Sharon and Justin - 11 June 2011 - The Close Hotel, Tetbury

I met Sharon and Justin so long ago, it seems like we've been friends forever. But without the annoying cute bears who always seem to be carrying huge love hearts around on the greetings cards.

What I remember most about meeting Sharon and Justin (apart from the laughter and there was lots of that) was the "cow" theme in the house. Sharon has a deep-rooted love for all things "cow" and you'll be pleased to learn that the theme was carried forward into the wedding. Seriously, everywhere. Cakes, table favours, cards, shoes and pyjamas. That gives you an idea how much fun lay ahead for the wedding guests and for me to photograph it.

Assisted by the glamorous (am I over-using that word yet? She is glamorous though) Sophie, I worked through the wedding photography starting with the Bridal Preparations at The Close Hotel in Tetbury.

As one of my favourite parts of the day, this is usually a demure, sombre and thought-provoking period of quiet reflection for the Bride, Mother and Bridesmaids. Actually, that's a very long typo. As one of the few "uncoordinated" times of the day, anything can happen. There was laughter, tears, the odd small glass of champagne, a pile-up on the bed, Take That karaoke (including dancing) and the grand entrance of the Flower Girls Chloe (not very camera-shy) and Holly (ever-smiling) and Page Boy Joel (the self-proclaimed "devilishly handsome" one).

After the Ceremony, in the Close Hotel's very own beautiful on site Chapel, Sharon and Justin "ran the gauntlet" of confetti, which I have to say was thrown perfectly by all but one of the guests, who threw the confetti straight into poor Sharon and Justin's faces. On the plus side, it made for a fantastic shot for me. I can be quite selfish like that.

The weather played its part which allowed everyone to enjoyed the Pimms in the hotel gardens. This is where my job becomes easy for a while because every single guest was thoroughly enjoying the wedding. Every single photo I took captured that. Easy.

After the wedding breakfast, Bob (AKA Sharon's Dad), Terry (AKA Best Man) and Justin (AKA Justin), provided some of the funniest and emotional speeches I've ever heard. The photos of everyone's reaction is testimony to that. Sharon had a giggle or two, herself. ;-). It seems that Terry left a lot out of his speech re: Justin. Perhaps something he's keeping back for Justin's biography? Keep your eyes open the next time you're in Waterstones. I suspect it's going to be quite a read.

Are you of a nervous disposition? Do you avoid watching the CBBC channel because you find some of the shows too violent? Then you may want to skip this paragraph. I think the Bridesmaids know where I'm going with this. Especially Anna. But even more "especially", Sarah. Tossing. The. Bouquet. Usually a wonderful moment of tradition passed down the ages where the "next Bride" is predicted to be the Lady who is fortunate to capture the bouquet. A lovely moment that has often brought tears to the eyes of even the sternest of souls. However... what we experience was less like this and more like the opening scenes of "Saving Private Ryan". There was pushing. There was elbowing. There were small children thrown into the air. Sharon threw the bouquet with elegance but the scenes behind her did not reflect that. After what seemed like an eternity in the air with onlookers gazing in horror at the battle in front of them, Sarah won the bouquet. I have a lovely shot of her holding the bouquet up with pride and joy. I can only hope the images will provide some sort of character reference in Court.

Onto the evening reception, and I guarantee that its one that everyone who was there will never ever forget it.

We were all treated to a fantastic rendition of a number of Take That and Robbie Williams songs by Craig (AKA Sharon's Brother) and what a cracking voice he's got. And, yes, he also did the "Robbie Strut" too, in case you were wondering.

Then came, what I can only describe as a frenzy of "competition of the sexes" in the maddest Dance-Off ever seen. The girls and guys gave possibly the finest (I want to say organised and coordinated) dance routines to Run DMC's "It's Like That". Have you seen the Run DMC video? Yeah? Multiply the dexterity and intense moves by 10 and you're in the ball park of how brilliant this was. I won't spoil the ending by saying who actually won the Dance-Off but there were suspicions raised by the losing side on how much prepping the winning side actually did. Personally, I suspect the winners had actually been on a Fame School retreat. They were all THAT good.

What a fantastic and fun-filled day this was. Sharon and Justin's wedding really had absolutely everything that makes a day truly special. You guys really deserved it. Congratulations to you both and I wish you all the very best for your future. Even if that future doesn't include a Broadway dance career.

Linda Gray Bridalwear - http://www.lindagraybridal.co.uk

The Close Hotel, Tetbury - http://www.theclose-hotel.com

Emma & Kris' Wedding at St Giles and Manor By The Lake

It's not often that I start a wedding shoot in direct competition with another photographer, let alone two. This rivalry was intense and, to be honest, a little disconcerting, as I went up against Charlotte (6) and Aimee (4). Both Charlotte and Aimee showed me that photographs of feet can often, possibly always, be as interesting as faces. A lesson learned. Although, I will refuse to give them credit for that in my future work.

