Dear friends, clients, and wildflower hearts,
It feels surreal to write this, and even now, I’m not quite sure how to begin. How do you sum up the kind of journey that changed your life? How do you say “pause” to something that feels stitched into your soul?
Diary of a Wildflower will be 'temporarily' closing October 2025.
And even just typing that, I had to stop for a little cry.
I wanted to share this with you personally because so many of you have been part of this story from the very beginning. You’ve supported me, trusted me with your most precious moments, told your friends about me, and come back again and again, watching this dream of mine unfold and bloom into something I never thought possible.
But now, life has whispered a new adventure to me and I’m listening.
In just a couple of months, I’ll be moving with my children to Kenya to join my husband Dan, who (as many of you know) took his dream job over there late last year. Our little family will finally be back under one roof again after nine months of FaceTime dinners and solo parenting chaos. I’ll be documenting our life over there through this story from time to time, so if wild landscapes, bold choices, expat life, and occasional emotional oversharing are your thing, stay onboard for the ride.
But first, I want to take a moment to reflect. Because wow, what a journey this has been.
I was sixteen when I studied photography at college. It felt like a calling. But circumstances beyond my control pulled me into work, and like so many of us, I found myself stuck in a job I didn’t love, but one that kept food on the table and the lights on.
Fast forward a few years, and I was fighting a legal case for sexual discrimination against that very company. This happened just two months after having my youngest daughter, Pearl. The trauma, the anxiety, the fear... it would have been easier to give up. But something in me (probably the same voice that got me through many other hard things) said: speak your truth.
I did. I won.
With a-bit of money in the pot, unemployment and a fire in my stomach, Dan, my ever-steady cheerleader, told me to go for it. And with shaky hands, a second-hand camera, and a whirlwind of imposter syndrome, Lucia Pearl Photography was born. I smile when I say that name now, part pride, part cringe (if you ever saw my first logo… I’m sorry and you’re welcome). I was wildly unaware of my limitations or, you know, costs. I’d be outside at 11pm setting up a miniature farmer’s market in my back garden (which was also my “studio”). Christmas hot chocolate stand? Done. Woodland fairies? Let’s try it. Pumpkin patches with real wheelbarrows and hay bales? Obviously. My poor mum was dragged along for the ride, as I often had all the ideas but absolutely no structural awareness on how to make them come alive. She has been such a wonderful part of my success and I feel so grateful for her guidance and the time she has given me.
There was once a time when I charged £20 for a shoot, I'd hand over 50 images, and would spend two full days editing one gallery while realising that the materials from the sessions actually left me £200 in arrears. Accountancy has never been my fortre. Any other spare time were spent watching YouTube tutorials while testing settings on my girls (who, to this day, still sigh when I say, “just one more”).
The anxiety before every shoot was crippling. I’d cry. I’d breathe into a paper bag. Dan would stay on the phone with me while I sat shaking in my car, parked outside a session, whispering “you’ve got this” until I finally opened the door and stepped out.
And slowly, I did have it.
The shoots came in. My confidence grew. I upgraded from my first camera, then bought another… and another. My prices slowly increased and I could feel my worth. The clients who first trusted me stayed with me. Some became friends. Some became family. Some I’ve followed through every life milestone.. births, weddings, loss, joy. What a privilege.
That win didn’t just close one door, it opened another. And one of the best twists of my story arrived quietly..
I entered a photo competition for Erin’s birthday and won a shoot. That shoot was with Tash. You now know her as the other half of Moonflower Weddings ( my other photography business). Back then, we were strangers. But something clicked. She had a dreamy studio, a head full of experience and passion, and a soul that just felt like home. I expressed how I was new to photography and that I wasn’t sure what the future with it looked like.
Weeks later, on the same day I found out I’d won my legal case, Tash messaged me out of the blue. “I know this is a bit weird,” she said, “but do you want to do weddings together?”
That message changed everything.
We’ve now shot over 200 weddings, had fully booked years, become preferred suppliers for multiple venues, and built a business based on trust, friendship, and mutual (often ridiculous) voice notes.
And for anyone wondering (or panicking because you’ve got us booked over the next couple of years for your beautiful big day), Moonflower Weddings continues, full steam ahead. Over the years we’ve built the most incredible team that you will have seen mentioned in endless posts and stories. I’ll be flying back for a lot of weddings, and editing full time from Kenya staying deeply involved in everything we do.
