Lighthouse Studio

Welcome to the Lighthouse :)

Hi and welcome to the lighthouse studio blog.  I love photographing as many different people as possible, photography is my passion.  If you are looking for something a little different have a look around the blog and my website,  fabulous family portraits in suffolk if you have any questions please feel free to email the studio.  Have fun..

Quick Bio

Professional portrait photographer specialising in family portrait photography,  I have a daughter who is two plus another on the way,  yes I am a little mad. 

PR photography

A great day yesterday at Computerlinks in Newmarket photographing the fabulous Goldie Sayers (local Olympic Javelin thrower)  Goldie gave a great speech and insight in to the demands that such a sport has on the body.  Its amazing to see how much dedication and passion is needed to succeed,  I wish her all the success for the London 2012 Olympics.  Images to follow.

Fashion Shoot

Just a few shots from our fabulous fashion shoot last week for a bespoke tailoring company,  we had a BLAST!! More to follow soon.

 

   

Food Photography

Well today I will be shooting food!  YUM as I usually get to eat it too.  Here are some older images I shot lost year for the same client.  Oh nearly forgot COME ON ENGLAND!

 



    

Fashion Shoot

Had an amazing shoot yesterday for a bespoke tailor client from London,  we had two fabulous models and great make up artist.  I will post images soon.

Very Tired!!!

J

Titchwell Manor Hotel

Off to one of my favourite hotels,  they have just had a massive refurbishment with an amazing new bar and terrace.  I have been photographing the manor now for many years and have seen so many changes.  I think now it has a perfect balance a real gem in North Norfolk,  but don't take my word for it go and see for yourself!

 

Here Comes The Sun...

Well I have been a little busy so apologise for not keeping the blog updates,  here are a couple images for a a project I have been commissioned for,  only another 20 to go!

 

  

The Gas BBQ And The Digital Camera

Well a strange title I know,  but amazing similarities.  It's Sunday morning (yesterday),  the sun is out so it has got to be time to get the BBQ cleaned and ready for this years use.  I purchased a rather expensive gas type a few years ago after being told time after time this is what you should buy after all lighting charcol in a bag with fire lighters etc that's apparently just one step up from caveman (what's wrong with that)  So after spending 2 hours scraping it clean it slowly dawned on me that this just was not going to be suitable to cook on any more,  the final straw was when I placed the fat catcher back underneath the cooker and it broke in my hand like melted butter!  So that was it,  time to buy a new BBQ,  but this time I was going to buy what I wanted.  So sitting in the garden drinking my tea I began to look at various different models online,   a wonderful mix of double burners with hot plates and places to keep food warm and how much!  I then had a vision,  I love Jamie Oliver and what he has done for my cooking skills,  does he stand at a gas BBQ playing with all the functions of course not,  he picks up an old roasting dish from the kitchen with a cake rack, chucks in a few pieces of charcol,  finds a nice part of the garden and just cooks some amazing food in a primal way.  

I packed the family into the car and off to Sainsburys we went,  I had spotted the other day a little bucket BBQ for £14.99,  I walked straight in picked it up,  plus a bag of charcol (easy lighting) and made my purchase.  The weather was brilliant,  but the thing I noticed was how much we were all enjoying the experience of getting this little BBQ to work,  I actually felt like I was having a BBQ instead of the gas days of lifting the lid turning it on and that was it.  The gas for me had taken away all the excitement (and taste) that used to be fun in creating the outside cooking experience.  It was by far the best one we had had for years,  and the food tasted how it should without artificial bits and pieces that a gas one needs.

So where does the digital camera fit into all this?  Well it made me think about how I use my camera (professionally) and how tempting it is to shoot of extra frames as you can,  it just seemed a little to easy, so I have now decided to purchase a new film camera,  the film only has 15 frames so will make me really concentrate on what I am taking.  I will always use the digital of course but to retrain my passion I will at least once a week use my film camera just to remind me of why I love photography so much.  I just wonder,  once I start using film again I bet it will become an addiction,  cant wait! 

Scallywags Model Competition 2010

Any Budding Models Out There?

 

Last Years Winner Casper Warby

Well we are just about ready to launch Scallywags Model Competition 2010!  The fantastic Mini Milou in St Johns Street,  is again in partnership with the us for this fabulous competition.  We have now run this a few times with the overall winner receiving a fantastic 12 months modeling contract. We will announce the launch date very soon so keep coming back for more details.

Good luck

Teens Wanted!

The lighthouse are looking for teenagers over the age of sixteen for some promotional photography,  for a new service we will be launching in May 2010.  As a thank you,  we will give each customer a complimentary 8" x 6" photograph of your choice. Just email your contact details to Justin and we will get you booked in.

Happy Easter

  

Easter is here,  to me a sign that warmer and brighter days are on the way.  Well we can can all dream! Daisy is fast approaching the magic age of 2,  and yes its all true what they say about this magic age. While she was throwing a tantrum (again) at the studio I thought I would fire a couple of shots off,  which seemed to engage her and stop the screaming!  If you look at the post below you can see how much she has changed in a short space of time.

