A Very Special Baby

All babies are special of course, but Janet and I would like to introduce you to our new God-daughter, Sarah. Sarah's mum is Janet's cousin Suzanne. During routine checks, Sarah was diagnosed with a complex hole in the heart problem well before she was born just three weeks ago. She made her grand entrance at the new St Mary's children's hospital in Manchester with a whole team of medics and machinery on hand to ensure that her problems were instantly dealt with. Without them she wouldn't have survived the first few hours, even though from the outside she looks like a normal, healthy, bouncing 8lb baby.

Sarah was then transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool to prepare for major heart surgery. Since this photograph was taken she's had a SEVEN HOUR operation to partially correct the problem, and she'll need follow up operations in a few months time and just before she starts school. This is pioneering heart surgery at the forefront of technology, and only a few years ago none of this would have been possible for this particular form of hole in the heart. Even so, at the moment there is no long term cure for Sarah's particular condition, only temporary solutions. But who knows what medical progress will have been made in another few years?

The point of bringing this to light is really to thank all of the staff at St Mary's and Alder Hey for getting Sarah this far and for the fantastic support that Suzanne has received. It's only when something like this happens within your own family that you truly appreciate what amazing places our hospitals are. The NHS may not be perfect, but in this instance they could not have done any more for Sarah and Suzanne.

While husband Chris has been left at home to cope with Sarah's three siblings (with support from his mum and dad) , Suzanne has been staying at McDonald House, a charity supported unit for parents in the grounds of Alder Hey Hospital. Janet and I are in awe of the teamwork that has been devoted to giving one little girl the chance of life, and moved by the way that the mums of the other sick children rally round and support each other, when each one of them has their own fears and problems to contend with. Such is the strength of the human spirit.

In spite of her traumatic start to life Sarah has done fantastically well so far and she's making a good recovery from the first operation. We'll be supporting her all the way.

News Round-Up

First of all some great news from the Master Photographer's Association - one of my prints has been shortlisted for the UK Master Photographer of the Year Awards in the Under 5s subject category. The Annual Awards are like the Oscars so to receive a nomination is really exciting. We're now looking forward to the awards black tie dinner in Newcastle next Month, and Janet has the perfect excuse to go shopping for a new dress. With matching shoes of course.

Later in October Janet and I are going to Malta to present three seminars for the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) at the annual Maltese Photographer's Convention. We're looking forward to meeting the Maltese photographers and finding out how they run their businesses. It should be a really enjoyable break, with some hard work thrown in for good measure!

Our recently launched Baby's First Year folio scheme is gathering momentum and proving to be very popular. For families and children we are soon to launch a brand new promotion that will raise funds and awareness for one of our favourite local charities, KidsCan, based at Salford University http://www.kidscan.org.uk/. Watch this space.

We expect to be busy with portraits in the run up to Christmas, then in January we'll be speaking again for the SWPP, this time in London for the Annual Convention. With three workshops to present and two days of print judging it will be a hectic week.

And as if that's not enough, the following week we are hosting a three day workshop at our studio for our good friend David Williams from Australia. David will be running his popular 'Almost Alone' workshop that gives wedding and portrait photographers the chance to think about 'real' photography for three days with one of the world masters of the art and enjoy the company of a small group of like minded group of photographers. More details will be announced soon.

As you can see, Janet and I never stand still for long. We'll keep you informed on progress through the blog, or don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions in the meantime.

Autumn Photoshoots

The kids are back at school, Father Christmas has arrived at Botany Bay (so the advert says) and we're all still waiting for the barbecue summer to arrive. That means it's time to start thinking about an autumn photoshoot. Autumn is one of my favourite times of year for outdoor portraits - the weather is usually settled (unlike summer), the colours are fantastic and children love to play in the autumn leaves. With the evenings drawing in and weekend appointments at a premium you'll need to book ahead. Please call the studio to discuss the options.

Postcard from Lytham

Brooding skies, almost empty beach, imminent downpours....yes, it's the British seaside Bank Holiday! Janet and I were visiting our photographer friends Jo and Martyn last Monday. Having aborted our planned beach barbecue (I wonder why?) we did manage a mid-afternoon walk down the sea front before the heavens opened. Still, it made for an interesting shot across the sands, captured on my Canon G9 compact.