my secret..

Anna Hardy Photography

I've actually got a secret.

I constantly avoid shooting.

That sounds crazy right?  I'm a photographer.  I love shooting.. I love being creative.. I love creating images.. I love meeting people.. I love giving beautiful images.. I love telling stories.  But... I avoid it.

This probably doesn't make any sense as we shoot over 30 weddings a year.. but you see weddings are different.  Have you ever had to go somewhere and you were kinda nervous (well, bricking it) about going? Worried about performing well and delivering the goods? Maybe even dreaded it slightly?  Then once you got there it was pretty much the most awesome thing you've ever, ever experienced, you love every second, you love everyone you meet and you wondered how on earth you ever felt worried about it in the first place?!? Well.. that's me.

I'm now kinda used to it with weddings and have to remind myself every Saturday morning how amazing I'm gonna feel in approximately two hours when I'm getting emotional watching my Bride get in to her wedding dress.. and then watching her marry her boy.. (maaaaan it really is the BEST thing in the world).. and what I've realised is that it's just fear.. and it's a good thing.. so long as it doesn't stop you from doing things.

But it has stopped me.  Opportunities to shoot outside weddings.. my first reaction is always.. we're too busy.  Yes we are busy.. and yes we're really busy over the Summer (and we're working on that for next year) but deep down I know that what I'm actually saying is "I'm too scared to shoot you".  I immediately have the fear.. I have to deliver.. I have to shoot well, I have to make them feel comfortable, I have to direct, where are we gonna shoot?, what's the light gonna be like? What happens if I freeze?  What happens if the images are no good? It's then all too easy for me to convince myself that I'm too busy.  It makes my life that little bit easier.

But that's shit isn't it.

And you know what.. the times that I have ignored that fear and said yes.. it's been pretty much the most awesome thing I've ever, ever experienced, I've loved every second, I loved everyone I met and I wondered how on earth I felt worried about it in the first place.

So I'm going to stop closing myself off to things.  I'm going to start saying yes.  I'm not going to be scared to shoot.. I'm not going to be 'too busy'.. because when you open yourself up you experience more, you share, you feel and you create the most incredible memories.. not only for the people you are photographing.. but for us too.

spinnin' around..

I'm not gonna lie.. July was crazy town.  It was probably one of the busiest months we've ever had with weddings that literally book ended the country every week.. up to The Lakes and back.. back up to the Lakes the following week.. down to Rye in Kent.. up to the West coast of Scotland.. then Worcester.. Kent.. Surrey.  We are Service Station connoisseurs.. Premier Inn regulars.

Fridays are travel days.. shoot the wedding Saturday.. drive home that night.. Sunday lie like broccoli amongst camera bags and unpacked overnight bags (literally I am fit for nutin').. then try and cram in culling, editing (a lot of weddings), backing up, emails, enquiries, blogging, invoicing, sending weddings to blogs, meeting couples, Engagement Shoots.. (oh and try to still see friends and not ignore every text that I get - sorry guys).. all before Friday smacks us in the face again. No, but seriously Monday to Thursday reeeeeeeally isn't long enough.. AT ALL.

Oh and let's just decide to sell our house too shall we? In peak wedding season?  With only two weekends off until November?  Ohhhh go on then!

I am officially mental.

Ps. Pete read this post and said that I sound like I'm moaning.. hmmmm.. I suppose I am a bit.. but not with the work.. the weddings have been super duper spine tinglingly awesome.. it's just the distinct lack of enough days in the week that's the problem.

vote for Pedro..

