“All that we are is story. From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey, we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we’re here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship – we change the world, one story at a time…” ― Richard Wagamese
Awaken in the dream...
Will we wake up in the dream in time? Or are we too profoundly distracted?
Florals and portraits ... a session with me is about colour, movement, emotion, and storytelling... creating timeless keepsake photography for your home of what is dear to you . Please DM if you want to find out more about my post lockdown bookings for March.
Impeccable taste...
Last month I photographed celebrity stylist Elizabeth Saltzman with her impeccable taste and infectious personality at Scarfes Bar for Country & Townhouse Magazine
Elizabeth Saltzman wearing Rupert Sanderson shoes
Beyond...
“I am reality without beginning . . . I have no part in the illusion of ‘I’ and ‘you,’ ‘this’ and ‘that.’ I am . . . one without a second, bliss without end, the unchanging, eternal truth. I dwell within all beings as . . . the pure consciousness, the ground of all phenomena, internal and external. I am both the enjoyer and that which is enjoyed. In the days of my ignorance, I used to think of these as being separate from myself. Now I know that I am all.” ― Robert Lanza, Beyond Biocentrism
Starring you...
Newly framed images giclée printed on photo rag from a recent local family portrait session. The matt finish of Hahnemüle Photorag gives muted blacks with even colour reproduction. The surface has minimal texture with a chalky smooth cotton feel which creates smooth colour gradients. Images can be mounted and framed to your taste. These images show an off white mount and black matt frame.
Alexandra Dao is a local family portrait photographer based in Greenwich, south east London
And the day came...
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ― Anais Nin
Portrait session with Diana Thomas, writer and journalist; author of ‘my transgender diary’.
Are we being good ancestors?
Heirloom portrait sessions with me over September — pls DM me to find out more… ♡
All we do and are...
“Religion is, in reality, living. Our religion is not what we profess, or what we say, or what we proclaim; our religion is what we do, what we desire, what we seek, what we dream about, what we fantasize, what we think - all these things - twenty-four hours a day. One's religion, then, is ones life, not merely the ideal life but the life as it is actually lived.
Religion is not prayer, it is not a church, it is not theistic, it is not atheistic, it has little to do with what white people call "religion." It is our every act. If we tromp on a bug, that is our religion; if we experiment on living animals, that is our religion; if we cheat at cards, that is our religion; if we dream of being famous, that is our religion; if we gossip maliciously, that is our religion; if we are rude and aggressive, that is our religion. All that we do, and are, is our religion.” ― Jack D. Forbes
What her soul wishes...
“Though her soul requires seeing, the culture around her requires sightlessness. Though her soul wishes to speak its truth, she is pressured to be silent.” ― Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Telling all of one's heart...
“Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognise the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences—good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as ‘ordinary courage.'” @brenebrown
If you have feelings and memories you would like turned into pictures to keep forever pls DM me ♡ #selondon #londonfamilyphotographer
We are each other...
“Do not fall for categories. Everyone is everything. Every ingredient inside a star is inside you, and every personality that ever existed competes in the theatre of your mind for the main role.” — Matt Haig, The Humans
In the twinkle of the morning star...
“Our individuality is all, all, that we have. There are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it in, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life's bittersweet route.” ― Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume
Walk your own path...
“Hold your ground and walk your path,
deaf to misconceptions, fears and doubts
of those who don't dare to live their own lives.
Walk your path fearless like a lion
and tender like morning dew.” ― Petra Poje - Keeper of The Eye
How does your garden grow?
“A therapist suggested that I care for a plant, and thereby take the attention off myself, so I started work on my patch, which is near a public lane. People stopped and chatted, and started showing interest in what I was doing. It became a social garden and that cheered me along; the dog walkers, the mums taking their kids to school, and the neighbours. A local woman of 102 used to come and sit in the garden. It developed a momentum through all that. I have to keep the non-paying public happy. It teaches me patience, which is good for me.” Steve ( Words/interview Jim Cable from a 2014 interview)
What do you want to tell the world or what is dear to you?
Whilst out on my daily walk I’m offering complimentary-2-metre-apart-front-garden-portraits-in-my-neighbourhood over the Covid19 period. Pls message me to find out more…
Miracle and Mystery
"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery." — H.G. Wells
All things are impermanent..
“If there is beauty, there must be ugliness;
If there is right, there must be wrong.
Wisdom and ignorance are complementary,
And illusion and enlightenment cannot be separated.
This is an old truth, don't think it was discovered recently.
"I want this, I want that"
Is nothing but foolishness.
I'll tell you a secret -
"All things are impermanent!”
Contemplation
“Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing.” — Dodie Smith.
Bespoke floral portraits
Telling the world...
Tell me what you want to tell the world and together in my studio we can create images for your business.
These samples are from a set of photos I created this week for an IVF counsellor. She wanted bespoke images for her new website to say uplifting, optimism, spring, connection and approachability. Personal branding photography plays a powerful role in attracting the right clients to your business. How you are perceived by your ideal clients is essential.
We spent 2 hours creating a range of shots. Pls DM me to find out more and start the conversation…
Memory...
“We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory.” ― Louise Gluck
On growing old and growing up...
“I am convinced that most people do not grow up...We marry and dare to have children and call that growing up. I think what we do is mostly grow old. We carry accumulation of years in our bodies, and on our faces, but generally our real selves, the children inside, are innocent and shy as magnolias.” ― Maya Angelou. Letter to my Daughter