So here we are already, Christmas Eve is upon us. It's been a busy December which is good, we always like having customers! The advent calendar was a success and we've gathered lots of lovely new contacts. The icy and snowy weather caused a few disruptions and cancellations but nothing drastic. All of the prints, frames and vouchers that were bought for Christmas have been delivered or collected, and we hope there will be plenty of smiles tomorrow when they are opened. Between Christmas and re-opening in January it's going to be just as busy for us, although not nearly as exciting. Admin, admin, admin! The new studio software is going to get a proper going-over, we have a mountain of tidying to do and a whole heap of new flyers to design. And at some point the quarterly newsletter, although that may well turn into a new year letter instead...

Thanks to all of our customers - some of whom are returning for the second or third sitting! - despite the general gloom of the current economic situation people do still place a value on creating lasting memories.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.

Somehow a fortnight has slipped past without me really realising it... although in my defence I have been in Strasbourg for a few days, which has put my working week out somewhat!

It's been as busy as we would expect - or at least hope! - over the Christmas period, with people getting their portraits taken for presents, vouchers being bought for family and friends and events and functions dotted about. In amongst all of the work we've had the regional Master Photographer Association awards, and are pleased to report on some success! A first place in the Commercial Category and a second in the Pets will do quite nicely thank you v

ery much. Added to the general merriment was the annual Christmas dinner, with the obligatory (and very tasty) turkey and trimmings.

We've also had a winter wedding - Abi and Will were lucky enough to not be snowed on but the temperature was certainly a test, particularly for the shots outside. St Lawrence Church at Stratford Sub Castle is a beautiful little church, and the reception at Wilton House added an extra level of beauty to the day. Abi looked stunning and Will was dashing in his military dress, along with his guard of honour. Their will be some more pics viewable soon but it's only fair that the happy couple get to see them first. Below is a taster though...

And so we charge onwards to Christmas and the New Year. Plenty of work to be done behind the scenes over the festive period to get us absolutely ready and focussed for January. Bring it on!

Here it is then, our newest marketing idea. As advent calendars are a central part of Christmas we thought we'd create a virtual one. A number of local businesses have donated prizes and we hope that between us all we can create a little more business for each of us. And of course the lovely people of Salisbury just might be able to get a few extra presents for the price of a text! Check out our facebook page to see how it works.

Alongside the Christmas Lights and advent calendar, Salisbury also has an added delight for late-night shoppers in the shape of the busking caravan, and the sounds of just about anything and everything! Brave are those who supported the musicians on Thursday, with temperatures at about -3...

As well as all of the above we've had a couple of sittings and a viewing this week - we get to meet and photograph some lovely people and the three brothers we photographed recently are absolute stars!

Today we have a winter wedding; fingers crossed for Abi and Will that all the guests make it to the church safely and that all are wrapped up for the cold weather! Last night's rehearsal went well and the church is beautiful. It should be a lovely day.

The Christmas trade is picking up nicely; we do like this time of year. It also means the Christmas Lights Switch-On, and I have to say that the display from the top of the Guildhall was pretty spectacular. I for one felt like a child again as I gazed with rapturous glee at the pretty lights!

Someone enjoying the occasion!

We've had a productive week, with me finally getting my desk cleared and my second screen up and running. We've had a sitting and a viewing, a Christmas Fayre and a location recce, and lots and lots and lots of processing. Where would we be without computers now? Technology is a blessing and a curse, allowing us much greater freedom and creativity (although I'm sure there would be purists who would argue against this point!), but at the same time, everyone's got a digital camera so everyone's a photographer. But this isn't a rant, honest! The main jist of it is that we've spend a lot of time sitting in front of computer screens this week. The fruits of our labours will be with us in a week or so. And our big advent calendar will be live as of the 1st - of course. Be sure to check out our fb page for each new prize...

Life is always interesting when you're self-employed, and particularly when the service you provide isn't a vital one. Photography isn't quite a luxury item but it's not too far off. Obviously we think it's actually pretty important to document those all important times and events, and we're especially glad we're not the only ones. Capturing events for posterity is something which has always happened; people sat for their painted portraits or sculptures; great happenings were immortalised on film or vinyl and so on. This week has seen us capturing families on in the studio. No longer on film, but the idea remains the same. We saw one family last year who happily returned this year. The two boys change so much over the course of 12 months that it's amazing to see the differences from one year to the next.

Above is an image from the recent Freedom Of The City Parade by 4th Battalion The Rifles. Presided over by local dignitaries as well as their Royal Colonel HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, this was another event that made us proud to work in this business. To be asked to cover such an event for posterity - for the council, the people of Salisbury and the soldiers themselves - is a great honour.

We also photographed a beautiful baby boy - at only 2 weeks his grip on his dad's hand was extraordinary. Some stunning images of this little cracker have hopefully made his parents very proud.