Woop! We've been nominated for Best Wedding Photographer by the lovely peeps at Perfect Wedding Magazine!! (busts some sweet ass moves)

So.. yeah.. this bit sucks balls but would you guys mind if we said.. if you had a spare sec could you vote for us?
http://www.planyourperfectwedding.com/wedding-competitions/perfect-wedding-awards-2013

I bloody hate asking.. like REALLY HATE asking.. but this time I really want to win.  Because of Pete.  That boy gets nowhere near the amount of recognition he deserves for what he does for our little business and if we win I'm gonna bloody hang it round his neck and make up a song and sing it to him.  You see some peeps still think that this gig is mainly just me.. I'm guessing the 'Emma Case Photography' bit doesn't really clear it up much.. but this couldn't be more wrong.  This gig is US.. Emma and Pete... equally. We both shoot.. and I was about to say.. we both email but actually Pete talks to our couples, he invoices, he organises getting to weddings.. schedules.. tax.. invoices.. actually.. sometimes I wonder what I actually do!?!?  One thing I do know is that I couldn't have done any of it without him. He is bloody incredible to work with.  On a wedding day he has my back and makes my job the easiest thing in the world.  In the office he organises shit.  Like everything.  Oh and at home he's also the cook and I reckon the washing up gets done maybe 60 Pete 40 me.  I'm telling you.. this guy is amazing.  He is also THE friendliest guy you'll ever meet.. he hugs everyone and means it every single time and he makes all our couples feel like we've known them for years.  He also doesn't give a shit about all the bullshit.. only has time for the good stuff and cares deeply about giving every single one of our couples the best experience ever.

But because people associate the business with me (again, yep the name'll do it) Pete sometimes gets overlooked.. but he deserves so much more... I just wish 'We are the Smyths' had a better ring to it.. ;)

So I just wanna put it out there..

He's awesome.

..and fit.

all change..

A few weeks ago we had our lovely friends The Starks come and visit us for a few days.  They are both photographers living in Canada and our friendship has been a pretty incredible one that saw us all meet before we were photographers.. and then has grown side by side in some weird and wonderful parallel journey..

The morning they were due to leave they asked if we would mind if they took some photos of us both in our house.  We'd all been talking about what our plans for the future were and both me and Pete had said that we were at a point where lots of things were about to change.  We've been in our little house for 7 years now but we think it's finally time to find a new.. bigger one.  One where we can work from and possibly start a family.

Jenn and Dave have given us something so incredibly special.  We constantly talk about the importance of giving photographs but for us these are so much more.  They show us how happy we are.. how much we've grown.. how far we've come and how excited we are about our future together. They show us in our home.. the home we started this little business.. the home where I got ready on our wedding day.. the home where Maximo was born in the bottom of the wardrobe.

We cannot say thank you enough to Jenn and Dave.. (even though they were super sneaky recording us talking).. we will treasure this gift forever...


emma & pete from Jenn & Dave Stark on Vimeo.

dave and jenn...

So about 5 years ago.. before I picked up a camera I spent a year working for a Teacher Recruitment Agency in-between acting jobs. Two Canadian teachers came over, Jenn and Dave (aka The Starks) and I would be the one to have to call them in the morning and send them trekking across the delights of Birmingham to their day of supply teaching.  After about a year their time came to an end in England and they returned to Canada and I got an acting job and started to learn Sign Language.

Fast forward a few months.. I picked up a camera.. Jenn did too. After a little while we both started to shoot weddings.. both our businesses grew.. Dave joined Jenn and they became a husband and wife team.. me and Pete did the same.  Over the past 5 years our individual journeys have evolved and blossomed but have beautifully synced and followed a wonderful parallel path.  Along the way we have both discovered similar things about ourselves and our relationships.. been drawn to the same people.. been led by our hearts.. have fallen in love with our couples and have furociously cheered each other on from the sidelines.

So when they said they were coming over to England this Summer to visit Jenn's Grandparents we jumped at the chance to be reunited after 5 years and to actually just hang out.  We laughed, we climbed to the top of a hill,  we cooked (well, Dave cooked), we talked non-stop about what is important to us as people... and I know that for us the internet has been incredible and has made this world a much smaller place.. it's built our business, it's connected us to so many wonderful and talented souls.. but sometimes you have to log out, shut down and just go look at their faces for real.

