Kirsten Mavric Photography

2011-11-04T16:08:00.002Z

Please note that this blog has been inactive since June 2010! My new blog can be found HERE.

Thank you xxxxxxxxx

The lovely Jane, Mia and Willa

2010-06-24T14:10:00.005+01:00

You may recognise Mia's hands from my favourite apple photograph :)

Jemma

2010-06-17T21:07:00.007+01:00

Jemma, or 'The Tattooed Lady" as I insisted on calling her. *mortified*. Lovely girl, very edgy model. I really enjoyed shooting her...

Venue The Harmony II http://www.harmonyyachtclub.com/
Dresses http://www.vintagedress.co.uk/
China and table styling http://www.vintageteasets.co.uk
Catering was from McBaile http://www.mcbaile.com/
Cakes: Sheona's of Cake Matters http://www.cakematters.co.uk/
Floriture: http://www.floriture.com

Natalie

2010-06-17T13:04:00.005+01:00

It's a blog frenzy today ...

LOVED this dress Natalie was wearing. It went so beautifully with the cornflower blue sky. I have to say that the best piece of equipment I brought with me was my polariser.

Venue The Harmony II http://www.harmonyyachtclub.com/
Dresses http://www.vintagedress.co.uk/
China and table styling http://www.vintageteasets.co.uk
Catering was from McBaile http://www.mcbaile.com/
Cakes: Sheona's of Cake Matters http://www.cakematters.co.uk/
Floriture: http://www.floriture.com

Jana

2010-06-17T12:10:00.006+01:00

Jana was the first of the models who we photographed (I hope that's how she spells her name). She went home ill after our group shot her. Oops. I hope it wasn't the ice-cream we forced her to eat ;)

Venue The Harmony II http://www.harmonyyachtclub.com/
Dresses http://www.vintagedress.co.uk/
China and table styling http://www.vintageteasets.co.uk
Catering was from McBaile http://www.mcbaile.com/
Cakes: Sheona's of Cake Matters http://www.cakematters.co.uk/
Floriture: http://www.floriture.com

The Photography Parlour Get Together - the details

2010-06-17T11:44:00.006+01:00

On Tuesday, I drove down to Bristol on one of the most beautiful days of the year so far. After singing loudly in my car all the way down, I was nearly hoarse by the time I arrived but still managed to bark orders at the models ;)

Before we get to the model shots, though, here are some of the amazing details we were given to shoot. The lovely Vicky from Vintage Teasets did a particularly wonderful job.

Below are all the supplier details from the day - I will add these to each of the following model blogs too.

Venue The Harmony II http://www.harmonyyachtclub.com/
Dresses http://www.vintagedress.co.uk/
China and table styling http://www.vintageteasets.co.uk
Catering was from McBaile http://www.mcbaile.com/
Cakes: Sheona's of Cake Matters http://www.cakematters.co.uk/
Floriture: http://www.floriture.com

Thanks again to Rosie Parsons - you really pulled a blinder, girl.

Rosie and Lee

2010-06-10T13:49:00.006+01:00

A few weeks ago, I had the massive honour of photographing the wonderful Rosie and Lee from the Photography Parlour. If you haven't come across this site, it is a fantastic new resource for UK wedding and portrait photographers. Rosie is also an amazing wedding photographer and her site is here.

This shoot was a surprise for Lee's birthday and in fact, Rosie didn't tell him what was happening until they drove into the car park at the bluebell woods in Wiltshire! He did look a little shocked but rose to the occasion beautifully.

I can't wait for the photographers get together on the 15th, guys!

Eating fun

2010-06-07T07:29:00.001+01:00

Finger foods are such fun at this age....

Redheads rock

2010-05-31T22:51:00.003+01:00

I had a wonderful shoot today with the K family at Alexandra Palace. Gorgeous children and so well behaved. My new favourite subjects are 7 year old girls!

Two sneak peeks for tonight, more to come soon.

Cheeky chappie...

May is my favourite month

2010-05-30T16:05:00.007+01:00

I'm fortunate to live in a particularly leafy part of North London. Today I noticed how many different gates there are on each street.

