Like Mother, Like Daughter
0 images Created 29 Oct 2013
This image of Jo and Lucy Lawson was conceived on Facebook of all places.
Lucy was a friend of a friend and I saw an amazing image she had posted of her mum from her modelling days in the 1970s. A Facebook message or two later and Lucy and I met to discuss a very special 60th birthday present that combined mother and daughter in a truly unique image. The challenges were fascinating: hair and make-up, lighting, studio and composition. But the real challenge was in merging the two images together. One was a scanned image from a 30-year-old black & white photograph, the other a high-res RAW digital image taken with modern equipment. Successful matching with old film stock, grain, blur, contrast etc was what makes this image work: Mother and daughter, both captured at about the same age, separate in so many ways but united by the heart.
As for the birthday present itself, well, there were plenty of smiles and tears. Perfect! This is what tailored portrait photography is all about – taking the time to understand the client, bringing something creative and inspirational that delivers astonishingly beautiful and personal photographs.
This is what Lucy had to say about the image:
“My Mum’s 60th Birthday was coming up and I really wanted a gift that was a very special one. My parents met when they were working models in the 70s. My mum was a model for 18 yrs. My modest parents have only shown a handful of people their pictures over the years but I have always been intrigued by the pictures of my Mum and Dad when they were younger and how similar they look to me and my brother now. After showing Gareth some of my mum’s photos, he really saw a likeness between us and we discussed creating a similar shot to one of my Mum’s modelling pictures.
“I always felt slightly intimidated at the thought of trying to recreate a professional model's photo. After all, I am not 5’9 and a size 8! I am a healthy, curving 5’8. But I never knew the effect the finished picture would have on me.
“My first and foremost thoughts were WOW! Gareth worked very hard and succeeded on perfecting one scanned, old fashioned photo from the 70′s, and mirroring it to look like a much more modern and high-definition photo. Once getting it home and placed into a gorgeous picture frame (Gareth helped me to pick out), I felt so proud and grateful at what Gareth had achieved. What I hadn’t realised was that I had started to see my looks and flaws, and comparing them to this beauty. As a woman, we do this naturally day to day, but it came as a shock and upset me to think I would feel like this about my own Mum.
I will always be very thankful to Gareth for enabling me to give this gift to my Mum. It’s not a present, it’s a gift. A very special Gift that Gareth was a part of. Thank you Gareth."
Lucy was a friend of a friend and I saw an amazing image she had posted of her mum from her modelling days in the 1970s. A Facebook message or two later and Lucy and I met to discuss a very special 60th birthday present that combined mother and daughter in a truly unique image. The challenges were fascinating: hair and make-up, lighting, studio and composition. But the real challenge was in merging the two images together. One was a scanned image from a 30-year-old black & white photograph, the other a high-res RAW digital image taken with modern equipment. Successful matching with old film stock, grain, blur, contrast etc was what makes this image work: Mother and daughter, both captured at about the same age, separate in so many ways but united by the heart.
As for the birthday present itself, well, there were plenty of smiles and tears. Perfect! This is what tailored portrait photography is all about – taking the time to understand the client, bringing something creative and inspirational that delivers astonishingly beautiful and personal photographs.
This is what Lucy had to say about the image:
“My Mum’s 60th Birthday was coming up and I really wanted a gift that was a very special one. My parents met when they were working models in the 70s. My mum was a model for 18 yrs. My modest parents have only shown a handful of people their pictures over the years but I have always been intrigued by the pictures of my Mum and Dad when they were younger and how similar they look to me and my brother now. After showing Gareth some of my mum’s photos, he really saw a likeness between us and we discussed creating a similar shot to one of my Mum’s modelling pictures.
“I always felt slightly intimidated at the thought of trying to recreate a professional model's photo. After all, I am not 5’9 and a size 8! I am a healthy, curving 5’8. But I never knew the effect the finished picture would have on me.
“My first and foremost thoughts were WOW! Gareth worked very hard and succeeded on perfecting one scanned, old fashioned photo from the 70′s, and mirroring it to look like a much more modern and high-definition photo. Once getting it home and placed into a gorgeous picture frame (Gareth helped me to pick out), I felt so proud and grateful at what Gareth had achieved. What I hadn’t realised was that I had started to see my looks and flaws, and comparing them to this beauty. As a woman, we do this naturally day to day, but it came as a shock and upset me to think I would feel like this about my own Mum.
I will always be very thankful to Gareth for enabling me to give this gift to my Mum. It’s not a present, it’s a gift. A very special Gift that Gareth was a part of. Thank you Gareth."