Welcome to my world

Hey y’all! Welcome to my blog and general ramblings on my adventures in photography. My name is Christina – I am a studio and on-location photographer.

Since I started this blog my photographic journey has gone from strength to strength and during that time I have to admit that, at least in the last 6 months, I have done very little blogging – my ‘very’ bad! But, I intend for that to change!

My passion is photographing women and my project the Essence of Woman is all about finding the beauty in all women and giving it wings! You can read more about it here: http://christinadithmar.smugmug.com/The-Essence-of-Woman and I will soon be writing a blog post on it too.

I do of course still love all kinds of photography and am incredibly grateful to be able to do a job that doesn’t feel like a job at all. Please feel free to leave comments and I promise to try and keep it updated a bit better than previously! You can have a look at my work on my website www.christina-dithmar-photography.co.uk, many of my clients leave their galleries open for browsing, so feel free to take a peak!

I look forward to making your acquaintance!

Christina

Another Kind of Ordinary

Meet Sara.

 

Sara came to me for a photoshoot for the Essence of Woman project after her first mastectomy and a few weeks before her second one was due. Neither Sara nor I knew at the time what an impact these images would have on us, and as a consequence, we have both been sitting with them for a while, trying to figure out what to do with them. We never expected to feel about them the way we do. I am not sure we are necessarily any the wiser, but we have decided that we can hold them back no longer, and as such, we have decided that their story is to be shared, in the hope that they might make this incredibly important journey slightly less overwhelming for others.

This blogpost is a collaboration between myself and Sara. I interviewed Sara and it is Sara’s words and my images that have come together in this post.

CD – Why did you decide to have a photoshoot?

S – It was for myself, for me to see myself as I am now, and to show that I am different on the outside (physically) and that I have had to find a new ‘normal’ inside. I am still the same deep down – battered but wiser, luckier than I thought possible and able to wear my scar (scars now) with pride; my badges of honour. The images were just for me – a record really, of the different aspects of my life as a business woman, mother and wife and that was the theme we chose for the shoot. Initially dressed as each persona, then removing the clothes, revealing the scar and showing that underneath the physical and the emotional scars, I am still there. Stronger and wiser. Very glad to be here.

CD – As we were shooting, it was like an out-of-body experience for me and when I came to edit the images, I was shocked at how powerful I found some of them to be. The scar was really important, but what surprised me was that in the end, the shoot wasn’t about the scar, it was about you – the ‘essence’ of you. What do you think?

S – Having never thought of having my photograph taken at all, nevermind naked, and especially not by a stranger, I couldn’t believe that the images showed the ‘me’ I know. They truly portrayed the journey from the complete devastation, seen in the first few images (below), to more than survival – more than an acceptance – to a new normal which actually (surprisingly) felt really good.

CD – Originally, these photos were just for you. What changed? Why are you now OK with them being in the public domain?

S – Since having had the surgery, I have been talking to more and more women who have been through a similar experience and I was so shocked to hear how some women don’t feel they can leave their house after surgery, some don’t even feel able to tell their families! I thought, that if sharing my experience even on a small level helps in any way, then I will share them. I think all the brave and wonderful men and women who have been hit like a bolt out of the blue by any life-threatening illness, need to know that there is life beyond. I also hope that seeing these images, seeing the scars, will help others to understand what they might look like after the surgery – what to expect and that that’s OK.

CD – The first images in the series are very raw. Why did you want to have these images in particular taken?

S – These images show in every way, everything I felt when I first found out that I had cancer. For me, they show it all; how small and utterly helpless I felt. How overwhelmed it made me feel. Everything you think you already know, everything you have, is completely altered with the words  ‘you have cancer’. As it turns out, not all for the bad.

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 CD – How long did you have between diagnosis and surgery, and did you consider having reconstructive surgery – implants?

S – From diagnosis to surgery was 4 weeks. Pretty quick. Very scary. A whirlwind. I decided against reconstructive surgery at the time. I personally feel very strongly that women should be able to make a much more informed decision about reconstructive surgery and whether they really need or want it. I’m so glad I didn’t.
I don’t think it is appropriate to expect them to be able to decide whether or not to have implants, in the turmoil that is the 4 weeks from diagnosis to surgery. I would like women to see their scar(s) as a testament to their bravery and strength, and to allow themselves time to adjust to the new world they find themselves in before they embark on such radical surgery. One of the problems is that when the medical profession shows us images of reconstructive surgery or of the scars, they don’t really have any ‘real’, ‘ordinary’, images of everyday women. I didn’t even see any pictures. Just diagrams – and they were too clinical. Women need to know that they can have the reconstructive surgery later on, when and if they feel it is right for them. They also need to know the physical consequences of any of the surgery. The healing often takes a lot longer than we are told.

CD – Have you healed completely now? How long did it take? Did you have to do any rehabilitation and when were you able to go back to work?

