Gill Taylor Staffordshire UK Wedding Portrait Commercial Boudoir Photographer

The blog has moved ...

2010-01-08T21:22:00.002Z

I have relaunched my website and blog ... the RSS on the new blog is not quite up and running yet but please bookmark and remember to check back often ... thank you for following me and supporting me this far, I look forward to seeing you on the other side :)

Gill

NEW BLOG LINKIE

Where are all the photos ...

2009-12-27T14:50:00.003Z

I know ... I've been rather neglecting the blog and my loyal readers lately ... well, I have not been doing it completely on purpose, well, kind of ... read on.

I love my blog, I love that it reaches out and inspires, that people love reading it over a cup of morning coffee, finding out what I have been up to recently. I love that it affords me the opportunity to share my love of photography with you, that I can show off my wonderful clients and my fun life.

But everything must move on, must grow, must, nay SHOULD, evolve with time. I feel I have grown these last few years but that my loyal old blog has pretty much remained the same. Don't get me started on my crappy website LOL

So, I have decided on a new look for 2010 and beyond (for how long, I am unsure at this point, re-read the part about evolving) ... and so I have been working very hard on my new website and blog, complete with new logo (ok, not too different that you won't recognise me ... I'm keeping the G !). Let me just say how very excited I am about this new project, the web is starting to really take shape and with the help of a very talented web designer, so is the new blog.

Fear not, however, there will still be a link to this trusty old blogger blog, so you can check back on previous weddings and other photography, as well as all those photos of Tess !

Thank you once again for your continued support ... I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the new look, I'm sure you're going to be as thrilled as I am with it all.

Til the end of this week, complete with new look ... have fun over the holidays and have a GREAT new year.

Smush and hugs xx

Merry Christmas !

2009-12-25T11:40:00.004Z

We have a few traditions in the Taylor household ... they have sort of evolved over the last 14 Christmases and we love them !

So, this morning, we had a little lie in, then up and ready for the breakfast ritual ... smoke salmon with eggs on crispy toast, accompanied by a lovely glass of veuve clicquot mixed with freshly squeezed orange juice (let's face it, that sounds way classier than "bucks fizz" LOL), with Shrek in the background ... total bliss.

Pressies this year were abundant and we adored them all ! John and I are awaiting the sales so we can finally purchase a surround sound system for our lounge, but I did get him a little something, a framed print of his youngest son in his graduation robes (all lovingly hand-framed by little old moi !) and he loved it. Our friend Matt bought us some cracking cook books and Tess got a rather noisy squeaky ball from my Mother ... thank you soooo much ! LOL

So ... we would like to take this opportunity of thanking you for being part of our lives this year and to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !

Gill, John, Tess, Tig and Tom xxx

To add: the office is now closed until 5th January ... I would like to take this further opportunity to wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010 ... see you on the other side !

Mrs Absent ...

2009-12-22T21:23:00.004Z

I know. I have been totally rubbish this last few weeks updating the blog ... I PROMISE I have valid (multiple) reasons ... here we go ...

So, my friend and fellow photographer Chris Meyer came for a visit from Minneapolis shooting first with David Pearce then heading up to stay with us for a while. In the meantime, Matt Wagster came down from Manchester to stop for a few days ... let me just say, Tess is having a ball with all these dog lovers.

Matt and I shot Tiffany and Carl's wedding in Reading last weekend, then this past weekend Chris and I shot Lindsey and Rich's wedding at Ingestre. The night before the wedding, Peter Prior came to stay as he had a wedding in Wolverhampton ... we had to buy a blow up bed for my stepson LOL. The following day we all headed into Stafford to shoot Mark and Louise's pre wedding shoot (they are getting married next Summer) and tomorrow we are all heading down to Moxhull Hall to shoot Paul and Alex's wedding. To finish, we need to get Chris to Heathrow for his flight back home on Christmas Eve ... in between all that, Christmas shopping, Christmas FOOD shopping and all the other housey stuff, like looking after Tess, the cats and on and on ...

So, forgive me, it's MANIC here ... I'll be posting a load of shoots soon ... portraits, weddings, pre wedding shoots, the lot, so hang in there ...

Oh, and did I mention a re-brand of my business? New website and blog launching soon ... you're going to LOVE IT !

Thanks for hanging in there ...

Gill

Holidays are Coming ...

2009-12-14T16:45:00.003Z

I love this time of year. I'm a big old kid at Christmas and really try to get into the holiday spirit. This year, as always, I have some Christmas weddings, in fact another 3 to go before the end of the year. I'm also pretty busy with last minute print orders and albums, so a tad behind on blogging. To keep you going, I took this little shot of Tess while she was chilling out today beside the Christmas tree. Cute as a button !

More blog stuff to follow ...

For the photographers ... Canon 5D II, 50 1.2 @ 1.2, 6400 ISO

Justine & Graham | Wedding | Alrewas Hayes

2009-12-07T16:07:00.005Z

Last weekend I had the pleasure of joining Justine, Graham and their family and friends for their wedding. The weather looked like being rubbish but we were blessed with a dry day that wasn't too cold ! Alrewas Hayes Events is a new venue, family run, and is absolutely gorgeous. Set in beautiful grounds with converted barns as bedrooms for guests, it really is the perfect wedding setting. I was joined by Manchester Wedding Photographer, Matt Wagster for the day ... we always have a lot of fun shooting together and we're able to provide different angles and our own takes on the day.

And so, a few from the day ...

Those shoes ...

Justine really loves her little cuddly toy she got from Graham for her birthday LOL

The dress had beautiful detailing ...

The shapes we girls get into to look beautiful !

The girls all looked stunning ...

The boys scrubbed up well too ...

Justine and Dad ...

Time to get married !

The detail on the cake people is just amazing !!!

Some quiet time being announced in as Mr & Mrs ...

The speeches were a mix of laughter and some tears (Justine's mother is sadly no longer with us) ...

Cake cutting time ... seemed a shame cutting into that frosting :)

Final view of the venue as we were leaving ... beautiful !

Venue: Alrewas Hayes Events
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Dress: Benjamin Roberts

Canon Kit for Sale

2009-12-01T17:10:00.004Z

The title says it all ... I have upgraded some of my kit over the past few months and figured I should really get off my backside and sell some of the stuff that has been replaced :)

I'm not particularly hard on my kit but of course all has had professional use, so is priced accordingly.

Sorry to say I have already sold the 5D's (really was sorry to see those go) and one of the 580 ex speedlites ... thanks guys !

So, here is what I have on offer ... send me an email to gil@gilltaylor.co.uk if interested ... all include UK shipping and I would prefer debit or credit card to paypal, cos they suck.

Canon 85mm 1.8, with hood, boxed £250
Canon 580 EX Speedlite (minimal use) - if I can find the box, it will be in that, however, it will be in it's original case with it's little stand £150
Canon 430 EX Speedlite (used once, but I dropped it and it needs the little diffuser thingy replacing, hence the price) £75 boxed
Sigma 12-24 HSM (used a handful of times, suits a cropped body rather than a FF) £250 with case and boxed, built-in hood - SOLD

I have a few other bits and bobs I'll be letting go of in the next few weeks ... flash brackets and off camera cables spring to mind.

Look forward to hearing from you soon !

Holiday Deadlines

2009-11-26T10:16:00.002Z

It's that time of year again ... where on earth did 2009 go !

Album Deadlines

All albums that have been signed off have been ordered. I have been told by the album companies that these "should" be out in time for Christmas, but I am in their hands on this. I will be keeping all clients informed as soon as I have this information.

Hi Res Disks

Anyone who has purchased the hi res files will have these in time for Christmas, allowing you to get those all important Christmas gifts printed and framed for your family !

Reprints

For reprint orders up to 18x12" in size, the deadline is Wednesday 16th December. Anything above this size, Monday 14th.

Framed prints

As all my frames are bespoke, the deadline is next Tuesday 1st December. However, I do have a small number of small frames in stock (for framing a 7x5" print), so get your orders in quickly to avoid disappointment :)

Tiffany & Carl | Pre Wedding Shoot | Shrewsbury

2009-11-18T09:58:00.004Z

The logistics of this one are very interesting ... they met in Australia (where Tiffany is from), Tiffany is currently studying in Manchester, with Carl living and working over in Aberystwyth ... the wedding is to be held next month in Reading ! Finding a location to get together for a pre wedding shoot was a bit of a challenge, but we reckoned Shrewsbury was about midway for all of us and it is a very beautiful location to boot!

As always, a few faves ...

See you in a few weeks, guys :)

The Monkey's Demise

2009-11-17T17:56:00.001Z

It is with great sadness that we must say a final farewell to Tess's friend, The Monkey.

We found him in the hall at the weekend ... actually, I wanted to draw a white line around him just like in any good spoof cop movie LOL

Baby Freya | Portraits

2009-11-10T15:36:00.002Z

I had the pleasure of meeting up with some ex-wedding clients, Stephanie and Lee, recently ... a friend had gifted them a portrait session and some products with me when their baby was born. Freya has got to be the happiest baby I have met for a long time, giggling the whole time ! Some of her little expressions were absolutely priceless, as you can see.

Some faves ...

Tess and Me

2009-11-08T14:57:00.002Z

John had a play with the new mark II today ... I wanted a little portrait of me and Tess ... this is what he came up with :)

He's getting quite the hang of this malarky ... should I be worried? LOL

13 Years and Counting ...

2009-11-07T20:46:00.002Z

It isn'f often that I forget something, especially important dates ... equally, it's not that often my husband remembers them ...

I had a very very rare Saturday off today, so John and I headed off for a peaceful country pub lunch in one of our favourite places, The Hand and Cleaver ... great home-cooked food, friendly faces, open log fire, the works. We got home and John says "so, did you enjoy your anniversary lunch?" ... WHAAAAT ???

Well, we met 13 years ago today ... well done, honey, for not missing this one !

