What a year!

As we get ready to charge our glasses to the memories we hold so very dear from this year as well as all those before it and toast to the new year ahead I thought now would be the perfect time to look back over 2015 and the photos I've been lucky enough to take.

This year was a huge year for me and my camera!

Merry Christmas!

"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse..."



Big, huge, giant, heart felt thank yous to all those who've booked, supported and generally helped make 2015 an amazing year for me and my camera.

I'm home in the UK for Christmas with my family, it's going to be a hard one for all of us but I know we'll get through it together!

I hope wherever you are, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, that you're with those that you love and that you get to spend as much time with them in the coming year as you want to.

Right now we're waiting for Father Christmas to come and there are two incredibly excited little girls who can't wait to see what he's left for them when tomorrow morning comes.

Love to you all and all the very best for 2016!

Sisters - Children's photography in Oulu

This weekend I was asked to photograph two beautiful little ladies.

The littlest lady has to be one of the calmest babies I've photographed, she even slept for a little while in the middle of the session which allowed for some adorable shots with her big sister looking on proudly.


























The best thing about having these sessions in your own home is that you have everything to hand that you might need. Spare clothes, space to feed, toys your children love and, best of all, you'll have memories of your children in their first home. Sat on the sofa that they'll cuddle up to you on for years to come, photos of their first bedroom. Real memories that you'll treasure forever.

Christmas comes but once a year

Today the first flakes of snow have fallen and, as is true to form, I’ve been bouncing around like an idiot as a result. Humming Christmas songs, lighting candles…

But just now, as I sat watching the snow dancing in the light from the street lights I started to cry.

Family Photography in York

During a recent trip to the UK for a family wedding I was lucky enough to meet up with an old friend and photograph her beautiful family.

Kate and I went to school together...a fair few years ago now...and we both went on a German exchange together, an experience that I'm sure we'll never forget in all sorts of ways!

One of the things I love about photographing children and families is that you don't need to be in a sprawling park or immaculate ornamental gardens to get lovely photographs - although these do make for stunning backdrops naturally. A child's smile will light up any space and as you can see from this selection of photos it really doesn't matter where we take the photos, the joy and the love will be just as obvious whether we're in a castle or a conservatory.

My Marvellous Mailing List

I have lots of ideas. Far too many really and I've been trying for a while now to think of the best ways to tell you all about them.
And then it hit me today...why not set up a mailing list so I could send a message with offers, tips on photoshoots and family life, pretty pictures and a large dollop of fun every week or so.

So...if you're interested in hearing more about special offers and events from me, please sign up for my mailing list.

I promise you won't regret it!

Subscribe to my mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

• html
• text

School Photo Season

This week I picked up my camera for the first time since I lost my Dad, it was scary and exhilarating and I feel so much better for doing it.

It was for the annual school photo day at my school and as crazy as it is to get good photos of more than 60 children, with their siblings, their classmates and their teachers...it really is so much fun. The weather wasn't brilliant but the cloud cover meant there was actually lovely light for taking the photos outside amongst the autumnal colours.

My darling Dad

My Dad was an amazing man. He was kind and fair, he could make anything grow and flourish in his garden and he overcame with considerable dignity more illnesses and challenges in the last years of his life than was ever fair for one person alone to face. He had an entrancing twinkle in his eye and a fantastic sense of humour. He always put himself last and would do anything and everything he could do to help someone in need. A big man with an even bigger heart.

My Dad also taught me how to take photos, he introduced me to the wonderful world of capturing moments and preserving memories. He was never far from his camera and looking through his photos in recent days reminded me of so many happy times we shared as a family.

My darling Dad passed away at the end of August.

He'll be with me

He’ll be with me,

Of this I know.

In the evening light,

When the shadows grow.

He’ll be there when the stars are bright,

Walking with me in the still of night.

His arms will be too far to hold,

But the love I have will defeat the cold.

No length of time will dim his smile,

I’ll see it when I sit a while.

All the years he was there for me,

Will stay locked safe in my memory.

Right now it hurts, it hurts so much,

To know his hands I’ll no longer touch.

To know his voice I’ll no longer hear,

But I know somehow he’s always near.

He’ll be with me,

Of this I know.

In the evening light,

When the shadows grow.

We’ll meet again,

Somewhere down this road.

One day, we’ll share,

All the hugs owed.

My highs and low,

He’ll watch from afar.

Pushing me on,

My guiding star.

My darling Dad,

Who went to sleep.

I know he’d say,

Now, do not weep.

Look on, look up,

Don’t be down hearted.

Nothing has ended,

Because I’ve departed.

The pride, the joy,

You gave to me.

Will never fade,

They’ll always be.

He’ll be with me,

Of this I know.

In the evening light,

When the shadows grow.

We never lose the ones we love,

Some watch over from somewhere above.

The laughs, the fun, the games we played,

The love, the care, they never fade.

But.

For now it’s time to say goodbye,

I cannot promise not to cry.

So go now to the endless night,

I love you Dad. Dream sweet, sleep tight.

Jo Jackson

Sweet siblings ~ Family Photography

A little over a week ago I was lucky enough to photograph 1 year old Saimi and her big brothers.

We had a lot of fun in their garden, the boys running around while little Saimi pottered among the flowers and watched their noisy games.

Kind words

I will hopefully be posting 'properly' soon but, in the meantime, I've been wanting to share a few lovely words that Heidi and Erkko sent my way following their beautiful wedding in July.

