What REALLY happened to me in 2016

A month ago I visited a medium. I love that kind of thing and am always intrigued to find out if I’m on the right path. The first thing she said was ‘CONGRATULATIONS!’ in a very loud forceful and 'like she really meant it' kind of way. I laughed. Even telling the story to my friends and family afterwards I laughed. I had nothing to be congratulated for. At 26 and the last of my friends to get married and have a baby (or even get engaged or pregnant for that matter) I really didn’t see why anyone would be congratulating me. She continued ‘when I say this I don’t mean a specific event I mean personally you have grown, moved on and are living a truer life. That not only got me thinking but summed it all up for me too - this year I have achieved a lot.

Being stress free & business

I have found the perfect balance between working hard and not getting to the end of the week physically and mentally exhausted. I have the balance between caring enough but not stressing myself out that my mind can not focus and I can give all aspects of my life the attention they deserve.

I freed up time in my week to work for myself. To take on more photography work and projects. I have had a real personal growth year so have not overworked myself but feel satisfied with the work I have achieved. I invested in mentoring and work friendships to get me moving forwards because business life can be lonely.

I have absolutely loved all of the photography work I have done. From weddings, equine and family photography - I have met the best people and thoroughly enjoyed my work.

Anxiety

I have found hypnotherapy and due to not forcing myself to be overworked in what feels like a competition with the rest of society I am not overthinking or full to the brim with stress. I have my self doubts like everyone does but none of my negative thoughts have stopped me from achieving anything.

Health

I have lost a stone and a half over the last year and tried to inspire others along the way. I dedicated myself to running completing my first ever competitive 10k race. I showed commitment through making time to run by getting up earlier and although never easy to drag yourself out of bed at that time of morning it felt good and was great for my mental wellbeing.

Relationships

I have lost more relationships than built. People who make no effort, who no longer care for how I am or what I’m up to or no longer have similar priorities or interests. This is hard but life moves on and I’ve freed up space in my life to allow new people in.  

Happiness & Minimalism

I discovered minimalism through The Minimalists this year and trying to fit my always cluttered life into a one bedroom flat for two people has been quite the challenge. I have de-cluttered my wardrobe to one rail with the help of Kon-Mari and slowly but surely each area of my life is becoming less ‘stuff-y’ and more happy! As part of this I’m better with money, I spend only on things I love and bring me joy and make note of my spending to keep me on track.

All-in-all I’m in a much better place than this time last year. I’m healthier, stronger, happier, and have a clearer mind. So I guess congratulations was in order after all.

   

Black Friday: Equine Photography Offer

It's here... Black Friday and if you can't beat them join them hey?

Not only am I ticking your Black Friday bargain box, but tick off christmas too! This would be the PERFECT gift for any horse owner. Vouchers will expire at the end of March so you can buy the voucher now and they can arrange the photoshoot in the new year.

So let's talk THE EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHY OFFER:

I'm giving you a magical 50% OFF an equine portrait voucher.

The voucher includes:

• A fun, relaxed equine photoshoot for 1 person and 1 horse in Suffolk (lasting approx 1 hour)
• Final images edited & retouched in the Heels & Horseshoes way
• Digital download link to download all of your final images
• Permission to print & share your images to your heart's desire!

Buy the Equine Photography Offer for just £125 (normally £250)

To purchase:
*Send an email to info@heelsandhorseshoes.com with the subject 'Black Friday' and let me know who you are and who the voucher will be for. You will then learn more about the photoshoot and we can discuss the finer details.

I am genuinely so excited to launch my first offer of the year. I only have a very limited amount of vouchers for you to purchase at this super special price so make sure you don't miss out.

If you've read up to here and you're still a bit 'on the fence' (see what I did there) check out some of my recent equine portrait photoshoots here and if you're not photogenic - please don't let that stop you! My job is to get you relaxed in front of the camera and take beautiful photographs of you, so let me do all the work for you.

Terms & Conditions

*Voucher is for 1 person & 1 horse (extra people and horses can be added at an additional cost)
*Voucher covers up to 40 miles radius of Saxmundham IP17 (35p per mile thereafter).
*A link to the final images will be emailed to you for you to download them
*Vouchers must be used on or by 31st March 2017 failure to do so will forfeit the voucher
*The photography session is to be held at a time and location agreed to by the photographer and is non refundable but can be rescheduled due to weather or illness
*Final images will be decided by the photographer


AND just to really treat you all CLICK HERE to gain access for free to my TOP 5 TIPS: PREPARING YOUR HORSE FOR A PHOTOSHOOT


Can't wait to meet you and your horses soon,

Gemma x

Sarah, Scrumpy & Zara - Equine Photography Suffolk

I cannot begin to describe how much I loved this equine shoot. Sarah, the horses and I braved the showers which perfectly resulted in pretty skies and gorgeous sunlight. We did a lovely combination of the horses separately and together to show off their personalities. They are mum and son so it's lovely to capture their relationship together. We headed up a beautiful track nearby, found places around the yard and finished up at the ford.

