Mandy Charlton Photography - The Blog, Newcastle Wedding and Portrait Photographer,

More Best of the Year award wins for Portraiture and a couple of special offers

2012-01-31T16:38:00.001Z

I counted myself to be very lucky when I won 2 best of 2011 awards for wedding photography earlier this month so last week when I found out I'd won another best of 2011 award for Pet photography and then yesterday when I found out I'd won a stonking 5 best of 2011 awards for portraiture I had a smile like a cheshire cat!!

This was my favourite portrait image that won and my favourite portrait image of last year, taken on location at the Cedar Court Grand in York with Dr Mariann Hardey of So Seriously Social

Beautiful Ruby is one of the first pets I've ever photographed so a bit of an honour to scoop a top worldwide award.

This weekend in the studio I had the honour of photographing 23 members of this lovely family in celebration of Grandma and Granddads Golden Wedding Anniversary

It made me so grateful to have a studio big enough to fit them all in, Holly and Craig in the back row are old clients who's wedding I shot 3 years ago, it was a lovely opportunity to catch up with the whole family and know that they're all doing so well.

all of the great grandchildren were so cute and it was an absolutely pleasure to photograph them all.

So onto the offers, this months offers are I think pretty brilliant -

Book your 2012/2013 wedding before the end of February and I'll add an extra hour onto your wedding coverage, imagine what you could do with that extra hour?

Also book a portrait shoot in the studio before the end of February and benefit from a special £20 sitting instead of £40 and you'll even get a complimentary 5x7 print. You could even buy a gift certificate for a future event and benefit from the half price offer.

To take advantage of any of the offers just click through and contact me through my website

Great places to get married in the North East of England

2012-01-28T19:40:00.001Z

So being a wedding photographer in the North East of England means that I get to photograph weddings in some gorgeous venues, this made me think about my own personal favourite venues and brides if you have just booked your wedding I know that choice of venue can be so important, it's a minefield.

Here's some of my favourite places in no particular order, a few of which are different, quirky and will keep people talking for some time to come.

1. Matfen Hall, if you want grand then this is the place, the stained window alone makes it one of the most desirable places to get married in the North East of England, it's a dark venue though so make sure your photographer knows what they are doing and has lenses to fit.

2. As You Like It, I have to say that this is my favourite venue because we renewed our vows there in 2010 for our 10th anniversary, for quirkiness on a vintage scale this is the place to go, the only thing I'd say is for your newlywed portraits you'll need to go to Jesmond Dene or Newcastle/Gateshead quayside because the frontage isn't the most attractive but inside it's amazing, lovely, cosy and they can cater for up to 275 people on a night time.

3. The Baltic, oh how I love the Baltic and do they know how to do weddings, it can be small and cosy or big and grandios, it's simply one of the best venues in the north and the guests get exclusive access to all of the exhibits

4. The Sage, not so many people are aware that you can have your wedding at the sage but you make it your own and it's a fabulous venue and the food is second to none.

5. Jesmond Dene House Hotel, I have shot many weddings in this venue and it's gorgeous, lots of wood and a cosy feel even if you are having a bigger wedding, the gardens are beautiful and the food is amazing.

6. The Discovery Museum, yes it's a fairly new to weddings venue and featured on BBC3's Don't Tell The Bride, if you have always fancied a wedding in somewhere completely different then this could be your venue.

7. The Great North Museum (aka The Hancock) one of my favourite places, I grew up visiting this museum every year with my granny, it's simply fabulous and they do the most fabulous weddings and you can have a dinosaur in your photographs.

8. Linden Hall, one of the lovely stately homes turned hotel, up near Morpeth the staff are wonderful friendly people, I have shot many weddings here and never heard a bad report.

9. Close House Hotel, based up in beautiful Northumberland, on sunny days you can spill onto the terrace for drinks and canapes and there are plenty of places to hide if the weather isn't so good, their Orangary makes a splendid place to have portraits.

10. St Marys Lighthouse, I would love to shoot a wedding here so if you are booking one please hire me, who wouldn't want to get married in a Lighthouse, though it only caters for smaller weddings there's no more quirky a venue.

This photograph is from Lucy and James wedding who got married at The Great North Museum

So I hope that this has helped and if you are booking your 2012 wedding please do get in touch, for everyone who books in the next month I am adding an extra hour into your package and with my weddings start at just £595 for up to 3 hours come have a chat at my studio...

Cute Kids, Bouncing Babies and Terrific Toddlers

2012-01-23T10:23:00.000Z

January has been a busy month down at the studio, I love my job so much, I get to spend time with the loveliest people in the world so as ever here's just a few previews of who's been down in the studio having fun.

