So I am sure a new year means a new start for many people. This is a whole host of things for me with new ideas for the business, personal goals and getting fit and healthy. This goal made my shoot today bloody difficult to say the least.

Myself and my good friend Vicks recently signed up to a Bootcamp. I am sure you have all heard of them and most people tend to think it is a case of being shouted at by some ex military guy. I was one of those people that thought this is what it entailed but I thought I would give it a go all the same. I signed up to Double Vision Conditioning Centre in Bedford and have started on my journey of becoming fit and healthy. I have been doing it now for 5 weeks and have to say it has changed my whole outlook on eating and exercise. I was never one to say I enjoyed exercise but this I really do (I am even happy to get up at 5.30am to go to the early session). The guys there offer constant support and encouragement and I have met some lovely people along the way. You are given a nutrition plan to work to and can drop into numerous bootcamps each week. You are given recipe ideas and advice on whats good and not so good for your body. I would recommend it to anybody whether you are slightly unhappy with your figure or if you want to simply fulfill a healthier way of life.

Anyway my point of explaining this is today I did a shoot for the lovely Louise Pott’s who makes the most incredible cakes (and is actually doing our wedding cake), weeeeeeeee! The stamina involved in having to resist the most scrumptious looking cakes was pretty HIGH!!!!!! I am having my weigh in this evening at Bootcamp, hence resisting. Louise is such a creative girl and bought a endless supply of beautiful, feminine looking cakes for me to photograph. We experimented with some of her Gran’s old lace and wrapped lots of lovely ribbon round things. It was a delight to work with Louise and be involved in her new website and journey as a cake maker. Speaking of website’s, once Lou’s is up and running I will be sure to post up a link as need to share the love for the amazing cakes. Good luck with everything Lou and I hope you are pleased with the pics. Below is a small taster of what we shot today!! x

PS Lou thank you so much for the cakes, the hens this weekend will be most pleased (and I plan to indulge to, well a girls gotta have a little cake).

xx

So naughty old me got a bit slack with my blogging again at the tail end of 2011. I usually do a big post to sum up the year in pictures however with the crazy lead up to the festive season my good intentions got shunned! I am going to briefly do a few shots of some of the years highlights however on a more personal level. Anyone reading my blog gets bombarded by wedding pictures so I thought I would provide you with something different on the photo front.

Right at the beginning of last year I had a email from the BBC about one of my shots being published in a book they were bringing out. I had shot some horses that my mum bought from Adam (off of Adams Farm – Countryfile) in the snow last Winter and they were interested in publishing the shot in the new book he was bringing out. Here is what the book looks likeThis is how my little credit appears inside the book

It was so exciting to see my picture in a book. Its always amazing having any work published but I think having a “non wedding” pic in a BOOK was pretty off the scale for me! Here is the picture that got published over a double page spread!

So now onto February. My good friends Donna & George got married in March 2010 and got straight on the case with starting a family. February 2011 bought the happy and safe arrival of Rhys, their beautiful little boy. Myself and Donna met years ago when we both worked in Tesco’s whilst we were students. Donna went up North (Sheffield to be precise) to study and ended up staying there. I think everything turned out pretty well though as she met her husband and bought this little man into the world. Congrats guys couldn’t be happier for you. So now onto March. I do quite a bit of work for a brewery in Bedford called Wells & Young’s. I have worked with them for years and have to say love visiting the brewery. They are a family run business and all the staff are lovely, friendly people. They approached me last year to talk about a big campaign they were doing for Bombardier Beer. To accompany the campaign they were doing a TV advert along with a load of online stuff! I was asked to be their stills photographer on set. I was so excited about the whole concept however to top everything off they would be having Rik Mayall as “The Bombardier” (the character they had generated for the ad’s). Working on set with everyone and doing something totally different was amazing and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. Here are some shots from the 6 days shooting. So from there lots of my images were used as part of the campaign and in the advertising. Best of all though one of my shots got made into a life size standee which went out to various businesses, supermarkets, pubs etc. You can see the shot below. I have a standee that takes pride of place in my studio (although my clients have said it looks like student digs rather than a studio), fine by me! By the way if you want to see the full ad click here.So we move onto April. This was by far the best month EVER for me. Not only did work take me out to THE BIG APPLE  to shoot a engagement shoot but Daz bought me a cupcake from the Vanilla Bakery (you have to be a “Sex & the city” fan to get that). It wasn’t just any old cupcake though, it had two little words piped on the top………….”MARRY ME”? Yes as most of you know I got engaged in April. It was so exciting to spend time their with Daz and also to agree to spend the rest of my life with my soul mate. Here are a few shots from the shoot and myself and Daz about town in NEW YORK CITY baby!!!!!!Daz is incredibly patient with me and the time that I dedicate to the business, for this I am eternally grateful! Thank you so much Daz, I love you heaps and heaps!! xxMay saw me turn 30, eeeeeeeeeeeeek not something i tend to shout about but hey if any of you wanted to know bad enough I am sure you would find out. Daz organised a fab party for me at our local village hall where we did the theme of hats, wigs and glasses. We laid on a hog roast and music and all my friends traveled far and wide to be there. Thanks guys your the best!! Here is a pic of myself and Daz in our matching glasses (yep sad I know). If you wanna check out all the craziness that went on at my birthday party here are the pics on my facebook page.

