Finding the perfect wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you'll make when planning your big day. You want someone who can capture all the special moments and emotions of your wedding in a way that truly reflects your unique love story. If you're getting married in Newcastle or the surrounding area, Mandy Charlton Photography is the perfect choice for you.

As a Newcastle-based wedding photographer, I have a deep understanding of the north of England and all the best spots for capturing stunning wedding photography. I'm also an expert at putting her clients at ease, so you'll feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera, even if you're not used to having your photo taken.

My approach to wedding photography is all about capturing the real you. I want to tell your story in a way that's genuine, authentic, and full of fun and personality. My images are relaxed, natural and candid, capturing the love and laughter of your special day.

When you book Mandy Charlton Photography, you'll get more than just a photographer. I will work closely with you to understand your vision for your wedding and help you create a photography plan that fits your needs. I'll take the time to get to know you and your partner, so I can understand your personalities and what makes you unique as a couple.

I am also a pro at capturing all the little details of your wedding that you might not even think about. From the flowers in your hair to the table settings at your reception, I'll make sure to document every aspect of your day in a way that's both beautiful and meaningful, from the bridal prep right through to the first dance I will be there to capture it all, ensuring you have a beautiful collection of memories to treasure forever.

My fun personality shines through in my work, making me the perfect choice for brides who want a relaxed, friendly, and professional photographer. If you're looking for a Newcastle-based wedding photographer who can capture all the magic and romance of your special day, look no further than Mandy Charlton Photography.

So, if you're planning your wedding and looking for a talented, friendly and experienced wedding photographer in Newcastle or the surrounding area, be sure to check out Mandy Charlton Photography. My relaxed and fun approach, beautiful images and attention to detail, I will help you create memories that you'll treasure forever.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with me through my website, mandycharltonphotography.com and let me know your wedding date and photography needs and let me tell the story of your day.

Pay What You Can Mini Family Photo Shoots. 30th September, Tynemouth for Mind

Every year I try to do a little good for my favourite charity Mind and so on Sunday 30th September I'll be shooting a day of Pay What You Can Mini Photo Shoots, I'll also be giving 20% of the proceeds to Mind UK, a charity close to my own heart as someone who lives with bipolar disorder and chronic anxiety, every year I try and do as much good as I can and so I thought this would enable families who might not ordinarily afford family photos to have them as well as raising money for a great cause.

Sessions will begin at 10am and run every 20 mins until 5pm and there is a suggested donation of around £75 which is what a session like this would usually cost, you'll receive all of the edited digital images.

The available sessions remaining (early morning, 13/08/18)

Available Sessions - 
10am
10.20
10.40 Booked and confirmed
11 - Booked and confirmed
11.20
11.40
12
1, 
1.20
1,40
2 - booked and confirmed 
2.20 
2.40 
3 - booked and confirmed 
3.40 
4
4.20
4.40

How to book - you can either send money via my Paypal Me link making sure it's a friends and family payment to avoid the fees or you can also send a bank transfer just ask for details and then as a reference write PWYC next to your name.

Please message before sending your donation, and because I expect these sessions to go super fast I can't hold sessions without the accompanying donation for more than 24 hours.

There's been a lot of interest, and I mean a lot, you can see that on the link and that's so heartening, I've already raised money and with a bit of luck by the end of this week I'll be able to send my donation to Mind.

Last year I raised money by selling old digital images, I'd love to raise over £500 this time and there is the possibility of doing 2 days at Tynemouth instead of just the one but I don't want to get ahead of myself so I'm going to fill Sunday 30th first and then decide.

I'm thankful that I've managed to get Harriet, Abigail and her lovely friend involved, if anything, this is a portrait marathon, it's the most sessions I've ever shot in one day so if I extend it to 2 days, I think I'll need to do some training, hehe.  I may even add another 2 sessions so I can do 20 in one day.  People are being very generous and I do like a challenge.  What I would say is I won't be making a profit from this.  I'm taking an entire weekend out of my calendar to do it and I'll definitely not be working during the week after.  I do hope that everyone goes away with at least 5-10 edited digital images , for some families this may be the first time they've had photos together whilst in others, my clients are doing it simply to do a good thing!

