The curse of "Comparisonitis" - 7 tips to make you less miserable

“Comparisonitis” is the phenomenon of comparing yourself negatively to others, and photographers are particularly susceptible. Partly by accident, and partly by intention, I’d discovered 7 tips for a cure…

photographyEllie Cotton30 January 2020photography, photographers, comparison, comparisonitis Comments

8 tips for amazing family photos this summer

Whether you are shooting with an iphone or a professional camera, you can make a HUGE difference to your summer photos just by following these 8 tips - and I’ve even created a handy FREE download !

Ellie Cotton29 July 2019Comment

Sony Crop Mode - does this mean I need fewer lenses?

Since switching to Sony, I’ve been hearing photographers talking about the crop mode feature - saying it was a replacement for changing lenses. A marvel I thought, but being sceptical I had to test it out for myself..

photographyEllie Cotton26 June 2019sony, crop mode, photography Comments

What shooting film taught me about black and white images

Clients often ask whether they can have their photos in black & white. Most of the time I look at a scene to photograph and I already have a pretty good idea if it will work well in b&w and that’s partly due to my years of shooting film ..

photographyEllie Cotton31 May 2019blackandwhite, bnw, monochrome, black&white Comments

JUJUNI - Behind the scenes of a commercial shoot with kids!

Never work with children or animals they say - This particular child-packed shoot started as an idea back in early-2018. I was contacted by Jujuni, a new kidswear brand and there the fun began..

commercialEllie Cotton28 May 2019jujuni, kidswear, wilmslow Comments

The revolving door of Springtime

Spring is perhaps my favourite season - and that probably says a lot about me… I like the anticipation of Summer just a few short months away. I like the arrival of the lambs in the nearby fields and the flowers which seem to, quite literally..

documentary, personal, photography, travelEllie Cotton10 May 2019spring, lambs, scotland, islayComment

Switching to Sony - How the cheapest girl’s day out led to the most expensive girl’s day out

So I’ve been a Nikon fangirl for more than a decade. But I have a confession. This year I’ve switched to Sony, and somehow it happened that my best friend switched on exactly the same day.

Choosing your first prime lens

Before you choose a prime lens, you need to know what sensor is inside your camera. The sensor is what "takes" the photo and you will get a completely different photo...

Family photography Macclesfield - McCubbin Family

What a gorgeous day for sweating up a hill. This family certainly put me through my paces exploring the lesser known spots of Macclesfield forest. I love working with families who love the outdoors and ..

familyEllie Cotton28 March 2019family, macclesfield forest, macclesfield, walking Comment

Farm Made Tearooms, Bollington

Having discovered this brand new tearooms the previous weekend with the kids, I was delighted to be invited by the owner, Hannah, to photograph her brand new building and outdoor space…

commercialEllie Cotton29 June 2018tearooms, bollington, cafe, commercial, cheshire, local business Comments

Stanneylands Hotel, Wilmslow

This year I've started holding my ROCK YOUR CAMERA photography workshops for parents at the fantastic Stanneylands Hotel in Wilmslow. I was delighted when Stanneylands asked me..

Ellie Cotton6 June 2018

Bollington Veterinary Centre, Commercial Shoot

Many years ago I used to be a veterinary nurse. I still remember a lot of my training and along with it, some random facts. Did you know cats have no collar bone?

Ditch the kit lens

You've bought your first fancy camera, and ready to get shooting. Surely you're going to notice a big difference right? Well... maybe not. What's holding you back is probably your kit lens.

Claire Bingham | Headshots & Personal Branding

Yep - I'm jealous of people who know how to do interiors. Claire is an interiors journalist and writer, and needed some photography for her forthcoming series of books. I loved working with her at her home for…

headshots, commercialEllie Cotton1 March 2018

The most special invitation

Not many people invite their business partner along when they are giving birth.. but photographers know what their priorities are! Then Aurelie told me that her last labour had been around 2 hours…

documentary, birthEllie Cotton19 February 2018birth, birth photography, stepping hill hospitalComment

Before you buy that new lens.. read this!

Before you choose a prime lens, you need to know what sensor is inside your camera. The sensor is what "takes" the photo and you will get a completely different photo...

Part II : Good things

So here I was on "day 14" of this birth photography assignment, back at the hospital on a fresh crisp morning. I was determined that I was NOT going to miss this birth now!

birthEllie Cotton31 January 2018birth, birth photography, hospital, induction, surrogacy, pregnancy, cheshire, nottingham, derby Comments

Part I : Waiting for the extraordinary

It was an email on a rainy Monday morning, which as I read, grabbed my attention instantly. I was completely ignorant of how surrogacy works, but I did know this scenario would be so full to bursting with emotions.

birth, documentaryEllie Cotton31 January 2018derby, nottingham, birth photography, surrogacy, surrogate pregnancyComment

A walk with a policeman

You will hear me at length talking about how what your children wear makes a huge difference to a photo. But in true documentary photography dictates that you don't change the scene...

photography, personal, documentaryEllie Cotton5 April 2017bollingtonComment

Natural tones | Family Shoot

I always give my clients some advice about what to wear on their photo shoots but I was delighted that mum was so keen to get a coherent and subtle look. It just shows that clothing really makes a difference...

familyEllie Cotton6 March 2017Wilmslow, the carrs wilmslow, MexicoComment