Its about 5:30 A.M. I've been woking since a little after 4 this morning (talk about work load!) I have so much work to do I decided to.... you guessed it; Stop working for a while and post to my blog(does that sound logical?) Anyway, i'll make this quick as i'm in the middle of editing a wedding.

I just came across some images from a Jamaica Tourist Board reception I covered earlier this year at Mr. Gordon Tewani's residence ( he owns Tropical Jewellers and a host of other stuff including some prime real estate. Follow the link to read his fascinating story.) Also present was Aubyn Hill ( at NCB he was reportedly earning over one million US$ per year. I hear he tends to get straight to the point no beating around the bush. I like that. Many people become hypocrites because they are afraid that giving an honest opinion will cause offense.) I've included Photos of both of them along with a shot of Mr. Tewani's daughter (just couldn't resist) and his pool area. (I'm reliably informed it is lit like this year round. In December it is even more spectacular.)

Have you read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad? I'm just getting around to reading it. Great so far. two differing points of view: Poor Dad-Money is the root of all evil. Rich Dad-The lack of money is the root of all evil. You decide. I will keep you posted as I read on.

I must get back to work fully now, i've been rolling across the room back and forth between the duplication station and this computer as i'm also completing a dvd duplication job. Thanks for reading.

What a fantastic life this is. With all the hateful, negative and bad-minded people out there (some of whom I deal with regularly) I give God thanks for my life, my absolutely fantastic wife, my two adorable children, my talent and the most fabulous wedding clients anyone could have. Really! I have no bad experiences, no difficult clients, no clients I hide from, none of that stuff. I really do love every aspect of my work and enjoy each day thoroughly. Anyway, enough about me.

I had two really great weddings recently Dr. Gail Webster and Dr.Wayne Henry wed amidst friends, dignitaries and family in a beautifully decorated UWI Chapel and an exquisitely decorated ballroom at the Hilton Hotel. (Photos attached) Decorations were done by the talented Dawn Leyow. Rochelle & Damion were wed in a simple but elegant ceremony in the newly built Hellshire Kingdom Hall with the reception at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

I am currently streamlining my workflow to reduce the turnaround time while increasing the quality of output. Please feel free to let me know of any changes you would like to see on the website. Just today i visited the website of Andrew Clarke, a super talented wedding photographer I met in L.A. at a seminar. Check out his website for some really cool wedding photography; it takes a while to load but its worth the wait.

A.J. & Justin's Wedding Pt. Charlotte Florida

Florida was cold this past weekend. I wore gloves, a jacket and a woolen hat when out in the night on Saturday. A.J. & Justin's wedding on Saturday was a blast! they are a really cool couple who seem to get along with everybody. They joined the guests in dancing up a storm at the reception and the bride's mom cried (yes I saw) during the first dance. I'm posting some pics of the couple.

My friend Tim was in Jamaica shooting a destination wedding this weekend. Sorry I wasn't in Jamaica Tim. Anyway I'm sure you had a great time as always. See you soon.

I'm glad to be back with my family. I really missed them. I must be getting old, I was only away for three days. I flew Spirit airlines and the service was excellent both ways. I have always had good experiences with spirit, unlike Air Jamaica who cancelled my return flight from LA the last time. The Spirit planes were clean the service was friendly & the Orange Juice & Cranberry juice was good. Everywhere except WalMart was closed on Sunday. So much for my new siuts & sunglasses, but otherwise it was a great trip. Special thanks to Jim, Ruth, Alexis, Peter & Xavine for making the trip what it was.

Bridal Show season

Bridal show season is about over for now with the Pegasus show this past weekend. It was a blast! My whole family came to help me pack up. (I'm posting pics of the kids at the show) My wife is just the best. I just want to thank all the prospective brides & grooms who visited my booth. I appreciate all the positive feedback and got some good laughs.

As the first wedding photographer to offer Coffee Table Books in Jamaica, guests would leave my booth & ask other photographers at the show about their Coffee Table Books. One by one those photographers came to my booth to ask me as they had no idea what a Coffee Table Book was!

