The Stitching Lounge

The Stitching Lounge, Church Road, Crystal Palace, London

Yesterday was a super start to the week and to February!! A crisp Monday spent toasty inside photographing for 'The Stitching Lounge' a sewing emporium which offers beginner and advanced sewing courses. We were photographing it for promotional use on social media and for it's new website to be launched soon. This is just a snippet of the images we captured but it is a truly inspiring and cosy environment. Larna Smith the owner is a great teacher and offers a very warm welcome. She is also running a 'Naughty Knickers' workshop on Valentines day to make your own little piece of underwear and I am very tempted to sign up for it! :-) 

Once the website is live I will share the link too xx

Photography Workshops, Teaching and One 2 One's

I do love this time of year, that nip in the air of inspiration and hope for the year ahead and a list of considered aspirations and achievements that are firmly on the 'To - Do' list.

My list has all sorts of things on it and as the end of January approaches I feel a small panic that if I don't complete my list then well, it's not set in the stone and the other things on that list won't happen - silly I know! But it's almost like it's become a little superstitious....and as I don't want to hamper my year ahead and the things I'd like to smile about in 12 months time, I am putting it out there through my blog

1. Take a Paddle board lesson
2. Buy a wet suit and USE IT! Preferably in Open Water!! (I know, bit mental considering the water temp in the UK)
3. Do more yoga
4. Take an Alt Pro class - IMPORTANT **MUST do!!
5. Run a long weekend workshop in Devon 
6. .....

So the list goes on, a wonderful mix of photography and fun and life and incorporated in to all of this is teaching, my students range from wanting to 'get to grips with their cameras' through to 'Adobe Lightroom' and 'Mentoring' and I'm super delighted to have started this year with students who were given workshop or One2One vouchers as Christmas presents. 

If you've been given a new camera or treated yourself and the accompanying guide book feels like it's in Russian, or if you've hit a 'plateau' - (it happens to all of us!) then have a think about shifting out of that pickle and booking yourself in to a workshop or course with me. Fun is guaranteed!!! :-) + if you come down to Devon, wine is definitely included!! :-) xx

The Blue Poet Dreams

Ok so I’m biased, many people are biased….ok correction, many people love this work and love the man behind it, the two marry up incredibly well together and you can’t help (I don’t think) but become transfixed, drawn in to world of vernaculars woven with mystique and intrigue. 

Each time I visit these pieces, or new works, I feel impish and excitable. I know I won’t be disappointed, and that I will see layers of story, and feel delicately challenged (rare in some cases of photography now and uplifting when it happens). I will feel like I am sneaking a look at a world just within my grasp or finger tips, and my imagination will run away with me. 

I ponder that connection you feel with photography, when you ‘get it’ and the difference of when you just don't engage. I’ve been careful to ask myself if it is more so when you know the creator, and yes, to a certain degree that helps, but the endurance of an image can sometimes be through recognising certain elements within the frame, certainly with this work your mind and eyes dance looking, questioning the elements within it. 

The use of cyanotpyes in this way is exquisite. I know personally how long each of these took to create, I know and understand the process which was involved, the long exposures in sunlight, our photo magician using his lunch breaks** to return to his studio or table and turn and move the pictures and elements within it. Each of these images took many hours, if not days and it is a joy to see them collated all together in this book.

                                        The Blue Poet Dreams, Brenton Hamilton.

Full of texture and hand crafted pieces, I am drawn at first to '1.The Aquatic’. I love the whole book but maybe it’s the painterly qualities I am drawn back to, or the construct of white and blue, or the hidden, just detectable body, with the touch of geometry…? In ’54.Shadow of a Woman’ it is no accident the top left corner has been carefully cut away and then returned to a position which fits, not exactly but closely to it’s original lines, each element of these constructs so carefully placed and the circular images..well, it’s no secret I am a fan of this modern usage (I have been known to dance with it myself).

Whether you are crazy about alternative processes or not, captivated by photography (because lets not pretend it’s letting you go anywhere) or a lover or appreciator of art, this joyous ensemble is delicious…(oh and I really love ’11.All the Mornings of the World’..the composition, colours..peachy tones and blue..).

Brenton has a phenomenal knack, his is the most succinct and honest raw talent for seeing - for creating and for teaching. He is brilliant at sharing his wealth of knowledge about a process and processes which are finding their way back in to our lives and should you wish to peruse a body of work which will challenge you to look a little harder, to untangle the figures, decipher the fruits, the layerings and the hearts and inspire you: this is it. Am I biased? Yes. Am I a romantic captivated by a photographic process as old as can be? Yes, yes! Would I like to see more? …completely and my favourite recent images is ‘Devoured’ (see below). x

Brenton has a solo show opening at the TILT Gallery in AZ February 5th 2015, from what I’ve seen, it's a mix of Ambrotypes (sigh) and Cyanotypes.