But Diary of a Wildflower... that’s just me.
And so that means, for now, it has to rest.
Back to the story..
When the pandemic hit, I was still building, still figuring out who I wanted to be as a photographer. I was also cleaning houses to make ends meet. Photography was my dream, but I’ve always been a grafter, and if scrubbing toilets helped fund my first camera, then that’s what I did.
Covid gave me a weird gift: space and clarity
I realised I didn’t love the name Lucia Pearl. it was the formation of my daughter's middle names plucked in a panic. It didn’t feel like me. I wanted something poetic, curious, something that felt like freedom.
And so, Diary of a Wildflower was born.
It wasn’t just a brand. It became a part of me. A symbol of growing where you’re not planted. Of blooming in the cracks. Of telling stories, honestly and artfully. The power of vulnerability.
It became a place where masks dropped during sessions, where mothers cried and laughed and shared things they’d never told anyone. It became therapy.. for me and for them. We built a little community. And from it, I was nominated (and won!) the Inspirational Woman of Portsmouth Award, which I believe came from the tremendous connections I had built across my platforms authentically through the work I did. I’ve been on the radio, in the papers, invited into birth rooms, and trusted in the final moments of life for families saying goodbye. Some of you moved your wedding dates for me. Some of you became my dearest friends. I mean, come on!
The studio was the final milestone I didn’t even know if I’d reach. But I did. That little light-filled room in Port Solent, overlooking the marina, will forever be one of my proudest achievements. A tiny space to some, but a huge step into progression and growth for me. My father-in-law was a huge advocate for this, and I’ll be forever grateful he took me out for breakfast at a really heavy and dark stage in my life and literally showed me the light. He believed in me and made me smash through the glass ceiling. I don’t believe I would have done it otherwise. That first day in, keys in hand, I thought: You did it, Soph. You really did it.
But as life has taught me over and over, sometimes the story turns a page you didn’t expect. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s to follow it. Now it feels like it’s Dan’s turn to take the risks and for me to pick up the pom-poms and cheer him on this uncertain adventure like he did for me many years ago.
If I’m being completely honest... I feel scared. Vulnerable. Tender in all the ways you do when you’re stepping into something unknown. Pressing pause on something I’ve poured my whole heart into is not easy. But I know deep down this is the right move for our family.. and that matters more than anything. I'm excited, too. Giddy, even. Because the other side of fear is often something beautiful waiting to unfold. Growth lives there. Magic lives there. And maybe, just maybe, an even wilder dream I haven’t imagined yet.
So for now, Diary of a Wildflower is going quiet from October 2025.
It’s not goodbye. It’s just see you in a bit.
When I’m back in the UK for weddings and have a few spare days, I’ll be offering mini sessions, lifestyle newborn shoots, and location sessions where possible. I’ll share those dates ahead of time, and I truly hope to see some familiar faces. My heart will ache to document and connect with many of the families I’ve witnessed grow from the very beginning. You know how much I adore you.
But before I go, I’d love to fill my little studio and family cup just one last time, and I hope and pray you will be onboard in supporting this too. I’ll be opening up limited, reduced-rate sessions in the coming weeks. These will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will require full payment to secure. If you’ve been meaning to book, this is the time. The discount is because.. well, quite frankly my heart needs it.. not the bank account.
I just would love to have a final session with those I cherish. The truth is I’ll never be ready to pause and I'm clinging onto every drop left.
To every single person who has believed in me... thank you.
For your loyalty, your kindness, your hugs, cards, gifts, referrals, tags, Google reviews, biscuits, voice notes, and patience when I sent your gallery at 11:59pm on day 13 of a 10-day turnaround (oops).
From a scared young mama with a second-hand camera and a head full of doubt, to a multi-business-owning, globe-hopping, 'inspiring' photographer, you’ve helped me become this version of me.
And finally, my favourite quote.. soon to be removed from my studio door ( insert ugly cry here) and now forever in my heart..
“Happiness held is the seed.
Happiness shared is the flower.”
If you do have any personal memories, experiences, kind words or lovely reviews you'd like to share with me. My bruised heart would adore holding them right now. So please use the box below or my instagram handle to reminisce with me once more.
I’ll be seeing you, my wildflowers.
With so much love,
Sophie x