S – I was lucky to have work colleagues that could treat my scar and give me physio. My arm was in absolute agony and without the treatment and support from my fellow osteopaths, I don’t know what I would have done. It would have been a longer journey to recovery. I was told that I could drive within two to three weeks after my operation. I was left with a sheet of exercises to do each day and sent home to recover. So although my care throughout my hospital experience was very caring and kind, I felt like I was left to do the rest alone. Had I not been an osteopath and known how vital the exercises were, I wouldn’t have done them, simply because it was so painful and at first, seemingly ineffective. I’m so glad I did do them as they were great exercises and I now have full arm movement, but it took me a year. Also, there was no advice or treatment offered about the scar. I knew that although it was agony and revolting, I had to massage the actual scar daily from about two weeks post-op, to ensure that I was left with a smooth, un-puckered scar, that didn’t hold back my arm movement.

So yes, I have healed completely now – 15months later and the proof for me is that these photos feel like me and not someone who is scarred.

CD – How was your husband during all this time – and your family?

S – My husband was incredibly supportive all the way through – it wasn’t easy and not knowing what to expect after the surgery was hard. Very few men (or partners) are informed of or know what to expect, which is another reason it would be better for everyone if we were able to see real scars on real people. I think it would make us less scared, would help not only us, but also our partners to know what we were going to have to deal with and allow us to be mentally, better prepared. It can be a real shock when you first see the scars – for both people.

CD – What about family and friends – did you share your experience with them? Was there someone for you to offload to and get support from? Or – did you have a support group to go to?

S – My family and friends knew about the cancer and the surgery but you don’t tell the truth about how you really feel to most of your friends and family, especially if you have been as lucky as I have. It feels as if you shouldn’t be ungrateful and moan about how hard it is. So, how it REALLY feels, how scared, how small and how incapable I sometimes felt, stayed with me. I felt as if I couldn’t express myself on some of the bad days because quite frankly I was lucky to be here. It was exhausting feeling as if I had to try to keep up appearances – the smallest thing can knock you sideways and actually only the people who have been through it will truly understand that. The most surprising thing that I have learnt on this unexpected journey is that it is not all bad, it is a blessing, you get a chance to see life in a different way and you really can go on living!

My hope is for these images that you captured, to show that anything is possible. It was the most surprising and fun day I have spent in ages. Surprising because I have never dreamt of being photographed naked by a stranger (by anyone in fact!) and it was nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be! You made it seem so normal and easy and you actually saw ME.  They’re not just photos, they are me, the person inside. I am not just my scars – I am more than them. It was really important for me to remember that. It was the best therapy. It is sort of living proof that I am OK, and still me and that actually you can’t tell I have those scars unless I show you…

CD – I find it really difficult to put into words how this shoot made me feel. I am very proud of the photos, though really I don’t feel that they were anything to do with me. As soon as the shoot began I felt like I was just a vehicle through which these images were going to be created. It is hard to explain. Jackson Pollock said:

“When I’m painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing. It’s only after a get-acquainted period that I see what I’ve been about…the painting has a life of its own”.

I think this puts it pretty succinctly. There was an energy and a force driving me on and I really just let it happen and enjoyed the ride. Sara was an absolute joy to work with – she was so brave and committed to the idea of the shoot. I wish more women would have something like this done – I am told it is very therapeutic. We talked about everything; families, life, cancer, operations, work – everything and anything. We spent a good few hours in the studio getting to know each other during this shoot and I am now proud to call Sara my friend. She was so brave during the shoot and even more so, in deciding to release these images now, I am overwhelmed by her courage. I sincerely hope that more people will come forth and have this experience or that simply, that they will benefit from seeing Sara’s images on medical and emotional grounds and understand that there is hope. It is possible to have a life after cancer (or any other illnesses) and things really can get better. 

To view a few more of Sara’s images from the shoot, please visit my website: http://christinadithmar.smugmug.com/Clients-Galleries/Essence-of-Woman-/Sara/

A fitting celebration of a life well lived!

The Funeral of Mrs Joyce Chant

2 weeks ago I had the enormous honour of being asked to photograph the funeral of a lovely 87 year old lady, Mrs Joyce Chant. Her daughter Ali rang and asked me if I would be willing to photograph the whole funeral which was to take place at the beautiful church of St john the Evangelist in Staplegrove Parish, Taunton. She had only days before left her family in Australia and felt that it was really important to be able to share the funeral with them and keep the photos as memories of a sad but wonderful day. For her, it meant that although her family was so far away, they would still feel like they had been there. It was important for the (grown-up) grandchildren to be able to say goodbye too.

I, of course, was delighted to be able to say yes and those of you who read my previous blog on funeral photography will know why. I have for a while felt that it is an important service to offer and one that completes the circle of life in reality as well as photography. We often take photos of newborns, christenings, weddings and all the other ‘time of life’ celebrations, so why don’t we do it as much with funerals?  A life is to be celebrated and when it is celebrated like this with tea, cake and strawberries and cream, it is a truly wonderful thing to be able to capture.

