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

On Monday morning myself and Natalie (my make-up artist buddie) headed down to brighton for a styled shoot at Wiston house. Melissa Love the super talented designer (well I would say that as melissa did my website) organised a beautiful “Jane Austen” themed photo shoot. There was an amazing team of people (all listed below) that came together to make this day a total hit! From stylists to stationary everybody worked really hard to put together a stunning set for 40 something photographers to click away, get inspired and learn. The sets that had been created were to die for and quite frankly I didn’t know what to shoot next, it was fab!!!! The models and children were great as I have to say I am not sure I would want a pack of photographers calling me telling me what to do. They probably felt as though they were getting papped, on the upside they have got some great shots out of it. I wanted to say a big thank you to my group of photographers, it was lovely to meet you all and get to shoot alongside you. Here are my best bits from a fab day x

Organised by - Melissa Love Design

Orchestrated Stylised Shoots – Bit of ivory photography

Venue - Wiston House

Styling, food & flowers - The Tea Set

Dresses – White Mischief

Tailoring - Gresham Blake

Makeup –  Natalie Clark of NC Bridal Beauty

Hair Accessories - Cherished Vintage Bridal Accessories

Hair styling - Caroline Kearney

Stationery  - The Girl Taylor

Children’s vintage clothing - Dinky Vintage

Children’s clothing - Bonnie Baby

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

As mentioned before 2010 has been quite a year for me, with moving into a premises, being published in The Guardian, 6 magazine covers, 3 national magazine features and some big commercial contracts, Binky Nixon has a lot to celebrate this Christmas. Sometimes I beaver away on this blog and frantically up-load things not really knowing who is looking or reading my stuff, that’s what you get in the virtual world I guess. This year it has been apparent though how much support I really have. Daz my partner and my dear friends have been a constant support with kind words, likes and feedback on my fb page. I just want you to all know that i am so grateful for your support in what I do and following my every move. Another big mention is the photographers, I am sure a lot of industries are competitive and can conjure up conflict at times, but not photography. It is actually a really supportive industry where people are very sincere and helpful to other fellow photographers. I feel really happy to be a part of what is a very kind, tight nit network. I think with the likes of blogging, facebook and twitter it has become more apparent what kindness this industry has to offer! My last mention is my beloved Dad, he was always my number one fan and so supportive of what I did. During the last few weeks of his life he told me to “follow the dream”. He knew how much I loved photography and wanted me to work hard as that would always get me to where I wanted to be. Not many people know this but my logo is my Dad’s handwriting as I always wanted him to appear somewhere in my business as he was and is one of the most important people in my life. So this blog post (the highlights of 2010) is dedicated to Papa J who sadly left the party early. A huge Merry Christmas to all and may 2011 make all your dreams come true! xxxx

Well what can I say about 2010? Busy, manic, highs and lows. 2010 has been filled with so may different things and fortunately I have crossed a few things off my “things I wanted to achieve” list.

For a long time now I have wanted to move into a premises. Not so much a studio, but more something that I could invite clients to, do viewings in and generally just hang my work. It has always been important to me to do a viewing with my clients. By this I mean run a slide show of their images and talk them through options and the best ways to display their photographs. I know a lot of photographers do things electronically and prefer to do things over the Internet. I have always enjoyed having that one to one contact with my clients and helping them with the all important decisions. When I had an office at home I was always visiting people in their own homes and I sometimes felt like a travelling salesman. I would go off in the car loaded with frames, projector, screen and more. I would feel like a pack horse when I arrived and often I wouldn’t get home till late at night.

As many will know, its hard running your own business particularly from home. It is very tricky getting that work life balance and before you know it you are working all hours and checking your email in the middle of the night. I felt as though I couldn’t switch off from work and with everything being at home I was investing all my time into the business. It has been a big dream of mine to have a premises for a long time now. I have been looking around for a while, but nothing was coming up that really struck a cord with me. Until The Courtyard in Clophill came up. It is a little converted stable with a pitched wooden roof, lots of light and a welcome place for Vince (the dog) to hang out with me! Well you can only imagine as soon as I saw it I was sold.

I have been promising to put up a few photos for quite some time now so without further ado…..