Claire & Jon | Pre Wedding Shoot | Shugborough Hall

2009-11-02T16:51:00.003Z

I met up with Claire & Jon on Saturday morning, primarily to take a look around the Tower of the Winds at Shugborough Hall, where their ceremony is to be held. It is notoriously difficult to get in to see Shugborough, but as Claire previously worked there, it was no problem ! We had a really fun time being shown around by the super friendly Ron, one of the grounds staff.

It is truly a beautiful location, so while we were there and while the light was so fantastic, we took the opportunity for some pre wedding shots.

A few faves ...

Justine & Graham | Pre Wedding Shoot | Historic Lichfield

2009-10-30T12:10:00.001Z

The final shoot of las weekend found me in historic Lichfield, an absolutely beautiful city with a cathedral, numerous parks and a river. Justine and Graham are getting married in 5 weeks time, so we got together to take a few photos to get them used to me before the big day !

A few favourites ...

TJ & Kian | Portraits | Trentham Gardens

2009-10-29T11:57:00.004Z

I had a lot of fun last week with Nina and her boys ... Kian is 8 months old and TJ is a 2 and a half year old spitfire ! Man, so much energy packed into such a little body LOL

The idea was to let them have some fun in the leaves and park at Trentham Gardens and to capture an autumnal feel ... the weather was kind to us and we weren't short of leaves and autumn colour.

A few faves ...

Lynne & William | Pre Wedding Shoot | Aberystwyth

2009-10-28T15:06:00.005Z

This weekend I travelled over to North Wales to meet up with Lynne and William for their pre wedding shoot. We actually started off at the beach in Ynyslas but headed over to Aberystwyth before we got blown out to sea !

In Lynne's own words, here is the reason we were there:

We met at uni in Aberystwyth 6 years ago and quickly became great friends and partners in crime! I told my best friend within 2 weeks : "I bet I end up marrying Will." A year and a half later we got together and here we are! As for Ynyslas, we've spent many happy summer days there together and with friends, and many very windy evenings there walking our dog in later years! It's just a beautiful place, that has some great memories for us as a couple and as being lazy students!

Without further ado, some photos from a very windy Wales !

Aberystwyth (the old uni) and some seriously choppy waves ...

Digital Wedding Forum | Featured Member

2009-10-22T18:26:00.004+01:00

I am so excited to have been chosen as the Featured Member on the Digital Wedding Forum.

The forum is the oldest and most established of it's kind and, with over 5000 professional photographers as members, this is truly an honour.

You can check out my interview and some photos here ... please feel free to leave any comments on there, or here ... enjoy !

Andrea & Ben | Wedding | Crewe Hall, Cheshire

2009-10-19T14:14:00.003+01:00

I had the pleasure of shooting Andrea and Ben's wedding at Crewe Hall last weekend. The day was filled with emotion and fun in equal measures. They have been together for 18 years and so this day was a long time coming !

As the guys were both getting ready in different wings of Crewe Hall, I was able to spend time with both of them in the morning. Andrea was calm as anything, Ben was another story LOL ... his nerves soon calmed once the ceremony was over and he and his buddies could get to the beer part of the day.

Andrea contacted me a couple of weeks ago and booked me to come and shoot the first dance as a surprise for Ben ... he looked a little confused when I got back to the venue haha ... that wasn't the only surprise ... I had to hide as he thought I had left after the dancing, as Andrea had booked fireworks as another surprise and I was there to capture those as well.

As always, a few favourites from the day ... thanks for having me guys !

2 different shots on the bed, the first with a 24mm (ooh, look, I broke a rule LOL), the second with my beloved 50 ... both wide open ...

1 from Kim at the back of the ceremony room ...

Speeches, dancing and those fireworks ...

Venue: Crewe Hall, Cheshire
Dress: Ian Stewart
Florist: Faerie Godmothers
Tiara: Princess Poppy Tiaras
Band: The Funtime Frankies

Tess

2009-10-14T18:20:00.002+01:00

You know, I haven't blogged about my baby girl for a long time. While we were in Nice last weekend our friends asked how easy (or otherwise) she has been to train. The short answer is "not really". Beagles are notoriously difficult, they often get labelled as stupid, but are far from it. They are super intelligent and have minds of their own, their own wee way of doing things. However, patience has been the key (that, and bribes) and we feel she is actually a fairly well-behaved dog. We have a way to go, but she is a beauty.

I found myself with a fantastic excuse for shooting her today. I took delivery of a new toy, the Canon 5D Mark II. So far, it is scoring points with me and is, as with all my Canons over the years, very intuitive to use and the ergonomics are marvellous. I popped the 85 1.2 II on it and shot this through the conservatory doors, where Tess had been sleeping (until she heard me coming haha).

Enjoy ...

National Wedding Show | NEC Birmingham | UPDATE

2009-10-08T21:50:00.006+01:00

WOW ! What a fantastic weekend we just had at the show ! We had so much fun I want to do it all again this week LOL

Big thanks to (in no particular order) my wonderful helpers, (ex-bride in her beautiful Jenny Packham dress) Louise, Steve and Kim, to all those who booked at the show and by phone when I got back last night, to all my current brides who just stopped by to say hi and of course to the other exhibitors / photographers who were super-friendly and made it such a fantastic weekend.

I thought I would take today off to recuperate but am buzzing from the show and raring to get going, so I'm here if you want to contact me :)

Gill

~ 0 ~

Hi all ... just a heads up to let you know I am exhibiting at the National Wedding Show tomorrow to Sunday. I am on stand P16 so drop by and see me. I have some friends helping out over the weekend, and an ex-bride in her wedding dress, so you can hear first hand what it's going to be like if you book with me ! And you can check out her wedding photos in a stunning digital album too.

Even if you have already booked with me, it would be great to see you, so remember P16, right by the catwalk!

See you there ...

Gill

Birthday Fun in the South of France

2009-10-07T18:11:00.003+01:00

Hi guys ... sorry I've been absent but I have a great excuse ... last weekend I celebrated my 40th birthday by flying down to Nice with my husband for a short break. I didn't want to be at home on this dreaded milestone and we both love Nice, so why not.

Here are a few snaps of the trip ... all taken with my Canon G10.

Just turned 40 ... having fun with the G10 outside Waynes bar (great opportunity to hang with our friend Dave who has worked there for 6 years ... check out the team profiles)

Seriously, how hard is it to try and look cool for the camera LOL

The view from the hotel ... so many of the buildings in Nice are like this, rustic and very, well, French !

A few more of the buildings and sights in and around Nice

The stunning coastline

The incredible war memorial by the harbour ... some people in the image for scale

Little old us ... enjoying the sunshine

We headed off to Monaco for the day on Monday

John with his new purchase (the sunglasses that is LOL)

The harbour

The palace

A final shot of John looking pretty cool

Claudia & Jonathan | Wedding | Caistor Hall, Norwich

2009-09-27T15:12:00.002+01:00

I travelled across to Norwich last Friday night so that I was ready and in place for Claudia & Jonathan's wedding on Saturday.

They had literally only booked me through recommendation from my friend and fellow photographer, Chanelle, as their photographer had broken an arm *ouch*. We hit it off right away and had a lot of fun throughout the day. As you will see there is a little dress swap for that first dance ... no way was Claudia going to manage those sexy moves with the big dress on ! The reception was held at the beautiful Caistor Hall.

A few favourites ... warning ... it was a sun flare kinda day :)

The Importance of Backing Up

2009-09-25T21:15:00.003+01:00

I get asked, on occasion, what measures I take to ensure my client's treasured images are kept safe. I'm about to share what I do. I'll keep it simple for those not too "geeky" LOL, but I think it is an important subject and one that my clients should be made to feel comfortable with.

Once I come home after a shoot, the RAW files are loaded to my main production machine. Never the laptop. Why? The laptop is my admin machine and has 1 hard drive. Too risky. Also, it is not hooked up to a colour calibrated monitor and therefore completely useless for processing files. The production machine has 2 "mirrored" drives, making it safe for a hard drive failure, as everything is mirrored onto the other drive.

But that's not good enough for me. Usually, I am pretty tired after a large event and I like to have my client's files in 2 locations. So, they stay on the memory card until I can get to the next bit.

I have 4 external drives, 2 500gb lacie porsche drives (1 with current weddings and 1 with portraits and other work), and 2 1 TB mirrored drives. See that mirroring thing again? Talk about paranoid !

Every single file from the event is backed up to the appropriate drive. They are now in 2 places, good to clear the cards, ready for the next job (it is worth noting at this stage that I have enough cards to shoot 5 weddings and a couple of portrait sessions without clearing them off).

Every single time I process a shoot, the processed files, changed files, album layouts, blog files, get backed up to the appropriate drive.

So, what happens once the job is finished? All files are backed up to Archival quality DVD (s) and placed in the client file. It is also useful when clients purchase the "digital negatives" so that we have an off-site copy of the files ... something to consider if you haven't already :)

And that's it.

And now for a little humour to back this up ... enjoy ! :)

Ruth & Steve | Wedding | Moat House, Acton Trussell

2009-09-20T21:27:00.010+01:00

You may remember Ruth & Steve from their fun pre wedding shoot on the river ... both are very keen canoeists, in fact they both compete ... they are also mad snow boarders and a favourite destination of theirs is in Canada ... where Steve proposed a year ago.

A while back, they set up in business together selling custom canoes, you can view their stuff at www.hydraasports.co.uk.

So, yesterday found us at their wedding, a beautiful affair at the Moat House, one of Stafford's gems. I got the following text this evening from Ruth:

Hi Gill, jut wanted to say thanks for everything yesterday, I loved having the photos taken and as you probably realised I usually hide from cameras ...

So, without further ado ... some favourites from the day ... oh, I was ably assisted by Matt, who borrowed by lensbaby 2.0 for the day (jealous !) ...

I reckon nerves and heat had something to do with the fact that Steve struggled to fit Ruth's ring on her hand ... that took some pushing and shoving ! LOL

The lensbaby effect !

