Alfred Gordon Photography

NEWS

2011-06-06T08:23:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody!!!

A lot has gone on in my personal and business life since my last post so long ago. I have opened a second studio in Murfreeesboro, Tennessee with a partner, Larry Ralston. Murfreesboro is my real hometown where I grew up and graduated high school. I will continue to do weddings and other things back in Bradenton, too! I am presently flying back and forth every few weeks. As of now, our website is still www.algordonphoto.com. I have also remarried! Its gonna be a wild ride, but just know, we love our clients in both cities, and we will continue to provide you with quality photography and great service! Our Tennessee phone number is 615-396-8776! Our Tennessee e-mail is GordonRalstonPhotography@gmail.com

AWARDS!!!!!!

2011-01-19T13:23:00.001-08:00

Alfred Gordon Photography Al Gordon Photography, LLC, would like to announce that two of their staff photographers received high honors at the recent awards ceremony of the Bay Professional Photographers . Alfred Gordon received the coveted Photographer of the Year award, and Billy Dzwonkowski (aka Billy D) received second place Photographer... of the Year. It is very rare that two photographers from the same studio received first and second place. Please know when you hire us, you always get quality photography!

2010-09-08T07:34:00.001-07:00

I love to photograph people showcasing their environment and their interests. It is so much more fulfilling than just a "Headshot" and means much more to their families. Mr. Hays has a variety of things that peak his interest. Everything from Civil War memorabilia to fishing. He also owns a really awesome Harley Davidson motorcycle. It was obvious he has a deep love for his wife and family. I wanted to capture a bit of his unique character by including a few of his passions in this photo. I had asked him to change into a dark shirt and blue jeans, and he surprised me with a "Doo-Rag. I love it, and I bet his family will also!

fpp 2010

2010-05-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

fpp 2010

Images from my class held in Daytona at FPP Florida School. www.fpponline.org.

What a SUPER class!! I had great students who were wanting to learn!

Bayshore High Ambassador for 2010-11

2010-04-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Spring is our time to interview and photograph our Senior Ambassadors for the coming year. We are on the lookout for outgoing, friendly juniors that are comfortable in front of a camera. Samantha is the perfect package! She will be a senior at Bayshore and is looking to go into the Air Force when she graduates. We had a lot of fun on our first session with her this week. Look for more images of her and other ambassadors in the coming months. If you are interested ( Or know someone) that might fit our needs, please have them call Nan at our studio ASAP (Must be a junior). Here are some of mine and Billy's favorite shots of Samantha!

BUNNIES!!!

2010-03-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

Our annual Bunny Days are rapidly approaching! No session fee! Call for an appointment ASAP, March 25 and 26th only!

Florida School 2010

2010-02-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

Hey Photographers!

Just an FYI that I will be teaching at the FPP Florida School May 23-27, 2010 in Daytona this year. For those of you that have not attended before, it is an incredible time for learning and fun, too! Florida School is one of the best deals and top schools in the country! The details of my class and the other speakers are listed on the FPP web site, www.fpponline.com. If you have questions about my class, feel free to call me at 941-751-9257!

Arrgh Me Mateys

2010-02-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

I love to sing the praises of our local business people. Linda Lamp is a close friend and a very creative artist. She has compiled an interesting cookbook, which contains pirate themed recipes along with short stories. She also has produced other pirate themed curios such as, soaps, and other items. I enjoyed doing her portrait and photographing the her collection of other items. Nan, our studio manager, has tried one of the recipes from the book, and really loved it. Visit her website at www.seaserpentcookbook.com.

My Valentine

2010-02-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

For the entire month of February, Alfred Gordon Photography is offereing a Valentine Special. Cherish your loved ones! Celebrate your family! 2 5x7s and 8 wallets, including your photosession, for only $165! Call now to reserve your spot! 751-9257.

We hope everyone takes time to spend with your family on Valentine's Day, as well all yeare round!

Bette and Ryan

2010-01-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

These are a few shots from last night's beach session with Bette and Ryan. The colors that popped out at sunset were breathtaking. The two of them were a blast to photograph, and I look forward to spending an awesome day photographing their wedding soon.

