Double Trouble at 80!

Last month I headed over to Temple Guiting Barns for a double 40th, (dubbed their 80th by my clients!) The barn isn't somewhere I had photographed before but I was very impressed with the grounds and the main house. 

Everyone had come up from London for the occasion and it was very much a black tie do. Danielle had booked me for an hour to cover guests arriving, the drinks and canapés reception and to capture the general merriments of the evening in a natural and unobtrusive way.

If you would like to book something similar then please get in touch using my contact page or give me a call on 07983 465414. I'd love to hear from you! Thanks.

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Claire's Surprise Celebration!

A few weeks ago I headed down to Cirencester to photograph a birthday surprise for Claire Young. Her husband, Jon, had booked me off the back of a park shoot we did in July. The photos from that photo shoot were a present for Claire for her birthday.

We headed to the Amphitheatre and spent the 60 minute shoot playing games, dodging the rain and generally having lots of fun!

If you have a party coming up that you would like professionally photographed then I'd love to hear from you! Please get in touch using the form on my contact page or give me a call on 07983 465414. Thanks!

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Ricky's 60th Birthday Bash!

Last Friday evening I was at Ellenborough Park to photograph a 60th birthday party. I had been booked for two hours by Ricky's wife, Jane, and it had been a bit of an after thought on her part: she only rang me up two days before! 

It was a brilliant bash. Guests congregated outside on the lawn before moving inside. No formal shots were required as such, so it was just reportage photography the whole night. This is my favoured style as the event is captured so much more naturally. 

After an hour of mingling came the food which was followed by speeches, which overran. I stayed on till they finished though, and didn't charge, which Jane was very grateful for. 

If you have a party or other celebration that you would like photographed then please get in touch using my contact page or give me a call on 07983 465414. All digital files are included in the price of the shoot. I'd love to hear from you!

Immy's Leaving Party

I was recently asked to photograph a leaving party for Immy and her little sister. They are moving abroad with their Mum and Dad and held an amazing farewell party, which her whole class was invited to! It was girls only though, there wasn't a boy in sight!!

The party was brilliant. The entertainer they hired did a great job at keeping all the girls on the toes. They played games, danced, limboed and sucked on shoe laces to create lots of lovely memories that the girls can take with them.  

If you have something similar planned and would like to have it professionally photographed then please do get in touch. Either fill out a form on my contact page or give me a call on 07983 465414. I'd love to hear from you! 

A Golden Couple!

Last weekend was another incredibly busy one, with back to back photo shoots all day and a wedding on the Sunday.  

This two hour coverage of Paul and Hilary's Golden Wedding anniversary at The Royal Oak in Prestbury was my third shoot from Saturday. It was a lovely celebration too. They were married 50 years ago on the very same day that England won the 1966 World Cup! Their daughter had even managed to get a signed card by Sir Geoff Hurst!

ABAA-tastic Birthday Party!

On Saturday evening I headed over to the sleepy Cotswold village of Winchcombe for a mad ABBA-tastic joint 50th and 18th birthday party at the White Hart Inn!

The birthday girls were Cary and her daughter Hattie and between them they had over 100 guests. As I drove into Winchcombe it didn't take me long to spot them all! Their colourful 70's regalia was in stark contrast to the pretty Cotswold cottages! 

The party itself was soon in full swing and was completely bonkers, (as Cary would say!!) It was enourmous fun though and everyone had a blast! 

If you have a celebration or party coming up and would like it professionally photographed then please get in touch. I'd love to hear from you! Just go to my contact page or give me a call on 07983 465414. Thanks!

“Hi Gill. Sincere apologies for the delay responding to your email with the photographs......THEY ARE FANTASTIC!!! Everyone loves them. Thank you so much. It was brilliant having you at the party. Thank you for staying and for taking such memorable shots. We’ll see you again I’m sure!”
— Cary Cochrane, July 2016

Oscar's Baptism

I do lots of work for my local Church, St Philip and St James' in Leckhampton, and last year Nick Davies, the vicar there, asked if I could pop along to one of his Sunday morning services to take some photos.

As a family, we attend Nick's popular family services on the 1st of every month and this service was a particularly special one as there were 3 baptisms taking place!

The service was its usual busy, bustling self with dozens of children enjoying the play area that runs down one side of the Church. After the introductory procession of candles, where all of the children can carry a candle up to the alter, rugs were pulled out onto the floor at the front for the children to sit on. Nick got the whole congregation involved in his fabulous and warming sermon and the baptisms followed. It's always great during these family services to hear the Church so full of noise, which is really encouraged. The laughter and enjoyment from the children is clearly visible, (and heard!) To end the service, the children are invited to grab a musical instrument each and follow the choir back down the aisle again. Running, walking, skipping, hopping; they've all had a great time and enjoy a biscuit and squash at the end!

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I had an enquiry come through from Oscar's parents, one of the children who got baptised during that service, asking if they could buy all of the pictures. I always back up my data so it was simply a case of going through my back up drives to retrieve the RAW files. 

I hope you like the pictures. If you're getting a little one christened or baptised or have another celebration you would like professionally photographed then I'd love to hear from you. All digital files are included in the price and there are no copyright restrictions, so you are free to make copies and print as you wish. For all enquiries or a quote please give me  a call on 07983 465414 or send an email to info@mouseabouttown.co.uk.

“I love Gill’s work and she has done some lovely informal reportage shoots at services at St Philip and St James, Leckhampton. Very creative and a great rapport with the kids.”
— Nick Davies, March 2016

Ava's Christening

On Saturday I had the absolute pleasure of photographing gorgeous Ava's christening and 1st birthday party.

