Full circle as a photographer

Isn't it funny how some things go full circle and it seems that this has now happened with my photography

In the late 80's I moved to the beautiful city of Bath, which was at the time in the county of Avon, but now is part of Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), which is when my professional career started. For the few years before I had been a keen enthusiast of the craft, but after shooting my brother's wedding and showing the results to friends, soon found commissions coming in for their weddings and portraits, plus commissions from their friends and families.

Since then my career has snowballed and it had installed on me early on the importance of doing a great job and getting referrals from those that had used my services or had seen my work.

Here we are, over 20 years later, having moved away and spent many years in North wales, back down in the South West, living in Keynsham, just a few miles from the City of Bath, where it all started.

Like the cities of Bath and Bristol, in my photography some things remain the same, whilst other things have changed since those days. My principles have remained, the client has to come first and if you do more than a good job, then the work will keep coming in, although the focus of the types of work I do has moved on.

Weddings are now something I tend to do for friends or people that know my work, rather than being the forefront of my photography, instead commercial commissions now accounts for a high volume of my work, where I have been able to specialise in providing imagery for businesses and the creative industries, which includes buildings, both inside and out, products, people and PR.

Along the way I have met some great people and been very privileged to be involved in some exciting projects and see some fantastic developments. I've seen many new architectural creations and had the pleasure of photographing them in great detail, as well as meeting the amazing people behind them. Looking around the area, there appear to be some exiting developments happening now and in the future, so look forward to working with the team behind them.

I have also worked with many a local and national organisation along the way, such as the publishers for N Power and the National Lottery, supermarket chains including One Stop and the Co-operative, plus many local and national charities. Most recently I was working with the charity ChildLine, who are now part of the NSPCC, and was honoured to meet and Photograph Esther Rantzen CBE, who is their Patron.



Our onsite studio for Events, including our live view and print system, has proved very popular as guests get to view all the images instantly. Prints are produced in just 30 seconds should they decide to purchase a photograph to take home. We have gone from having to look for events to being booked up 6 to 12 months in advance of an event.

We hope to now replicate this success down in the southwest, so if you know anyone holding a Charity Ball, please pass on our details and we would be delighted to support their event at no charge and help them raise much needed money at the same time.

One thing that remains the same is our passion for people and capturing their lives through lifestyle portraiture. Styles may have changed, but having such beautiful cities and local areas, there is no end to the creative portraits we can create on location, giving you more than just a photo of yourself or family.

There are of course new opportunities too and we have some exciting announcements coming up over the next couple of months, so keep a watch out for those and we look forward to a wonderful New Year

Take a look at one of our sites to view our work and if you like what you see, feel free to get in touch, even if just to have a chat, or maybe share this blog with someone you know. You can also tweet it or link it to all your friends on Facebook.

View our Flickr page
Web Site - ajwphoto.co.uk
Official Facebook Page

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a successful new year

Andrew & Dawn



Visit our Official Facebook Page
Find out more about our on our Web Site

Create Lasting memories of North Wales with Lifestyle Family Portraiture

Are you on holiday this summer in North Wales or do you live in this beautiful part of the world?

Book a Lifestyle Family Location Shoot this summer in North Wales for just £45, plus you will receive a complimentary 10"x8" print in a presentation mount.

North Wales is a fantastic holiday location with some great atmospheric locations for portraiture, from beaches to mountains and woodland parks to open countryside, so why not book a session for the time you are here and we will give you some holiday photo's to cherish forever.

Our location shoots are never rushed and usually last for 1 to 2 hours, to give you time to have fun, relax and let us capture some great memories.

And there has never been a better time to have a lifestyle family location shoot, with our web exclusive offer running until the end of September 2010.

To book your professional North Wales Lifestyle Family Portraiture session and take advantage of our Special Price, call us on 01745 570104 or send us a message via sales@ajwphoto.co.uk remembering to quote "Face Book summer offer"

And don't worry if you are not on holiday or if you live in North Wales, you can take advantage of the same offer too.

More of our images can be viewed on our Flickr page.

To book AJW photography for your event, contact us via our Web Site - ajwphoto.co.uk or Official Facebook Page and Become a Fan or email us





Visit out Official Facebook Page

Find out more about our event photography on our Web Site

L29 Design recommends Photographer Andrew Wells

I recently had the pleasure to work (again) with L29, this time at the Black Lion Pub in Llanfair Talhaiarn. It's always great to work with professionals who have a clear brief and ideas of what is needed when it comes to promoting a business.