**Brenton Hamilton was my Photography Professor.

The Blue Poet Dreams by Brenton Hamilton is published by Obscura Press. For further information and ordering details visit their website.

Cuteness Alert!!

What a super cutie!!! A snippet from our studio session in Crystal Palace, South London before Christmas ensure these made adorable Christmas presents xx

Gorgeous Family Session in Surrey

What to do when it's raining outside and you're on location??? A bit of quick thinking and reorganising your lovely clients home and hey presto! A super Fun indoor session with a completely lovely, wonderful and gorgeous family who were such a joy to capture and so much fun. I've photographed 'Myla' the youngest family member about three times now and I love seeing how she's growing and the fabulous faces she makes especially when her aunty is near by :-) (See below)

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Fun Friends Session

Winter in the Surrey Hills

This was a super fun session, fresh air, rain dodging, chuckles, laughter and wide smiles and a perfect Saturday morning to celebrate friendship and the fact one of them was moving away and this was a great moment to capture all these lovely ladies together.

We met just outside Guildford and the mist and fog really added great diffusion to the light and colours the girls were wearing and really made them 'pop'. (the coloured umbrellas).

The textures were really great too and it was fun to photograph in the open fields and then within the clambering woods xx

Happy New Year x

Happy New Year Everyone

I'm so excited to start 2015 and would like to wish everyone a super year ahead full of love, laughter and happiness x I'd like to say a special "CONGRATULATIONS" to everyone who got engaged over the Christmas holidays - including lovely Ben & Vicky who were featured here in December and for everyone planning their special day and all my bride & grooms to be this coming year xx Have a fabulous 2015!!!

I'm so thrilled to share this engagement session from December in London with Lutz & Melitha my fabulous bride and groom to be who are getting married in early April. We had such a fun afternoon visiting all their locations and venues for their BIG day and capturing these beautiful images was a joy. These guys are such fun and completely adorable and I am really looking forward to capturing their wedding day!!

Happy New Year! xx

Super Fun Family Session.

As I round up and finish up 2014, turning the key in lock of the studio and heading home for Xmas. I want to wish EVERYONE a really special holidays full of love and cheer :-) relaxation and tiny to no amounts of stress! :-) 

I want to THANK everyone who has supported me this year, wonderful clients, fabulous friends and family and everyone who has taken the time to send lovely notes of appreciation, love and Thanks, it's been a wonderful year full of excitement and meetings of minds and opportunities and I am thrilled and super grateful, Thank You so much xx

For Xmas I want to share Vicky & Ben's SUPER ADORABLE family and a session we had this autumn (I've been waiting for their beautiful frames to arrive before posting!! + I am pretty sure they are up on the walls in Vicky & Ben's home right now :-) xx) We had such fun and I am thrilled to share this session because it was such a joy to capture all the love and fun this family holds. 
Merry Christmas Vicky & Ben and to everyone I want to wish you all a super 2015! xx

The Privilege of Picking Poppies at the Tower

Friday November 14th, 2014

Sooo......this past week has been pretty epic! It was my birthday on Monday (10th) where I learnt to Kayak + joined a friend at Netball practice on Wednesday 12th (checking two new adventures off in one week) I was feeling aglow with accomplishment. I had no idea that on Thursday I would be given the opportunity to be part of one of the most momentous and spectacular events we have seen in a long time and have the privilege to be part of British history.

I hadn't had the chance to visit the Tower before November 11th (when the poppies were displayed until) but had soaked up all the pictures and videos I'd seen on various social media platforms and been in awe at how this work had dissipated into society and read delightedly that local church parishioners had knitted poppies for their own display.

On Friday morning at 8.45am I arrived for poppy picking! Literally just 18 hours earlier I was invited through QEST to become a volunteer. It was so lovely to be part of such a friendly, warm and jolly team and just added to the whole day and the experience of being in the moat, ankle deep in mud amongst the poppies and participating in something both magical and moving.

These two action shots from the lovely Deborah Tallentire :-) x

Ooooh La la...........

To Honour my new website launch and my birthday, I'm launching a Special Boudoir Promotion in time for Xmas and Valentines Day x 

This also makes a gorgeous gift for Hen fun and frolics, for the ladies who are approaching a special birthday and if you're simply feeling fabulous & foxy. Each session is subtle and discreet (no vajazzle's here) :-) The images above are of the albums you can choose from.