Ali has very kindly agreed to let me show some of the images from the day – which I am very grateful for. I am very proud of them and I am sure Joyce would have loved her send-off! There were so many special things that went on that day; Ali had designed small bags with an image of Joyce on the front as a young girl – they contained holly sprigs from her very beautiful holly tree in the garden – I have never seen such a beautiful and well cared for tree. There was one for each of the guests to plant in their own gardens. There was a huge board, full of wonderful photos that Joyce had collected and a book for everyone to sign. We also organised for Steve King Photography to come and video the event and in the afternoon after the burial we went around and asked people to say a little something for the family back in Australia. Last but definitely not least, Joyce’s car – which she only learnt to drive at the age of 65 – was parked in the church grounds, and later on it was full of people and the little ones also got to have a go driving it – though it was well and truly lacking in the battery department – which was really just as well!

I wasn’t sure what the best way would be to show the images, so I have chosen some that I really like and that I hope give a complete overview of the day. Joyce had been attending the church since she was born (87 years ago) and had been a member of the choir for 70 years. Many of the original members of the choir were there, including one gentleman that she had been at primary school with. There was so much love and warmth from all the people there and it was such an enormous pleasure to be able to photograph that. I hope I did her justice and only wish that I had been able to know her when she was still alive.

I must also say a huge heartfelt thank you to Stephen Kivett, the Vicar of St John’s, who ordinarily would not have allowed video and photography to take place, but because it was Joyce, he made a special allowance. Many, many thanks! I also want to mention Nigel Ford Funeral Director, who really was very kind and accommodating as regards the photography too – I have not had a great deal to do with Funeral Directors, but I suspect he is one of the good ones!

What an honour and a pleasure to be able to be involved in this special day.

Christina

My beautiful allotment

My beautiful allotment – a few shots of the place I love so much!

Where does the time go?

I set myself a task to write a blog a week and all of a sudden it has gone from April to July in a nano second – 8 weeks have passed and I am no closer to having achieved my goal! I feel that blogging will be one of those things that will just have to happen in crazy clusters when the mood takes me! Not much good for social media nor SEO planning, but at least it happens… I could always use the excuse of it happening ‘organically’… what a wonderful phrase – totally let’s you off the hook!

So- now that I am here – what to write about… Well – since I have been spending an awful lot of time at the allotment, perhaps that should be my subject! In the last 8 weeks I have seen so much growth and so much improvement – and of course I have taken pictures along the whole way… Want to see?

All of my early allotment images were taken on the iPhone. I love iPhone photography. It is so handy, so easy – I always have my phone with me and although I usually have my camera too, it is just so much easier to use my phone. I love using the various filters on my phone too – playing around with them afterwards is just brilliant fun and just lengthens/enhances the creative process. People often seem surprised when I say I love taking photos on my iPhone, as if I should be a Purist – but I don’t see it that way. If you love taking photos, surely it doesn’t matter what format you use at all. Just do what you love!

Saying that, yesterday I did go and take some pics of it in all its glory with my 50mm. I like to use either my 50 or my 90mm macro lens at the allotment, both of which work beautifully when taking photos of flowers and veg. Yesterday I used mainly my 50 and then used an 18-200mm for the wider shots. I am pretty pleased with the results – not necessarily for their technical prowess as actually they are not all perfect – but for their subject matter; my allotment. Something I love very much!

So – here they are… Firstly – this is what the allotment looked like, back in the beginning of April…

 

 

 

 

 

Then – late April… new beds were beginning to be built and lastly pavings slabs being laid on a the wettest April day – EVER – we were covered in mud!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally – 2 and a bit months later…

Happy days!!

I hope you have something that you love as much as I love my allotment! Enjoy! As I am writing, the rain is starting to come down, and my plants will be so happy!!

xx

My crazy sample wedding shot list!

Since soon ’tis the wedding season’, I thought I would publish my crazy sample wedding shot list for any budding wedding photographers out there! We all have to start somewhere and I know I was incredibly grateful for all the information I could find on the web before I did my first one! I trawled the internet to find helpful hints and tips for me to use, so that I had some idea of what I was getting myself into and without it I think I would have probably been a bit lost even though I am naturally quite OCD when it comes to planning! I did however find a sample which I then doctored.

The attached sample is extremely detailed as it is based on my first big wedding in which I was having to be in multiple places throughout the day and had so many elements to it – I thought it would be best to show you how much of the detail that I plan and how little I leave to chance. I was lucky to have a second shooter with me for this wedding, so that is also included in the sample.

I am in the process of setting up an actual template which is basic and can be filled in with the details. I will publish this as soon as it ready, for you to download.

You will see that I used the venue’s running order as the basis for my shot list – there are numerous references that refer simply to things the venue needed to know, but this worked really well as we were then sure that the timings we had were the same.

Please note that this shot list incorporates the list of shots I wanted to get, notes to myself about where I wanted them, who they were with, as well as how I was thinking of posing them – whilst remembering things like shoes on wet muddy grass and rain and such like. I plan like this before every wedding I do, leaving very little to chance – though changes always occur. For example, we had prepared for rain and had umpteen umbrellas with us, but we had not prepared for it to be as cold as mid January! This meant that most of the outside shots were done right outside the door, and not by the lovely tree and bench and that all the bride and groom shots were done inside.

