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:: September Summer Sizzler Offer ::

As a big thankyou to all my 'Karen Townsend Photography' friends (and as I'm in denial that today is officially the start of autumn), I am pleased to be able to offer you an exclusive £25 off the price of a portrait session (normally £75). 

My 'Summer Sizzler' must be booked during September and taken by the end of the year. Please contact me via email/phone if you'd like more details or to secure your booking - open to couples, families, children and animals alike :) 

 Click on the link to find out more and begin your story...

 

:: More Wedding Anniversary Congratulations ::

I'm not normally one to put personal posts on my blog, but I wouldn't be a proper Wedding Photographer if I let today go unmentioned.

Today is the Ruby Wedding Anniversary of my own lovely parents - 40 years ago today they were married in Australia and the rest, as they say, is history!

I asked them their secrets for a successful marriage and in typical Townsend style, it wasn't easy to give a short answer (now I know where I get it from!), but trust, give and take, not giving up at the first little problem and of course LOTS OF LOVE feature very highly.

Personally I think having such great children is their own personal recipe for success, but then I guess I'm biased!!

Sadly wedding photos from their special day are few and far between (how I wish I could have been there to do them proud), so I've had to resort to a non-wedding image, but I think if you look closely, you will see yours truly featuring highly in it too :)

Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad and I hope you enjoy your afternoon at The Chewton Glen xx

:: MacGregor Golden Wedding Celebrations ::

A couple of weeks ago, prior to my well-earned holiday, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely MacGregor family who were down at The Christchurch Harbour Hotel to celebrate 50 amazing years of marriage.

The sun shone brightly and it could almost have been mistaken for mid-summer!

Ian and Anne looked radiant with their family around them in such a beautiful location and said they could both remember their wedding day as though it were yesterday.  As with all my couples celebrating a marriage milestone, I asked them both the secret to a long and happy union.....

A sense of humour they answered in unison!

This was evident throughout the time I spent with them and I think it's a sound philosophy.

We had a great time and as I left to rush home and pack for my trip abroad, they sat down to a gorgeous luncheon.  Here is a small selection of some of my favourites and you may recognise one of Ian and Anne's sons as the editor of The Sunday Telegraph, Ian MacGregor!

If you'd like to see the full gallery, please contact either myself or James for the password details.

:: Made By Hand, With Love ::

Queensberry, the makers of my fabulous wedding and portrait albums, recently showed me a short film they'd produced to demonstrate just how much dedication, passion and precision goes into the making of each and every album.

I always knew they were amazing, but now I've seen it for real, I'm even more blown away.

If you ever wondered what makes them the best in the world, take a couple of minutes out of your day and watch this short film....

If you'd like your very own Queensberry album, please contact me to discuss ideas and options....




Made by hand from Queensberry on Vimeo.

A few words from Queensberry....


We are committed to creating the best bespoke albums in the world. A wealth of history and experience resides in our album-makers and photographic technicians, who live and breathe the Queensberry craft.

Each album is handmade with the finest materials; each photograph printed in the knowledge that our albums will hold treasured memories forever. 


We select leathers from the finest tanneries, as well as the best man-made alternatives. Our papers and boards come from environmentally sustainable European mills. These are made to our specifications to ensure their suitability for long-term photographic presentation, and textured to enhance the paper’s natural qualities.

Each page you turn is one to remember.

:: Rave! ::

What a way to start the day!

I woke up to a lovely email of thanks from one of my recent wedding couples....they've given their kind permission for me to publish a few snippets...

I wanted to let you know that we’ve sent out the (gallery) link to friends/relatives and the feedback on the photos has been overwhelmingly positive, everyone’s saying how great they are and how well they captured the feeling of the whole day. I think you can expect a few orders coming in soon from the likes of my mum/nan/sister…

Overall, we’ve just been so impressed with your service.
The pre-wedding shoot in hindsight helped immensely. At first it sounded a little vain and we were a bit tentative. But actually, it definitely helped us to prepare for the amount of smiling/posing on the day itself, so thoroughly worthwhile and a real ‘value-add’.

The gift of the signed photo is lovely, everyone felt it was a very nice touch. What I really like is that – now it’s hanging in the hallway – we can see everyday our Guest’s well-wishes, rather than them being in a guestbook which we’d probably never look at again.

Everything has been thoroughly value for money. Of course we were always going to hire you, so I can’t actually say how you compare to other photographer’s prices as we didn’t need to check.

