Donna Sharpe Photography // portrait and wedding photography in Cornwall

2012, aka “the year of the roller coaster”. A year of ups, downs, exhilaration, laughter, sadness and new ventures.

In January I launched a new website to inspire couples planning their wedding in Cornwall – Pasties and Petticoats. This quickly grew and with guest posts from fabulous Cornish wedding vendors, real Cornish weddings showcasing the work of super talented photographers and inspiration galore, I’m really proud of how this has developed in 2012, and plan for 2013 to be even bigger and better!

As February came round, portrait work began to roll in again after the Christmas rest, and I had some great family shoots.

In the spring, The Husband and I were delighted to find out that we were having another baby.  The businesses took a back seat while I fought morning sickness, but three months in we sadly lost the baby.  It was a tough time, and whilst I don’t want my 2012 review to be sad and depressing, the spring and summer months were naturally difficult and it would feel wrong not to mention it. It would also be a shame to pass up an opportunity to say more publicly how very grateful we are for the support we had at that time – we are blessed to have the most amazing family and friends, and we thank each and every one of you for getting us through that horrible time.

As the months went on, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and worked at moving forwards.  I started to look at renting a studio, and in October signed up for a really lovely space in Helston.  After looking at cavernous, soul-less industrial units, it struck me that the whole big, empty, white walled type affair isn’t really for me. I’m more of a homely, cosy, kick your shoes off and make yourself comfortable kinda girl. My shoots are relaxed, laid back and informal, and I wanted something that reflects that. So my little loft-like space suits me down to the ground.  After A LOT of painting and decorating, and help from my family and friends (with particular mention to my fabulous Uncle for putting in so many hours!), I was ready to open. With my sister roped in as my ‘meeter and greeter / admin / moral support’ I kicked off with an opening day of mini shoots and fit in 11 sessions in a day!  With the new studio space all set up, I am now able to offer two choices for portrait work – either ‘out and about’ for those who want to don their wellies and kick through the leaves, or a ‘home from home’ shoot for those who want to come to the studio and let me do the rest.

In December, I launched a new workshop – ‘better photos for your business’.  My work with Pasties and Petticoats was highlighting to me how important good photos are in showing off your business. There are SO many talented people in Cornwall, designer-makers producing gorgeous things, but don’t have the photos to really promote their work . I offer a product photography service, but I figured most small businesses can’t afford to hire a professional photographer every time they add a new product to their range. And so the idea of a practical workshop was born – a day where you can learn to get the most out of your existing equipment, whether it’s a point and shoot or even a camera phone. Nothing techy or difficult, just practical and helpful advice.

So… that was my 2012. Here’s to a most marvellous 2013!

Oh… and some photo-faves from the past twelve months – I didn’t want to make this too massive, so not all my shoots are included. See if you can spot anyone you know…!

I am a photographer in Cornwall, offering wedding photography, portrait photography and product photography services across the county of Cornwall. I cover all the main towns including Helston, Truro, St Ives, Penzance, Helford, Falmouth, Newquay.