Fun speeches ...

Lensbaby cake cutting ...

Thanks for having me ... and feeding me like a guest ! Totally appreciated that and man, that chicken was to die for ! Have a great honeymoon and see you both soon ! Gill x

For the photographers ... the majority of photos were taken on Canon 5D with 70-200, 50 1.2 and 16-35. And of course a lensbaby. The BW's were processed using Jeff Ascough's new Silver Actions, either the 400 film or 800 film, depending on what look I wanted.

Lensbaby fun fun fun !

2009-09-20T10:05:00.004+01:00

I bought a lensbaby 2.0 a couple of years ago and, after an initial play (as you do), I never really got around to using it. It has been gathering dust in my lens cupboard for a long time ... however, my friend Matt came down to shoot with me this weekend and mentioned that he would LOVE to try one ... so I whipped it out !

Looking through yesterday's images I came across a couple of me that Matt had taken while I was shooting, so I thought you wouldn't mind me sharing them, well, they made me laugh LOL

More from the wedding coming soon ... in the meantime, enjoy :)

Holly & Phil | Wedding | Alsager Country Club

2009-09-13T12:42:00.007+01:00

Yesterday found me in Alsager with Holly, Phil, their little baby girl Millie and of course their family and friends. We were all amazed and delighted to find that we were to be blessed with a sunny day (let's face it, this summer has been a bit rubbish) and we all looked forward to spending some time in the glorious weather.

Holly was bridesmaid at her cousin Laurie's wedding, which I shot last year. Of course, there were very many familiar faces there and it was great to meet with everyone again.

Holly's hair features a lot in this post ... you will see why ... classic and beautiful :)

A few faves ...

It is quite unlike me to post such a vivid colour, but who could resist that wall !!!

A beautiful father daughter moment ... he was so proud

Stunning !

A little moment with Phil, then in for the ceremony

We all headed to the Brampton for some family photos ... I managed to catch this one of Millie, before someone jumped in and caught her !

Then some private time with Holly & Phil

Finally, it was time to head to the reception venue

I tell you, that ham sandwich was going down well !

Final two images ... that beautiful hair !!!

Thanks for having me ! Have a great honeymoon, guys :)

Cheryl & Chris | Wedding | Putney, London

2009-09-10T18:03:00.005+01:00

I had the pleasure of travelling down to London a couple of weeks ago (actually, on my own wedding anniversary) to hang out with Cheryl, Chris and their family and friends, to celebrate their (long overdue) wedding. They have been together for a whopping 17 years and so there were a great many jokes during the speeches about how long it had taken them.

We started out at home, where Cheryl was getting ready while others around her were finishing off little bits and pieces for the reception. The ceremony was in the very beautiful St Mary Magdalene Church, on the edge of Wandsworth Common and the reception was held at the London Rowing Club in Putney ... a short London bus ride away !

A few favourites.

Beautiful colour scheme

We are not amused

Yet another pair of gorgeous shoes ... indulge me !

This sign made me chuckle

Gotta make sure we look good for the photos ...

Very pretty bridesmaids

Ceremony time

Mr & Mrs

That bus !

All the kids had little "official photographer" badges and were equipped with cameras

The Rowing Club ... and the view out over the Thames

Check out those eyes !!

Super fun speeches

Thanks for having me, guys, it was a lot of fun ! Hope you enjoy the next 17 years as much as the first :)

Sample Digital Art Book

2009-09-10T15:28:00.006+01:00

I wanted to share a new sample album with you, the layouts at least ... this is going to be a whopping A3 sized photo-acrylic-front, digital art book ... I can't wait to see it in the flesh, it's going to be stunning !

Enjoy !

By the way, if you hover over it, there are some controls, should you want to stop the show or something :)

Gill Taylor | Photographer | Facebook Fan Page

2009-09-09T17:54:00.004+01:00

Well I finally succumbed (read: found some time in between processing LOL) and set up a fan page on Facebook. Click on the linkie below if the mood takes you :)

I have NO idea what I'm going to do with the page, TBH, I think I'll have to mooch around and see what other people are doing (you guys don't mind, right?) but if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments box.

Hope to hear from you soon !

Gill

Linkie :)

NB: This now replaces the Blog Stalkers, thank you to those who followed me there, now move on over to FB if you still like me ! :)

Loren & Family | Studio Portraits

2009-09-08T09:17:00.005+01:00

Loren's mum contacted me a few weeks ago to book a studio session for her. Apparently, Loren has been feeling quite self-conscious recently and so mum thought a studio session with a professional photographer would do the trick. Loren is very tall and slim and so towers over her friends ... I had exactly the same issue when I was in my teens and so I could relate very easily to the issue.

We had a great time and even managed to get a couple of shots of mum and dad.

If you'd like to enjoy a similar experience, please get in touch !

DJ Morais | Web Coolness

2009-09-06T14:29:00.004+01:00

If you've been following the blog recently you will have seen some portfolio and portrait shoots with the very cool DJ Morais. The main reason for these sessions is for Richard to use the images on his new promotional website ... it is currently under construction, but there is a home page and one of the images from a recent shoot in Birmingham ... I LOVE seeing my work in use and I just wanted to share this with you.

There are 2 more sessions to go ... 1 secret one and 1 gig ... I can't wait for that one !

Check out the site so far ...

You can check the progress here :)

Baby James | Portraits

2009-09-04T13:17:00.005+01:00

You may remember Caroline & Simon from their wedding at Sandon last year ... I recently bumped into Caroline's sister while I was out shooting a session on the canal in Stone and she told me they were expecting a baby! All my past brides get a complimentary baby shoot, once they get around to having babies, of course LOL ... I happened to shoot the portraits on their wedding anniversary, so the timing was great !

James is totally adorable, 5 weeks old and cute as a button ...

BIG yawn !

What a cutie ...

The happy family ...

Awwwwww ...

Time for a Change ...

2009-09-03T14:53:00.003+01:00

I felt it was time for a change and what better way to do this than to have a new hairdo ! I have been growing my hair for years and just as it got to a great length, I decided it was unmanageable and just "too" long LOL

So, I got my fab hairdresser, Kay, to come over yesterday and lop off some major inches ! I didn't tell John, so it was a nice surprise for him when he got home from the office :)

And here it is ... hope you like!

(image copyright Kim of PPW Photography)

Recent Tesimonials and Nice Stuff

2009-09-01T18:19:00.006+01:00

I thought it might be nice to share some recent good vibes from clients and friends :)

Sian & Ryan Wedding

Hi Gill,

The photos are FANTASTIC!! Really love them all, some great casual and posed ones, just as we wanted - perfect thank you so much.

Not only chief cravat tie-er, bustle tie-er, corsage attacher and yet amazing photographer too! Thank you sooooo much we really love them, they are as gorgeous as we hoped and more!

Thanks again
Love Sian & Ryan

Just looked through the photos you took at my cousin Sian's wedding. They are awesome they brought tears to my eyes wished I could've been there. Thank-you for capturing it so beautifully, so i got to share the day even thou I couldn't be there in person. Sam

Stephanie & Mickey Wedding

WOW!! The photo's are absolutely beautiful. I was totally breathless when I saw them and keep viewing them over and over again. I am still on a high and don't want to come down to earth just yet, hope I am not driving everyone silly talking about the day but who cares!!!

It was lovely having you share such a special day with us, you captured it perfectly. Looking forward to seeing you soon and hope that you will join us for dinner (that would be nice).

Be in touch soon

Hugs

Kate (Stephanie's mom) x

Louise & Richard Wedding

Thank you very much for being so great on our big day and bringing it all together in such a special way! YOU ROCK !

Lots of Love, Richard & Louise M x

These mean the world to me ... thank you all so much !

Amanda & David | Wedding | Crewe Hall, Cheshire

2009-08-31T12:36:00.008+01:00

Amanda & David met when David needed a new mortgage ... Amanda was his financial advisor. She had made a decision to move abroad and David thought there was no hope for them ... after romancing her by text message (totally romantic LOL) she decided to stay in the UK and be with David (awwww). That decision led us to their beautiful wedding at the stunning Crewe Hall in Cheshire.

A few favourites ...

We started at Crewe Hall with David ...

Paul had to help with the cufflinks, much to David's amusement ... the cufflinks belonged to David's father who died when David was just 16 ...

David looking dapper ...

Now, everyone who knows me, knows my penchant for shoes ... these ones just warrant 2 shots !

The dress was simple and stunning ...

This was NOT comfortable, but Amanda obliged ...

Waiting ...

Arriving ...

Married !

"During and After"

2009-08-30T21:42:00.007+01:00

I know, it's usually "Before and After", right? This totally made me smile when I was checking through the files from today's wedding ... mooching through Paul's shots, I came across this ...

Ha! The shapes I get into while trying to stay out of the way and get the shot :)

So, this made me go looking for the same time frame to see if I could pull the shot I was taking and here we go ... groom's speech !

I will, of course, be posting more from Amanda and David's beautiful Crewe Hall wedding soon.

(Image of me Copyright Paul Glavin Photography)

Me and the Z ...

2009-08-29T18:12:00.002+01:00

In between studio portrait sessions today my friend, and fellow photographer, Kim Shaw decided to play around with some portraits and generally have some fun. For those of you who don't know me so well, I turn 40 in a few short weeks, so I decided I had to mark the occasion with a new car (I know, rather indulgent, but you only turn 40 once, right?) ... I asked Kim to incorporate the car in the shoot and this is what she produced ... I love it ! Thanks, Kim :)

Alison & Jason | Marquee Wedding | Alsager

2009-08-26T14:08:00.004+01:00

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of shooting Alison & Jason's Pre-Wedding Shoot in Buxton ... it wasn't too long before it was wedding time !

The day started and ended at Alison's parent's beautiful home, with a church visit in between. Alison's mum mentioned that she had wanted the wedding at her place because "she has a lovely garden" ... to be fair, it was an orchard and a great big field with a marquee in it LOL

The weather behaved for the majority of the day, although it was a tad windy at times. Everyone had a lovely day and here are a few faves from me ...

