Make Love Real » International

Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Wedding

Neil — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:36:17 +0000

I flew through London to Glasgow, jumped off the plane and shot a wedding the next day:

The wedding took place at the Glengoyne Highland whiskey distillery and we all enjoyed the generously poured high-quality scotch! wowsa!!

Congratulations Gerry and Jenny – thanks for bringing me to your wedding!

I had an awesome time visiting the clubbing scene in Glasgow and partying till 3am – at that latitude the sun rises at that hour and I got to experience my first Celtic ‘time between’ with a beautiful sunset departing Gelengoyne, and a sunrise after dancing all night through the packed clubs of Glasgow.

Canadian thank you card thanks

Neil — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:19:56 +0000

Here’s the design for Morgan’s “Thank You” card design:

And here’s what Morgan said about the card:

Thank you so so so so soso much I am so excited to have our beautiful wedding in the paper for all to see! I also meant to tell you that when I sent out our thank you cards, I have never gotten more compliment on anything inmy whole life! My one friends husband had gotten it while she was at work and he put it up on the fridge and when she got home that night and saw it on the fridge she thought it was a jewellery ad! SHe had to look a few times before she even noticed it was me! Another friend thought it was an ad from Nordstroms! Everyone said how gorgeous the photo was. Thank you so much for that!

For the back of the card I found an authentic antique postcard and scanned it to give the piece a unique believable look.

Morgan and Jason’s Toronto wedding album design

Neil — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:25:23 +0000

Here’s the design layout for Morgan and Jason’s toronto skyline wedding:

Here a SimpleViewer Flash gallery should be displayed. Click here to open the post in your browser to see the gallery.

A couple of my favorite design layouts feature the close combination of related photographic moments:

I can’t wait until my next Toronto wedding photojournalism assignment!

What photographers do at your wedding when you’re not looking

Neil — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:08:47 +0000

What does your photographer do when you’re not looking?

Take silly pictures…

What would you do?

Aw, my long arm technique needs work – can’t get our faces in focus!

International men of mystery, the Ontario Place pavillions do look like something out of a mid 70′s James Bond film.

So we better act the part!

And turn it into a fight scene on the precipitous edge where only the strong survive the sunset.

Or maybe it’s a kung-fu movie, who knows – after working a wedding for 8 hours your minds a little bent.

Ok but just in-case this is the first time you’ve met me or Amish – take a look at what I shot that day, and here’s a few of Amish’s images if you’re looking for a Toronto area wedding photographer. Just moment’s before our silliness:

Creative composition above – and being creative with the gel’s from my lights below:

It’s always good to have a second shooter for weddings because there’s often too much going on….Amish got mom coming down the isle:

While I got the bride crying

A nice close up of the ringing of the groom

Other times the assistant can scout areas to shoot when we’re limited for time – like Amish did for these portraits.

Amish also thought up this nice series of shots contrasting the boutonnieres:

Amish is a good natured guy who’s fun to shoot with so check him out for your Toronto wedding. He’s also got a rich cultural heritage and understanding of Indian wedding traditions if you’re planning something big like that.

Morgan and Jason’s Toronto slideshow

Neil — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:35:08 +0000

Many of you have contacted me through facebook so here’s the link to send me a friend request….

To view the rest of their photos login to www.Make Love Real.com

I don’t think I need to add any words, cause I just stayed up all night again to finish it, and they’d probably just be crappy words compared to everything I felt in the pictures. I look forward to getting back to Toronto for the next big event!

Enigma – Gravity of Love is the slideshow soundtrack

Details:

Bridal preparation at the Renaissance Hotel
Wedding Ceremony rooftop at Ontario Place Atlantis Pavillions
Wedding Reception and dinner in the Trillium room
Toronto Wedding Planning by Angelique
Flowers by the Pink Twig
Dresses by Jealous Bridesmaids

Check your wedding date to see if we are available for your wedding!

Joel & Rebecca win SWPP and BPPA Competition Gold

Neil — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:44:59 +0000

The image of Joel and rebecca walking on Mount Dark in New Zealand places as a Gold image in the June competition by the British Professional Photographers Association + Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers in the United Kingdom.

Look through the full results (NSFW some pages) SWPP and BPPA June 2008 Image Competition Winners

If you have a current issue of Professional Image Maker magazine, you can see Neil’s March winning image in print on page 134.

Three new events online today

Neil — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:56:37 +0000

I just uploaded three new events to www.Make Love Real.com for viewing and ordering prints from your wedding events!

We have everything from Rochester NY to the Scottish highlands!

I’ll update you with the stories behind all these images through the next week or two.