Pennsylvania Wedding

2009-09-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

I had the extreme pleasure of assisting Tammy Wolfe of London- Wolfe Photography in Altoona, PA yesterday with a wedding. Tammy and I have been friends for a few years and I was very excited to work with her. Her style is very fresh and original. We had a great couple, Ashley and Corey, and it was awesome weather, too! 65 DEGREES! We both had a great time, pushing each other. Here are a few of the images we created. If you are getting married or need portraits in the Altoona area, please check out her website, www.LondonWolfe.com

2009-09-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hello!!

First, for you FACEBOOK users, we now have a fan page! Feel free to friend Alfred Gordon, and become a fan of Alfred Gordon Photography! I try to update the page at least once a week!

Now, I wanted to post a shot we did about a week or so ago. I was asked to photograph the Seniors on the BCS football team for their cover on the football programs. I liked my version so much I wanted to show you. This is different than the one for the cover, but this one was my vision. It took a lot of lights, a smoke machine, and some moms to help, but it turned out great! GO BCS!!

Facebook

2009-09-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

LOTS to talk about! First, all you Facebook fans- we now have a fan page for Alfred Gordon Photography. It is so much fun to post shots from many of the sessions we are doing by the next day! Please be a fan, and feel free to friend me also!

Nan, Billy, and I all received awards at the recent Florida Professional Photographers Convention for our photography! We will be posting those images ASAP!

We hope you are having a SUPER day! Now is the time to schedule your holiday portraits! Use them for gifts, cards, etc.! Call our studio for special pricing!

Al

2009-08-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

We are honored to be the studio chosen to photograph Bradenton Christian School's Seniors again this year. We have spent the last two days doing their yearbook photos in our studio. It has been fun meeting each senior and hearing about their goals for the future. We will be photographing many of these students again soon, with a more in depth session. We love to get these guys outdoors at the beach, or downtown Bradenton in the alleys, or anywhere they want to go. We are up for anything!
Here are a few of this year's BCS seniors!

SENIORS 2010

2009-08-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

We have already gotten a great influx of 2010 seniors from Bayshore, Manatee, Bradenton Christian, and as far away as Ohio! I just wanted to thank all the incredible seniors that we photographed that graduated this year. We wish you lock in all that you do. We are honored to have been given the chance to capture such an important time in your life.The photograph is of our senior wall last year, We are looking forward to photographing all our 2010 seniors. Call now for the best appointments! Thanks!!

Photographic Adventures In the Garage

2009-07-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, this blog is brought to you by Billy D. Al and myself had quite the photographic adventure today. Here is how the story goes. About two weeks ago Al and I both had to take our vehicles in to get work done on them, and I suggested to Al to try out my car expert. So he did. While sitting in the waiting room I dreamed up a shot in my mind. So we asked Doug if he would be willing to do a photo shoot in his garage. He gladly accepted. So this morning around 8 am Al and I headed Over to Doug's Service Center. We piled 4 cars and 6 lights and one of Doug's workers to accomplish one shot. We used four power lights along with two q-flashes. Needless to say we were throwing around a lot of power. Doug was very patient with us, as we tested our lighting. We had a great time with Doug and I hope we were able to capture his love for automobiles, trucks, and anything else with an engine!. We were treated as family just like all his customers. If you ever need anything car or truck related be sure to check out Doug's Service Center, 4411 30th Street West, 755-0158

Another Ambassador

2009-06-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

HIYA!!

We would love to announce the Ambassador for Bayshore High School for this coming year!

Casey Laviani will be a senior this year at Bayshore. She is involved with Volleyball, Pole Vaulting, and tennis on occasion. She is also very involved in Bayshore's top orchestra. She is also attending State College of Florida, working on her Associate's Degree. She wants to major in Marine Biology, helping to repair our fragile ecosystem. This gal knows how to stay busy. She has been a blast to photograph!!

She uses her free time to work as a hostess at The Original Roadhouse on US 41. Welcome to the family, Casey! More photos of Casey are coming!

2009-06-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Alfred Gordon Photography would like to announce our Ambassador for Manatee High School for the 09-10 school year! We are always looking out for popular, outgoing guys and gals that will be the face of Alfred Gordon Photography at schools in the area. There are still openings at Manatee and other schools, so call us!

Our choice for Manatee is Nicole Baldwin! Nicole is is now a senior at Manatee where she plays softball and is Drum Major for the Manatee Marching 'Canes. While still in high school Nicole attends Manatee Community College full time. In the future Nicole plans to finish out her A.A. degree at MCC and then transfer to the University of Florida in hopes of becoming an Anesthesiologist and to minor in Music Education.