If you squint at the left picture, you can just see the bunting going up ahead of the World Cup where, no doubt, we'll go out on penalties. Tsk.

Poor abandoned bunny.

2010-05-26T11:00:00.000+01:00

Why you should always keep a camera handy ;)

Al Lewis and Sarah Howells

2010-05-24T10:11:00.009+01:00

More blog catching up here. I've photographed Al several times over the years (he was one of my first portrait bookings and found me through MySpace). He is a solo artist but recently he has collaborated with a wonderful singer called Sarah Howells. I love their voices together, they work so well. Have a listen - http://www.myspace.com/allewismusic

For this shoot, we went to the Proud Gallery in Camden. It has huge skylights so the whole place gets loads of natural light. They were fantastic models and did everything I asked of them. I guess you are less shy when you have to get up on stage and sing in front of people.

Late spring in Highgate Woods

2010-05-19T14:01:00.004+01:00

Shooting another photographer is always stressful and nerve-wracking, and this shoot was no exception *ahem*, but could you ask for two better models? Max stood up for ages which he's never managed to do. So proud.

This shoot is a prime example of how important it is to plan your clothing for portraits. If Leon or Max had been wearing mismatching, branded clothing, the images wouldn't have been as effective. It also shows that you don't have to play it safe and wear white tops and blue jeans.

Spring has sprung, people.

2010-05-16T22:37:00.003+01:00

And about time, too.

2010-05-16T11:36:00.003+01:00

Just a few from an Hindu engagement ceremony I shot in West London. I hadn't been to one before and the ritual and colour was just lovely.

2010-05-15T15:36:00.011+01:00

Catching up with some blogging today. I've been a naughty blogger over the last year.

This is the C family. O and J are the MOST adorable boys. J (the older one) ran around and smiled so much, he really made my day. Neither of them seemed to mind my camera, if anything they played up to it. Just what a photographer likes in a shoot!

Look at this cheeky face!

Thanks guys, it was a fabulous day on Hampstead Heath x

2010-05-12T20:49:00.002+01:00

Max is now so used to the sight of a camera that he positively glows at me.

2010-04-22T11:54:00.002+01:00

Hi all

As some of you may know, I have been on maternity leave for a wee while, however, I have started taking bookings again.

As a spring promotion, I will offer anyone making a booking before the 15th of May, a 25% discount of the final invoice! The shoot does not have to take place before then, but the booking must be made and the deposit sent. For musicians, this deposit is £70, included in the final cost. For family and engagement shoots, the deposit is non-refundable as it is the session fee. All prices and details can be found on my website www.kirstenmavric.co.uk .

In other news, I have expanded my business to include studio photography. Please note that if you wish to have your shoot in a studio, there will be an extra charge of £50.

Please feel free to contact me via the contact button on my website, or email me on kirsten@kirstenmavric.co.uk if you have any questions and I will do my best to accommodate any requests.

Happy Spring!

Kirsten

Helen and John D

2009-03-21T19:03:00.003Z

In February we ventured over to beautiful Wicklow in Ireland, for the wedding of Helen and John D.

We've known them for a few years now and, not to get too sappy about this, but we find them really inspiring. The love just shines out of them and I knew their wedding day would be just amazing. It didn't disappoint. Planned down to the very last detail, everything went incredibly well. Even the sun shone and we weren't expecting that in Ireland in winter ;)

As John D is a photographer too, many of the guests were his work colleagues, so you can just imagine how many cameras popped up as the day progressed, especially as they left the church. Very funny to watch!

It was a truly special day and we wish you all the happiness in the world xxx

Little Miss H

2009-02-16T16:03:00.002Z

What a little charmer she is. Huge expressive eyes and great cheeks. A total sweetheart!

covent garden

2009-01-22T15:24:00.003Z

Sometimes, I like to just wander around London. It is so old and full of intriguing architecture, and subtle colours ...

2009-01-12T12:32:00.002Z

I have now added details and pricing to my website for promo shoots.

As a special January offer, the first TWO artists/musicians/bands to contact me, via my site today, will receive a FREE promo photoshoot!