Emily brought her cousin along with her, would you believe that I've now photographed Emily's mum and dad 6 times and with the arrival of Emilys little brother or sister it can't be too long before I get to do it all again!!

now look at this little poppet, he was born 4 weeks ago and really isn't so keen on being photographed or being naked for that matter but he's such a cutie

and look at his big sisters, they are so gorgeous and funny

aww, they really love their little brother

and this little 11 month old, well she tootled and she tottered around the studio just doing her own thing, we got tons of photos of her and her big sister and what a pleasure it was to photograph them

So thanks to all the little lovely people who've made work the funnest place to be over the last couple of weeks, if you want a portrait shoot for your poppets if you do it in February you can do it half price, yes only £20 for the session instead of £40 so take advantage because at this price the studio sessions usually fill up fast!

On a totally unconnected matter don't forget you can book your 2012/2013 wedding at 2011 prices if you book before February 1st 2012, dates are now filling quite fast but I still have some availability so why not contact me through my website and come see me at the studio

Mandy Charlton Photography - Winner of 2 worldwide awards for wedding photography

2012-01-16T15:08:00.002Z

I can barely believe I am posting this but I've just been notified of the most incredible news from the lovely folks over at Pixoto.

This image was judged by professional photographers worldwide as being in the top 5% in the world in the weddings section for 2011

and this image was judged as being in the best 10% of wedding images worldwide for 2011

I only really started to enter image competitions in 2010 so to be ranked so highly in the world is a massive honour and I couldn't do it without all of my wonderful clients so I want to say thank you to each and everyone of you who has let me be part of your weddings and special events and who knows whats going to happen in 2012

Caroline and Claytons Wedding, Vintage/Pulp/Fabulousness

2012-01-11T14:44:00.000Z

Just before Christmas I shot one of my favourite weddings of all time, the combination of influences by Chanel/Audrey Hepburn and Pulp combined with the beauty and gorgeousness of Caroline and Claytons wedding were to make it one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever shot.

Caroline was so beautiful in her vintage veil and dress, a true beauty to behold

and if you are thinking that this guy looks familiar, you should see him with his glasses on, he's the spitting double of Jarvis Cocker from Pulp!

Those nervous last moments as you're about to walk down the aisle

and those tender moments during the ceremony when you give your all to the one you love most in your life

and then before you know it you are married and it's wonderful and happy and you can even start breathing again!

how gorgeous is this little bridesmaid?

all of the kids plus a large amount of confetti

we went off to the beach for some portraits, Tynemouth in December could have been chilly but it was more like an autumn day than a winter one

Our happy, gorgeous couple

moments of tenderness

and then they started singing "Common People to each other and I got to stand back and click, a very cool moment

So very much in love those two

Thats some love and a campervan

after those beachy portraits we winged our way to the Hotel Du Vin, possibly the most chic hotel in Newcastle, seriously cool and if you book your wedding there ask for Dan to look after you, he's one of my most favourite master of ceremonies, when we renewed our vows at As You Like It Jesmond he looked after us.

Sharing a tender moment in one of the chic suites and OMG look at those boots, geniune vintage and absolutely amazing!

The speeches were just lovely, I cried when Clayton gave his speech, that man is a true romantic

I have to say that most people in the room were in floods of tears because it was such a beautiful speech

Caroline and Clayton, I hope that you have a long and happy marriage, its easy to see that you are soul mates, thank you so much for choosing me to help you document your wedding day.

If you are planning your 2012 or beyond wedding you can book at 2011 prices until the end of January, just contact me through the website

Back in the Studio

2012-01-09T11:58:00.000Z

Saturday was officially my first day back in the studio after my Christmas break (you know the one where I worked?!)

I have to say that although it was a delight to see Amara again I'm quite sad because she's emigrating on Tuesday, it's so sad to lose some of my loveliest clients, thank goodness for Facebook so we can keep in touch.

I'm wishing all of the love and luck in the world to Denise, and all her family for the travel and settling in Perth, I'm sure Amara is going to adore never having to be worried about being chilly ever again!!

now next up was a lady who'd come in just before Christmas with her partner to have a maternity shoot and join the Milestones program, most of the images were private and just for them but I know she doesn't mind me showing this one which both her and hubby adored, doesn't she look amazing!!

and then of course from gorgeous mummies come beautiful baby and here's Tom who was born on Boxing Day night, I have to tell you he's just itty bitty teeny weeny at the moment and light as a feather, I had the best cuddle ever and got to take some gorgeous photos of him, I can't wait to watch him grow up over the next year.

