​Here's my photoshop editing flow which I use for every image I create, and how it applies to this image.

~ Correct Background Distractions ~
Background distractions are anything that distract the eye from the subject, or make the image unnecessarily 'busy'. In this case, gaps in the background tree cover, a stick emerging from the ground to the left of Eleanor's hem line, a dark tree trunk on the left side of the image, and a dark patch of ferns on the right. These have all been concealed or softened, to create a seamless, even and pleasing backdrop for our subject.

~ Liquify ~
Liquify is a handy tool which can be used to warp or change the shape of elements in the image. Here it has been used very sparingly to 'puff out' the skirts of the gown. It's hardly noticeable, but subtly adds some extra oomph and drama to the gown.

~ Correct Skin Tones & Touch-Up ~
Outdoors, skin tones are rarely correct SOOC. The surroundings reflect onto the subject, as do clothes, and then there's consideration for cold hands, noses, ears etc, which will take on a red or blue hue. In this case there are some unwanted yellow tones reflecting from the surroundings on to Eleanor's hair and skin - these have been removed. Her hands have a red hue, which has been corrected, and her neck, which was in shadow, has been lightened slightly. As for touching up, Eleanor's skin is wonderful, so there was just a small area of chapped skin on her lower lip which needed to be removed.

~ Enhance Details ~
Shooting wide open does a fantastic job of isolating the subject from the background, as you can see from the SOOC image. However, to really make the subject 'pop', I like to enhance and sharpen specific details of our subject. Here, I have enhanced the detail of the flower crown, the lace of the gown, the book, the lamp and Eleanor's hair. 

~ Add Magic ~
Now that we have our basic retouched image, it's time for the fun stuff! For this image I have added a light glow to the vintage lamp, to make it look like it has a glowing flame inside. I've also added a few falling leaves to enhance the feel of Autumn - some of these leaves are out of focus, with just one in focus to the right of Eleanor. The size of the leaves and their focus corresponds to how they would probably look if they were falling from the tree in real life at that moment.

~ Tonal Adjustments ~
The finishing touches! I have a secret recipe of tonal adjustments that I use for my images - this has been applied here, followed by a warming brush which has been used on a few areas of the background to create a warm and rich atmosphere. 

​And that's how this image was lovingly created! It is a pleasure to capture this lovely young lady growing up, along with the rest of her family -  I always look forward to seeing you all!

See you soon for the next Making it Magical feature ~ Claire Xx

Learn more about the creation of this image in Making it Magical!

​Start planning your beautiful & unique session now;
​
✓ Family & Child - Year Round
✓ Maternity - Year Round
✓ Newborns (April to September)
✓ 1st Birthday - Year Round

Contact claire@chinchillaphotography.com, find me on facebook, or call for a chat on 07722743428 

Now Booking for 2020 - get in touch soon!

Thanks so much to Loxley for this wonderful feature article, about one of my favourite images :) You can view the full article here

Thank you so much to this years wonderful Spring clients! I've had such a wonderful time with you all and you've all been amazing

♡ Jessica, Lee & Bump ♡
♡ Rana & Bump, Ben & Noah ♡
♡ Baby Maeve, Spirit & Storm ♡
♡ Daisy, Ryan, Phoebe & Milo ♡
♡ Clare, Jason & Fletcher ♡
♡ Mark, Michelle, Evie, Tom & Charlie ♡

During May and June we've enjoyed rapeseed and pretty spring meadows. Here's a few personal favourites...

For this years Bluebells, please see the separate blog post: 
Beautiful Bluebells 2019

Thank you so much to this years amazing bluebells clients! 

♡ Lauren, Craig & Chloe (Happy 1st Birthday!) ♡
♡ Maria, Alex, Danny & Bump ♡
♡ Emily, Matt, Jack & Lucy ♡
♡ Donal, Anand, Aryan & Maya ♡

We have had a stunning show of flowers and a wonderful time, here's a few personal favourites...

