Taking Chances ~ Jo Jackson Photography

I can't believe we're almost at the end of January and a whole month into 2017! This month has flown by.

For me, this year is all about taking chances and the first of those chances was to enter 50 of my photos into an international photography contest!

Special Offer - Canvas Prints

Still looking for a last minute gift idea?

Over at Fine Art America I have a limited number of 8" x 10" canvas prints of my 'Sunrise in Syöte' available at a special price! Only valid until Friday 23rd December and only a limited number of canvases are available!

Don't forget gift vouchers also make awesome gifts and if you buy a photo session for your friend or family member you'll qualify for 50% off the cost of a session for you and your own loved ones! Why not give the gift of memories this Christmas, contact me to buy your gift card now!

Go get your canvas here before they sell out!

Forest fairies ~ Children's photography, Finland and Yorkshire

Seeing as we were heading into the 'wild' for the weekend it seemed appropriate to take along their fairy dresses and see if we couldn't manage a mini fairy photoshoot over the course of our trip.

Luckily for us the sun was shining, the girls weren't too blueberry stained and there were plenty of pretty places for photos.

So here are my little forest fairies enjoying the trees and the berries near Kuusamo at the weekend. <3

Happy Anniversary, Merika and Ilja! ~ Wedding photography, Oulu, Finland

Another anniversary to be celebrated today, always lovely. A year ago I was photographing the marriage of Merika and Ilja - and what a wonderful day it was! <3

Happy Anniversary you two - here's to all the adventures yet to come!

Rain, rain... ~ Family photography, Oulu, Finland

...go away!!

I don't know about you but I'm not ready for summer to be over yet. We had glorious sunshine and patches of real warmth this week but we've also had the sort of rain that would make Noah start reaching for his tools!

Thinking back to the sunshine of last week, here are some shots of Rosie in the garden with the sunflowers she's grown herself some seeds she got for her birthday. They're my favourite flower so I was always going to be excited when the time came for them to bloom but she's just as giddy as me, which is awesome.

Miia + Iiro ~ Wedding photography, Oulu, Finland

A couple of weeks ago, on a very hot and sunny Saturday, I photographed the wedding of an old friend and her fiance here in Oulu. Miia and Iiro had their wedding ceremony at Turkansaari, followed by a reception at Oulunsuun Pirtti. The 17th century wooden church at Turkansaari is gorgeous, very small and obviously very old but so lovely. It's size meant it was a very intimate ceremony and I felt very lucky to be a part of it.

It was a day full of smiles and love and a joy to capture with my lens.

Miia + Iiro ~ Engagement photography, Oulu, Finland and Yorkshire

While I work through the photos from yesterday's sunny wedding, here are a few more shots from Miia and Iiro's romantic engagement shoot from earlier in the week for you to enjoy.

They were so natural with each other in front of the camera, I absolutely loved photographing them!

SNEAK PEEK - Miia + Iiro ~ Wedding photography, Oulu, Finland

Yesterday was the gorgeous wedding of Miia and Iiro at Turkansaari chuch. The sun shone bright and hot all day but the smiles on everyone's faces never faltered.

Here's a little peek of them in all their lovely glory for you to enjoy while I carry on editing all the other photos from yesterday!

PREVIEW Miia + Iiro ~ Engagement photography, Oulu, Finland and Yorkshire

Last night I met up with Miia and Iiro whose wedding I'll be photographing on Saturday - exciting!! Miia is an old friend which always makes the responsibility of capturing their day even more special.

We walked around Ainola park in the evening sunlight taking some simply lovely photos of the pair of them in preparation for their wedding day.

Here's a little sneak peek into their engagement session.

Evening at the beach ~ Family photography, Bridlington, Yorkshire

Before heading back to Finland, my family and I headed to the coast to spend the evening at Bridlington last week. Many many years ago it was our home, we lived right on the front in a holiday flat, and it will always have a special place in our hearts. <3

Luckily for us the sun was shining and as we remembered times gone by with those loved ones no longer with us, it was lovely to watch the girls enjoying the sun and sand just as we did when we were children.

