Lisa McGill Photography

14/02/2025

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day! 💛 Today is all about sharing a little love, so I wanted to do just that.

I recently had the joy of photographing and it was an experience beyond capturing beautiful bread. Magda pours her heart into every loaf, and it was incredible to witness the warmth, skill, and dedication behind her craft.

Hearing how much she loves her photos and how they have already helped her feel more confident and equipped with the right materials to stand out means everything. She is using them on her website and socials, but even more importantly, they have given her the boost to connect with other businesses. That is the power of brand photography. It is not just about the images but how they make you feel.

And if you have not tried Legit Sourdough yet, you are in for a treat. Magda’s bread is not just beautiful. It is handcrafted with time, skill, and love into every loaf to create something truly special. Whether you are a long-time sourdough lover or just discovering the magic of real bread, you will taste the difference in every bite.

Go check out www.legitsourdoughandmore.com website give her page a follow, and if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a loaf, enjoy every slice! 🍞💛

If you are a small business looking to elevate your brand with imagery that truly reflects what you do, I would love to help 📸✨

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day! Whatever your day has included, I hope it’s been filled with love in one way or another. ❤

08/03/2024

Happy international women's day 2024...

"Here's to strong women – may we know them, be them, and raise them". 💪🏼💖🌟 This quote resonates deeply for me this International Women's Day.

Maybe it's because I am navigating the rollercoaster of raising a strong pr***en daughter while trying to be a strong woman presents its unique challenges.

Or maybe it's because of all the gratitude that fills my heart for the strong women in my life who inspire me daily. Supporting, cheerleading, and raising even if struggling with lifes hurdles, I wish they could see themselves through my eyes.

Which is what I can do with my photography, show them what I see all the beauty and connections these wonderful women radiate.

I wanted to share a photo of me with my daughter on this post, but all I found were our silly selfies and Snapchats. It made me realize how quickly time is passing and how she's changing before my eyes. I am sending a photographer a message to book my own family shoot in!!

With Mother's Day approaching, I wonder if others feel the same. If you'd love a photoshoot to capture precious memories with your loved ones, please get in touch. Give yourself the gift. You deserve it and your children will love you for it when they look back 💖📷

A special shoutout to the incredible men cheering us on. 💙

And keep reading -
If you've missed the memo its Mother's Day this Sunday, here's your chance for a thoughtful gift – send me a message to arrange a special photoshoot voucher. Need to be quick though as left it a little late 🫣

Mums, Nans, Grans, friends, and all the amazing women, feel free to drop a hint in the comments by tagging someone you'd love to gift you a special photoshoot! 📸✨

Xx

24/09/2023

Where do you work?

I am so lucky that when I am doing the favourite part of my job, when I have a camera in my hand, my workplace is usually the great outdoors, or in your workplace or in your lovely homes!

When doing all the other roles in my business like, editing, admin, marketing, accounts, learning, content creation, planning, emails, sorting equipment and I think I am still missing many jobs! When I remember all these elements to do I work from home, and this can get pretty lonely. So when I can I try and co work with people, or have a brainstorming dog walk and coffee with fellow business owners.

Do you work from home?

I am a member of a group for local businesses and will be attending more co working events they hold for their community excited to have people to bounce around ideas and support through the highs & lows of small business with.

Do you know any good co working places?
💻☕

21/09/2023

Hey how is it going?

That's the prompt for today.. with

So keeping it truthful, the business plate is spinning a little slower than I would like now, the other plates are spinning well in life and thanks to my loyal clients recommending me the plate hasn't stopped but I need it to ramp up again.

The good news is I know the reason... the bad news is its me!!

As a brand photographer, I know the importance of showing up online, telling my story, sharing my work and showing my face. But I have found all the reasons not to do this for too long... However, drawing a line I do like to try and make a positive out of a negative so seeing this as experience and that I can now relate to other business owners that like me may have not been actively marketing and need my help. And I love helping people!

Is there anything you wish you did more? Another thing for me is getting in photos with my kids, but that's for another post! x

19/09/2023

Where did it start... gosh this was a pondering prompt for me

Mainly lead down a rabbit hole of what image to use... I wish I had invested in a brand shoot at the beginning I could of shown my fresh face and fondly named little big camera. My first paid photoshoot was back in 2016. That really does seem a lifetime ago (I blame Covid stealing years).

