beautiful light, beautiful family love. . . . my favourite kind.

first comes love , then comes marriage , then comes a baby in a paddock ........

 not quite the song... but it still works .......... 

being brave and stepping outdoors for your first family photoshoot with your newborn........

 trust me , it pays off.... 

both this lovely mum and myself had the same vision ...... and i had an absolute ball shooting this....

all the oooooohs and aaaaaaaahs could be heard for miles i am sure, and i was quite mesmerised by the light and the way it danced through the tree....... 

i was one very happy photographer on this day x

2 and a quarter kids .......

At the end of the day ,whats important to me..... ? 

capturing moments of love and laughter and everything in between .....these  really make my heart sing.......... the giggles and laughter and crying that went on during this shoot was what made it awesome ...... 

and what made it real ......... 

this is going to be the seriously longest blog post of all time ....... cos i want to share alot of them , to really tell the story......... half a dozen just wont cut it ......... so here you go .........i hope through these pictures you can feel the love that i felt while i was there.......  in this fantastic house ...... 

( and oh lordy , i mean fantastic !!! ) 2 and a quarter kids and their mummy ................... 

i hope you enjoy them laura .......... such a fantabulous way to spend a wet morning ...........i wasnt lying when i said i could stay all day ......... xx

  

and it all ends with .......

one on one mentoring....

 wowzers.......... am i on the teaching buzz ............

you all know i love doing these workshops........ and although the weather has played a part in delaying the first photographers workshop the other week ....... i am SOOOOOOOO excited about it.................... and cant wait to do more..........its quite a different kind of workshop to my mummy ones........ as i get to talk business stuff and i am sooo passionate about finding who you are... doing what you love and making sure you are paid what you are worth ! 

i have been asked ( unofficially ...... the last couple of years ....) to do one on one mentoring...........

mentoring is such a funny word.......... 

makes me sound all old and i should be about 100  to be a mentor...... ummmmmmmm maybe we should call them guidance sessions........hahaahh sounds like a guidance councellor...... well i do wear many hats....... what ever you want to talk about is up to you .......  ;)

anyway ....... here is the info for one on one sessions............

$600 for half a day  (4hrs)  ....... talking , shooting ... talking some more...... and shooting some more.....

i will arrange models for us ...... and personalise the session to what you are wanting to learn most and grow the most in ........ as i specialise in child and family ..... we can do a full blown family session at a wicked location and i can literally hold your hand the whole way through ....... and guide you through whatever you arent confident in .......helping you with your style along the way ......i dont want to create little sam replicas , i want you to find your own way and style that suits you and develop your brand through some ideas and ways that have worked for me in the past. 

we can talk about any business stuff you want to talk about ..... i love marketing and really use social media and my love of marketing to my advantage ..... i can help you with this........ and give you ideas for your own brand.....

it'll be loads of fun xxx

cant wait to meet you ! 

you can email  info@sammothersole.co.nz if you'd like to book a session with me  :)

workshops

workshops workshops workshops.....

well...... its been 3 years now since i started the workshops for mums............ 

these are always so fun and i cant say it enough how much i love doing these....... 

so when i was asked on several occasions from newbie photographers ( in their first year or 2 of biz)

if they can come to my workshops..... and i have a had a few attend and learn alot too ...... i truly dont mind at all if they come to those ones.... as they are there to help with the manual side of the camera, and teaching you some tips and tricks for working with natural light....... so anyone at that level can gain some knowledge.. whether you are starting a biz or not.......

BUT .... that being said...... there are so many things i would want to show the newbies... that are different to the mummies...... mums dont need to know about interacting with clients.... and pricing and directing people etc ....... newbies do ! 

so on that note .... i have split them up ......... and now have a workshop for new photographers , under my name ........ as loveandsoul is known for the mummy workshops, and my name is my brand and style of photography........ so  , although its scary ......... i really am excited about hanging out with you and talking about things that i have done and things that didnt work ...... aswell as showing you how i shoot and how i can help you get to be a better you !!! i dont want you to be me ...... hahah .... i want you to find the confidence to find you ! being new in this HUGE industry is so hard..........you need to make yourself stand out.... not imitate others....

 i arent saying i am going to hand you ideas and tips on a platter.... you will still have plenty of trial and error of your own to go through ....... but sometimes...... just sometimes..... knowing you have someone who can listen and offer some kind of advice ....... or whatever it is  i can offer hahahah ...... a good laugh ... yes ....... and 12 years worth of stories.......... hahahah it will be fun to say the least ..........

so if you are keen ...... no matter where in nz you are ....... 