DJ Morais | Portfolio Shoot | Stafford

2009-08-23T23:31:00.003+01:00

You guys know that I love, love, LOVE blogging ... however, this time of year is a tad manic, as you would expect ... I am here, just busy and having a great time with all my clients !

Today I got to spend some more time with my clients (and friends) Richard and Louise, at their home not far from me in Stafford. Richard is a sought-after club DJ in and around the midlands and, in fact, all over the UK, Europe and even Miami ! I have such a great time when shooting with him, he is such a natural (Louise reckons he's just a poser LOL) ... we had a shoot in his home studio today and this is Louise's fave ...

2 more sessions to go ... not giving anything away, just watch this space (and of course more weddings to come as well :))

DJ Morais | Portfolio Shoot | Birmingham

2009-08-16T23:26:00.005+01:00

I first met Louise (Richard's beautiful other half) at a bridal fayre 2 years ago ... she contacted me soon after and booked me to shoot their wedding ... I soon realised that this relationship was one that was going to last longer than the wedding day and I was right about that !

Earlier today, I travelled to Birmingham to meet with them to shoot some DJ portfolio shots for Richard ... he is a manager by day and a VERY cool club DJ by night ...

Here are some faves from the shoot ... part 2 next week, so stay tuned :)

At the very cool Oxygen Rooms in Birmingham ...

Richard looking very cool !

Checking each other out ...

The lovely couple, fresh from a holiday, tanned and relaxed ...

Sian & Ryan | Wedding | Rowton Castle, Shropshire

2009-08-13T15:29:00.004+01:00

You may remember Sian & Ryan from their Pre Wedding Shoot earlier this year. It has been a very manic time for this couple, Ryan is in the RAF and has recently been posted to Cyprus ... while this is certainly an exciting opportunity for them, it simply meant Sian was left behind to plan and execute most of the wedding on her own. She managed it beautifully, as we all found out when we met with them to celebrate their marriage last weekend !

The theme for the Rowton Castle wedding was black and ivory with a classy smattering of deep red. The weather was very kind, even allowing for games on the castle's extensive lawns. Sian kept Ryan waiting a while for the ceremony ... good girl ! LOL ... however, as always, the wonderful castle staff kept things moving to the correct timings and we all had a wonderful day.

A few faves ...

Preps and details ...

Time to see how Ryan was getting on ... looking good ...

Ryan's best man kept him smiling while we waited for Sian to arrive ...

The castle, complete with happy guests ...

Exclusivity ... gotta love it !

Time for some fun with my couple ...

Some kiss chase fun ...

Sian turned out to be VERY good at this game !

Video light posing ...

Fun and emotional speeches ...

The cheesy cake (Sian said this, not me LOL)

Fab first dance ...

Sian & Ryan ... I hope your move goes well and that you settle in very quickly to life in the sun ... thanks for having me and I hope you have many happy years together ahead of you :)

Stephanie & Mickey | Wedding | Trentham Gardens

2009-08-10T12:32:00.005+01:00

I had a wonderful time a couple of weekends ago shooting the wedding of Stephanie & Mickey ... the day started at Steph's mum's beautiful home where the girls were all getting hair and makeup done, scoffing yummy food and generally having a giggle. I shot off as soon as they were ready to go see Mickey at Trentham Parish Church ... Trentham is a hidden gem of North Staffordshire, with absolutely stunning homes, a gorgeous church and, of course, the gardens and lake. The weather took a turn for the worse, but as I kept saying to Steph ... "it's only water!" LOL ... so we just got on with it and worked in and around the showers.

The reception venue was a marquee nestled in the Italian Gardens, a stunning location with views right across the Staffordshire countryside. We had a lot of fun capturing some great moments and to be honest I didn't want to leave, I was ready to party with the guests ! Oh, and let's not forget the special visit by Buster ...

As always, a few favourites ... enjoy !

The stunning dress ... and yes, it IS hanging from a chandelier ... and yes, we WERE very nervous about that LOL

Sis is back there somewhere ...

The boys ...

Steph couldn't stop smiling, regardless of the weather ...

Buster looking very smart in his bow tie ...

More boys ... :)

Fun speeches ...

Steph, Mickey and family ... thanks for having me, it was so much fun !

Sarah & Steve | Wedding | The Upper House, Barlaston

2009-08-04T10:31:00.005+01:00

Hot on the heels of my inspirational week with Jerry Ghionis in London, Sarah & Steve's wedding was a gorgeous affair, set in wonderful surroundings all day. And the weather was actually very kind to us too ! We started the day at Theo Giorgiou's salon, where my bride was being totally pampered and made more gorgeous ... then it was off to mum's house to get ready and have a couple of glasses of bubbly. The ceremony was held at St Peter's in Caverswall, a gorgeous village nestled in the Staffordshire countryside. A first for me, this was the first time I had ever met my groom, Steve ! Finally, we were off to The Upper House in Barlaston ... I think you will agree the choice of all venues was perfect for this couple ... we had a total blast !

Some faves from the day ...

Sarah Steve & Gracie ... thanks for having me ! I hope you have a wonderful life together and I'm looking forward to doing a fun family shoot with you soon :)

Cassandra & Paul | Portraits

2009-08-02T18:30:00.004+01:00

Being a photographer is generally like being the plumber with the leaky tap at home ... very rarely do we get the chance to have photos of ourselves taken, or those with our loved ones.

Paul and his wife, Cassandra, came up to stay with us this weekend ... not only for a very nice visit, but so Paul could sort out some IT issues and networking for me and to collect the MX5 hard top we are selling them (we don't have the car any more !) ... the parts for their car hadn't arrived on time, but they decided to make the trip up from Berkshire to see us in any case.

While here, I talked them into having some portraits taken together, something they just don't have as Paul is generally on the other side of the camera !

We had some fun with lighting and Paul had fun playing with some of my lenses (did I say playing or lusting after LOL) ... these are some of my faves from the shoot ... enjoy !

Alison & Jason | Pre Wedding Shoot | Buxton

2009-07-31T15:34:00.004+01:00

Alison & Jason are getting married in August, a beautiful marquee wedding in Alsager. As they live in Leicestershire, it made sense to try and find a location in between us, so I suggested Buxton, a beautiful town nestled in the Derbyshire countryside.

We were scuppered on the day by our glorious British weather ! It decided to pour on us the entire time ! However, not to be outdone we managed to find some cover under the trees, then we moved into the conservatory of the Palace Hotel where there was some beautiful light.

Guys, thanks for being such troopers!!

A few from the shoot ...

Birthday Milestone Promotion

2009-07-28T20:02:00.002+01:00

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY OFFER !!

Whilst it pains me greatly to admit to this particular milestone, I will be turning 40 at the beginning of October. Instead of burying my head in the sand, I have decided I should celebrate it and include my business in the celebration, so there you have it, and here goes ...

For any new portrait* enquiries booked and shot before the 4th October (herein and hereafter known as D-Day lol) I am offering a session, either in-studio or on location (within Stafford area), including a 7x5 framed print (value £65) for an amazing £75 ! That's the session fee literally for £10 !!

Give me a shout at gill@gilltaylor.co.uk or go to the contact section of my website and get in touch !

I look forward to hearing from you soon !

*Portraits only, 4 people maximum, boudoir and engagement sessions not included

Happy Birthday Tess !!

2009-07-27T09:13:00.002+01:00

You may delay, but time will not (Benjamin Franklin)

Where, oh where, does time actually go ! I can't believe that this time last year we were researching beagle puppies and at the same time our precious baby, Tess, was being born, along with 5 little siblings. Today is her first birthday and I can't believe how much she has grown, how much she has become ingrained in our lives, how beautiful a little dog she is growing up to be.

OK, if I'm honest, she can be a right PITA lol, but mostly, she's just wonderful !

Just a little reminder in pictures of how she has grown ... enjoy !

With daddy at the breeders ... 6 weeks old ...

First day home ... 7 weeks ...

It survived the little teeth ... it wouldn't last 2 minutes these days !

We have a canvas of this one ... too cute !

And a framed print of this one ...

See how much her colouring has changed?

Happy Birthday, gorgeous girl !

Ann & Alan | Wedding | The Old Rectory, Devon

2009-07-24T19:22:00.007+01:00

You may remember Ann & Alan from their Pre Wedding Shoot in Hampton Court Park, London. It wasn't too long before the wedding day arrived. I travelled to my hotel in Bude the night before, stopping off at the venue in Devon on route to get a guided tour of the grounds, house & marquee by Alan, my very excited groom ! The attention to detail, heart theme, pink lined marquee and gorgeous surroundings assured for an absolutely beautiful, unique wedding, something I had expected from these two :)

I will always remember the connection between my couple, the way he looked at her, with complete adoration and love ... sigh, I love my clients !

A few favourites ...

The stunning dress ...

Ann has the same issue as me (we're both taller than our men!) but she managed to find some beautiful flats ...

I copped this as I was moving around finding cool places to shoot details ... it made me laugh !

Getting gorgeous ...

Ready to go ...

This was the only time it rained all day ...

The ceremony was held in the barn, beautifully decorated and rustic, truly unique ...

Time for some posing ...

The cake cutting and some fun speeches ...

A very intimate first dance ... then busting some moves !

We finished off with some lanterns being sent up into the glorious night sky ... LOTS of lanterns !

Ann & Alan ... thank you for having me ... wishing you every happiness as you continue your journey together.

John

2009-07-20T15:08:00.003+01:00

After a very manic week in London (which was super enjoyable but went way too fast!), a wedding on Saturday (beautiful, can't wait to blog that) and a pre-wedding shoot on Sunday, John and I headed to our friends, Anthony and Kim's, for a beautiful 3-course Sunday lunch, with copious amounts of wine ... I so needed to just not cook and be looked after ... and I fell asleep in the car on the way home, too !!

