What dreams are made of ...

I am so fortunate to have such a supportive husband. Steve has encouraged me with my photography from our first days together - constantly helping, pushing and believing in me .... far more than I ever believed in myself if I'm honest.

It was Steve who invested in the very best cameras and lenses that Canon make for me and it was him that made me believe that I could make an amazing change of career such a success. My previous career was an Entomologist ... an insect biologist - I worked in insect pest research for 20 years after obtaining a degree in Applied Biology at the Liverpool John Moors University .... an interesting change of career some might think! As well as the company's Entomologist I also over time became their photographer photographing staff, insects and products!

I was a keen amateur photographer since childhood and my love for the natural world grew with me - inspired by the wonderful Sir David Attenborough (who, incidentally I was very fortunate to meet last year - a truly wonderful gentleman). So, for me my past career and my present career blend beautifully together.

So .... these dreams then?

Ever since watching Sir David I have dreamed of visiting those wonderful places shown by the BBC Natural History dept. This May, 2010, as many of you already know I am off to Africa. I'm travelling to Zimbabwe and Botswana with 4 other pro photographers, for a 12 day bespoke wildlife photography trip that'll take us off the beaten track away from the tourist zones, travelling by 6 seater cessna. The aim of this trip is to produce some amazing stock photography and also to support a wonderful elephant charity .... I'll tell all about that in another blog post soon. Steve isn't coming with me on this trip - he's staying behind to look after my 2 teens. Without his help and support I'd never be able to go.

And then there was the question I was asked this weekend. This weekend I was asked by Steve Allen (the same chap that's organised the Africa trip) if I'd like to go along on another trip - this one in May 2011. This really is for me a trip of a lifetime, the itinerary totally blew me away. It's a trip to Ecuador visiting Quito the capital city high in the Andes, the Amazonian rainforest, canoeing down the Amazon, the Mindo Nambilo cloud forest - to Sachatamia Rainforest reserve on the equator - a volcanic region with high biological diversity and many rare species and .....wait for it ...the amazing Galapagos Islands - which we will sail from island to island in a private luxury yacht. These are the places that I read about during my student years. The places where Darwin studied the wildlife and conceived his 'Origin of Species' theory. This, for me, is truly what dreams are made of.

Again, my wonderful husband has made this possible for me by letting me go off on my own while he stays behind and holds 'fort'. I can never thank him enough for giving me such a wonderful opportunity, a real chance of a lifetime.

On both trips I will be travelling with an amazing photographer, Steve Allen - one of the Worlds top travel and wildlife photographers. I hope to learn so much from this amazing man. I know I will return from both trips a changed person and a very much better and inspired photographer. I'll then be able to give my clients even higher standards than I do now.

If anyone is interested in the details of the trip have a look at Steve Allen's website www.steveallenphotography.com and click on 'Travel with Steve' and there you'll be able to see the day by day itinerary and links to photographs of the yacht and places we'll be visiting.

So, back to my Steve, my wonderful husband .... thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I can never explain to you how much this means to me - I could never do it without your support - the images I bring back will not disappoint you xxx

Children in Need Charity Twitter Auction

All children are beautiful and photographing them enjoying themselves and having fun is fantastic! I love doing children's lifestyle portrait sessions - the images I get are always very natural. Kids are full of great expressions and are perfect subjects.

This weekend started with BBC Television's "Children in Need". Being primarily a family photographer, it was only right that Lesley Wood Photography should support such a worthy cause.

Having over 600 followers on Twitter, I decided to use my network to reach as many people as possible in a short time. At 9am on Children in Need Friday, I began a "Twitter Auction" and invited people to bid for a Children's Lifestyle portrait session. The prize on offer was 1/2 day photography session at a location of the winner's choice within 50 miles of my studio in Cheshire.

Also included was a Viewing Experience at my studio a week after the shoot, where the winner's family would view all their pictures on a big screen - complete with music, candlelight and refreshments. They could then choose their favourite photograph to be framed in a quality bespoke crafted frame.

After 12 hours of bidding from all over the North West of England, the auction reached its peak within the last hour. Twitter gives you the facility to send secret direct messages, and these rained in as well as public replies. No doubt they were all spurred on by some of the heart-wrenching stories shown on the Children in Need programme.

At 9pm, the highest, enormously generous winning bid was £180 and it came from David Cartlidge (@TheChaosCompany). Every single penny of this amount will be donated to Children in Need and if David decides to buy any more products, all profits from the additional sale will also be donated.

I'm really excited about photographing David's children some time in late summer of next year, probably at a beach. I'm looking forward to showing you all some of the pictures.

I'd like to thank everyone who took part in the auction. I'm sure you'll all agree that it is money going to a fabulous charity, and for me it will be a total pleasure to do.

Congratulations and thank you to David!

Hello, and welcome to my first blog entry!

This week, I'm busy with final preparations for the wedding of Ian and Louise on Saturday 10th October.

We take our weddings very seriously and put an enormous amount of energy into ensuring that everything is perfect - and just how the bride and groom want it to be.

Some of you may have seen the BBC news item earlier this week about a couple who sued their wedding photographer as a result of the appalling photographs they had presented to them when they returned from their honeymoon. When I saw some of the offending pictures, I was horrified by the total lack of professionalism their so-called "photographer" displayed.

So, for all you Cheshire couples looking for a wedding photographer, please consider the following when making your choice:

- Make sure you meet the photographer personally and spend time with them to get to know them and feel comfortable with them.

- Take plenty of time to talk through your aspirations and dreams for your big day.

- Look at sample albums and check other examples of their work. Do whatever you can to make sure it IS their work you are looking at!

- Make sure that they are insured. Ask to see proof of their insurance cover. Any reputable photographer will have cover in place and won't mind proving it to you.

- Experience your photographer at work before the day. Ask for a pre-wedding shoot so that you can get chance to know them better, and so that they get the chance to photograph you and work with you.

- Check their testimonials, either on their website or in paper form.

- Check their website. A good website is a sign of a good professional photographer.

- Your photographer should be keen to meet with you before your wedding day to go over all the plans with you. They should be willing to work to your brief and fully understand exactly what you want from your wedding photography.

- They should be available at any time to answer any questions you may have before the day.

- They should confirm to you that they plan to visit the venue before the day to fully understand the layout and any restrictions on what they can do. It's especially important that they work with the venue on the day to make sure that it all goes without a hitch.

- Choose a photographer who can work with the unpredictable British weather!

My advice to you is this - Don't book anyone calling themselves a Wedding Photographer unless they're offering to do all of the above.

Your wedding day is the most important day of your life. It is a day that deserves to be captured professionally and beautifully, to tell the story of your marriage from beginning to end. We consider it an honour to be allowed to partake in a couple's wedding day, and we work hard to capture every detail of the day - from start to finish - to give you memories that will last a lifetime.

Don't let well-meaning Uncle Joe, or that faceless non-professional, ruin your memories! Louise and Ian can rest assured that Lesley Wood Photography will capture their amazing wedding in Cheshire with professionalism and skill.

All of our wedding clients have become our friends, and we can't think of a finer testimonial than that. We'd love to add YOU to our great group of Cheshire friends!

Until next time,

Lesley.