( as i will accumulate people in areas and come to you if there are enough ) 

flick me an email to .... info@sammothersole.co.nz  to have your name added to the waitlist and to show interest in your area. ........

i only take 4-5 people at a time for these.......

xxxx

my favourite pics from the weekend ............

my Love and Soul photography workshop .......
the one i do for mums, to teach them how to use their cameras and how to take great photos of their kids....
well this one this weekend was awesome .......
a great bunch of ladies.....and we had such a fun afternoon .....i talked their ears off....... and hopefully they learnt some stuff too ...... lol
i wanted to blog these for 2 reasons.,
 1) for my ladies who attended, so they can see what i got from each scenario , and 2) for any ladies thinking of coming .... this gives you a good insight of where we do it ....

i found it hard to choose what my faves were from the workshop this weekend ....... 

so i just chucked alot of them up here....... there were too many faves !!! 

it was a new venue..... so i was sooooooo inspired ....... as i am at any NEW location ..........
which is why i hardly ever shoot at the same place twice ...... ( workshops are the only exception ! )

chosen specifically because of its sheltered spots so i can use it through the winter months too .......

and because it was immensely stunning ......

starting with the balcony ......modelled by millie....... simple , most homes have one ...... a no fuss location ...... still beautiful ......... 

venturing out to the little drive...............any drapey trees are fine with me and millie like them too :)

moving into the back yard...... a very cool hammock swing awaited us ...... the kids loved it ..... and so did i ........ those colours....... yum .............modelled by charlee- rose , dusty , seth and corey .

even with several cameras aimed at them ....... the kids always knock it out of the park !
so proud of them all !  ( my seth , showing how its done )

then there was the glasshouse.......oh how i love thee.......
whats not to love.......
light from ALL around .......
so crisp and clean looking and delicious .......

and the drive....

oh the drive.....

one of the first things i saw when i went to visit this property .......

and fell in love with ........

i couldnt quite stop myself from taking way too many shots here......

its a long post folks...... 

and thats all for now ..................
i am sooooooo happy with our beautiful new venue.......... we are so lucky to be able to use this !
and showing more mums some tips and tricks in this beautiful setting ............

xxxx
watch out for dates on the next Love and soul workshop for mums .... ( beginners ) !


plus look out for my new Love and Soul " next step up " workshops for mums coming soon !! if you have already done one and want to do a refresher and an afternoon shooting at a variety of locations to get inspired and keep your skills up .......this is for you .!!
email : loveandsoulworkshops@gmail.com if you're keen as mustard......

plus ....
my very first "sam mothersole photography" workshop for newbie photographers........
i get asked ALL the time ..... and so i thought , why not !
it will be different and seperate to my love and soul workshops .....
i dont discriminate , but truthfully , this is a ladies workshop ..... purely because its an extension of the ladies workshops i already run , and  the way i teach and talk and natter on ..... i would feel sorry for any guy coming along !!!
this is me, spending an afternoon with you , and taking you to a few of my fave local locations, to shoot a variety of people , families, kids .....how i do stuff...... what i do to direct my clients....... and get the shots i want ..... being honest and just sharing what has helped me ,and basically just being there for new photographers in their first 1-2 yrs , to answer any questions at all , which is what i wish i had had when i started ! i still have a long way to go ......but if i can help some ladies in the industry that are newer than me ...... in any way..... then i'd be happy to .  :)
this is definitely for very new photographers, that are going to be above the level of my usual beginner workshops..... there are other great workshops around for more established photographers, i dont claim to be anything amazing.... i just know what i love and i can teach that part....... show you what i do and why i do it ....... am i worried at all about people " stealing my secrets" hahah what secrets !!!
its just a little workshop to help you on your path to finding your style and your passion , and feeling more confident with clients etc .... all those early days nerve wracking things.......
 i am an open person ..... i think we all have to start somewhere, and if someone had given me a few little bits of advice here and there..... i would have appreciated it ....... this photography journey is so hard .... and people underestimate how many hours of hard work are put it .... and without any help , it can be a confusing road........that is all .

more info coming soon on these ...........

so exciting .........