STICKY NOTE- Get ready to "Blast Off"!

NMP is branching out! Dalgety Bay's first and only commercially based, permanent photography studio is lifting off in July! "Blast Off Portraits" - a first for the Bay!

Piloted by Nikki McLeod, a full time, fully-qualified, female photographer, Blast Off will be landing in the Play Planet (opposite Asda's), giving quality professional photography, at affordable prices, without the hard sell.

Capture all the times of your life; pregnancy, newborn, baby, toddler, children, couples, families, all within the comfortable surroundings of the Blast Off studio and in five easy packages.

LAUNCH DAY allows you to see the new studio, meet Nikki the principal photographer and book your session, while enjoying the other special events on that day organised by "Blast Off"!

The first 10 sessions booked on Launch Day will receive a voucher for a COMPLIMENTARY A3 PRINT with their purchases (sessions to be taken in July or August 2009).

A competition is going to be held throughout the year, called "Cheering for CHAS". Every portrait session taken at the "Blast Off" studio will be given the option to enter the "Cheering for CHAS" competition for a small donation to CHAS. Every 3 months for one day only, there will be a print display in the Play Planet, and everyone that enters the Play Planet that day will be asked to pick their favourite image by making a donation (minimum £2) to CHAS in the collection box beside that image. The winning image will be the one with the most money and will be on display in the Play Planet reception area for the next three months in a huge 20" x 24" frame, and the winner will receive that image once their three months is up. The first "Cheering for CHAS" day will be on Launch Day.

Launch Day will have CHAS goodies for sale throughout the day.

PLUS on the hour every hour, from 10am to 5pm, there will be a prize draw. Enter your name to the prize draw on arrival at the Play Planet, and be in with a chance to win...... prizes include various complimentary products such as framed images, discount vouchers...AND the last draw of the day brings the biggest prize of the day - a FREE SESSION worth £120! All entries on the day will be entered for every draw after their entry is received, therefore you are advised to come to the Play Planet and enter the draw as early as possible on the day as your name will remain in the draw until a) the end of the day or b) you win a prize!

Launch Day will also have a fantastic magician on hand providing a FREE magic show between 1pm and 3pm, with magic tricks and balloon modelling!

The Play Planet is open 9am to 6pm and play sessions are 2 hours long. (Please note that there will be no photo sessions taken on the Launch Day itself)

Child and adult numbers in the Play Planet are limited. Therefore it is advisable to phone the Play Planet on 01383 822288 and book your space to avoid disappointment when you see "We are full sorry" sign!

Please note there is a charge per child to enter the Play Planet (but under 2's get in for free!), but it does allow TWO WHOLE HOURS of play!
www.theplayplanet.co.uk

Lyn & Paul's Manhattan "Back Again" session - part one

As the couple weren't seeing each other before the wedding ceremony itself, it left no time to take any city images of the two of them together.

So I suggested adding a "Back Again" post wedding session the day after to their collection, and the newlyweds were all for it!!

I asked them what they wanted from these photos; Lyn said "I want people to know we were in New York" so iconic landmarks it was to be. After a lot of phone calls and emails, I managed to secure permission for various places around the city to shoot in, and so began a crazy "Back Again" shoot which I will never forget!

Firstly I asked Lyn for a shot in the hotel lobby; the Hotel Bentley was very contemporary, just my kinda place!Then we jumped in a yellow cab to the South East corner of Central Park. There is a lovely little lake just right in the corner, giving peaceful views with skyscrapers in the background!

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part ten

Lyn and I had a laugh in Times Square!

Talk about stopping traffic in New York.....

So you would think that would be it, huh?! No chance.......

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part nine

The bridal party had a blast at the dancing before we left the boat.

But we weren't finished there.....

On the way back to the hotel, we had to do it; we had to stop in Times Square!!

It's not all it's cracked up to be, like in the movies; the place was SWARMING with tourists!

But I still got the shots!

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part eight

Straight after the visit to the Lady, we shot downstairs for the first dance. Before going out on deck again, for some night-time Manhattan skyline wedding imagery.

The fog rolling in over the Empire State Building gave an impressive sight as we docked.

But not before a rendition of "Sweet Caroline"!

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part seven

The Manhattan skyline was truely amazing (these images are pretty much straight out of camera, so you can imagine the texture in the sky!) The cruise went down the West Side of Manhattan and under the tip, to go up under the Brooklyn Bridge.

And of course, the cruise finishes by going around the lady herself, the Statue of Liberty.

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part six

Some heartfelt statements were made in the speeches..

And a funny card from a much-missed guest went down well.....

As the boat set sail, we joined the other guests up on deck. The weather might not have played ball for the ceremony itself (the rain literally bounced off the deck!) but it did leave behind dramatic skyes, leaving me endless opportunities to provide the newlyweds with the type of images they paid me to come over for!

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part five

Paul was quite nervous at the ceremony. And of course, the Scottish rain decided to follow us over, and the outdoor ceremony turned into an indoor ceremony. Lyn held it together...

but then Emma started with the tears, which started me off, which started Lyn off!