The year my son was born I had 8 good friends weddings, 8 weddings and hen do's whilst on maternity leave before my second baby turned one... Woah I feel tired thinking of that now!
But back then I felt inspired by the wedding photographers and the lovely comments I got from people of the photos you took, I heard countless times you should do this as a job!?
My husband had bought me my little big camera as I loved taking photos of my babies, and turns out I had the eye for catching the special moment. I am proud to say some of the photos I took on that camera as a guest are still proudly hung on friends walls.

After my request for flexible working was denied to go back into my HR career I didn't even really get a chance to think about what I would do next, friends of friends started contacting me asking if I could capture their most important moments... I was fortunate to have word of mouth secure me weddings and family shoots, events, newborns, toddler groups, that lead to nursery photography, more weddings, school prospectus shoots and lifestyle photography..

And now after lots of training, I have chosen to specialise in Brand and Family photography, I love telling stories through my photography and helping businesses show up online with storytelling images they can use to engage with their customers.

How did you get started in your career? Do you work for yourself? If you would like to know how I can help your business with Brand Photography please get in touch. I would love to hear from you.

This photo is of my lovely Dad, he had a more varied career that I have from a butcher, various roles in between and lastly a financial advisor... I hope he would be really proud that I have chosen a career of our shared passion photography! This is a screen grab from a really old family video, it made me beam seeing this.

I love that photos and films are windows back in time!

18/09/2023

How is September going for you? I always find this month to be like the new year starting. A refresh after summer, the kids start new years or this time new school so guess I see it like that too!

Have you had your annual school photos yet?

I have to admit I've never bought mine, they never look like my kids - too posed with weird smiles and hand positions! I do totally get why people do buy them though as I love looking back and comparing my style photos over the years!

I much rather a natural shot, when they're having fun or making faces. Plus now mine are at different schools we won't be getting any more sibling ones.

So this year this is one of our school photo; shows they're true selves and cheeky sides!

If you're not happy with your school pictures and/or want something more natural then send me a message. I can do individuals or siblings.

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15/09/2023

So to keep me on track posting and to try and get us much information to you about who I am, what I do and who I help I am going to jump into a social media challenge a bit late with my services and who do I serve prompt...

I chose not to niche in a specific type of photography, I love the variety it brings - I specialise in storyteller brand and family photography.

What's that then?!

I use photography to help you tell your story. Whether that's your business through fun, personalised branding photography. Or your family story capturing those precious memories.

Who are my clients?

I love to work with with lovers of life, those that are passionate about their businesses, as long as you're wanting to tell your story in an authentic imperfectly perfect way. (And if you've got a dog that's a bonus too 🐾).

If that sounds like you, or you want to know more, then do give send me a message.

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14/09/2023

Hello 👋

Someone asked me recently if I'm still doing photography 😬 so thought I'd better pop on here to let you know I am 📸 I haven't actually ever stopped taking photos, just not been great at sharing them further than the happy clients.

I'm so lucky that my business has always worked off word of mouth, but in these times that also happens a ot online doesn't it?! So I'm going to be showing up here a bit more - no promises though 🤣

Thanks so much to everyone who does refer me and recommend to friends & family - you'll never know how much I truly appreciate it.

So now to work out what I'm going to post?! What do you want to see from me?

-

30/11/2022

Are you December ready?

Do you have your tree 🌲

We had the second year of our MERRI Christmas Trees tradition.

Such a fun family experience, we spread it out over two trips, first for the children to pick and then back to hand cut our tree down 🎄

The trees are so soft and not a pine dropped the whole of December last year! Not sure will be as successful this year... for no fault of Merri but a certain Dalmatian puppy 🐾 that has already pulled it down 🫣

I was so pleased to be able to share the photos I captured the last couple of years, love helping small businesses tell their story. Blushed when I read their post this morning thanking me.

If you haven't sorted your Christmas tree yet I highly recommend Merri Christmas Trees in Oakley.

My Festive gift vouchers are designed and ready to send if anyone would like to know more to give the gift of memories please do get in touch.

Now to sort my favourite (sarcastic) little elves ready for tomorrow! Cannot get my head around it being December in the morning 🗓️

X

How lovely is this photo taken by of her family carrying their MERRI Christmas Tree to their car?

You too can create this scene if you visit our Farm too. We are open 7 days a week, 10am to 3pm, Sunday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Find us opposite Oakley Post Office. Our signs will be out when we are there.

Lisa kindly shared her gallery with us & said we can use them freely to populate of website & social media pages. How kind is that?

We all need more people like Lisa is our lives don't we?

