Mad photographer going over board!

Today, at one of my Business Networking Events, Ewan Hastings from Seafarers UK was putting a team of people together for a charity event in September this year. A white water rafting event for the Seafarers UK charity. For some strange reason, I smiled at him, and before I knew it my name was on the list!

To take part, I have to raise £85 for the charity. I have never done anything like this before! However, I am keen to not only raise £85, but £250! I have been asked before by friends and I donated myself to charities before. So if anyone is willing to spend a Fiver for a mad photographer who wants to go over board - I would very much appreciate your help! The photos of the event will be posted on my blog, of course! So you will have a guaranteed laugh!!! A drookit Nadin! That's worth a Fiver???!

So if you have a few quid for a good cause, then please follow the below link. Technology makes it so easy these days to donate for charities.

Thank you for your time.

http://www.justgiving.com/nadindunnigan

New Sport's Pavillion at Clifton Hall School

On Friday, the new sport's pavillion was opened at Clifton Hall School near Edinburgh. The new pavillion houses the changing rooms and other sports facilities which the children are eager to try out. The opening was celebrated by parents and pupils on Friday with an afternoon full of fun and sports games in the grounds of the school.

New Children's magazine about to be launched in Edinburgh

Nicola Barclay is about to launch a children's magazine in Edinburgh which helps parents to find out about activities for children and parents in and around Edinburgh. She required an editor's photo and a first edition image for the front page. We had lots of fun in Edinburgh on a hot Summer's day pretending to be autumn!

The magazine will be distributed in schools from September this year. So watch out!

A windy Engagement Photography Session

Gary and Donna are getting married later this year, and of course they benefitted from the pre-wedding photo shoot which is included as standard in our wedding photography package. We enjoyed a windy afternoon in South Queensferry and took a set of romantic, but relaxed set of images of the two of them having fun.

The pre-shoot gives the couple and us the chance to get to know each other. They will feel a lot more confident to be photographed on the wedding day, but more importantly, this gives them an extra set of images which can be used for guest books or simply a photo album for the couple before they are married.

Wedding Fair at Orocco Pier - 31st May 2009

What fantastic weather today! Ice cream, paddling in the water! Eating chocolate wedding cake... ?

We had the opportunity to exhibit at the Orocco Pier wedding fair in South Queensferry today. Our stand was beside Truly Scrumptious Designer Wedding cakes, gosh they are FAB! We actually had our wedding cake made by Truly Scrumptious when we got married, but we never got much of it... But today we could enjoy a bit of cake, hmmmm, yummie! The whole day was very relaxed and we spoke to many couples about their forthcoming wedding.

We always add a little twist when we exhibit at wedding fairs: We offer a mini photo shoot to our potential clients so they can see how we work. Here are just a few examples...

Engagement Session in South Queensferry

Sarah and Jamie cannot wait for their wedding day in July. We had a fun afternoon in South Queensferry taking some stunning images of the two of them.

Lifestyle Campaign with Little Beau Peep in Linlithgow - receive a complimentary session worth £95

Nadin took some photographs earlier this year for Little Beau Peep in Linlithgow - the Designer Childrenswear shop in Linlithgow's busy High street. These photographs are now used to promote this year's summer collection. If you spend £50 or more at Little Beau Peep, you will also receive a complimentary lifestyle session - normally priced at £95!

Time for lifestyle - a fantastic summer ahead

Finally the weather is (a bit) better and already we have had some absolutely amazing lifestyle photography shoots.

What is a lifestyle shoot?

Why stay indoors when nature itself provides a fantastic studio! Enjoy an afternoon with your family at your favourite location - this could be your back garden, or your holiday home in the highlands, or a walk on the beach.  Nadin can join you and take some amazing photographs of your family in familiar surroundings. No posing, no stiff studio environment - just fun and relaxed photography.

Love, Internationally

Linda and Georges celebrated their wedding at the end of April in Edinburgh. It was a great day, with perfect photography weather - a few clouds, and not too sunny !

Georges' family travelled from France to enjoy the Scottish traditions and celebrations in the Apex Hotel in Edinburgh. 

Medieval wedding in Kilwinning

Congratulations to Maddie and Dan who said "I do" medieval style last weekend in Kilwinning. All the guests dressed up in period costume and there was even a competition for the best outfit! Grilled chicken and spit roast, a top tent and medieval re-enactment made this day perfect.

A day out in St Andrews - Fairmont Hotel & Golf Course

What a great drive to St Andrews last weekend! A friend of mine has wanted a photograph of this fantastic view over St Andrews - from Fairmont Hotel - for a long time. This time, the weather was great - changeable, but with amazing cloud and light over the golf course.

Business Portrait - for online communities

There are so many network websites available these days: Six Degrees Networking, LinkedIn, Facebook to name just a few. Many of them encourage their members to upload a photograph of themselves. Many people just take a photograph they can find which they took themselves with their mobile phone, or a compact camera.

For some people, websites like LinkedIn are an important tool for business communication. The information displayed together with a professional photograph can mean a potential client is more likely to contact the person than one who has a fun picture uploaded, taken in a dark environment on a night out. 

Try to use a photograph that shows you properly so people can recognise you when they meet you. I have been contacted myself on the LinkedIn website by people who don't know me. I have had a few "blind dates". I found it very helpful to see the person in an image that I was about to meet.

Try to use an image where you wear your professional outfit, and you give a friendly, approachable impression. A picture speaks more than a 1000 words... let it speak the right words!

Just a few examples below...

Derrick Findlay, First Choice Glazing West Lothian

Jacquie Dryden, Designer of West Lothian's Marketing Agency

Janice Meikle, Marketing Matters, Marketing Agency in West Lothian

Julie McCann, Fitness Booty Camp, West Lothian

Claire Don - TLC Health, Bathgate

Martin Peacock, Positive Mortgages, Mortgage Advisor in Scotland

Hush, Livingston

Malcolm Drummond, MD of Trichem Scotland, Janitorial Products

Leslie Hastings, Kodiak Web Design, Web Design West Lothian

Hair beautiful - Fusion Hairdresser in Bathgate

Tonight, we had another shoot for Fusion hairdresser in Bathgate. 2 hairdressers showed off their skills on 5 models and Debbie, the make-up artist did a fantastic job. It was a fun evening and the photographs are stunning!

I need a hair-cut! Desperately! Phone Hairdresser tomorrow...

Back to Victorian times...

On Saturday, we took some lovely images at the Sidesaddle & Dressage competition in West Lothian. The most interesting thing (for us) was when the riders dressed up in Victorian dresses.

We always try interesting photography techniques when we are out and about, and this time we thought we try a long exposure with horse and rider moving through the arena.

This resulted in some stunning images, have a look yourself:

Time Out for Children

TimeOut Guides commissioned us at the end of last year to take photographs at events for children in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. They were looking for images that portray the atmosphere at the event so it can be publised in their new book "1000 things for kids to do in the holidays".

Our images were used on a double page spread to show off the Wickerman Festival north of Aberdeen. More images were used to show what happens during a Story Telling session in the Story Telling Centre in Edinburgh. The book is an excellent guide for parents and children - with lots of photographs - to find out what's on in the country. 1000 things to do....