Well how exciting is this!? Even if I don't win, being one of the top five photographers in Sussex is such a massive achievement! I've spent the last year working so hard to get my photography business off the ground. While I do love saving teeth (I'm also a dentist in case you didn't already know), photography is my real passion and to win this award would be simply amazing!
It's a numbers game at this point so I'm asking everyone for their vote, we only have a week and the results are announced next Thursday. I thought I should try to write a post showing my best work and listing all of the reasons why I think I deserve to win (this is hard to do, singing my own praises doesn't come naturally but, well, I'd like to win so here goes...) If you think I deserve to win, please vote for Bexphoto here:
P.S. This also goes for why you should book me to be your photographer too! ;)
I LOVE my job. Photographing families is such a privilege and providing them with meaningful, heartfelt photos of their lives, seeing the emotions that evokes when they see their galleries, it's why I do this. Photos mean so much to me and I love being able to give people that gift of the fleeting moment which lasts forever.
I'm a Mum, I understand the important little things, I like to document everything, details in particular. I work around my twins, part time in my "day job" and then fitting in Bexphoto work when I can. It's a difficult juggle but so worth it and my own kids will have the most amazing photo books of these young years to look back on as we have plenty of fun while I practice my skills on them!
I'm constantly trying new techniques and taking part in projects to keep improving my skills. I love playing with slow shutter, prisms and other ideas to get different, creative effects on my images and my projects are so much fun and often get me some industry recognition which is a fantastic confidence boost!
I'm a sucker for sun flare! I've worked hard to master light and was rewarded with excellent comments about my use of light and got top marks for that category when I applied to the internationally recognised Click Pro.
I've now had three images accepted for publication on the Vogue Italia website, not an easy feat! It's such a badge of honour having their logo on my work.
I've been published in two international photography magazines as well as Elle Decoraton and Grazia magazines.
I've been featured in various international blogs with interviews and "Best of" features.
I am always looking for ways to help my local community, I'm currently running a project donating my time and talent to give local businesses a professional image to use for their online social media and/or websites while also raising funds and awareness for Young Minds charity.
I've also collaborated and worked with businesses who needed fresh new images for their websites and social media.
I donate a family session worth £349 each year to a fellow sufferer of post-natal depression. I've also talked openly about my own experiences and want to help share stories to break down the taboos and to support people who are going through some terrible times. Even (or especially) in these sessions, I capture the real raw moments as well as the joy and find people really resonate with these galleries.
I'm starting to teach other photographers, from beginner up to professional with mentoring and courses. I'm also going to be teaching at a big new conference for women photographers in Manchester in 2020, Phlock Live. I was thrilled when they approached me among just five talented UK photographers to be their first speakers as they set up the new event.
You can read other client testimonials here.
I'm all about the colour! It's not just my brand and my love in photography but I live it. It's all over my home and my wardrobe, I am an authentic colour lover, rainbows especially!
I also enjoy other types of photography for fun, getting out exploring in nature or even underwater!
As part of my local community, I work as a volunteer writing for both Uckfield Matters Magazine and Uckfield FM where I'm also on air once a month championing all things local and family related. I'm a member of a local WI where I've also helped raise funds for charity as part of the committee and ran a baking club for a while before I needed more time to focus on my photography business.
I'm also on a waiting list to train to fix tongue ties in newborns as part of my work in dentistry, having experienced this problem myself when feeding my twins and finding there's a real difficulty in getting access to treatment swiftly.
I teach at a local autistic school, Step by Step, working with the children using my skills and knowledge as a dentist to help de-sensitise them so they find it easier to visit their own dentists. This experience is so rewarding as well as teaching me more about the challenges of working with children with special needs which in turn is helping me learn skills I can apply with my photography business and I welcome clients who may wish to have family photos taken but worry about potential issues.
It's not easy doing all this with twins in tow, a part-time job and my volunteer positions and everything that has to go on behind the scenes but I love it all!
So, if you made it this far through my list of achievements detailing my passion and talent, I'd be ever so grateful if you can now go that one step further and vote for Bexphoto to win Best Photographer. It would make my day! Thank you :D
And if you're still not sure, Stanley thinks you should vote for me too!...
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| (I didn't take this image, Stanley's mummy Hannah sent it to me, she's a lovely colleague and friend!) |