14/10/2022

"Im crying, we love them!!! You are such an amazing photographer!! Honestly we love the photos so much!! You are so talented and we are so grateful to have you!" Hannah - Newborn Shoot

Of course I do not really want to make people cry... well maybe a little!!

I am a heart on my sleeve kind of girl that feels all the feels for all the people.. so most of the time if it does make you well up.. I already have whilst editing!

This gorgeous family, is actually part of my family so I was over the moon to be able to capture them as a family of four plus fur baby making 5. I do love when a pooch is part of the shoot. Freddie was an absolute dream, and his sister Harri total superstar! Mum looked bloody beautiful and had coordinate them and done all the things... Dad.. well he did behave but was desperate to eat an omelette he had prepared 🤣

My baby is going to be 8 on Monday EIGHT!! I cannot believe it! I can look at photos of his gorgeous baby face and be transported back to moments in time when he was still for 30 seconds and wasn't so huge! This is what I want to do for you, this is why I hope that you do maybe get a little teary when looking at your galleries.

My out of office is going on this evening as tomorrow we head up to the airport ready to live our dash in Florida as my Dad inspired us to do on his 10 year anniversary 💜

What is your favourite photo to look back on??

x

14/10/2022

So before I go off on holiday I thought my feed needed to see the other special genre of photography I capture… families and newborns :-)

Last couple of months I was luckily enough to photograph several families, it is really important part of my work. The sense of reward I get when I know families have really enjoyed the photoshoot experience and then when they are overjoyed with the photos is literally everything to me! As a self critical person it can be a lonely place working for myself, the doubt is crippling at times so I have started collating the amazing words of feedback I get from families. Words like this blow me away -

“Oh Lisa, how emotional looking through this gallery. I have been eagerly waiting, knowing they would be amazing & you have not disappointed! It's going to be touch choosing! Thank you so very much for capturing these moments for us, I'm so glad we chose you x” Lisa Newborn shoot

This is the gorgeous, Ezra and his beautiful family, I was lucky enough to document the love before he was born in Lisa’s maternity photoshoot and then see what love made at his newborn shoot. How amazing does Mum look, weeks after birth, I wish I looked that good now!

And I know how precious these photos are now and know that they will not only be treasured straight away but form family heirlooms as time pass. My diary does get booked up quickly so if you are thinking of a family shoot or expecting a baby please do get in touch to secure your date. My gift vouchers are very popular presents too so if you would like to gift the gift of memories send me a message. I will get back to everyone on my return.

I always feel so honoured when people choose me, all word of mouth so thank you for everyone that recommends me xx

13/10/2022

I have loved sharing snippets of my wedding storytelling images, and love the feeling of the happy couple looking through their gallery, making selections for prints and albums..

Did you know along side my wedding and family work, I actually specialise in Brand Photography?

I work with businesses to help them show up online more confidently with a collection of on brand storytelling images and headshots to tell their business story on social media and website. I love this part of my business I get to put my investigator hat on and delve deep into the history and future goals of solopreneurs and small business owners and help them to be seen. As much as I love weddings and telling love stories, we spend probably more time at work than with our loved ones so I feel it is important to save people time searching for the right image to post, and help them have a plan to get a better work life balance and have image proud to share. If you or someone you know would like to hear more about how my brand shoots work then please get in touch, I only have capacity for two more brand shoots in 2022, my diary is open for 2023.

A Brand shoot with me usually starts with a call to understand where you are as a business, what your goals are, any challenges, the direction your business is going in, and who your ideal client is and how you serve them and problems you solve.

My mind starts to whirl with ideas for the shoot, so after you have completed a questionnaire, and we have spoken about your companies story I put together a plan. There is in-depth work before I even arrive with a brand workbook and another pre-shoot conversation you feel confident we are on the same page and I know the stories you want to tell.

I can flex my approach as I did with Team Factors, they had already gone through a lot of work with brand and had a marketing plan with an external marketing professional in place so we did less of the pre work and I added back value with two visits and post production editing.

As you can see the results are great, and I received positive feedback about both the experience and the end result.

Thank you Team Factors for being a great company to capture, I loved spending time in your office, I can vouch that one of your core philosophies could be felt from the moment I arrived ‘We work hard but have fun, maintaining a positive, family spirit and ensuring a work-life balance for everyone’.

Wish you every success with your growing team and congratulate your new and future recruits for finding a company that really does show appreciate for its staff.

If you are looking for help with Recruitment Financing or solving cash-flow issues with Invoice Finance do get in touch with Team Factors Ltd you will be in safe hands.