I have been practising principles learned from the great Mike Colon involving customer service & branding and my customers really appreciate the difference between my company and the competition. Thanks Mike.

Someone left a beautiful comment on one of my posts that was most encouraging. Thanks a million. When you're on top you make an easy target, but thanks to God I keep dodging :)

I'm posting a photo of an ardent follower of my blog & websiteNorell-Lee & her Fiance Dwayne. Thanks for your interest and commendation.

I'll try to post some pics from my Florida wedding this weekend as soon as I get back.

Shaggy, Tony Gold, Jenny Jenny, Lady Saw, Ity & Fancy Cat, Iceman, Voicemail, Red Rat, One Third, Nikeisha Barnes just to name a few of the Jamaican celebrities that were at Rising Star Chris Martin's party Tuesday night. The party was planned by the lovely Diannie Gordon and there was food galore. Shabba would have been pleased with the quantity & quality of the girls in the place. I'm posting some pics.

Its been a rough two months (December & January) especially dealing with some backstabbing individuals determined to besmirch my character.(on a personal not business front) Thanks to God their motives have come to light and many now see them for who they are. I must thank the many individuals & especially my wife who stood by me and encouraged me during this time. I'm closing that chapter and moving on.

2007 has started with a bang! Venus & Serena Williams are in Jamaica & one of my corporate clients gave me the assignment to cover their arrival and some of their activities while here.

I just found out that some of my images were published in the October 2006 issue of the UNESCO Courier. Just google UNESCO/Gary Masters & the links should come up.

My little girl Stephanie has taken her first unassisted steps. She is now 10 months old.

I read a quote repeated by Mike Colon one of the greatest wedding photographers on earth and it really inspired me " You have no competition because there is only ONE of you on this earth. Embrace that fact and let it carry you in your art, your business, and your confidence!"

Never put a cap on your dreams. Its amazing how many ordinary people have done extraordinary things just because they believed they could do it. Remain humble but be confident in your abilities and proud of your achievements. I listened to an interview with the guy who is the basis for the latest Will Smith movie; this guy went from sleeping in public bathrooms to being a multimillionaire. Through it all the love he had for his son was so touching it was amazing. His drive to succeed took him right to the top of his game.

Always strive to be at the top of your game whatever it is. Dont let the pay or lack of it hold you back. If you wash cars for a living, be the best car washer that ever lived. If you are a secretary strive to amaze your boss every day with your excellence(even if he doesn't seem to notice or appreciate it). Always remember: Your attitude determines your altitude!

Slideshows are here! I'm still testing so bear with me. I'll try to insert the link here. I can't seem to get it to turn off so just turn off the music when you are finished watching. I'm off to cover an assignment now but i'll work out the bugs later.

Our Florida wedding two weekends ago was a blast. The bride & groom were so in love they were just really into each other. They were really fun to work with and they really enjoyed their wedding. Here's wishing Alexis & Adam many years of wedded bliss.

I'm posting a couple of pics.

I got some new toys. Now i'm really shooting like the stars. Did I mention that our new albums were out? We now have something really special for our Florida & Jamaican brides. Its all about keeping a couple of jumps ahead of the competition. Now if only I could decide what outfits to wear to my 2007 weddings hmmmm...

Wow, a whole month since I last blogged! This really is bad. I will do better, I promise. Anyway before I dash off to Florida for what should be a lovely wedding I'll post some pics from a recent engagement session & wedding. We're doing so much here, with our new albums now out. Our brides are just beside themselves with excitement. If you are a prospective bride, schedule a consultation to see what all the buzz is about. We are really taking it to the next level for 2007. Its going to be our greatest year to date. Check back for more updates.

While on the engagement shoot a n old man with an even older motorbike came through selling fudge(icecycles-I'm not sure of the spelling)so we asked for his bike & shot a few with it. I think they came out just great. Let me know what you think.