I often sketch the poses before a shoot as I prepare for it, and bring that with me, so that I am sure I get the shots that I want. I don’t think it is necessary to do this all the time, but I like to be prepared and I like to know that I have done everything in my power to ensure that the wedding (photography) goes to plan.

A quick note about the candid shots – these are not mentioned in the shot list, but I still have a list of ‘types’ of shots I want to get. Basically I try and capture every person at the wedding, at least once. I often stick with the bride, but I make sure that I always have one eye on the bride and another on what is going on around me, especially if I don’t have a second shooter. I also make sure that shots like grandparents and grandchild dancing, or children in general, are paid attention to and of course shots of the groom looking lovingly at his bride, without him noticing that I am there. The best advice I can give is to blend in, stay a short distance away, so that people don’t know you are there, and keep a low profile.

I am guest blogging in the next couple of days for Paul, a twitter friend who teaches guitar and ukelele and plays at weddings too, so to read more about my wedding dos and don’ts or to check out his musical offerings visit http://paulclews888.weebly.com/blog.html

OK – here we go… your PDF of my crazy wedding shot list! Enjoy!

Wedding Photography Running Order/Shot List

Enjoy! And Good Luck!!

Why I love photographing…Women

This is going to be the first in a series of ‘Why I love photographing…‘ There are all sorts of things I love to photograph, but the reason this is the first is because I have truly realised in the last few months that my passion is portrait photography, and especially photographing women.

As women, we grow up with images of long-legged, well-endowed, perky-breasted Barbie Dolls and super skinny, beautiful Super Models and subconsciously – and consciously – we think that this is the way we SHOULD look – not to mention TV shows like Baywatch and any of the American sitcoms, soaps and dramas (there are too many to mention!). We very early on begin to think about all the things that are ‘wrong’ with the way we look, rather than embracing the way we look and loving ourselves as we are. I have noticed that even my daughter who is a complete tomboy has a totally distorted view of her body and her self-image. She compares herself to other girls in her class and in the school playground and even at the age of 6 she was already saying she was fat or that she had a big belly – which incidentally she didn’t/doesn’t – but it was in comparing herself to the others, that for some reason she aligned herself to the idea of being fat. I have always been very careful about the language I use around as far as body-image is concerned, and have never made a big deal out of it, but it very noticeable that it is from such an early age that we are confronted with images and ideas of what we should look like, rather than images depicting what we do look like and how different and glorious (in our differences) we all are.

Essence of Woman

As we get older, these limiting and often destructive self-beliefs stay with us into adulthood. When we grow boobs, get pregnant, grow bigger boobs, get a belly, get a bigger belly, lose the belly, lose the boobs, have more children, develop scars, suffer during hormonal changes, fight our way through menopause, go through depression, end up with a hysterectomy etc all these beliefs shift and change, and not usually for the better (at least not for a while, and often not without help)- they often get worse and leave us without a clue as to who we are or how to feel good about ourselves.

This is where I hope I come in. The reason why I love photographing women is that through the medium of photography, I hope to be able to not only show women how beautiful they really are – even if they have forgotten – but also show them how other people see them. I can’t count how many times someone’s partner or husband has told me that the woman in their lives is the most beautiful thing on earth and that she just can’t see it herself. It is so difficult to see ourselves objectively. I for one, hate my own smile. I don’t like my teeth, but if ever I mention this, people inevitably say ‘what’s wrong with them?’ – they can’t se what I see – and likewise, I cannot see what they see. We are terribly self-critical, more so, I believe, than most men.

Photography can be such an amazing aid in rediscovering one’s inner and outer beauty. I can’t recall ever doing a portrait or boudoir shoot where I didn’t think the person was beautiful in some way. To me, it is all about the person and finding out who they are on the inside and then capturing how they shine. When you see that ‘shine’, you see their beauty – both inside and out. Being able to capture that, is why I want to be a photographer and why I love photographing women. Helping women feel beautiful, helping women feel special, helping them regain part of what has been lost or forgotten. It is such an immense privilege really and being there when they see the images, is really special. It is, however not just about the final images. When a woman walks into my studio, nervous and a little anxious about being there and not really understanding how she got there (emotionally), seeing her relax, seeing her start to have fun and then once the shoot is over, saying upon leaving ‘I didn’t think I could do that, but I would do it again!’ THAT is why I do what I do. THAT is why I love photographing women.

Tips for photographing women

This is a whole other blog post really, but if I was to just give 3 tips for photographing women, I would say:

1 – If possible, meet with your clients in advance of the shoot. Get to know them a little bit, make them a coffee and chat with them to see what it is they are after and what they want to achieve – and most importantly WHY they want to have a shoot in the first place.