The 1.30pm christening was held at St Mary and Corpus Christi, Down Hatherley and was followed by a drinks reception at the the very elegant No. 38 The Park. 

Ava's parents had put on a coach to take everyone to the Church, which has sentimental meaning to them having been married in it themselves. It was a warming ceremony, although Ava wasn't too keen on having the water poured over her forehead!

After a few family photos outside the Church, the drinks reception followed. No flash was used at any point, despite the low light levels towards the end of the evening. Wherever possible I always prefer to work with natural light. The photos always come across with so much more depth and warmth. 

I hope you like the photos. There were 324 in the final collection that Ava's parents received. If you are thinking about doing something similar then please get in touch using my contact page or give me a call on 07983 465414. All files are included and there are no copyright restrictions, so you are free to make copies and print as you wish.

NCT 1st Birthday Party

I've done quite a few NCT birthday parties since Mouse About Town opened it's Mousehole door for business back in 2013. I'm always in my element with oodles of gorgeous children to photograph!

This particular NCT party was in Cirencester and had been organised by Helen Kings. I've done quite a few family photo shoots for Helen with her daughter Alila and husband Tom, so it was great to catch up with them again to celebrate little Alila's 1st birthday!

It was a great party with the little ones all having a blast! There were plenty of presents, cake and mayhem to be had not to mention  THAT jelly smash!

I hope you like the photos. It's a small collection from the full set. If you are interested in booking something similar you can expect to receive all the digital files included in the price of the photo shoot, so no hidden extras. Check out my prices page for more info.

 

Barnaby's Baptism

On Sunday I had the pleasure of photographing baby Barnaby's baptism at St Michael and All Angels Church in Brimpsfield, Gloucestershire. 

The ceremony was very touching. The beautiful church, which dates back to the 1300's and is located on the edge of a promontory, reached by means of a long footpath across a field, was filled with the laughter of lots of tiny people and their Mummies and Daddies. It was a pleasure to capture this most special of occasions for them. 

The ceremony was followed by a small buffet and drinks reception in the village hall in Brimpsfield. James and Amy, Banaby's parents, made a small toast at the end.

Alila's Naming Ceremony

Alila is a beautiful little girl who I have photographed on a few occasions now. 

Helen, Alila's Mummy, wanted to celebrate the birth of her daughter in a non-religious ceremony. It's a lovely idea, which is becoming more and more popular.

I was very excited when Helen asked me to come along to capture the special day. It was my first naming ceremony but in a way it was very similar to the many weddings that I photograph, (check out www.gillthomas.co.uk for all my wedding work). My approach to weddings is very simple. I'm very discreet and subtle. I document events gently from the background. Many people are hardly aware that I'm there, as I tend to pick out unusual spots and angles. The results are very natural , very unassuming photographs that capture tender and real moments. 

I arrived in time to capture the build up prior to the ceremony, the ceremony itself, and a little bit of the fun after too, (including the hog roast, which I was lucky enough to sample!) 

Britain's Got Talent!

I was recently approached by The Cotswold Children's Party Company about becoming their official party photographer. I met with the lovely Danielle, the brains behind it, and was soon on board. Only a few days later, I got the nod there might be the opportunity to head over to Chipping Campden to photograph a 9th birthday party. 

It was another super sunny Saturday morning as I drove across the rolling Cotswold countryside. Just over an hour later and I pulled up outside The Chequers, an idyllic looking pub with a great interior to match.

It was a fairy theme for the two hour party and Danielle and her team were up to their elbows in woodland moss, toadstools, enchanted books and fairy characters when I arrived. 

At 11am, Lexi and 5 of her friends arrived, all very excited and bursting with excitement. They were the cutest little fairies, such a delight to photograph. And what a surprise I got when Lexi's Mum turned out to be star of Britain's Got Talent, Amanda Holden. 

Sharky and George provided the entertainment, which was a fabulous and fun packed programme of craft, chocolate making, fairy painting, silly games and jokes. After two hours of non stop action, the girls were ready to sit down for their fairy themed banquet. 

It was a wonderful afternoon spent in the company of lovely people. 

NCT 1st Birthday Party

Reaching your child's 1st birthday feels a bit of a milestone. Just before Christmas, I was asked to photograph such an event for a local NCT group in Hatherley. It was a relaxed setting in the village hall with about 12 little ones running around like loons, diving in and out of the ball pit, jumping off giant bouncy pillows and chasing each other through tunnels. Mum's and Dad's seemed pleased to have the chance of a chat and the odd glass of fizz!



Farewell Party for Leo the Pony

It all began with a rather strange phone call, from a lady, (Anna) who was interested in booking a photographer to capture her son's pony's farewell party. 'Leo' was to be returned to his owners in Surrey after a Summer long loan at his holiday home in the Cotswolds. It was all very touching. 

We broke the shoot down into two parts - the first part was to focus on Anna's son, Ettie, and Leo. I met them at the stables and we spent an informal hour together, snapping Leo and Ettie's final farewell. For pictures from this shoot go to http://www.mouseabouttown.co.uk/pets/

The following week I went round to Anna's house in Charlton Kings, for Leo's final farewell party. It's not often you walk into someone's back garden and find a pony and a make shift 'Costa' coffee. The children's moods weren't dampened by the rubbish weather, and Ettie, along with his two best friends, gave Leo a send off to remember. Bonkers but brilliant!