Team Building in the Trees

Last Friday we traded the studio for the trees to swoop around just like Tarzan…or maybe Jane?  Are you picturing us all wearing leopard print and beating our chests as we wail out before grabbing a vine and swishing from tree to tree?… That’s near enough!…or how we felt on the inside anyway.

Team Building

We took a bit of time out for a team building treat to celebrate. Ashton and Emma have just completed their first year of working at PhotoBaby, so that deserved a treat. We headed up to Tree Top Trek on Windermere for a day of team building adventure in the sunshine.

Some of us took to the trees and were swinging around like monkeys, but for others it was a step or two outside the old comfort zone. But our team spirit shone through as we helped each other work round the course. 

The Art of Tree Climbing

The techniques needed to cross some obstacles were less obvious than others. After learning how to do it the hard way, Daniel taught us all how to skateboard through the trees with style. Then I showed everyone how to not to land the zip wire when I flew backwards up the course leaving me dangling mid air! – That was fun getting back to the landing.

After seeing the rubbish attempts ahead of her, Diana really got to grips with the spider’s web and put the rest of us to shame. While Ashton and Hannah took it all in their stride and seemed to laugh from start to finish. Jemma found she favoured the final zip wire over the high wire obstacles, and Emma decided her feet were much better off on the ground and claimed the roll of chief photographer for the day.

Love and Laughter

My favourite memory from the day is all the laughter, seeing how much our team have gelled and learnt to work together. It’s really special. Even if I say so myself, we have created a really lovely culture at PhotoBaby.

We did the final zip wire in pairs, so Daniel and I went together and held hands. I thought it was quite romantic – but it also meant we stayed facing forwards. Which feels like quite a metaphor for where we are right now.

 Stronger Together

We are stronger together, being a team means support, when one of us is sick, another can step in. Or if one of us is wobbly or doubting our craft, there is help on hand to fix the issue and boost that confidence. On a practical level, the studio can be open seven days a week yet we still all achieve a good work/life balance. And best of all, we can throw new ideas around; and with such a creative gang, that’s a lot of ideas in the melting pot! Ideas about portraits, workflow, marketing, everything. Which just makes us better and better!

Supporting the Trees

And while we are speaking of trees, did you know PhotoBaby is a member of the Woodland Trust and Ecologi? So far we’ve had 778 trees planted which has reduced our carbon footprint by offsetting 58.84 tonnes of CO2 so far. And now we are involved in a project that is going to see a woodland created that links the East and West coast, a perfect haven for our little hedgehog friends.

So there you go, we love trees!