This week, I attended the Photography Show at the National Exhibition Centre.


Advertised as, "The UK's leading event for any photographer, filmmaker & content creator", it did not disappoint. With a plethora of equipment to explore, inspiring talks and demonstrations, you would think that my main learning points would be taken from all of the information at hand...not quite.


1. I will never compromise on quality

This may not be what you expected to be my first point, but with a vast array of photographic product suppliers, it would be easy to get swept up in the fantastic products and offers on show.


"Someone may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."


I pride myself on delivering products that I love and trust. My suppliers had the most gorgeous stand at the show and when I presented them with something a little out of the ordinary that I needed, they simply said, send it over and we will see what we can do.


Other suppliers on site had the most beautiful products but when I started asking for bespoke frames sizes or availability of framing options and was hit with a hard no, I knew that supplier was not for me.

When I present you with product options, you know I have done my research, sourced the best quality and customer service I can find, because it matters.


2.Inspiration comes from the strangest places

I specialise in equine portrait photography, but I sat through a talk on creating cinematic studio photography because the images that this creator delivered were inspiring.

The lighting, the composition, and the mood that they could deliver by altering external factors, are all things that I can apply to my work.


3. Not everything needs to happen today

As a creative and a business owner, it can be easy to fall into the comparison trap and when you are the parent of a child with additional needs, it can be hard to find the time to take all of the steps that you feel you need to take to excel.


Listening to people who on paper, look like they had overnight success, talk about the decade of growth and development they have behind them, is the perfect solution to stop you comparing your Chapter 1  to someone else's third novel.

There are so many things that I can be doing in life's busy periods, that will serve me well in the future.


4. There is always something to learn

Not every learning opportunity will directly relate to what you do.


It is not until you are presented with hundreds of tech, business and educational talks, that you realise what you do not know. These talks may not be the answers you were looking for, but they will identify learning gaps, techniques you would have never considered, and a whole lot of inspiration.


5. There is nobody else like me (or you)

With everything that The Photography Show, there was not one person who can do what I do.


How do I know this?


Every person that entered the venue has a different story, a unique path to how they got where they are, and sees the world through different eyes.


This is what makes photography so special and is the reason I will continue to learn, grow and seek out my people and tell their story, with heart, kindness and a whole lot of pride.