GilesG Photography

Eternal Twilight 7

2012-02-20T22:30:00.000Z

Have just spent a fantastic weekend doing party photography at Eternal Twilight 7. I partied hard and worked harder.

The absolute highlight of the weekend was working with Hunter, Silver and Mr Wolf, the British Timber dogs from Novus Luna.

As promised I'm offering a special offer to all Eternal Twilight attendees - get 15% off until the 5th March with the code WOLFPACK

The gallery can be found at Eternal Twilight 7

ID Hair

2012-01-08T18:31:00.003Z

It is back to the grindstone again after the Yule season and as promised a blog about the i.d. Hair photo shoot. i.d. Hair is a local business in Wimbledon who asked GilesG Photography to shoot some images to feature in their shop and on their brochure.

Four models, two make up stylists, two hair stylists and Giles and his faithful Canon 5D Mark II creating magic in an evening. The hairstyles were stunning and original. Our aim was to ensure that out of a relaxed and informal yet professional atmosphere great shots were produced with effective lighting and sharp focus that allowed the hairstyles to stand out and be eye catching.

The evening started with the intrepid trio (Giles, Kethry and myself) turning up at 6.30 to survey the space and set up lighting appropriate for the shoot. We met with the models Lenka, Isabel, Petra and Kaveena and also the makeup artists Diane and Annie. The space in which we had to shoot was quite small and intimate, which I believe helped to develop both the creative process and the relationship between Giles and the models. Each model had two changes of clothes and the brief was loosely based on the seasons, autumn and winter. Well done to Tee and the team; take a look at the result, judge for yourselves.

Hub 7

2011-11-28T17:29:00.001Z

Hub 7 at the weekend marked the end of the Autumn convention season. I was at four conventions in six weeks and am now looking forward to well earned break. For anyone who missed them, links are below:

This year I have provided event photography at ten conventions and published over one and a half thousand images. I've also provided the opening videos for eight of these.

Next year I am already confirmed to be providing convention party photography for Massive Events at Eternal Twilight 7, Chevron 7.8, The Games, Bitten 3 and Hallowhedon 4.

If you're interested in booking GilesG Photography for your party or event, please get in touch.

Weekend at the Asylum

2011-10-03T22:08:00.004+01:00

On the weekend of the 9 – 11 Sept 2011 a formidable force descended once again on the city of Lincoln. Gadgets and goggles galore were in abundance, as were parasols, corsets and top hats; as the 3rd Annual Steampunk event Weekend at the Asylum kicked off.
At this point I can feel that some of you are scratching your head and wondering what an earth I am talking about when I mention Steampunk – not all just possibly some. Steampunk is a subculture that incorporates the ideals of science fiction with Victorian (and sometimes Western Frontier) romanticism through the creative mediums of fashion, music, literature and art/gadget making. I guarantee within at least the last couple of years most of you will have come into contact with this subculture without even realizing it. How many people have seen the movie Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jnr or watched last year’s Christmas special of Dr Who with its Victorian influence and alternative historical setting? What about Joss Whedon short lived but fantastic series Firefly?
This subculture has been around for a while (arguably since the 70's) with various writers, film makers, fashion designers, artists and musicians contributing too and constantly shaping its character. It's place was once on the outer reaches of society but more and more it’s influences are being seen in mainstream culture. The series Castle did a tongue in cheek episode during Series 3 called Punk’d.
Weekend at the Asylum is an event that was set up three years ago to bring together Steampunks from all over the UK and further a field. Within this time period its popularity has exploded and this year record numbers attended (over 1000) with people travelling from as far as South Africa and The USA to attend. Set in the gorgeous grounds of Lincoln Castle (specifically the Prison, which made for an incredibly eerie setting when purchasing your Victoriana goods and gadgets from the market) and The Lawns (a conference centre) there were plenty of programme activities to attend over the three days which included everything from learning to waltz to tea dueling to rocking out to the awesome sound of The Men who will not be Blamed for Nothing. There were some fabulous outfits and original handmade gadgets displayed and some great guest speakers including the World’s greatest storyteller of far-fetched fiction Robert Rankin.
Giles and I were first time attendees at The Asylum, as both of us love Steampunk but have never been able to get to the event before this year. It was strange at first, as usually we would be working at events such as this. It was nice to get a chance to relax, dress up and ‘talk the toot’ with like-minded people.
Check out GilesG’s Asylum 2011 Steampunk gallery on flickr!

A New Face and News!

2011-08-23T22:10:00.004+01:00

My, my, it has been a long time since we have done a blog post on here! Well hopefully that is going to change; let me introduce myself, I am Kelly, also known as Pooks, and I am Giles’s (better) other half. The clever chap has landed my awesome services to help him boost his business and get his name out there. We are all aware of what an amazingly skilled photographer he is and I want to shout this loudly, so everyone can hear.

So what to tell you … August 2011. This has been an incredibly busy month. Party photography at Bitten with Massive Events, Fashion shoot with ID hair and a website promotion shoot with High Spirit Therapies as well as one or two photo shoots thrown in between. No rest for the gloriously wicked!

