Why we’re not for everybody…

We admit, we’re not the cheapest family photographers around – but we believe that truly beautiful, and professional, fine art family photography is a very different animal to the formulaic work so commonly available nowadays.

To work the way we do requires an awful lot of time, experience, money and commitment. The resultant portraits are exquisite and stand to become the most precious heirlooms our clients possess.

The families we attract are certainly discerning, but they aren’t all wealthy or affluent. This is a luxury service we provide and parents will budget and save to be able to come to us and have us make photographs showing their children as they really are, rather than them feeling awkward, looking unnatural and bad-tempered for being prodded, posed and instructed to “stand like this”…

We listen when you describe the type of art and imagery you love, and we spend hours, individually processing every digital file we select for your viewing until it’s “just so”.

Our clients know all of this, and that’s why they choose to come to us. They appreciate the time we spend with them, the experience they have with us, and the quality of the fabulous products we provide.

The type of photography we produce is a luxury and our clients know this too. They’re not snaps, they’re beautiful pieces of photographic art, hand printed by a local independent printer with over 20 years experience and who uses only the very best quality inks and papers.

We spend time with you; gently guiding you through the selection process, even arranging to come and visit your home to make sure you don’t choose erroneously. These photographs are going to be on your wall, probably for the rest of your life – you’ve got to get it right.

Our frames are all hand-made to order for each individual portrait, because no two are the same and, when completed, they’re personally inspected by one of us to ensure they make the grade.

Unlike other high price items, like cars, plasma TV screens or designer clothing, we remain secure in our knowledge that as the years roll by and all those items lose value and prestige, your family photographs will do the complete opposite – they’ll become your most admired and most treasured belongings.

Our service and our work are unique. In a time where mass-produced, low-cost products with a short life expectancy are marketed and sold, we stand, heads held high and proudly proclaim that we’re different.

We stand by our belief that our work, making beautiful photographs of your family, is precious beyond words and that it isn’t expensive at all – it’s priceless…

Megan.

Remember Katie and Matt? We blogged about their pre wedding sitting a few weeks ago.

Our friend Lily assisted on the shoot. Well, last weekend lilly came along to help out on the wedding too.

Matt and Katie live in London but Katie’s uncle has a holiday house in Windermere and so they are able to visit the lake district often.
They were married at Our ladies by the wayside church in Grasmere and the party was held at Broad leys WMBRC.
Matt and Katie have been together for nearly 12 years and are very comfortable in each others company although they told me when we first met that they didn’t really enjoy having their photographs taken (who does?) but felt that they would be comfortable with our style of unobtrusive wedding photography.
After they had viewed the pictures we made of them for their pre wedding shoot they sent us a lovely message saying how delighted they were with the photographs.
In fact when we arrived at Broad leys on the morning of the wedding with their signature print the whole of Katies family commented on how wonderful they thought the photographs were and couldn’t wait to see how  the wedding pictures would turn out!

No pressure then…..

Here are a few of my personal favourites from the day -the full gallery of 250 photographs is on our main website client area. And you can see an extended gallery here.
Katie and Matt came to view them yesterday before they headed back to London – we turned them around in less than 2 day which was a record for us although we did consume far too much red bull to keep energy levels up! I am pleased to report they were both delighted with the results.

We have a favour to ask…

You might have seen that we like to make photographs for ourselves, as well as our lovely clients. One of the projects we want to work on is one that celebrates being a Lake District Mum !

We want to create a piece of work featuring Mums of all ages, with or without their children, and saying what being a mum means to them. What they’ve learned from being a Mum, what they love about being a Mum, what they’ve struggled with being a Mum, what they’ve learned from their own Mum….

We want you to come along with your own Mum, with your children, or just by yourself and let us take 1 photograph of you whilst you answer 1 of the above questions. That’s it. No catch. Will you help ?

Russell and his Mum…

We’ll put all the photographs we make into one piece of work to be published on Mothers Day and, to say thank you, we’ll give you a digital copy of your photograph for your own personal use.

Keep your eye on our Facebook page for the dates and times that our studio will be open for you to drop in and be a part of this project. We really hope you’ll be a part of this – thanks, Russell and Megan.

