Blogs

Remembering My Dad

It’s a year since my Dad died, and I think about him more often now than I did when he was still alive. 

I have the time to sit and muse – to remember all the best times, rather than the frantic last few years of his life, when his ever increasing needs took up every spare minute of my time and thoughts.

From shopping, cooking and cleaning, to haring up and down the A1 to visit him in a 200 mile round trip – and that’s not to mention the extra journeys we made just to ‘fix’ his television remote (which wasn’t actually broken – just complicated!).

When Mum died some 13 years ago, Dad’s grief was the most heart rending grief I’ve ever witnessed.  He ‘visited’ her each and every day at their special spot by Rutland Water, and sat for hours on her bench drinking coffee from a flask, and tending a little garden he’d made for her there.  He had countless photographs of her pinned all around the house. He grieved, and remembered, and yearned for the days when they were together.  Now, when I see all the photographs taken chronicling their life I can begin to get an idea of the love they had and the memories they made together.

They met on 10th Augsut 1952 at the age of 15, when they were on holiday in Mablethorpe with their respective families.  Coincidentally, they both kept diaries and had each recorded the day they met!  And they had their photograph taken by the ever-present photographer on the prom.

Later, Dad’s job with the Foreign Office saw them travelling abroad together for 25 years, before they returned home to retire.  And now we have the pleasure of sifting through boxes and boxes of photographs, seeing and enjoying memories of Mum and Dad as teenagers, of our family as we were growing up, and getting a glimpse of their adventures abroad. What an absolute privilege.

We live in a digital world now, but I fervently hope that our lives don’t remain locked in our mobile phones. What a terrible loss for future generations if we don’t give them boxes of gorgeous photographs to wallow in when we’re gone!

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Headshots – First Impressions Count

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From corporate lawyers or accountants, to small businesses, to budding actors - creating a great first impression online or in print is an absolute must.   Professional headshots should reflect who you are as an individual or brand, and will improve your chances of capturing attention for all the right reasons - whether it's getting more enquiries from your website, or receiving that all important call from an agency.   

Here at Hoss Photography, we appreciate how important it is to stand out from the crowd, and to send the right message to your target market.  We'll take the time to get to know you, and to create exactly the right image for you.  Whatever you have in mind, we'll create images that will surpass your expectations. 

Life After Lockdown – Time to Get Together Again

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To say it's been a tough year, must be the understatement of the century. We never imagined that 2020 would bring such a global disaster, with so much heartache and loss.  The ensuing lockdowns caused untold isolation and loneliness for so many people.  On a personal level, Hoss endured the death of his beloved mother, and my own father moved to a cottage within a care facility where he felt totally disconnected from anything or anyone familiar.  Of course I realise that we have sufferred far less than many other families.

Now, as restrictions continue to ease, we're once again able to re-open our business, and are looking forward to welcoming our customers back into the studio.  Life is beginning to feel just a little more 'normal' and we're once again able to visit and even hug our loved ones.  It's a time to reflect on what we've come through, and to truly celebrate just how much we love our family and friends.

We'd love to invite you to remember this very special time of being together again, and have put together an amazing offer for you to enjoy. It even includes a free photograph of your choice!

What to Wear – Our Top Tips

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One of the most common questions we get asked by our clients is, 'What should we wear to our portrait session?'  Of course, your professional photographs are going to be around for many years to come, and you'll want to make sure you look amazing for future generations to see!

We know how hard it can be to choose the right outfit, especially when it's a large family group, or the ages span across several generations.  That's why we thought it might be helpful to put together a few handy hints.

  • First and foremost - wear something you feel comfortabe in.  Don't try to change your style or personality for the portrait - if you feel uncomfortable in something you're not used to wearing, it will show in your images.
  • Try to co-ordinate your colours.  We find that denim works really well for both adults and children, and is very versatile. Using the same colour palette for all members of your family also works well, especially if you're co-ordinating a generational group.  Just a word of advice, if you're conscious of your size, wearing white can sometimes make you look larger in photographs, whereas darker colours have a more slimming effect.
  • Keep it plain and simple.  Busy checks, stripes or patterns detract from the main focus of your image - you!  Logos, slogans, or pictures have a similar effect - and they'll also date very quickly.   What may be 'in' today, may soon become irrelevant.
  • Remember to consider your home decor and colour schemes if you're hanging your wall portraits in a particular room.   It looks extremely stylish if your outfits tone well with your home. 
  • If you're at all unsure, just bring along an alternative.  We'll be on hand to give guidance on what will work best in the shoot.  We can always photograph you in both outfits and you can decide in your viewing which works best for you. 
  • Personalise! Your portrait session is all about capturing your family’s story so bring along some props with you - musical instruments, sunglasses, hats, teddies, sports equipment, fashion accessories, games….the list is endless. It makes for some fabulous memories.
  • We love pets.  If part of your family includes your adored pet, then bring them along.
  • A few days before your session, we'll send over a visual style  guide.  This will give you some ideas on how to co-ordinate your family's outfits.  But as always, if you're still unsure, we're just a phone call away and always happy to help.