It's been a humbling week in a way, making us look at what we do we and why with fresh eyes. Yes it may be a bit of a luxury, but memories and emotions are powerful things and we're proud to play our part in photographing the making of them.

Scarily an amazing amount of time has passed since last I wrote. Not through lack of interest or deliberate avoidance, more a pressing amount of work and an element of forgetfullness! Thankfully I'm not as tardy with the rest of the marketing work. In advance of the new year and the resolutions that always abound, I'm staking mine in the sand now... The whole social networking thing is great and we are trying as a business to use the various platforms out there to our advantage. This hasn't really included the blog thus far, and so I'll be trying to push this out there a little more as of now.

So what have we been up to in this autumn of discontent? Well, things are definitely a little more difficult than they were 18 months ago but that's the case for a lot of businesses. We're still here, we're still trading and we're still bringing in new custom, which is great. The first half of this month has seen us doing a corporate shoot in Mere, viewings for a couple of portrait sittings, a 2-week-old's first photoshoot (all together now – ahhhh!), a winter fayre and a wedding meeting. A great selection of jobs, meeting new people and – hopefully – future clients, and raising brand awareness. We had a quick trip to the Wilton Garden Centre to see our TV ad for real, and were pleased to see it twice on our meander through the Christmas decorations. It's strange where ideas can come from – our Christmas offer led off directly from that visit. The details will be up here before the end of the month but in the meantime, enjoy the images from our last few months here at chez Trinity.

Another day in the life - and you can't tell from these pictures how very volatile the weather was! We were invited up to Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club last weekend to take pictures of their ProAm Day, and much fun it was too. We'll put them all up online soon but here are a couple to whet your whistle...

It's been a manic but fun few months for us with the Dogs Trust Rex Factor competition dominating the studio. We've had over 40 hounds passing through our doors, and it all comes to a head on Sunday August 1st at the Open Day in Newton Tony. Come along and vote for your favourites - the 12 dogs with the most votes at the end of the day will feature in the beautiful 2011 calendar. Your local pooch needs your vote: please help them. What do you think of some of last year's entries? Every one a winner as far as we're concerned!

In between all of that, we've had other work and functions to attend to, as these pics demonstrate. We love our job, it's a fantastic way to earn a living - and we hope you like the fruits of our labours!

Our work takes us everywhere, whether it's a new baby here in the studio, a family anniversary in their home or a black tie function at a grand hotel. The other week saw us playing with the soldiers from 655 Sqn AAC (V) during one of their training evenings. The grizzly weather wasn't enough to stop the lynx flying or the training going on!

We are fortunate in our work to photograph some lovely people and everything they are involved in and babies are no exception. The (arguably) most beautiful baby in the world and his mum joined us in the studio yesterday for another session. Young Master Cornwell is now 7 months old and able to sit up quite happily. He is a very cheerful little boy who is into everything and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience of having his portrait taken. He even met the studio hound, Mr Hooch, and was so excited at a cuddly toy that had come to life he wanted to hang from his tail and play with him!

Armed Forces Day 2010: we were the official event photographers for the festivities here in Salisbury. The sun was shining, people were smiling and it was generally a wonderful day. Despite the football drawing the crowds away at the end of the day the rest of the day saw a great response from all involved. Veterans and serving personnel from local units, including the cadets, were on parade and the crowds were entertained not only by the numerous acts on stage but also by the AAC's Historic Flight team, a spitfire fly-past and the AAC Band. Marvellous.

We now have gift vouchers available! Well, to be fair we've had them for a wee while but it's the first time we've made them this public. If you're stuck for a present for that awkward-to-buy-for friend or relative then try one of these. You can either give them a donation towards their sitting with the £25 option or go the whole hog and pay the £129. Either way it's a beautifully-presented timeless gift. Give us a shout to buy yours.

Our third birthday celebrations were the usual mixture of tea, cake and amiable company; for those that made it thank you. For those that didn't, shame on you and see you next year! I handed over the Ashes-sized Bake Off trophy to Mr Kevin Coyle, who trumped us all with his truly awesome Cor Blimey; a fabulous key lime pie. We had creations from work experience students, part-time bakers and those of us who prefer to do our baking in the wee hours of the morning. From Absolutely Marbleous to Tangy Lemon Teasers, Chocomel Nut Slice Supreme to Honey Biscuits, there was something to tickle everyone's tastebuds. We all left feeling slightly sick but on a definite sugar high!

