Mandy Charlton Photography has made the news....
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Yes, I've been chosen as this weeks Parent-preneur by the Newcastle Journal, it's a really great article and a lovely photo of us all, I'm super proud and I hope that it might help other people. If you fancy a read you can find the article here.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Just a quick update from moi!
Book your Christmas kids or family portrait shoot this week (before Friday 22nd) and you'll be entered into a draw to win an A4 canvas of your favourite image worth £39.99.
You don't actually have to have the shoot this week just book it for a date between now and the end of January so it's a great time to book.
Plus, if you place an order this week you'll also be entered into the very same prize draw and in addition there's 25% off all open galleries until Friday at Midnight.
Any readers of the Journal might want to look out for me on Thursday as I'll be featured in their Parent-Preneur feature, the photographer is coming this afternoon and I am petrified, I am so much fonder of being on the other side of the lens!!
If you do want to book your kids or family portrait shoot I have limited availability for this weekend so I could be seeing you on Saturday or Sunday to capture some fab natural portraits of you, your kids, your pets or your family.
Book your Christmas kids or family portrait shoot this week (before Friday 22nd) and you'll be entered into a draw to win an A4 canvas of your favourite image worth £39.99.
You don't actually have to have the shoot this week just book it for a date between now and the end of January so it's a great time to book.
Plus, if you place an order this week you'll also be entered into the very same prize draw and in addition there's 25% off all open galleries until Friday at Midnight.
Any readers of the Journal might want to look out for me on Thursday as I'll be featured in their Parent-Preneur feature, the photographer is coming this afternoon and I am petrified, I am so much fonder of being on the other side of the lens!!
If you do want to book your kids or family portrait shoot I have limited availability for this weekend so I could be seeing you on Saturday or Sunday to capture some fab natural portraits of you, your kids, your pets or your family.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Because I really am a frightful blogger I'm going to atleast attempt to write 1 solid monthly post with all the latest news.
So this month has been a mad month with portraits and weddings, I thought I'd try and share just a few recent favourites.
So thats just a quick sneaky peek at what I've been up to, meeting gorgeous children, people in love, and shooting commercial images for the wonderful company Grow Up Green who will help you provide ethical cloth nappies for your precious babies.
You'd think with all of that I wouldn't have time left for anything else but just recently I've gotten back to my first love, creative crafts, it's a great way to relax and it's such a fun thing to do with the children, if you are a crafter then why not come and chat about it on a friendly forum I like to call Craft. if you are a craft related business you can come and advertise for free, all that we ask is a reciprocal link.
Looking ahead it's time to book your Christmas portrait sessions for families or kids - Book your Christmas portrait session now only £15 until 31/01/11 after which the price will be £40, save yourself £25, weekends already filling fast so book now, weekdays and some weekends available. To book call me or email me, all details are on my website.
Coming up over the next week I have a 2 day shoot with a professional to get some professional but not stuffy portraits and I also have a 2 day shoot with a gorgeous 4 year old who has a promising career ahead of her, already starring in a Commercial and with interest in LA this gorgeous, full of fun 4 year old has big things in her future.
As always if you want to keep up with me why not add me to your facebook or follow me on Twitter
So this month has been a mad month with portraits and weddings, I thought I'd try and share just a few recent favourites.
You'd think with all of that I wouldn't have time left for anything else but just recently I've gotten back to my first love, creative crafts, it's a great way to relax and it's such a fun thing to do with the children, if you are a crafter then why not come and chat about it on a friendly forum I like to call Craft. if you are a craft related business you can come and advertise for free, all that we ask is a reciprocal link.
Looking ahead it's time to book your Christmas portrait sessions for families or kids - Book your Christmas portrait session now only £15 until 31/01/11 after which the price will be £40, save yourself £25, weekends already filling fast so book now, weekdays and some weekends available. To book call me or email me, all details are on my website.
Coming up over the next week I have a 2 day shoot with a professional to get some professional but not stuffy portraits and I also have a 2 day shoot with a gorgeous 4 year old who has a promising career ahead of her, already starring in a Commercial and with interest in LA this gorgeous, full of fun 4 year old has big things in her future.
As always if you want to keep up with me why not add me to your facebook or follow me on Twitter
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
It's fair to say that my children are the people who complete me, I put everything into being the best possible mum so when Abigail informed me that she'd had the best summer holidays ever I congratulated myself on a job well done, of course what then happened is I caught a glance of a never ending to-do list. Work has been somewhat neglected over the summer holidays, finding a balance between being a great mum and a business woman is a never ending struggle.
I question how other mums do it, certainly the business mums I do know seem to have the same struggles and so I wonder if there is a possibIlity of balance at holiday times. Last year in the summer holidays I shot 11 weddings and we didn't
Get to do much else, my children told me in no uncertain. Terms that I had neglected them and even though I took them to Scarborough for 4 days it clearly wasn't good enough.
This year by the time they go back to school I'll have shot 4 weddings and we've been to Glasgow, Leeds, Edinburgh, York and I went to Cardiff for 4 nights with Laura. It's felt a much easier way of living but I am now broke from not working enough to sustain their spending which is akin to the great banking crisis before anyone actually found out!