So that was me back in the studio with a bang, I also met a couple about their wedding and I have fingers and toes crossed they will book because it sounded so uber cool and the whole of their reception is in the glass viewing box at the Baltic!!

If you are having a baby or if you're getting married why not come see me in my studio for photos or a chat, just get in touch via the website

A Refective Post For The Start of 2012

2012-01-02T11:58:00.000Z

I was just glancing back at some old blog posts, I started this blog on the 26/02/06 so this year will be my 6th blogaversary, blimey six years of my collective thoughts and photographs all in one place.

When I started my blog it was mainly about family things, I was a mummy blogger I suppose, would you believe that at the start I hadn't even thought about starting my business, you can actually read about the journey into that right up until the day I officially launched in June 2007.

My blog changed after I started my business, it became more about business than about family and then I had a swing recently and now I think there's quite a good balance of family and business, maybe it's because I think I've finally found that elusive thing called the work/life balance or maybe it was because my children googled me and found my blog and insisted that I post more about their lives and history which seems fair enough really.

It's funny when I look back at those early days now, although it's nice to see some kind of photographic progression some of the early photography was, well, shocking!

I've learned so much since starting my business and this year I'll be launching my own style of photographic courses, "Lets Shoot Each Other and Shoot Your Kids" are bound to be a riot, they're still a couple of months away in terms of me feeling I'm ready to teach them but I'm really looking forward to it.

Now no blog post would be complete without a photo and I've not really lifted my camera for a couple of days so I'll leave you with this, this was our first New Years Eve family Singstar party, for the first time ever we let all the kids stay up till Midnight and we had a riot, yes that is Iain and Looby singing Lady Gaga.

Right then, I'm off to cook the Gammon which I never got around to cooking for Christmas day, I'm mostly working from home and chilling a lot this week before I get back to the studio on Saturday. I'm just not quite ready to say goodbye to Christmas yet.

Goodbye 2011, you were quite a year!

2011-12-31T12:13:00.000Z

It's officially the last day of the year and like many of you I'm looking back at 2011 and thinking what a year it was!

In 2011 I finally plucked up the courage to enter photographic competitions and I'm so glad that I did as I've won 17 seperate awards for wedding and portraiture photographs this year, even better is that most of those were international competitions! 2011 was the year I finally moved into a studio too!

In 2011 I was lucky enough to shoot 2 of my best friends weddings, Christine and Michael

and Li and Phil

My very first assistant and lovely friend Nigel had a gorgeous baby girl

and my beautiful friend Heather gave birth to Yovel, a gorgeous brother for delightful Toam

and of course in 2011, these three gorgeous people gave me so much to be proud of, Abigail continues to excel at school

Looby continues to be the most popular girl in the known universe spreading joy and cuddles wherever she goes

and Iain continues to amaze us, because of his aspergers he's not a big fan of photos so I have to catch him unaware but he's excelling at school, he's got more friends than I think he ever imagined he would and he even had his first girlfriend this year.

I love my family so much, without them none of this would be possible

So whatever you do to celebrate have a wonderful New Years Eve and an amazing 2012

Weddings, Portraits and Idle thumbs...

2011-12-29T18:53:00.000Z

You know those idle thumbs, they're the ones that get you into trouble, if the truth be known my idle thumbs often find themselves shopping for too many pairs of shoes. I've been determined not to buy 1700 pairs of new shoes in the sales so I have had a cunning plan and worked for the past few days and it's worked, no new shoes!!

I have met some wonderful people though so I thought I would share just a couple of photographs with you.

First on Tuesday I met a lovely Aussie Family, I say Aussie but Dad was originally from Hebburn, apparently Brisbane is just a bit nicer, I can't think why anyone would say that, my studio is based in Hebburn!

So Dad wanted a few photos with landmarks in, the ones that are special to him and so you can't have a shoot without having the Tyne Bridge in it

Yesterday I went to Close House to photograph the wedding of Nicola and Paul and captured this lovely moment during the ceremony.

and Today I went to my favourite Graffiti wall to photograph some kids who want to make a special birthday present for their granddads, let me tell you something, teenage girls don't like having their photographs taken, it was a lot of fun though!

So as we reach the end of 2011, what a great year it's been, I can't believe how lucky I am to do the job that I do, I think it's because it's so much more than a job, it's my life, it's the thing I love the most after my family and love or course, Love is the most important thing, all you need is love!