While there I grabbed Kim's camera and took this lovely little portrait of John ... I love it and just wanted to share it with you all ...

Hope you have a great week !

London Workshop | Jerry Ghionis

2009-07-15T17:42:00.003+01:00

I'm really just updating the blog as I haven't done so for a while and it was beginning to feel a little neglected ... I am once again down at The Hoxton in London with Jerry Ghionis, his beautiful wife (and good friend of mine) Georgina and, of course, a whole bunchh of photographers eager to learn from, and get inspiration from, Jerry.

I have been helping out on and off, and of course listening to Jerry and watching many of the slideshows and shooting demonstrations, but hanging with Georgie is one of the real highlights of the trip !

I am available, I have internet, I have my phone ... if you need me, I'm here !

I'll post some random images taken on iPhone and G10 once I get back (I didn't bring my big-boy kit with me) but in the meantime have a great week everyone !!

Oh, if you want to stalk me, click on the Facebook and / or Twitter links in the sidebar off to the right :)

Michelle & Ben | Wedding | Rowton Castle, Shropshire

2009-07-07T12:29:00.006+01:00

Last weekend found me at the stunning Rowton Castle, nestled in the Shopshire countryside, for Michelle & Ben's wedding. I was ably assisted on the day by my good friend and fellow photographer, Matt Wagster. This wedding had been 2 years in the making, with a baby popping up in between for good measure ! Not wanting to be outdone, little Harry had decided to make his own mark on the world by arriving exactly 1 year to the day, making the wedding day his 1st birthday too ! Ben quipped "at least I'll never forget my anniversary" LOL

The day started with the preparations in a beautiful bedroom within the castle, complete with 4-poster bed - yum ! The ceremony was held in the castle itself then it was time for Harry's birthday party, complete with magician and, of course, CAKE !

It was a very emotional day, with quite a few (joyful) tears throughout. Everyone had so much fun and the weather was fantastic.

So, without further ado, a few favourites from the day ... Michelle, Ben and Harry ... may you all continue to find happiness in each other and have a wonderful life together. Thanks so much for letting be be a part of your day.

Beautiful details ...

That dress was hard work !

Ben and his best man ...

The emotional ceremony ...

A well earned glass of bubbly ...

Time for some video light fun ...

Mr & Mrs ...

"Rock Chick" bridesmaid ...

The speeches were both fun and emotional ...

You just had to be there LOL

Cake time !

An homage to David Brent ...

Work it ...

Choreographed first dance ...

Taylor Family Portraits

2009-07-06T13:19:00.002+01:00

We had a lovely evening last Thursday with our good friends Anthony and Kim. We broke out the barbeque and some wine and enjoyed the sunshine. Kim is also a photographer, so I asked her to get her camera out and take some shots of us with Tess ... there are so many of her on her own or with her daddy, but because I take them, there are none with me in ! We waited til golden hour, just before the sun set, as this is a magical time to get some great light :)

Here are a couple of favourites ...

Brides Magazine - Featured Image

2009-07-02T11:26:00.003+01:00

I'm here, honest I am ... just a busy wee bee :)

I recently shot a wedding in Kent (Siobhan & Marc) and got chatting to one of the guests who mentioned she was friends with the florist. The flowers were absolutely beautiful and, as with other suppliers, I mentioned that I could send a shot or 2 through to her for her portfolio.

Gaynor from Enfleur contacted me soon after to say how much she loved the photos and if she could use one in an advert she was placing in Brides magazine ... of course I said yes !

Here is the ad as it is appearing in this month's issue (I love what her husband has done with the ad - very talented)... enjoy !

On the blogging front, I am sooooo behind, with 2 weddings to blog, a couple of portrait sessions and an engagement session ... I promise to catch up, but after my wedding this weekend in Devon with Ann & Alan :)

Faye & Adam | Wedding | Botanical Gardens, Birmingham

2009-06-24T18:39:00.013+01:00

You may remember Faye & Adam from their recent pre-wedding shoot in Sutton Park, Birmingham (linkie) ... we just couldn't believe it was suddenly here ! The wedding day, that is !

I started the day, as always, at Faye's family home, set in a beautiful part of the world, Sutton Coldfield, just metres away from the family church where the ceremony was to take place.
The weather had threatened for rain, but as usual the forecast was dead wrong and we ended up with perfect photography conditions all day - yayyy !
After the ceremony, we headed to the absolutely beautiful Botanical Gardens for a fun-filled reception with family and friends.

So, without further ado ... a few faves from the day :)

Just check out the detailing in that dress ...

Stunning ...

Not looking too shabby either :)

The arrival ...

Beautiful church and ceremony ...

Mr & Mrs ...

What can I say, it had to be done !

An intimate moment ...

The girls ...

The boys ...

My helper for the day ... Faye's brother :)

The whole bunch with some fish eye fun and balancing on a rock !

I hope you have a FAB honeymoon, guys, and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon !

Thanks for having me ... Gill :)

Inspiration from Industry Leader ... on Sale !

2009-06-23T12:45:00.005+01:00

As with any other industry or career, us photographers like to keep up to date with new techniques and fresh ideas. We do this in many ways, including attending workshops, reading high end glossy magazines ... and on ...

I am extremely fortunate to be associated with one of our industry's leaders, Jerry Ghionis, a Melbourne based master photographer who has been named one of the top 10 photographers in the world, more than once ! His awards list literally reads like a novel and to top it off he is actually one of the nicest people I have ever met. I am also delighted to be able to call him, and his gorgeous wife Georgina, friends.

So, where am I going with this, you might ask ... well, this one is really for the photographers who follow my blog (although I am sure my clients are happy to read about my desire to keep on top of my game :)) ... Jerry is not only a great photographer, he is a wonderful teacher, willing to share his vast knowledge with anyone willing to learn. His website The Ice Society is a font of knowledge (head over to see some of the free samples, or why not take the plunge and become a member !) and his training products, videos and book, Gorgeous, are filled with every day inspiration for weddings, portraits and fashion photography.

For the first time EVER, and for a limited time only (til the end of July) there is a whopping sale on all of his products ... seriously, there are some fab savings to be had. I absolutely LOVE his picpockets and regularly flick through them prior to a shoot, just to get some ideas and refresh my mind before heading off with my camera. I can often be found on a Friday night sipping a glass of red and watching one of his DVDs ... entertaining, enlightening and inspirational.

I don't often blog stuff like this, but I figured I'd get the word out to all of you while this wonderful opportunity is open.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email or leave a comment below this post :)

(Image courtesy of Jerry Ghionis / The Ice Society)

Gill

PS: I've been asked to make the link to Jerry's site a little clearer ... so here you go !

http://www.theicesociety.com/

Cool New Client Feature

2009-06-19T14:53:00.002+01:00

I am absolutely chuffed to bits to be able to announce a cool new feature on my website, as well as a little bonus for my clients !

I host my online images through theimagefile, a great online product which allows me to show clients their images and for friends and family to purchase them. I contacted them about a week ago and asked if it would be possible to have a feature whereby guests or clients could leave an email address and be contacted as and when a gallery of photos became available ... it's now live !

So, here's what you need to do ... click on my Client Area section and enter the password of the event in question ... if there are no images there, you will be asked to leave your email address and voila ! As soon as the photos are online, you will receive an email and away you go ... simple !

As an added bonus, for the first 2 weeks that the gallery is online there will be a discount on all products, so you'd best get in quick !!

I hope you find this new functionality useful and I look forward to hearing from you :)

Harry | Impromptu Portraits

2009-06-17T10:48:00.003+01:00

Michelle & Ben, my wedding couple who are getting married in a couple of weeks at Rowton Castle, came to see me for their final pre-meet, along with Harry, their little boy. They are actually getting married on his first birthday, so it will be a double celebration !!

I wanted to make sure he was cool with me before the big day, as big cameras can be a very daunting for little people ... so I whipped out the daddy (the 1D IIN) with the 85 1.2 lens on, so I could get a couple of shots from farther back, he could get used to the shutter sound and all would be well with the world :) It worked ! He was fearless LOL ... I captured this little shot of him as he sat with mummy (you can see her hand and engagement ring right beside him) and I just love the eye contact in it. Isn't he a total cutie? What you can't see (because I wanted this to be in BW) is his cracking shock of red hair ... I'll make sure and post some from the wedding in colour.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon guys :)

Lisa & Jody | Portraits | Take 2 !

2009-06-11T10:20:00.002+01:00

For our second session, we decided to bring Jody to my house ... she is a sucker for animals and with my 2 cats and puppy, we felt she would perhaps settle in to the shoot a little easier. Jody was looking beautiful in her summer top and funky jeans, but alas, the camera was still the enemy. We played games and even managed to have some fun with our piano, but there were some tears and so we decided that we'd have to call it a day before the stress levels got too high ... such a shame as Jody and mum, Lisa, are both beautiful subject.

However, we managed to get some lovely shots from the session and here are a few favourites ...

Playing and learning ...

Is that a smile I see?

After a few tears ...

Why not book your little one in for a session ... call me or contact me via email soon :)

Lisa & Jody | Portraits

2009-06-07T13:20:00.003+01:00

I spent a lovely lunchtime with Lisa and her 3-year-old daughter Jody today. Lisa wanted some portraits of Jody to hang in her new home, but we knew it was going to be hit and miss as to whether we would get any as Jody is a little bit shy in front of the camera. We started off playing with some jumbo lego (I found this much more fun than I should at my age LOL) before getting the camera out ... alas, to no avail ! We did manage to get some shots, but we're going to give it a try another day ... for now, some from the shoot :)

I was allowed to shoot teddy, but not Jody ...

A peekaboo opportunity ...

Colouring-in with Mummy ...

Isn't she beautiful?

And finally, anyone who knows me, knows I am a sucker for tattoos ...

Thanks for having me, guys, look forward to seeing you this week for more fun !