Hi all!

Back in May I shot Jessica and Rob’s wedding at the Tythe Barn in Bicester (view the post here). A short while after the wedding Jess got in touch and said that The Guardian were running a Wedding Guide towards the end of August and that they were interested in using my photographs. I was absolutely made up to hear this and was bursting with excitement. I kept the news on the low down as wasn’t 100% sure that it would come off and didn’t want to end up looking silly if it didn’t. Well……. it did!

Today I rushed to the post office to pick up my three reserved copies of The Guardian and quickly flicked though the paper looking for my shots. I could have cried when I saw it – I was so pleased and actually felt quite proud of myself. When Anthony got in touch with me and asked for some shots I was excited to see what they had chosen. You tend to find when you get magazines run features they dont always pick your favorite shots as they have the reader in mind and what they want to see. The shots Anthony had chosen were not my favorites so after sending them I thought to myself  I have nothing to loose. I sent another email with a few more shots attached just explaining that they were my all time favorites however understood that the article needed to look a certain way. When opening the paper this morning I was amazed to see they had used the shots I had sent making me love the article even more.

Its a funny game weddings as you have the privelege of witnessing couples on the happiest days of their lives sharing their precious moments and celebrations. This morning I had my own little precious moment and finally got to share something I am really proud of with the rest of the nation and thats my photography.

Thanks to all that were involved, I’m one happy girl today!!

So I have finally returned. There has been a lot going on over the past month with the move to the new studio and switching all my web hosting over to someone new. August has been very busy and to say the least a little stressful. I have felt cut off from everyone with no phone line, no internet and no blog hence I have not been a able to communicate much with my clients. So the first part of this blog post has to be a huge apology to all those that have been trying to get hold of me. I am sure you can understand being left at BT’s mercy is not a great position to be in. The phone line is due to go in on Thursday so I am hoping that there is no further complications and I will be back in contact with the world. In the meantime you can call my number as I have a divert set up and am able to pick up messages in the evening (01525 860862).

So to tell you all about the move! It went very well and my boyfriend Daz was absolutely super. He loaded the car, moved things, drilled holes in the wall and even spent his Friday evening at Ikea collecting furniture for my new place! Despite the stress of the phone line everything else went well and I am now all moved in set up and fully functioning so if anyone would like to pop over for a nosey or appointment please get in touch. As you know I had the launch on the weekend of 13th/14th August and it went very well. Old clients, new clients, friends and family all turned out in the horrendous weather to offer their support it was so humbling! I would say over 100 people came through the door over the two days and I still have cake, cookies and little gifts to remember the day by!

All the businesses at The Courtyrad were so impressed by the volume of people that came we are hoping to do another open day at Christmas. Thanks to everyone that supported us and came along!

Next will be to blog like mad to try and catch up with the back log of shoots that I know brides cant wait for me to post! Also a few images of the new pace will be coming soon. Watch this space!! xxx

As I am sure a lot of you facebook and Twitter followers may have gathered by now I am moving into a premises THIS WEEKEND! It is very exciting times as I  have been looking to spread my wings a little bit however wanted to wait for the right thing to come up.

Well it did and although i am only moving down the road it is a beautiful space that i think will be great for me and the business. With having to pick the whole office up and put it somewhere else means I may go off the radar for a week or so so just wanted to let everyone know the reason why. My phone line as it stands 01525 860862 will be remaining the same but is being moved early next week. If people need to get hold of me urgently you are welcome to contact me on my mobile 07545002954.

For those of you who have viewings booked in next week – they are still on and all booked in so don’t worry! Once everything is sorted and I am all set up I will be sure to post some photographs of my new space however if you would like to come and see it for yourself you are more than welcome. I am having an official launch on the 13th and 14th August and hope to see you all there for a glass of wine, a chat and bite to eat.

This is my last blog post in my current little office which is quite sad but very exciting. See you on the other side!!!

When going out to meet potencial bride and grooms it is always important to show them albums of complete weddings. I also like to take a portfolio of images to show my clients some of my best bits and certain shots that I am really proud of. I haven’t updated my portfolio in a while now so thought it was about time I had some of my most recent work printed.

I thought I would share some of it with you.