If you were lucky enough to get engaged over the Christmas period and are planning your 2012 or 2013 wedding please do contact me and come have a chat about it with me in my studio, 2012 is already looking like it could be my busiest year ever and I want to say thank you because without you I'd just be a lady with a camera, oh actually since I got my Dorothy shoes I'm now "look at the lady with the red shoes" haha and on that note I shall wish you all the best for the closing days of the year and may you all have wonderful New Year celebrations, I'm off for a couple of days R&R but if you are wanting a shoot in the next week give me a call because I can probably fit you in and do something fabulous on location, if you are wanting a studio shoot I'm back in the studio on 07/01, that day is already pretty full so get booking for future weeks!

To contact me you can call me on 07918 121838, email me at mandy@mandycharlton.com or you can click through to my website mandycharlton.com

Clayton and Caroline got married at Christmas!

2011-12-27T16:53:00.000Z

So as you know I'm having a bit of a working Christmas this year, it's fine though because I love it and you know what I love, true love at Christmas, the best things are true love and Christmas, put the two together and you have something completely wonderful, gorgeous, romantic...

Clayton and Carolines Wedding was just that, I cried big chubby tears during Claytons speech, die hard romantic thats me!!

They got married at St Albans in Earsdon and then on the way to a swish reception at the Hotel Du Vin we stopped off at the beach at Tynemouth to capture some natural light portraits just as the sun was shining it's golden light, we really couldn't have been any luckier with the weather, for the 22nd of December the weather was better than half of the weddings I've shot in June!!

This one photo really sums up the wedding in one photograph, it was vintage, beautiful and all about love, with a touch of Biba and a hint of Pulp, when they danced on the beach singing Common People to each other I had a lump in my throat!

Congratulations Clayton and Caroline may your love story continue for many years, thank you so much for letting me share your most special of days.

A Very Cosy Charlton Christmas

2011-12-26T19:29:00.000Z

Yes lovely people, Happy Christmas to you all, it's been quite a year and now it's time for my yearly blog of what went down in the Charlton House this Christmas Day. I've turned away from flash lately and I really love how shooting at high ISO's and low apertures makes everything seem to warm and cosy, I think it really suits my style!

The kids got up at their normal time of 8am which wasn't so bad, I don't think we've ever had a really early year thankfully.

best way to photograph Iain these days is when he's not looking

sign of the times that they're getting older, they got a Tantrum nail candy set between them

Looby got her horse riding lessons she really wanted, we can't wait to sign her up in the New Year

She does like to demonstrate new clothing

from now on when I get sick of my darling husband I have decided to cover him with a Gary Barlow mask

Looby got a Nintendo DS with Mario Kart, daddy also loves this and yes she is sitting wearing her new hat, scarf and gloves

I'm pretty sure it means that he just won a cup!

yup there's another one who hates me photographing her and remains plugged in to technology at all times

She's quite a comedian is Looby

It wouldn't be a family blog without Disco Bob!

So it's been a fabulous Christmas, I'm working throughout my Christmas break this year, but I'm at least working from home, tomorrow I have a family shoot and Wednesday I have a wedding consultation followed by a wedding, busy times but I love my job!

Whatever you're doing for the rest of your Christmas break I hope it's a good one and from our house to yours may I wish you a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful 2012.

Breakfast With Santa at Heighley Gate, an imposter

2011-12-21T15:48:00.000Z

We've been looking forward to having breakfast with Santa at Heighley Gate for ages and today was the big day, we got up early and made our way up there for a half nine start.

We were seated and served breakfast, to our horror breakfast was cold and the eggs were grey, they actually tasted like an old kitchen sponge, not the greatest start to an event which had cost me £7.95 each for Abigail and Laura and £6.25 for me, Paul and Iain.

Santa came out and Looby said straight away that she didn't think it was the real Santa as he had more of a goatee than a beard.

he stopped at each table to talk to the little ones and when he got to ours and simply said hello kids and walked off, I then overheard him talking to a staff member asking if we were with the rest of the party, I've never felt so sad and I could tell Looby was gutted.

After this all the kids went to Santa to receive presents and have photos but would you believe he didn't want to have a photo with Abigail and i actually had to ask him.

he doesn't look very happy does he? and you know what it's just sad because as I said to one of the staff it should be celebrated if older kids are still excited about seeing Santa, Santa is one of Loobys favourite people and mine too so it was just disappointing that this imposter chose to spoil some of the magic of Christmas. You know how much Looby loves Santa, her list of favourite people goes, Mummy, daddy, Santa and then the Baby Jesus in that order, she emails him on a daily basis with an iPad app and he always replies, she says she is Santas penpal and she finds it funny that he keeps turning up in the same places as her, when she wrote to him she even wrote on the back of the envelope that there was a special kiss inside for him. I always tell her that Christmas is in your heart as it is in mine and it remains to this day, I hope when she's my age she's just as much as fond of Santa, I have to say Winter Wonderland Santa and I had such a lovely chat

I spoke to a staff member and she was really gutted for us, so gutted that she arranged for us to go into Winter Wonderland where she made it snow!! She also said did the girls want to see Winter Wonderland Santa who was working for a charity and I can tell you it was THE real Santa, it really cheered the girls up, especially Looby, she got to give him a big hug and they chatted with him for a few minutes and then they got to choose their own gift.

