Introducing Fern River Studio
Welcome to Fern River Studio - I’m so excited to welcome you to my new website and tell you a little more about me and what I do.
Where it all began
I started Fern River Studio during my maternity leave from my other business, Department Two, a creative content studio I run alongside my husband, Arran. We’re based in Aberdeen Court just off Division Street, next to Steam Yard coffee shop. From our studio we develop concepts and produce photo and video shoots for brands in a range of industries, from fashion, lifestyle and interiors through to manufacturing and more. While our base is Sheffield, a lot of our shoots take place around the UK and beyond.
My journey to Fern River Studio
Like many women I worked right up until my baby was born. Other than a few adjustments (i.e. replacing the office chair for a birthing ball and taking plenty of breaks) I was able to do pretty much everything, including travelling to meet clients and work on long shoots.
All that changed when River was born.
While I had planned on taking some time off, I wasn’t as prepared for the huge shift in how much work I could do - or indeed where I could physically get to - while also looking after my small child. With childcare being so expensive and me not wanting to spend too much time away from my little one, I soon realised that I didn't want to be be working long days in far flung places. For the time being at least, I wanted to base most of my work in Sheffield.
Not only this, but having experienced the incredible journey of pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood, I realised how lucky I was to have the tools and skills at my disposal to capture each precious moment. These days we all have access to cameras on our smart phones and while the images we take are of a decent quality, there’s nothing like a beautifully lit, artistically captured photograph taken by a pro. I’m lucky to have a library of wonderful high quality, artistic photographs of myself and River, taken by me and Arran over the past year or so. I wanted to give other families an opportunity to have their own memories captured in this way, too.
And so, aptly combining mine and my daughter’s name, Fern River Studio was born. We’re based in the same studio space as Department Two - which means all of the tools and resources are right at my fingertips!
A safe, confidence boosting space for women
While Fern River Studio is open to anyone, I specifically wanted to create a safe and calm space for women. Experiencing my own changing body throughout and after pregnancy made me realise how amazing and strong women’s bodies really are. This is something I want to help women see and feel in themselves through my photography, whether they’re pregnant, postpartum or simply want to celebrate their body and the various journeys it has taken through life.
In a world that often bombards us with unrealistic beauty standards, I believe that every woman deserves to feel confident, beautiful, and valued. Through my work, I hope to help women embrace their bodies, celebrate their unique journeys, and enhance their self-esteem. My portrait shoots aren’t about objectification or being desirable to others. They’re about celebrating your beauty as it exists in this moment, right now. My hope is that you will find the session itself to be an invigorating, transformative experience, before you even see how beautiful you are in the final images.
Get involved!
So whether you’d like to drop by for a portrait session, book a baby shoot or even have some product shots taken for your small brand, I’d love to hear from you. I’m always happy to meet up for a coffee and a chat to discuss your needs (though be warned - River may be in tow!).
Drop me a DM on insta or email me at fern@fernriverstudio.com
