A Photoshoot with Mouse About Town

I was so fortunate a few weeks ago to be offered a photoshoot by the fabulous Gill from Mouse About Town. I had already seen a fair bit of her work as she has a fantastic reputation in Gloucestershire and she had shot a few of my friends, including some stunning newborn photos for The Cherry Baba. I am very much “into” family photoshoots. Harper is growing SO quickly and I love capturing her at different life stages. We have been really blessed to have had five photoshoots in her short 16 months of life with some amazing photographers, so I was really looking forward to this one – and it would be her first as a toddler so perfect to capture her cheeky personality that is emerging.

Gill suggested Rococo Garden in Painswick, a landmark that had totally slipped off my radar since I last visited about 8 years ago. It is such a beautiful location, and they currently have a gorgeous array of snowdrops in full flower. They also a boast an ample vegetable garden, breathtaking views, quirky architecture, and a lovely little cafe. It really was the perfect location, and our photoshoot ended up also being a lovely morning of quality family time.

Gill was amazing. It can be nerve-wracking getting your photo taken, and there is nothing worse than a photographer who acts irritated and like you aren’t posing in the way they want (believe me, I have experienced this!). Gill gave the right amount of guidance to help us get fantastic photos, but she also let us just be in the moment to help capture our family naturally. Harper, like many toddlers, wasn’t exactly ‘playing ball’ on the day. She was a little reserved and kept walking away from the camera / not wanting to sit in the pose but Gill was so relaxed about it that I never once felt stressed. She was so good with Harper and able to get her to warm to her pretty quickly, which helped massively. She didn’t stage Harper very much, which allowed Harper to be happy and not get frustrated at being moved or made to sit/ stand when she didn’t want to. Gill asked me to put Harper in certain places, and then the photos were led by what Harper would do next – whether that be smiling at the camera or walking off into the distance!

The moment I saw the first ‘sneak peak’ photo Gill sent me through, it was like my heart skipped a beat. They really are such gorgeous photos, and I feel they capture Harper’s exploratory personality and our closeness as a family perfectly. You can tell Gill has fine art training (she has a degree in fine art photography) as the detail within the photos is captivating. I was also really impressed that the photos arrived only a few days after our photoshoot, and Gill prides herself on the timely manner in which she sends out her customers photos.

I would definitely recommend Mouse About Town – we had such a fantastic experience. Gill offers some great packages to suit all your needs, including a mini shoot for £50 which includes 5 digital images. She also does a “Bump to Birth” package, which seriously makes my ovaries tingle! Something that is really evident from reading the reviews on Gill’s website is that so many people repeatedly return to her for their family photos, and that is a real credit to her skills and warm personality.

This photoshoot was gifted from Mouse About Town in exchange for me writing this blog, however these opinions stated of my experience are accurate and I would thoroughly recommend them to others.