So, I'm ready for the challenge and together we're going to do good, come book me and let's make this the biggest portrait marathon in the northeast of England ever!

Where do I go from here?

Last week I sat down and wrote an impassioned post about business and work and my frustrations about the weather and sustaining business for the next decade.  I deleted the post about 12 hours after I posted it, it felt like a knee jerk reaction and the very next day the weather changed for the better and it's been pretty much sunny ever since, maybe the universe has a way of saying "hang on in there, things will get better"

A week on and I'm feeling low, and that's not helped by the fact that I've put on 4lb of weight in 8 days and my rosacea has broken out, I thought meal replacement shakes were supposed to be the easy way to lose weight?  Especially after amping up my exercise levels, Harriet has also noticed my depression markers have risen considerably over the last week so it's a sure sign something is wrong and I think the only way to find out is to speak to a doctor, they are after all, the experts.

This weekend I have 14 photo shoots booked in my calendar, mainly they're all reschedules from earlier dates where the weather failed us 2, 3 or in some cases 4 times, none the less I feel better when I'm working, it feels so much more productive to me and I know it's a perpetual cycle of people getting excited when they see their images so they tell their friends and then their friends book, something there's been a lack of when I only shot a handful of sessions in the first 3 months of the year.

I guess what took me by surprise this year was that I was prepared for winter, I had savings, no one could have anticipated how long winter actually lasted for and now sprint is on a catch up, in just 3 days the tree outside my window has exploded into leaf growth.  Last weekend when there was no cherry blossom on the trees in Saltwell Park I mused that at least I could offer May cherry blossom sessions this year, probably for the first time as there weren't even leaves on the trees last Sunday.

I'm predicting that the weather now should have sorted itself up and I can press on with marketing for spring and summer safe in the knowledge that when the dark days of winter last too long you usually get a scorching hot summer to compensate.

If you are local to Newcastle these are my next 5 dates you can have an all inclusive £100 mini photo shoot at - 

Jesmond Dene - 29th April - 10, 10.30, 11, 11.30, 12.30, 2, 2.30, 3pm
Jesmond Dene - 12th May 11, 11.30, 12, 1, 1.30, 2, 2.30, 3, 3.30pm
Saltwell Park - 19th May, 10, 11, 11.30, 12, 1, 1.30, 2, 2.30, 3pm

King Edwards Bay -26th May, 10, 10.30, 11, 11.30, noon, 2.30, 3pm

Tynemouth Longsands - 27th May 10, 10.30, 11, 11.30, noon, 1, 1.30, 2, 2.30, 3pm

You get all of the edited images (at least 15x20) and you get the experience of a fun session, all of the kids I meet really enjoy it and there's usually chocolate at the end, I even carry supplies of dairy free sweets, sometimes vegan just in case the small ones are allergic.

Yesterday I also set up a new wedding page on my blog, I think the big dream is to turn this blog into a full on blogsite which encompasses everything I do but I've spent years optimising my actual website so it may take time and a stealthy plan before I can do that.  If you are looking for a photographer in Newcastle for your wedding, that page is a good place to start.

I'm off outdoors now to enjoy some sunshine, a big walk, a healthy lunch, and some time spent with Looby and Holly Bobbins, that I think is just what the doctor ordered.

My Mini Photo Shoot Schedule for 2018

Monday morning and all is quiet, so quiet that I don't seem to have written anything for nearly a week!  I'll be honest, last week was a huge challenge, several business things caused headaches, I had arguments with both of my lovely teens, I had a man fitting Sky Q which lead to having absolutely no internet for over 24 hours, not because we were changing over (heaven forbid no, Sky broadband is awful).  I'm not really sure what he did but our super fast broadband became super non existent and then the Hive installation engineer turned up so I ended up sorting out lots of things via the phone which I hate but now our house is well on it's way to being fully automated, which depending on your point of view is either terrifying or quite exciting.  The smart lighting is next followed by individual smart thermostats but they're not cheap and I'm saving for a Canon 24-70mm f2.8L MkII, go click the link and have a look at the price, it's quite scary but I've had one on hire for the last couple of weeks and I know it's going to be the best lens for my business and I.

