Did you ever want to do modeling but didn't quite know where to start? Celynnen Photography offers affordable options for aspiring models or those wanting their portfolio refreshed. Why model with us rather than another studio? Because during our shoots, which are really good fun by the way, we will not TELL you how to pose or ask you to mimick. Our approach is to teach you and make you more aware of your positioning, the light, etc so that the next time you're in front of the camera you will be able to emulate the look...and take it forward in your ovn personal style, knowing that you have the right technique!

So don't be shy, give us a call!

:)

Ioan

Hopefully, if you are reading this, you probably have an interest in working with us. And that's GREAT! :)

But if you're unsure or just happened to stumble upon us, here is an article I've written recently to help brides choose a wedding photographer.

Hope it helps!

Ioan

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Choosing a wedding photographer can be a daunting task for any bride. Simply type “North wales wedding photographer” or Cheshire wedding photographer” and literally over a hundred thousand website addresses (with hopefully Celynnen Photography not being too far from the top) will appear. The choice can be made rather simpler if you stick to a few criteria. Our contemporary wedding photography has allowed us to win some accolades, and you will find quite a few award-winning photographers out there, but the first thing to ask yourself is: do I like the style of photography that this photographer is displaying online. If you don’t, no matter how many times they have been awarded gold for a picture or wedding album, simply move on.

Second tip: give them a call! I get often emails simply asking for a price. It’s not to say that price and photography style are not important, but you need to remember that you are effectively hiring someone with who you will share one of the most important and intimate days of your life. So getting a feel for the personality of your photographer is important and making sure that you get along and understand each other well is absolutely crucial.

Third: Ask to see the most recent wedding pictures. Some of us can shoot anywhere between 30 and 50 weddings a year (and some even more..). But I like to say that you’re only as good as your last wedding. As proud photographers, we like to collate our very best shots in an album to sway you. But, if all you see is less than 5% of the pictures shot by that photographer, is that showcase album really representative?

Finally, go with a photographer that is part of an association. There are quite a few out there. SWPP, BIPP, MPA. The difference between them is not really important, but what is, is that membership to one of those by your chosen photographer offers you some amount of insurances as a consumer, such as impartial mediation in case of dispute between you and your chosen professional.

That’s it for me! Hope you all have a wonderful 2009 and a very, very happy wedding day!

Ioan Said from Celynnen Photography is a SWPP member and recipient of a Gold Award in December 2008 for his contemporary wedding photography.

I have a perfectly good Interfit INT175 Venus 300 Watt Twin Umbrella Kit + wireless trigger I/R for sale! Email me at ioan@celynnenphotography.co.uk for more information!

It's a really good portrait and fashion kit with 2 lightstands, 2 umbrellas, 2 venus 300watt flash heads which are really good. All in perfect condition exept for one light stand which is stratched and fiddly. Always been but I was too silly to send it back..

I'm selling it because I don't need it anymore but really.. It's in perfect working order. Last used in November for a few family portrait sessions.

Just came off the phone with Kate Forrester, from the Evening Leader's newsdesk and the corrections will be made for next week!

So there! 2 times in the media in 2 weeks!

;)

THIS is the original text that was submitted to the Leader:

Ioan Said, from Celynnen Photography, has been honoured with a gold award in Contemporary wedding photography by the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP), which automatically shortlists him for one of the Society's top prizes next month in London at the annual convention.

Ioan, took the winning shot at a wedding in October at the beautiful Soughton Hall, near Mold, and is only one of 19 gold winners this month to be honoured in contemporary wedding photography from the international society's immense membership base. According to the SWPP Gold awards are deemed to be images of the highest standard and will be published in the Society's bi-monthly magazine.

"I'm over the moon about it all!" said the photographer, originally from Montreal, Quebec, who has now been based in Wrexham for 4 years.

"I've totally fallen in love with the region and its people! My wife is Welsh, our company name is Welsh and we got our first gold ever working with a wonderful couple from South Wales shooting in one of the regions most spectacular venues. So it's only fair that we share our first ever gold prize with the country that has been so good to me since I've first arrived!"

Indeed, to celebrate this exciting event in the young company's history, Celynnen Photography are pleased to offer a credit crunch beating £150 discount to all couples wanting to work with them on their Welsh weddings in 2009 and 2010. To receive this discount please contact Ioan on 01978 840283 or 07904 362830 or visit the website www.celynnenphotography.co.uk

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1st correction: I am one of 19 this month, not from the whole year!

2nd correction: Soughton Hall was not mentioned in the article.

3rd correction: The promotion was not mentioned.

Sorry about that I'll try and contact them to sort it out..

Ok, it's not the front page of Vanity Fair, but tomorrow, for those of you who buy the Evening Leader, you will have not only a fantastic article about your favorite wedding and family photographer in wrexham (that's me, right?!) but a fantastic Wales-wide wedding promotion too!

For those who don't have it, don't worry, I'll put in more details tomorrow..

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and Blwyddyn Newydd Dda from Celynnen Photography!

(which includes Ioan and Nickie!)

Hello again! Celynnen Photography do all sorts: family portraits, commercial photography, boudoir photography and, of course, wedding photography! This weekend, we will be at the beautiful Nunsmere Hall Hotel for the wedding of Zarina and Danny. Nunsmere is definitely one of the places I recommend. Not only do they have a wonderful setting, surrounded by the mere on 3 sides (no, it's NOT an island), beautiful rooms and absolutely fantastic food(trust me..), but they also have some of the most pleasant staff around. A simple smile goes a long way and I'm sure we'll see plenty of those this coming Saturday!