The shoot must take place by the 15th of February. (Please note, I do not offer studio shoots.)

Happy Monday!
x

The lovely Tom McRae ...

Happy New Year all ...

2009-01-01T13:30:00.003Z

We had a really lovely relaxing Christmas and New Year this year. Hopefully that bodes well for 2009 ;)

We spent two nights in Sheffield to catch up with Leon's family, and then took a trip up to the Lake District. I spent 7 years in the Lakes in the 90s, and Leon had never been, so I wanted to share the best bits with him.

Leon's niece Livvi is the sweetest child, and she LOVED her Space Hopper Christmas present. Isn't it amazing that they haven't changed the facial expression on space hoppers in the last 20 odd years ;)

The drive up to the Lakes, through the Peak District, was particularly glorious as a freak cold spell had hit the UK, and the sky didn't have a cloud in it. I can take any amount of cold weather as long as the sun shines ...

As we drove into the Lakes, we stopped at the renowned Queens Head at Troutbeck and had a lovely lunch (crispy duck legs, mmm).

We stayed in Grasmere, at the Rothay Garden Hotel, which has recently had a million pounds spent on it. You can certainly see where the money has gone, it is extremely stylish. After a delicious french toast, maple syrup and bacon breakfast in the conservatory, flooded with pale gold sunshine, we drove around the area. The good weather held out, with wide clear blue skies and frost everywhere. It's hard to capture quite how beautiful Cumbria is at this time of year, but we tried.

For lunch, we made our way to the famous Drunken Duck in Ambleside. EXCELLENT food. I had wild mushrooms sauteed with cream and served on toasted brioche. I could have eaten it twice.

Although we'd planned to only spend one night in the Lakes, we couldn't tear ourselves away, so decided to stay one more night. Lastminute.com to the rescue and we checked into the Angel Inn in Bowness-on-Windermere. Again, recently refurbished, the Angel Inn is really comfortable and welcoming. (Don't go for Room 7 though, it's not the biggest, nor does it have a decent view).

After a very cold wander around Bowness, we popped into the Hole Int Wall pub (built in 1612) for a quick drink then drove to The Punchbowl at Crosthwaite, for dinner. I vaguely remembered that the Punchbowl was decent but it was only once we were reading the menus that we realised that the pub has been voted the 'Best Pub in Britain' in the Michelin guide 2009!! The food was just phenomenal. Every thing we ate was perfect and we washed it all down with the best white wine I have ever tasted, a New Zealand Lofthouse Sauvignon Blanc 2006.

On the way home, we stopped the car in the darkest spot we could find and stared at the amazing Milky Way. You just don't get a decent night sky in London, what with all the light pollution. Sadly, we couldn't stand outside for too long as it was -5.5 degrees celcius!

Even the drive home the next day was surprisingly picturesque, as the sun stayed just above the horizon all the way south.

Just a little bit of history for you, I used to run a pub in the Lake District with a previous boyfriend (the Strickland Arms) and we couldn't resist doing a subtle 'drive by' to see if he still runs it. It turns out he doesn't now, but the new owners have completely redone the pub, changing the whole layout inside. Really quite odd and freaky walking around it and trying to remember the original layout. I am really happy that the place is being so lovingly looked after and it seems to have a great reputation for food which warms the cockles of my heart ...

All in all, a delightful break away. I feel refreshed and excited about 2009 now xxx

update on the Cobden lighting

2008-12-24T11:08:00.002Z

A while ago, I posted about how lighting can really make or break your images from a music event - here. Well. The month after those shots were taken, I went back and Paul had managed to work some magic and get me one white spotlight that shone onto the artist's faces instead of their bald patches, hurrah! Thanks Paul!

some musical recommendations ...

2008-12-18T22:26:00.004Z

As it gets colder and darker and Christmas looms, I find myself spending more and more time on the computer, discovering new artists. So I thought I'd share some of them with you :)

Richard Walters - My personal favourites are Elephant in the Room and We Have Your Head. Richard's music really gets under my skin. It comes back to me hours after I listen to it.

Merz - Try Lucky Adam.

First Aid Kit - Two young Swedish teenage sisters. They do a fabulous cover of the Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.