Let's start planning your beautiful & unique session now;
​
✓ Family & Child - Year Round
✓ Maternity - Year Round
✓ Newborns (April to September)
✓ 1st Birthday - Year Round

Contact claire@chinchillaphotography.com, find me on facebook, or call for a chat on 07722743428 

How gorgeous are these two - lovely Becks and her sweet little boy Reuben. I had such a nice time with you both!

What a pair of cuties! Aryan & Maya had a lovely time in the woods on a March afternoon. It was lovely to meet you, little ones! 

What a lovely session in the woods, with Kasia & Rich and their sweet baby girl Jenna. Jenna was such a joy, giving us lots of beautiful, happy baby smiles! Thank you guys, I had such a lovely time with you all :) 

I had such a lovely time with this awesome family! Mum & Dad Courtney & Wayne, with their gorgeous little ones Maddox & Xanthe, and Chester the dog. We had a pleasantly mild January afternoon for our session, the children were full of smiles (how adorable is Xanthe with those cheeks!) and Chester had lots of fun too. Thanks so much guys, it was a pleasure to meet you all!

It was my 6th session with this absolutely beautiful family! Lovely parents Zahra & Gursharn have captured both of their sweet boys, Jayden and Kaiyan, from Maternity, to Newborn, to 1st Birthday.

This 6th session was Kaiyan's 1st birthday; celebrated with colourful balloons in the woods on a January day. It has been such a privilege to see this family grow and see the boys flourish into such adorable little people! 

This family holds an extra-special place in my heart! My dear friend Chrissie, with her husband Liam and their two beautiful children; Amelia and Oscar. We had a gorgeous, sunny and mild December afternoon for our session, and the children were fantastic, exploring in the woods with plenty of smiles. It was such a privilege to take these images for you!

It was my 4th time meeting with this beautiful family and we had such a lovely time! A cool, bright December morning with gorgeous rich scenery was the backdrop for our session, and the children were just fantastic. Here's Caroline & Steven, with Ben and his little sisters Charlotte & Matilda x 

Introducing the Oguntoye Family! Mum and Dad Marcy and Joe, beautiful Adeline and sweet baby Eddie. 

We had a wonderful Autumn session on a sunny November afternoon. Adeline was full of smiles and energy and baby Joe was a little superstar too, quite content all snuggled up in his winter clothes. I had such a lovely time with you all, a joy to photograph! 

Introducing the Mcginty Family; Mum and Dad Janice & Owen and their sweet son Angus. We had a lovely Autumn session in the woods on a sunny November afternoon. Angus is such an adorable child and I had a lovely time with the whole family. It was so nice to meet you all! 

I had such a great time with this gorgeous family! Three years since our last session, Harrison and Rowan now have little brother Jenson to join the clan, and all three boys were absolutely adorable. 

We had a lovely late October session in the woods - it was so nice to see you all again!

It was my second time meeting the beautiful Dye family, and lovely Jack now has a sweet little sister, Thea. We had a great time in the woods on a pleasantly warm October afternoon. Thanks so much guys, it was so nice to see you all again!

Introducing the lovely Wright Family - with their adult sons Cameron & Joshua. 

We had a gorgeous session in the woods just as the colours were beginning to turn. It was so nice to meet you all!

I've had such a fantastic time with this years Lavender clients! You have all been great and we had another wonderful year of the purple :) thank you Hitchin Lavender Farm for having us again! 

​There is always only a handful of sessions available each summer for Hitchin Lavender, if you'd like early notice of 2019's session dates before they go live on the website, just get in touch to be added to the list :)

We're now getting ready for September sessions with a late-summer vibe, and now booking for a beautiful autumn & winter too! To get booked in, have a look at the session guides & galleries, and get in touch to start planning your perfect session...