Yesterday for anyone who wants to get ahead with booking their 2018 mini photo shoot, I finally published my mini photo shoot schedule right up until the end of September 2018, if you click that link it will have all of the places and dates plus a link to book and tell me what time you would like, it's the most bodacious move I've ever made and when they're gone, they are gone, I'm booking no more until the Oct/Nov/Dec period but I really didn't want to publish those just yet as it feels like I'm wishing the year away already.

Speaking of which, I currently have no travel plans for this year, you might remember that I booked a cruise with Abigail but then she asked if I could cancel it as she'll be at a "really important" Youth Parliament thing and I know for her this is once in a lifetime where as you can go on a cruise any time you want now so I took one on the chin and cancelled but it does make me crave for travel on a daily basis currently.  I currently have a couple of trips I'd like to do with Looby, one of which we're going to be talking about this week, Looby has an interest in geography, rural studies and of course all things horse and countryside so I'm going to try and plan a week travelling Scotland and will hopefully make it on a couple of train journeys I've always wanted to take but haven't so far, those being the West Highland line and the Far North railway line.  I'm hoping we can take Holly Bobbins along too and stay in some lovely dog friendly places, if you have any recommendations please do let me know in the comments.

This week is the week everything should start to change, we are on the downhill slope into spring and I for one am so ready, spring is my favourite season and the one which makes me the bounciest happiest lady in the whole of the north, fancy skipping into the spring flowers with me?

This is the Year Everything Changes...

Last year, around this time, I had a night out with Harriet, it was the last night out I would have until New Years Eve that wasn't work related, I worked every single weekend apart from one in July when I was in France with Abigail and I was working Saturdays and Sundays with up to 20 sessions every week, I loved it and it was all fine until I crashed and burned in October.  Now thanks to the brutal weather conditions we've had this winter, I've only shot 4 sessions since before Christmas but it hasn't mattered as I've been growing my businesses in other directions and also generally recovering.  I've also enjoyed some fabulous Saturday nights out that I wouldn't have had if I'd been working on the Sunday such is my commitment to my business.

This year, I'm making some big changes so that I can find the balance between still running the businesses that I adore and also having a quality of personal life which should in unison make me the happiest I've ever been.

Last year mini photo shoots, small 30 minute sessions costing £100 including the digital images which save around £200ish off the list price were the success of my business and I believe that there is a need for these in the North East of England and so starting this spring I will be offering them on selected dates only.  I'll shoot either 2 or 3 dates a month leaving the other days for writing, blogging and commercial photography.  I've found a love for lifestyle product photography and I think I can bring something different in my own style to the market.  I used to run a design team many years ago for a scrapbooking supply company and I've found that the way I style products is much the same, it's been the biggest revelation to me but Looby particularly loves it because although I'm still working hard, it's from my home.

I used to photograph products many years ago when I had a studio but it was a boring and thankless task, thankfully lifestyle product photography is a whole lot more fun and with companies catching onto the concept that a simple pack shot isn't good enough anymore, I believe there's a rising need for creative photography.  That brings me to my other point, I love food, we all know this but I want to grow that side of my blog because writing about it, eating it, doing creative things with it, this is the life I want.

I also want to make sure my blog is more focused than ever so I'm currently trying to work on which niches I fit into, I know I want to make it Food, Travel and something else, I'm not sure if Food, Travel and Lifestyle work though because isn't lifestyle a big bunch of everything anyway?  if you have any thoughts do let me know in the comments below.

Last year was really the year I got my stuff together and this year is an extension of that plan.  I'm not offering weekday portrait sessions at all this year as I want to concentrate on not only working from home but also on Looby's education.  After 12 years I've realised I cannot be everything to everybody and it's time to take a few calculated risks even if it means taking a cut in income.  Income though, whilst a necessary evil which pays the bills and allows us to do nice stuff, well it isn't the be all and end all.  I learnt many years ago that there are more important things and whilst I have that second chance, I'm never letting work crush the essence of living again.