The gorgeous Roxy joined us for a photo shoot this month and much fun was had by all, as Roxy has a gorgeous and infectious nature that just leaves everyone in the room beaming. I believe the photos speak for themselves. Our aim was to test different lighting techniques in order to bring out the texture and shape of her hair, in preparation for our ID Hair Photo shoot which will be the subject of my next blog.

Hallowhedon 2

2010-11-04T09:47:00.004Z

Last weekend I was at Hallowhedon 2, a convention for fans of the work of Joss Whedon. It was lovely to spend some time with fans of some of my favourite TV shows, and got some great pictures.

The photos are online at Hallowhedon 2 and you can see highlights in the video below.

Bitten

2010-08-10T17:28:00.006+01:00

I was in Northampton at the weekend for Bitten, a convention for fans of the TV show True Blood. The guests were Sam Trammell "Sam Merlotte", Jim Parrack "Hoyt Fortenberry", Kristin Bauer "Pam" & Todd Lowe "Terry Bellefleur".

The parties were some of the best Massive Events have ever hosted and everyone I spoke to had a great time.

My photos are up on my website at gilesgphotography.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bitten/G0000I_ung2Mz0qo

Eternal Twilight DVD

2009-10-01T18:08:00.004+01:00

This is probably old news to anyone reading this, but Massive Events have now released the DVD of Eternal Twilight.

The DVD includes footage of the talks as well as exclusive, behind the scenes interviews with the guests. You will not be able to see this footage anywhere else!

There is also a gallery of the photos I took at the events! At the moment, this is the only way to see these photos!

Hopefully, if this sells well, Massive Events will make a DVD of the Twilight Proms, and other events, as well as publishing a book of the photos.

There's more information on the Showmasters Forum and you can buy the DVD through Massive Events' online shop

Molotov Jukebox

2009-10-01T17:15:00.003+01:00

I came across Molotov Jukebox at Muggle Mayhem, ME's Harry Potter event held in August. Their sound is hard to describe, but it sure does make you want to dance. The easiest way to find out more is by checking their myspace page - www.myspace.com/molotovjukebox

You can check out photos of the gig on my website - Molotov Jukebox

There's also photos from the event itself, Muggle Mayhem

Robert Rankin's Pirate Birthday Party

2009-10-01T11:26:00.004+01:00

At the end of July I was at Robert Rankin's Birthday Party, which consisted of a cruise on the teams in full pirate regalia, followed by a party at Fangios.

Robert Rankin is the world's foremost writer of far fetched fiction, you can find more about him on Wikpedia or through his fan club, The Order of the Golden Sprout.

Many of my photos were published in th latest club magazine, Sprout. You can see even more on my website at Robert Rankin's Birthday

Massive Event News

2009-03-26T16:56:00.003Z

The first, exciting item of news is that I am now the official photographer for Massive Events and Showmasters. As part of the deal, they have exclusive rights to publish the photos I take at their events and conventions, which means that I won't be selling those photos on my website. This agreement covers all their events from Eternal Twilight onwards.

This leads on to my next announcement; Massive Events will shortly be releasing the Eternal Twilight Photobook which will hopefully be up for pre-order in the next couple of weeks. They also plan to release a DVD featuring exclusive interviews with the guests, footage of the convention, and many of my photos. For more information, keep an eye on the Showmasters Forum.

I am, of course, still available to shoot other events, weddings and portraits.

Rallying in Ireland

2009-01-16T12:42:00.006Z

While I was in Ireland I was invited to shoot a rally at Aghadowey Race Course with MMG Motor Engineers

Michael and Clare's Wedding

2009-01-13T12:42:00.004Z

At the begining of January I was asked to help out with the shooting of a friend's wedding in Ireland. The photo's can bee seen at Clare & Michael's Wedding

Necrophenia Book Launch Weekend

2009-01-12T13:03:00.005Z

Last weekend I attended the launch of Robert Rankin's 30th book, Necrophenia. There was a pre-launch meet up on Friday at the Magpie and Crown, Brentord where the pub was officially named 'The Flying Swan'. James Bacon was also thanked for his work running Robert's fan club, Sproutlore and awarded the Golden Sprout.
Festivities resumed on Saturday with Robert signing at Waterstones in Chiswick, where he sold out of hard back editions.
This was followed by the launch party at The Princess Royal, back in Brentford, with a theme of 'What did you want to be when you grew up." This pub was also renamed, this time as Fangio's. Many drinks were drunk and much toot was talked.
You can see the photo's at Necrophenia Book Launch.

Eclipse 2

2008-11-20T12:15:00.008Z

Last weekend saw me at Eclipse 2, a convention for fans of Heroes. Eclipse 2 Photo's

Collectormania Midlands 2

2008-11-05T16:55:00.004Z

Last weekend I was at Collectormania Midlands 2 at the Ricoh Arena near Coventry. I'm now doing a lot of photography for Showmasters, the events company behind Collectormania.

I took photos of the guests who were there signing, including Dirk Benedict, Paul McGann and eight members of the England 1966 squad. It was great getting to meet so many interesting people.

