We love irresistible, chubby baby cheeks as much as anyone else so if your baby takes cuteness to the next level, then how about entering Photo-times Baby of the month competition. If you book a baby portrait shoot you get free entry into the Xperience Baby Of The Month Competition. The winner each month wins £200 of John Lewis vouchers as well as a chance to be in the end of year competition to win a framed 30″ wall portrait worth £575. Go ga ga Mudsters! If you’re like us and don’t have a mini me under 12 months, you can vote in the competition on their Facebook page and just enjoy full on baby cuteness! The baby portrait sessions are just one of the many options on offer at Photo-Times. Elise offers maternity, family, boudoir and even sessions for pets (we think Muddy Paws would be a fantastic model!) and her passion for photography is infectious! So much so we asked her to give us an insight into her work and her life…because, what is it that makes a photographer want to take pictures..?

‘As I was growing up, my dad was into photography, his passion was planes and architecture.  When we were on holiday, he was always pointing the camera at a building of some description & Mum would have to suggest to him that he ought to record that we were all there on holiday with him, and it wasn’t all about the buildings, so he got her a little instamatic camera. All the photos she took had our heads partially chopped off; she wasn’t really interested in taking them, so me being the eldest got to have a play too. Then as I got older I was bought my own instamatic camera to record the holiday myself.

It wasn’t until I left home and I met someone at work, that photography started to come more to the forefront. About the same time, I developed a fascination for family history – what was my family’s history – who were my ancestors? One occasion we were round my Grandmothers and I asked a few questions about our ancestors, and she pulled out a huge box filled with old photographs of relatives.  I was shocked at the quantity and that there were few people there that I recognised. Such a rich tapestry of images, people I’d never even heard of until the box appeared!  Now I treasure them so much, especially as I now know about the lives they lived, the hardships they endured, the successes they had, for me I can see their stories in their pictures, and I want to ensure that other families have that for their future families to treasure.

My studio is my happy place, a place where I get to play all day. It is on two levels with the upstairs being where all the magic happens. My first love is maternity, newborn and under 5s, but I also do families and pets as well.

Unearthing the past, particularly through photographs, and documenting our families, is even more important to me for future generations. I haven’t been blessed with children, so in future years when I’m gone there will be no direct descendants looking, or knowing me, so having photographs of me, my life and my family will allow me to exist in some form and provide future generations to get a sense of who I was and if there is any family resemblance.

Family is the most important thing in the world, and I know people want portraits they can treasure and hold close to their hearts for the rest of their lives (and for the family’s collection for generations to come).

Find out more and make sure you capture those moments together (not just a selfie on your smartphone)!