Hubby of course has worked the entire summer taking only a couple of Mondays off and it doesn't seem to bother him, he muses that in the winter the kids get him there all the time but of course the kids are at school for most of the winter, He is a truly great dad and together we're pretty great parents for the most part so why do I feel so bad?
We of the female form seem to be the only ones who suffer pangs of guilt that we're palming off the kids with too much CBBC and Nickelodeon, I'm starting to think that iCarly is my favourite programme because it seems to be on the tv endlessly.
And so this ends this rather random blog post, something I needed to write if only to clear my own head and hear my own thoughts out loud, I just hope some harassed business mum will read this and realize that she's not alone In the guilt I think we all feel as we try to be the best wife/mother/businesswoman and mostly all at the same time!
I question how other mums do it, certainly the business mums I do know seem to have the same struggles and so I wonder if there is a possibIlity of balance at holiday times. Last year in the summer holidays I shot 11 weddings and we didn't
Get to do much else, my children told me in no uncertain. Terms that I had neglected them and even though I took them to Scarborough for 4 days it clearly wasn't good enough.
This year by the time they go back to school I'll have shot 4 weddings and we've been to Glasgow, Leeds, Edinburgh, York and I went to Cardiff for 4 nights with Laura. It's felt a much easier way of living but I am now broke from not working enough to sustain their spending which is akin to the great banking crisis before anyone actually found out!
Hubby of course has worked the entire summer taking only a couple of Mondays off and it doesn't seem to bother him, he muses that in the winter the kids get him there all the time but of course the kids are at school for most of the winter, He is a truly great dad and together we're pretty great parents for the most part so why do I feel so bad?
We of the female form seem to be the only ones who suffer pangs of guilt that we're palming off the kids with too much CBBC and Nickelodeon, I'm starting to think that iCarly is my favourite programme because it seems to be on the tv endlessly.
And so this ends this rather random blog post, something I needed to write if only to clear my own head and hear my own thoughts out loud, I just hope some harassed business mum will read this and realize that she's not alone In the guilt I think we all feel as we try to be the best wife/mother/businesswoman and mostly all at the same time!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
You know... I used to be so good at blogging but sadly as my business gets busier the less time I have to blog.
So here's the down low on whats been occuring....
In life all is well, we've had days out, stayovers and the girls have been to Ibiza with their grandparents while Iain went to the Lake District with his grandparents. My children are well travelled.
Since I last blogged I've shot something like 6 weddings and 20 portrait sessions as well as a very swish birthday party where the Drifters were flown in!! Now I must get around to blogging that one.
I think it's safe to say that there's no way I'll ever be caught up!
A couple of favourites from recent weddings though :-
Simon and Georgi who married at St Georges Parish Church, Jesmond and had a swish reception at The Sage, Gateshead
Gaia and Andy who married in an intimate ceremony at Longhirst Hall in Northumberland
and Nigel and Louise who married in a fabulous flamboyant setting, Crathorne Hall in Yarm, Cleveland.
If you're a bride interested in seeing any weddings I've shot at your chosen venue just email me and I'll give you the password to the galleries.
So after a couple of ultra chaotic but fun months I'm taking next week off, I'll be away from lunchtime on Monday until Saturday so please be aware that print orders won't be processed until my return. This means of course that if you opt for express shipping, your order might take just a little longer to reach you. Also during this time it may take me longer to respond to emails and enquiries but I do have 2 smartphones and as long as the batteries aren't both flat at the same time I'll respond as quickly as I can.
Upon my return I'm going to be shooting 2 weddings in 5 days plus many other fun things, if I don't blog for a month you'll know that life is being fun and chaotic again!!
If you do want to keep up with me though why not add me on facebook or Twitter
Until next time...
So here's the down low on whats been occuring....
In life all is well, we've had days out, stayovers and the girls have been to Ibiza with their grandparents while Iain went to the Lake District with his grandparents. My children are well travelled.
Since I last blogged I've shot something like 6 weddings and 20 portrait sessions as well as a very swish birthday party where the Drifters were flown in!! Now I must get around to blogging that one.
I think it's safe to say that there's no way I'll ever be caught up!
A couple of favourites from recent weddings though :-
Simon and Georgi who married at St Georges Parish Church, Jesmond and had a swish reception at The Sage, Gateshead
Gaia and Andy who married in an intimate ceremony at Longhirst Hall in Northumberland
and Nigel and Louise who married in a fabulous flamboyant setting, Crathorne Hall in Yarm, Cleveland.
If you're a bride interested in seeing any weddings I've shot at your chosen venue just email me and I'll give you the password to the galleries.
So after a couple of ultra chaotic but fun months I'm taking next week off, I'll be away from lunchtime on Monday until Saturday so please be aware that print orders won't be processed until my return. This means of course that if you opt for express shipping, your order might take just a little longer to reach you. Also during this time it may take me longer to respond to emails and enquiries but I do have 2 smartphones and as long as the batteries aren't both flat at the same time I'll respond as quickly as I can.