We love working at carnivals, fairs and exhibitions and this year's Amesbury Carnival was no exception. We had a lovely day for it and met many lovely dogs and owners. The handsome chap above was the highlight of my day. There is always a fun dog show as part of the carnvial and the stall holders are asked to judge a category each. We chose Dashing Dude and so it was that I found myself in the arena with hounds of all shapes, ages and sizes, from which to choose my first, second and third. Harry was an instant winner - and his owner Lucy only entered him as a bit of a laugh. She was thrilled when I handed her the red rosette, and imagine her delight when he was later awarded the winner of winners trophy in the grand final, beating stiff competition from a beautiful belle, waggiest tail, golden oldie, cutest pup and trickiest trick. Harry was thrilled, Lucy and her mum were ecstatic, and I was chuffed to bits! Well done Harry!

Fancy a bargain? Until 15th June we are offering a trinity of frames at vastly reduced prices - if you've been thinking of getting a portrait done then now is most definitely the time! Give us a call to book your sitting and take advantage of this cracking offer.

It's that time of year again, and I can't tell you how excited we are about it! Last year we worked with Dogs Trust Salisbury and Baskerville Press to run a competition to find the 12 most gorgeous hounds to feature in a bespoke calendar. We're doing the same again this year, only bigger and better.

Every dog is beautiful and we want to photograph as many of them as possible. The old showbiz adage of never working with children or animals goes out the window with photography. Kids and pets are brilliant to work with; they are happy to spend time with you without asking questions, and more importantly they have no preconception about their looks. A dog doesn't worry if he's come out with his breakfast round his chops, and a child couldn't care less if his hair hasn't been brushed. They have no idea about what makes a good picture and are completely at ease and natural around the camera, which gives us the chance to have some real fun and get some wonderful pictures. I'll attempt to upload them as we go on here for all to see. In advance though here are a few from last time. A cracker, each and every one.

Have you ever tried to write illuminating and effervescent prose whilst listening to Radio 4's finest comedy? When you get to the end of this see how well you think I've done!

We went to a fantastic event at Salisbury's Arts Centre the other evening. As members of the Business Members Group we are entitled to tickets to a few shows a year, and last week we were privvy to Laura Solon's Rabbit Faced Story Soup - I would urge everyone to catch her show if possible. The woman is brilliant, a comic genius. Marvellous.

http://www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk/working-with-business/business-members-group.aspx

http://www.laurasolon.com/live/

So what else is new? Well, we will be out and about at various shows and events over the next few weeks. Catch us at the Child's Play event, promoted by our good friends Ladies Who Love. They put on a huge variety of events which are always well-organised. If you're looking for something for the little people in your life this is an event not to be missed -

http://ladieswholove.co.uk/index.php/childs-play-the-birth-to-big-school-show-fun-for-all-the-family/

We've also got wedding fairs, craft fairs, conferences and sittings a-plenty over the next month. Catch us at the Ludgershall and Romsey wedding fairs, Salisbury's Guildhall for a craft fair and not forgetting the Fleet 1/2 Marathon this coming Sunday; we'll be there in force to get shots of people running their socks off in the pre-London warmup. Good luck to all who are taking part and give us a smile on your way round.

http://www.fleethalfmarathon.com/index.htm

What a cutie! Isn't he the most beautiful baby? Young master Cornwell came in to see us a couple of days shy of his 3-month birthday. He was trying manfully to manoeuvre himself but just couldn't quite manage it. It won't be long before he's running his parents ragged!

In other news, we've just come back from our annual trip to the biggest photographic trade show in the country, and happily managed to spend very little. A new Wacom tablet was the only thing to have made it back with us, although some new studio management software won't be far behind. I can't tell you how excited I am by this prospect - sometimes things look like they'll change the way you work for the better, and if this software is even half as good as it looks my admin will be a joy to behold.

Coming up we've got more baby shoots, which are always great fun, and the main event of the spring: Anthony's trip to the French Alps for some skiing and fantastic photography opportunities. The pics will be up by the middle of April, so check back then.

How is it February already? Where did January go? So much for my new year's resolution...
Anyway, plenty coming up to keep us - and you - amused. We had a wonderful shoot with baby Harry before Christmas: a beautiful 2-week-old who behaved fantastically and gave us some cracking expressions. We've got 3-month-old Lennon coming in to see us with his mum next week, and we'll post some of his pictures here. At the weekend we'll be at the Baby Show at the Guildhall in Salisbury, where we'll have some offers and products available. It's going to be a lot of fun; come and say hello. http://www.funkymoose.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page&id=39&chapter=0

And what about our latest offer? Well, it's that time of year again, and whether you love it or loathe it sometimes it's nice to indulge for, or in spite of, Valentine's Day. Book a boudoir shoot with us before Feb 28th for only £350 - we'll supply the hair and makeup artist, the champagne, the chocoloates and a framed image, you provide the glamour. Dare to bare as much - or as little - as you like and we promise you'll feel amazing. You've seen How To Look Good Naked, now do it for yourself! Give us a call or drop us a line to book your shoot.

'Til next time...