Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone.  I hope you all have a peaceful and restful holiday.

Closed for the Holidays

The Gallery will close on Christmas Eve and re-open on 3rd January.  So anyone who wants to take advantage of the Gallery Opening Gift Voucher Offer and get a last minute Christmas gift needs to call in today or tomorrow to get one.

I am around Cork for the holidays and taking a few bookings between Christmas and New Year so if you need anything urgent do call the mobile: 087 683 8511.  If I’m not available please leave a message and I’ll get back to you.

The Gift Voucher Offer will continue in January so if someone springs an unexpected present on you, you can still get a voucher in return!

Have a great one…

The Model Scouts

Cork's Next Top Models (?)

RTÉ’s ‘The Model Scouts’ finished last night.  The adults have been addicted in our house: the Mrs for the Fashion and the Model thing, me for all the Photographers featured.

I love seeing other Photographers work – I always learn something from them one way or another.

Lasting impressions?  We’re both very impressed with IMG for starters.

And there were few surprises in the girls who did well or how hard they found it.

I thought it showed very well how personality and engagement are just as important – more important in fact – than good looks.

Which of course is good news for all of us!  Photography is really about capturing and evoking emotion and being pretty doesn’t get you all they way there.

Working with models is very different from photographing ‘normal’ people: it is the model’s job to give a photographer what they want.  It was interesting to hear the feedback from the photographers in the programme discussing which girls were ‘harder to work with’.

Most ordinary people just do what they do – many in fact feel very uncomfortable being photographed to start with and it is my job to make it as relaxing and ‘normal’ as possible in order to get the best photograph of them that I can.

January is the start of ‘seminar season’ for photographers.  Traditionally a quiet time there’s a lot of training out there at all levels.  Many of these use models.  A good model is patient (they are being paid to be there) and they don’t need a lot of help posing or striking a look.  It’s a great way to learn more about photography – just don’t expect all ‘real’ people to be so comfortable in front of the camera!

Well done to everyone involved but especially the girls who took part.  They were all so young and thrown into a voyage of self-discovery that I certainly couldn’t have taken on at their age!  Great job!  Great TV!

Family Photography Gift Vouchers for €30 this Christmas

To celebrate the opening of the Gallery, I am pleased to announce a special limited availability Gift Voucher.

The Voucher costs €30 and gives you a full family portrait session, a viewing session and a 5×7 print. The session has to be taken before 31st March, 2011.

This is a great deal and the Vouchers make ideal gifts for Christmas.  So if you know someone who is long overdue a family portrait then this is the gift for them.

As usual the Portrait Sessions will take place in the family home (or outside if it’s warm enough).  It’s a normal session so it can cover a large family group or just some pictures of the kids – or both.

You’ll then be invited back to the Gallery to see you pictures and select your complimentary print.  You’ll be able to order more prints or other products at normal prices (although of course you’re under no obligation to do so).   There are a range of new products on show in the Gallery.

The normal terms and conditions apply but there are few additional things to note about these vouchers:

  • This offer applies to sessions taken before 31st March 2011.  The voucher cannot be used for a session after this date.
  • You can only view your images at the arranged view session: no on-line galleries will be provided with this promotion.
  • Travel to a location within an hour of the Gallery is included in the promotional price.

Note that if you don’t think the time limit on this voucher suits the person you’re buying for then you can purchase standard gift vouchers (which have no expiry) from €80.

Progress

I’m way behind on the blog posts.  The Gallery is in really good shape now and nearly – very nearly – ready for ‘officially open’.

I’ve been working here full-time for the past week or so and it’s really nice to have somewhere dedicated to my work.

So watch this space – there’s a Very Special Offer going with the opening (anyone who has passed by has already had a sneak preview).

End of Movember

Well done to all those guys who did their bit for Movember.  I hope you’re all enjoying your first day without Mo – those that aren’t tempted to keep it that it!

I was warned not to take part – it’s a great cause but I don’t think I could cope with the family exile that I would have to bear.

The Small Fella gave it a go for a while though – this has to count as the best effort from our house – for this year anyway!

The best we could do for Movember in our house