Canon 5D, 50 1.2 @ f2

Siobhan & Marc | Wedding | Sevenoaks & Tunbridge Wells

2009-06-06T19:58:00.004+01:00

I had the pleasure of joining Siobhan, Marc and their family & friends in Kent last weekend for their wedding in the glorious southern English sunshine ! What a day ... everyone was enjoying the early summer (which has apparently now disappeared LOL) and this made for very smiley photos and lots of fun in the sun !

Here are a few faves, as always ... comments welcome !

The beautiful dress ...

Details ...

Gorgeous bride ...

Marc, and his guys ...

The cutest ever flower girl ...

Indulge me ... it's an art shot !

This totally sums these guys up ...

I tell you, these veils are a lot of hard work !!

Cuteness ...

And finally ... funkiest wedding guest ... EVER !

Ann & Alan | PWS | Hampton Court Park, London

2009-06-05T08:49:00.003+01:00

I had the pleasure of travelling down to London to meet with Ann & Alan for their pre wedding shoot. They are getting married in Devon in July in a super cool venue, complete with pink marquee !

We headed off from their home in fashionable Teddington, drove through a very busy Bushy Park (kids off school, nuff said !) and managed to finally find a parking spot near Hampton Court. The sun was out in all it's glory and, having not been to this part of London before, I had a lot of fun looking out some cool places to shoot.

A few faves ...

The busy Thames

Ann

Alan

See you in a few weeks, guys :)

Intimately Interviewed !

2009-06-02T12:21:00.001+01:00

I was contacted recently to ask if I would be interested in being interviewed about my boudoir photography (Intimately You !) ... I was very flattered and of course said yes :)

The interview can be viewed here.

My thanks to Helen for this fun opportunity !

Long Walks on Summer Evenings ...

2009-06-01T10:55:00.003+01:00

I had a bit of a manic time last week, culminating in travelling to London for a pre-wedding shoot and a wedding in Kent on Saturday (these on the blog very soon) so I decided that a Sunday off with the family was definitely on the cards. We lazed around in the glorious sunshine for most of the day, then decided to go for a long stomp when it was a little cooler.

Stafford is a wonderful town, full of surprises at every turn ... whilst we live in a suburban environment with great links to the motorway networks, you only have to walk 10 minutes from our house and you're in the countryside, with rivers, canals, walkways and cows !

So, just a few from our little journey ... all taken with my trusty Canon G10 point & shoot :)

Shadow play at the start of our walk ...

Beautiful countryside, with river and obligatory swans ...

Canal architecture and colourful long boats (I so want a boat !!) ...

And did I mention cows ?

It's shaping up to be a WONDERFUL summer (hope I didn't just jinx us all LOL) !!

Bijal & Ankith | Indian Reception | London

2009-05-25T18:49:00.005+01:00

I'm way behind on blogging some stuff ! Bijal & Ankith, whose wedding at Crewe Hall I recently blogged, had a massive, Indian, reception at Wandsworth Town Hall the week after their wedding. They were very relaxed, even though the preparations had been completely manic ... well, there were over 500 guests attending !!! It was fab to hang out with them again and I was assisted by my friend and fellow photographer, Yvonne, whose spare bed I used for the night (she lives very near, super handy !)

As always, a few favourites from the evening ...

Bijal looking gorgeous as ever ...

Kit's 2 brothers, recently married themselves, shared in the celebrations ...

The cake cutting was followed by a beautiful, heart-felt speech by the brothers' father ...

Bijal's cousin was a singer in the band ... man, these guys ROCKED !

This lady's hair caught our eye ... beautiful detail ...

Then it was time for some dancing ...

I was knackered just WATCHING these 2 girls !!!

Even the little ones knew how to get down ...

Sunny Sunday ...

2009-05-24T20:49:00.002+01:00

Hi guys ... just a very quick blog post to say that I hope you are all enjoying this WONDERFUL sunshine over our May Bank Holiday ! I know we are ... here's a quick shot of my friend Kim, sat in the sun today.

Have fun !

Product News | Funky Finao Digital

2009-05-19T11:50:00.003+01:00

I have been waiting with excitement and baited breath for a week or so since I found out my new album from Finao had shipped from the States ... to say it was worth the wait would be a complete understatement ! These albums are truly unique, they come in a wide range of VERY different leather options, which can be mixed and matched on each album. The printing is bang on, the colours are true to what I envisaged when designing on my screen and the quality is, well, see for yourself ...

Gorgeous wrapping ... I love this attention to detail ...

The quality is just fantastic ...

For the photographers ... Finao Linkie ... this cover is patina and opaline :)

Totally Tess

2009-05-18T12:11:00.003+01:00

I haven't posted any recent shots of my baby, Tess, aka Mrs Lady Pants (don't ask). I decided to do some product photography of my albums today and Tess patiently sat and watched while I set up my lights and got on with it. She looked so cute and cosy just waiting for me on the sofa that I couldn't resist turning my camera her direction and taking a couple of shots. It's hard to believe that she is almost 10 months old ! I know ! She turns 1 in July and John is already nervous about my plans for her party LOL.

So here she is, beautiful as ever ...

For the photographers: 1D IIN, 70-200 @ 130mm (bottom) and 200mm (top), both at 2.8, of course :)

Jayne & Lyndon | Wedding | Sandon Hall, Staffordshire

2009-05-16T12:30:00.004+01:00

I got a tweet a couple of weeks ago from my friend, and local photographer, Steve Sutton, asking if I wanted to come second shoot with him at Sandon Hall. I haven't been a second shooter for years and thought it would be fun, so of course I said yes !

Steve covered the morning's bridal preparations, so I met up with him at Sandon Church and we took it from there. Jayne's big secret was her dress ... Lyndon was in for a big surprise when she arrived in all her red glory ! Stunning !!!

The sun was very kind to us so, as I was only the second, I was able to play around with catching some flare, something I love doing.

A few favourites from the day ... thanks for having me, Steve, it was a lot of fun :)

Faye & Adam | Pre Wedding Shoot | Sutton Park

2009-05-15T18:50:00.003+01:00

Faye & Adam booked me not that long ago for their wedding at the end of June, at The Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. We decided to meet down in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, not far from where Faye grew up. I love shooting in the park, there are so many opportunities. The weather was very kind to us, but that also brought out loads of others who were picnic'ing, biking, hiking and walking their dogs ... the challenge was finding private spots for those intimate moments :)

I am really looking forward to the wedding, this shoot was fun and relaxed and they are a great couple , a joy to work with ... here, as always, are a few of my favourites :)

See you soon, guys !

Tried to contact me recently and thought I was being rude?

2009-05-12T15:54:00.004+01:00

Sigh.

It seems one of my email addresses ... the one used for my enquiries and contact forms ... has been switched off for a little while :( If you have tried to enquire about wedding or portrait photography, well, it will look as though I have been on vacation on Mars !!!!

I hope you read this and decide to contact me again ... for all future enquiries, the problem has now been sorted, so drop me a line and I will get back to you ... honest.

Tyler & Colleen | Portraits

2009-05-10T18:08:00.002+01:00

I recently shot a gorgeous boudoir for Kelly (check the archives!) and she was so delighted with the results that she asked me to do some portraits of her gorgeous kids, Tyler and Colleen ... we met up this morning in Stafford, along with Kelly and dad, Chris. Colleen is a total natural in front of the camera, but Tyler took a little while to warm up to the idea ... once he was in the zone, wow !

I think you will agree that they are both absolutely gorgeous ! Colleen is a very grown up little lady (aged 9) and Tyler is "nearly 6" LOL

Here are a couple of favourites from the session ... enjoy, and comments welcome as always :)

Colleen looking very sweet in the glorious sunshine ...

Tyler looking very cool indeed in front of some graffiti ...

Kim & Anthony | Environmental Portraits

2009-05-07T21:49:00.003+01:00

Kim and I first met a few weeks after she got married in 2004 ... we were both in college having fun in the darkroom and studio at Stafford College. We soon became firm friends and have remained so ever since ... let's face it, we both LOVE photography !!!

So when Kim asked if I would shoot some environmental portraits of her and her husband Anthony, well, nerves set in ... to shoot a client is one thing, to shoot another photographer *eek*! LOL

We headed off into Shropshire, to a beautiful ruined castle, for the shoot. Close by, there were a generous amount of helicopters as there is a training school nearby, however, none of them would come close enough for me to include in the shoot, much to my annoyance :)

But still, we had a wonderful time, the guys soon settled into the shoot (as did I, thank goodness haha) and so here, as always, are a few of my faves ... enjoy !

And, of course, no session would be complete without this little shot :)

Coco | Take 2

2009-05-06T10:55:00.003+01:00

Man, I just love this little dog ... she is due for her first ever clipping, and I can't wait to see those photos !! but in the meantime she's a walking rug LOL

This one is for Dawn and Chris ... enjoy !!

Coco

2009-05-05T09:33:00.002+01:00

In this day and age of multiple communication sites (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs) one wonders if they really are just a waste of time, or if they have their uses. I am in the "useful" camp ... I love communicating with people from all over the world, hearing little snippets of others' lives, looking at beautiful photography, etc ...

Following John's heart attack in December I got an email from a friend who I hadn't seen for 5 years ... Dawn lived in the same apartment block as me when I lived in Strathaven in Scotland and we were firm friends right up til I moved to England, then life took over for both of us. The usual sentiments of "we must keep in touch" got taken over by our jobs and various "stuff" ... you all know how it goes. And so my heart lifted when we started communicating again. She had seen my blog post and immediately got in touch.

Last week, Dawn, her husband Chris and their little puppy, Coco, came for a visit. It was as if we had never had the 5 year gap, we sat up the first night til 3am just chatting, catching up, accompanied by some good wine :) Coco and Tess became chums over the few days they were here, too.

Dawn and Chris were rather camera shy (both are suffering from illnesses just now and didn't feel very photogenic) so I kept the camera trained on the doggies for the duration ... this is a fave one of Coco ... I swear, she DOES have eyes in there somewhere LOL

I hope you all had a great bank holiday, regardless of the weather !!

