Carley Aplin, Bitterne Park, Southampton (2026)

05/06/2026

Yesterday, I reached out to some of my best friends and asked them to write something about me. Not necessarily about Carley the family photographer, but Carley , the one who lives behind the lens.

I specifically asked them not to carefully curated answers, or tell me what they thought I wanted to hear, just whatever came to mind.

Although, one friend’s immediate response was, ‘Why does this feel like I’m writing your eulogy?’ which, in hindsight, is exactly the sort of response I should have expected from my friends 🙈

For transparencies sake It may appear that I have a large friendship circle.But in reality, one contribution came from my daughter and several friends submitted multiple answers. I am many things in life, but the owner of seven close, active-in-my-life friends is probably not one of them. ( I’m a hard person to love 🤣)

Some of the responses made me laugh, some cry,but a lot made me question how many times they’ve seen me eating sugary snacks 😭

I think everyone should do this , go and ask your favourite people to tell you what they think of you. Not necessarily for a post like this ( although why not I got the idea from someone else’s post), but just because it’s nice to hear 🤎

Fair warning though... they may also expose your questionable sugar intake and other bad habits and the odd character flaw.

If we’ve crossed paths over the years, I’d love to hear what you’d add to the list. (Within reason. This is still a professional account 🤪)

04/06/2026

After photographing families for almost a decade, these are the things I know to be true.

- Children don’t need to be perfectly behaved.

- Photoshoots shouldn’t feel stressful.

I know the lead up to a family session can sometimes feel overwhelming. Choosing outfits, coordinating diaries, wondering whether the kids will cooperate, worrying if your partner is going to moan about it the whole way there...But that’s exactly what I’m here for.

I’ll help with the outfits, guide you through the planning and take as much of the pressure off your shoulders as I can.

Because the photoshoot itself shouldn’t be about your family performing for the camera. It should be about spending time together, going on an adventure and making memories with the people you love most.

Remember, Perfect smiles aren’t the goal. Some of the most beautiful photographs I have ever taken have happen in the moments nobody planned, in the chaos , in they lie in the in-between.

These photos are feel like childhood. They hold the power to unlock memories, the ones you’ll cherish forever

So if you’ve ever worried that your children are “too much”, “won’t sit still” and you’re putting off family photos because you’re waiting for the perfect moment. THIS IS FOR YOU!

Because no child has ever ruined a photoshoot by acting like a child and the best photoshoots are the one that everyone is having the time of their lives, together, away from screens, picking flowers, dipping their toes into the sea or watching the new forest ponies graze next to you.

So, if you’re putting off family photos because you’re waiting for the perfect moment… I’m here to tell you that doesn’t exist.

📸 PHOTOGRAPHERS Comment HILL and I’ll send you 5 of my favourite prompts for natural, connection-filled family photographs.

🖼️ PRESETS Comment PRESET and I’ll send you the details of the presets I use behind my edits.

🤎FAMILY PHOTOS Comment CHILDHOOD and I’ll send you my pricing guide.

20/05/2026

Ever wondered what settings I’m using on each of my images, or which presets I’ve used on them? Look no further…

I’ve broken down 11 different images ,with the exact settings and preset I used on each of them.

Also, if you already own my presets you may have noticed a new name on two of these slides … keep an eye on your inbox this week because you’ll be getting an update FOR FREE with my 2 brand new presets I’ve added in the last few months 🥳

Comment PRESET if you’d like more info on these presets ✨

19/05/2026

10 shoots & 10 different kinds of magic.

Some sessions are quiet , some are loud, some fast and some slow.

I never want your session to feel like it’s not who you are. The way that your session feels will be shaped by you, by your energy , the connection you have as a family and all the little Inbetween things that make you who you are.

That’s how we make magic, by being you, your are the magic ✨

Tell me, Which side feels most like your family?

12/05/2026

This recent session was such an intimate maternity session . I travelled to their home in the north of Hampshire , surrounded fields this quintessential English garden was such a perfect accompaniment to their home session.. Together with their fur and feathered pets we documented this shift in their lives
It was so calm but the energy was unmatched , you could almost feel the excitement of welcoming a first baby into the home. So many quiet moments ,from playful moments their dog , to relaxed maternity portraits in their beautiful bedroom, this session felt so personal and full of love.

I definitely struggled to pick just a few moments.

Do you have a favourite?

11/05/2026

Psssstt!!!!! I have news , and I need you to know…photoshoots don’t have to only be about the traditional milestones, they can be about anything you want them to be!

We don’t think twice about celebrate weddings, l babies and birthdays, but I really think we should be documenting all of it.

Leaving home to , or coming back from travel. Finding yourself after a relationship has ended, starting over in a new town. Finding your confidence after a crappy year , or simply just existing in a season of life you know you’ll want to remember one day.