Nina Sardar of L29 in Beuamaris said:

"I approached Andrew to provide professional commercial photography for a marketing campaign L29 Creative were commissioned to work on which consists of a welcome pack and business stationery for a renovated public house and restaurant with guest accommodation.

Andrew provided me with an instant quotation enabling me to get back to the client within 48 hours with full costings which were agreed and a photography brief was produced which Andrew followed to provide us with the shots needed to be included in the marketing material.

His ability to capture a variety of photography shots means that we get a superb choice which in turn gives the client more options in terms of future us on all marketing material.

At L29 Creative we only choose the best suppliers to work with and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Andrew's commercial photography ability if you are looking for photography for a forthcoming project."

Photos of the Black Lion pub in Llanfair Talhaiarn

Llandudno Photo Walk - 24th July 2010

I have been a professional photographer for several years, running AJW Photography, and really enjoy sharing experiences and skills with other photographers, both individually or through organisations like Welshot Imaging, that I work with.

So I have decided to be a part of the World Wide Photo Walk on July 24th

The aim of our walk is to give you a diverse range of subjects to shoot and we start off On the promenade of Llandudno, next to the Cenotaph. The end point is up at Alpine Lodge at Llandudno Ski Centre, so the is quite a climb to the top, but the views are worth it.

From the start we walk along to and on to the pier, passing the hustle and bustle of the slot machines, bouncy castles and Victorian styled shops. You can choose to walk to the end of the pier if you wish, before exiting on to marine Drive and up in to Happy Valley. We head up in to the lower part of Happy Valley, taking in the The Camera Obscura, our first views over the town and the pier, before heading into the formal gardens and hidden sculptures.

At the top of Happy Valley is Llandudno Ski Centre and it’s just a few minutes walk on a well worn path to fantastic views over the town from the Iron Age hill fort of Pen Dinas. Now it’s down to the Alpine Lodge to meet up with everyone, don’t forget to wave and say hi to those in the cable cars as the pass over you head.

The Walk is Free, just buy your own refreshments at the end if you wish.

And any level of experience can join us, using anything from a compact point and shoot camera to the latest DSLR (or anything in between)

To Join us, you must register (For Free) on the official site
http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/llandudno-wales-united-kingdom

We will set up a Flickr group for you and all the walkers to share their photos with one another, which is a great way for everyone to share what they captured during the Photo Walk.

Walkers who want to enter the contest can submit their single best image from your our walk and the winner will receive their choice of The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers or The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers, and will also be in the running for the Grand Prize!

Please invite all your friends and remember the walk has a Maximum of 50 Walkers only.


http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/llandudno-wales-united-kingdom/

Visit out Official Facebook Page

Find out more about our event photography on our Web Site

A great way to raise money for charity

Charity Balls are such a great way to raise money for your favorite cause. It's a win win situation really, you get to have a good time and the charity gets lots more dosh, something they really need in the current climate.

We have covered 2 events over the last 7 days, The Big Wig Ball which took place at Kinmel Manor Hotel, Abergele and was raising funds for the Wig and Head wear facility at The North Wales Cancer Service, Bodelwyddan, the other being the NSPCC Ball at Oriel House Hotel, St Asaph, to raise money for childline.

Between them they have raised over £12,000 for Charity and I know that everyone at these events had a fantastic time.

On top of this, the charities will now be remembered in the future, as one of the priorities for them was to have an event photographer. We don't charge them for being there, in fact we donated an auction prize to both, but as most guests went home with a photo, every time they look at it, they will be reminded of the great time they had at the function, which in turn reminds them about the charity.

Visual stimulants are so important with keeping people loyal to charities and many continue to support that charity for time to come.

More of our images can be viewed on our Flickr page and all the images from the Big Wig Ball can be found on our website at http://www.ajwphoto.co.uk/bigwig2010/

To book AJW photography for your event, contact us via our Web Site - ajwphoto.co.uk or Official Facebook Page and Become a Fan or email us

Here are just a few of the fantastic photographs taken at these two Charity Balls in North Wales.

Visit out Official Facebook Page

Find out more about our event photography on our Web Site

Having a Ball at Howells School - Again!

School Ball season has started again, with many students planning their Leavers Balls, Graduation Balls and ROA Dinners. Last weekend we returned again to Howells Girls School, Denbigh, North Wales, for the students sixth form Winter Ball. For the students, this is a one off event, marking the end of their years at the school, many celebrating the success of exams and looking forward to the years ahead, whether at university, in a career or just taking time out from all their hard work.