Yesterday's wedding began with Emma's Bridal Preparation where we made a wonderful start to the Wedding Gallery. I must give credit to Paul, Emma's Dad, for creating the "Dress Hook", for the wedding dress and hanging it in the perfect place for photographing. I have stolen the blueprints for the "Hook" and submitted it to the Patent Office.

Emma looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding dress as you can see in the photo. And yes, for the ladies reading this blog, Kris did look devilishly handsome too.

After more wrangling with my "competition" I moved on to St Giles' Church in Maisemore, the venue for the Wedding Ceremony. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Revd. Rob Merchant for allowing me the freedom to shoot the wedding ceremony itself. I believe the Ceremony is the key moment of every wedding and it's always a shame if the Wedding Gallery has no images from that moment. I'd also like to thank Rob for quoting Hugh Grant in a Ceremony.

After the Ceremony, the new Mr & Mrs Dever walked hand in hand down the aisle to The Prodigy's "Stand Up". Most of you might know this as Kick-Ass' theme from the brilliant movie. Absolutely inspired moment.

All the formal photos were taken at St Giles, using the beautiful building as a backdrop for all the images. This gives me the chance to thank James (possibly the greatest Usher ever) for all his help in organising all the friends and family.

Emma & Kris chose The Manor By The Lake for their Wedding Reception. If you've ever seen The Manor you'll appreciate that it's any photographer's dream to work there. Check out my upcoming "Emma & Kris @ The Manor" for more details.

With all the wedding guests at the Manor, we decided to take a few photos of Emma & Kris with their wedding cars, a Rolls Royce and VW Campervan. Now, for someone who claimed they didn't know how to pose for a "car" shot, Emma and Kris did a fantastic job. There was James Bond-like posing. There was pouting. There was a lot of pouting. Some of my favourite shots of the day.

After the wedding breakfast came the speeches and what a roller coaster of emotions. I always think that for any wedding speech you either need to make everyone laugh or cry. Even better if you can do both. Both Paul (you may remember him as Emma's Dad) and Kris (you may remember him as the Groom) made really wonderful "even better" speeches. Concluding with Stu's Best Man speech we moved onto Emma and Kris' Flow-posing Portrait Shoot. By the way, for everyone who knows Stu, am I the only one who thinks that he looks like Hugh Jackman?

We did a short tour of the Manor grounds for the Flow-pose Shoot, including the Bridge, Gardens, Tree Avenue and, not forgetting, the Arches. We completed the shoot using the Manor's interior, including the Oak Room, fireplaces and insanely huge sofa.

The Evening Reception started with Emma & Kris' first dance and it was great to see everyone up and cheering them on as they danced as well as joining in. I can't let this moment pass without thanking Jenny (you may remember her as Emma's Mum) for wearing the neon-flashing red wig/hat while dancing. I hope she kept it. It did look cool.

I have thanked a lot of people, while still giving no credit to Charlotte and Aimee for the inspired "feet-style" photography, and have saved the best for last. The biggest thank-you to Emma and Kris for allowing me to photograph their wedding. An absolute joy to photograph from start to finish. Best wishes to both of them for a long and happy future.

Sophia & Ross' Pre-wedding Portrait, Albert Docks, Liverpool

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Superman? No. None of them. It's Ross, sportingly risking life and limb to lie on a wooden bridge beam at Liverpool's beautiful Albert Dock for one of my favourite shots of Sophia & Ross' Pre-wedding Portrait Shoot.

I met Sophia & Ross at Lucia & Sam's Wedding last May and thanks to Lucia's lovely recommendation I got the wonderful opportunity to photograph Sophia & Ross' Wedding too. A wedding with a very special touch in that it is being held in the absolutely stunning Le Marche, Italy.

This fulfils so many of my loves - beautiful photography, beautiful scenery, photographing everyone having the time of their lives and last, but possibly not least, my love of pizza and pasta... OK, that's enough thinking of pizzas - back to the shoot.

Sophia & Ross decided that they'd like their portrait shoot in Liverpool and what better place than the Albert Docks? One of my favourite places. Ever.

After a Latte (skinny, of course) we started the shoot around the bridges outside The Beatles Story museum (if you know where I mean).

It was around this time that the wind decided to turn into a Hurricane (disclaimer: possible exaggeration) and through us around. Fortunately, the only one of the three of us who had to worry about hair was Sophia. Ross stood firm and proud. And if you know me, you know how little concern I had about my lion-like mane.

Despite, and because, of the wind, we got a great collection of portrait images using everything around us, including big reflective windows, cafe tables, steps and a 7 foot red gift box in a gold ribbon. That really is there!

What I loved most about this shoot was how immediately comfortable both Sophia & Ross were in front of the lens and the results of their gallery is testament to that. It made photographing them so much easier. I do suspect that Ross has modelled before. No-one is THAT good at posing for the camera without experience or a lot of studying of the Littlewoods catalogue.

As you can see from the image above, Sophia & Ross were so comfortable with each other and the look between them tells you everything you need to know about loving couples.