Dave and Jenn.. thank you for making the effort to come and see us and thank you so much for taking some photos of us yesterday.. it was such a lovely experience to step away from everything and be given the opportunity to reflect on all the things we've achieved together as a couple and just to give us a moment to stop looking ahead for a second and to turn and look at each other.

We love you guys very much.

holiday..

10 things I learnt on holiday.
1. Holidays are good and we should have more of them.
2. If I can't speak the language I either put on a weird accent and/or start using British Sign Language in  an attempt to get my point across.
3. 42 degrees is the equivalent of having a hairdryer constantly pointed at your face.
4. My shins never goes brown.
5. I can actually love Pete more.
6. Some women are made of lava. (One woman sat out ALL day sunbathing in the 42 degree heat. Mentalist.)
7.  Your business will not disappear, fail, crumble, die if you go away for a week.
8. Waiters are people too.  I already knew this but it turns out some other people don't.
9. I'm pretty good at haggling... :)
10. You don't need to look at your phone when you wake up, when you're on the toilet, after you get out the shower, in-between mouthfuls or when you've just finished looking at your phone.

We decided not to take our main cameras as we wanted a proper break and we'd had a few warnings about taking photos in the square so we took a few of our other guys instead..

Say hello to Pete's fisheye..

..my £4.99 point and shoot.. (who I love).. 

..my yummy Cadet (similar to a Diana).. 

..and of course a few iPhone photies too..

 

The (blurred) photo below is of me, Pete, Mohammed (one of our lovely waiters at the hotel).. and a guy called KING TEA! Mohammed took us to meet him and we had the BEST Moroccon tea whilst being taught about an array of spices.. I love King Tea.

 

I think someone definitely missed us while we were away... chatting away and constant cuddles since we returned..

A Bit More Soul..

I say this quite a bit but this job smacks me in the face an awful lot.. like literally.. a massive smack right up in my face kinda stuff.. and at every turn you try to take it all in.. try to remember.. to stop and look around.. appreciate the journey.. the huge steps that you take.

This job, the people we connect with through this job and the places it ends up taking us blows me away every single day.

I actually cannot believe I'm saying this but we have been invited to speak in New Zealand.

In friggin' New Zealand.

In November a bunch of wonderfully creative, open, warm and honest photographers are getting together to share, learn, create and laugh (a lot) and we are so overwhelmingly excited to share our story and meet a bunch of amazing people.

A Bit More Soul is a four day retreat at the most amazing Boomrock in Wellington.. and we'll be speaking alongside six incredible photographers, all at different stages of their careers... sharing our stories, shooting, playing and most importantly.. switching off and experiencing..

We actually don't know how we're going to get to November without bursting with excitement.

If you are over that side of the world (or even if you're not).. there are still a few spots left and we would LOVE to see you there..

www.abitmoresoul.blogspot.co.nz/

Woah.

Life lately..

So.. life has been pretty crazy the past few weeks and wedding season has well and truly kicked in!  Soooo... going in reverse.. this Bank Holiday Weekend we had two weddings.. one in Liverpool and then one in Wales on Sunday.. we were only an hour away from our good friends O&C Photography so we decided to pay them, their little girl Florence and the beach a visit (the actual Harry potter beach no less.. you know.. the one where Dobby dies).. it was absolutely beautiful and exactly what we needed. We hung out.. ate good food and laughed a lot.. we love this little family..

On the Sunday we found ourselves in the beautiful surroundings of Fforest in Wales.. it was such a beautiful wedding and it was so true.. no strangers were there.. just lots of new friends..




Ohhh I got a pair of Agnes and Norman shoes!! My absolute favourite.. Daisy in Mustard.. they are GORGEOUS!! I still need to blog about that shoot!! I also bought myself a Parker and have pretty much not taken it off since..

