So here they are: my 12 favourite images of 2017. It was so hard to choose just one image from each month. Each image not only tells a story, but means something special to me too!
January - My year kicked off with the honour of covering Professor Ian Wilmut's wedding. A beautiful ceremony that I feel so privileged to have been a part of.
February - This year many babies that I had photographed as newborns reached their very first birthday - who doesn't love a good cake smash to get the year rolling?!
March - I was lucky enough to be with a wonderful mum-to-be just weeks before her little bundle made an appearance. I was honoured to then get to capture their newborn session a few weeks later too! I can't wait to catch up with little Owen in 2018 for his first birthday!
April - Springtime! A very special little girl came back to say hello - this image makes me smile so much as at this point in the year I knew I would be covering her Mum and Dad's wedding at the Royal Botanics in Edinburgh in a few months.
May - It was also a special year for me personally as my love of steam trains really took off - after a break of over twenty years I am back on the footplate! This time with Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway. I've had a love of steam since being a child, so this image of two children waving as their two Austerities trundle by captures so much nostalgia for me.
June - Come summer time and it was the Beltane that really stood out this year for me. Not only because it was an absolute delight to photograph for the wonderful people of Peebles, but for the first year myself, Brian Cassidy and Stephen Mathison teamed up together so that we could all bring you the very best coverage of the event. Literally no stone was left unturned and judging from public response I am pretty sure it will be on our agenda again this year!
July - Those long summer nights may seem like a lifetime ago now, but this year was fantastic for late evening sessions. Particularly the Taster Session was very popular this year - a short session which captured all of the delights of summer in a family photograph.
August - As summer rolled out yet another milestone for me loomed...my little girl started school!! This also saw the start of my School Starters Portraits - something that I will be doing again this year, so keep your eyes peeled :)
September - 2017 also saw another aspect of my photography as I had many enquiries from visitors asking me to capture their stay in Scotland. One which really stood out was the Wong family - who came over to Scotland all the way from Hong Kong. I got to spend the afternoon with them and photograph them at the very grand Gleneagles Hotel!
October - Of course, my year hasn't been without its fair share of weddings too - there's nothing quite like being the one to capture those vows being exchanged! One of my favourite weddings has to be Neil and Holly's in Dunkeld. A truly beautiful couple who were perfectly matched with their chosen location, complete with dramatic autumn colours. Just perfect.
November - Where do I start? The Mini Sessions really did make such an impact this year! 217 people photographed, 1000's of images taken, three venues across five days, 12 Christmas jumpers, three Santa hats, one set of reindeer antlers and £750 of funds raised in total for two local nurseries and one Out of School Club. It was amazing to see so many new faces, along with lots of clients who have come back year on year. 2018's Mini Sessions promises to be even bigger with it's 5th anniversary looming.
December - Finally the end of the year is rolling in and we've gone full circle. I'm closing with a very special newborn session. This is a session which I don't mind saying I have been waiting for! I photographed this 'Sleeping Beauty's' Mum and Dad a couple of years ago at Ednam House in Kelso. Their wedding was such a memorable day for me to capture and I feel so lucky to have been able to have captured yet another milestone in their lives with the arrival of a beautiful baby girl...
New life, New Chapters, New Year...
Happy New Year everyone!