Short Days and Long Runs

So our clocks have jumped forward again - where does time go!

Today also heralded a day of many marathons - Liverpool, Reading, Stafford and Wilmslow. All halfs, I think.

So I was contracted by Marathon Photos, who specialise in offering event photography all over the world, to lead a group of photographers around the Wilmslow course in order to get some great shots of the runners.

First off, here is my Sherpa / Chauffeur / Husband who got me there on time and then looked after my kit while standing around in the cold all day watching me work ...


Then I shot the start ...
Before legging it to the side to capture some starting shots up close (before I got run over, that is!)

After a mooch to the finish line and a bacon butty (yum) I had a 40 minute wait until the winner came through - he did it in 1:04 - apparently the half marathon record was broken yesterday at something like 58 minutes - 58 minutes to run 13 miles - yikes !

The aftermath looks like this - thousands (12,028 to be precise) of images being uploaded before sending off to Marathon Photos for their web site.

Oh, yeah, here's one of me - and I completely forgot to give back my vest - hey, should I wear it shopping - ha ha ?? Gill

Jon & Mark's Civil Partnership

Phew. what a day ! A great one, of course :) Not long back from covering Mark and Jon's Civil Partnership and evening party.

The day started with preparations at home ...

... then off we zoomed in the limo (there was even room for little old me ...)

The ceremony was lovely, helped by the wonderful registrar ! Then it was off to the park for some group shots ... and then the nice stuff, of course.
We had a break in the middle of the day - well, I say break - I decided to pull together a slideshow of a small number of the images we had taken in the first part of the day and I projected these onto a wall (beside the chocolate fountain) at the evening venue - it was lovely to see not only the boys' reactions, but those of guests who had not been at the daytime celebrations. This is something I will look at incorporating at future weddings.

The guys had a treat in store for everyone - a Kylie tribute singer - in fact, the best in the UK - she was runner up in the Stars in their Eyes final and, boy, did she rock !
A fun time was had by all :)

The guys are flying off to the Bahamas on Monday - I wish them all the best for their future and would like to thank them again for allowing me to be part of their special day.

Incidentally, my second shooter for the day was fellow photographer, Jill (we like to keep things simple !!).

Gill x

Destinations ... Lovely People ...

I had the most wonderful meeting with new clients tonight - Audrey is American and Jamie is from the UK and is an ex-Jockey (jumping jockey, I should say).

They have a beautiful daughter who will be almost 2 when they get married - can't wait to meet her - a real character, by all accounts :)

Audrey and Jamie are getting married in Tenerife on 17th November - in exactly the same location that my husband and I got engaged - Costa Adeje - so we will be extra excited to be back.

Jamie and Audrey are fab and really good fun and I am so excited to have been chosen as their photographer - hey, I am covering the wedding rehearsal dinner too - how exciting :)

Watch out for the images in November ...

Gill

Engagement ~ Ponies ~ Cats!

Well, what an eventful weekend. I had a wonderful time at Rhinefield House - lovely food and good wine shared with friends ! I am absolutely delighted to have also been asked to shoot Sophie Griffiths upcoming christening - no pressure there, then !

So today I managed to sneak a couple of shots at Sophie's engagement shoot setup - here's one ...

... before heading off for a drive around the New Forest - of course I just had to get the camera out at the first sign of ponies ...

... before getting up close and personal with one brave little fella ...

Back home safe and sound in sunny Stafford - of course, the camera never rests - my little cats had a night all on their own and were so pleased to see me they immediately wanted outside - hmph !

Here's Tigger (Tom was a bit more elusive today!)

Gill

Rhinefield House

I am off to Rhinefield House tomorrow night to meet up with a fellow photographer - Sophie Griffiths. Sophie is based in Kent and so we rarely get to meet up.

I met Sophie when I attended one of her wonderful Portfolio Days courses - these are designed to not only give you hints and tips of what to shoot on a portrait or wedding day, but to leave you with images you can use in your portfolio - after all, you set them up and shot them (example shot below).

I benefited greatly from the wedding course and took on board the tips I picked up on the day and apply them to my 'real' weddings. I have worked with Sophie on weddings, too, including a fabulous affair at Highclere Castle (professional footballer) - such fun !

New Images - take a peek !

As promised, I have updated my porfolio galleries in my new web site. Oh, I also decided on a new home page - a bit more colour was definitely needed :)

Please feel free to take a look around and let me know what you think - I don't know about you but I absolutely love looking at images, so I have added quite a few to keep you going - I will change them from time to time so we all don't get bored !

Click on the individual galleries and view the slideshows - let the system do the work for you ...

Gill

Gill Taylor Launches New Web Site !!

Well, I finally got around to sorting out my web site - please go to www.gilltaylor.co.uk and check it out - there will be more galleries loaded within days so please keep checking back for updates. Also, another popular are of my site is being re-built - information for brides - ideas welcome !

Of course, all of my branding will need to change as this is completely different, but don't worry, the quality you have come to expect from Gill Taylor Photography will remain :)

I look forward to receiving feedback and to hearing from you, of course !

Gill