2 – Pinterest! I always send my clients away with some homework. I ask them to set up a Pinterest board and share it (with me in advance of the shoot) full of images for inspiration for their shoot! We all want very different things, like different pieces of art, have various ideas of what beauty is – so by giving them some homework and making them think about the sort of things that inspire them, I am giving them ownership of the shoot, so the shoot becomes a two-way thing and they can truly feel a part of it, rather than an object within it.

3 – Don’t worry! If for some reason the shoot isn’t working – your client is ultra nervous or perhaps something is just not clicking – just breathe! Take a break, have a laugh, make a coffee – and don’t be afraid to tell your client that you might want to try something else… even if it means redoing the make-up, or changing clothes. Of course it is important that you are in control so that your client doesn’t feel any more nervous than they already are, but the most important thing is to be REAL, to be CONGRUENT. Don’t pretend something is working if it isn’t…take 5 and fix it! Guess that goes for all subjects!

Essence of Woman

If you would like more information on my Essence of Woman project or would like to talk to me about booking a session or seeing what is involved in having your photograph taken by me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch either via social media or email: christina@christina-dithmar-photography.co.uk

Funeral Photography

Funeral Photography – To be or not to be a funeral photographer…

I have for some time now been thinking about offering my services as a funeral photographer for traditional as well natural/humanist funerals. I look back on all the funerals I have been to (which is not many I have to say), the funerals of loved ones that happened mostly when I was in my early twenties, and I realised how much I would have loved there to have been photographs of the whole family and close friends together, so that now we would be able to remember the day more clearly. We would be able to remember who was there, what the flowers looked like, the church, the weather, remember the people there then and later deceased now too, remember that the day, although sad, was mingled with hope and some happiness from us all being together again. I was so caught up in the emotion of the days, that I simply don’t remember anything. What a shame for the end of someone’s life, their celebration, to simply be forgotten.

For many families, weddings, christenings and funerals are the only time that they get together, and often these events are quite far apart. These days many of us live far away from our families, especially our extended families, and as we get older, funerals are the only time we all manage to be in the same place at the same time.

I know that people might think that it is a little macabre wanting to photograph funerals, but essentially, photographing a funeral is much like photographing a wedding, for a photographer. As a wedding photographer I spend most of my time keeping my distance, using a photojournalistic approach to photography. I never want to be the centre of attention, I just want to blend into the surroundings, become part of the furniture and be very sensitive to the needs of the people around me. Of course there are always the posed family group shots, the fun bridesmaids ones, the ones of the children at a wedding and some time alone with the bride and groom, but who is to say that the family shots could not also be a part of a funeral, just dealt with more sensitively perhaps.

Wedding photography takes a great deal of planning, with meetings/consultations with the bride and groom before hand. In the same way, I would meet with the family of the deceased – or perhaps the person suffering from a life-limiting illness – and discuss what they would particularly like to be photographed, creating a shot list, much like I would for a wedding. If it is a traditional funeral, they might only want the arrival of the cortege and the family as well as the service and the leaving of the cortege to be photographed, or perhaps they want the whole day shot, including the wake, the service and the cremation, the decorations, the food, flowers, the headstone, any speeches, the order of service and most importantly the people. On the other hand, if it is a natural funeral, in a woodland venue perhaps, they may wish for the photographer to be there all day, taking photos of people, offerings, decorations, flowers and the farewell celebration at the end. I think we all have different ideas about what we would like as our funeral – how we want people to celebrate our lives once we are gone – and that in itself is the beauty of it. It would be such an honour to be able to be a part of that, to help the families carry on the memory of their loved one.

On a personal note I would definitely want my funeral photographed and have already decided on the photographer I would ask and the celebrant too. I would want my loved ones to be able to remember the day with fondness, hopefully with a little joy in there too, as well as the inevitable sadness that funerals hold – we can hardly get away from that and nor should we. I don’t think that there are many funerals that are completely joyous occasions and at times, shooting a funeral could well get very emotional (for those that know me, you know that this is the part I am likely to struggle with most as I have been known to cry at weddings), but I think one would simply have to acknowledge that the emotions are there and take a break, if and when the break was needed.

I would offer that each funeral package should come with a book of the images included in the price and I would personally want to offer a bit more than just the photography. I think the option of having a larger keepsake book made, where the family can add old letters, memories, writings, ticket stubs, diary entries, emails, drawings, personal photos and all sorts of other lovely things that can be scanned in and added to the book of funeral images, would be a wonderful idea for the people left behind to have and to pass on to the next generations to follow so that they may remember too. As I love writing, I think that alongside the photography it would be wonderful to offer a ghostwriting service especially to help people who are planning their own funerals well in advance and who want to record their memories or memoirs and leave messages for the people they leave behind.

I really hope that I get the chance to do this. It feels like it is something really important for me to do, and I just hope that there are other people out there, who agree with me. I would love to hear from people who have either experienced having a photographer at a funeral, or who think they might like one – or even people who totally disagree with it, and think I am quite frankly a little barmy! I’d be interested in your views…

Thanks for reading as always!

Christina

Stripping it bare, taking it back, making it work.