I have asked them in future to bear in mind that older children still love Santa and should be treated the same as the younger ones

So if you are out there running a company which makes profit from the magic of Christmas please ensure you do it well or you could spoil a small childs dreams and their mummys too!

It's the final countdown

2011-12-19T14:28:00.001Z

It's the week before Christmas and we're all getting really excited in the Charlton household, last night my hubby got so tipsy on red wine that he proceeded to tell me what he'd got me for Christmas and then he went to the cupboard and showed me the shoes he'd bought me, how rubbish is he at surprises?

It's just as well they are asbsolutely gorgeous, red, sparkly and definitely Dorothy shoes, can't wait to wear them on Christmas day.

broke up from work yesterday and pulled the shutters down on the studio for a while, one of my last shoots was this little boy, I don't think he's so happy about being Santas little helper do you?

you know at Christmas it's often the only time the whole family are together so if you fancy celebrating that you can book a shoot with me between now and the New Year, I can either get myself to the studio or if you fancy having it at home or on location it's no problem at all, just call me or contact me through my website

Also if you are stuck for a last minute present idea electronic gift vouchers are available right up until Christmas eve so email or call me and I can sort that out for you, it's a great gift if you are having a sudden panic because you've forgotten Aunt Mauds present and all the shops are shut!!

I'm really looking forward to having breakfast with Santa on Wednesday up at Heighley Gate Garden Centre, even my 15 year old is coming along, he was aghast that I hadn't put his name down so I had to add 1 extra, it's lovely that we can all go and share the Christmas magic together.

This week I'm looking forward to Carolyn and Claytons wedding on Thursday at the Hotel Du Vin and next week I have Nicola and Pauls wedding at Close House, if you know me you'll know that I think there's nothing quite so romantic as love at Christmas so I'm pretty excited about both weddings, sure they're going to be gorgeous!!

So whatever you are doing this week in the run up to the big day make sure it's full of happy moments and no stress!

This is an advance warning - January is Boudoir Month

2011-12-13T14:43:00.001Z

Why yes my sweeties January has to be boudoir month if you want to give your loved one gorgeous images of yourself for Valentines day.

Miss L did just that a couple of weeks ago, in fact it was the same week I had the pleasure of photographing Miss Dee La Beau

and so my pretties, lets share a few photographs from those shoots, I have full permission from both ladies but let me reassure you I'd never share your boudoir photos unless you wanted to.

How gorgeous is Miss L, she really said she had no confidence and then pulled this shot off, it's amazing! I actually won an award for this image!

Of course Miss La Beau was beautiful as ever and totally worked it, I love this one best as it's just a little vunerable.

so now you've seen some gorgeous ladies doing it for themselves it's your turn, during January boudoir shoots with a little black book are only £249 instead of £295, thats a huge saving and if you go the time only option your boudoir shoot is going to be as little as £120, to book just go to my website, email me or call me on 07918 121838

Now there's just 1 thing left and that is come on boys, you want to give your other half nice photos of you don't you? January isn't just boudoir month, January is dudeoir month so get yourself booked in!

Now if you are looking for a super saving why not pre-purchase a gift certificate and then you'll get 20% extra value and also save on the shoot, it's the ultimate present if you are in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham or anywhere in the north east of England, with one of my awards this year being won for that thar image up thar you can be assured you are in good hands

Christmas is coming, better get a shake on...

2011-12-13T13:51:00.000Z

Yes Christmas is truly underway, the shops are heaving, there's a chill in the air and parents throughout the land are getting over excited about little Tommy playing 3rd bean from the left in the Nativity Play. It's only last week we sat through our girls Nativity with Abigail playing a very angelic Mary, anyone who knows Abigail will know how miscast this particular part was but she did a great job though I'm sure I caught sight of her de rigeur black trousers underneath her Mary costume. I would have shared a photo but we were threatened that if we shared our own childrens photographs (how very dare we even think about it) the whole schools parent community would be banned from ever taking photographs at any school performance ever again, I'm not one to mess with the headmistress either even though I think it's a ludicrous thing to suggest when I as a blogger often blog my own children!!