After the portrait shoot and over another latte (yes, another skinny) we got to talk about the wedding plans. No spoilers - suffice to say that their Wedding Gallery going to have a very European context. You're going to have to wait until mid-June to see what I mean.

A great big thank you to Lucia & Sam for recommending me and a huge thanks to Sophia & Ross for not only choosing me to photograph their wedding but also being such fun on their Liverpool shoot.

See you all in Le Marche in a few weeks! The first Hawaiian is on me.

It's all Chop and Change

OK, just to get things clear, the title does not refer to a collection of small coins I found in my Sunday Roast of Pork Chops. But, it does however refer to the new, and hopefully improved, new website at www.davidgow.co.uk.

The main differences you will notice (assuming in my arrogance that you have seen the previous version of the site) are the buttons, the page layout and the introduction of a few new pages (at the expense of some old ones).

The 'my Style' page is a short description of my photography style. And you thought I just made it all up on the day? Shame on you.

The 'my Products' page describes a number of items that customers can buy including digital albums and coffee table books. My personal favourite products are the 3x3 acrylic frames and the brushed metal digital album.

The 'my Prices' page explains itself, I guess. I asked for feedback on my old site and one of the comments was that the old page was too "wordy". Anyone who knows me knows I can never be accused of being "wordy". Mmmmm....

The 'my News' page is my favourite addition. Not content with waffling on Facebook, Twitter and in Blogs, I've added another page dedicated to new and interesting things happening in the Wonderful World of Disney...... Oh, I mean, David Gow. The latest news item is a call for Studio Portraits shoots. Check it out. A real bargain.

The last change is the one called 'your Images'. This provides access to the Customer galleries. It used to be called 'Clients', but the new name suits the format of the other pages. I think.

Anyway, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. What do you think? Anything amiss? Preferred the old version. Not enough photos of me in a variety of informative and yet amusing historical outfits? Please feel free to check out the new site and let me know what you think.

Gloucester Wedding Photography - Lisa & Shane at Berkeley Castle

Wow, wow and wow! Wow 1 is for the incredibly beautiful venue that is Berkeley Castle. Wow 2 is for the fantastic time I had shooting Lisa & Shane's Pre-wedding Portrait. Wow 3 is for me being so fortunate to have Wow 1 and 2 together at the same time.

I met Lisa & Shane in October last year and instantly recognised the "buzz" they had for each other and for their wedding plans and knew how much fun they would be to photograph.

Lisa & Shane decided they would like their pre-wedding shoot at Berkeley Castle, the home of their wedding ceremony in July. Fantastic choice.

The Castle Manager, Eleanor, was kind enough to show us around the ceremony and reception rooms as well as the available grounds, and it's safe to say that I've got a real task on my hands keeping shortlisting the incredible locations for photography on the day. The alternative was for their wedding to be extended by 3-4 days. As keen as Lisa & Shane were on that idea, I don't think Berkeley would be.

After a tour of the Castle we walked around the grounds taking in the view while shooting images for the pre-wedding gallery.

Despite Shane's confession about being nervous in front of a camera I think he did a fantastic job of modelling. Manly modelling, of course. Although he will need to work on his reaction to Lisa's kisses.

Lisa, too, was an absolute star, by providing a mix of laughter, smiles and, on occasions, the beautiful moody look.

As we walked around the gardens we noticed some wooden eggs hanging from the trees and bushes. After a short discussion, we decided not to take part in, what we assumed was, an Easter Egg Hunt, as we couldn't remember what the prizes were meant to be. To be honest, there was a young boy and girl playing the Hunt who were already ahead of us, and I wasn't keen on being beaten by young children at games. Again.

I'd like to thank Lisa & Shane again for choosing me to photograph their wedding. Like all the couples I've photographed this year so far, today was another fantastic reminder why I love shooting weddings so much. Bring on July!

Gloucester Wedding Photographer - Sharon & Justin's Pre-wedding Shoot

We are the Famous Five!! Sharon, Justin, Claire, David & Macey the Dog!! My apologies to Enid Blyton.

If you remember the theme tune for that fantastic 80's kid's TV show you'll probably get a lot more out of that opening line. Check out youtube.

I met Sharon & Justin last year and remembered three important things. A great looking couple, a hilarious sense of humour and Sharon's love of cows.

I took all of that information into their Pre-wedding shoot today and, between us, created a fantastic collection of images for their gallery. Well, I say "all of that information". I didn't bring a cow. But, I would have done if I had one. And a saddle.

Sharon & Justin chose North Nibley for their shoot and what a beautiful location. Sharon and Claire (my wonderful assistant for the day and, more importantly I guess, Sharon's Sister) reminisced about their childhood in the woods. I know what you're thinking, but no, they were not raised in the woods by a scurry of lovable woodland creatures. I did ask.

As we trekked up towards the monument at the top of North Nibley, we started the shoot by using the great abundance of greenery and trees (as you would find in a wood). The lighting today was a perfect overcast which allows us to use almost anything as a backdrop without the fear of harsh lighting.