And so to June. My oldest longest best friend got hitched in June and what an amazing day it was! Myself and Bex both grew up in Clophill and were inseparable when we were young. Its always special to have someone in your life that you go way back with. There are just some people in life that you know will never let you down and Bex is one of them. To mark how much she means to me I wrote a poem that I red as a speech on her wedding day. I was pretty nervous but it was something I really wanted to do for her. Bex and Chris looked wonderful on their wedding day. Just a brief thank you to my friend Julie for doing her photography and doing an amazing job. Here is a shot of them on their big day. Myself and Daz with our great friends Helen & Trampus (well Sean if we are being proper), who are getting married in a few months. I seriously can’t wait!!!!!! x

Next in line is July. You may remember me posting some pics of a gorgeous little chappie called NOAH. I shot Jo and Lee’s wedding way back when in 2009 (i think, man where has the time gone). When traveling up to their wedding in Sheffield I managed to blow up my Fiat Punto (yes I was racing the Sat Nav). After phoning Daz in tears he agreed to get the train up to meet me so he could help me get everything sorted and recovery back to Bedfordshire. So he lept on the train in flip flops and a back pack and turned up at the wedding to take my stuff onto the travel lodge where i was staying. Jo & Lee were well into their evening celebrations and bouncing around on the dance floor. They bowled over to Daz and said “dude get a drink and stay and party with us”. That was the beginning of the friendship and since then we have been on holidays together, done a few Glastonbury’s, weekends away, seen a ridiculous amount of bands and now Lee is Daz’s best man at our wedding. Lastly Daz was asked to be Noah’s godfather which is such a honor. Here are some pics of the wee man (although he is totally different now).

AUGUST!! It was another wedding, not a job either, more good friends. Zoe and Pete got hitched in a cute little church in Marston followed by a laid back reception at a pub. Myself and Zoe don’t go way way back like Bex however I consider her a wonderful friend. The best way to sum her up is you could be having the most rubbish day and feeling really low and Zoe will put a smile on your face. Whenever I spend time with her its constant laughter and like they say “its the best medicine”. I had a great time being bridesmaid at their wedding and managed to steal a few pics of them with their camper van! Couldn’t resist putting a shot up of the three musketeers!

September consisted of me coming off the social radar and getting my head down for some serious weddings. September 2011 was my busiest month of the year with a total of 5 weddings, lots of kids shoots and commercial jobs. I am not going to post any pics up for this month however I am going to say a massive THANK YOU to all my lovely clients. My couples are just wonderful, being a part of their day is such a honor and giving them the everlasting memory of it is greater still. So many of my couples go onto have babies and return for bump shoots, baby shoots and then the kids as they grow up. It is so lovely to meet people and then know I will go on to capture their lives and growing families. I do have the best job in the world and its because you all book me that I can keep going on my own journey.

October was time for a break! We jetted off to Spain with our good friends James & Nat. This is another couple whose wedding I shot many moons ago and they have since became really good friends. That’s the great thing about this job, you get to meet lovely people and build friendships for life. Its not so great though when your doing your wedding list (hehe). Anyway a certain someone (Natalie yes you) has been on at me to put some pics on facebook from the holiday. I dont know about any of the other photographers but i find it so hard to find time to do things with personal pics, they always end up taking a back seat to my work. So as promised Nat here are a few personal pics from the holiday. It was a massive amount of fun including lots of San Gria consumption, playing a card game called cheat, silly beach games and getting arrested…………..yes that’s another story!

November I was Miss Nixon running photography club! I work with Pilgrims School in Bedford a lot and this year I started to run a after school club. I devised a little curriculum for the children having different themes each week. We did various things such as portraits, landscapes, pet week (Vince came into School) and even did underwater photography. It is so much fun working with the children however I get a little sad at the end of it as I get so attached to them. Here is the class of 2011.December, can you believe it was just last month. Christmas feels like yonks ago! Anyway I did a beautiful shoot of Stevens Cottage at Christmas but have left all the shots at home so you will have to use your imagination for logs burning, warm mince pies & cream, knitted decorations, Christmas bunting, mulled wine and little treasures hanging off every beam. Not to mention the pooch Vinster in his Christmas antlers! Its been a amazing year 2011 and sorry again for the post being a bit late. I hope 2012 brings everyone lots of health, happiness and laughter. Lots of love xxx

