Bibury Court Wedding Fair - This Sunday

copyright: www.andrewjacksonphotography.co.uk

Just a quick blog to let you know that Saskia and I will be at Bibury Court wedding fair on Sunday, making an exhibition of ourselves! If you are still looking for the perfect Cotswold wedding venue then Bibury Court is definitely worth a closer look. The village of Bibury is picture postcard perfect and the hotel is just as beautiful - set in lovely grounds and with a brilliant team to look after your day. Its been one of our main venues this year and its been a real pleasure shooting there. So, do visit us on Sunday 31st and we promise not to talk at you for ever about how great we are!!!

2011: Portraits in Bristol

All pictures copyright Andrew Jackson Photography

As part of next year's portrait relaunch, I've been looking to capture a little more emotion, more intimacy than in my work to date. These three are just a small sample of pictures from Bristol Docks with Stina & Joel. Pictures shot yesterday, all with natural light and all on location. Fab shoot - and if you would like something similar, there is still time to get a Bristol portrait shoot in the diary before Christmas - just contact me via the website.

2011: Amazing New Albums

Firstly, I mentioned a couple of posts ago that there are lots of changes in motion for 2011 and that I would be letting you know what was going on over the coming months... well, to help the 'search' facility, I'll start each of these with '2011' in the title bar... hopefully, this will make it easier to find.

So, new albums... I'm really pleased to announce that we have just signed up with Graphi Studio to produce our book style albums. For those of you unfamiliar with these albums, the printing is direct onto the page, so it produces a very modern, contemporary presentation for wedding and portrait photographs. Best of all is the ability to print a picture across a double page spread, so pictures can be used much, much bigger than in a regular album - so loads of impact. We have a great sample here from one of our weddings at The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath, which will be on display at our wedding fairs this month.

Now, I know that this style of album has been around for a while, but I've always resisted using them because there are so many dreadful alternatives out there. Just because it is now possible to make photo books doesn't mean that its right for a polite society; I've seen so many versions where the pictures have looked second rate and its only the gimmicks offered by the album that makes the product even remotely usable. BUT when I saw what Graphi Studio produced, I have to say I was blown away - the quality is first class - both in the construction of the album (after all, the stitching and binding has to be top quality to hold together as you share your pictures with family & friends) but the print quality too was supberb.

So we are still offering the jorgensen albums for those who prefer a more traditional approach, but have the option of the very best in book albums for people looking for something a little different. Hooray!

Portrait Promotion

www.andrewjacksonphotography.co.uk

Recently, I've been really doing a lot of navel gazing (or is it naval? I'm rubbish at spelling and this is one of those moments where there really is quite a difference: one spelling suggests I spend my weekends at Portsmouth harbour, the other that I am a belly button obsessive - anyway, its the later). So, having removed all the fluff, chewing gum and the remains of last weeks hummus & avocado sandwich, I started to think about how we approach the various styles of photography. And with portraits particularly it felt that I was shooting in much the same way as two / three years ago. So, I've gone back to basics, reassessed my style and approach and created a style more inspired by the fashion pages. First trial shoots have produced some lovely shots and the 'new look' is getting a really good response. Different to the usual studio portraits, it is a style more about capturing movement, emotion and atmosphere.

Special Offer? Well, until Christmas we're looking for victims (doh! sorry, 'customers') to experience the new style shoot. Its a special price of £25 for the session fee (will be £125 when officially launched in January), with discounts on any prints ordered. It's ideally suited to couples or teenagers (rather than family shoots - sorry), so if you know anyone who might be interested, do get in touch as soon as...obviously, good timing for Christmas presents, but even so, a fab experience at a great price. Email the Andrew Jackson Photography website for more info.

A Stunning Spring - Its Portrait Time

I'm back in my favourite 'office' - one of Clifton's best coffee shops - wondering why I am sat here and not taking pictures! The weather is glorious, the blossom is in the tree's - this is such a great time to book a portrait shoot! Once upon a time, I did promise that there would be some special offers for people who kept tabs on this blog, so here is the first special offer. Mention that you have seen this blog before the end of April '10 and I will offer a free on-location portrait session (in Bristol, Bath or surrounding area). Reprint prices start from £20 unframed, so a bargain to be had! Shoots need to be booked by the end of April and take place before the end of May. Have a look at my website for some sample images. Have to go - my americano with hot milk is cooling rapidly....

Winter Portraits in Bath

I love this shot: its got a lovely wintery, almost snowy feel to it. It was actually taken a few weeks back when we had the gorgeous Autumn weather, but using the deep greens of the tree as a backdrop has created a great background. Big, bright colours can add so much to a winter portrait too, so if you are planning to book a session, have a look through the wardrobe for colours that will zing off the page.

New Photo Workshops

Are your snaps missing their crackle and pop?

If your camera has been banished to the back of the cupboard, now is the time to set it free! Perhaps you have a big family gathering on the horizon or a holiday of a lifetime; maybe you will be treating yourself to a fancy new camera for Christmas and would like to know how to get the best from it… Andrew will be hosting a number of training workshops this spring, starting in Bath, followed a few weeks later by an event in the Cotswolds. Andrew’s courses have been very well received and the feedback from the last workshop was that all who attended would recommend the course to a friend. Its fun, its jargon free (mostly) and it will reignite your passion for photography.

Email Andrew's studio to find out more.

Wet Weather Weddings in Bristol!

Lots of couples ask 'what happens if it rains on our wedding day?' Well, bad weather does sort the 'men from the boys', or (recognising there are some female photographers too) it does separate 'those with experience from those who don't' (less catchy but more inclusive!). But beyond that, the light will be lovely & soft, which always makes for great pictures and we've taken some lovely bride / groom & brolly shots - it makes for a very different collection of images and often even more creative that usual as different visual solutions are employed. So we always reassure our couples that whatever the weather, we can deliver a great set of pictures - just celebrate the day for what it is.

But all of this is leading up to a very useful bit of information that I was given whilst on a shoot recently. Apparently, THE website for accurate weather forecasting is www.yr.no Its Norwegian (you probably guessed that from the 'NO' bit), but there is an English language service and it covers the uk and is spot one... So, when I'm shooting my wedding this saturday, I'm expecting a clear day, clouding over with rain from 6pm (when the guests are eating their meal). I'll let you know if the forecast is accurate!

Wedding Photography in Bristol & Bath

Andrew Jackson Photography uses Jorgensen albums for all our wedding & portrait collections; these are beautiful, hand-made albums imported from Australia and really show off our work at its best. We've always kept the album design very simple and classical, but for 2010 we introducing a new range of colours and cover styles that will really create unique albums for our clients to cherish. We're hoping to get some fresh images from the distributor to post here, but in the meantime if you are looking for creative images of your wedding, simply captured and would like to know more, please click on our website link to find out more.