We will announce our ambassador for Bayshore High in the next few days!

We did it again!

2009-05-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

We just found out that we were named the Bradenton Herald's Reader's Choice FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER for 2009!!This is the second time in three years! Thanks to all our customers who love us enough to vote.

We truly enjoy being your family photographer.We love weddings, high school seniors, Bat Mitzvahs (Just did one!), babies, even commercial photography!

Again, thanks for thinking so highly of us! There are a lot of photography choices you can make in Manatee County, we are honored you have chosen the team at Alfred Gordon Photography!

Please refer us to your your friends and coworkers!

Al

Weve been busy!!

2009-04-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

I APOLOGIZE again for not blogging more. There has been so much happening in the last few months. Speaking trips to Phoenix and Las Vegas, weddings , seniors, you name it!

One of our proudest moments happened in JANUARY. Billy Dzwonkowski, one of our staff, entered the Manatee County Fair. As you may know, one of Bradenton's favorite people and great photographer, Paul Bartley, passed away late last year. The Fair decided to add an award to the photography contest in honor of Paul. The category for this award was the best photograph of people. Billy was the recipient this year! We are all so proud. His photograph of Kelly Jo Starcher, one of our seniors, was awesome. Billy shows an immense amount of talent!

Photos from Phoenix and Las Vegas soon!

Friends

2009-01-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

There are some honors that few people ever get to enjoy. On this coming Tuesday evening, I get to experience such an honor. My great friend and talented photographer, Rick Delorme, will be receiving his Master of Photography Degree from the Professional Photographers of America. He asked me to be on stage with him as his sponsor. Sadly, the person Rick really wanted to be on stage with him has passed on. Our mentor and close friend, Monte Zucker, was to be his sponsor. Monte was taken away from us by cancer a little while ago. Believe me, I am overwhelmed to be his second choice. Rick and I met many years ago at one of Monte's classes. I hope to post a photo of Rick and I on the blog when I return. Rick (top photo) has worked tirelessly to receive this, and he truly deserves this recognition. Rick has a studio in Michigan (Brrrrrr) but he travels down here quite often. Here is a sample of his wonderful images. Check out his web site.. www.delormephoto.com

On the way to Phoenix soon, see ya when I return!
Al

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not being on the blog lately! I hope everyone is having a great holiday season It's tough for everyone right now, and we want you to know that we appreciate all our valued customers. Each family portrait, wedding, and high school senior is special to us, and we thank you again for thinking of us! Please tell your friends!

Tammy and Nikki could not be here for the photo, but Billy, Nan ( Corbin), and I had a good time taking this! A huge thank you to our good friend Linda for snapping the shutter!

Have a GREAT HOLIDAY!

Fall!

2008-11-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hiya!

I had a chance to get away from Florida a few weeks ago and relax i n the mountains with a buddy of mine. So, what do I do to relax? Photograph, of course! The leaves were gorgeous.. These photos were around the Smoky Mountains National Park.. Enjoy!

Fashion at its best!

2008-09-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

I love it when a plan goes together! Last night I had the pleasure of working with three gorgeous models, a FANTASTIC team of make up artists, a super dress shop, a cool new florist and a videographer that rocks! We all teamed up to provide each other with new cutting edge images that promotes all our businesses. What a TOTAL blast. It is so nice to work with a team of professionals, all with the same goal. We photographed all over downtown Bradenton. A huge thanks to Jerry and First Baptist Church for lending a room for the girls to change. Here are just a few of the 600 images.

The vendors were
Something Blue Bridal Boutique- 747-1512 www.somethingbluebridalboutique.com (Under revision)
Acqua Aveda Salon- 941.778.5400 www.acquaaveda.com
Studio26 Video- 941.751.2600- www.studio26weddings.com
The Perfect Settings-941.993.0696 www.theperfectsettings.com

Ja MON!!!

2008-09-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

HIYA!!

I apologize for not keeping my blog updated. I will do better, because I have LOTS to report! First , I really want to tell you about my wedding in JAMAICA in May! My wife and I were honored to spend 4 days with Chelsea Boston and RJ Teahan, along with their families, photographing their fabulous wedding. I photographed Chelsea's sisters wedding a few years ago, and it was like I was a part of the family on this trip. They are incredibly wonderful people, and such fun to photograph. Chelsea and RJ did everything I asked them to do, including getting under a roaring waterfall of cold water! I also went with RJ and his buddies on a fishing trip, where they caught tuna and amber jack. The tuna was grilled by the chef of the resort as soon as we returned. Fantastic. Overall, I think I shot over 3000 images. Here are a few.