I'm also taking on more small weddings, again I've found a need in the wedding market for high quality photography in smaller timescales, so my 2, 3 and 4 hour shorter wedding photography packages cater exactly for that.

So much good stuff is happening in my life right now, I smile every day and even my anxiety has completely subsided, it's like a miracle and there were times when I didn't ever see that happening again.  It's just the start though and there's still much to do, and so much to achieve, hang onto your hat though, as the best, is most definitely yet to come.

Professional Photography, The Insider Secrets No One Ever Tells You

Ah January, the month of hibernation, box sets and low income. It's crazy this month that I've earned around half a week's salary during the month so far. Anyone who thinks being a self employed single parent is easy, well send them my way and I'll have a word with them.

It's okay though, I have been beavering away, I have blog goals for this year, you see. I might be a good photographer but there are still skills I don't possess and blog photography isn't in the same kind of style as portrait photography so this year I'm working on making my blog photography more aesthetically beautiful, think flay lays and products in settings which really stand out and sparkle. 

Let me tell you a story. When I had a big studio, long, long ago, we would do product photography on huge light tables that cost hundreds of pounds and I hated it so much that I paid assistants to do it for me. It was the most boring, inane type of photography.  I'm happy to say though, that product photography now is so much more interesting. Great product photography is in it's essence lifestyle photography, if you want to sell a product, it's no good just presenting a cutout of the packaging, you have to sell the lifestyle. You have to make that person believe they need this product in their life. You are essentially selling the dream.  

The insider secrets no one tells you

When you get briefs as a photographer the companies I work with are often looking for aspirational photographs or hero moments, but what does that mean?

Well, quite simply, an aspirational image is one you see and you want it to be you and a hero image is where you have the epitome of life in one photo. It features maybe one or two central characters, a little like the main characters in a movie.  This above all else is why you can't just pick up a camera one day and shoot like Annie Leibovitz the next.

Great photography takes years to master and no one photographer excels at every single discipline. I specialise in children's portraiture photography because it speaks my language.  I love kids and I love having to work for the image, there's no way you can guarantee amazing images at every single photo shoot because sometimes they don't go to plan but in around 97% of cases I know what I turn over is going to capture the very essence of that child's personality. 

Sometimes in less than 30 minutes I have to go in, get to know that child and photograph them, the real them, exactly as they are and you know what, you can be the best technical photographer but if you lack the empathy and communicative skills required to get the most out of that 5 year old, you will fail. There are skills which can't be taught and it's not all down to the way that you use the camera!

As parents you will know that photographing your children can be a thankless task. Sometimes you'll get that shot straightaway and it'll be in a frame on your mantlepiece in no time whilst in other cases, well it's like some kind of warfare and you're on the losing side. Having teenagers, I know exactly how this can be, my children have been testing my skills in some kind of X Factor-style military bootcamp for years and, let me tell you, I didn't always make it through to judges' houses...

Things I've learnt as a professional children's photographer

1. Chocolate is a good bribe but there's nothing more magical than a chocolate coin
2. Being silly always works, I mean, wouldn't you laugh at someone with a dinosaur on their head?
3. Children always respond to a group of adults singing nursery rhymes together
4. Smaller toddlers will always respond if you cheer at them for doing something good
5. Patience, you can't buy patience but it's a lot easier than getting a bit stroppy when your small person point blank refuses to play up to the camera for you, I always find positive reinforcement better than negative reinforcement
6. If you know the Disney back catalogue and you don't mind singing it loudly in public, you will have a high chance of success
7. Always get down to the level of the child, if you tower over them it can be intimidating
8. Try to just capture them being kids in a documentary style, some of the loveliest photographs I've ever taken have been completely unposed ones
9. Is something isn't working, stop and take a break, you can always try again later
10. If all else fails, book a professional, we're experts in our field

There's No Turning Back Now...

I make no apology for the fact that my blogging has been utterly sporadic of late or that I've written very few posts over the whole of summer.  It's weird that sometimes it just seems impossible to grab five minutes to sit down and collect my thoughts but unfortunately that is the way it's been.  I can't remember the last time I was actually up to date with work and as of right now, I have 2 weddings and 4 photo shoots to edit.