The photos are of course superb, really thoughtful and captured in a way that I wouldn’t even dream of thinking about.They are creative, but still with a very classic feel – exactly what we (and most wedding couples I suspect) wanted.

For the most part, where you really add value are the hidden extras – to the point where we feel you’re possibly underselling the quality of your service. 

Thanks so much guys for taking the time to get in touch. I get so much joy from all my various clients, but it's always GREAT to hear that the experience has been so positive for them too.

I'm currently booking weddings well into 2011, so please do get in touch if you'd like to meet up for a chat to discuss your wedding plans and ideas. I must stress, this is without obligation and you won't be pressured into signing on any dotted lines or plagued with follow-up phonecalls.....don't you just hate it when that happens?!

I'll also be able to show you the fantastic range of options from my preferred album supplier Queensberry....you'll feel like a kid in a candy shop with all the choices....traditional or contemporary.....matted or digital...the choices are yours!

Go on, get in touch, you know you want to ;)

:: Welcoming Beautiful Emilia Grace ::

Here are some more of my faves from Emilia Grace's Newborn Session....I know I always say it, but I really, really, REALLY had a hard time narrowing them down. She is soooo cute and just like her big brother.

If you'd like to discuss either a maternity or a newborn shoot (or both of course!), please do get in touch - I'd love to hear from you and share in your special moments.

It's worth noting that, to get the best results from your newborn shoot, we need to plan the session when the littl'un is about 7-10 days old. They tend to be a lot more sleepy during the early days, which helps with the posing.

Maternity shoots are best booked around 7.5 - 8 months into your pregnancy so you have a nicely defined 'bump'. These can be with or without the Dad-to-be...whichever is your preference.

:: Baby On Board ::

As mentioned recently, I've really been enjoying the maternity and newborn shoots I've been involved with - it puts a whole new perspective on life and makes you feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful process.

Now that Corinne and family have had the opportunity to see the results from their recent trip out with me, here are some more for you to see.

As the weather was so glorious, Corinne, Chris, Owen and I headed down the road to the local park. When things got a bit too hot, we decamped back to the house where things were less hectic and a heck of a lot cooler....

If you're interested in either a maternity or newborn shoot, please do get in touch (either directly or via the contacts page on the main website) and I'd love to discuss plans and ideas with you.

For those who'd like to see the whole gallery, please contact either myself or Corinne for the password details.

Until next time.....

:: Wigg Newborn Sneak Peak ::

Corinne, who featured on the blog recently, gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl - Emilia Grace - and guess who had the privilege of being her chosen Newborn Photographer..??

Here is a sneak preview of what's to come...once the proud family have had a chance to see all the pictures themselves of course....

:: A Special Day For Sandi ::

As promised, now that Sandi has seen her images, here are selection for you to see too.....

As always, if you'd like to see the full shoot, please get in contact with either myself or Sandi for the Gallery password.

:: A Truly Relaxed Occasion ::

Well now that Katie and Mike, have had the opportunity to view all the images from their beautiful wedding day and make their album selections, I can now share some more of the images with you.

They had glorious weather with bright sunshine and an almost cloud-free sky. Although the temperature was in the high 20's, it didn't seem to phase any of the wedding party as 'relaxed' was the aim of the day.

It was the first time I'd been involved in a wedding at the wonderful Gordleton Mill. Already a firm favourite as a restaurant venue for me, I couldn't wait to see how it transformed during the daytime for a wedding. I wasn't disappointed! It has a truly magical feel to it and the team were amazing. Sadly, the infamous 'Crispie Duck' wasn't in residence that day, but Katie & Mike had chosen to recognise him by providing every guest with a cute, yellow duck to float in the water after the wedding breakfast.

Katie was the epitome of calm as she got ready, despite the palpable excitement of wearing a Vera Wang dress. Yes, you heard me correctly - A VERA WANG DRESS - or 'The Wang' as it became affectionately known during the day! It was THE most delicate dress I have ever seen and was so, so beautiful.

When I first met with Katie and Mike to discuss their wedding plans and ideas, all those many months ago, it seemed a lifetime away. However, before we knew it, the day was upon us and it couldn't have been more perfect. During that initial meeting, I always ask my couples what single word they would use to sum up the wedding day they are planning.... the word they chose was 'friendly'..... and I have to say, they got it spot on. I couldn't have wished to have spent the day with a more welcoming family and a more fun bunch of guests.

Thanks guys, it was fantastic and I hope you remember the details for many, many, MANY years to come :)

If you'd like to see the full gallery, please contact either Mike, Katie or myself for the password details.