Relaxed, Elegant Christening Photography

Are you planning your babies christening or baptism? If yes why not book me to photograph the occasion. My name is Leila and I’m a professional photographer based in Kings Langley Hertfordshire. 

Whether you’re having an intimate family occasion, or a larger party with friends and relatives, I can provide beautiful and creative photography to document their special day.

I have over twenty years experience working with children, families, as as a wedding photographer and as a television camera operator. I bring the very best of all three worlds to your christening photography. My family photography skills ensure that I will capture all those important family group shots and the most beautiful portraits of your baby on their special day. While my documentary wedding photography experience ensures that I can photograph unobtrusively through your ceremony, and capture all the atmosphere, details and fun of your reception. Then my TV background makes me current. I’m constantly working in new environments making new shows, this keeps my outlook and work fresh and up to date.

If you book me as your photographer I would arrive at your home an hour before you need to leave for the church. This will give us some time to do some portraits and family shots before the ceremony. Experience has taught me that many children find christenings quite tiring, and therefore doing the formal shots beforehand provides the best results. This also makes the rest of the day more relaxing for you and you can enjoy that glass of champagne with your friends and family without being disturbed.

My style is relaxed and unobtrusive, I will capture those important moments of blessing and the little details that make you smile. The fun your friends and family will have, the laughing and joking, and the children running around and enjoying themselves. I will photograph the little details you have thought of to make your day unique – your cakes and entertainments, the decorations and drinks. I will capture both the feel and the spirit of the day, as well as lots of relaxed informal portraits of those that you love.

Each and every christening, baptism and naming ceremony is unique and I shall use all my skill to capture photographs that surpass your expectations, and that you will love to look back on for years to come. For more information, please contact me to discuss as I would love to hear all about your plans and discuss how best I can provide you with the most amazing set of pictures.

I’m based on the Herts Bucks boarders but cover all the local areas; Abbots Langley, Adeyfield, Albury, Albury End, Aldbury, Aldenham, Amwell, Ansells End, Anstey, Apsley, Ardeley, Ashridge, Ashwell, Aspenden, Aston End, Astrope, Ayot Green, Ayot St Lawrence, Ayot St Peter, Babbs Green, Bakers End, Baldock, Ballingdon Bottom, Barkway, Barley, Barleycroft End, Barkway, Batchworth, Batford, Bayford, Bayfordbury, Beane, Bedmond, Bell Bar, Belsize, Benington, Bennetts End,  Berkhamsted, Hertingfordbury, Bishop's Stortford, Borehamwood, Bourne End,  Bovingdon, Bower Heath, Boxmoor, Bozen Green, Bragbury End, Bramfield, Braughing, Braughing Friars, Brent Pelham, Brickendon, Bricket Wood, Bridens Camp, Great Gaddesden, Brookmans Park, Broxbourne, Buckland, Buntingford, Bury Green, Bushey, Bushey Heath, Bygrave, Caldecote, Carpenders Park, Chapmore End, Charlton, Chaulden, Cherry Green, Chipperfield, Chiswell Green, Cheshunt, Chipperfield, Chorleywood, Codicote, Cold Christmas, Cole Green, Coleman Green, Colliers End, Standon, Colney Heath, Colney Street, Cottered, Cow Roast, Cromer Hyde, Croxley Green, Cuffley, Clothall, Dane End, Datchworth, Digswell, Dudswell, Eastbury, Eastwick, Elstree, Essendon, Felden, Fields End, Flamstead, Flaunden, Frithsden, Furneaux Pelham, Gadebridge, Garston, Gilston, Goffs Oak, Gosmore, Graveley, Great Amwell, Great Gaddesden, Great Hormead, Great Munden, Great Offley, Great Wymondley, Gubblecote, Hadham Ford, Little Hadham, Harpenden, Hastoe, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Heronsgate, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hertingfordbury, Hexton, High Cross, Thundridge, High Wych, Highfield, Hinxworth, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Holwell, How Wood, Hunsdon, Hunton Bridge, Ickleford, Jersey Farm, St Albans, Kelshall, Kensworth, Kelshall, Kimpton, King's Walden, Kings Langley, Kinsbourne Green, Knebworth, Labby Green and Letty Green, Hertingfordbury, Langley, Langleybury, Leavesden, Lemsford, Letchmore Heath, Letchworth Garden City, Lemsford, Leverstock Green, Lilley, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, Little Gaddesden, Little Hadham, Little Hormead, Little Munden, Little Offley, Little Wymondley, London Colney, Long Marston, Loudwater, Maple Cross, Markyate, Marshalswick, Micklefield Green, Sarratt,  Mill End, Sandon, Mill End, Rickmansworth, Moor Park, Much Hadham, Napsbury including Napsbury Park, Nash Mills, Nasty, Great Munden, Nettleden, Newgate Street, Newnham, New Mill, Tring, Northaw, Northchurch, North Mymms, Norton, Nuthampstead, Oaklands, Offley, Old Hall Green, Old Hatfield, Old Knebworth, Oxhey, Park Street, Piccotts End, Pimlico, Bedmond, Pirton, Potten End, Potters Bar, Preston, Puckeridge, Puttenham, Radlett, Radwell, Redbourn, Reed, Rickmansworth, Ridge, Ringshall, Roe Green, Royston, Rush Green, Rushden, Sacombe, Sacombe Green, St Albans, St Ippolyts, St Paul's Walden, St Stephen, Sandon, Sandridge, Sarratt, Sawbridgeworth, Shenley (including Shenleybury), Smallford, South Mimms, South Oxhey, Spellbrook, Staines Green, Hertingfordbury, Standon, Standon Green End, Stanstead Abbotts, Stanstead St Margarets, Stapleford, Stevenage, Stocking Pelham, Tewin, Therfield, Thorley, Thundridge, Tonwell, Tring, Trowley Bottom, Wadesmill, Walkern, Wallington, Walsworth, Waltham Cross, Ware, Wareside, Warner's End, Waterford, Water End, Dacorum, Water End, North Mymms, Waterend, Watford, Watton-at-Stone, Welham Green, Well End, Wellpond Green, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Westmill, Weston, Westwick Row, West Hyde, Wheathampstead, Whempstead, Whitwell, Widford, Wigginton, Willian, Wilstone, Woodhall Farm, Woollensbrook, Woolmer Green, Wormley, Wyddial and Buckinghamshire.

