NIkki Hill
I was inspired by pictures that a professional photographer had taken of my friend’s children but it was still a question of working out how I was going to manage, given that I had a two year old and a newborn. In the end I took advantage of a year's maternity leave to give the business a go, and finally gave up my IT career in September 2004 at a time when my youngest was just one.
Before taking the Bespoke Programme I’d class myself as pretty much self taught in most aspects of the camera / photography side, joining Windsor Photographic Society and literally spending almost every bit of spare time I had in front of the computer experimenting and learning all the software.
I shadowed a colleague of mine on a couple of weddings and she showed me the Annabel Williams book, which was a real inspiration and my bible for these initial weddings. I then attended a few of Annabel’s seminars and workshops at her studio throughout 2004 because I loved the style, ethos and I knew that it was exactly what I was looking to achieve in my own photography.
I started the Bespoke Programme in June 2005; two months after my relationship had broken down. So it wasn’t just the practical business advice I needed i.e. the nuts and bolts to develop and grow my own business. The emotional support was such a huge part of it for me and you just can’t quantify this. I wouldn’t have the confidence and self-belief that I have today if I hadn’t followed the course. My choice, on the advice of CPT to abandon studio work completely has only taken place over the past 12 months and this has been instrumental in the development of the style of the photography that I have today.