Session Guides & Galleries;

​Family & Child
{Family & Child Gallery | Family & Child Session Guide}
Newborn (April to September only)
{Newborn Gallery | Newborn Session Guide}
Maternity
{Maternity Gallery | Maternity Session Guide}
1st Birthday & Cake Smash
{1st Birthday Gallery | 1st Birthday Session Guide}

Bookings; ​claire@chinchillaphotography.com | 07722743428

It was my second session with this lovely family - Mum & Dad Fozia and Naveed and their sweet girls Amyla (3) and baby Mishaal (9 months). For our first session they were a family of 3, so it was such a pleasure to meet their new addition Mishaal! We had a gorgeous sunny July evening for our session, complete with sunflowers. Thank you so much for coming to see me again, I had a great time with you all :)

What a lovely session this was with a beautiful family; Mum & Dad Kathy and Adam, and their sweet baby girl Isla, who has just turned 1 - happy 1st birthday Isla! We had a gorgeous warm and sunny evening for our lavender session, and the sunflowers were out early too, so we made the most of those. Isla was adorable running about the fields, I had a great time working with you all x

Introducing the lovely Dieckmann family; Mum & Dad Lorraine & Mike and their beautiful 2-year-old twins Max and Maija. We had a lovely July evening at Hitchin Lavender, Max and Maija were totally adorable and they even got an ice-cream treat at the end for all their hard work :) it was so nice to meet you all!

What a wonderful session this was! My first Lavender session of the year, with a beautiful family, a warm July evening and gorgeous light. 

Introducing the Dark family; Mum and Dad Alicja & Allan and their sweet little boy Charles (2). Charles was a total superstar for the whole session, beaming with smiles and running about the lavender, such a delightful little boy! It has been a pleasure to work with you all :)

I had such a wonderful session with this lovely family! It was my third time meeting Mum & Dad Ella and Kingsley and their two gorgeous children Chika & Chiletam. I have been privileged to capture Chiletam's Maternity, Newborn and now 1st Birthday portraits. This third session was a warm sunny evening in Early September. Chiletam had a great time celebrating her 1st Birthday Milestone with the Hot Air Balloon, and Chika was so sweet with his baby sister. We took a few family photos, and at the end of the session, captured Chiletam in her traditional African attire - doesn't she look beautiful! Thank you so much for coming out to see me again, I have loved being a part of your journey so far!

Introducing the beautiful Solomon family! Mum & Dad Amy and Michael, and their sweet children Joseph (4) and Poppy (9 months). We had a gorgeous late August session on a sunny evening and the family were a joy to work with. Thank you so much for coming out to see me, it was so lovely to meet you all!

I had an absolutely beautiful session with one of my favourite Mother-Daughter Duos! This was my third time meeting lovely Rachel and her sweet and beautiful daughter Alicia. We had beautiful surroundings of wild summer plants on a warm and sunny late August evening. Thanks you so much for coming out to see me again, it was a pleasure as always :)

Welcome to the world to sweet new baby Beau! Just 10 days young for our session, Beau was absolutely adorable, and I had such a nice time meeting proud new parents Charlene and Philip. We had a lovely mid-August session with lots of summer flowers. Many congratulations to you on the arrival of your perfect baby girl!

Introducing sweet baby George! Just 18 days new for our session, George was wide awake but we still managed to capture beautiful photos of him, along with Mum Abbi and proud big brother Spencer. It has been so nice to see you all again and meet your perfect new baby boy!

Introducing the wonderful Rush Family! Mum and Dad Vicky & Patrick, and their beautiful daughter Fearne. We had a lovely session at this new location on a warm July evening, with soft Summer light and pretty prink flowers in the surroundings. Fearne was absolutely adorable, and what a pretty girl! She looked a perfect princess in the Madison Gown. I had such a great time working with you all and hope you have a wonderful Summer! x

Introducing the beautiful McVeigh Family; Mum and Dad Ruth and Bernie, and their three gorgeous children - Isaac (7), Joshua (5) and little Eliza (2). We had a beautiful session on a warm June evening, with a handful of poppies scattered around. The whole family were a pleasure to work with and the children were such a delight, all so friendly and polite and lovely to have a chat with. I had such a great time with you all!

