Like most photographers, I am a self confessed photo junkie. I pinched my Mum and Dad’s camera when I was about 11 and started making photo booklets about my life, a page for every aspect ~ Hobbies, friends, my home, our car, my smelly brothers! 😉 I just loved the idea that a photo would bring to life everything on that page. As time went on, I found even more value in those little booklets. I’d chuckle at some of the crazy things I wrote, but seeing all those details on the page would bring the memories flooding back, so clearly I could almost smell them. The treehouse that my dad built and we played in for years on end, the huge ‘I love New Kids on the Block’ posters on my bedroom wall, or those shocking 1990s waistcoats I use to wear. All of which I would have forgotten if it were not for the images I’d taken.

My Mum and Dad’s camera started a passion in me that is still burning strong 20 years later. I got a second hand SLR for my 15th birthday and it wasn’t long before my friends and family stopped bringing their cameras along to events as they knew I would be there with mine to capture it all. The camera and I were inseparable, we came as a pair.

As I grew older and I started my own family, having a record of their lives became very important to me. Not only to decorate my house with (Im telling you, there’s not a lot of wall space left!), but to regularly reflect back on. Children change so quickly and it is a blessing to be able to look and see how curly that middle daughter of mine was, or how my eldest was inseparable from her Tigger teddy for so long.

I always wanted to pursue a career that involved a camera, the idea of combining something that I love with earning a living seemed like a perfect scenario. However, it wasn’t until 2012 end the end of my maternity break, that I decided to really make that transition from hobbyist to professional photographer. I was very fortunate that a local husband and wife photography partnership whose work I loved allowed me to come along and assist them, seconding shooting at weddings, engagement shoots and some corporate work.  I am so pleased to have been able to learn a great deal in such a short space of time and I now can’t imagine ever doing anything else.

“I chose to concentrate on photographing newborn babies and weddings as my primary focus because I love to share those most precious moments of peoples lives. There is much anticipation for the arrival of a baby, just as there is awaiting your wedding day, they are 2 of the biggest highlights that most people get to experience. Often a mixture of excitement, joy and butterflies fill the clients on their big day and I love capturing these moments for them. I aim to record the real story of this special time, something that can be retold again and again, true to life, for many year to come.”

It’s such an honour when I am asked to take someone’s photos.  Its a real privilege to be there capturing such a magic moment and a responsibility that I take great pleasure in…. There’s aren’t many jobs where you get the best view in the house 🙂

And a little bit about my style of photography…

We all love a photo that catches our eye and leaves you wondering what the story behind the shot is.  It may be an expression on a little girl’s face, or the way an elderly couple are positioned together on a park bench, we may not even be able to put our finger on what it is about the image, but we usually like to ‘feel’ something when we see a photo.

Anna manages to capture many of her beautiful images through careful observational shots, just watching people relax in their surroundings, waiting for those little fleeting moments to press the shutter on her camera. Sometimes people prefer to have a bit of guidance when having their picture taken, so Anna’s experienced and approachable manner mean she is able to support her customers into some flattering, natural compositions. She also has a creative eye and will seek an opportunity for an image from the most unlikely of situations.

Having spent a lot of 2013 assisting and second shooting, Anna has been able get a lot of great experience in a short space of time which has been valuable for improving her skills and exposing herself to a range of scenarios. Most of Anna Packard’s work to date has been in weddings, from bridal preparations and ceremony, to those little details that couples often work so hard in creating that personal touch to their special day.  She loves to capture it all.

Having now photographed many newborn babies, Anna has honed in her skills for safely handling and positioning babies to get some stunning images that really capture that “newness” that comes in those first 2 weeks of a brand new baby.  You can often see them curled up in Anna’s photos, looking just like they might have in the womb.

Anna also offers couple shoots for duos, whether they are building up towards a wedding or just enjoying their relationship in the present.  Many couples say that they don’t have many photos of themselves together that they can treasure.  The odd one from family weddings they may have attended, or perhaps a ‘selfie’ taken on the back of their mobile phone.  Anna works with couples to give them a range of shots reflecting a snapshot in time that they can look back on for years to come.  Couples generally say that part of the enjoyment of their couple shoot experience came from spending some special time together, without the other distractions that day to day life often brings.

Anna has also worked with families and siblings, attending their parties and functions, or going out on an adventure with them so she can really get stuck in and capture them having fun.