Johnson Photographs
I've got a bit of a backlog of blog entries - but being too busy to keep on top of them is probably a good complaint! So, if you've been lucky enough to see Fergus lately, you'll know he's grown a fair bit since these pictures were taken.
Nevertheless, it's always great to visit the same families as they grow in size and number! The main aim of the Johnson family shoot was to update their wall art to include little brother Fergus. He's a peerie corker and 100% impressed us all with his smiles to match big sister Astrid. We used a portable backdrop in the Johnson living room to give both black and white backgrounds, capturing the whole family as well as some individual portaits. It's great when families have special items to feature in their photographs and this shoot was no exception - read on!
Back when Astrid was a baby, I took some photographs of her in a special family hap and the Johnson family wanted to capture a complementary image of Fergus with the same heirloom. For those not aware of this Shetland word, a hap is a fine hand-knitted shawl, traditionally with a square central panel and patterned surround and edging. Take a look at https://jamiesonandsmith.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/shetland-haps/ for a blog article by Jamieson and Smith, Shetland Wool Brokers for more on this!
The hap was made for the family by Kris's late mum, several years ago, before Kris and Dorcas were married and before Astrid and Fergus had even been born - perhaps a hint! Peggy was a wonderful fine lace knitter, winning countless trophies at the Unst show. Featuring the hap in the photographs was a lovely way for Kris and Dorcas to celebrate this special item.
I'm very pleased to say that the Johnson family now have a pair of co-ordinating photographs on their living room wall with both their little ones wrapped in their hap, even using the same kist (another Shetland word - meaning a chest or trunk) to add to the traditional look. I hope both the hap and the photographs are treasured for years to come!
-Ben