AJW Photography were there again to capture them in all their glory, ladies dressed up and looking glamourous in their Ball gowns, whilst the guys dress to impress in their tucks and black tie. For many, it was not only an opportunity to have fantastic images of them dressed up, it's also probably the last time they can get a great group shot with all their school fiends.

As normal at these types of events, we take along our full studio with white background and studio lighting. Our camera is wirelessly linked to a computer system and they get to view the images instantly. They can then have them printed off in seconds on our Mitsubishi Di-sub printer, so they have the photographs to take away with them.

The great thing for Howells and most other schools, is that it costs the school nothing to have us there, we know the students will love our photos and will want to take copies home.

This was our 4th Ball at Howells School and we have already been booked again for the PTA's summer ball at the end of June, such is the demand to have us there. Other schools and functions have also booked us early for there own events this summer, Eiras High School in Colwyn Bay being the latest to book us for their ROA party in May at the St Georges Hotel in Llandudno.

To book AJW photography for your event, contact us via our Web Site - ajwphoto.co.uk or Official Facebook Page and Become a Fan or email us

Here are just a few of the fantastic photographs taken of the students at the Winter Ball.

Visit out Official Facebook Page

Find out more about our event photography on our Web Site

Beautiful Winter Family Portraiture - !SPECIAL OFFER!

Winter is full of it's own unique character and is also a fantastic opportunity to have some beautiful professional photos taken of yourself or the family.

This weekend we spent some time with a family from Llandudno, North Wales, creating some fantastic images down at the beach. As you can see from these selected photographs from the portrait shoot, beaches aren't just for summer, they create a great atmospheric location for winter lifestyle portrait's too.

Our location shoots are never rushed and usually last for 1 to 2 hours, to give you time to have fun, relax and let us capture some great memories.

And there has never been a better time to have a lifestyle family location shoot, with our web exclusive offer running until the end of March 2010.

Half price Sitting - Exclusive Web offer for Winter Lifestyle Family Portraiture

Book a Winter lifestyle family location shoot to be taken in February or March 2010 for just £45, plus you will receive a complimentary 10"x8" print in a presentation mount.

To book your professional Winter Lifestyle Family Portraiture session and take advantage of our Web Exclusive Special Offer, visit out Official Facebook Page and Become a Fan or email us quoting "Winter Portraiture Web Offer"

Visit out Official Facebook Page

Find out more about Winter Portraits on my Web Site

Limited time Offer - 25% off entry level accommodation photography package

Wish You Were Here postcard promotion - Exclusive Offer 25% off entry level accommodation package

With our exclusive offer, we can help you to increase bookings and room occupancy for your accommodation, no matter if you are a Small Hotel, Guest House or Bed and Breakfast

Given the importance of your web site or brochures in receiving new bookings, it makes sense to invest in good quality images and to present them well. The photographs can be the difference between booking with you or clicking away and booking with one of your competitors

And now with it the cost of photography starting at just £90.00, you only really need 1 or 2 extra bookins to pay for it

Our Entry Level Package allows enough time to take quality profesional photographs in at least 2 bedrooms, a front of house area such as lounge or dining area, plus exterior shots

Where posible, we will shoot from several angles and also include different abstract shots as well, so you will end up with a number of images to use

Remember, good images and photos increase bookings!

Contact us now to see if we can help you or to book us for a shoot. Either send us an email or give us a call on 07775 598257



Find out more on our Web Site

New Projects for 2010

As a Photographer, I think it is important to have some personal projects, alongside any commercial or commissioned work, to keep the creative juices flowing and to try out new things. In 2009 I celebrated my 40th birthday with my 40 to 40 project - 40 photographs in 40 days, leading up to my 40th birthday.

The start of 2010 see's me starting 2 new projects, the first of which is "52 Weeks". This will be a journey through 2010, each week focusing on something new.

Week 1 of the New Year has started off cold and Flickr must we overrun with images of the snow from photographers all over, and I was no exception. The temptation to get out there and recorded what was going on was just too great.

My own journey took me around several locations in North Wales where I live, firstly a day out with the family in Betws-Y-Coed, then to the Denbigh Moors with it's frozen lakes and my kids posing for some winter portraits. Another day was spent in Snowdonia, where I didn't find as much snow as I would have liked, Snowdon only being partially covered and the Ogwen Valley not as good as hoped.

All my images can be found on my Flickr Account, where there is a set for "52 Weeks"
Click here to view

Llyn Bran, Denbighshire, North Wales
View All images for 52 week project

Find out more about Winter Portraits on my Web Site