Book your equine shoot: info@heelsandhorseshoes.com

Find out more

How To Achieve Your Goals

I like to use the 1st of each month as a mini-fresh start. To reflect on what I achieved in the previous month and take forward lessons learned into the next month. The only way to build a business is to take what you do well and make it even better and take what you didn’t do well and be sure not to do it again!

It has been a month since October’s Balloon Manifestation and I'm now a third of the way into the period I set for achieving some goals. I’ve ticked a few off but if I’m to sit here typing in the first few days of January that I achieved them all it is time to put my 'best foot forward' as they say. After a quick research I noticed that I needed more depth to those big goals of mine.

Make It Visible

Who doesn’t love a notebook of ideas, a vision board or at least a Pinterest board? In order to make dreams more of a reality you need to be able to see them. I’m going to do the latter, the last thing my tiny flat needs is an array of messy vision boards all over the place. After this post is written I will be off to Pinterest to make a secret board for each major goal.

(Don’t) Tell People

A secret board? But a lot of articles say that in order to make dreams work you have to tell people? In fact I’m thinking the opposite. These are very personal goals and I want to work hard on them behind the scenes and then share my success of achieving them.

Set a date

I set multiple goals at the same time for intention of completion over 3 months. I’m finding it a bit difficult to spread myself thinly over each so I will give more effort to each one in a timely manner. For example Goal 1 to be achieved by 16th November, then start goal 2 and achieve this by 30th November (and so on).

Set sub-goals

You know when you have a big overwhelming header, then some sub headers to break it up and make it feel a little more bearable? That is what I need. Small manageable everyday tasks that keep the ball rolling and the momentum flowing.

Set an end result

I’m actually so used to not achieving things that I don’t even set an end result. I feel like things are different this time, I mean look at all this planning I’m doing. For each goal I’m going to specify what will mark that I’ve achieved it, how it would make me feel and how I would celebrate it.

The universe has got this

I’ve done my manifestation, I’ve asked the universe for its help and guidance, I’m going to stay positive and grateful knowing that everything will work out just fine.


As the days get darker and the weather more miserable it’s important to stay focused, keep moving forwards and be successful. Let me know if this has motivated you to set and achieve some goals of your own for the remainder of 2016.

You can follow me here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heelsandhorseshoes/

Instagram: @heelshorseshoes

Snapchat: Heelshorseshoes

Balloon Manifestation

2016 has been a great year and I'm determined to make the last few months even better. I absolutely love the book 'The Secret' and was compelled to re-listen to the audio book. I used it throughout 2014 and it was incredible so I thought a refresh couldn't harm. I set some specific goals written in the past tense as if I had already achieved them and put them in a jar. These are my dreams and goals for the next 3 months. I intend to open the jar on January 1st and reveal my achievements.

So I was watching some videos on YouTube and stumbled across one that mentioned a balloon manifestation and I was so up for that! I thought it would be a perfect way to seal my goals into reality.

Balloon manifestation: It's nearly as simple as letting go of a helium balloon but it was actually super fun! I thanked the universe for everything I have and asked for support, guidance and confidence to achieve my goals.

Ok you might think I'm totally mad but honestly it was super empowering and exciting. My lovely friend Bexx came along to take some photos and she did a video too which I will upload soon. I'm excited for the rest of the year!

Beach Themed Wedding With Surprises - Graham & Lindsay's Wedding

Earlier in summer I had the pleasure of photographing the wonderful wedding of Graham & Lindsay at Thorpeness Country Club. It was a lovely day for such a lovely couple. Full of beach themed goodies, smiles, surprises and ending with their first gig - you guys rocked!

Suppliers

Venue: www.thorpenesscountryclub.co.uk
Flowers: www.bethanyroseflorist.co.uk
Hair: www.loxxhair.co.uk
Makeup: www.nailsandbeautybyali.co.uk
Cake: www.amazingcakesbyjean.co.uk
Sound & Lighting: www.sound4proaudio.com