So as the title suggests…this one is all about what goes on behind the camera. Don’t panic though, there are no images of me binge watching Netflix in my dressing gown whilst busily editing. That’s possibly too much reality for you!

The thing is - it’s really hard to understand what a job entails unless you’ve experienced it firsthand.

I’m guessing that unless you and your significant other do the same job, then the void of understanding of what is involved is probably pretty vast. (I know I get it .... yours is soooo much harder and he doesn’t have a clue?!)

So in a bid to lessen the distance between you and I, here are a few glimpses into the mind-blowingly, exciting life of a photographer. (Sorry, I may have over hyped this…it’s possibly not very mind-blowing at all!)

1. It’s an ickle bit worrisome.

Getting ready for a photography session is a nerve-wracking experience.

You’ll be concerned how your kids will behave and if this person will win them over. You’ll be stressed out the box getting ready for the session and to top the lot, your other half will no doubt grump because this really isn’t his idea of fun at all.

But, here’s the thing…I’m nervous too! Yes, really. You know that feeling when you’re due to go back to work after maternity leave but can’t sleep properly the night before for worrying? (Teachers know this all too well as they feel like this after every holiday). Well, that’s exactly what a session feels like for me. Each and every session means a restless night (so please don’t judge if I’m not quite looking like my profile pic that day!)

Despite all this, the good news is, after saying hello and having a general chat about the kids, the weather and shouting out a few rude words (prompted of course!) all the stress of preparing for the session eases and we all relax into it… yes, even the men folk.

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2. The back stage pass.

Before we even make it to the session, you’ll have invested lots of time choosing a photographer and chatting with them about all aspects of the session. You’ll have shopped and sorted out co-ordinated clothing for everyone. You’ll have been a hair-dresser for your family and yourself and will have attempted to set aside time to perfect your make-up. This all takes time, effort and prep.

On the side of the photographer, there is a mountain of prep too. All the camera gear needs to be checked, batteries charged and even poo bags packed (yes I actually clear the area we are working in before we start shooting - sad but true!) Hand sanitiser is obviously packed too!

The evening before, I’ll have been busy running through shot lists, looking over notes relating to your family and noting details of things the kids like, just so I can tailor what I say to win them over quickly when we arrive.

The weather watching that goes on pre-session is also pretty insane.

Windy Wilson doesn’t get a look in compared to me! There is no limit to the amount of weather apps that can be open at once and checked every twenty minutes.

These were taken on the afternoon of storm Chiara! Oh the weather stress that went on that day!

3. Kids are all mental.

I totally get that you’re worried about your kids.

This was my biggest worry when we went for our family session last year. One of my boys is a nervous wee soul. I knew this would be pushing him out of his comfort zone. We were some place he hadn’t been before, in clothes he hadn’t worn before, late on in the evening. All things normally guaranteed to set him off. But do you know what? He was great and we all had a ball!

Your kids will be fine too.

I have lots of tricks for shy kiddies. Some full proof jokes for the awkward smilers and a few taming techniques to get the wild ones wound down long enough to capture their loveable rogue personalities.

All kids get a bit hyper. It’s just the nature of it. And it’s all good!

Remember, I’m a mum too and my kids are far from perfect. I guarantee there is nothing yours can say or do that would make me think anything other than that they are kids being kids!

I’m also a teacher to trade. You know how teachers will always describe your child as someone completely different in the class from the one you have at home?! It works for photographers too!

4. We all worry about how we look.

I am fully aware that the outfit you will have spent hours stressing over will have been your own!

Are you hiding everything you want to hide? Do you look skinny? Are you wearing the right colours?

If you aren’t sure beforehand - get in touch! This is actually the part that photographers love! I have shopped for clients and even searched in actual wardrobes pulling out things that would co-ordinate with the rest of the family.

I am much better at dressing others than I am myself - you’ll be relieved to hear!

I will also keep in mind the backdrop we’ll be working with as well as where the images will be hung in your home - it’s important to tie in all of these elements. You want it to be perfect, right?