The power that comes from knowing when something isn’t working, stopping, breathing, changing it, and making it work.

This week my blog is all about what happens when something isn’t going the way I want it to, and what I have to do to make it work – in my photography life… though the lesson is well learnt everywhere else too!

Last week I had a friend of mine’s wife come in for a shoot. We had met for about an hour the week before, just to get to know each other. I immediately felt incredibly comfortable with her and actually felt like I had known her for years. I really value meeting people before a shoot, as I totally believe that the way I photograph people and perhaps women in particular, is about getting to know them first. I very often meet my clients in advance of the shoot so that we can chat over coffee about what they might like, what their reservations are and what sort of things inspire them. I often send them away with a Pinterest link – if they don’t have one already – and ask them to start building a mood board or inspiration board and to share it with me, so that I will have an idea of who they are and what they like, before we get into the studio.

This particular lady (Kate) opted for a make-over so it was really important to get the mood board going. There were some amazing photos on there, very colourful, lots of crazy make-up and hair, women with long, gorgeous dreads, punks etc, and her creative and artistic side really shone through the choice of these pics, so by the time we got into the studio, both Michelle (from Bie Hair/makeover) and I were super excited. We knew we could go all out there both in terms of make-up and photography.

As Michelle started to apply the make-up (bright, crazy, pink, orange and green) it became apparent that we could go a little bit further, and the further we went, the more punky it got. Kate had the most amazing hair, which Michelle curled and then put up in a sort of fake Mohican. It looked incredible. Kate has quite a few piercings and tattoos as well as a totally unique style – it all went really well together. Then it was time for the shoot.

We started shooting – firstly with a few standard portrait shots. I always like to simply shoot and see what my lights are doing first, before moving them (and/or my subject) around to see what different effects I can get. I don’t tend to build the picture first, but instead, take lots of pictures and try lots of different things. I know some photographers work differently, placing their subjects, moving them slightly, waiting for the right shot before shooting. I am just not comfortable working this way, as I feel that the subject gets bored too easily and the energy of the room becomes less vibrant, less ‘energetic’.

What quickly became apparent to me was that even though the make-up looked awesome, it was making Kate look too harsh under the lights.

Kate is not harsh – she is soft, vibrant, open, friendly, calm, beautiful, womanly, funny and quirky, but somehow we had created a look that made her quite hard – almost impenetrable. For me that wasn’t Kate. I love this photo (left) as you know how I feel about the dark, but it is not really Kate and I wanted Kate to shine… I also think that we were not actually as comfortable with her in make-up as we thought we would be – I say we, because it really is a 2-way thing!

I asked her to take her hair down, and magically straight away, we both began to relax. The shots were definitely getting better and the result was that Kate was more ‘Kate’ (I now sound like that ad for hair colour – apologies). But still, it wasn’t quite right. That’s when I decided to turn it around 360. I asked Kate to go and remove the punk make-up whilst I breathed deeply for a few minutes, telling myself I was doing the right thing. I was right. This time, it really worked. The session completely changed from being something that seemed a little difficult – a little put on, affected even – to something that was easy, natural and fun. We both commented on how much more relaxing it became.

It was a bit of a milestone for me as I am not always good at knowing when to change something, even though it is not working, but thankfully I listened to my inner voice and realised that if we were going to get the shots we wanted, it was important to go back to the beginning, strip it all back and start again. I am so glad I did. I learnt a powerful lesson that day – in fact I learnt a few. The first is that if something is not working, change it. The other is that if we want to push the boundaries, we should do so half way through the session, when everyone is into it and have become relaxed and happy, not at the beginning when we are finding our feet. It has to be something that grows, not something that is forced. The third? – my intuition is usually right.

I am really grateful to Kate for being such an amazingly good sport, for being great company and for following my lead, without doubting me, throughout the whole thing. I have asked her to come and sit with me and go through the images with her artistic eye (not with a self-critical one) so that I can learn some more. Hopefully she will have a look at some of my other images too. I really value her opinion and I think a bit of positive criticism is really important when you are trying to grow as an artist (of any kind). I should just end by saying that Kate did love some of the images, even some of the beginning shots, but that we both preferred the natural ones, where she was simply Kate; with Kate’s essence shining through, and that of course is whole point of the Essence of Woman Project.

If you would like to know more about the Essence of Woman project you can find lots of information on my website by following the link. If you would like to chat with me about having a shoot, then feel free to give me a call on 07882 534 115 or email me christina@christina-dithmar-photography.co.uk. Thanks for reading! xx

Embracing the darkness and having an epiphany!

I am having what I can only describe as an epiphany! Last year I was thinking quite a lot about moving back to Denmark… I do this intermittently. I was born there, lived there until I was eight/nine years old. My grandparents stayed there and I spent my summer and winter holidays there for many years. My larger family still lives there and about 12 years ago my parents moved back there. It seems that no matter how long I live in England, I will never be 100% English, though most of the time I do feel it, I still have so much Danish in me. I often think of moving back and then suddenly I dismiss it for one reason or another.

