Here's what you wanted to know about me!

I put up a question grabber on my Instagram stories last week and asked you guys to ask me anything you wanted to know. Some questions were about my job but some people wanted to know about me, too. So here we go, you may just find out something new that you didn't know about me!

What is your favourite thing about photography?

A few of you wrote this question and it really got me thinking. There are lots of things I love about photography such as being able to be creative, being able to work it around my family, being my own boss etc. But I guess the main thing I love about it is creating memories for so many people that they can treasure forever. It's a big responsibility being trusted to create images, especially for newborns who are only so tiny for that very short time and seeing parents smiles during a session makes my heart skip. I love reading your lovely comments when you receive your images too, that's when I think, 'Yeah, this is an amazing job!'

How did you get into photography?

It started off as a hobby. My husband bought me a basic DSLR camera when our youngest daughter was born. He knew I would want to take photos of the girls as they grew up but I didn't know then that it would become a passion and eventually lead to a career change. It wasn't until January last year that I started to train in Photography. I went and enrolled at college and did a couple of courses there before undertaking newborn training in September 2019. Since then I have done many online courses and continue to learn and grow.

Which shoots are your favourite?

Argh, this is another difficult one to answer as I have parts of each that I love. I guess if I had to narrow it down though, newborns and maternity have to be up there with my absolute faves. Newborns because I LOVE BABIES!! I love having creative freedom to get super, cute photos of little ones and even though it takes a lot of patience, I do love posing them - safely of course. Even the harder babies who are restless or light sleepers I still love photographing and I get a huge feeling of achievement when they finally give in to their heavy eyelids and we get 'the shot!'

Maternity photography is amazing, too. Seeing a mummy to be in her all of her superhero glory, growing a tiny baby and taking everything that comes with it like a boss. Pregnancy is not always easy for many women. Some women find it difficult to fall pregnant, some women suffer losses, some women struggle with illness through every stage and it makes my heart smile when I see those mamas feeling and looking like the goddess that they are. All mamas deserve to be celebrated!

What camera do you use?

I use a Nikon D750. It is a full frame DSLR camera and I honestly love it. My first camera was a Nikon and I have stuck to what I know. I am a creature of habit and not a massive fan of change. I hope to invest in more lenses next year for specialised outdoor photography but I am very happy with what I currently have.

where do you do your shoots?

We moved house in May last year and decided to convert our garage. We had a doorway knocked through from our kitchen into the garage conversion and replaced the garage door and the old rear garage door with windows. Once it was ready I made it into my photography studio. I love it as it's my little haven and was all designed by me. It's perfect for doing indoor shoots, not too small and allows me to work from my home.

I do location shoots, also. There are many outdoor places where I do photoshoots in and around Tamworth. It depends what the time of year is as to where I go but I am always happy to visit new places should clients have somewhere in mind.

What would you be if you weren't an awesome photographer? (aww, thank you!)

Well I have two answers for this. There is a job that I wanted to do when I grew up and whenever anyone asked me throughout my childhood, my answer never changed. I always wanted to be a marine zoologist. I was obsessed with marine animals, particularly whales and dolphins and actually still am. They are by far my favourite creatures. Well, there were two reasons I gave up the idea eventually:

1. A level Biology was really hard and so I dropped out (fail)
2. Tamworth is the furthest town from any sea around the UK - haha!

So yeah, that dream ended at the ripe old age of 17.

Another job I would love would be to be a detective in the Police. Their job fascinates me. I watch so many documentaries on crime and get right stuck in to trying to solve the crimes before the end of the show. I have quite a curious mind and think I would love to have a go in real life.

what do you do for fun?

I love spending time with my family and most fun things I do involves them. Having fun days with my girls I love. Having tea parties with their toys, throwing birthday parties for no reason, doing arts and crafts, playing with play-dough etc. I also like doing yoga. It definitely has a positive impact on my mood and I feel great afterwards. I also enjoy long walks in the countryside. My husband and I do a lot of canal walking in wellies and coats and this time of year, the country just looks phenomenal. We also go on family walks to forests and outdoorsy places. I also love girly days with my friends, going out to eat and drink and things. Oh, and eating pizza!

what's your favourite food?

I love food! I have been a pescatarian since I was 11 and really don't miss meat at all. I did it for animal love reasons but also because there wasn't a lot of meat that I liked. I strongly disliked red meat and would only eat white meats occasionally so decided to cut it all out.

Hmmm, I would have to say my favourite food is pizza! Particularly Domino's veggie pizza and it has to be enjoyed with a large garlic and herb dip! I could drink the stuff, literally! Mmmmm!

How did you meet your husband?

We met on Plenty of Fish. Our relationship was a bit of a whirlwind but we just knew we were right for each other straight away. We met in May 2012, he came on holiday to America with me 8 weeks after we met, to visit my best friends with me and upon returning home he moved into my house! Then he proposed in the October and a year later we got married. A month after we were married we were expecting our first child and then had 2 girls in the following 2 years. Wow, what a lot in such a short time!

Now here we are 8 and a half years in and still as happy as they day we met. He isn't just my husband, he's my best mate and we have a lot of fun together.

Do you have any pets?

No I don't. I used to have a dog called Roxi and we used to have a Giant African land snail but we found him a new home as soon as Erin lost interest in him. Sounds gross but he was actually quite cool!

What are 3 things we might not know about you?

• Anyone who knows me well will know I have a HUGE crush on Gerard Butler. Yes, he is quite a bit older than me but I literally do not care haha, much to my husband's disapproval. It is a running joke in our family, he buys me calendars and birthday cards with him on and all sorts. He is so supportive, isn't he?!
• I learned how do British Sign Language when I was in my twenties. Although I have forgotten a lot of it now, I can still sign all of the letters of the alphabet so could still communicate with the hearing impaired.
• I can talk like Elmo from Sesame Street. Don't ask me how I found out I could do this as I have no idea haha! My girls always ask me to do it and laugh hysterically.

If money were no object, what would you buy?

Oh my!! Well, a big house would be my first purchase. Then a new car. Then a holiday to Florida to see my besties and take our girls to Disney World (my dream!) Then I guess it would be more photography equipment and probably a commercial studio so I could grow my business even more. I would love to travel to be honest. Holidays all around the world with my family would be amazing, experiences far outweigh 'things' to me. I would also love to help those less fortunate and help charities.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In my own studio, hopefully. That is my ultimate goal for my business and I would love to have a big commercial space with all my setups ready to go at any time. I seriously love this job and with every person who visits me and comes back again, I get such a sense of pride that you guys are loving my work. I take it very seriously and push myself to do better all the time. By entering the Photographer's Guild competitions and winning awards, it has helped me to realise that I not only produce 'nice images' now but they are technically correct, too. This is a huge compliment to me but also pushes me to keep striving to be better all the time. I want my clients to come back time and time again because they love my work. And I want you guys to come back time and time again because I love capturing your memories through the years and seeing the changes.

I have the best clients ever and that's a fact!