Introducing sweet baby Emil with his lovely family; Mum and Dad Ewa & Tomasz, and new big brother Tymon. Just 3 weeks new for his session, baby Emil was a little darling throughout, and we even caught a gorgeous little newborn smile. This was my third session with this beautiful family, it is such a pleasure to watch their family grow! 

Introducing beautiful baby Roma - just 7 days new for her session and absolutely perfect! We had a gorgeous session on a June evening at our secret poppies location and were treated to a brilliant show of red. Roma was awake for a lot of the session, but totally content and giving us lots of lovely wide-eyed gazes. Many congratulations to new parents Alyssia and Chris - what an adorable baby girl you have made!

What a pleasure it was to meet sweet baby Zach and his lovely parents Rosanne & Chris! Baby Zach was my first newborn of the year - just 9 days new for his session, he was an absolute superstar and slept peacefully throughout. Zach's session was on a warm June evening, in a beautiful local meadow. Isn't he gorgeous! Many congratulations to new parents Rosanne & Chris, it was so nice to meet you all, you have made such a beautiful family!

Here's March to May 2018- excluding Bluebells, which have been blogged as a separate post; Beautiful Bluebells 2018.

​We were treated to a gorgeous show of Queen Anne's Lace and grassland meadows, and I've met with lots of truly lovely families!

​Summer is now here and we're looking forward to wild flowers, poppies, wild grasslands and of course... lavender!

Newborn sessions are running all the way through the summer up until mid September, so now is the time to book if you are due your sweet new baby during this time.

Session Guides;

​Family & Child
{Family & Child Gallery | Family & Child Session Guide}
Newborn
{Newborn Gallery | Newborn Session Guide}
Maternity
{Maternity Gallery | Maternity Session Guide}
1st Birthday & Cake Smash
{1st Birthday Gallery | 1st Birthday Session Guide}

Bookings; ​claire@chinchillaphotography.com | 07722743428

What a treat this session was! Introducing the Versallion Family; Mum and Dad Caroline & Mark and their four amazing boys - Marcus (12), Rupert (10), Henry (7) and Edward (5). We had such a great time on a cloudy May evening, the whole family were a delight to work with and the boys were absolutely charming and full of personality! 

...have been blogged separately - please see Beautiful Bluebells 2018

Introducing the beautiful Beswick family! Mum and Dad Nicola and Matt, with their gorgeous children Jensen and Annelie. Little Annelie had recently turned one, so we celebrated the occasion with a few birthday photos before continuing with Family & Child photos. The children were absolutely wonderful, smiley and happy running about in the woods on this mid April afternoon. I had such a great time working with you all!

Introducing beautiful Ru and her equally beautiful baby daughter Mila! Mila was just 4 months new for her session, and what a cute little poppet she is! She was perfectly contented looking about at the woods and gave us some beautiful smiles too. It was so wonderful to meet you both!

What a lovely late March session I had with these guys - Mum Jude and her gorgeous little boy Sam (15 months). Sam is such a happy little man, and loved being outdoors, exploring and showing Mummy everything he found. We had a pleasantly mild afternoon for our session - it was a real pleasure to spend some time in the woods with you both :)

March definitely threw us a curveball this year! Introducing the lovely Iris, David and their beautiful daughter Reanna, in the snow! Reanna (20 months) had a lovely time toddling about in the snow, and totally rocked the bunny hat!

It was my 5th time meeting this wonderful family! We had a lovely March afternoon for our session in the woods, the last time I saw little Jaxon he was crawling about, but now he's up and off, running about and having all kinds of fun. Sofia is growing into a wonderful young lady and big sister, it was really lovely to see you all again!

Introducing beautiful Layla and her absolutely gorgeous little boy Reuben! Reuben was 16 months young for our session, and one of the happiest, carefree little ones I have met. We had a lovely time in the woods on an early March morning, Reuben toddled about, flashing me the loveliest smiles! He loved the guitar, and how super-cute is his outfit too! It was a real pleasure to meet you both :)