Gary

Here are some photos taken in California in September at the Pictage workshops. Our instructors were some of the biggest names in wedding photography, like Denis Reggie, Joe Bussink, Mike Colon, & David Jay among others. In the the first image i'm seen with Denis Reggie & Joe Bussink. In the last photo I'm getting personally tutored by the incredible Jessica Claire www.jcsphoto.com(thanks Tim)

Zofia was born at about 10:00 PM. I'm an uncle tonight.

I was thinking about my life just the other day & I could not identify one real problem that I had. I give God thanks for the life I enjoy.


I promise I'll post some recent wedding shots soon.

The Pictage Partnercon held in Los Angeles California was the place for all Professional Wedding Photographers to be September 6 & 7. The seminars & workshops covered all aspects of the wedding day from capturing emotion to producing outstanding images and managing workflow. I had such a blast being immersed in it all, being taught bysome of the top names in the industry. People like Denis Reggie, Mike Colon, David Jay & Pepper Nix to name a few.

Wedding coverage in Jamaica will never be the same and my brides will continue to have access to products & services not offered by anyone else on the Island!

As soon as I can track down Timco to get my pictures I'll post them here. Stay in touch.

Gary

No I have not dropped off the face of the earth. I've just been terribly busy(thank God). Anyway, before I dash off to L.A. for a photography seminar & workshop I'll post a few ics from some of my recent weddings.

Jonathan graduated yesterday amid great pomp and ceremony. Last week I worked with an amazing client Colleen Boehmer from the USA who is a real survivor and an inspiration. I covered the wedding of a senior couple who did the most amazing first dance, full of energy I'm posting pics soon.

I also covered the wedding of the beautiful Natalie Sutherland who married Dr. Mikael Tulloch-Reid in a fabulous ceremony last Sunday.

For the first time in my life someone dropped dead right in front of me. I was shooting a prformance this weekend when one of the singers dropped dead immmediately after performing. We all thought he was just being dramatic until I realized he was taking too long to get up and called for help. His picture singing two minutes before is posted. I heard afterwards that he died from a heart attack.

Seeing some pretty girls in the audience the MC offered a prize to any girl that came up & gave him a kiss. The lady pictured above came up and he ran to the edge of the stage trying to jump off! The image has not been altered in any way. What you see is what you get!

I've added some shots of my kids taken yesterday.

See ya!

The last week has been such fun(I'm sorry I do enjoy my work) from Portraits of pre-schoolers to weddings & finalists in the National Popular song contest. I did a shoot in a place called Junction in St. Elizabeth which is in the rural parts abot 2 hours drive from Kingston in Jamaica & got lost on the way back! Asked someone if i was on the road to Kingston and he said yes only to find out later I wasn't. Anyway I hadn't got far before I realized the road was all wrong & turned back. Turns out the guy was not in a shop but in a bar! No wonder he gave me wrong directions at 10:30P.M.

I'll post some more pics later, one from last week's wedding above. No, the groom's men didn't drop the bride as she thought they might. We had a lot of fun with this couple.

In less than 24 hours Baby Stephanie will be exactly 2 months old. Time sure flies!

I covered the launch of Jamaica's Popular Song competition last night amid much fanfare. Ten finalists each enter an original song never before performed and travel Islandwide performing their song. The public then votes for their favourite song. The votes along with the judges opinion then determines the winner of $1,000,000 plus other prizes.

Another hectic week in the tropics. I had an engagement session with a great couple. We borrowed a Policeman's motorcycle for some of the shots. My 30D got its first workout. I'l post a couple of pics from the wedding later.

Wow, its been so busy around here I didn't realize its been so long since I updated this blog. I need to take some current pics of Stephanie.

I got my 30D with the 10-22mm lens. At customs I had to pay almost $1,000.00 to bring them into the country. The customs officer said she went easy on me as she didnt charge me for the camera strap! I told her that came with the camera. (they are not too smart in that department)
Anyway i'll post some pics soon.

GM

Oh the pressure!!! Work work work. OK here are some pics from those two destination weddings I spoke about. The gentleman in the Kilt is the groom. The castle in the background behind the bride is Trident Castle in Port Antonio Jamaica where the couple had their reception. Both couples were really fun to work with, I had a great time.