When we got to the top and were treated to such a beautiful view of the Cotswolds and beyond. Add the Tyndale Monument into the mix and we had a perfect setting to continue the shoot. The shot above was taken in the entrance to the Monument.

Using the scenic views and imposing monument's stonework, we completed the shoot with a set of images that capture the fun that Sharon & Justin share. There is even an impromptu piggyback in there. I'll leave you guessing who piggybacked who.

As proof that Claire had not only come to the shoot, but had done all the really hard work of carrying everything around, I captured this image of her with Sharon. Trust me, she carried more than the daffodil.

On the way back down, Macey (the Dog from the theme tune at the start of the blog), continued to make friends with everyone and their dogs. Even if they didn't want to. And yes, for all animal lovers out there, we did get some lovely shots of her too.

A wonderful sunny Sunday morning with Sharon, Justin, Claire & Macey, taking photos and having a laugh. No better way to spend a day.

If today's shoot is anything to go by (which it is), I'm going to have the time of my life shooting the wedding.

Bristol Portrait & Wedding Photography - Liz & Simon's Pre-wedding Shoot

When you think of On The Waterfront, you're thinking Marlon Brando riding an uncomfortably large bike, in leathers, white vest and a, now-realised, camp leather cap.

Well, Liz & Simon's Pre-wedding Shoot on the Bristol Waterfront was no different. Apart from the bike, vest and leathers. Oh, and cap.

Quickly, after meeting Liz & Simon last December for a wedding consultation and hearing of their plans for the great day, I knew I had to shoot their wedding. No spoilers. You're all going to have to wait until after 9th July. There's no use tutting and sighing. Be patient. It will be worth it.

The Bristol Waterfront is a haven of fantastic backdrops for a portrait shoot and we used as many of them as we could.

We made a great start to the shoot at the waterside where I quickly realised that a) Liz & Simon were going to be a real joy to shoot and b) Simon may or may not have enjoyed a modelling career prior to the shoot and c) Liz has the fastest blink I've ever seen. I'll come to that last one in a moment.

Actually, I'll come to that now. There is a trick when photographing "blinkers" and that is to get them to close their eyes and open them just before you press the shutter. The idea being that they can't possibly close their eyes before you press the button. Sound reasonable? It's a trick that's worked for several years. Until today. Now everything I believe in is being questioned.

Using a number of bold coloured backdrops we put together a great collection of images as we made our way around the waterside and through to the @Bristol Square where we completed our shoot.

On the way round Liz treated us all to a joke and a punchline I still don't get. It was about Little Red Riding Hood. Any ideas?

Joking aside (understandable punchline or not), Liz & Simon did not stop laughing the whole time and, as you can see from the photo above, that have fantastic smiles to match. They were a genuine joy to photograph.

Special thanks to the Cafe for letting us use their tables (even though we didn't buy anything). And to, the now famously infamous, Kim for carrying everything, except me, around the shoot. A piggy-back wouldn't have gone amiss.

Gloucester Wedding Photography - Sarah & Adrian

Have you ever seen the St Trinian movies? Not those hideous remakes, but the originals with Alistair Sim & George Cole? You have? Good. Keep them in mind for later reference.

I met Sarah & Adrian 6 months ago and got on like a house on fire. But without the insurance claim.

They knew exactly the style of wedding images they wanted, which always make my job so much easier. Lots and lots of photojournalist reportage photography. They would prefer not to see me at the wedding. At all. I never take it personally, despite wiping away a tear. But, of course they mean shooting their wedding as a Photojournalist. By far my favourite weddings.

We were promised sunny weather, and, although we didn't get that, we did get a bright, overcast day. Perfect weather for wedding photography. No need to find a number of shaded areas to avoid the harsh lighting.

The day started with Adrian working hard to finish off the table decorations and collecting the flowers with the assistance of my assistant-for-the-day, Kim, of Kim De Beer fame. If you read the previous blog you will know of her greatness.

After taking a few shots of Adrian, hard at work, we then went to shoot the bridal preparation with Sarah. Sarah looked fantastic in her gold dress.

We got to the Gloucester Registry Office for the Ceremony. One of my favourite venues as all the guests line up outside before the ceremony which is perfect for the photojournalist. Plenty of hedges, walls and pillars to stand near, taking shots of everyone anticipating the great day, without them noticing me.

The wedding ceremony was a real treat. I got front-of-house positioning to get some lovely shots of all the emotions fitting a wedding.

This is where your memories of St Trinian's will come in handy, as I describe one of the funniest moments I have ever seen at a wedding - and possibly anywhere else.

Picture this - Sarah & Adrian were reading their own vows to each other in front of their friends and family. A lovely moment. Not five feet behind them the 4 young girls, who by this point had provided much entertainment for me to shoot, decided that to entertain each other by jumping around in their seats, climbing over each other and letting out cries of how bored they were. The hilarious incredulity of seeing both of these moments at the same time was only surpassed by the fact that neither Sarah or Adrian noticed and completed their vows unaffected. My new favourite wedding moment and one that's going to take some beating.