This time it was because I had the opportunity to take on the studio and I have no regrets about this at all. I am however experiencing something I have not experienced before on the same scale and that is a clinging, a yearning, for scandinavian things – music, art, books – and it seems to me that if I can indulge in these things here, and continue to follow both the old culture and the new pop culture, then I will have no need to actually move there.

So what does this have to do with photography? Well, I have realised that my some of my studio photography has been developing and moving in a different direction to what I expected – especially the boudoir/Essence of Woman project. My photography is much darker than I thought it would be (what did I think? I am not sure really). By dark I don’t mean gory, scary or mean, I simply mean that I love the darkness within it, the dusk, the shade and the shadow with shards of light, as opposed to the white and the bright! I have been watching quite a lot of Danish crime series – The Killing and the Bridge and not forgetting the excellent Borgen and Swedish series like Wallender and films like The girl with the dragon tattoo and Babettes Feast. I have also been reading a lot of Scandi crime novels – some Danish, Swedish and Norwegian – (from authors such as AAse Larsson and Jo Nesboe to name only a few) and I have only really been doing that in the last couple of years. So what I am trying to say is that I feel that all of these, including my own ancestry and love of many things Danish, must be having some influence on my photography – more so than I realised.

At first I was liking my photography to Film Noir… well there is not a French bone in my body and apart from loving Paris, I have never been particularly fond of French Film Noir – nor of their singers or musicians. So whilst I was watching The Bridge the other night, listening to the exceptional theme tune Hollow Talk By the Choir of Young Believers, I started to realise that what I was actually influenced by was not Film Noir (as such, though black and bleak it still is), but instead I am very obviously influenced by the country and continent of my birth; the ice cold winter days, the snow and the darkness, the candles in all the windows, the feel of the dry, chill wind on your face, the birthday cakes with flags on, the well-lit streets of Copenhagen against the black sky, the warmth of the schnapps as it trickles down your throat on a freezing cold xmas day, the long bus journeys in snow boots and hats and gloves, the heat of the radiators on the trains that make your face go red whilst the snow falls  on the windows and your hands struggle to soak up that heat, and the dark underground bars and cafes that welcome you in with Brunkager and hot coffee. It is this that my creativity seems to draw upon in my photography. It IS the light (without light there is no photography), but it is the candle light, the glimmer and hope of the light, the cold and the darkness as we wait for the light and longer days of springtime, that is my influence. It is the candle light that beckons me – the candle light that creates ‘hygge’ (a sense of cosiness – though it means so much more) and the harsh unrelenting winter walks along the beach, and the wind – that crazy northerly wind that makes everything feel like it is 10 degrees below what it actually is – that pushes me forward whilst holding on steadfastly to my past.

It is a bit of a revelation. I have never before sought out Scandinavian music to find the soundtrack to myself or my creativity, until now. The music I have been listening to as I work has been dark, bold, soft, gentle, open, unforgettable, cold, brash and very Scandinavian – there is a real purity in it – almost like ice – sharp, soft, gentle and strong and very beautiful. It has evoked memories of urban cities as well as dark dense woodland, bright, light and carefree summers, and comes with a big black line drawn under it that makes it unmistakably Scandinavian – all of it, albeit, sung in English – and yet that too is unmistakably Scandinavian, as I don’t know a single Dane that cannot speak fluent english. 

So the point of this? Well there isn’t really one.. just that I am musing…musing about the thought of sounding so english, yet being so Danish and how one’s true nature will inevitably always appear if one is creating something like art, literature, photography etc because I don’t think it is possible to lie about one’s creativity as it has to come from the heart, from one’s soul, one’s essence – and my essence is obviously still very Danish.

Objectivity – a lesson learning.

I have recently met a most wonderful photographer by the name of Emily Fairweather. She specialises in rustic Children’s portraits – natural, outdoors, a little ethereal at times, simple and always, gorgeous. You can check out Emily’s images here: http://www.emilyfairweatherphotography.co.uk/

She contacted me to see if I would be interested in doing some work with her, which of course I was/am. Having chatted, I recently went and helped her out with going through her images from a few weddings she has been doing, and getting them down from too many to just about enough! As with all digital photographers I suspect, she overshoots. I do that too, because I would hate to think that the shot I wanted most was not actually the shot I got and of course, shooting digital means you can do what you like – take as many or as few photographs as you want. The problem of course comes when you have to go through them and delete all the rubbish ones and find the ones you love, because sometimes there are simply too many good ones, but no one wants the same/similar photo twice.

When I do this for myself I can’t look at the images from a wedding until a few days later or I run the risk of deleting the lot! I have to give it just enough time for the adrenaline of the day to settle before I actually dare look at them, and even then, I am uber critical of them at first, but from a very subjective point of view.

