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.