We also got to hang out with another good friend Lucy Ledger at her Sister's wedding on Friday.. and we got to meet her gorgeous boy Tristan.. I actually wanted to take him home with us.. I got cuddles most of the evening.. he is simply scrummy..



We managed to spend a little bit of quality time at home putting our wedding photos in frames and cooking.. and anyone that knows me at all will know that I HATE cooking.. with a passion.. so this is actually pretty big news..



We had a bloody great time down in London shooting a wedding with the Shutterbox kids.. we love working with these two.. actually it really isn't like work at all.. :)



Ahhhh and my favourite little family.. we celebrated Freddie's Christening in style with a little party at their house.. I've known my friend Zoe since I was 14 and she now has four gorgeous kids who both me and Pete adore.. we're so honoured to be God Parents.. check out her beautiful blog... here.

welcome break..

I wanted to write this post now because I didn't want these feelings to fade.. the memories to become more hazy.. to forget just how impactful the past few days have been..

Just to fill you in.. we have been running workshops for the past year called Welcome Home.  We have done six workshops so far.. all across the country and as far as Ireland and they have become far more than just a workshop to both me and Pete and to hopefully every person that joins us.  Not only have we met the most extraordinary people.. but we have created something.. an understanding of what is really important.. when you peel all the superficials away what you are left with.. relationships, family, feelings, connections, experiences, memories, life..  This workshop has opened my eyes.. and I mean really opened them and given me so much clarity and the emotion that goes along with that is kinda hard to explain..

But.. back to this week.. the 'homies' wanted to meet up.. to get together.. there are around 65 of them now so we decided to organise a retreat.. a few days away from it all.. no agenda, no workshop, no teaching.. just a hang out.  We found the amazing Talton Lodge in Warwickshire and on Tuesday afternoon 30 of us arrived with packed cars having shared lifts and bringing everything but the kitchen sink.  We sat on blankets in the sun.. eating homemade cake, played rounders with lambs as fielders, danced to nineties dance music, had an impromptu conga around the tipi, laughed until our sides ached,  ate the most amazing food, sang happy birthday (which then turned in to us all doing the Superman dance), talked and shared and most importantly.. we switched off.  It was honestly the best three days..

 Coming home yesterday I wrote in the Facebook group..

I don't know what it is about the last few days but I've come home feeling totally inspired.. but in kinda the opposite way. I've come away with a huge sense of life is too short and although our business is super important to us.. this little trip made me realise what's important to us in our personal life too. I don't want to miss out on doing the conga around a tipi or playing rounders in the sun.. I don't want my life to be on hold while my business thrives.. so.. I'm gonna write my own, personal to do list.. things for me.. and I'm going to promise myself right now to live more.. to surround myself with good people and to laugh and dance as much as possible.. and then let's see what new stories we'll be telling each other next year sat around that fire..

It really has changed me.  It's made me more ambitious.. but for myself.. for me to put an importance on making my own memories, my own goals away from the next booking or blog feature.. what do I really want to achieve?  What do I really want to look back on?  I know one thing for sure.. every time I look back on Welcome Break everything feels right.. and I definitely want more of that.

And.. you know what.. nobody gave a shit.  Nobody cared how many weddings you'd booked or how long you'd been shooting for.. or which blogs you'd been featured in.. none of that mattered.  What mattered was having a laugh.. and if you had a signature dance move.. or which bit of cake to eat.. or getting a rounder.. or a cup of tea or a G&T..

..and as you can see.. I spent most of the time with a G&T in my hand and not a camera.. ;)

We also might have spent a good part of Wednesday afternoon doing this.. :)




Here's some of the lovely blog posts from some of the homies... oh and you might notice a few ladies in wedding dresses.. well one of the homies had two wedding dresses in their boot and the next minute two girls had them on with flowers and a bike.. and then an angry swan got involved.. you know.. as you do..
Alexa Loy-Dent
Sally T Photography
Kerrie Mitchell
Laura Kate Photography
Lola Rose Photography
Sara Lincoln
Alexandra Tyndale
Folk and Field
Liz Armitage

..and the cutest video from Nicki Feltham.. (the song choice is purely down to us all singing 'Shine bright Kerry Diamond for the whole 3 days).. this actually makes me a bit teary..


