Tell us about your business, what services do you offer?

Having fallen in love with photography during a year-long stay in Provence with my family, I studied it for two years on my return to London. I was immediately drawn to capturing imagery around motherhood which has developed over a period of five years into a family photography business. I photograph a mix of newborn, baby and family pictures and love to capture natural and emotive moments in an outdoor setting in beautiful nature which is abundant in London around all the parks. My photography is not generally posed but in the moment which I love.....

Meeting a new family and getting to know them is at the heart of what gives me joy and my return rate with families is very high. I scout out the perfect location for them, advise on the best clothing to suit the time of year and generally put them at ease so they can relax and enjoy the session. I'm used to working with small children and babies and am skilled at helping them enjoy the session and have fun. Another part of my job as a photographer is to edit and photoshop all the images and present a beautiful gallery to share with loved ones and advise on all kinds of frames and prints which I adore!!

I have also worked in a more commercial setting for baby brands and have photographed many entrepreneurs who need headshots and imagery around their businesses.

What is your greatest business achievement so far?

My achievements are responses from the clients when they truly love the galleries I present. I also feel a lot of pride when clients keep coming back to me for more photography. My greatest business achievement so far is working with Mum & You where I photographed many campaigns for them.

What do you want to achieve next?

As well as developing my outdoor family photography business, I would like to take more portraits of children in beautiful parks as an alternative to the school photo to mark their milestones. I'm also interested in reaching out to hotels in London and the surrounding area to offer photography for families coming to stay from abroad. Some of my greatest family photos are professional shots taken in hotels in different parts of the world on holiday.

What one piece of advice would you like to offer someone thinking of entering into your field?

Photograph everything at first and over a period of time you will start to see what you really love to take pictures of and what you are good at. From there you will really start to develop your own style in that area but it takes time so be patient. Don't be put off by all the competition but be inspired by it - there is always room for another good photographer. Practice with lots of different lenses to see what you prefer to shoot with.

What is your favourite aspect about working in the local area?

Beautiful Hampstead Heath and Waterlow Park

What encouraged you to join Hampstead Hive and what has your experience within the Hive been like so far?

I remember reading about the Hive and it seemed very inclusive and supportive so I thought I would give it a try. Not only has it grown but my initial thoughts were right and it has certainly been supportive which is so great when you are a solo player and need to feel like part of a team. There are many great business women in The Hive and it's been a pleasure following their stories.

Where can we go to find out more about your business/access your services?

www.jillycowdryphotography.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/jillycowdryphotography/?hl=en

my telephone number to have a chat is 07808724330