Everyone made their way back to Gloucester's Gala Club for the Reception where, after more opportunities for me to get some informal shots, Kim and I had a chance to put our feet up and review the images so far, while the wedding party enjoyed their breakfast.

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, one of my favourite moments of any wedding are the speeches. I love walking around the room capturing true emotions. There are always tears, laughter and, in most instances, looks of horror as the Best Man "stitches up" the Groom. Adrian seems to have lived a purer life than most based on Darren's speech. Either that or Darren was being kind.

Sarah was very keen to get some shots of her son, Steve, who is going out to Afghanistan in a few weeks. The spare time after the speeches gave me an opportunity to get those for a very proud Mum. Good luck to Steve in the coming months.

I spent an hour at the local pub having dinner before the Evening Reception. 5 mins after settling down I heard a wall of sound behind me only to see the hilarious St Trinian Crew swarming towards me. They was a good 10 mins of good-natured terrorising of the locals and climbing over everything taller than them - which was everything.

This energy continued through to the Evening Reception where all the kids danced and threw themselves around the dance floor. I was also treated to some "robot" moves under the instruction of the dancer that I capture every movement. I did.

A long day and an utterly enjoyable one. Sarah & Adrian didn't stop smiling all day. This is the kind of wedding that reminds me how much I love to shoot them. Laughter, tears, hilarious kids with boundless energy and a group of friends and family who enjoyed every moment of the day.

Thank you to Sarah & Adrian for allowing me to capture their special day. I wish them all the very best the future has.

Flowers supplied by Daisy Chain, Gloucester - www.daisychaingloucester.co.uk
Suits supplied by Beaus & Balls, Gloucester - www.beaus-and-balls.co.uk
Balloons supplied by All Occasioins, Gloucester - www.alloccasionsglos.co.uk

Gloucester Wedding Photography - Sarah & Dan

It only seemed like yesterday when I shot Sarah & Dan for their Engagement Portrait.

In the four months since that shoot Sarah & Dan have been working hard planning their wedding and what a cracker it was. Even the weather joined in on the fun.

Today started off a new season of weddings for 2011 with a new assistant, Kim De Beer. Kim has great experience of urban social art photography and is looking to add wedding photography to her endless list of talents.

Meeting Sarah for her Bridal Preparation shoot, it was soon obvious how nervous she was. It was easy to see how much her wedding day meant to her.

With the preparation shots completed, we met Dan at St Barthelomew Church, Lower Cam. Dan was as calm a groom as I've worked with.

I remember the fun fun we had on the Engagement Portrait shoot a few months earlier and today was no different.

Sarah arrived at the Church in one of the greatest wedding cars - a Burgundy 1960's VW Campervan. The Bridesmaids arrived in a stretched Hum-Vee Limo. The owners of both didn't seem keen on swapping their cars with mine - a very sporty Toyota Yaris. I would have cleaned the car for them too.

Sarah looked fantastic in her wedding dress and with the weather doing it's job, she really had no reason to worry.

After the ceremony, we worked on some shots of Sarah & Dan at one of the beautiful stain-glass windows. The photo above is one of my favourites.

After being drenched in, what seemed like endless, confetti, friends and family made their way to Eastwood Park Hotel in Falfield, Wotton-Under-Edge. I've worked at this venue before and remember it as one of my all-time favourites.

After a number of shots with the wedding cars and group shot, we moved into Eastwood's beautiful gardens for the formal shots. The sunshine provided the perfect back-lighting and I provided the perfect seat for Sarah & Dan to rest their very weary feet.

During the shoot and despite, prompting, no-one was willing to tell me about, what sounded like an incredibly interesting, Hen Night. I think more probing into that evening is required at the Wedding Image Review in a few weeks.

Dan's speech was one of the best and most emotional. A heartfelt thank-you to his new wife, made all, but the hardest of souls, reach for their hankies to wipe away a tear. Obviously, I didn't cry. I was working. I'm a professional. ;o)

The wedding group was a real joy to work with and provided a lot of fantastic opportunities for me to get some interesting photo-journalistic reportage shots. More of these shots will be shared when I created a page dedicated to Sarah & Dan's wedding in a couple of weeks.

Lastly, I would like to thank Sarah & Dan for choosing me to shoot their special day and for being such great sports, and a thank you to everyone at the Eastwood Hotel for helping get all the images we wanted.

All the very best wishes to Sarah & Dan. A wonderful couple who thoroughly deserved every magical moment of their day.

Hello (I'm back again)

My favourite Gary Glitter song and my sentiment. I just noticed how long it's been since my last blog. That's my New Years Resolution of regular updates broken.

Well, a lot has changed in the last few months. A name change, an update logo, a new glamorous assistant and a brand new wedding package.