BOOK before NOVEMBER 30th to receive a gift print!!! 
CALL 07754 757716 EMAIL JACKIE@JACKIEKING.COM to set your date x

RIBA Graduates

Extremely Delighted one of my images from this summer's graduation has been used on the RIBA website. It was a fantastic event to capture and I had a super backdrop to take photos of the graduates (London and the BT Tower from one of the balconies isn't bad!!) RIBA Graduate Programme

Planning Photo Workshops 2015

A couple of weekends ago I was in Devon for a couple of family occasions and made the trip up into Dartmoor. When I was small, mum, dad and I spent holidays in Widecombe. They knew the landlady of the Rugglestone pub and had friends in the area. It was divine and has always had  a special spot in my heart.....so......it was with huge smiles that I drove merrily around Dartmoor recently and was just ridiculously excited by the light and all the fantastic colours. 

The images above were taken on my phone just to capture the essence and give me a brain jog when I returned home! It's worked! I haven't stopped thinking about it and one of my students in particular (mention no names :-) ) has been teasing me about my workshop plans for next year...so, here it is...I'm planning 2, yep TWO.

DEVON - LATE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 date TBA 

IRELAND - MAY 2015

Get in touch if you'd like to be added to my workshop mailing list and want to be kept in the loop as details are firmed up x

Beautiful Floral Trends for Autumn/Winter 2014/15

This small body of work is just blowing my mind right now. I recently captured these at the wonderful 'The Lavender Hill Company' a fabulous florist in Farnham.

We wanted to create images to depict floral trends for this Autumn/Winter and Sue and Rachel came up with the most wonderful colour choices for me to photograph. Once I had captured the still life image for each of the three colour ways we then deconstructed the flowers and petals and foliage to create equally enchanting images. These are the results! x

The Lavender Hill Company http://www.lavenderhillcompany.com

Photographing a Photographer,

Leah, September 2014, MA, USA

Leah & I met at Photography School in Maine 12 years ago, we've been firm friends ever since and it was such a joy to capture her blooming and witness her entering another stage of her life. I photographed her on their family farm and could not have asked for more perfect backdrops, gorgeous textures and perfect soft late afternoon lighting!

We laughed, had so much fun and my small nerves for photographing a fellow photographer melted right away :-) x

Alice in Wonderland

Kris & Claire, Hampton House, London. August 2014

So many wonderful touches added to this beautiful day, from hand made bridesmaid dresses to the mother of the bride wearing a 'queen of hearts' crown right through to the grooms waistcoat being custom made by one of the bridesmaids who is a professional tailor.

Cups and saucers had been collected over several months to serve drinks to the guests and the table centers were a collection of gorgeous books and moss and keys and little tiny 'drink me' bottles. Claire our brides created her own lace bolero which was delicate and breathe taking. Her brothers gave her the most striking ruby necklace to tie in with her 'Alice in Wonderland' theme and it shone brightly all day.

Hampton House is a stunning location, set against beautiful gardens and Bushy Park. This location not only has character, it has sass. It's craggy, has TONS of texture on the walls, steps, window sills. It's a delight how it mixes a tropical verandah with paint peeled textured walls and looks both elegant and cool. I really love textures and this venue is full of them! x

Wildlife Workshop

I've been working with a student organizing her workflow and introducing her to 'Adobe Lightroom' to streamline her time and image management. She's a fantastic wildlife photographer and getting out and about with her to hold our workshop in the field recently was the perfect start to a September morning! 

There were no spectacular sunrises, no streaks of colour illuminating the horizon or slow moody mists BUT there we were, hiking up a Hampshire hill and I was introduced to a rare british butterfly, the first sniffs of Autumn and the first colors of a new season. What a joy! There is nothing this country girl loves than donning her wellies and getting out in the fresh air. Whilst Donna set about fulfilling her challenge (I like to set a challenge or two) I came across wonderful colours and berries, cobwebs and unusual looking plants - my macro lens was in heaven! :-) 

Ben & Alice, Brixton, London

August 15th, 2014

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Michael & Letang, Liss, Hampshire

August 9th 2014. 

Michael has been a friend since University days and so when he approached me to take photos and capture this wedding I was so happy! Super happy to capture such a wonderful couple and super excited for their big day. As preparations developed I was just beside myself with excitement and their wedding was so full of warmth and love and incredible touches. Their ceremony was traditional and in a local church and their reception was a stunning marquee in the grounds of a village hall and it was breath taking!!