Bluebell family photoshoot tips

The end of April & the start of May is a very busy time for me! Spring has arrived and now the bluebells are out in their full glory! I absolutely love family bluebell photoshoots but unfortunately this year due to this awful coronavirus pandemic life has temporally been put on hold. I live in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire and all of my photography sessions take place locally so I’ve still got to enjoy these magical woods with my family. I’d like to share some tips for both budding photographers and future clients.

Finding the right bluebell woods

The National Trust has a number of bluebell woods on their land but these are mainly used for visiting families and not for professional family shoots. Therefore I would begin by scouting for smaller local woods close to the well known larger woods, as bluebells tend to migrate across areas. One of our main stunning bluebell woods is at Asridge, Docky Woods. If you’ve never visited please go as it will take your breath away. Another stunning place to visit is Philipshill wood located between Chorleywood and Chalfont St. Giles, within the Chilterns Area. I started off doing my bluebell shoots in both these places but have since found so many more deserted stunning locations around Chesham, Sarratt & Chipperfield.

What to wear

Clothing choice is very important when shooting in the bluebells. Your base colour pallete in all your images is going to be quite an acidic green and a very vibrant purple/ blue. Ideally  your clothing needs to fit with this colour scheme and I tend to use neutral tones such as cream, grey, light pink etc.

What time of day

Bluebell photography is especially tricky as these flowers tend to grow where the light is dappled and theres so much contrast. The trees can also be quite bare so you are often be faced with very bright patches of light which can create unevenly lit images. Ideally you want to photograph very early in the morning, or late into the evening when the sun is lower. My perfect day is an overcast cloudy day as the lighting is beautifully balanced.

Perspective

I always shoot from low down and use the bluebells as foreground so I can create a beautiful purple blur at the front of my image. I love finding paths, patches or fallen trees to sit my families or children on and then I will shot them from quite far away to create a sea of bluebells.

Props

When I do my mini shoot sessions I used a huge 2 foot round white balloon as a prop. It looks amazing in the photographs and its also a good distraction in so many ways for the children. If they don’t want to be photographed they still always want to hold the balloon so its a good way to build up a relationship and get some amazing natural shots. Its also a great prop for children having a birthday shoot. It also offers a whole other set of photos for the client so they have a bigger variety to choose from after the shoot. Lastly if you want to make the child laugh, you can get the parents to knock you with it, that always gets a giggle. Another good prop is a bunch of artificial bluebells as bluebells are a protected species so you really shoulnt’t pick them.

Be careful

Bluebells are also a protected species so paying attention to where you sit your subjects is very important. Look for patches/areas that have no bluebells or use pathways. If you shoot from very low down it is easy to make a path disappear in camera. Alternatively you can use the pathways to create some lovely leading lines to your family.