More preparation shots from New Zealand

Neil — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:40:12 +0000

What will the ceremony backdrop look like?

Better than poster quality!

Hairstyling can usually produce some laughable images.

And It’s always gratifying to tease your younger brother while you tie his necktie for him.

But he did end up looking pretty handsome.

It was dimples all day for Rebecca.

Preparation for a New Zealand wedding

Neil — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:37:26 +0000

A few more teaser shots while I work on the multimedia presentation…

Rebecca’s preparation

I tie Joel’s necktie for him.

Joel awaits takeoff for his mountainside wedding.

Just one more teaser post before the full set of images are available at www.MakeLoveReal.com

Preview of Joel and Rebecca in New Zealand

Neil — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:58:35 +0000

Here’s a quick preview of Joel and Rebecca’s wedding photos, all my new Kiwi inlaws drop your e-mail in the comments and I’ll notify you when all the pictures are available on www.MakeLoveReal.com

SWPP the British Professional Photographers award Neil’s image in the March contest

Neil — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:03:57 +0000

The British photographer’s association awards Neil’s image in the contemporary wedding category of their March contest.

As I am headed to Scotland for a wedding in the last days of May and teaching a photography workshop the first day’s of June in the UK, I thought I’d join their association. And they hold a monthly image competition so I look forward to another way to keep my eyes sharp among the best photographers in England.

SWPP Monthly Image Competition Winners Index – page 08 (some pages NSFW)

Bahamas Destination beach wedding photographer

Neil — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:58:55 +0000

Make your photos as unique as your location!

Bahamas Destination beach award winning wedding photojournalist.

Acklins
Berry Islands
Bimini
Black Point, Exuma
Cat Island
Central Abaco
Central Andros
Central Eleuthera
City of Freeport, Grand Bahama
Crooked Island
East Grand Bahama
Exuma

Grand Cay, Abaco
Harbour Island, Eleuthera
Hope Town, Abaco
Inagua
Long Island
Mangrove Cay, Andros
Mayaguana
Moore’s Island, Abaco
North Abaco
North Andros
North Eleuthera
Ragged Island
Rum Cay
San Salvador
South Abaco
South Andros
South Eleuthera
Spanish Wells, Eleuthera
West Grand Bahama

All Bahamas Wedding Locations
Abaco

Bluff House Beach Hotel
We believe your wedding should match or exceed the beauty of the island

Green Turtle Club
Let the Green Turtle Club, the premier boutique resort in Abaco, Bahamas make your wedding an event

Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina
Located less than 200 miles from the east coast of Florida, on the Out Island of Abaco, is Treasure Cay

Andros

Small Hope Bay Lodge
Get married on the beach, in a simple green wedding ceremony by the sea.

Grand Bahama Island

Pelican Bay at Lucaya
An intimate oasis in the heart of Grand Bahama Island, Pelican Bay at Lucaya promises a getaway out of the ordinary.

Old Bahama Bay
An ambience of secluded, barefoot elegance awaits couples at Old Bahama Bay ….

Great Exuma

Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma at Emerald Bay
The secluded Exuma cays beckon couples with their tropical beauty and quiet calm….

Nassau

Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island
Love is all two people need at Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island…

Nygard Cay

Unusual Villa & Island Rentals Bahamas

Paradise Island Harbour Resort/All Inclusive
It’s hard to imagine anything more romantic than an escape to Paradise Island. Whisper your vows on the beach at sunset,…

Take a minute to click with us

Neil — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:23:40 +0000

We would sincerely appreciate your help in both referring us to your friends who will appreciate our services, but also communicating with the myriad of clients you may not meet or know by reviewing our work online. We must cast a broad net to reach each year’s new clients because we don’t serve the same (wedding) client twice. So while we know many of you have made financial sacrifices to hire us, your minute or two effort here will save our future clients the additional costs of more advertising.

Add our site to your favorite bookmark service:

Review our services on external sites and please click each of these links:

Social Network with Neil:

Friend Neil on Facebook: (by far the most useful and used) if you’re not already our client, send me a note to let me know why you’re friending me.
Neil’s Myspace Page: (not that I keep up with it)
Linked in: professional networking
Twitter: neilcowley
Neil’s Flickr account where many of the images here are hosted, and much of the teaching/instructional images are found for:
www.MakeLightReal.com – Neil’s creative journal if you’re interested in learning about the creative process or technical photo stuff.
Open Source Photo – a free discussion forum for beginner wedding photographers.

