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vendor reviews: photographers
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Reviewing Gordon Aitken & Grainne Duggan, Owners & Photographers, Art and Soul
Art and Soul is an incredibly unique photography duo made up of the talents of Owners, Gordon Aitken and Grainne Duggan. The demand for their company’s photography services takes Gordon and Grainne across the ocean to shoot in both Ireland and Canada on a regular basis. Adding to the many reasons to love Art and Soul, Gordon has won countless, highly revered photography awards and says his client list includes the likes of Bill Clinton. They shoot to capture images that are incredible at the moment they’re taken, and then they add to the drama of that memory by making artistic use of photo editing talents in the final product.
So with well established careers in photography, a celebrity-filled client list and a focus on "creating new visions in creative photography" right here in K-W, it’s easy to see why The Ring wanted to meet Art and Soul for ourselves to find out more. Let us explain...
Personally speaking... After twenty-three years of professional wedding photography, Gordon says he still loves "the diversity of photography. I can be shooting corporate, babies and weddings all in a week."
Grainne had a similar inclination towards photography, which was her hobby and love since she was eight years old. After eight years of working in IT in Ireland, Grainne decided to pursue her photography full time.
Both Grainne and Gordon trained in photography in Europe, joined professional associations and gained most of their experience from hands-on training through other experts in the field.
Grainne has been a professional wedding photographer for six years and continues to attend many seminars to follow international trends and innovations in the field. "We're always looking for inspiration and new ideas for the business."
Two become one Art and Soul was created by merging Watermark Photography in K-W and Grainne Duggan Photography in Ireland in 2008 offering great photography to both markets.
They say they love to bring ideas and styles from Europe to Canada. "We feel that couples want the same thing, no matter where they are," they told us, "a mix of romantic, fun and creative images which make the most of the locations they have, whether they historic buildings, rolling countryside or modern street scenes."
Gordon and Grainne shoot about fifty to sixty weddings per year between Ireland and K-W and they are proud to have created so many award-winning images with their clients both here and there. Just recently, they collected three awards at the Irish Professional Photography Awards 2009 for Best Bridal Portfolio, Best Avant Garde Image and Best Pictorial Image from their wedding work. In 2005 Gordon received the Kodak Gallery Award for Excellence for producing the best wedding photograph in Ontario, and in 2006 he was awarded both Kodak's and Nikon's highest awards for his wedding photography in Canada. Grainne's wedding images have been awarded a "Diamond Crest" by the Irish Professional Photography Association, the highest level in the country.
They've got style Gordon and Grainne describe their style as "diverse and exciting, tailored to each couple. We don't like to focus too much on labels," they told The Ring, "it's the feelings the images evoke that count." They also keep in mind that "people want a storybook - a pictorial record of their day from the anticipation of getting ready to the key moments of the ceremony, through to the fun and excitement of the day shared with family and friends right up to the dinner celebration. They want everything - the candids, the details, and the fun, as well as beautiful images of them as a couple."
That's why Gordon and Grainne make sure they personally get to know each couple to ensure they capture and deliver the intimate personal moments that make up a wedding day.
"Gordon and Grainne are both wonderful people," say Jean and Guy Sabourin, who used Art and Soul to photograph their wedding in October 2008. "They truly took a personal interest in our wedding day to ensure that we got everything that we requested and envisioned."
"We have a need to create... an innate desire and need to please and exceed our couples' expectations." Gordon and Grainne add, "Taking a great shot and giving it to the couple is a great gift. It might have been a moment or a look or an action that they missed."
Art and Soul photographed Lisa Cassidy's wedding in June 2008 and she says what she loved best about them was their "ability to capture precious moments from the day as well as finer details."
Gordon and Grainne have such a similar style of shooting that sometimes they can't tell which of them took a photo. And they say that the technical aspects of photography are just second nature to them. They're always conscious of the light, environment, background, composition and balance within each photograph and they are constantly inspired by each other and other photographers.
Jean and Guy say they loved Art and Soul's unique style: "The photos were breathtaking and unlike anything we had ever seen before."
Lisa says her wedding day "was one of the rainiest days of the year... you would not be able to tell it was raining at all from the photographs, which looked amazing. Grainne adapted to the weather conditions and took photos in archways and reception rooms and also managed to get wonderful outdoor photos in the twenty minutes it stopped raining."
Gordon and Grainne's belief must be true then, that "true professionals can turn any situation into an advantage," like making weather fun, for example.
Going over the basics After discovering Art and Soul's creative photography, be it through a review, a friend's wedding or a referral, Gordon and Grainne say you should call or email them for more information. They're always available by phone and email (no matter what country they are in!).
Then, they'll send you an information package and if they're available for your day they will book a time to meet with you at their home studio. Typically they shoot separately, but you can book them both to shoot together.
At the first meeting, Gordon and Grainne get to know the couple, discuss needs, packages, etc. They also show a presentation of their work set to music and have tons of sample albums to look through. They say they love getting to know couples. "It's important that you can talk to your photographer and that you feel comfortable with them and that the fit be right." In fact, often Gordon and Grainne recommend that brides and grooms go through magazines and create a scrapbook of images that they love, which tells a lot about what they prefer in terms of mood, style, lighting, colour versus black and white, what makes them comfortable and any boundaries they have.
Once you've decided to book Art and Soul, the paperwork and deposit are taken care of at this time.
An engagement shoot is included in all packages so the couple meets with their photographer at a preferred location, whether at their studio or outdoors. "Perhaps in the park or by the river or even downtown in a cafe! Wherever is special to the couple. It is a great rehearsal for the wedding day - we find couples become more relaxed being photographed and ultimately it is a great way of getting to know the photographer better."
A final consultation is held usually two weeks before the wedding where couples review the schedule, go over final details and pay the remaining balance.
Gordon and Grainne can also help you time your schedule, which was something Lisa loved about her experience with Art and Soul. "Grainne took control on the day to ensure that we had all photograph combinations we wanted and organized all the relevant people when required. This was essential on the day and meant that no one was left out, but also it was done in such a way that the day was not spent posing for photographs."
Packages&Prices Gordon and Grainne advise brides that "when determining your budget, don't be misled by guidelines from magazines. Your budget should be based on priority."
"We felt that the prices were in line with [our] budget," Jean and Guy told The Ring. Photography was extremely important to them. "We really felt that the quality of the books and the pictures were well worth what we paid."
Art and Soul's most popular package is their $2700 package and most brides spend around $2700 to $3200. All packages include an album, a proof book of all the images of the day and an engagement shoot.
They also offer a coffee table book, which Jean and Guy purchased and describe as 'incredible'. "It's modern, and creatively arranged. It's a real showpiece in our home. Everyone that has viewed our album can't believe how amazing the quality of the pictures is." Terri and Kevin Wilde, married November 3, 2008, agree. "We purchased a hardcover table-top album. I love it because it's like a large magazine/book and we're the featured article."
For more info on Art and Soul Phone Gordon Aitken and Grainne Duggan at 519-886-1313, or email them at info@artandsoul.ie to book an appointment with them at their studio at 646 Gaspe Drive in Waterloo. You can also browse their gallery online at www.artandsoulcanada.com.
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca |
From
Ireland to Canada, Art and Soul creates new visions in creative photography