Luke Slott - Luke used to front a wonderful Irish band called Melaton, who sadly broke up before releasing their first album. Luke is a phenomenal pianist.

Florence and the Machine - Dog Days are Over is fantastic. Her voice is astonishing.

Dandelion Wine - New York band. Have a listen to A World Completely of our Own. What a voice he has. A touch of Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart.

Happy listening ... x

(sooo close to Christmas now ...!)

I love this ...

2008-12-09T14:19:00.000Z

Wisdom

Wish I could figure out how to embed it.

2008-12-08T14:44:00.003Z

Hello lovely people.

After much effort and cross-Atlantic wrangling, my new website is finally live.

As many of you know, I have been shooting musicians for some time now. However, I don't just shoot adults ... with guitars! I love shooting families and children, as well as couples.

I wish more couples would invest in images of themselves, actually. Blurry compact camera pictures taken in the local pub will not stand the test of time, people. Go on, do it, you won't regret it. They don't have to be cheesy ... unless you want them to be.

Anyway, have a gander at the site. When booking, mention this blog post and you will receive 15% off the total order price.

www.kirstenmavric.co.uk

And happy Christmas!!

luke jones

2008-11-20T18:13:00.008Z

Luke Jones was one of my very first portrait clients and I was so pleased when he contacted me recently, and asked for some updated images for his forthcoming album release. He is a truly lovely man and a very talented artist! Check him out here - http://www.myspace.com/lukejones

little noise sessions

2008-11-12T17:39:00.006Z

Every year, BBC Radio One dj Jo Whiley curates the wonderful Little Noise Sessions at the Union Chapel in London, on behalf of Mencap. Nine nights of amazing musicians (and surprise guests) such as Glasvegas, Razorlight, James Morrison, Keane, Fratellis, Kasabian, Kate Perry, Duke Special and Stereophonics. So far this year, the surprise guests were The Killers, on the opening night. More are rumoured to play as this week continues. Last year, Bono and The Edge turned up and played a few songs.

The Union Chapel is a 124 year-old, grade 2-listed chapel at Highbury Corner in north London; the ideal setting for any intimate, acoustic experience.

So you can imagine how pleased I was to be invited along last night to see Adele, Angus and Julia Stone and the amazing Damien Rice. Tickets were like gold dust and the atmosphere in the chapel was amazing. I only brought my tiny, not-good-for-low-light Canon G7, so please excuse the quality of the images.

Julia Stone

Adele

Jo Whiley and her two week old daughter Coco! Jo asked us not to clap too loudly when Damien came on, as she was really hoping Coco would stay asleep through his act and Jo could relax and listen to it ;)

Damien Rice

Damien played a perfect set. When I say perfect, it was perfect for me. He only played songs from his first ep and album. I first saw Damien and Lisa play in London, way back in 2001, at a tiny venue called The Kashmir Klub. He had just released the Blower's Daughter ep and hadn't yet released 'O' in Ireland. They were so mesmerising, I was blown away immediately. Poor Damien, he must have been sick of the sight of me, after a few months, as I never missed a London show. I prefer to call it 'supporting' rather than 'stalking' ;)

For the geeks among you, the setlist included:

Delicate
Amie
Blower's Daughter
The Professor (La Fille Danse)
Cannonball (Damien sang this without the PA, you could have heard a pin drop.)

He was on fine form with the banter, too. Several long, slightly naughty stories. Such a shame that he is not planning any more shows for a while. This one was a favour to Jo Whiley.

Oh ... and a little bird told me, after the show, that Lisa Hannigan's 'Ocean and a Rock' will be featured on Grey's Anatomy on the 24th of November! I'm sure she'll conquer the States in no time.

Fantastic night all round (many thanks, Paul).

2008-11-08T15:31:00.002Z

Ah this makes me SMILE!

2008-11-05T16:25:00.004Z

Taken at 3.23am this morning, you can see the weariness in me, eh. We got home at 5.30am and then had to stay up to watch Barack make that impressive and moving speech.