Melissa | Fashion Inspired Portrait

2009-04-30T16:27:00.002+01:00

I was clearing out some memory cards the other day and came across some I had completely forgotten about from my time in Florence last year. I had the privilege of spending a week with Jerry Ghionis and whole bunch of very talented photographers, learning new things, including posing, lighting and necessary business skills, fabulous advice and a wonderful experience.

A friend and DWF colleague of mine, Melissa Tirado (herself a very talented photographer, from Boston) was one of the models as we mooched around Florence. I had decided to hang out with Jerry's beautiful wife, Georgie, but grabbed my camera at the odd chance of a cool shot (well, why wouldn't you LOL).

This is one that grabbed me ... I absolutely love it, and so does Melissa !! Enjoy ...

Random Image | G10

2009-04-29T16:32:00.003+01:00

I was flicking through my G10 this afternoon and realised my husband had taken it out with him while on a walk with Tess yesterday. They came across a swan that literally hissed and spat at Tess ... apparently she just looked at it as if to say "I have a cat at home that does that, mrs birdie, you don't frighten me" LOL

I am pretty impressed with this and so I thought I would share ... John has been picking up tips on how to take better shots ... clearly he's taking my lessons on board :)

Emma & Rob | Wedding | Sandon Hall

2009-04-28T18:47:00.007+01:00

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of spending the day with Emma, Rob and their family and friends. They had flown in from Dublin the previous week to finalise all the details, pick up their wedding rings, and of course to get married ! Many of their family and friends had flown in for the celebrations ... I have to say I felt very at home surrounded by so many people from my homeland.

The day started off pretty wet and miserable, so we all got it into our heads that we would be rained on ... well, nothing could have been further from the truth ... the sun soon came out and shone on us all for the whole day, just glorious !

I was accompanied for the day by my friend Matt Wagster, who had travelled down from Manchester to shoot the wedding with me. We had a lot of fun and hopefully that shows in the images.

The day started when I dropped Matt off with Rob at The Swan Hotel in Stafford, before I headed off to Emma's parents home in Hixon. The ceremony was beautiful and the church was packed to the rafters with guests. The incorporated an Irish tradition of lighting candles (the idea is that the 2 initial candles represent the bride & groom ... they light a master candle then blow these out, signifying their union). The vicar, Philip, was very cool and his sermon was interesting and funny.

Then it was off to Sandon for reception ... one of my favourite venues, the staff are fantastic, the grounds are vast and, of course, the venue itself isn't too shabby !

Here, as always, are a few favourites of mine from the day ... I hope you enjoy them :)

Emma & Rob, thank you so much for having us for your wedding, it was a joy ... wishing you all the best for a wonderful future together.

A Surprise Restoration ...

2009-04-27T17:56:00.004+01:00

My mother gave me a small photo of my late grandmother, Lydia, a couple of years ago, and with one thing or another happening, it sat in my to-do folder all that time. Mum completely forgot about it, which made a surprise perfect.

This is what I had to work with ...

After a LOT of work in photoshop, this is what I managed to do ...

I framed it in a lovely black frame with cream double mount and posted it off, to be signed for. Of course, Dad was at home and phoned Mum at work to tell her something had arrived (oh poo) and she told him to open it, thinking it was something else I was sending ...

The voicemail I received was so worth it, she was completely and utterly delighted :)

Emma & Rob | Wedding Preview

2009-04-26T06:53:00.004+01:00

I had the privilege of shooting Emma & Rob's wedding at the glorious Sandon Hall in Staffordshire. More to follow but I wanted to share one image of Emma that really showed off her vintage inspired look ...

See you at the fayre in Crewe Hall later today :)

Crewe Hall Bridal Fayre | 26th April 2009 | Cheshire

2009-04-23T13:09:00.003+01:00

I am getting very excited about this weekend ... I am again exhibiting at a bridal fayre at one of my absolute favourite venues, Crewe Hall, Cheshire.

Please feel free to drop by and see me, check out my albums and other products and have a sweet or two !

I have some very exciting show offers and will be running an exciting competition too !!!

I look forward to seeing you there :)

Gill

An Eye for Detail

2009-04-22T09:15:00.003+01:00

Just a bit of fun today :)

Can you guess who it is? LOL

OK, here's a proper portrait of him ... check out his new wedding ring too :)

Have a great Wednesday, everyone ... midway point to the weekend and I have a fab wedding this week too !

SPAM !!!

2009-04-19T13:41:00.002+01:00

Sorry for the drama in the title LOL

It has been brought to my attention that some of my emails are landing in spam folders ... until I can get to the bottom of it and get it sorted please check your folder if you have contacted me recently ... I am pretty quick to respond, so if you haven't heard from me, go check that spam !!

Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for checking :)

Have a great Sunday, everyone !

Gill | Portraits

2009-04-17T08:46:00.004+01:00

It's not often that I get the opportunity to be at the other end of the camera, so I jumped at the chance to help my friend Yvonne, of YBPhotographic in London, test out her new portrait studio space at her home. Yvonne has some beautiful antiques, gorgeous wood floors and high ceilings, all perfect props for some truly unique portraits. She was keen to push her creativity and use some different lighting techniques, which was great fun. I had a lot of fun and now know what it feels like to be one of my clients :)

Here are a couple of faves from the shoot ... I hope you like them as much as I do ... thanks Yvonne !

Images copyright YBPhotographic ... Yvonne's post can be viewed here

Bijal & Ankith | Wedding | Crewe Hall

2009-04-15T14:07:00.005+01:00

Last Thursday found me at Crewe Hall in Cheshire (again ... LOVE that venue !) shooting the wedding of Bijal and Ankith, and the celebrations with their friends and family. I asked Steve Sutton, another photographer from Stafford, to come along and shoot with me ... we've been meaning to get together for a long time and as this was a Thursday he was free.

Bijal & Ankith decided against a traditional Indian wedding (although they had a small, private Indian ceremony the previous week) and instead went for a traditional ceremony, but with a twist ... the clothes and traditions of India shone through, with Bijal's wedding dress having been made to include some material from a dress her father had bought for her when she was little. The materials and craftmanship were just stunning, along with all her little details and beautiful shoes ! Ankith looked very smart as well, of course :)

They opted for a different approach to the day, seeing each other before the ceremony and having family portraits taken in advance, before getting hitched at 4pm and then on to the party !

Everyone had a wonderful day and I was made to feel like part of the family. Thank you all so much for having me and for making me feel so welcome ... I hope you both have a wonderful honeymoon in Thailand and I'm really looking forward to seeing you when you get back :)

Here, as always, are a few favourites from the day ... you can also view their pre wedding shoot here ...

Getting ready at Theo Georgiou's salon ...

Those shoes ...

A little bit of Indian tradition ...

Bijal's makeup was applied with absolute precision and looked fantastic all day ...

Ankith ...

Seeing each other all dressed up for the first time, followed by plenty of time for some portraits ...

The ceremony ... Bijal's brother and uncle gave her away ...

The hilarious thrice-attempted bouquet toss !

Everyone ...

Their first dance as man and wife ...

Check back soon for the photos from the reception in London on Monday night.

Tess

2009-04-13T11:02:00.002+01:00

Isn't she beautiful? And getting sooo big !

Floating Away in a Hot Air Balloon

2009-04-13T09:51:00.004+01:00

Random shot for you!

We have the most beautiful balloons floating around overhead all summer in Stafford, and I managed to capture one of them this week ... enjoy :)

For the photographers ... Canon 1D IIN, 70-200 (at 200) with 1.4 extender.

Louise & Richard | Wedding | Ingestre Hall

2009-04-11T13:11:00.006+01:00

Louise first met Richard when she was brought in to temp in his office ... he was her boss ! He fancied her right away but thought it would be unprofessional to ask her out while she was working for him ... with thoughts of sacking her in his mind (LOL) he held off until she was about to move to another temp position and made his move. A few short years later, we were at Ingestre Church and Hall, with friends and family, to celebrate their wedding.

Richard is a club DJ in his spare time, with gigs all over the UK and, most recently, Miami, under his belt. He proposed to Louise over the radio (using the legendary DJ Norman Jay to do the work for him) during the Good Times set at Notting Hill Carnival on the August Bank Holiday in 2006 ... their engagement was announced on BBC London Radio ... too cool !

And that pretty much sums up Louise & Richard for me ... fun-loving, music-loving, cool, chic couple, totally in love, with each other and with life.

Thank you for allowing me into your lives for this special celebration, guys, it was a pleasure :)

Here are some favourites from their day ... enjoy !

Bijal & Ankith | Wedding Preview

2009-04-10T10:21:00.004+01:00

I had the pleasure of shooting Bijal & Ankith's wedding at Crewe Hall yesterday, and what a colourful, fun-filled day it was !

I am currently processing the images for a fantastic slideshow at their reception in London on Monday night, but on initial glance through the imagaes, I wanted to post a taster ... more to follow :)

Andrea & Ben | Pre Wedding Shoot

2009-04-08T11:04:00.005+01:00

I first met Andrea and Ben last year when they booked me for their wedding this October ... we decided the best time for a PWS would be in the Spring and I am sooo glad we did ! We met up on Sunday and the weather could not have been betetr for us ... beautiful flowers blooming all over the park, children out playing and feeding the ducks in the river, glorious sunshine - Sunday had it all.

Andrea & Ben are getting married on Ben's birthday (actually, it's also his Mother's birthday, so a triple celebration) at one of my favourite locations, Crewe Hall in Cheshire. Plans are going well (ok, there is the odd little glitch, but it's still early days) and we are all very excited and looking forward to the day.

In the meantime, here are some of my favourites from the shoot ...

Thanks for the fun shoot, guys, really looking forward to seeing you soon !