So imagine Abigail as Mary and Looby as "one of the choir" (special part that) and gaze upon an alternative photograph which has become our family Christmas card for this year. Now it's probably a little late for me to be doing your Christmas cards but I do have 2 slots left if you want to get some last minute photos down at the studio this weekend so if you can make it on either Saturday at 2pm or Sunday morning give me a call or drop me an email and I'll squeeze you in, I'm even going to try and sort out prints by using the services of Santas Elfs (aka, the local couriers who aren't quite happy or elfen but they do usually get stuff to places on time!)

This weekend in the studio was another busy one but I can't share some of the images dear readers and one of you reading (and I know that they do read) might be getting some for Christmas of some people very dear to you, thats enough hints from me, it's top secret to me, the people involved and of course Santa Claus himself.

One more note about Christmas business hours, gift certificates and other mentionable gubbins, Photo Shoots are available up until December 21st, after that time I am on my Christmas break but if you have family you only ever see at Christmas or the kids are home from university for the first time in ages email me and I will open up the studio especially for you, in all other cases I shall be at home scoffing Ferrero Rocher!

If you buy a gift certificate (e-voucher) before Christmas Eve I will increase the value by 20% so for instance you want to buy one for £50 I will give you one for £60 because thats my warmhearted lovely side with a festive touch).

This Christmas I have 2 weddings, 1 at the Hotel Du Vin on the 22nd and one at gorgeous Close House on the 28th so spare a thought for my cold fingers and toes as you all decide to crack open another tin of quality street!

Ooh, 1 last thing, I have a Studio gallery on my website now with all my recent studio work, go have a look, you might just have made it on there!

Disk only Mini Photoshoots - [Mandy Charlton, Newcastle Photographer]

2011-12-10T08:17:00.001Z

It really is getting close to Christmas and I'm thoroughly excited, loads of lovely people coming into my studio for photo shoots today.

However if you're tardy like me and haven't even started your Christmas shopping you may well assume that there's going to be no time to have a photo shoot and get product in time for Christmas so as one of Santas favourite little helpers I'm going to have a very special offer for you -

From now until Christmas Eve you can book a mini shoot with disk (or dropbox if you like your new fangled tech like me) and I'll do a half hour shoot, edit the images and you can choose 10 of them to go on the disk (or download). You will as ever get an online gallery with full ordering facilities for 30 days too!

I'm not going to publish the price on my blog for fear of a stampede but it's a super fantastic great deal with more than half off the usual price of the disk.xxx

If you are interested just drop me an email at mandy@mandycharlton.com or you can also click through to my website to contact me.

You could have your images from this shoot in less than a couple of hours, I really am super speedy!

Hope to see you and your family soon so we can create images like this -

It's a little Christmas Giveaway

2011-12-07T16:16:00.001Z

Yes, you heard it here first folks, in the spirit of Christmas I am giving away 2 festive photo shoots down at my Studio this Saturday afternoon. All you'll pay for are any prints and I'll even guarantee delivery for Christmas.

Here's just a couple of portraits from last weekend -

So, what do you have to do to win one of these portrait shoots and when are they available?

Well you can choose pretty much any time from noon on Saturday and they'll be at my studio, I'm based within The Photography Studio, Unit 6, The Old Co-Op buildings, Ralph Street, Hebburn, NE31 1HP, it's literally a 10 minute drive from central Newcastle and it's cosy and warm and full of fun things for the kids, we have a trampoline, rocking horse, tons of dressing up and festive things, it really is a whole lot of festive fun!

So to win one all you have to do is email mandy@mandycharlton.com, leave a comment on this post, Tweet Me or send me a Facebook Message you can even contact me through my website

I'm also going to open up evenings for portrait shoots at my studio next week, so if you wanted to book a shoot but you haven't had time I can do after school pretty much all next week, I even have some slots available on the weekend of 17/18th but thats going to mean being super speedy when it comes to placing orders if you want them for Christmas.

Christmas is coming

2011-12-02T19:37:00.001Z

and there's not very much time left to book a festive photo shoot if you want to guarantee delivery of your precious photographs before Santa comes down the chimney (or through the door with a magic key in our case as we don't have a chimney)

These are just a few gorgeous photos with a festive touch I've shot this week

so if you don't want to miss out then call me/contact me/shout at me and I'll get you in my studio toot suite!

Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming

Festive Family Photoshoots in the Studio

2011-11-28T11:10:00.001Z

This is your festive warning, Christmas is coming and in my lovely studio Christmas family photoshoots are taking place resulting in photographs like this -

There's still time to book in to have lots of festive fun in my warm and cosy studio based in Hebburn (10 minutes walk from Jarrow Metro and only 10 Minutes drive from Newcastle city centre)

Photo shoots are only £20 until Christmas so give me a call on 07918 121838 or contact me through my website and I might even be able to fit you in this weekend.I'm adding extra added free photo shoots on Wednesday 30/11/11, if you're off work with the kids because of the strike then why not come and have some fun at my studio because photo shoots are free all day, if you would like one just contact me in any of the above ways, you'll only pay for prints etc and everything will be with you before Santa comes, so laugh in the face of the doom, gloom and strikes and take advantage of my special happy offer.