It's not that I've fallen out of love with blogging or indeed writing, in fact, nothing could be further than the truth, it's just simply that I need an extra hour in the day!  It's only a few weeks since I started vlogging but I really love finding my feet on a new platform, it's a task to build up a new following but I'm on a mission to conquer Youtube before the end of the year, come subscribe to my face if you already haven't!

I cannot quite believe it's the first of September or that in just 5 days my son will be 21 or indeed that in 24 days my youngest will be 14!  Yesterday I sent off her letter to deregister from school, no going back now, home education here we come!

I wonder if blogging is going to get easier during our year of adventure or if it will end up being like that random year where I only managed to write 34 posts....surely not, I hear you cry?!

Well dear readers, what's going to happen over the next year I just can't tell but I am excited by the possibilities and whilst in some ways, everything is changing, in many ways, I'm going to have to work even harder to support us all whilst simultaneously being responsible for Looby's education.

So, what's on the cards for the next few months, well in a work sense I've just announced my "Last day of summer" Mini photo shoots taking place at King Edwards Bay on 23/09/17 and yes, technically it is actually the first day of autumn but I'm guessing I couldn't fill a whole day of photo shoots on a Friday!!

So if you want a mini photo shoot then, it's £100 and you'll get all of the edited digital images to print and keep forever!  Just send me an email,  sessions are available from 10 am until 4 pm and they're 30 minutes in length.  

It is of course that shooting these crazy days are the thing that sustains us, my income comes from working hard and to the best of my abilities, our lives are what they are because I work more hours in a weekend than there actually seem to be, but you know what, I wouldn't change it for the world, I'm actually a bit rubbish at a life without deadlines, I work better under just a little pressure,maybe that's why I'm single parenting, running a successful and award winning business whilst home educating my 14-year-old, or maybe I've just lost the plot!!

I have big plans for us, we're undertaking a project about tourism in Poland and we'll have a cultural trip to go along with that, we're also going to be working on many forms of media and I'll be helping Looby to set up a blog/vlog when she gets back from her well earned holiday with dad, she's currently in the sunshine in Tenerife, lucky girl.

I also want to do a project on farming since that's what she wants to do and I'll hopefully arrange a stay on a working farm for us and hopefully, Holly Bobbins can join us for that one!  Oh and towards the festive season we'll be studying Christmas around the world with a cultural trip to a Christmas market, it's just as well the English/Math and Science program we are doing is online and accessible wherever we are.

So I want to end this blog post with a note of great thanks, thanks for your continued patronization of my business, thanks for your continued friendly faces entrusting me with your special moments and thanks to all of the people who've helped and advised about our home educating adventure, I really feel, now more than ever, the very best, is yet to come.

Mini Sessions with Mandy Charlton Photography - Top 25 Frequently Asked Questions

It's been around 3 months now since I transformed my business with low-cost, high-value mini sessions with Mandy Charlton Photography in and around the North East of England, the funny thing is that I get asked the same questions over and over, in fact they're the same questions I've been asked for the last ten years and yet still I've never come up with a frequently asked questions so today, I am going to put that to rights and give you some of my most asked questions and the helpful answers! Once you've had a read through you can Book Now, just email me and I'll send an invoice and as soon as that's paid you are booked!

