Digitalab Featured Photographer: Cass Davies
This month we speak to the award winning Newborn Photographer, Cass Davies.
Cass made the decision to specialise in newborn & pre-school six years ago and has not looked back since! One of the most highly qualified newborn photographers in the UK, she holds qualifications matched by only a handful of other ladies (sorry guys) & an Ambassadorship for the Baby & Newborn Photography Association.
Cass describes herself as: “the photographer for you if you like your friends a little off beat, with eclectic but allegedly good taste in music, slightly obsessed with where the next great coffee & potentially cake is coming from, sentimental & fun with some joie de vivre for good measure.”
The training and workshops Cass offers have won much praise within the industry – being a qualified adult vocational qualification assessor along with Associate level accreditation’s from the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers certainly helps! You can find out more about her One-to-One training sessions and Skype Training HERE.
Cass will also be speaking at the upcoming Northern Portrait & Newborn Expo in Blackpool on March 15th – click the link HERE to book your tickets
Who inspired you to become a photographer?
Cliché but my Dad – he’s lived abroad most of my life & at 11 he bought me a little Nikon point & shoot. Thinking about it I had a very stylish bright pink camera before that one of those ones that took flash cartridges that came on a stick with only a few flashes per stick then they were gone, I must have cost my parents a fortune in film & flash! Although this is my second career being a publican & qualified chef & then teaching catering & hospitality first.
What is your all-time favourite photography shoot?
Any one where you make Mummy cry – as a newborn specialist I love a good emotional viewing, it’s a very special job. I love to teach & showing someone something & watching the lightbulbs go off is magic. I think one of my favourite images I have shot to this day is my Red Riding Hood, its on a sample in the studio & evokes lots of reactions from clients & I have fond memories of shooting it the little girl had such personality.
How would you describe your photographic style?
Clean and simple, quite pared back with focus on baby. I’m not huge into props I love great light & texture, gentle colours but not always neutrals.
What is your camera of choice and why?
Currently a Canon 6D I moved from Sony to a 5D mki when I upgraded to full frame, I love the lightness of the 6D & the quality without ‘gimmicky’ features, it does what it says on the tin.
What one piece of advice would you give to any aspiring photographer?
Get & invest in outstanding business advice, it’s a jungle out there. Then get great lighting training & shoot what speaks to you because that will come through to the right clients for you. I don’t shoot weddings anymore & I rarely shoot adults alone or even many family shots, its all about short people for me & that’s what I’m known for.
Is there something that you would love to photograph more than anything else?
I would love to achieve a purely newborn F panel qualification, I think that would top off my career nicely. On the business front a few celebrity babies and a couple of OK featured images wouldn’t do any harm! On a personal level we love to explore as a family & there’s many places I would love to visit – its rare I take the big camera though, street photography in Morocco would be right up there.
To View more of Cass’s work and find out more about her workshop training visit her site HERE