I finally got round to getting rid of my name and replacing it with my preferred middle name. So I am now, officially, called David. That avoids so much confusion. Especially in my own easily-confused mind.

You've hopefully seen the updated Equation Logo on the site. Feel free to let me know what you think of it.

A great big welcome to Kim, who has agreed to be my wedding day assistant for 2011. Kim is a fantastic photographer in her own right with an incredible unique style for urban landscape photography. Check out her work at www.kimikimiphotography.com. Welcome, Kim. I hope I'm not too much of an ogre.

Last, and most definitely not least, is the new wedding package. Did you get the clue from the image? If you remember, the main package last year was a CD-only option. An increasing number of couples have asked about wedding albums so I have adapted the wedding package to include not only a wedding album but also a set of parents books. How much will your folks love you when you give them a wedding book each? No need to think about that, the answer is "loads".

The wedding album is A4, 30-pages, and comes with a choice of an acrylic or metallic cover. The parents book ar A5, 30-pages and hardcover with a sleeve. To save you having to sign off another design, the Parent's book layout is exactly the same as the Wedding Album.

Don't forget that you also get the 40-page softcover CD-album as standard. So, four books in one package. Sound good? I hope so. But, feel free to ask any questions.

I promise to keep the Blog more updated now so please pop in once in a while to check out new offers and more of my infamous rambling.

And to all those David Gow couples getting married this year..... how great is 2011 going to be? The answer is "loads"!! I can't wait!!

Gloucester Wedding Photographer - Emma & Kris' Engagement Portrait

SWALK - Sealey With A Loving Kiss. Oh yes. That has to be my best Blog Title yet. Even better than the "Freesias and Daisy Chain"? There's only one way to find out. It would probably help to know that Emma's surname is Sealey to appreciate the genius. Come on now. Appreciate it.

Anyway, I have lived and/or worked in Bristol for nearly 10 years and have never thought to do a photography shoot at the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. That was remedied on Saturday when I met up with Emma & Kris for their pre-wedding shoot.

The weather did it best to hamper things but didn't take into account the fortitude of the couple. The rain was that fine stuff that soaks you through. Thanks to Peter Kay for that line.

I met Emma & Kris in mid-September for their wedding consultation and left that meeting keeping everything crossed that they would pick me to shoot their wedding. They have everything that makes my job so easy. A great looking couple who want to have a lot of fun with their wedding and are very comfortable with each other. That last one can sometimes be missing. Surprisingly.

I'm also a fan of Emma's Mum & Dad; a Dad who has promised to knock out a few renditions of the most unusual of songs - Black Box's "Ride on Time" being the one that sticks in my mind the most. Whether I'm a fan of Dad after his faithful and moving tribute to the 90's dance band remains to be seen. He is going to be grateful that I don't shoot video though.

From the outset Emma & Kris were the perfect couple to shoot. Almost every shot of them together has them hugging and clutching to each other. That might sound obvious for couples in love but you would be surprised how many feel uncomfortable doing this.

It was quickly established that Kris was indeed a gorgeous hunk (Emma's words, not mine) and he played up the camera to prove that. Really. They were Emma's words.

Emma really played to the camera too and after reviewing the selected images have got a really cracking set of images for their Gallery.

During the shoot there were a couple of tourists taking shots of Emma & Kris while we were setting up a shot. They really got the paparazzi treatment and even posed for one of them. Not bad for a couple who were initially nervous about having their photo taken.

In summary, this was one of my favourite Engagement Portrait shoots of the year. Great-looking, fun-loving couple. Check. Fantastic venue. Check. Great weather. Check (just about).

A great big thank you to my gorgeous girlfriend Jan for assisting me in the shoot and offering advice on some new ideas. I love you, my Angel.

Kate and the Swan Opera

OK, so we had a Swan called Gary, a Dog called Piglet and Scrumpy that would bite you if you tried to drink it from a pint glass. Scrumpy was a dog too.

Today was a fantastic shoot. Simple as that. Kate was superb and gorgeous, Upper Court Manor was beautiful and the sun came out to play.

Autumn is easily my favourite time of the year to shoot portraits. The colours are warmer and the sun softer which makes my job so much easier.

I'd met Kate at the NEC Wedding Fair when I was helping Blenheim Photography as Jan's saucy assistant. Check out the photos on www.groovybooth.com if you don't believe the "saucy" part.

I knew instantly that Kate was going to be the perfect portrait subject. Beautiful, lively and game for just about anything on the shoot.

Kate provided a lot of herself and previous experience as a model which provided a great variety of poses, expressions and fun. In particular, there is one shot of Kate with a flower head in her mouth. That image can be found on Facebook in the David Gow Photography page.

Not only did we create a lot of great images, but we started, what I can only assume will evolve into, a soap opera for swans. We decided that the two Swans we saw were called Gary and Betty. Betty was a fanatic of Radio 4 and knitting while Gary was a local at the pub with his mates - Fat Bob, Steve-o, Gaz and Barry and nerdy hanger-on, Kevin.