WBslideshow from Nicki Feltham on Vimeo.

Another hilarious little video all shot on the iPhone by Denise Noone..


WELCOME HOME from Denise Noone on Vimeo.

So both me and Pete just want to say the biggest thank you to this bunch of crazy fools for making this little trip so special.. and for being so lovely.. it was friggin' awesome beyond words and I want to be back there right this second..

Welcome Break 2014 anyone???? :)

Philippa James Photography

my favourite family..

I honestly do not have the words to tell you how much I love this family.. or how proud both me and Pete are about being Freddie's God Parents.. how gorgeous is this little dude!!  Me and Zoe have been friends since I was 14 and I've watched each of their beautiful children grow and blossom.  This beautiful family are my family.. and I don't see them nearly enough..

You can read more about them over at Zoe's blog.. Just the 6 of us.. :)

two years..

Two years ago today we got married.. on one hand it only feels like yesterday and on the other it feels like a lifetime ago.. I remember everything.. our first look.. Pete forgetting the rings.. laughing and crying through the ceremony, chugging along the water on our canal boat, the sunshine pouring through the windows, decorating the hall before everyone arrived, the nerves pretending it was my Birthday party, the screams when we walked in in our wedding outfits, the tears.. all the smiling faces.. the sweaty dancing and the love... so much love literally thrown at us from everyone..

I still can't seem to say the word 'husband' without giggling first and then feeling this enormous sense of pride. Every time I look at him I actually cannot believe how lucky I am. I simply adore the guy.  A week before the wedding Pete finished at his old job and this little business became officially 'ours'.. and that's what it is.. this business is 'us'... it's not me... it's not my business.. we are a complete team and over the past 2 years we've looked after our couples together... we've road tripped every weekend together..we've shot weddings together.. we've planned workshops together.. we've moved to an office space together.. we've made decisions together and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I adore sharing this huge, exciting and incredible adventure with this crazy guy.  He gives the best hugs.. he loves to dance.. he sometimes laughs so hard he sounds like Mutley.. he burps ALL the time.. and sometimes forgets that they're loud and that he is in a public place.. he's a bloody amazing cook.. he totally brings the party, he has an incredible set of pipes, he has me crying laughing, he can chat to anyone, his eyes are the most beautiful blue and he supports me in every single thing I do.

Pete I would marry you over and over again.. you are the absolute nuts.


Emma & Pete from cine8 on Vimeo.

life lately..

We've had a pretty lovely February.. we've finally come to the end of the epic 'paint all the things' house makeover. It's taken us about 6 weeks to paint everything, get a new kitchen floor.. new carpet.. have a HUGE clear out and get pictures up on the walls.  There is still a few 'little' jobs to finish but it finally feels like home and that feeling is absolutely incredible..

Feb also gave us a bit of time to just chill..we hung out at home..bought some new clothes (I'm kinda feeling the aztec thing this year), ate well, went to hot yoga, played with some new cameras, shot quite a bit of personal stuff and my second article (about branding this time) appeared in Photo Pro Magazine.. yey!

We then had the pleasure of heading down to Brighton for a few days for a shoot involving some friggin' awesome shoes.. (which I'll be talking about very soon).. we were there for just 3 days and had the most incredible luck of being graced with sunshine for the whole trip.  We both really needed it and came back refreshed and so, so happy..

Life is, once again going to start getting a lot more hectic from now on as wedding season is about to kick in. I am determined more than ever for this year to be filled with good times in and out of work.. I want to keep exercising, eating well, taking the normal amount of days off a week and making more memories for us.. I'm really looking forward to the year ahead..