Newborn photography tips

It is so important to capture your newly born baby as soon as you can as they change so rapidly in the first few weeks.  You might decide to let a professional capture this precious moment for you,  or indeed a family member of yourself.  Which ever way you choose its important to get it right.  I have listed below some key points which I hope will help you.

1. Timing - Choose a time when baby has slept and just had a feed as this is when baby will be best.  For newborns it does not matter if they fall asleep as you can create some wonderful artistic shots this way.

2. Light - Look for nice bright space in your home that lets in lots of natural light,  this will help you get much softer images,  plus you will not need to use the flash, most cheap digital cameras now will let you turn it off.

3. Cropping - Parents love nice close up images of their new baby,  to create a good composition try to keep the eyes about a third down from the top of the frame,  this will crop the top of the head off but your final image will look better than trying to keep the whole head in.

4. Positioning - Find a nice big chair of sofa and lay down some of your nice white baby blankets,  try to lie baby at a 45 degree angle so you might need some cushions for this. (make sure you do not block out to much light,  so have the light source coming towards baby)

5. Attention - Grab a colourful toy or rattle to get baby's attention,  you can use this method to help baby move its own head in to the position you like.  So experiment with a few shots with baby not looking directly into the lens.

These are some very easy and basic methods that will hopefully help you capture some images for your album.

Can you help....

I am currently revamping our newborn baby photography with some exciting new ideas and desperately need little models!  If you know of anybody or indeed yourself please email me ,  as a thank you I will provide you with a free 8"x 6" photograph worth £49 and a free session of course!

Thanks  Justin

Outdoor photography

Wow when we get a little bit of sunshine what a difference!  The shoot this morning was fabulous with a great family and a very smiley baby.  The sun was a little hazy which created some perfect mood shots and nice soft shadows.  Well the Easter holidays are fast approaching,  so why not take advantage and book yourself in a for a fabulous shoot.  You can come to the studio or why not try a fav location?  For more information about outdoor photography have a look on our website.

Lighthouse Studio - Elm Farm Park - Great Green - Thurston - IP31 3SH  T: 01359 231000

Snow family!

  Well we had great fun in the snow,  only seems like yesterday we had all this white stuff.  So pleased that we were able to get some shots with a cool family in the snow.  Location rocks!

3 Mar 2010

Ok want a free session at the studio? Well get down to glasswells in bury st Edmunds and fill in your details at our stand and you will get a free session!

Q. I bet you have loads of images in your house A. hmmm not quite!

 This is a question I get asked a lot,  I have hundreds of images yes but how many have I printed off for the family hmmmmm about 1% I guess.  I thought this must be a trend, and yes it works out that this happens to most people,  we store all our images on the computer and promise ourselves one day I will print them out but it rarely happens.  After constant nagging from the OH I managed to sit down and select 4 images for a block for our family room.  I must admit it was strange seeing it from a customers angle,  I was so excited when the block finally arrived.  I raced home got out the drill (yep I can just about operate one) and proceeded to hang it in a prime location for the family to see.  I stood back and admired my handy work and was suddenly filled with some emotion,  not because I had not drilled through a water pipe,  but to see Daisy and my lovely wife captured in a moment in time that I will look at forever.  The other thing that I had not even thought about was Daisy's reaction,  she was completely fascinated by the images and keeps pointing mummy, daddy and baby!!!  So there you go,  I suggest you sit down choose a few key images and display them pronto!

Add a little sparkle!

 Well I had the pleasure of photographing an awesome couple at their fabulous winter wedding.  OK the lighting is a little more challenging but I like that!  The outside shots were great fun,  a bit chilly but the bride and groom were ok with the help of a few drinks to keep them warm!  

Valentines gift vouchers

 Well 14th Feb on its way!  Why not book yourself into the studio for the ultimate gift this Valentines.  Gift vouchers available, add that personal message to make it really special!  gift vouchers

Scallywags 2008 + 2009 Winners

Well it was great to see Harriett again after winning our competition back in 2008.  The 1st prize was a years contract with the UKs leading child model agency Scallywags London.  Since winning the competition she has been a very busy girl,  appearing on game boxes, magazines and most recently a catwalk show at London Zoo for the relaunch of Adams.  I shot a few images which are below plus a couple with the work that she has been featured on.  AlI can say is GO GIRL!  and all the best for the future.

We are so thrilled that our most recent competition has been so fantastic,  with our new winner Casper Warby (photographs to follow soon)  I hope he gets to enjoy all the success that Harriett has had.

BIG NEWS:  Scallywags have issued us with a new contract for one lucky winner for this years competition, if you would like to enter please email or call me 01359 231000 to book in,  Children have to be aged 16 and under.

    

Beach Portraits

Well we are still shooting our winter beach shoots,  I love them!  We tend to stay away in the summer months (unless its evening light) as I prefer the lighting and dramatic weather you get in the more challenging seasons of the year.  For me shooting on the beach is my favourite place to be,  it just feels so natural and amazing at the same time.  The images that I have shot over the last few years have just been awesome,  with the help of the weather and clients that I have been lucky enough to have met.  So lets create some new memories with your family,  for more information please email me.

  

Can you help.....

Please email me at the studio to find out more information.