Welcome to the festive season!

Tis The Season for Christmas Photoshoots

2011-11-21T14:04:00.001Z

Yes it's the season of goodwill and happiness and down at the studio I am enjoying the fun of the Christmas season, it's so much fun to be able to create photos like this with a handful of Christmas Magic.

Here's the thing, I can't pretend it's not busy at the studio because it's ridiculously busy and I am loving every minute so if you want photos like this to grace the front of your Christmas Cards or to pop on Grandmas wall then you might want to email me at mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com I have 1 or 2 slots left this weekend, Saturday you'd be looking at half nine or after 2pm and Sunday after 12.30pm. Shoots are only £20 instead of £40 until Christmas Eve.

So come on down, we have dressing up, santa hats, reindeer ears and a Christmas Tree with twinkly lights.

Sitting in the studio....

2011-11-07T11:05:00.002Z

So it's been nearly a month since my last post and thats a while even for me but it's been a time of great excitement as I moved into my studio, I can't tell you what a difference it's made and it's amazing how much business has increased in such a short space of time.

I've had such a great reaction to the kids and family portraits I've shot in the studio...

and of course I haven't just been shooting in the studio, I still love to be out on location as well and thats not all of what I've been up to, thats just a few small highlights!!

So, to recap, as a special introductory offer studio family and kids portrait shoots are only £20 and we have a lot of fun.

I also have a full product photography set up and in addition to that of course Studio boudoir is also available.

The studio is based in Hebburn, strangely though it's 10 minutes walk from Jarrow metro, haha

Have a happy, happy autumnal week!

Big, Big, News, I have a Studio!

2011-10-20T09:35:00.000+01:00

I can hardly believe it myself but it's true, from Friday I'll be relocating Mandy Charlton Photography to a gorgeous 1008ft studio, I say 1008ft but thats just the main part of the studio, it's absolutely flippin enormous!! Because it's fully equipped all I need to do is move myself in so if you fancy a studio shoot with me then you can book one with immediate effect.

I'm so excited about the future, I'm sharing the studio with my good friend and fellow photographer Tommy Jackson, we'll be doing some pretty funkaliscious stuff together over the next few months as well as maintaining our own individual brands.

For me, I guess I'm most well known for my environmental portraits and you know what thats not going to change, I'll still be out and about creating art like these from Sunday up in Hepple, Northumberland.

and should that white snowy stuff fall you can bet I'll be out doing snowy shoots just like last year, I have to say though that in the most horrible of winters it will be lovely to spend time inside a warm cosy studio and it means lots of new exciting possibilities for the quirky style of my photography which I know that you all know and love, for sure I am not about to become Venture Photography, you can count on that.

One of the most exciting aspects of the studio is that we want to share it with the hardworking photographers (and film and video guys) of the north who from time to time need a little studio space so we'll be subletting the Studio for a very reasonable £20 per hour, we may even have special offers from time to time. We have a full white seamless set up and also black, grey and many other wonderful colours for the other set up.

One of my plans for the future is to have photographers networking nights, a place for all the NE photographers to gather together, network, maybe drink a little wine and beer and maybe make some new valuable connections in the process.

We have props and furniture aplenty and you'll always be welcomed by a friendly face and a mug of coffee, well as soon as we find the kettle ;)

To book use of the studio all you'll have to do is visit http://www.the-photography-studio.co.uk/studio-hire to check availability and book your slot in. On that page you can also do a 360 tour of the studio, don't worry about the football portraits on the wall, they will not be there for very long ;)

Tommy and I are super excited about the future, sharing a studio has given us the ability to offer something we probably couldn't if we were on our own, I've always believed in studio sharing, it's always great to have someone to bounce ideas off and lessens that tuesday morning, lonely working alone feelings.

We also plan to rent some space to a makeup artist/hair stylist so if you are a local makeup artist/hair stylist looking to move out of home and looking for an unbeatable deal then please do get in touch with either me or Tommy, you can of course get to me by clicking on the contact tab of MandyCharlton.com

So to celebrate my move into the studio I would like to give one family or kids shoot away, all you have to do is leave a comment and I'll get someone to draw the name from the hat on Friday, you'll be saving yourself a whole £40 and of course all you will pay for is any prints you want afterwards.