Fun in the sun ~ Family photography

On Saturday I met up at a local playground to take some photos of an adorable little lady and her big brother.

Merika + Ilja - Wedding Photography

A few weeks ago Merika and Ilja got married. They had a very sweet ceremony at the local magistrates followed by a celebration the following day at the open air museum at Turkansaari.

Why I want to photograph you and your family

If you've read any of these so far, you'll know I don't really tell short stories and this one is no exception. This is also the most personal of my photography stories so far. So, don't say I didn't warn you. :)

SNEAK PEEK Merika + Ilja's Wedding

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be photographing Merika and Ilja's beautiful wedding celebration at Turkansaari, just outside Oulu.

Here's a sneak peek of their day - including their adorable 'first look'.

More coming very soon!

A Weekend with the Bears

So, my husband won't mind me admitting that his choice of birthday gifts are usually...not the best. I've treasured them all, all the pencil cases and giant pencils (I kid you not!) and as my birthday drew nearer...I wasn't holding my breath about what I'd receive this year. But boy was I in for a surprise. This year he did something truly amazing for my birthday.

Merika + Ilja ~ Engagement Shoot

Last Friday we braved the rain and thunder and headed to the rapids at Koitelinkoski ahead of Merika and Ilja's wedding at the gorgeous Turkansaari next weekend. Luckily for us the clouds parted and the sun shone down on them and their incredibly cute son, Aleksi, who came with us.

SNEAK PEEK - Merika + Ilja ~ Engagement Shoot

Sorry it's been quiet around here the last couple of days, but it's been a little hectic.

There is a blog post on the way but in the meantime I do have a sneak peek for you from last night's beautiful engagement session of Merika and Ilja whose wedding I'll be photographing next weekend.

More coming very soon!

Capturing those moments for yourselves

Obviously I'd love to take photos of you and your family - and I hope one day I will! - but with all the will in the world, I can't be with you 24/7 to capture all the lovely little things that happen day to day. (Although a few people have said they'd love it if I could be! ;) )

But that doesn't mean you can't capture some of those special moments for yourself and to help you I have a couple of tips I've picked up in my years of photographing children that I want to share.

Why I want to photograph your wedding

This is relatively easy to answer.

There are all of the obvious reasons - they're so pretty, they're full of love and laughter, all those gorgeous details crying out to be captured. Who wouldn't want to take photos of a wedding?

But the main reason I want to photograph your wedding is to do with my own.

Eddie ~ Family Photography

I had an awesome time yesterday photographing Eddie and his little sister, Ellen at their beautiful home.

Why I love photography

I remember when I was at school we were given one of those hypothetical questions to discuss in one of our lessons, social studies or something similar, we were to imagine that our house was on fire. Assuming our entire family was out, safe and well, and we were able to take one thing out of the flames with us to safety...what would it be?

We were teenagers so the answers were pretty wide ranging and, in a lot of cases, rather silly now that I think back. Some said their clothes, quite a few said their guitar or their CD collection, movies was another popular choice. Things that are important when you're that age. I answered in a heartbeat and the answer I gave then is the answer I would give now.

My photos.

My 365 Project ~ Week One

I did it! One week down and I didn't miss a day...I came close a couple of times with the daily madness but I managed to get a photo taken every day!

I promised I wouldn't spam you with updates every day but here are this week's seven images. You can click under each image to find out the stories behind the shots.

Heidi + Erkko - Wedding Photography, Oulu, Finland

Just over a week ago I was lucky enough to be taking photos for Heidi and Erkko.

Summer Mini Sessions

Summer is a fantastic time for taking photos. All that glorious sunlight!

So, I am offering a limited number of mini family sessions in the coming weeks.

All you have to give is 20 minutes of your time (plus the €45 session fee) and you'll end up with 10 - 15 gorgeous photos of you and your family having fun from which you can choose 3 to have as digital copies that you can print and use however you want!

Not bad at all, eh?

Available dates and times coming very soon and for more information, please don't hesitate to send me an email!

The difference between need and want...

Something a little different from me this morning so bear with me, I promise it's worth it....

Heidi + Erkko ~ Wedding Preview

Last Saturday the sun shone down for Heidi and Erkko on their wedding day. It was a lovely day full of smiles and so much love, I felt very lucky to be a part of it.

A full blog post is coming very soon but here's a small preview of the oh so beautiful couple.

Heidi + Erkko ~ Engagement Shoot

Earlier this week I met up with Heidi and Erkko at Ainola Park ahead of their wedding in a little over a week's time - so exciting! They also had their simply gorgeous daughter, Sofia, and incredibly cute dog, Tico, with them.

After a month of almost daily rain I was a little worried the weather might let us down but I needn't have worried. The weather was absolutely glorious.

SNEAK PEEK ~ Heidi + Erkko - Engagement Shoot

A sneaky peek from this evening's lovely shoot in Ainola Park, with Heidi and Erkko.

More photos coming soon!

Beautiful things

Sadly the rain has all but destroyed the blossom on my crabapple tree, so no blossom photos this year.

But my little girls were very quick to find me other flowers to photograph, so it's not so bad after all.

Happy Midsummer

Hopefully the rain will stop soon and the sun will shine.

For now though, we have to wait and hope.

Happy Juhannus everyone! Happy Midsummer!

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping 2015 is kind to us all.
This year is going to be a big year for me and my camera and I can't wait!

Happy New Year everyone!