Photography Backgrounds, Photography Backdrops

Karen Wiltshire is a multi award-winning portrait photographer based in Dorset specialising in maternity, newborn and baby, children and family portraits, cake smash photography and lifestyle photography. After seeing her "Cake Smash"video, which went viral on facebook, we had a few questions...

1. You must love what you do, the video really conjures the love and energy of what you do, what got you into photography and into baby and children photography in particular?...

I was made redundant from my job in print just over 5 years ago and I decided to take the leap and turn a hobby into my full time job. I work around my own children Tom 12 and Lizzie 9, it's perfect as I can be Mum and do something creative when they are at school.

2. What do you love most about your job?

The best things are making parents so happy by creating beautiful images for them to cherish for ever. Oh and being a Newborn photographer I get to cuddle lovely babies nearly every day. Last year alone I photographed over 100 newborns.

3. You use our Creativity Backgrounds all the time (thanks!), what colours do you use and which are your favourites and why?

Ohh I love so many, I have a bit of an addiction like shoes but not so easy to hide from my husband!
My go-to colour is Sea Mist, its great with children and babies skin tones, not too warm just perfect. I also use Peat and Storm grey at most sessions, I just love doing family shots on Storm its just perfect.

4. We noticed you appear to draw lines on the paper to create a floor board effect going to a virtual horizon, can you give us a little idea on how you do that?

Oh I think you've seen the floor fades? I use your paper with Vinyl floors then fade the floor into the background paper in PS. I'm also a big fan of adding digital texture to my images, so I use the Creativity paper as the base and at a texture layer in Photoshop and just paint it away where I don't want it.

5. You offer a mentoring service for photographers, what does that involve? If they are interested how do they get in touch with you to find our more?

I do offer 1-2-1 mentoring at my studio in Poole Dorset, this is a great way to get hands on training in Newborn posing.

I'm also part of the Baby Whisperer Academy with Damian McGillicuddy and Jocelyn Conway. We run workshops throughout the year teaching the essentials of newborn posing to photographers from all genres. Its massively important to be trained in the art of Newborn posing to make sure the babies are safe at all times.

6. What are your website and FB, social media links?

www.kw-photography.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/KWPhotography01
Twitter @KarenWiltshire4
Instagram Karenwiltshirephotography.