Having helped Emily with hers, I have notice that actually when I look at my own images now, I am starting to look at them in a much more objective way, almost as if through someone else’s eyes; the eyes of the person in them, or the people or person who I am doing them for. So, for example, when I went through and rejected some recent studio shots, I thought mostly about what sort of photo Sarah would like to see of herself, then I thought about what makes the photo a good photo and then about what I thought I could do to make that photo better – not necessarily for all the photos individually. It was a big change as before I had found myself mostly thinking about whether it was an image I would like and that represented me as a photographer, as well as whether it was an image they would like. I am not sure I am explaining this terribly well, but I what I think I am trying to say is that there are many different reasons for keeping a photo or deleting a photo, but that the sole reason cannot be simply whether I like it or not. It has to be more than that, and that is why being objective and not always following your heart is one of the hardest and yet most valuable things to be able to do.

I really felt that having done this exercise for someone else, I am beginning to learn to not be so overly critical of myself, which is a very valuable lesson to learn. I have in other instances learnt not to take so many photos as well, whilst shooting next to someone shooting film, and that in itself has been an invaluable experience.

The great thing about getting to know other photographers so much better is the amount of knowledge sharing you can do. All the people I have met recently have been incredibly kind, helpful, and communicative, not to mention, totally up for collaborating. I do really believe in the power of collaboration and that as there are so many photographers out there vying for business it is essential that we start to communicate and we begin to think about the prices we charge, so that we don’t undercut anyone else. Obviously there are different levels of pricing, but it really is essential that we become more aware of our impact on ourselves and those around us!
So, I am loving my new found friends with similar interests. In the last few months I have met and got to know a lovely group of photographers, who I think would all get on really well. I think it will be one of my missions to get us all together, even if it is simply to chat about fstops, the beauty of film, wedding traumas, memory cards and exposure settings – all over a drink or two. Well – it would be rude not to!

Love and fstops to you all, – mine’s a 1.8 barman!

Christina

Blow up

I don’t know if any of you remember the film Blow up… I didn’t see it the first time around as I am actually not quite that old, but in my mid-twenties my then partner and I bought a poster of the film. It was a photo of a woman that was completely pixelated so you could only just make out what it was. The colours were black and cream, red and blue and it was in fact a Polish design with Polish writing on it. The British posters were of the photographer and the woman, nothing quite as gorgeous as this…  I remember when I first saw it and loving it. Just this morning I was thinking about the effect of this poster and how after we bought it, I converted a couple of images of my partner into pixelated images, using the same effect, for a birthday present. So, since I sadly had to leave it behind when we split (14 or so years ago), I decided to get another one… so I bought it this morning!!! I am now very excited for it’s imminent arrival.

At the time of buying the first one I was working in reprographics and was surrounded by beautiful photography, extremely talented Photoshop workers, designers, illustrators and retouchers and I had never thought about becoming a photographer, but something about this poster really resonated with me. It was a few years later that I sat down and finally watched the film. It was all about a mod photographer who takes a series of photographs of a mysterious beauty in a London park and finds something rather suspicious going on as he develops the film. It is incredibly 60’s, a little avant garde at least for the time, I think, and is an absolute joy to watch. It was nominated for a couple of Oscars and won a number of other awards I believe.

I am not hugely into old films, but there was definitely something about this one that lit the fire of passion in me for photography. It took many years for it to develop, but this film, along with working in reprographics and publishing were definitely key to me finding my dream. I often wish it had happened sooner, but I would not be the photographer I am today, if that was the case, so I really can’t complain.

I recently did a shoot for Chrissie. She wanted photos done for a profile picture as well as photos for her reinvention, her rejunevation, her coming to terms with an ageing body and ageing face, and learning to embrace that, whilst also in the midsts of menopause. I was immensely honoured that she chose me to accompany her on this journey.

We spent 4 hours together, walking, talking and taking photographs. It was a very valuable experience for me, and for her, but what it has made me understand more experientially is that there is something so incredibly strong about women in general, the way we have to go through all these hormonal changes at various times of our lives, whether it be the teens or the pregnancy or the menopause and how we simply just have to get on with it – transitioning from one woman to the next woman we are going to be. It is not easy, but we do it. I have also realised that the joy that I have felt taking these photographs of Chrissie, and more importantly, the time I have spent with her, showing her the photographs, and seeing her grow from someone who could hardly look at them at first, into someone who shows absolutely acceptance of who she is, and not just acceptance but ‘love’ for who she is, who she is becoming and how she is transforming herself, was the greatest gift anyone could actually ever have given me, whilst looking at photographs I had taken and enables me to know, truly know, that what I am doing, and where I am, is where I want to be.

This is what Chrissie wrote on her FB status:
– just a recommend for all my menopausal or post menopausal friends – if you are feeling a bit crappy about how you look, sagging in places you didn’t know could sag, and wondering how to inhabit this ageing (gracefully or otherwise) body, then this is a tonic for the soul. A photoshoot with Christina.’ –

If I ever needed a reason to be where I am now, this would be it. I love being a tonic for the soul and if there are any peri, meno or post menopausal women out there who would like some help coming to terms with where they are and who they are and who they are becoming through going on a photoshoot with me, I would be only too pleased to help where I can!

Love and Chocolate (possibly the only cure :o) to all!

Christina