My lovely Niece Keeley is about to head off travelling this summer, so we spent the evening running around a field at golden hour taking the kind of photos that feel like her right now. Cowboy boots, country vibes , moving through life with zero F’s given .

What we didn’t expect was to be watched the whole time by a group of ‘roadmen’ on their dirt bikes… staring from afar like we were filming some kind of music video ( to be far the tunes were tuning)

Although, by the end of the session they were brave enough to come over and chat, (which we caught on camera and it’s really cute - little love struck teenage boys 🤣). They were pretty polite and a little bit awestruck…genuinely think they fell in love with her on the spot🙈

But honestly? I get it. She looked beautiful I would have been intrigued too 🤪

These photos were not about anything other than remembering this exact version of her before her life shifts. A Free spirited, chaotic, funny, confident country mad gal who’s right on the cusp of something new ✨

More “just because” solo photoshoots please.

As you were 👌🏽

05/05/2026

Im calling this a teddy bears picnic… but in my case the teddy bear is the cutest baby you ever did see.

Everyone knows I’m a sunset girl at heart, but there’s something really exciting and fun about stepping outside of that comfort zone and trying different things.

I’m being pushed to limits I didn’t know I had at home right now, so this is part of the plan I’m working on to adapt my business as the needs of my family change.

And in classic ADHD fashion I decided early one morning last week I was going to check out the little oak tree I found the day before. With no children of my own available…Cue a frantic phone call to my sister to borrow her baby for half an hour …Thank god for younger sisters 🤪 Maybe 🤔 need more babies in speed dial 🤭

“Picnic Minis” will be available in May and June, with very limited availability while things are a bit slower at home ( navigating part-time school days isn’t for the weak 🙈)

They’re perfect for little ones, motherhood stories, and those pre-school starters heading off into big school in September🥹…

Comment “picnic” and I’ll make sure you are added to the mailing list so you will be in with get a chance of snapping one up when they go on sale

01/04/2026

I sat on the floor this week with my mum, dad and sister going through boxes of old photographs. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them, most I don’t remember ever seeing before, full of memories long forgotten.

My dad took most of them on his old Pentax film camera, quietly documenting our life through the 80s and 90s before digital cameras became the norm. He was always so intentional about printing them too.

What struck me as we passed them around wasn’t the big moments, it was everything in between. The way we looked at each other, the mess, the movement, the outfits, all the different versions of me growing up that didn’t feel significant at the time but somehow have become everything.

I don’t think he realised what he was creating, and I definitely didn’t realise I was watching and learning. I can still remember the weight of his camera in my hands, the cool metal, even the smell of the leather case. The way he carefully showed me how to focus, trusting me with something so precious when every frame mattered.

But sitting there, holding them, I kept thinking about how different it would feel if they only existed on a screen.

These printed photographs are everything to me. Not stored away on a hard drive or sitting somewhere in the cloud, but held, passed around, laughed over, remembered.

This is your sign to print your photos, make the albums, and create something you can hold and share for years to come. And if you’re lucky enough to still have your parents here, and you grew up in the film camera days, go round, pull the boxes down, grab some snacks, and sit together for a while. You won’t regret it.

05/03/2026

unning a photography business involves far more than just taking photos.

Behind every gallery delivery, client booking and edited image are systems that help everything run smoothly.

After 7 years working as a professional photographer, these are some of the tools I consider non-negotiable in my photography business. From culling software to client gallery delivery, contracts and website platforms, these tools save time, protect your business and improve the client experience.

If you are starting a photography business or looking to improve your photography workflow, these are the places I would invest first.

- Culling

- Website Builder

- Contracts

- Gallery Delivery & CRM

- Buisness Bank Account

This is Part 1 and in the next post I will be sharing more photography tools including backup systems, marketing tools and editing workflow.

Save this post so you can come back to it later.

If you would like the links and discount codes for everything mentioned, comment:

TOOLS
LINK
LINKS
SEND
or just drop a 🔧

and I will send everything straight to your messages.

If there is anything else you would like me to cover for photographers, drop it in the comments below.

12/02/2026

Four months of squishiness , eye contact, tiny toes that already run the house and stolen hearts 🤎

The in-between stage. Not newborn, not sitting. Just pure baby magic.

People often think they’ll regret newborn photos but when this is what 4 month old photos can look like why would you worry? Yes they are different but also, the same 🤎

What would you pick if you could go back? Would you choose newborn photoshoot over a 4 month old photoshoot?

Carley Aplin

05/06/2026

04/06/2026

20/05/2026

19/05/2026

12/05/2026

11/05/2026

05/05/2026

01/04/2026

05/03/2026

12/02/2026

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