Portraits Archives - Page 3 of 12 - Sarah Deane Photography Studio Newcastle

Pregnancy Photography in Newcastle

13 November 2020/0 Comments/in Portraits /by Sarah Deane

Portraits are what I love and when it is Portraiture of a couple rather than an individual it’s double the fun! This month I had the pleasure of capturing some gorgeous Maternity Photography of these two (soon to be three) beautiful people, Masitano and his pregnant wife Chabala at my Newcastle Photo Studio. I love Maternity Shoots with an almost ready to pop bump! The women look delicious and the men are doey eyed, it’s a dreamy photo combo.

To capture the amazing curves and shapes that pregnancy brings I always advise the best time to visit my studio is around 35 weeks onwards. Also it is wise to avoid being photographed too close to a delivery date as I have also observed some women can find the last few weeks hard work and they are understandably not in a photo shoot mood!

I always want my studio time to be enjoyable and relaxing so that my clients leave having had a really lovely and memorable experience. For couples being photographed, it’s often very atmospheric and loving as these shots show. Masitano and Chabala are clearly very in love and the imagery reflects the tenderness between them. As a photographer you are often observing your subjects from the sideline, but with a pregnancy studio shoot like this, I find it is important to work closely with the couple to capture personality and emotion.

Chabala had researched pregnant couple imagery online that she liked, some on Instagram and others on Pinterest and brought screen shots to the photo session. This was very helpful for me as I used this to guide my choices on backdrop colours and lighting effects. The preferred photographic style had simplicity and intimacy as its strengths, all images with well executed flattering lighting in grey and black tones. It was perfect for my portrait style.

Clothing always plays a large part in the end result of an image, dictating colours, texture and atmosphere. The looks Masitano and Chabala chose were fantastic, focusing their attention to clothing fabrics and shapes including gold lame no less! Chabala had a long black stretch jersey dress to create the ultimate bump silhouette and hair up to allow for stylish femininity and a slick smart finish. Masitano wore a simple white crisp cotton shirt to complement the lame dress glamour then for the casual shots, dark grey textured denim and a pair of Dr Marten boots loosely laced with their leather and shape giving a sense of sturdiness and strength.

I felt really proud of these shots and was as ever, flattered to know this couple chose me as their photographer for such a special time in their lives. I was thrilled that they were happy for me to share the images and to promote my studio maternity photography here at the studio. Thank you Masitano and Chabala, and good luck with the next stage in your adventure!

If you would like an opportunity to chat through ideas for your pregnancy shoot please get in touch on my online form or call my number and I’d be happy to discuss. Or if you have a specific portfolio request and would like a good excuse to get out of your lockdown joggers and don some nice clothes just shout!

More images can be found on this page of my website; click here

Newcastle Photography Charity Face Masks

13 August 2020/0 Comments/in Assorted, Commercial, Portraits /by Sarah Deane

One of the first photography commissions I was asked to do after lockdown eased was so perfectly fitting for current times! A face mask product shoot for local Newcastle based charity Clothe & Feed, no less! Rob Turnbull the charity’s founder got in touch and needed various portrait photos of their new handmade mask range on models ranging in age, cultural diversity, sex, size and height.

It was a particularly fun and interesting shoot as Rob handed over a good deal of creative direction of the portrait and product photos to me, so I made it all about the colour! The brief was to create eye-catching block colour backdrops ie boxes of colour with a masked model within and we agreed the shots should show a little character to add personality to the product. We wanted a ‘something for everybody’ vibe!

Having chosen a colour scheme for the Colorama backdrops, (pumpkin, leaf, forget-me-not, buttercup-all the plant colours!) when the models arrived dressed with a box of beautifully made masks, I paired mask fabrics to their clothing and a background colour. It was fab to get the creative juices flowing! A particular favourite colour combo of mine is orange and blue (opposites on the colour wheel therefore perfectly matched) and so this was to be the strongest theme for the photography throughout. Particularly as Charity Masks logo is blue and all the funds go to North East not for profit charity Clothe and Feed, which has an orange logo. Just perrrfick!