1. How much are mini sessions?  Mini sessions are £100 per session 
2. What do I get for my £100?  You get a 30-minute session at a beautiful location and a Dropbox of all of the edited digital images.
3. Are there any hidden costs?  No, it's simple, convenient and it means you can make more memories with your family.
4. Are the digital images full size?  Yes, you could print wallpaper if you wanted to.
5. What if I want to get some prints?  I always send a link to my favourite consumer printer Photobox with every download invitation.
6. Can I do anything I want with the images?  Yes, as long as you don't sell them it's all good with me!
7. Do I own the copyright?  I maintain copyright on all of my images as the creator but you have a license to print which means you can do whatever you want with them as long as you don't sell them.
8. Can I use the images on social media?   Of course, you can, all I ask is that you tag my business or me in the images so that it helps friends and family discover my business, they deserve lovely photos too!
9. What ages are mini sessions suitable for?  Mini sessions are usually suitable from around 6 months upwards or as soon as baby can sit up unaided.
10. I have a large family of 10, can I book a mini session?  I'm afraid anything over 5 plus the family dog and you really will need more time but you can book a double session for only £200, do make sure you book well in advance though as it's much trickier to find 2 slots together.
11. Can I cancel and get a refund?  Mini sessions are non-refundable, transferable as a gift certificate and if anything happens with sickness or the weather we'll reschedule.
12. What happens if it rains?  I always reschedule in the case of rain or high winds if it's a beach day, both are exceedingly damaging to my delicate camera and pretty much, it's not fun and soggy portraits are not what I would want to put on my walls.
13. What should I wear?  Dress for the weather and as long as you all don't wear clashing colours or patterns you should be absolutely fine!  My clients and I seem to love Joules and it really does go with the style of photographs I produce!
14. Which locations can I choose from?  I regularly hold sessions in Jesmond Dene, Saltwell Park and the beaches of Tynemouth and occasionally I trial other beautiful spaces such as Wharton Park in Durham, Seven Oaks Park in Cramlington and Carlisle Park in Morpeth as well as my favourite Chopwell Wood, somewhere I don't get to enough but there are only so many hours in the weekend.
15. I'd like to buy a session as a gift can I do that?  Yes, you can, I sell gift certificates which are E-Vouchers so all you have to do is click, print and gift!
16. How long are the vouchers valid for?  Currently, all vouchers expire in June 2018!
17. I have an old £35 voucher, can I use that to pay towards it?  No, but I have arranged a special deal where you can book a double session for just £100 and get all of the edited digital images.
18. How can I see when you'll be next at my chosen location?  I try to update Facebook frequently and my website at least once a week but please do email
19. Why do I have to pay for my session to book it?  Because quite simply I am so busy and these sessions are so popular that I can only hold sessions open for up to 24 hours without payment, my calendar is a seriously crazy place and I'm currently booking around 6 weeks - 3 months in advance, I actually have people booked in for Autumn already so they get their chosen slot!
20. How long after the photo shoot will I receive my images?  I try to work as quickly as possible but you can expect that you might have to wait around 5-7 days especially at busy times in the year.
21. How many digital images will I receive?  There's no absolute on this one, it really depends on what happens on the day but people rarely go away with less than 15-20
22. Who are mini sessions suitable for, families, couples, babies from 6 months old, kids
23. Can I bring my dog?  Your dog is also a member of your family and so you should have them in the photographs, my beagle Holly Bobbins often comes along to Jesmond Dene mini session days, she's a celebrity beagle you know ;)
24. I am phobic of dogs, will Holly Bobbins be there?  If you are frightened of dogs or your kids are please do advise when you book, Holly sometimes comes to Jesmond Dene and Wharton Park because she likes the train, she comes to dog-friendly beach sessions but she never comes to Saltwell Park because it's not an off-lead park, she wanders around, she's exceedingly calm and loves kids, particularly the wee ones and she does occasionally try to photobomb!
25. Should we bring anything with us?  I usually have chocolate for the kids and sometimes dog treats for the pooches, bubbles always work well or on the beach buckets and spades can be useful, maybe a favourite toy, it's up to you but you don't have to bring anything and I'll try to make the session as fun as I can.

BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW

Marvellous Mini Sessions in the Northeast of England with Photographer Mandy Charlton

It's been around 3 months since I launched my all inclusive £100 mini sessions across selected locations on various dates across the North East of England and I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing reaction I've had to them.  My wonderful clients have embraced them wholeheartedly and they are in love with the photos which are produced by them.  My calendar is so busy that today I have just launched dates for 3 one-off locations of Seven Oaks park in Cramlington, Carlisle park in Morpeth and Wharton park in Durham.

I am so very thankful for everything that has happened in my business over the last few months and I am currently trying to plan a way to give back to others and pass on the knowledge of the things I've learnt about how it can work in other people's businesses.