A new addition!!!!

2008-06-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

A huge congratulations to our studio manager, Nan Scofield and family! She had a baby! Corbin Scofield was born on Sunday, May 25. Nan had Corbin a few weeks early (While I was photographing a wedding in Jamaica- more later!), but both mom and baby are fine! In fact, Nan and her family has already stopped by our studio for their first family portrait. You can see that older brother Cooper is proud of his new sibling.

We miss you, Nan.. HURRY back!

Teaching

2008-04-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

It gives me joy when I get a chance to give back some knowledge that I have learned from other photographers through the years. I recently had the chance to spend a week with 14 photographers at Triangle School of Photography in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The class was receptive to my ideas, and we had a great time. I love to teach, because I learn just as much from the class as they learn from me.

The week before I was honored to be a judge at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International convention. I , along with some of the top wedding photographers in the world, judged over 1200 wedding images in two days. The images were from all over the world. INCREDIBLE experience!

Here are sdome images from my Pittsburgh class.

The Bunnies were here!!!

2008-03-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time photographing the children with the bunnies last weekend! The children really enjoyed themselves and we captured great smiles and memories for their families. We look forward to having the bunnies back next year.

The Bunnies are coming!!!

2008-02-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

The bunnies are coming to our studio March 7 and 8, 2008! Portraits of children are a gift from the heart and always appreciated - especially for the holidays. CALL NOW for our Easter Specials and to reserve your time for your children to be photographed with the bunnies!

A chance to relax!

2008-01-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, it's good to just "kick back". I have an incredible extended family, and this year we were all able to get away for Christmas. In fact, I am still on the way back, and this is the first time I have been on the internet since December 23! We spent the time together at a wonderful cabin in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Of course, I had to capture some images while I was there. I had such fun climbing the hills (and sliding around a bit), with my son Dean, and brother-in-law Scott Maurer.

My wife's parents have "adopted " me since my parents passed away some time ago. I appreciate all their support in my profession. I treasure the moments with her and her family. I hope everyone had as super of a holiday as we had. It even snowed on Christmas!

Enjoy!

New Hire into the Gordon Family

2007-12-21T10:00:00.001-08:00

We have a new employee, Nanette "Nan" Scofield. She graduated from Daytona Beach Community College with an AS degree in Photographic Technology. Her daily duties at the studio are endless in addition to keeping us on track and organized with production and client orders. We are thrilled that Nan has joined our studio staff and look forward to the years that follow. Welcome aboard, Nan!

Wedding at Ringling

2007-12-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

I think I have photographed nearly 1000 weddings. Every one of them is special to me, but every once in a while one comes along that exceeds expectations. We recently photograped Julie and Sean's wedding at Ringling. They were incredible people to work with! We had a blast!

The surroundings and food were absolutely phenomenal. The weather could not have been better! Everything was PERFECT. All the vendors worked together to make the day an event to remember. I want to take a moment to list all the vendors that helped make Julie and Sean's wedding day special.

Coordinater- Bobbi Hicks- www. weddingsbybobbi.com
Caterer- Michaels on East- www.Michalsoneastcatering.com
Flowers- Flowers by Fudgie- www.flowersbyfudgie.com
lights and other decorations- Affairs in the Air www.affairsintheair.com
Cake- Beautiful Cakes by Ron- www.beautifulcakesbyron.com
Video- Creative Video Productions- www.cvpexperience.com
Venue- Ringling Museum- www.ringling.org

Local and National competition

2007-08-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

Al has done extremely well lately in competition, both locally and internationally. Out of over 7000 images from all over the world that were submitted, Al had two selected for the American Society of Photographers Travelling Loan Collection. There are only about 150 images chosen for this honor. These are the best of the best! The two that were chosen are the two on the right. The one on the left was selected as Best of Show in local competition last month. This image will travel to State competition next!

Al loves to enter competition, to keep his creativity always up. That way he is always on the cutting edge to keep our customers happy!

Thank you to our loyal customers!

2007-08-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for voting us your FAVORITE photographer in the Manatee County area! It means a lot to us that you took the time to vote in the Bradenton Herald poll this year. It means even more that we never asked any one to vote for us. We never brought it up. That must mean you REALLY like us!