The models Rob organised were absolutely incredible for many reasons, 1- they weren’t professional but performed as such, 2- they were giving up their time for a Face Mask charity that helps underprivileged parents and vulnerable children in Newcastle, 3- they looked fantastic, posed well and presented themselves beautifully in their own well thought out clothing and accessories. There is even a FOUR! They were all SO up for it! Such fun to work with and everyone left with a smile on their face. Big shout to the amazing Joan who was 91 and this was her first trip out of home in 4 months!

I was thrilled with the results and so here some some faves from the photography taken in my studio that day! To find out more, to support the charity or simply to stock up on what I’ve found to be the most breathable and comfy masks out of all I have tried, use the links above! Oh and…watch out for vending machines in Intu shopping centres coming soon!

Children’s Portfolio Photography

15 May 2020/0 Comments/in Fashion, Portraits /by Sarah Deane

Meet Millie!

You can’t help but fall in love with Millie when you meet her. She is full of life, sweet natured and has a little twinkle in her eye which is always visible, never waning once throughout our recent shoot. Millie, 8 is a child model, dancer, singer, swimmer and all round ace performer.

She came to the studio in January this year with her Mum Jo, a colleague of mine from my Venture Portrait in Gosforth, Newcastle in the mid 2000’s and who owns the amazing Decote Dance group in Whitley Bay. Together as a team we created a really varied and colourful portfolio. We wanted photography that had a fashion angle but with personality and character combined. We went for lots of different looks, some edgy and sporty, some sweet and feminine and some fun and energetic. I wanted to capture highlights of Millie’s personality, paired with the outfits Jo brought along. These elements together with my suggestions on composition and lighting created a fantastic fresh new portfolio for Millie and her Mum. It was a really creative and fun shoot!

Many children start early with their model portfolios, attending shoots nationally for work and gaining experience with different photography studios and production companies. It can be a lot of fun if you enjoy it like Millie does and her brand new bank of images now means that she can enter competitions in all areas of her expertise, gain agency interest and refresh her social media online presence.

Below are a selection of Millie’s model photos below, so see what you think. If you know a child who’d like to try it out, my studio is a super friendly place to start out and I will always help you and your child feel comfortable and at ease. You can find more information, client reviews and portfolio pricing if you visit this page on my website

YMCA Portraits

11 May 2020/0 Comments/in Commercial, Portraits, PR and Editorial /by Sarah Deane

Just before lockdown I worked with the YMCA in Newcastle on their Urban Mushroom project, capturing photos of the grow-your-own kits they sell made from recycled local coffee grains. It’s a genius idea and more mushroom images will be shared when they go live. Part of the photography brief was to capture urban portraits in Newcastle city centre of the local youth that the scheme employs.

The YMCA are an exciting new client for me and one of the fist things I discussed when meeting Calvin, the Marketing Officer at YMCA Newcastle, was the infamous song! I was curious to know whether it felt relevant to the work they do now. I’d thought the memorable 1970’s Village People’s flamboyance was worlds apart from what the charity does today but did you know that the song was celebrating the YMCA help given to young gay men who were rejected by family and turfed out of home? The YMCA charity gave accommodation to those homeless young men and so Calvin explained the history of the organisation was well respected in this song. Now the YMCA supports both young men and women in all areas of life and Urban Mushrooms is an important employment scheme in Newcastle’s YMCA.

My main focus for the portrait shoot was the amazing Wilton who is employed by the Urban Mushroom scheme. He was a super star and surprisingly tolerant of me pointing a camera in his direction for several hours! I got some atmospheric shots of him and YMCA staff too by simply crossing the road from their premises and using the alleyway next to the Tyneside Cinema. So many brick textures, backdrop colours and lighting styles in that one street!

The brief was to capture a more relaxed expression, so not necessarily smiling as this can appear unappealing, staged and possibly unrealistic to the younger target market the YMCA want to attract. We also discussed the use of dimension and angles to fit with the YMCA style of photography and branding currently on their website. It was a clear and creative brief (the best of course) and the mood and expression needed to be just right. It was also a different type of shoot for me as I usually encourage people to smile although I did get a few smilers at the end though. Obviously!

For more information on the YMCA Newcastle and it’s work click here

Newcastle Model Photography

13 December 2019/0 Comments/in Portraits /by Sarah Deane

Archive for category: Portraits