You can find us listed online in these directories:

Behance – Creative Portfolios
ASMP – American Society of Media Photographers – Neil is also an accomplished commercial and advertising photographer.
Wedding Wire Charlotte NC Wedding Photographers
WeDj.com Wedding Photographer North Carolina
Adirondak Wedding Photographers in New York
New York City Metro Wedding Photographers
Rochester Club Ballroom
Enright Florists
Sheldrake Point Vineyard Weddings
Glen Iris Weddings with a waterfall overlook
Atlanta Wedding Photojournalist listed on MyWedding.com
East Coast wedding photojournalist in Charleston South Carolina
Miami Florida wedding photographer
Orlando Florida wedding photojournalist
Caribbean Island Beach Wedding Destination Villa Photographer
National Wedding Photographer.com
Phoenix Arizona professional wedding photojournalist AZ and the grand canyon
PhotoLinks – The Photography Network
Photographysites.com Wedding Photographers
Love Unscripted – Wedding photojournalist photo blog and image stream
Find a UK wedding photographer.
Find a US wedding photographer
Blog cloud
Charlotte Wedding Guide
North Carolina Wedding Photographers – Member of WeddingPhotoUSA – America’s Professional Wedding Photographers
Find local North Carolina Wedding Photographers
Search for local wedding photographers in North Carolina at LocalWeddingPhotographers.com
listed at million blog list
listed at Wiki Blog Directory
1 Second Film Producer
Photo.net – Neil Cowley’s profile page
Photoblog Community Profile
- Photography Home Pages
- Top Photographer’s site.
Pixorati photo search and vote
Leading Charlotte, North Carolina Invitations and Charlotte, North Carolina Photographers listed in Decidio.com
Titterectory listing for Neil Cowley – Photographer
Charlotte North Carolina Photographer’s Directory
- Photo Ring Photography Blog listings
Boudoir South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina’s top Boudoir and Glamour Photographer servicing Charleston, Summerville, Folly Beach, Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, James Island, Moncks Corner, Goose Creek, North Charleston and surrounding areas in South Carolina.
photographers for weddings, corporate and commercial advertising
weddings photographer

2005 Weddings photographed by Neil Cowley

Neil — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 20:24:58 +0000

A Note from Neil

The start of a new year is a reflective time for all of us. I start my reflection of 2005 with the gratitude and humility 2004 taught me. During that period I was focusing on developing a unique personal style putting my energy into making and thinking about inventive imagery. I looked for every opportunity to use lighting and composition to do something I had never done before. The results of that process were rewarded in 2005 with a top 5 ranking in the US by the WPJA. At the same time I was forcing my personal will into stretching my own conceptual boundaries of my craft – concepts of controlling and creating with light, shadow, perspective, and tonality – the people I served enlarged my spiritual boundaries as I stated last year “I wanted to make clear that God has given much more through you, than your dollars as I have received a new appreciation and understanding of love and art this year. I hope that I have been an equally effective conduit for God to give my talents away to you.”

Well enough for review, my personal goal for 2005 was to expand my consistency. The artistic inspiration can fall at unpredictable times and while that’s nice for winning awards, its not necessarily a reflection of skill as much as an ability to capitalize on good luck. So my intuition told me that I needed to really look at what went into those flashes of creativity I had in 2004, and learn to repeat them as a skill instead of as an accident. I’m only finishing my third year of professional service for weddings so maybe its too lofty a goal to ask myself for consistency after such a short period. But as I write now I feel a tremendous satisfaction looking back over the mountain of work that I’ve completed in 2005. Possibly I’m deceiving myself, but I am satisfied knowing that I have not overlooked the good to make something great. Sounds funny, but it has been a tremendous challenge to face this year – boredom – that could have eaten away the quality of my work as I sought to continue to top my own pictures. What brought me back to that point, was you again. Times where I began to feel rote, where I was being distracted by the small things – you gave me the expressions of Love that can not help but snap you back into focus. Love, the miracle that we give to each other; that we go through all these rituals to express and to seal; that I have the privilege to have the invitation to help you develop.

My reflection for 2005, has the same heart of the lesson learned in 2004 – learned more deeply. “The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. (Albert Schweitzer)” This year I’ve matured enough to realize how I should act to reinforce my reflections. I see better the Tao that has helped keep me in balance and I will seek to nurture that harmony through my business practices. “We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are.(Talmud)” So this turn of my personal quest for photographic vision leads me to work to see you more clearly. I will draw upon my experience of over 100 weddings to help you express “How your Love is New” in photos and in person. I excitedly anticipate what you will teach me as my experience shows that it will be volumes.

Much respect,
Neil

Current images posted at http://makelovereal.net/