Upon my return I'm going to be shooting 2 weddings in 5 days plus many other fun things, if I don't blog for a month you'll know that life is being fun and chaotic again!!
If you do want to keep up with me though why not add me on facebook or Twitter
Until next time...
Sunday, June 13, 2010
We've just got back from Seahouses, it's only 50 miles away on the coast of Northumberland and takes us less than an hour to reach. If you know me by now you'll know I love to get away but it's usually never less than a 3 or 4 hour journey so when I heard about Breakwater Cottage I had my reservations, I mean we go to Seahouses quite often and I actually have a family portrait shoot on the beach at Seahouses this Wednesday!! I spoke to the owner of Breakwater though and what sealed the deal was the 50"Plasma TV for hubby to watch the England world cup match yesterday evening, this weekend was his Fathers Day present since next weekend I'll be shooting a huge wedding.
Breakwater Cottage is a luxury holiday cottage and everything has been thought of, it's quite a large cottage and plenty of room for us to amble about in, the beds gave us the best nights sleep ever and I loved sitting in the back garden listening to the birds and the lambs.
I actually took my DSLR this weekend and used it yesterday to capture some special moments, here's a few favourites and if you fancy snooping on the whole set just click on through to the album on Facebook.
On a boat to the Farne Islands, we were so lucky to see plenty of Puffins, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Oyster Catchers and the rare Grey seal who all colonise the Farne Islands.
Back on land and we enjoyed a drink or two at the superb Bamburgh Castle Hotel while the kids played happily!
In the evening Abigail and her daddy had a world cup party while Looby and I went down to the rockpools and beach to explore and enjoy some time on our own.
It really was the perfect day...
Breakwater Cottage is a luxury holiday cottage and everything has been thought of, it's quite a large cottage and plenty of room for us to amble about in, the beds gave us the best nights sleep ever and I loved sitting in the back garden listening to the birds and the lambs.
I actually took my DSLR this weekend and used it yesterday to capture some special moments, here's a few favourites and if you fancy snooping on the whole set just click on through to the album on Facebook.
On a boat to the Farne Islands, we were so lucky to see plenty of Puffins, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Oyster Catchers and the rare Grey seal who all colonise the Farne Islands.
Back on land and we enjoyed a drink or two at the superb Bamburgh Castle Hotel while the kids played happily!
In the evening Abigail and her daddy had a world cup party while Looby and I went down to the rockpools and beach to explore and enjoy some time on our own.
It really was the perfect day...
Thursday, May 27, 2010
I have been such a naughty blogger and it's all about to change.
In recent weeks I have been shooting many gorgeous weddings, kids and families and as if thats not enough I have also been decorating our house and I've also started walking, I take myself on jaunts to interesting places and have become the queen of Charity shop bargains. You see the thing is, I want to have a house which matches the personality of our family, so basically vintage, quirky and fun, now I have a penchant for old and interesting as well as funky retro and so you can only find these things at Car boot sales, antique stores and charity shops so I've incorporated my walking with hunting for lovely pretty things for our house and I have to say that it's all going fabulously. I've sprinkled in a little new because I love John Lewis and Laura Ashley but for the most part everything I've made use of has been a bargain!! thanks to my lovely friend Julie over at Applause Accountancy for the suggestion that I should incorporate my shopping tales
1 more important thing, my wonderful friend and awesome photographer who inspires me every day, Mr Matt Wagster has his amazing and gorgeous photographs from our vow renewal on his blog at the moment so if you have a moment go and have a look and then leave him a lovely comment, I call Matt my big brother even though he's technically a little younger than me so I really want him to feel the love!!
So I promise more blogging, more photography and more shopping tales coming very soon.
Oh and just so this blog post has an image, here's something I shot at a vintage wedding recently -
In recent weeks I have been shooting many gorgeous weddings, kids and families and as if thats not enough I have also been decorating our house and I've also started walking, I take myself on jaunts to interesting places and have become the queen of Charity shop bargains. You see the thing is, I want to have a house which matches the personality of our family, so basically vintage, quirky and fun, now I have a penchant for old and interesting as well as funky retro and so you can only find these things at Car boot sales, antique stores and charity shops so I've incorporated my walking with hunting for lovely pretty things for our house and I have to say that it's all going fabulously. I've sprinkled in a little new because I love John Lewis and Laura Ashley but for the most part everything I've made use of has been a bargain!! thanks to my lovely friend Julie over at Applause Accountancy for the suggestion that I should incorporate my shopping tales
1 more important thing, my wonderful friend and awesome photographer who inspires me every day, Mr Matt Wagster has his amazing and gorgeous photographs from our vow renewal on his blog at the moment so if you have a moment go and have a look and then leave him a lovely comment, I call Matt my big brother even though he's technically a little younger than me so I really want him to feel the love!!
So I promise more blogging, more photography and more shopping tales coming very soon.
Oh and just so this blog post has an image, here's something I shot at a vintage wedding recently -