I had a fun time on a recent assignment down in Portsmouth. Bella Italia management were abseiling down the Spinnaker tower to raise funds for Dreams Come True, their chosen charity for the year. There was also special guest appearances from the Minions and also youtube sensations Sapphire and Skye. It was a great day with awesome weather thrown in! Congratulations to all of the participants! Here are a few pics from the day.
Connie Celebrates Her 105th Birthday!!
Today I met Connie, a truly inspirational lady who was celebrating her 105th birthday at Brockworth House Care Home..yes I said 105th!! :-) It was amazing to watch Connie sing songs, knock back glasses of wine and get emotional opening her birthday cards including one from the Queen and prime minister. Happy Birthday Connie!!
Antiques Roadshow Filming at Tewkesbury Abbey
Busy day today! I was out and about across Gloucestershire photographing all sorts of interesting news stories and stopped off to photograph the filming of BBC TV show the Antiques Roadshow at Tewkesbury Abbey. The shows presenter Fiona Bruce was also there to chat to visitors.
Stow Horse Fayre
Had the opportunity to photograph the Stow on the Wold Horse Fayre today. It was a great experience with lots of great picture opportunities!
Portrait of Playwright Amy Rosenthal
Lauren & Ed
Here's a few sneaky pics from the wedding of Lauren & Ed! The day was amazing with incredible weather and the coolest bunting you will ever see! :-)
Military Veterans
I always enjoy photographing military veterans as we owe them so much. The last couple of days I photographed these two legends :-)
The Way of the Cross at Gloucester Cathedral
I photograph many things on a daily basis but today I got to photograph the Good Friday performance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ outside Gloucester Cathedral. The event was performed by the people of Gloucester and really was a thought provoking spectacle! The image below was taken after they had walked through the city centre with the cross and finally came to nailing Jesus to the cross. If you're a bit squeamish you had to avert your eyes when the Roman soldier hammered in the nails as fake blood was used. I love this image as it focuses on the raw emotion.
David & Holly Pre Wedding Shoot at The Cheltenham Park Hotel
Gloucester Rugby Players Cook up a Storm at Bella Italia
Had a fun time last night photographing the Gloucester Rugby guys making their own pizzas and waiting on tables at Bella Italia in the Gloucester Quays. Everyone threw themselves into it and I even got to eat a tasty pizza invented and made by Gloucester legend Terry Fanolua! Cheers Terry
Employee Portraits - Every Business Them!
Business Portraits..every business needs them! I have lost count the number of times I have gone into a business looked up and noticed some out of focus, dark, grim pictures of the company employees. In my opinion great clean staff pictures displayed proudly on the wall instantly projects a sense the company cares for its employees and more importantly will care about its customers! :-)
Portrait of Cheltenham Town FC Manager Gary Johnson
Being an ex footballer myself and an avid football/sports fan I love being in and around professional sports teams. Today I was asked to photograph Cheltenham Town FC manager Gary Johnson. I've met and photographed Gary before and he's a very relaxed friendly guy so I was looking forward to photographing him again. After photographing him in his office for a couple of minutes I suggested a quick shot outside to give a sense of the club and the surroundings. I think I captured a nice relaxed shot of Gary showing his jovial character!
Fun portrait shoot with Dr Alex Peterken - Headmaster of Cheltenham College
Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron
With the current hot topic being the EU debate It was interesting to meet Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and hear his views on the subject. I was there to photograph a Lib Dem meeting with Tim being the guest of honour and lead speaker. Aside from the standard speaking pictures during the meeting I was looking for a more intimate portrait of Tim. During a small break I was able to take 30 seconds or so to capture this portrait. Initially Tim was all smiles but I wanted to see a different side to his character so asked him to think about the current EU debate for a second. I was happy with the outcome as I think I captured something a bit different!
Portrait of WW2 Normandy Veteran George Peters. George has recently been awarded the Chevalier De la legion D'Honneur by France for his part in D Day
I am always honoured when I get the opportunity to photograph military veterans who have given so much over the years for us to enjoy our current way of life. Here are some portraits I took ofGeorge Peters aged 93 at his home in Cheltenham. George is a Normandy veteran and has recently been awarded the Chevalier De la legion D'Honneur by France for his part in D Day. When I arrived George seemed genuinely excited that he was going to have his photograph taken and that his accomplishments were being recognised. He was a proud former serviceman and dressed immaculately for the shoot.
George is now partially sighted so I had to assist him in getting into the right positions for the shots. His sense of humour and lovely smile were a real inspiration! During the shoot George let slip that only one person has ever said thank you to him for what he gave to the country during the war. I felt so sad for George and slightly guilty on behalf of my generation that we don't show our appreciation when we meet these amazing men and women! Needless to say I gave George the utmost respect and tried to make him feel like royalty during the shoot. :-)
Business Breakfast
I love photographing business breakfasts as not only are they interesting with some amazing speakers but they are a great way to network and allow different businesses in the county to maximise their skills and services...oh and I would never turn down a traditional English fry up!
Gloucester International Network
Last night I photographed the Gloucester International Network event organised by Business West Gloucestershire. The informative event was held in the impressive offices of SHS Drinks based in Gloucester and attended by many small businesses in Gloucestershire who export business across Europe and the World..
Queen Quitarist Brian May
An opportunity to photograph one of the greatest guitar players of his generation and once part of the biggest band in the world Queen doesn't come around very often! This was my chance to photograph Brian May! The event was an unveiling of a plaque and not surprisingly I was not alone with a camera. There were hundreds of people gathered to see the legend a well as the dozen or so press guys. I pushed my way to the front shouting 'press' and 'coming through' aside from a few unpleasant sideways glances I got myself to the front.
I knew I wanted something different to the rest of the press guys and so after the official unveiling etc I followed Brian and the other celebs backstage to the function room. This was my moment as for a brief few seconds Brian was alone and had a nice neutral backdrop behind him. I quickly went over and introduced myself and told Brian what I wanted. Thankfully he was as nice as pie and happily posed up. It was all over in a blink of an eye!
Sam Twiston-Davies
If you know your horse racing then you will recognise this famous face...Sam Twiston-Davies. Sam is one of the best jump jockeys in the country as well as being the most polite and accommodating! I had a great time with Sam shooting some cool portraits for a magazine.
Kerri & Pete Autumn Gloucestershire Wedding
I recently photographed the lovely autumn wedding of Kerri & Pete at the amazing Manor by the Lake venue in Cheltenham. In the days leading up to the wedding we had horrible wet weather. Thankfully the rain passed and the day was basked in beautiful autumn sunshine! Kerri & Pete were so chilled out and happy to spend some time walking around the grounds which were full of cool picture opportunities! All the best for the future guys! :-)