James & Anouska | Portraits

2009-04-07T10:51:00.003+01:00

I was pretty busy and had a lot of fun last weekend in and around Stafford, with my lucky portrait winners. James & Anouska were a lot of fun and were up for a mooch around the park and down into Stafford centre. The weather was changeable, in fact it felt like winter at times, but we worked in and around the showers (typical British weather LOL).

Here are a few favourites ...

The Davis Family | Portraits in the Park

2009-04-06T13:46:00.003+01:00

I spent most of last weekend in the beautiful park in Stafford ... everyone I meet up with there is amazed it exists, it truly is a little gem in the middle of the bustling county town !

On Saturday I met up with Roy Davis and his family for some portraits ... Roy had entered my portrait competition in February and was one of the lucky winners ! He is a keen photographer, too, so it was great to chat about some techy stuff haha

The weather was pretty cruel to us, windy, cold and the odd smatter of rain, but we managed to fit in some fun with the ducks and other assorted feathered friends.

As always, here are some favourites from the session ...

Checking out the birdies ...

Something exciting is happening ...

... the ducks are coming over to say hi !!!

Have you had some family photos taken recently? If not, and you'd like to get some done, why not give me a call or drop me a line :)

Faye & Chris | Portraits

2009-04-03T16:16:00.002+01:00

My final session on Sunday in the Park was with Faye and her fiance, Chris. The sun was absolutely glorious by the time we met up, so of course we had to try and find some shade (I know, sunshine is great, but knowing how to work in it well is another story LOL). We mooched around some of my favourite spots and had some fun ... boy, these guys just didn't need any direction at all ! They were complete naturals and were a joy to work with - thanks, guys !

So, without further ado ... a few favourites from the shoot !

Sarah & Rich | Portraits

2009-03-31T16:18:00.006+01:00

Sarah entered my portrait competition in February and, along with 4 other lucky winners, bagged herself a portrait session complete with framed print !

We arranged the session for Sunday morning and the weather could not have been kinder to us, it was sunny and dry. Victoria Park in the middle of Stafford was the location of choice, there are so many different little spots to take photos in, with plenty of shady areas, just perfect for some environmental portraits :)

Here are some favourites from the session !

Why not book your own portrait session with me ... contact me for some more information :)

Sunday Fun in the Park ...

2009-03-30T12:57:00.006+01:00

I was shooting portraits in the park this weekend ... I love the casual feel of outdoor portraits, but of course the weather can be a bit hit and miss ! I knew I had a gap between sessions and so rather than go home and come back, I thought it was high time to get some up to date portraits of my friend, Becky and her son, George, aged 5 :) We got really lucky with the weather, a little cold still but really sunny ... just the ticket for an afternoon in the park.

George had a ball, and so did I ... he really is a character and a bit of a scream LOL ... Oh, yeah, and what a looker ... just check out those gorgeous eyes !

Intimately Kelly ...

2009-03-27T13:20:00.003Z

Some more of the gorgeous Kelly ... I'll let the images speak for themselves ...

Portrait fun with Kim in the office ...

2009-03-26T14:01:00.002Z

I first met Kim when we were studying photography together at Stafford College ... that feels like such a long time ago now ... we have remained close ever since and our love of photography obviously helps LOL

Kim works for a studio in Shrewsbury and has a Thursday off, which is great, because we get to hang out at my place and talk about our jobs ! Cool !

Kim is on the hunt for a new lens so we spent today playing around in my office with various pieces of kit ... such fun (ok, for geeks like us LOL) ... Kim was the test subject and in the midst of lens swapping and playing around, I shot this one ... we both love it, so here you go ... simply, Kim ...

Intimately Kelly - Teaser ...

2009-03-24T14:34:00.003Z

I had the pleasure of shooting an intimates session with Kelly today ... more to follow, but when I downloaded the files, I noticed this one !

Enjoy !

So, who is this Gill Taylor person?

2009-03-23T11:13:00.010Z

As a social photographer, I feel that part of my job is to find out about my clients ... what are their interests, how did they meet, that sort of thing. Over the years, I have encountered so many different people, all with stories to tell ... stories of cancer survivors, of funny first encounters, of sadness, of joy ... I remember them all (I'm a bit like that ... long memory ... just ask my husband !) and feel privileged at being allowed access into my client's lives, if only for a little while.

And so, on this very stormy Monday, I thought I'd give a little bit back to you all, to give you a little insight into my life, a little self-interview, so to speak ... so, here goes ... "25 random things you oughta know about me" ... (updated to add some more randomness ... I promise I'm done now !)

1. I was born in Belfast in 1969, but left there for Scotland in 1997, before moving to England through various job moves in 2000. I have lived in Glasgow (and surrounding villages), Cheshire and Staffordshire, where I am now. John and I have a dream of buying some land and designing and building our own home. We dither between doing this and moving to France.

2. My interest in photography started in high school ... I was the annoying kid with the SLR in everyone's faces ... we had a darkroom in the art block and I lived in it ! I moved on to shooting motorcycle racing (road and track) before hanging up my cameras in 1995 for 8 years. My husband convinced me to buy a DSLR in 2003 and I've never looked back ! I went full time as a pro photographer in 2007 and wish I had done it sooner.

3. I am a great communicator and don't have much time for people who don't communicate well ... other pet hates include: rudeness, bullies and arrogance. It costs nothing to be nice :)

4. As well as being a photographer, I am proud to be associated with Jerry Ghionis, one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world, as UK Distributor for his training products ... I also get the chance to go help out at workshops, and get to hang out with some of the industry's established and up-and-coming photographers.

5. I love my job.

6. I am married to John, we've been together 13 years and married for 6. I planned and organised my own wedding in 7 weeks. I did not have a photographer, my biggest regret. We have 2 cats, almost 7 years old, brothers (Tigger and Tom) and 1 dog, 8 months old, a beagle called Tess. But then, unless this is the first visit here, you know all that ... sorry, moving on ...

7. My most embarassing mishap at a wedding was last year at Crewe Hall, during Sara and James nuptials ... I was poised and ready, right behind the officiant, bum to the wall, sneaking across to get the best possible shot of the first kiss, when BAAAAAAAAAAM, an almighty ROOOOOAR rang through the room ... the officiant (not a young man) almost died of a heart attack, the bride and groom looked around wildly, as did all the guests ... I jumped and, as I did, I released the cord that I had knocked which had triggered the drop of the massive wooden blind ... all eyes on me ... oh, for shame :(

8. I am addicted to Twitter and Facebook - go find me, you'll see what I mean.

9. I am a moderator on the top forum for professionals in my industry, the DWF and through my association with the forum have met (virtually and in the flesh) some truly amazing people and have had some great experiences.

10. I have literally very few photos of me that I like (I can relate to many of my clients on this front, which is why making them look and feel great is part of the appeal of what I do!) but this is my favourite photo of, well, me. I was going through a pretty tough time when it was taken and had decided to head over to Florence to see Jerry and Georgina at one of Jerry's workshops. The change of scenery, the touch of sunshine, the beautiful vista around the villa and the chance to get down into Florence with some models and fellow photographers, not to mention the hour I spent in the photography-only bookshop (bliss) all made for a very special week. Matt wanted to try out my new lens (the Canon 50mm 1.2) and so grabbed my 1D and directed me. This one just summed up how I felt at the end of that week ... at peace, calm and serene ... (and, just to point out ... I get people saying "I love that photo of you with the short hair" ... it's not, it's visible down my back if you look closely enough LOL)

11. I can be the tiniest wee bit shallow and a little bit vain (it's a photographer thing!) ... (see the end of 10 ...) :)

12. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2003. It sucks, but it could have been much worse.

13. John and I are a bit sad, so much so that we have matching rolex watches. I know, it'll be knitted cardigans next.

14. I am a great friend ... or so I'm told :)

15. I don't wear makeup, unless I'm going out all dressed up, and even then I hate the stuff.

16. I'll take savoury over sweet any day, which is handy considering point12, don't you think?

17. I live in Jeans.

18. I have more shoes than yer woman Marcos !

19. I have wanted a porsche since I was old enough to spell it.

20. I love to travel but equally love getting home again.

21. I'm an avid sci fi fan - Stargate, Star Wars, Star Trek, you name it. I own every single episode of Dr Who on DVD, and Torchwood. Can you see a trend here?

22. My favourite movies of all time (in no particular order) ... Shirley Velantine, Educating Rita, any Sandra Bullock movie, all the Oceans (11, 12, 13 ...), Notting Hill (in fact, I could act in pretty much any chick flick, I've seen them so often).

23. I cry when anything happens to an animal in a movie.

24. I rode a camel in the Sahara desert.

25. Hmmm, something interesting and profound to finish with ... oh, right, I still ride a motorbike, having passed my test when I was 21 (man, that's like ages ago *eek*) ... I currently have a gorgeous yellow Suzuki SV650 ... I wasn't able to ride at all last year as I broke 2 bones in my right hand (pretty crucial part of the body for riding, wouldn't you agree) but am looking forward to getting back in the saddle this year, now I'm fully healed !

There, I think that's fairly random enough :)

Bridal Soup !

2009-03-20T22:16:00.003Z

The name of this grabbed me right away ... I bet it did for you, too !

I got an email a couple of weeks ago from a friend of mine (we met in London last year at one of Jerry Ghionis's workshops in London), Steve Gerrard (no, not that one, the photographer one LOL) telling me about an exciting new project he is working on ... www.bridalsoup.co.uk ... an informative blog basically giving brides to be some fantastic information, inspiration and insight into what they should be thinking about when planning their wedding ... wow, already there are so many articles on there, from photographers to wedding dress designers to stationery specialists ... seriously, this is going to be a MINE of information for you ladies (and you guys) planning a wedding in the UK and beyond !

Check it out ! Is there something missing? Let us know, so these guys can grow to meet your requirements !

I have a couple of articles going in over the next couple of weeks, so look out for those - hey, let me have some feedback, too !

Great work, Steve! I am so looking forward to contributing more over the coming months !

Gill