Some of you may know that this weekend I had arranged a bridal fashion shoot. Lots of people ask me the purpose of doing this so here is the explanation. Obviously when you shoot weddings it is a case of telling someones story and shooting the day as it unfolds. You get the opportunity to be creative however there are only so many risks a bride will take. I have to be mindful of the fact that a lot of money has been spent on a beautiful dress and a bride may not want to lay on the floor or go out in the rain. By doing a bridal shoot you get the chance to let your creative juices flow. Its a lovely way to push the boundaries and get some amazing portfolio shots. Maybe do things you wouldn’t really get the chance to do at a wedding! So on Saturday this is what we did! I have an insane amount of editing to do however know everybody is super excited on seeing some shots from the day. I want to say a massive thanks to everyone involved on the day, I know it was a lot of work and organising however am so grateful to all that pulled out the stops to make it sooo much fun and a really relaxed day. I will link all the suppliers that helped below however would like to give more thanks to My Mum and Godmother for bringing the horse Rainy, Sarah and the owners of Hexton for use of such a beautiful venue, my mums partner Eddie for his fabulous Morris Minor, Ivan and Theo for bringing up the super cool Tatra car and the four gorgeous girlies Jo, Kelly, Camilla and Louise. Everybody got on so well and it was thoroughly enjoyable working with such wonderful talented people!

From left to right Camilla, Lou, Bex, Yours truly, Kelly, Natalie, Alex, Jo and Tracy.

Photography: Binky Nixon Photography Hair: Bex Mobile Hairstylist Make-Up: NC Bridal Beauty Dresses: The Bridal Boutique Flowers: Creations Flowers Venue: Hexton Manor Props: By-Alex

Keep an eye out for the full set of images which will be coming soon! xx

Hi All,

Maybe you are all wondering if I have disappeared off the face of the earth, well i haven’t!! I am still here and hoping to get back into a nice little blogging routine. I feel i should explain to you where I have been over the last few weeks as i know things have been pretty quiet on the blog front. There has been a lot going on away from the business and photography. A very good friend’s Dad recently passed away sending her whole life into a unpredictable turmoil. As I am sure many of you know I have lost my Dad and I felt it was very important at this time to be there for my friend. Working for myself I obviously have the luxury of taking time out when I wish and this is exactly what I have done. The feeling of emptiness inside you when someone close passes is horrible and I think you start to worry about ever feeling normal again. I wanted to make myself available for lots of chats, hugs and be a general support bank that my friend could use whenever she wanted! Its so hard to imagine life without someone and imagine ever moving on but as I have said to my friend, time does heal. It sounds like a cliche but I think the empty vacant feeling does fade and despite always missing someone you create your own little beliefs that get you through! I recently red a lovely interview with Meredith Kercher’s father and he talked about when a spirit is close they show you by leaving a white feather. My friend was so comforted by this as I think its nice to believe in little sentiments that will lift your spirits. We are all thinking of you right now so stay strong my lovely!!

On a brighter note I have been working also on my new website which always seems to zap a lot of my time. I am so excited about getting the finished article out there however have to be patient as I want everything to be just right! Its so hard wading through the archives deciding on what work i should use to showcase myself. I will be putting my tester website up soon and hope you can all take some time out to have a look!

Shooting has also been pretty busy with half term the other week and a few food shoots I have been madly editing. Pre-wedding shoots, bumps and babies have also kept me busy. Once they are all ready I may do one huge post to get all my blogging up to date! In the meantime I thought i would leave you with some FOOF GLORIOUS FOOD. I recently did a shoot for Jo who runs a cupcake company called Curvaceous Cupcakes, mmmmmmm they are so tasty. I also shot for a catering company called Zest, boy did Andy create some stunning looking dishes. It makes me hungry just looking at them.

My boyfriend Daz bought me a trip to Bruges back in May for my birthday. Last weekend we hopped on the Euro Star for our weekend away. I didn’t really know what to expect about Bruges as don’t know that many people that have been. I am a big fan of the film however don’t feel you can get enough of a place from seeing it in a movie.

I was totally blown away by Bruges with all the lovely canals, stunning buildings and very friendly people. A friend had said that you can smell chocolate wafting through the streets. Indeed you can it was lovely and the chocolate lived up to the expectations.

The horse and carriages trotting though the streets made it really romantic and there are great restaurants to eat out in at night. You can easily meander around the whole city visiting little antique markets or choose to hire bikes like we did. It is a very relaxing place to go as there isn’t a massive amount to do so you feel very recharged by the calm and friendly pace of the city. Thank-You so much Daz for a wonderful present – I would recommend Bruges to anyone that needed a quick, easy and relaxing break!

I also saw a wedding dashing off in a VW beetle so grabbed a few shots. For the photographers – I only took my 50mm lens. The night shots are taken on my G10!

As some of you may be aware I recently went to Paris to shoot Georgia and Fe’s pre-wedding shoot! Their wedding is not until next year however due to Fe being Parisian they were quite keen on having an engagement shoot in France. Of course when asked i jumped at the chance.

Daz and I did a little exploring whilst we were there and visited lots of beautiful places for most of which I had my 5D in tow however thought I would have a little IPhone fun to!

I will be posting their gorgeous Parisian shoot in the next few weeks however in the mean time thought I would show you a few of my personal shots from the lovely, romantic GAY PARIS!!