This may all sound strange but they laughed when someone came up with the idea of a sitcom about the Nazis and called it "Allo Allo". Ironically, there was more laughter then than the show itself ever produced.

A great shoot today - one of those days when everything comes together. I'm looking forward to editing the images for Kate's Gallery.

If you are interested in having your own portrait shoot or know anyone who would like one then please feel free to contact me at ian@davidgow.co.uk.

If you go into the woods today...

... as well as seeing a strange group of teddy bears pottering about making a right nuisance of themselves trying to "surprise" passers-by, you would also have seen Sarah & Dan being photographed for their pre-wedding shoot.

Sarah suggested that we do the shoot in the woods in Dursley and that turned out to be a stroke of genius.

We got a cracking set of images despite the weather trying it's best to stop us.

Starting with some shots at, what I can only assume was, an abandoned caravan park we found on our quest, we progressed up a country lane and into the woods.

Sarah & Dan were great sports as I asked them to stop at every "interesting" point on the walk to add to the gallery images. And there were a lot.

Special mention goes to Sue, Sarah's Mum, who did a fantastic job of being my glamorous assistant. Sue was a star at handling the reflector which she carried around for the whole shoot. It's a pity Sue will have other plans on March 19th, when Sarah & Dan get married, as I think I have found the perfect aide.

And let us not forget Lacey, Sarah & Dan's dog. As well as making sure we weren't mugged by teddy bear hoodies she posed for a great shot of her looking every inch the canine-equivalent of a super-model. But without the bad attitude. Or the bad skin condition. Or the desire to be Britain's Next Top Model. I'd vote for her anyway.

Sarah & Dan's wedding has some special features that I'm really looking forward to capturing on film. I'm not sure how much is a secret so I won't give anything away yet. You'll need to wait until March for that.

"Oh what a Temple Spa Ladies Night"

As you can imagine, when I helped the Four Seasons write one of their biggest hits I wasn't too keen on that title. I suggested removing the words "Temple Spa Ladies" and after much discussion they agreed and the rest is Rock n Roll history.

However, the original title for that song makes a perfect label for today's blog.

Last night was indeed the Temple Spa Ladies Night at Brickhampton Golf Club in Tewkesbury and what a fun night it was.

There were a lot of great exhibitors there and I was fortunate to meet a lot of great ladies.

As you can see from the pic above the roller banner looked as good as I'd hoped as well as the framed images - both of which received great comments about how beautiful Zoe looks. Thank you again to Paul and Claire for allowing me to use the images.

This was the first show were I exhibited the new photo books, added as part of the Portrait Gift Pack. These proved to be very popular with some ladies expressing great interest in having their own books.

Talking of the Portrait Gift Pack. Which I was. Honestly. Check the previous paragraph. See? No tenuous links on my blogs. Apart from the title and references to the Four Seasons. Anyway. Last night saw the introduction of the discount offer on the Gift Packs. Normally £250 the packs are now priced at £150 until Dec 31. £100 discount!! A bargain. The pack includes a Pre-paid Portrait Voucher and a choice of a 13"x11" Photobook, Framed Images, Portrait DVD or Digital Frame. See? A bargain.

If you are interested in buying a Gift Pack they can be purchased by contacting me - details can be found at http://www.davidgow.co.uk/contact.html.

Thank you to everyone who came to the Show and to everyone who spoke to me - despite me forgetting to bring sweets.

I look forward to meeting up with you again to create your own portrait magic.

Portrait Gift Pack Offer at the Temple Spa

New literature, new promotion, new pack offers and a bowl of new sweets - it can only mean one thing - a new stand at a fair.

I'll be exhibiting (so to speak) at the Temple Spa Ladies Night at the Brickhampton Golf Club in Gloucester tomorrow, Fri 15th Oct, evening.

This photo of the beautiful Zoe is the new roller banner bring unveiled at the show. At a mere 6ft high I'm hoping this catches the eyes of everyone attending. A great big thank you to Claire and Paul for allowing me to use Zoe's image.

As well as a new set of promo literature I'm excited to be promoting a special offer for the Portrait Gift Pack. Everyone who attends will be given a £100 discount on the Gift Pack making it an even more obvious choice for a Christmas present for your loved ones. I'll even let you buy one for someone you don't especially like too. It's not just limited to "loved ones".

This year has been a great success for lifestyle portraits with a few months left to make it outstanding. I'm working hard to make 2011 even better.

If you are free tomorrow night then please come along and say "Hi". There will be a lot of great exhibitors and with more bargains than you can throw a small Bolivian Goat-herder's Poking Stick at.

Did I mention there will be free sweets?

Naz and the Aztec Camera

It has been well over a year since I worked with Naz - in fact Naz was the first customer I shot with my 5D Mk2. Not sure if that means anything to anyone but I remember.

Naz expressed an interest in a new shoot using Indian dress - well 3 dresses. Instead of choosing which dress to use we decided to do 3 separate shoots - this was the first.