So keep an eye on our blog or on Celynnen Photography's website for some pictures of Nunsmere Hall and, of course, our soon to be newlyweds!

..for hosting a fantastic Christmas fair on the 14th of December and inviting us! It was the first time they hosted the event, but I'm sure it won't be the last! There was something for everyone! From cakes and flowers to equestrian equipment and jewellery and many more, the Carden Park Christmas Fair played host to many of the best service providers in the area, including, Celynnen Photography of course!

;)

On a different note, there are very few things which I think are more important than customer service and general, genuine care for your client's well being. And though it was my first time working with Carden Park, Paul and his team really took great care of us all. Even making sure all my equipment was tucked away safely whilst I was waiting to be picked up after everyone else had left. Truly a Four Star venue from the top down and all done with a genuine smile. The kind of service which I am sure anyone getting married at Carden Park could appreciate.

This is it! The picture from Neil and Amy's wedding at Soughton Hall in Mold that gave us our first ever gold awrd, putting us in contention for the photographer of the year (contemporary wedding photography category).

To celebrate, we would like to offer people looking for a wedding photographer at Soughton Hall a £150 discount for their wedding photography!

Just email us at ioan@celynnenphotography.co.uk !

HO! HO! HO!

Don't ask.. I just felt compelled to start my first "Christmassey" blog post with that. Anyways! So.. Beer in the Barn and the Christmas fair at Riverside organics! If one word could sum it up, it's probably the word "fun"! A great time was had by all and we had really nice people come and see us at Celynnen Photography's stall. There were also some other merchants such as the nice people from Supadupa cakes who can make cakes for all occasions!

In the evening, Simon made sure we were kept warm thanks to his fine organic ales, organic burgers, hot pot, fire pits and of course, entertainment in the barn thanks to bands like Broadchurch!

Beer in the Barn and the Riverside Organics Christmas Fair should definietely be in everyone's calendar next year!

Also, get FREE £50 vouchers for Celynnen Photography at the Riverside Organics Farm shop to be used on any of our products! Quantities are limited!

Ioan

One thing that goes hand in hand with emotions is music. A few marking moments of my life seemed to have a background soundtrack to them, wether it was Pink Floyd's "Shine on you crazy diamond" or Jimi Hendrix's version of "All along the watchtower" or even Enigma, Moby, etc. Music can remind you about how you felt about someone, something or some perticular time of your life.

Being in the arts myself, I can definitely appreciate the hard word singers, songwritters and DJs have to do in order for people to hear of them. So, I have decided to associate myself with a few emerging talents that will now feature on my internet sldeshows as well as my DVDs.

The other day, I told you a bit about The Shallow Call, now let me introduce a very different artist.

Or rather let him introduce himself!

The Vinyl Gibbon:

"The Vinyl Gibbon (aka David Elliott) is a Brighton based musician who creates jazz with a twist. He has been producing music for over 10 years using a mix of real piano and synthesizers blended with world instruments and percussion. Influenced by Jazz, Latin and World Music he creates a diverse range of sounds in his projects. From Cuban and Brazilian grooves to smooth jazzy down-tempo beats, always with an experimental approach. Inspired by his many journeys around the world, he brings a subtle ambience into the music, such as the sounds of Bali and jungle noises from the Costa Rican rainforest.

Let's open our ears real wide..."

www.thevinylgibbon.com

A few months ago, Nickie (my other half..and the other half of Celynnen Photography) and I decided that we would take one day a month and do something that will take us away from our computer screen and help us disconnect from the world a bit, specially from the dreary television and radio that we are being served these days. There are only so much credit crunch and Shannon Mathews news one can handle. So first we went to the Lowry in Manchester, a beautiful and inspiring place. A month later, we were back to see Slava's Snowshow (which I discussed in a previous blog post..) But with Christmas coming, I was looking for a bit of classical music. Of course we found a few really interesting concerts at the Bridgewater Hall. But then, I discovered, thanks to our friends at Google, The Wrexham Symphony Orchestra. Based at the Glyndŵr University, Wrexham Symphony Orchestra is composed by women and men of all ages that give their time so the public of North Wales (and beyond)  can enjoy beautiful music in a wonderful venue in an ever changing Wrexham. It was a great pleasure and honour for me to come and take pictures of the orchestra preparing for their upcoming representation called "Russian Nights" which will include Mussorgski's Night on a bare mountain, Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije and Rachmaninov's Symphony No 1. I will definitely go on the 13th of December, after enjoying a nice meal in some of the local restaurants and perhaps end this wonderful night at the Pant yr Ochain, our favourite pub.

See you there!

I am VERY excited!

This month, I've decided to enter the SWPP monthly competition after a few months away. And not only did we win some bronze prizes and some silver prizes... but we also got a GOLD prize!

Our first ever gold! This means that the winning image will be considered for judging at the annual competition and that it will be published in Professional Imagemaker, the SWPP's magazine.

The SWPP is the Society for Wedding and Portrait Photographers and is the association I belong too. It not only provides training for photographers, but can also help the public find a professional photographer through their website.

Try and guess which picture won gold and you could win a £50 voucher for a session with Celynnen Photography!

(Offer open to the UK for weddings and to North Wales and the North West for portrait photography)

Email ioan@celynnenphotography.co.uk to enter!

Good luck and thank you all for your trust!

Ioan and Nickie