Alison Mckenny
Hi, My name is Alison and I’m a professional Portrait Photographer and the owner/artist behind the lens at Alison McKenny Photography. I have recently been awarded ‘Master Photographer’ Status by the Internationally acclaimed Portrait Masters in 2020 and work from my home based studio and family farm in Stoke By Clare, Suffolk.
I adore photographing people as I feel that it is so important to capture an individual’s true beauty and confidence.
I photograph men, women, babies & children of all ages and lots of family groups too!
I also love animals so feel free to let me know if you’d like to include your family pet in your photoshoot.
If you are overwhelmed at the thought of having a shoot done or nervous in front of the camera, please don’t worry as I know most of my clients feel this way before booking a shoot. Rest assured that you are in safe hands. I’ve been doing this for 11 years now and will take you through everything, step by step, so all you have to do is follow my direction and you will have beautiful photos to cherish forevermore!
My style and skills have developed over the past 11 years, since I started my photography journey and my aim is to produce timeless, creative and emotive images for my clients whilst providing an excellent service, top quality products and unforgettable experience that will have you wanting to come back for more.
I shoot using soft lighting whether I’m in the studio or outside. You will notice my work is either bright and airy or dark and moody! I can fully pose you for that more polished and artistic look to your portraits, or we can do more natural posing if you prefer to just capture the moments of you with your loved ones.
I photograph my many clients both in my Suffolk studio and out on location depending on the shoot, so if you have a location that is special to you, let me know as I am happy to travel anywhere within Suffolk, Cambridge, Norfolk and Essex.
WHERE I LIKE TO WORK
MY STUDIO & FAMILY FARM
I feel very blessed to have my own home studio which is at one end of our house with its own entrance and bathroom. It’s a lovely space and very comfortable. Over the past 11 years my extensive collection of backdrops, outfits, and props has grown so there are lots of options to choose from when it comes to planning the look you want for your session.
I live on a beautiful farm in the countryside so have lots of stunning locations right on my doorstep! We are based in Suffolk but are on the border with Essex and Cambridgeshire so are within 30 to 50 minutes from lots of large towns including Cambridge, Newmarket, Colchester, Braintree, Bury St Edmunds and Saffron Walden. You can see some images of my studio and our farm here and most of the photos in my galleries were either taken on the farm or in the studio.
We had our own family photos taken in the fields close to our house, and this is a favourite spot for my client sessions all year round. There are acres of open fields, huge skies, trees of all kinds, a reservoir, rustic buildings, barns, and old shabby doors that make fabulous backdrops, and we even have our own wildflower field which is beautiful in spring and early summer.
As it is our family farm, I have permission to go anywhere on the land (as long as we respect the crops!) which is a real bonus and I know all the best locations and the ideal time to take photographs there.
However, if there is a location that is special to you that you would like your portraits taken, then I am happy to travel. All you need do is ask!
MY LOCATION
I’m located in Stoke by Clare, in Suffolk, UK, which is a small village near Clare (funnily enough!) and Haverhill. It’s only 30 mins from Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds, and 50 mins from Cambridge, Saffron Walden, Colchester and Braintree, so although we are rurally based, it’s the ideal location as it’s so accessible to so many local towns!
THE FARM
MY STUDIO
SUFFOLK AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER
My photography skills and style have definitely developed over the past 11 years and the main reasons for that is my passion for learning and therefore investment in training with top Photographers from all over the world, buying quality equipment that doesn’t let me down, and regularly entering competitions.
Competitions keep me striving for perfection from my images, learning from my mistakes and constantly improving my work. I often get models in for specific shoots as it allows me to be more creative and take my time to get the shot perfect, but sometimes I can get a strong enough image from a client shoot too.
In fact the image that won 2nd place in the Newborn category of the Portrait Masters 2020 was from a client shoot.
When I first started photography, I joined ‘The Guild of Professional Photographers’ which is based in the UK and has been a huge help and support to me over the years. They have monthly competitions and I usually enter images twice or three times a year.
In more recent years I have been entering images into ‘The Portrait Masters’ which is an International group of Portrait Photographers and after entering the competitions twice a year for the past 3 years, I have been in the top 20 x6 times which has been exciting enough as there are thousands of entrants and each image is scored by 5 individual judges, but in the last round I came 2nd in the Newborn category which was amazing!
Through them, I first qualified as an Associate Photographer, and in 2020, I won enough points and awards at a high enough level to achieve ‘Master Photographer’ status!
I was so excited when I found out and I am planning to get my medals and certificates framed in the studio as soon as possible. Next, my goal is to achieve ‘Fellow’ status which is the Black Belt equivalent in Photography world! So wish me luck.
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