I ran a photoshoot area for the Cosplayers at the event. This was the first proper test for my new lighting kit, and I'm very happy with the results. These strobes are much more versatile than than the on camera flash I'm used to using.

I also got some great pictures at the crew party in the evening. There's great sense of belonging amongst the guys and girls who work at Showmasters' events.

You can see the photo's at Collectormania Midlands 2

Crazy Summer Part 3 - The Events

2008-10-31T16:15:00.018Z

Most of my time over the summer has been taken up by the many events I have been shooting, crewing and generally helping out at.

The summer schedule of events started with the CIPD Centres Conference in June. I was on hand to take photos of the two day's proceeding and the evening's dinner party and one of the results was published in People Management magazine.

The following weekend found me at the You Have A Choice event at Emirates stadium, a charity event dedicated to stopping gun and knife crime. I took photos of the many acts and celebrities who gave their time to the event.

Moving into July I was at London Film and Comic Convention at Earls Court, where my time was split between shooting the Cosplay competition, the guests, and crewing.

September saw me making a bloody mess of things at Zombiecon, arguably the best con of the year. With make up demonstrations and some very strange party games, a dead good time was had by all.

On to the end September and I was at Collectormania 14 in Milton Keynes. I got to spend time with many celebrities including Jamie Bamber and Alexei Sayle.

The Hub, a Torchwood based event, took place in October. Another contender for the best con title. John Barrowman and his fellow guests gave the event so much energy, that the attendees and crew couldn't help but have fun. The parties were great and the whole weekend ran smoothly.

The following weekend was Autographica 12 at The Heathrow Hilton, where I found myself surrounded by Bond Girls, astronauts and many others. And Sir Patrick Moore!

Crazy Summer Part 2 - The Weddings

2008-10-29T13:32:00.005Z

I shot at two wedding's this summer. The first, James and Lorella's, was held in Formia, Italy at the end of July. The ceremony took place in an ancient Roman Catholic Church after which we travelled to the coast and partied into the night.

This was followed up in September with something a little less traditional. Jon and Chloe held a 1940's themed wedding in Croydon; the wedding dress was pin-striped as was the cake!

Crazy Summer Part 1 - Portraits

2008-10-28T17:12:00.008Z

Well, it been one busy summer. I've been doing so much shooting, that I've somewhat neglected this blog. So I'm going to give highlights of the last few months in a series of blog posts. First up, details of some of the portrait sessions.
At the beginning of July a friend called Sarah approached me about doing some shots for her portfolio. So we headed out to Shirley Hills with a bag of strobes and shot until we got interrupted some very strange men watching us.

In August I shot some corporate portraits and some family portraits. Babies are definitely cuter than executives.

Then, on the August Bank Holiday, I shot Sarah again along with LadyDChaos and Kelly for some fantasy portraits

Screening of Star

2008-06-12T12:31:00.005+01:00

A few weeks a go I was invited to the screening of Star, a short film by Tread Softly Productions. It features Joanna Christie (Equus) as a movie starlet who becomes the obsession of Rhys Lawton (The Relapse), a photographer who sees beyond her facade.

I thought the film was very good. The plot managed to squeeze a twist in to the limited time available, both Joanna and Rhys were convincing in their parts and the film was very well shot.

The screening and after party were a lot of fun and I had the chance to meet the cast and crew, and take some photos.

Cosplay at Collectormania 13

2008-05-13T13:09:00.005+01:00

The photos of the Collectormania 13 Cosplay competition are up on Flickr. Some of my personal favourites are below.

Collectormania 13

2008-05-12T14:27:00.015+01:00

May Day weekend saw me at Collectormania 13 in Milton Keynes. I got to spend my time working with a great bunch guys and girls as well as stars from TV and film.

I did a lot of different jobs over the weekend, spending time setting up the show, answering questions on the organisers booth and setting up for the party. I also shot the Cosplay competitions on Saturday and Sunday, but that will get a post of its own when I've sorted through the photos.

On the Monday I spent the day assisting Heather Craney, the actress who played Emily Holroyd in Torchwood. She was wonderful to work with and hopefully they'll bring her back next season.

When we weren't working, we were partying, and for me that's always the best bit. I took a lot of photos, including possibly the biggest group shot ever. You can see them all on my flickr.

Autographica 11

2008-04-28T14:15:00.007+01:00

I spent last weekend crewing at Autographica 11 a signing event that took place in Birmingham. It was quite different to the usual events I work at, which have actors signing. Autographica on the other hand has the likes of astronauts, fighter pilots and other historical figures. There were actors as well, such as Tony Curtis and a selection of Bond Girls.

I spent the Saturday assisting Robin Horsfall, one of the SAS members who took part in the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980. He is witty and intelligent, and it was an honour to work with him.

In the evening was a gala dinner and much merriment. I talked toot with Robert Rankin and stayed up half the night with the crew.

On Sunday I looked after Tony Curtis' queue, but unfortunately he wasn't allowing photography, so I don't have a picture.

You can see the rest of the photo's on my flickr