A lovely, relaxed engagement shoot in the heart of the beautiful wintery New Forest.

I really can't stress this point enough, but everyone is nervous about having their photo taken by a professional photographer... even if they pretend not to be (I'm looking at you two Parker and Jack!). It's completely OK to feel a little nervous, after all, only professional models and celebrities are used to having a camera pointed at them . The average person will only find themselves in this situation a couple of times throughout their lives. It's OK to be nervous! It's OK to not know how to pose! You've never done it before, no one is expecting you to know what to do!

I like to reassure couples ASAP that I am going to tell them EXACTLY what to do during the photo shoot. Everything. From where to put your feet, hands, heads, right down to which direction I want you to be looking in! There are no awkward silences during my photo shoots. I explain everything I am doing along the way, and I don't keep you in a pose for long enough for it to feel awkward. I love to encourage my couples, and I love that I can actually see them relaxing as we move through the session.

So, of course it makes sense that the best photos are usually the last ones taken. The couple have had plenty of time to get their awkward giggling out of the way (I actively encourage a giggle if you're feeling silly!), and are starting to believe that this experience isn't actually as torturous as they expected!

I've said it so many times, but it's still true - every single couple i've ever photographed has said that they are nervous/don't like having their photo taken/any variation of those phrases, i've heard them all, and yet every single couple i've ever photographed has absolutely LOVED their photos once they see them!

There's a bit of a theme with the last few blog posts of them making me feel old! First, my best friend of over 20 years gets married, and now, my lovely cousin, who I used to BABYSIT (!) is getting married! Here is my lovely cousin Jack, and his gorgeous fiancee Parker.

Parker is American, and I only met her for the first time the morning of the photo shoot. She was in England for a few weeks meeting the rest of Jack's family before they both make the move to the States to get married. Well, my cousin has done very well for himself, as Parker is an absolute delight! I should add that Jack is also a delight, so they are very well suited.

I asked them how they were feeling about having their photos taken and they both said fine, excited, happy. Then I asked them how they were actually feeling about having their photos taken and they admitted they were a bit nervous. A top tip - the more open and honest you are with your photographer, the more they can help you feel comfortable in front of the camera... plus, we're really good at knowing when you're nervous. It is written all over your body language!

Parker and Jack were absolutely brilliant in front of the camera. They were so natural interacting with each other and following all of my instructions with effortless grace. You would never guess that they were nervous looking at their gallery!

We were, of course, in my new favourite winter spot in Wilverley Inclosure. I discovered it a few weeks ago when my usual spot for all seasons was looking a bit muddy. This spot is great because it has some lovely winter greenery in the background.

The session was on a Monday afternoon, so for the first time EVER, we had absolutely no interruptions of people walking past us! Very different to the wedding shoot from February on a sunny Saturday morning when we had to stop every 2 minutes to let people walk past. No interruptions meant that we managed to get the photos really super quick!

I love how they turned out, and I wish Parker and Jack all the best for their move to America and for their upcoming wedding!