Mostly though, it's all just about the sheer joy of photography, the rewards are the smiles and happiness of my clients, it's true I go through bagfuls of chocolate coins every week bribing and negotiating with the kids but they have so much fun and so do I, my 5 hours of sessions every weekend day leave me feeling satisfied and energised, the days simply fly over and I have to admit that Sunday in Saltwell park was one of my favourite days ever as I caught the cherry blossom in full bloom with amazing results, it's no wonder that each and every family was delighted.

For a full list of up to date mini sessions you can click here, I update them as often as possible but do keep in touch through my Facebook page or sign up to my mailing list just click here

If you would like to book a £100 all inclusive mini session, you'll be saving £150 off the list price and you'll get a bumper load of beautiful images you can print as much as you want!  I plan to keep offering the mini sessions but if you want to have a session at your own convenience in your favourite place or maybe you've just had a baby and want a newborn lifestyle photo shoot at home I'm still offering those for £250 with all of the edited images via a download or on a USB.

This year, make it your goal to make more memories with your family and book a photo shoot today in Jesmond Dene, Saltwell park, Tynemouth Longsands, Seven Oaks park, Carlisle Park or Wharton Park.

Looking for a Newcastle Photographer this summer?

It's just a week until the kids break up from school in Newcastle upon Tyne and summer plans are being made, families who haven't seen each other since perhaps Christmas or even longer if perhaps they're flying in from Australia or America and I think the summer is just a great time for photographs, maybe you have a new baby, maybe you are celebrating something special with a garden party, it's just that time a year when having photographs would be the perfect thing to do so if you are looking for a photographer in Newcastle or the north east of England, or maybe even further away (I'm travelling to Stratford upon Avon, Perth and Yorkshire over the next 6 weeks) then I want you to give me a call or email me or have a look at my website and hopefully let me help you celebrate with great images you can truly love and cherish forever. I've worked so hard for 10 years, I truly put my whole heart into everything I do, some days are a struggle as I wrangle with life, single parenting, business and everything that goes along with it but when I work my heart comes alive and I cherish the moments I spend time with you and your precious families.   I love watching your children grow, celebrating the milestones, I get that lump in my throat when I see the little ones I've photographed starting school, growing up into beautiful young people.  I adore my lovely clients, I really do and that's why wherever my career takes me, whatever I eventually end up doing, I'll always want to keep photography at the heart of it.

I have this little offer running, all you need to do is buy a voucher for a regular session for £35, they're usually £75, do it now, or do it this weekend, the offer finishes midnight on Friday but I'll still take orders until Monday because I know you're all busy during the week, we all are, especially in the last weeks of term.

What will you get?  You'll get a photo shoot at home or on location (within 10 miles of Newcastle, if it's further please talk to me, I only charge actual mileage), you'll then get an online gallery to share with friends and family, and as long as you place an order you'll also get a complimentary 12x8 print. But it's more than that, you'll get memories, you can put them on the walls, you can stick them in albums and every time you look at them it will make you smile.

This is my end of term report and here are the reasons you should book me in photographs, images that other people love, that your friends and their families have on their walls, they didn't wait for another day, they did it already and so should you.

To buy your voucher valid for 12 months just email me now

Because We Are Here, 100th Anniversary, Somme

To be asked to be a part of this project by 14-18 NOW has been a huge privilege, the UK’s arts programme for the First WorldWar centenary, the work was created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller in collaboration with Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre. 1400 Silent ghost soldiers stood in cities handing out cards, each soldier representing someone who died in battle.  To see commuters greeted by such scenes was both humbling and also incredibly moving.  The battle of the Somme saw more than 1 million people killed or injured, mums were left without sons and husbands, daughters left without brothers and all for 15 miles of land, lets just take a moment to think about that...

Now is not the time for me to express my opinions of war or hatred, I'm simply going to share with you the scenes I witnessed this morning and with all that has happened in the British political system this week you'd have to think that this puts things back into perspective.

If you want to see more images from around the country today you can search for the hashtag #wearehere on Twitter.

To find out more about the project please visit https://becausewearehere.co.uk/

To speak to me about using any of these images please email mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com