I am sorry for the seemingly epic blogpost but it is business changing news for me and quite epic, don't worry I just have 1 final thing to say and that is....look out for your invite to our studio opening party and bring a bottle!!

Autumn is Awesome

2011-10-17T12:19:00.002+01:00

I am having the time of my life this Autumn, so many gorgeous outdoor shoots, lets hope it continues for another few weeks before Mr Snow comes along.

So here's just a few shots of the things I've gotten up to over the last week or so.

On Saturday morning I had a gorgeous early autumnal shoot in Jesmond Dene

Then I zipped over to Chester-le-Street to catch up with gorgeous Maisy who I last photographed when she was only a few weeks old.

Finally I went over to Durham to shoot some couples portraits for Katie and Chris

Last weekend was pretty epic as I shot Lucy and James Wedding at the Great North Museum, there'll be a full blog post on this when it's all edited, processed and the happy couple are back from honeymoon.

and the minute I left the wedding I sprinted up to St Andrews to shoot Jenny and Dan's couples portraits, more from this shoot soon as it's going to be featured on northern bridal super blog Brides Up North

There's so much going on at the minute that it's a really exciting time for Mandy Charlton Photography and by the end of the week I hope to have the biggest news yet, major, huge, enormous changes afoot.

Have a fabulous week lovely readers

Autumn is here!

2011-10-05T14:11:00.001+01:00

I adore Autumn, October is one of my favourite months of the year, I love the colours, the temperature, the light, it's the perfect weather for photography.

I shot my first real autumal session on Saturday, now I say it was my first really autumnal session, the fact that it was nearly 30c is beside the point, I did spend an awful lot of time lying on top of acorns and they're a bit bumpy at the best of times and not that comfortable to lie on let me tell you!!

That unseasonal end to September was lovely actually, Looby and I were down in Heaton Park on Friday night after school, she was dressed as a witch of course and there was a DJ spinning his decks, the whole place and everyone there was so chilled out, I loved every minute and I did take my camera of course...

Yes it really was a friday afternoon on the last day of September and people everywhere were chilling, having BBQ's and picnics, quite odd really but we had a lovely couple of hours.

Miss Looby dressed as a witch, she said she had to because it's nearly Halloween, who am I to argue with my daughter?

This was Loobys idea, she thought it would be a creative portrait, I think she's got a point!!

so this start to October is going well, work is seemingly flooding in and it's looking rather like I might shoot more weddings next year, I'm thinking 20 sounds like a good number but we'll see how it goes, if you are planning your 2012 wedding (or even a late 2011 one) please get in touch, prices start at £595, more details on my website

Portraits of course are also incredibly busy and it's a brilliant time to get outdoors with the kids or family and you can get my special price of only £20 instead of £40, I'm already booked up right until the end of October at weekends so click on my website and contact me!!

This weekend is going to be a big one, an amazing wedding at a location which is quite special to me and a shoot which will see me travel for hundreds of miles to a stunning location, lets all cross fingers and toes for great weather.

Finally today let me leave you with another couple of family photos, a trip to the farm on Loobys birthday and it looks like there may be a new love interest in Meandering Pauls life

Loobys official 8th birthday portrait, she's really growing up quickly now into a beautiful young lady

As for her sister Abigail may be nine but you wouldn't want to mess with this feisty lady

Meandering Paul and his new love interest, should I be worried? He does look quite interested in her don't you think?!

Until next time, keep smiling, even if it's only so other people will wonder what you've been getting up to!

a little bit of love from York and the yearly Christmas offer

2011-09-26T13:55:00.001+01:00

It's been a busy old time since I've been back at work and would you believe it I'm full of cold and germs, I'm trying to not let it get in the way of lots of portraits and fun but believe me when I say that the Benylin is working overtime!

So firstly I went off to photograph Laura and Tom in York on Friday, Laura is a wedding blogger extraordinaire getting married on Bonfire Night and if you want to see the whole collection of photos just hop over to her blog Bonfire Night Bride. here's just a couple of my favourites -

don't you just love their puppy Daisy, cutest doggy in the world!!

So, my second thing today was to launch my Christmas family portrait offer and I think I'll just let this photo say it all

and don't forget you can buy a gift certificate for a half price shoot to give at Christmas knowing you'll have saved money when they recipient books, all vouchers are valid for 1 year from the date of purchase.

Now I've heard a rumour that this week is going to be fantastic weatherwise and as the leaves have fallen from the trees it's the perfect time for leaf kicking and having fun outdoors capturing perfect family portraits, I have availability at the special price this weekend so if you want to take advantage either give me a call on 07918 121838 or email me