Markka + Jukka ~ Engagement photography, Oulu, Finland and Yorkshire

Love is definitely in the air this week. Two engagement shoots and a wedding on Saturday, lucky lucky me! <3

Last night I met Markka and Jukka for their engagement session ready for their wedding at the start of September. It was lovely to finally meet them, and their adorable little boy, while we explored their wedding venue and took some photos.

Bumps in the back garden ~ Maternity photography, Oulu, Finland and Yorkshire

During our trip to the UK I was able to meet up with several old friends which was absolutely fantastic. Some of them I hadn't seen in years but it was so easy to chat and catch up...it was like we'd only seen each other the other week. That's the mark of a true friendship. We're all older, some of us are married now with multiple children but we're all essentially the same people we were when we left school almost 20 years ago now! <3

One of my friends is eagerly anticipating her fourth child and I offered to take some photos of her while I was in the country. We went into her beautifully verdant back garden and while we swapped stories of our own adventures into motherhood, I captured some shots of her beautiful glow, stunning smile and the bump that will in a few short weeks become a much loved baby in her arms.

Temple Newsam ~ Family photography, Yorkshire and Finland

Yesterday we spent a lovely afternoon visiting the animals at Homefarm, Temple Newsam. With several fantastic adventure playgrounds and lots of adorable animals, it was the perfect place to visit with energetic little people.

It was also a lovely place to visit with the girls as we were actually there 5 years ago when Evie had her photos taken at the age of 1 by the enormously talented Maryanne Scott.

We were lucky enough to see some very young animals and the girls were thrilled to see them so close - even if the smell was rather...over powering at times! ;)

Happy Anniversary, Heidi + Erkko! ~ Wedding photography, Oulu, Finland

This time last year I was photographing the gorgeous wedding of Heidi and Erkko in Oulu, how fast time flies!

Happy Anniversary to you both!! <3

Garden Fairies - Children's photography, Oulu and Yorkshire

I've had an idea in my head for a themed photoshoot to do with the girls for months. It was born out of discovering old bridesmaids dresses in the wardrobe and having a glimmer of inspiration.

Two boxes of dye, some floral headbands and a trip to Scotland later...and I have taken what I think are some pretty gorgeous photos of my girls as fairies. They don't have wings and I was originally thinking of adding some digitally but I decided against it and I just love how they've turned out.

UK Summer Sessions - Family photography, Yorkshire

The summer is almost here and we're starting to get ready for our trip home to the UK at the end of the month. Hooray!

During our stay we'll be visiting Scotland so that I can climb a mountain in memory of my Dad which I'm definitely excited about! It's a personal challenge more than anything but I will be fund raising for the RSPB (a charity my Dad always supported) and if you'd like to sponsor me you can find more information here.

I'll also have some time when I'm in and around the York area and I already have some photo sessions lined up with family and friends - seems a shame to be there with my camera and not use it, don't you think?

If you want to try and arrange a photo session for you and your family either at the very end of June or during the second week in July please do get in touch and I can do my best to fit you in but please don't leave it too long to let me know. Time is flying and I'll be home before I know it!

We can take photos in your home or back garden or we can meet somewhere like the Museum Gardens and capture some memories of you and your family having fun (hopefully in the sun!).
While I can't guarantee the sun will shine, I can promise you a fun hour or so with me and my camera and photos you'll treasure for the years to come.

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!

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.

James + Lesley

This weekend we flew back to the UK to celebrate the wedding of my brother in law and his lovely fiance. They got married in the beautiful little town of Howden at the cathedral. My little ones were flower girls and absolutely loved their dresses - perfect for spinning in.

It was a great day from start to finish and even though I was there as a guest, I still managed to get some pretty pictures too.