Sarah has been with us this week on student placement.

She lives in Kendal just a few miles down the road from our studio here in Bowness on Windermere and is in year 10 at Queen Katherine School.

We asked her a few questions……

Why did you do a placement at a photography studio?

I wanted to do it at a photography studio because I love photography as a hobby and hoped to expand on what I knew and get an insight into it as a job. I’d often take my camera out and take photos and I was hoping to see how the professionals do it and gain skills and techniques along the way, I’ve already learnt so much!

What kinds of photography do you like and why?

I enjoy portrait and nature photography along with landscapes, I find them very interesting and I love the feeling when I’ve got photo I’m proud of. Coming to Russell Colman Photography has taught me some great skills, which will hopefully improve my own photography.

You live in the lake district tell us a bit about it?

I have been near to the Lakes for 12 or 13 years now have been exploring the area for while. It’s lovely just to get out even if it is usually raining and explore the famous hills, lakes and mountains. I love the sense of freedom the lakes has as well as its pretty towns and villages, which come with friendly people.

Please say something about the photographs you took earlier today.

I was given a few key words, which were my focus then I went out looking for things that I could photograph relating to the word, for example I was given colour and used that to start the building blocks for some of the photographs I took. I tried to incorporate some of the skills I’ve already learnt into the photographs, I hope you like them!

And please describe the portraits you managed to take this morning?

I’d borrowed one of Russell’s amazing cameras to take some portraits and the light was great this morning so I took the camera and got some shots of my Mum, which I hope you like as I really enjoyed taking them. I’d been given some tips about blurring the background and making the the subject of the photo(my Mum) clear and stand out and ended up with some photos I’m proud of.

What would you like to be doing in 10 years?

In ten years I hope to have a job and have been to University I’m not really sure yet as what I want to do but I’d like to pursue photography even if it’s just as a hobby I love.

And finally what about the photography you did this morning in the studio?

This morning I did some studio work with the Studio flash lighting and took some photos of Pippa and Russell with their playful dogs. Russell had given my some helpful advise and taught me a bit about the studio flash and what settings to put the camera on to get some nice images which I hope you like and it was great having a go especially after doing some shots outside.

One of the things I really love about our family work is when children come back to to us for an updated portrait sitting.

Children change  so quickly – both in the way they relate and respond to the world around them, and, more obviously, in how they look physically.

We first photographed Masie back in 2009 when she was just a baby.

She came back last week and, as is often the case with younger children, she wan’t too sure if she really wanted to have her photograph taken at first.

We prefer not to set a time scale on portrait sittings – the most important thing for us is that the families we are taking photographs with are relaxed and feel at ease whatever their age.

Masie kept us waiting for an hour or so (and went through several chocolate biscuits!) before she decided everything was ok.

I am glad she did because she was a delight!

Mum wiped her chin free from crumbs and we managed to capture her just the way she is now, curls and all!

We are looking forward to catching up with her older sister next week during half term.

I’d better get the biscuits in…

This February half-term, Monday – Friday, we are introducing our special, hour long, mini-sittings which include 1 framed and mounted photograph of your choice.

Although a pint-size version of our normal sessions, the only compromise made is in the time we spend taking the photographs – by no means will you be receiving anything less than the best in terms of client care and quality of our products.

These sittings are available to individuals, or groups exceeding no more than 4 people, and will take place at our lakeside studio. You have the choice of either an indoor shoot, or, weather permitting, outdoors in the grounds of the studio.

Depending on which option you book, the sitting includes either a 10 x 8, 12 x 10 or 15 x 10 inch portrait, printed on archive grade paper and is professionally framed and mounted in a classic black, hardwood frame available only when booking this offer.

Your Choices

Sitting plus a framed and mounted 10 x 8 inch desk-top portrait and sitting £175

Sitting plus a framed and mounted 12 x 10 inch wall hung portrait and sitting £205

Sitting plus a framed and mounted 15 x 10 inch wall hung portrait and sitting £245

This offer is not available in conjunction with any other of our packages or promotions. Payment is required at the time of booking and you are under no obligation to make any additional purchases. If you’d like to find out a bit more, call the studio or send us an email. Thanks, Megan.