We has intended to do a rural shoot using a lot of greenery for her blue dress but we got lost while walking to the location.

However, we found something even better - the back of an industrial unit in the Aztec Centre, Bristol. This location offered us a number of colours and textures including this corrugated metal wall. Some of the best locations can be found in the most obscure and unexpected places.

We got a great collection of images for the Blue Dress shoot of the "trilogy" and have already planned the Burgundy Dress shoot for next week which will be a "town" shoot.

The third shoot is a Cream Dress - we're going to wait for the snow to complete the series.

Naz is always great fun to shoot - check out some of her images on the David Gow Photography website gallery - in the portraits section - to see why. A great looking girl who's happy to throw a roundhouse kick into the portrait shoot.

Bring on next week.

Tamika - The Wharf House, Gloucester

Tamika is no stranger in front of the camera with her work as a model at numerous wedding fairs - but this is the first time we've worked together in a portrait shoot just for her.

I started a competition last year which Tamika won. I uploaded a number of portrait images on Facebook and whoever got the most comments against their image within the month won the prize of the portrait shoot and a digital coffee table book for their images. Well done to Tamika for winning and thank you to everyone for taking the time to vote.

For Tamika's shoot we decided on the Wharf House as the venue as it's still a great favourite. It has a variety of interesting sections, including the canal, boats, a bridge, overpass, lots of greenery, a small building site and not forgetting the strange pond containing pea and ham soup.

The sun decided to challenge us by moving in and out of the clouds so we ended up roping Tamika's Granddad into the shoot, as my glamorous assistant, to hold the reflector. It was very reminiscent of the Dolly Birds holding the huge playing cards in Play Your Cards Right. 5 points for anyone who not only remembers the show but can also recall any of Bruce Forsythe's catchphrases.

As a late afternoon, cloudy shoot the light was nicely diffused and we got a great collection of images for Tamika's gallery.

After seeing a couple of rabbits midway through the shoot, I was a little disappointed that Tamika didn't race after them to use as a prop - but fair play as she did master her fear and get onto the riverboat for the "captain of the seas" shot. I don't think it helped that I "accidentally" rocked it while setting up in position.

Also, credit goes to Tamika and her Granddad for trudging through the swamp-like nettle-sludge to get to the "green door" at the underpass for the last few shots. After reviewing the edits I can say that it was definitely worth it. Surprisingly, neither took up my offer of a piggy-back.

Katharine & Simon - Burleigh Court Hotel, Oxfordshire

I knew from the moment I met Katharine and Simon for their pre-wedding shoot that we were going to have great fun shooting their wedding. I have never heard a couple laugh and enjoy themselves so much.

The wedding party was a small and perfectly formed group of guests, family and friends who were an absolute joy to photograph.

Part of the ceremony was conducted in Welsh and despite the lack of understanding sections of the vows it was plain to see the love shared between Katharine & Simon.

Confetti was replace by bubbles and I have to say how impressed I was with how long the bubbles lasted and how much puff everyone had. If I didn't know better I would suspect that someone brought their own bottle of Fairy Liquid.

The speeches were very emotional and after listening to Katharine's speech had great respect for her - she did an incredible job of not only learning Welsh but doing so in 10 months.

I wish all the very best to Katharine & Simon. A truly happy couple and great fun to photograph.

A guide to Gypsies and the Criminal Underworld of Hedgehogs

Well, I've finally managed to get some time to start my new project - a book.

I'm writing a guide for the Wedding Photographer and, man, do I have a lot of interesting highs and lows to write about.

The book is a step-by-step guide of everything I've learned in the last 4 years in the industry including all the pitfalls to avoid. Some of them very expensive.

I've been meaning to write this since January and have the outline defined. I wrote the Chapter on Websites last week and finding that free-flow writing seems to work - at the moment - has spurred me on to get the other chapters completed.

I'd like to complete the book by mid-Nov for publication and into the Christmas market. Signed copies will be available. Unsigned copies will be available too at an additional charge. You'd need to see my ghastly signature to appreciate that.

There will be stories, both funny and tragic, included. Alas, the wandering gypsy who solves hedgehog-related crimes is not in this book. That's next years project.

I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Thanks for reading - and feel free to post a reply.

Trying something new - Jo & Lee

I'm a big fan of trying new things when it comes to creating art from wedding and portrait images and this year I decided to add a series of darker images to the collection.

I took a series of shots at Jo & Lee's wedding with this idea in mind and I got what I was looking for.

This image is an example of the more artistic imagery I am looking for - and the beauty of this is that this shot took about 30 seconds to set up, 30 seconds to edit in Lightroom 2 and 60 seconds to perfect in Photoshop - two minutes.

I created a number of other images in a similar vein and am pleased with how they all turned out. Of course it really does help when the couple are as good looking as Jo & Lee and the wedding venue as beautiful as Ardington House, outside Wantage.

My next wedding is next Thursday when I'll be shooting Katharine and Simon and am very keen to create a similar theme.