I’m not sure what happened this week, bad planning on my part perhaps, but I seem to have been out rather a lot more than usual. One of the mums I spent time with looked at me like I was mad, “You’ve been out two night in a row!?! Are you crazy??” Oh, I do so love to live dangerously! Anyway, it means I am way behind on my work and the list of tasks, work-wise and domestic, is horribly long. And growing.
I should really say a very public and heartfelt thanks to my mother who makes it possible for me to go out at all. I’m so lucky to have her nearby and also because she is extremely accommodating. My life really is all the better for it. I’m not sure I’d have been able to develop as a photographer as I have done without her help, and certainly wouldn’t have been able to have such a good social life this week. So, thank you!
Although I cannot lie and say the socialising was all work-related I was able to chat about the family shoots I’ve been doing to a whole bunch of women I don’t know that well, and spreading the word is always a good thing. I have some amazing friends who are also really good at promoting me – Ms. M who is in this week’s images was very kindly showing her photographs off to people we were with and singing my praises to the hilt – like having my own PR team with me while I’m out.
Another good friend said, “I read your blog… it’s really good! I couldn’t stop reading it!” That was a nice ego boost, thank-you, Ms. B. Although she did say later on in the evening, “You’re not like this in your blog!” Well, I’m not sure vaguely caustic, a little subversive and ever so slightly inebriated (just slightly) would be quite the right tone here but maybe in time… you never know.
During another evening out, I was really good and did my best not to bore the sub editor of a magazine which uses portraits to illustrate their articles – thank you nevertheless to a different Ms. B for your encouragement and the invitation to keep pestering your picture editor. I’m sure she’ll be delighted! We were at an amazing supper club run by chef, Briony Peters at Barmouth Kitchen, which is a the best local cafe you could ever hope to have on your doorstep. The food was delicious; such a great menu devised by Briony at a truly reasonable price and some excellent wine too. Franky and Jessie who run Barmouth Cafe, along with Briony couldn’t have served us any more perfectly, despite me getting the numbers wrong and ending up with one extra person – oops! Everyone had a great time and it’s well worth looking into if you’re based in this area. It’s good job we had the place to ourselves as you tend to for supper clubs as the riotious cackling by the end of the evening might have been a bit much for other clients.
So, despite being behind on my work, having blown my monthly budget, feeling about 10 years older because I’m quite tired and definitely a bit porkier by the end of the week, I do feel that it was worth it – I handed out lots of cards and received several queries from various people. I’m not entirely sure how stumbling into a local pub with Ms. H and the newly married Ms. S-T quite close to midnight, playing darts and singing Island’s in the Stream – I say singing , I do probably mean shouting – helps with work and promoting myself but still, I’m sure there’s something valuable in that somewhere.
This week’s images are of my aforementioned personal PR guru, the very lovely Ms. M and her beautiful family.
All images ©Sarah-Jane Field
Sarah Furniss Photography 