Thame Out Spread of Notley Abbey Shoot

In November I blogged about the wedding shoot I did at Notley Abbey and how incredible the autumn colours were. When we showed the results to the local magazine Thame Out they decided to put us on the front cover and we ran a lovely double page spread shown below:

For more information on the team I worked with look back at the previous blog post here: http://blog.katehopewellsmith.com/2010/11/wedding-shoot-at-notley-abbey.html

Natural horsemanship at work

When two passions come together it's a really, really good day.

A few months ago I first met Laira Gold socially and was fascinated to discover that she is a 'horse whisperer' or practices 'natural horsemanship'. I've owned, evented and generally been obsessed by these incredible creatures in my time but wasn't familiar with this method of working with horses. Over the last few months I have advised Laira on her brand and slowly began to learn more about how she worked and was delighted to be asked to help her bring what she does alive through imagery.




As soon as the shoot began and I was able to witness her methods it all just fell into place - it simply makes sense and is a fascinating and thought provoking way of working with horses. Thought provoking for me as a parent - I recognised many of the issues that we struggle with - boundaries, respect, authority and it really got me thinking about lots of different things.

Last night I was walking past the TV when I noticed that a horse whisperer was on BBC 2's Edwardian Farm practicing join up and generally interacting with a wild dartmoor pony for the first time. I called my husband in who knows Laira and has no real interest in horses. But he was blown away by it - 'moved' he said.

Anyway - point being not only did I love the shoot for obvious reasons but it also introduced me to something new and interesting. Yeay.

Laira also runs Human Through Horses - providing Psychotherapy and Learning for humans assisted by horses.

Boudoir Chez Moi and the new Chaise

After spending a day with the Yerburys I came home convinced that the right thing to do was start shooting Boudoir at my home. Until now I have been shooting ladies in their homes or hotel rooms and I'm still quite happy to do that but it has proved a wise move to offer the chance to come to me.

It was also the perfect excuse to stock up on lingerie, jewellery, stockings, fascinators etc. Just in case... And then there was the new chaise. I spent a long time choosing something that complimented lingerie and added form and elegance to the mix.

Here are a few shots - I've got loads more but most reveal who the lovely ladies are and the pics are for Christmas pressies....


Here are some of the latest comments following boudoir sessions:

"OMG. What an incredible shoot that every woman should do. Utterly liberating"

"I feel more confident, sexy and capable"

"Every time I need cheering up I look at my pics"

"Hurray, I love them and am feeling rather good about myself"

And my husband is still loving the shoot I had done for him ;)