We had a great evening last night catching up with our friends Mike and Shelley.

Shelley is one of the founding members and the inspiration behind the Staveley Carnival which is held every two years here in the Lake district.

The carnival is a really inspiring community event with weeks of workshops involving young and old.

The climax is  the carnival procession which winds it’s way through the village watched by hundreds of people.

I have loads of photographs from the past years and when I get a spare day or two will edit my personal favourites and post a gallery.

Here are just a few of that I have found today.

If you live in the lake district or are going to be here this summer then watch out for future announcements as 2012 is a carnival year.

I can’t wait.

My Mum turned seventy at the end of November and I am not too sure who it was that felt more unnerved by the event, her or me? How can that have happened so quickly? Was it really twenty years ago when we  took her to Blackpool to celebrate her fiftieth with a ride on the big dipper and a night out at funny girls? As somebody might have said once you can’t help getting older but you don’t have to get old..

To celebrate this year we had a family party with a real lake district theme. Mum’s favourite ceilidh band Striding edge got everybody dancing and our friends from Cowmire hall provided  mulled cider which went down a treat. I was not allowed to take photographs as I had promised to man the bar and help cook the cumberland sausages for the lake district themed supper and also dance on request with (in no particular order) my nieces,  my Mum (three times!) , my Sister , my Nephew and  my wife Pippa.

Thankfully the only promise I had to make to our 3 sons was that I would’t make them dance although they were unable to resist my Mum’s request as, after all, it was her special night.

For a surprise present we made Mum a book featuring photographs she has collected over the last seven decades.

I scanned the images and debated for a good while if I should clean any marks and scratches and folds using photoshop. In the end I decided to keep them very much as they are – I liked the feeling of them being handled and imagined each mark had it’s own story – a sort of memory on top of a memory.

Pictures looked at and shared and stories told becoming an occasion in itself.

When we were young we would look at them and learn about our past and hear stories about our family. Mum bringing down the big box marked ‘family’ from a tall cupboard. “This is one here is your Great Grandmother on the family farm where they lived  in Someset … this my dad –your Grandfather and me taken just before the war on a holiday by lake windermere …Look at you as a baby!”…We would wonder at them. These people frozen, in this moment, in this other time, years before we were born. Our fingers marking them as we passed them round.

You can preview the book  here . And  below are a just few of my personal favourites…

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and, due to the huge response drawn by some photographs we shared of a recent engagement shoot on our Facebook page, we thought we’d help you start getting in the mood for love by sharing some of our other favourite pre-wedding images here.

We’re known for being photographers who work with children, families and photograph weddings. However, why shouldn’t a couple – young or old, married or not, with children or without – also come and treat themselves to having some beautiful photographs made ?

Some families, who come to us to have a large family portrait made, also ask for images of individuals and for smaller group photographs taken. So, we’ve also included selection of favourite images of stolen moments on a busy family shoot that show it doesn’t matter how old or young you are, love really is all that matters..!

Throughout February, we’ll be giving away a bottle of Champagne to all couples who book a photography sitting so feel free to get in touch – and don’t worry if it’s a surprise treat.

We’re good at keeping secrets !

We haven’t blogged for so long – we have lot’s of catching up to do!

Here are a few images from a summer wedding we photographed at one of our favourite venues here in

The lake district – Gossel ridding

Gossel ridding really is one of The Lake District’s finest houses, built in 1908 by the owner’s (TV producer Charlie Pattinson) great grandfather.

The location is great, a short walk away from Bowness on Windermere, the design – breathtaking, oak carvings and glossy wooden floors mixed with crisp white linen furniture from B&B Italia.. The attention to detail from Teddie Pattinson who designed the interiors is perfect.

In fact Charlie and Teddie are friends of ours and we have been lucky to spend some fun times with them there with our own family.

My wife Pippa spent many summer days playing hide and seek in the gardens with Charlie and his sister Lucy

and so it was lovely to see that Zoe and Rob had organised a treasure hunt for the children during the hot afternoon of their wedding.

Before that there was a fantastic meal prepared by Rob. The wedding ceremony took place in Kendal.

give us a clue

Rob and Zoe