cambridgeshire, the countryside and venues are really lovely, I’m looking forward to next year when hopefully all our lives will be back to some kind of normal after this terrible Covid-19 disaster.
There are always projects that spark my creativity a bit more than weddings though and working with other artists, musicians and creatives really is something I enjoy and want to do alot more of!
I remember my partner coming home after rehearsal one day telling me I’d like Marks house because he has loads of cool stuff and Lego, they play in a couple of bands together and often I’d go to the gigs and take photos, but I didn’t know about the amazing lamps he made. So when Mark asked me if I’d help him get some decent product photography for his new website I jumped at the chance.
If you’d like to see more of Bear Industries I’ve done a lot of product photography for Marks new website which is looking fab so please do click through and have a look at his work.
While we are in Covid lockdown I know sadly so many of you have had to postpone your wedding date, so our planning chats will probably be next year.
I thought it would be helpful to share with you a few things I go through with my couples to get organised for the big day. You can search online for planning tips and advice but nothing beats your photographer having experience of a real wedding day.
I have to say as well, you can plan and plan but sometimes things will still over run or get forgotten about on the day so please don’t feel like you’ve failed or that it’s a disaster… it’s unnecessary drama!!
Your wedding photographer/videographer will most likely be with you throughout the whole day, so they will act as a timekeeper, a shoulder to cry on sometimes and a general mood regulator!! We take on anything (well, I do anyway) to keep the day running as smoothly as possible and keeping our brides happy so we get those lovely naturally ‘glowy’ photos, stress shows and we know it! (Don’t stress that you’ll feel stressed!)
So, looking at the timeline and planning your photos is really helpful, basically the more we plan our timeline for the day, the more we can fit in.
If you know exactly which sets of family photos you’d like(or not)we can get them done and out of the way first, they can all go off for drinks and then there’s solo time for the couple portraits.
I love having this time with my couples because it’s a bit of a relief for them to be out of the limelight for an hour and relax together as a married pair for the first time. Some people really hate having to pose and have photos so getting away from everyone and not having them watching is good too!
Family Group photos can look like this:
Couple with bride’s parents
Couple with bride’s parents and siblings
Couple with bride’s parents, siblings and grandparents
Bride with parents
Bride with each parent individually
Couple with both sets of parents
Couple with groom’s parents
Couple with groom’s parents and siblings
Couple with groom’s parents, siblings, and grandparents
Groom with parents
Groom with each parent individually
The list can go on and on…
Even if you gave each grouping two minutes, you will be spending 30-40 mins here, then you have the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen to shoot with the couple as well so add another 15-20mins on top. A lot of people feel like they have to have the family shots but don’t want to spend a lot of time doing them and also underestimate how long this really takes, especially on the day when everyone is excitable, it can be like herding cats!
I do suggest that we do some of these shots in the morning if possible. (Bride with mum, Bride with dad, Bride with siblings etc) These informal family shots before the wedding would be my choice of photo, they always seem to be more relaxed and look less stuffy to me.
If I have time or the Groom is nearby I can usually go over to where he’s getting ready and shoot the boys earlier as well. Having a best man or head bridesmaid on hand with my family shot list is something I always have, they normally know everyone and I give them the job of shouting at people so I can concentrate on taking the photos!
Another factor we have to think about is dinner, the bell normally goes at 5pm for dinner and couples want to enjoy the reception too and mingle with friends before the sit down part of the evening, somehow we have to fit everything in!
If you place alot of importance on your photos then try and work your timeline to fit, chat to your venue, tell them what you need, push dinner out later on.
Time of year can be a major factor as well, sunset and golden hour photos are lovely but in the summertime may sometimes be in the middle of dinner, are you prepared for your wedding photographer to drag you outside?! Later on in the year it will get dark earlier, this is sometimes forgotten about.
My main advice is talk to everyone involved, be on the same page, plan ahead for the images you really want, these things don’t happen without your involvement in the planning process, it is your wedding after all!
lucytakesphotos 