The first week of 2012 kicked off with a nice wedding at Tonbridge Castle, as well as the monthly Soundwaves live gig night at the Stag in Sevenoaks.  I now have a couple of days of admin to do before I head off to the SWPP annual photography convention in London on Sunday.

What a month it's been.  I spent the first 3 weeks at the Dickens Christmas Market in Rochester, photographing visitors to Santa's Grotto.  On the busiest days we were open from 10am until 6pm and had a visit every 5 minutes!

It's been a busy few weeks here at Russell Harper Photography.  During November I've done actors' headshots, business portraits, a couple of charity Balls, a birthday party for a radio DJ, children's and family portraits and more. 

I managed to get along to 3 networking events in Sevenoaks this week, meeting up with other members of the local business community, and hopefully I can do business with some of the people I met.

It's the time of year for actors to renew their entries in the trade directory 'Spotlight', and I did renewal headshots for 4 young actors yesterday.  I do these shots at my home, but with studio lighting.  I like doing them with natural light actually, but that can be difficult at this time of year.  Anyway, here's hoping that their new shots get them plenty of auditions!

I've had a busy few days taking photos for the Ossie Ardiles Soccer School in Sevenoaks this week.  As well as taking photos of the children in action, I take a photo of each of them with the legendary Ossie himself (Tottenham Hotspur legend, World Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup winner) and a full-size replica of the FA Cup.  I print the photos on site and Ossie signs them there and then.  Prints are also available via my website.

After a day off with the family today (my boys get two weeks for half term!) I'm back in action tomorrow with a birthday party shoot in an orchard in Plaxtol.  Should be fun!

I had a good day at the Photovision Roadshow which took place at Brands Hatch today.  I spent time talking to supplier of frames, albums and other items, and have identified some new products which I'll be aiming to introduce to my range for 2012.  I also took in a couple of seminars, and met up with a few photographer friends for a good old chin-wag!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm off to a photography trade fair where I'll be checking out supplier of frames, mounts and albums, as well as taking in a few training seminars.  There's always more to learn in this business!  I'll also take the opportunity to get my cameras cleaned to ensure that I can keep delivering great results from every shoot!

The Sevenoaks Society's 2012 calendar has just been published, and it features my photos on 3 of the months - or a quarter of the year!  E-mail me if you'd like a copy.  They cost £10 each.  The Society's website (which also features some of my Sevenoaks photography!) is www.sevenoakssociety.org.uk.

... but only to work!  I'll be taking photos in a gym in Sevenoaks tomorrow, then doing some shots of a Zumba class on Friday.  I'm going to need a rest after all that!

Lots to edit today, firstly the shots that I took at the Soundwaves gig at the Stag in Sevenoaks on Friday.  Soundwaves is a monthly event for under-18s, and there are 3 young bands on the bill each time.  Once that's out of the way it will be on to editing some headshots that I did for a businesswoman on Saturday.

The Blog is back!

Yes, I'm relaunching the website blog, and now seems like a good time to do it, following a busy September.  Among the photo shoots were a couple of live music events at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, 3 corporate headshot sessions in London and Sevenoaks, interiors shoots for the 7 Hotel Diner in Polhill and Owen Pine and Oak in Chelsfield, covering a charity event with Sue Johnston and Eamonn Holmes, and even a couple of weddings!  October's news will follow!

Well Spring seems to have arrived, and the weather made for a lovely afternoon's photo shoot with a family in a local park.  More of those to come!

It's been a while since my last update - whoops!

Off to Leicester this evening for a commercial photo shoot, after hours in a shopping centre.  Sounds interesting.  More to follow...

Another show at the Stag in Sevenoaks last Friday, Bullfrog Productions' Annie, which I really enjoyed.  I got some good shots despite the challenging stage lighting!

Did event photography at a dinner raising money for Breast Cancer Care this weekend.  We made a donation to the charity for every print that we sold.

Had a good meeting at The Stag Community Arts Centre in Sevenoaks today.  I'll be doing lots of photography for them this year, starting with the first of their 'Soundwaves' youth band nights this Friday.

Did the first location photo shoot of 2011 today, with three generations of a family at Ightham Mote near Sevenoaks.  Got some nice shots despite the rather gloomy weather!

I'm offering a free framed print with every family photo shoot until 31st March.  The print measures 10x8 inches, and with the mount and frame, comes to about 16x14 inches.  You can choose which photo from your session that you'd like framed this way, and you can choose from a range of frames and mounts.  This item normally costs £95, so get one free this Spring!  (And spread the word too...)

Did you pick up a card from me or my son Oliver in Sevenoaks on Saturday?  If so, I look forward to hearing from you!  Spring is in the air, so outdoor shoots are on the cards again.  In fact I'm doing my first outdoor shoot of 2011 this weekend, in Knole Park.   

A good evening's shooting at the Hop Farm in Paddock Wood with my colleague Matt at the weekend.  Thanks to everyone who attended - particularly those who bought prints on the night.

The Blog is back for 2011!   After a long day at the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers' annual convention on Friday, I'm updating the website and doing some planning for what I hope will be a busy year.  I'll try to keep the blog updated, but don't forget that I'm also on Facebook and Twitter.