Susan Porter-Thomas is working mum based in West London who has a passion for portrait photography. Over the years she has developed a company geared towards families who are looking for more artistic shots of their children and mothers who want gorgeous and well thought out subtle shots of their pregnancy.
“I love to be around children and location shoots are just great fun and far more artistically satisfying for me to do with them. The light and backdrops you can find in London’s gardens and clients homes make for stunning shots of the kids not least because they are relaxed and having fun” says Susan. The studio shoots of pregnant mothers fulfil the control freak in me, letting me create great lighting and posing to really show off the gorgeous shape of a the bump.
How long have you been a photographer?
I’ve been a photographer for six years.
What got you into photography?
I’ve always been snap happy and was given a gorgeous Olympus OM2 for my 18th by my father..but it was only really after the birth of my first son Sam, that I picked it up properly. I retrained when he was 3 when we were in South Africa for a year building a house and when we came back to the UK I never looked back!
Which photographer do you look up to and why?
Tamara Lackey – she is a wonderful American photographer who really takes wonderful photos of children. She’s got a great personality that kids latch onto straight away and takes the artistic shots that I am aiming for in my work.
What do you prefer – film or digital?
Digital – it gives you the freedom to experiment without worrying that you’re going to loose the shot completely. Also it gives you the power to speed up the dark room techniques used of old, and undo them if you don’t like them.
What should your customers expect during a session?
I would tell them to relax and let the kids enjoy themselves. I play with them and direct them and the more they play the better the shots I can get. The session usually last about an hour depending on the mood of the kids and if there are any unforeseen mishaps (clothes changes, feeding, nappy change etc). Sometimes the attention can be a bit too much so 5 minutes for a bit of time out is required…time for the parents to have a cup of coffee!!
For a pregnancy shoot, I expect to take around an hour and I will play with different lighting, posing and draping them in different flattering materials to make the most of the bump.
Do you have any tips for capturing the perfect picture?
It’s very hard for parents to capture the shots of their own kids that they really want…children act up to their parents, we all know it. All I can suggest is to distract them with something other than ‘look at the camera, smile!’, as this will invariably make them do the exact opposite. Get them to make a horrible face…go with it…then when you laugh at what they’ve done they usually laugh at you laughing…then SNAP…you should be able to get the shot.
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