My oh-so-better-half took this picture. He was on shift for AFP (Agence France Presse) and four of his pictures were used on the BBC site today - numbers 2,4,9 and 11 - BBC. He has written a blog about it also - Leon's blog.

We, here in the UK, could not be happier for the USA. I think the world will sleep better tonight, for more than one reason...

speaking of Tom Baxter

2008-11-01T10:00:00.001Z

First person to spot Yours Truly gets a Noddy badge.

music photography

2008-10-30T11:36:00.006Z

A friend of mine, Paul Kramer, runs a industry music magazine called the Hitsheet - www.hitsheet.co.uk. He has done for some years now, and he is so passionate and enthusiastic about his work. He sees several bands play every night in London, and runs himself pretty ragged.

We met at a Tom Baxter show a few years ago and have bonded over music ever since. Once a month, Paul hosts a gig night at a private members club in West London, where he showcases acts that he believes will be successful. He's usually right! Last night was one of those evenings. Despite only having four acts booked to play, he managed to squeeze nine on, including his young beat-boxing son, Daniel. Among the acts was the hotly tipped Nell Bryden, who was interviewed on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning, and has just returned from playing to the troops in Iraq. Her music is an intriguing mix of bluegrass and Americana. Blew me away.

I do have a long running battle with Paul about the lighting at the Cobden. Not his fault at all, actually, but the place has the worst lighting for photography of anywhere in London, in my opinion. The photographers among you will sympathise with me on this. There are two red spotlights way back that shine onto the stage and the only other lighting is one very hot blue light and one white light, both of which are aimed squarely at the top of the artist's head. Makes it nigh on impossible to expose the faces. I can't bear using flash at a gig as it washes out the subject and casts terrible shadows. So I battle on regardless ;) If you're interested, the settings for the shots below (Laura Critchley) are ss 1/400th, ap f2.8 and iso 1250. Oh, to have a D3 sometimes ...

I love autumn in the UK

2008-10-25T21:51:00.006+01:00

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of shooting my friend's two daughters, as well as three of their friends. We went to Richmond Park, in south London, and it was a really perfect sunny autumn day - warm, with that gorgeous low autumn sunshine. It seems I can only fit 1mb worth of images in one post, so I will put some more in the post below.

the rest ...

2008-10-25T21:35:00.008+01:00

cuba

2008-10-17T14:35:00.004+01:00

Back in September, Leon and I ventured over to Cuba. The idea being, we wanted to see it before things change too much and before it loses it's unique charm and the 50s cars finally fall apart... Here are a few images from the trip. If you can get out there, DO IT. It's magical. Oh, just don't go during hurricane season. Ike hit us on day 5. NOT recommended. I was fascinated with the cars, as you can see...

One of the cars in the Vintage Museum. (not recommended actually.)

The water really IS this clear and still.

anna neale and shy people

2008-10-15T15:34:00.007+01:00

By the way, I can see from my stats that people definitely look at my blog, so don't be shy, use the comment facility to say howdo :)

It's bad form to post without adding images so here is one from a while ago. Anna Neale is a singer songwriter from Woking. Have a listen to her at http://www.myspace.com/annaneale . I love her eyes, they really POP.

little ava

2008-10-15T15:18:00.005+01:00

What an absolute doll this child is. She was the perfect model and all we had to do was keep force feeding her raisins. I got the chair in a local charity shop and I love it.

al lewis

2008-10-15T14:47:00.004+01:00

I recently did a promo shoot with the fantastic Al Lewis. This was the second time I have shot him, the first was 2 years ago! Time flies ...

He was a pleasure to shoot and a natural in front of the camera.

Here's your sneak peek, Al. :)

autumn offer

2008-09-29T13:15:00.006+01:00

a whole new world...

2007-11-27T16:39:00.004Z

Everyone seems to be doing it these days and since I hate feeling like I am missing out, here is my new, shiny blog. There are no guarantees that this will be updated regularly but I will do my best.

I have to start with an image, so here is an old one. (If you click on it, it opens up bigger). This was taken when I first started taking photographs with a reasonable camera. I think it was a Nikon 5700 and it got me all excited about photography. I'm a Canon girl now (shh), but I still have a soft spot for that old Nikon.