We can pose you to look slimmer if that’s something that you are nervous of and please tell me if there’s a ‘good side’ that you prefer. I have had families that all had a good side and were keen to fight for position based on this! Lol! We worked with it. If you want your hair to sit a particular way then tell me before we start and I’ll keep an eye on it shifting.

Seriously…you will look gorgeous!

And do you know the most important thing?

It’s that we capture emotion and connection in these shots. More often than not when you see your images, it really doesn’t matter what side is showing or how your hair is blowing across your face because they show the love and connection you have with your kids. That’s surely what you want to hang on your walls for all to see?!

5. Dad’s all chill out…eventually!

Dads are never overly keen (well apart from one Dad I can think of who was super enthusiastic and completely awesome! (His wife will absolutely know that I am talking about her husband!)

Most dads aren’t overly fussed about being in front of the camera and the whole getting dressed-up thing/co-ordinated clothes/getting the kids organised/you being stressed out, can make it a little fraught at best.

A couple of top tips for getting the men folk on side:-

Bribe them. Just gonna leave that there. You need no suggestions.
Let them choose what they want to wear first and work your scheme around them. They’ll feel happier if they are comfy.
Oh and tell them we’ll be having fun. Genuinely. We’ll be playing with the kids and snapping during the fun.

I haven’t had a Dad yet who didn’t cope just fine on the day.

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6. The after show party

You know how you have the pre-conception that teaching is a 9am – 3pm job with great holidays. It isn’t. And anyone who knows a teacher will be fully aware of how massively flawed this view is.

Well, it’s the same with photographers. There is a general belief that all we do is click the button on our decent cameras and all the hard work is done! Anyone who has picked up a half decent camera and attempted to take a photo will understand how way off this belief is. It takes years to master. I am talking thousands of hours of training/reading/practice. And that’s just taking the pictures. Editing is a whole other ball game.

Hand editing takes time, especially with a large gallery. If you can imagine, edits can take anywhere from a couple of minutes up to twenty for a more complicated edit. Multiply that by how many images are in a gallery and you will begin to get a sense of how long the actual process is.

I promise you, there is way more to it than clicking a button!

7. Needy girlfriend syndrome

So after a week or two of waiting patiently for your gallery to arrive, you finally get the message that your images are ready to view. Eek! So exciting. You open them up and pore over them again and again then send the link to your mum, his mum, your best pal etc. for them to have a nose too.

Meanwhile…back in the land of photographer…

We are sitting checking our phones approx. every thirty seconds for a reaction desperate for an indication that you are happy with what you have seen.

This is the bit that we all love. The bit where someone opens their gallery and has a wee cry as they flick through the images. That moment when we get a message that says ‘Oh my god I love them!’

There is no better high than that!

Please, for the love of all dieting photographers…put them out of their misery before they hit the chocolate!

8. It doesn’t all end there

Once you see your images we can then start to think about what to do with them. Hmm. You’re not quite sure? Let me know as I can help with this bit too!

Fancy some wall art? Perfect. I can pop round and show you what can be done with your images.

We can create some mock-ups so you get an idea of how it will look on your walls. You can try out different images in different positions to get a real feel of how stunning it could be.

I can show you samples of products and if the whole prospect of figuring out how to order prints online in various sizes, to then take them round framers to get prices, to then collect them en masse a few weeks later before getting to the hanging them on the wall stage doesn’t thrill…well I can do all that too.

It makes me super happy. I love seeing the end product up on the wall. I get lots of clients who message to show me their finished products all hung and looking fabulous and I can’t tell you how much it makes me smile.

I’ve actually had a wee blub myself opening wall art to check it before it gets hand-delivered. It’s an emotional thing!

Otherwise we can chat about sizes of prints you need and I can get some absolute stonkers ordered up for you. (Pretty please don’t just print them at Tesco!)

Everything comes beautifully packaged too because I just love it when things look a bit fancy.