We won't let you down!

PS.. Photo taken by Dean Gordon! Our High School senior at Manatee High school!

Al, Deanna and staff

In the Family

2007-07-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

HIYA!

I got the chance to see my sisterJudy, and my nephew, John the last couple of days, John has a camera, but he rarely gets the chance to really photograph. He grabbed my camera and I was very proud of the images he created. He definitely has a talent for seeing great shots. I just wanted to post a few of the photographs he created the last few days. I took them into Photoshop and added some cool effects.

Enjoy your family as often as you can!

A challenge

2007-06-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

HIYA

I was attending the Florida School in Daytona a couple of weeks ago, and had a desire to challenge myself creatively and technically. I asked a few of my photographer friends to help (Thanks, yall) and an incredibly beautiful and talented photographer to model (Thanks, Cherilyn!).

I challenged myself by not bringing a flash, and seeing how many different images I could get in 15-20 minutes. These images were made with the ambient light, and some had a
flashlight added.

We started at 5:30 AM, and I was done by 5:50 am. I am extremely happy with the images. Its great when you have friends that will get up for you at O dark thirty!

I apologize for not updating my blog lately. I will make it up to you!

Al

Pittsburgh- Triangle Institute

2007-05-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy teaching other photographers. I often learn as much from them as they do from me. I just returned from giving a class on weddings at the Triangle Photographers Association's Spring seminar. I met a lot of great people, and had a super time in my class. I had some time just to walk around the suburb of Pittsburgh I was in (Greenville), and just enjoyed capturing some of the scenes. The weather was AWESOME, too! I must have walked 7 or 8 miles!

Al

PS- If you are a photographer, check out their web site-
www.trianglephotographers.org

2007-05-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I just had the pleasure of photographing Erin and Ryan Bodie, owners of Studio 26 productions. They are close friends and we share a commitment to creativity, quality, and enjoying our jobs. The Studio 26 team cover everything from weddings to feature films. (Shameless Plug- www.studio26weddings.com)

They both wanted something that was fun, and creative.... What a blast!

Saturday, May 12

2007-05-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday at the John Ringling Museum was a BLAST! Kendra and Joe we such fun to photograph. It was a perfect day. The families were wonderful, and such great dancers!The band, DeLeon, was fantastic. The food, catered by Mattison's, was raved about by everyone.

What an incredible dress. Kendra was stunning! Here are a few images from the day!

Fishin'

2007-05-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to spend some real time with my family last week. I snapped this shot of my group fishing in the Manatee river, I saw my sister in law reach over to help her kids, and I knew I had something special The tall one is my son, Dean.

Al

Sunday Morning

2007-05-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to Saint Bernard Catholic Church in Anna Maria, Florida, to photograph their First Communion. A young guest violinist was rehearsing a wonderful piece of music with the church organist/ music director. It was obvious the man had true musical talent, and a real passion in his playing. After the rehearsal, he walked to a back room to warm up a bit more. I saw the stained glass behind him and had to capture that moment. I quietly went in and asked if I could take a few shots. He agreed graciously and continued playing. Although I originally planned to make it a silhouette, I changed my mind once I looked at the images. The passion and love for music was so prevalent in his face that I had to bring that out. I am sending him these images. I love my job!

Al

Cari and Jeff

2007-05-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

A chance to give back

2007-04-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

A few short weeks ago, Rick Delorme ( www.delormephoto.com) and I were honored to help continue the legacy of our friend and mentor, the late Monte Zucker. Monte had begun teaching a group of about 15 10 year olds in the Miami school system. Theses kids have lived a very hard life in their short life span, and it was so great to see them excited about making photographs! Canon gave the school 10 Canon cameras, and these kids were sharing them. Monte had seen them about 5 times before he passed away, and it was fulfilling to Rick and I to continue what Monte had started. They really seemed to use the information we gave them right away.

Here are a few photos that Rick took during our class that day.

Billy and Bronwyn

2007-04-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

A shot of the ceremony with my "Sky-Cam"!

April 22 wedding!

2007-04-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Nikki, Grahm, and I had a wonderful time at Ca d 'zan yesterday at the John Ringling Museum, photographing Billy and Bronwyn's wedding. We had photographed her sister's wedding last year, and we were treated like family. The weather was perfect! During the receiving line, I was able to capture the happy couple enjoying their first few minutes of husband and wife.