But it was all happy tears and I think this image says it all!

The formals quickly taken care of by Matt (I left him to it, and didn't be that annoying guest that HAS to shoot over your shoulder....), it was all too soon time to sit down for the meal before the boat set sail. (Thanks to Matt for covering the ceremony for me!)

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part four

Just in case you have forgotten where I was......!Before I left Lyn, she had a "daddy" moment, that's when the tears started to flow.... (including the photographers!) Meanwhile downstairs in the lobby, Paul was having a natter with his Best Man, his father.

All too soon, it was time to shoot over Manhattan to the West Side, Pier 81 and the World Yacht. This was where the ceremony was being held, just before a 3 hour dinner dance cruise up and down the Hudson River.

This is where things got a bit weird......

Eight weeks before the wedding, Lyn's UK wedding co-ordinater turned around and told her that her booked photographer (ie me!) would not be allowed on the actual cruise itself. Lyn & Paul were absolutely gutted. Their vision of having amazing shots while on the cruise of them in front of the Manhattan skyline were about to be dashed.

To cut a long story short, we gained the vision of a lovely friend of mine Matt, who is a Jersey boy, who proceeded to shoot the ceremony for me. Lyn and Paul then put me on the guest list, which allowed me to be the "annoying Auntie Bob with a camera" guest during the ceremony and the proceeding formals!

The minister was an interesting man who kept us amused with his small talk while we awaited the arrival of the bride.

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part three

It was lovely to have my previous bride Emma, help my current bride Lyn, into her stunning dress

A little "wobbly" moment between friends....

Lyn was stunning..

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part two

Lyn had THE most amazing false eyelashes on!

Then it was back to the hotel (Hotel Bentley on the Upper East Side, very contemporary and chic) where the girls started to get ready.
Of course what wedding in NYC could be complete without a bride's present from the groom, in that special egg blue box, from Tiffanys......

Lyn & Paul's wedding, New York City - part one

Being recommended by a previous client is a wonderful feeling. Being told at a wedding by a bridesmaid that "whenever I get married, you'll be photographing the wedding" is a fabulous feeling. Being paid to photograph said bridesmaid's wedding in New York is a feeling that is out of this world!

I remember Lyn & Paul from Emma & Colin's wonderful Orocco Pier wedding several years ago and was honoured when Lyn booked me for their big Edinburgh wedding this coming August. Lyn even moved the date of the wedding by 2 weeks, as when she went to book me, I was already booked for her date!

At the turn of the year, events changed and the Edinburgh wedding turned into the possibility of a New York wedding. I joked to Lyn that I would happily go to NYC to shoot the wedding...... 3 hours later and my flights and accommodation are booked - I AM going to New York City to photograph Lyn & Paul's wedding!!

After so much planning (and a lot of hassle - more on that later!) I found myself last week leaving on a jet plane for the city that never sleeps!

After a lovely first evening off, meeting up with my mum and dad who happened to be on holiday at the same time, and then meeting up with old friends Jess and Jer, I spent the first full day scouting out places for the post wedding shoot. The weather hadn't been that great, but we were hoping that come the wedding day, all would be fine.

I joined the girls on the wedding morning, at the Blow Bar on Lexington Avenue.
The girls were pampered and preened...

Lyn said she felt like a beauty queen at a pageant!

Jack's last day in nursery.....

I am interrupting the proceedings (and I know there are people DESPERATELY awaiting the New York wedding......) to show off my boy and his last day at nursery.

I cannot believe that Jack is going to school after the holidays, where has the time gone
My little boy.... growing up so quickly.

It was fun to play at nursery with him and his friends, and I even let Jack and some of his friends loose with the camera (it's okay it's an old D70 that Jack plays about with...)

Jack and his teacher Mrs Kerr.... I think he will miss her, as he absolutely adored her, showering her with hugs daily. She was a star, putting up with all Jack's nonsense!Jack wanted to take these piccies of his friends Nathan and Rachel.

The nursery is such fun for 3 and 4 year olds.

Jack took this shot of his friend Nathan

while Nathan returned the favour and took this shot of Jack!

Best of friends.... Honour was a favourite with Jack, another one he loved to "Huggle"!

Don't think she was overly enamoured with him though.......

Just before we left, I let the kids run loose with the camera..... it's amazing what 3 and 4 years old come up with...

Very proud of my little boy; have a good summer, son; here's to Primary One!!

(Ps I blubbed like a baby, can't imagine what I will be like on his first day at school........)

Yervant in Venice - part ten

The models were fantastic to work with.

Our last day of the seminar was spent on a road trip to the Graphistudio album factory. This was quite a sight and a treat. And our surprise? Yervant and Graphi had organised an album to be made up of all our favourite images from our shoots, it was such a beautiful book, it will be treasured for years to come.

Yervant in Venice - part nine

It was great watching everyone getting great images!

We were told to pick our favourite image of the day we were shooting, we didnt know why at the time, but we were to find out on the last day....

This was my favourite image from our own shooting day.