Author Topic: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures  (Read 1390 times)

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Online Isabelle Prondzynski

Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« on: Jan 09, 2020, 09:55 PM »
All those QE2 brochures... and their glamorous pictures... how did they come about?

Were you around when any of those pictures were taken or scenes were filmed?

Were actors brought in to act the part of officers, crew and / or passengers?

Was the food genuine or plastic? I would love to know :) !

Online Lynda Bradford

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #1 on: Jan 10, 2020, 09:54 AM »
I have not been onboard any of the ships when a photo shoot was ongoing but it would be quite funny to watch, especially if real food and drinks are not being used.

When looking at the brochures you can see how the Cunard lifestyle onboard ship is being portrayed, which is not always the reality. 

In the Gallery there are some brochure photos that you can see in the Bars and other albums.  In this one in the yacht club I wonder what the bartender is pouring.  Could it be cold tea with milk?



and what about this early 1975 brochure where you see the couple relaxing in the cabin, were they trying to attract a younger passenger?



I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank
www.qe2event.com

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #2 on: Jan 10, 2020, 04:16 PM »
Here are some from the 2000s...

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #3 on: Jan 10, 2020, 04:16 PM »
And a few more...

Online Andy Holloway

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #4 on: Jan 10, 2020, 06:20 PM »
Queens Grill one with Andrew Nelder. I also recognise the bar tender and the waiter, but can't for the life of me remember their names, time and old age possibly?

Online Andy Holloway

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #5 on: Jan 10, 2020, 06:48 PM »
Queens Grill one with Andrew Nelder. I also recognise the bar tender and the waiter, but can't for the life of me remember their names, time and old age possibly?

I've just remembered two lovely Andrew Nelder storys;

The first was on QE2, and we were on a trannie, i'd been asked to safely and securely store a valuable chair for a passenger, which i was able to do in my 5 deck, stbd fwd tender area gangway, store!
The chair was part of the 'spare set' from Queen Elizabeth, in that it was one of the set of lounge chairs that were ashore for refurbishment when she was sold. Apparently she had two sets of lounge chairs, one onboard and the other ashore being refurbished, every some many months they would be rotated.
When she was finally sold and subsequently destroyed by  fire in HK, the 'ashore' set were sold off and bought by a 'Gentleman's Club' in S'ton. Fast forward many years and the club closed and what was left of the chairs, in number and condition, were bought by a dealer in S'ton, i don't think there were very many, possibly only in single figures. One of these chairs was bought by a  collector in US who felt the only safe way to transport it back to the US was onboard QE2.
Anyway Andrew Nelder, [or Mr Nelder as he was called by most people onboard] being an avid collector of Cunard/QE/QM/QE2 items, somehow heard that this chair was onboard and asked the owner if he could see it. The owner agreed and told AN to contact me to arrange a viewing. This i duly did and AN was in 7th heaven! I was his 'friend for life!'

Fast forward some years and AN was on QM2 as part of the inaugural crew, as Maitre 'd of Queens Grill.

My wife and i were able to book ourselves onto a couple of the 'shake down' cruises, and i was then able to get my 3 children cabins for the final one. As we were all going to eventually be onboard together, my wife and i decided that we'd eat in the Main Dining Rm and duly went down to be allocated a table. As we stood in line one of the Asst M' ds, who knew me well, came across and said that i should go up to the Queens Grill as Mr N was up there and would 'love to see you'! This we did and Mr N was able to repay my favour for him by allocating us a table in The Queens Grill for the period we were onboard! For the shake down cruises, the Queens Grill was mainly reserved for the 'upper echelons' of the food chain, from within Cunard and Carnival UK! Possibly even as high up as Michael G!!

I've met him a couple of times  at QE2 Crew reunions, and a nicer person you'd go a long way to meet.




Online Isabelle Prondzynski

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #6 on: Jan 10, 2020, 06:48 PM »
The one with Andrew Nelder turned up in several brochures, as far as I remember.

So at least we know that some of the people in the pictures were "real" crew member and not actors.

Michael, I imagine you organised some of these photo shoots. Did you get to watch them happening?

Online cunardqueen

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #7 on: Jan 17, 2020, 10:30 PM »
Theres a photo , if memory serves me in the old Berlitz pocket Transatlantic guide books of Mr AN, a young one at that serving, and behind on the wall is a lovely golden Crown . The way the photo has been taken, you would swear he had the crown on his head  . Some might say a photographers mistake , others might say very good positioning ....
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Online Lynda Bradford

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #8 on: Jan 18, 2020, 10:19 AM »
In this brochure photo you can see Izat on the right. He was our first waiter on QE2 in 1997 and is now a Maitre d' on Cunard ships. 

I recognise the maitre d' on the left of the photo but cannot put a name to him.

I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank
www.qe2event.com

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #9 on: Jan 19, 2020, 12:46 PM »
Here you go Myles  ;)

Online Isabelle Prondzynski

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #10 on: Jan 19, 2020, 10:19 PM »
What a splendid picture! And Michael, you really are the unsurpassed expert :) .

Online cunardqueen

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #11 on: Jan 20, 2020, 08:45 PM »
Thanks Michael. and for the eagle eyed it also feature Gordon Gushee in the white DJ and surely that cant be actor from Steptoe and son at the front,
There is another special photo showing Pauline Sleigh (the Late Captains Secretary ) in her white Gown up in the Gods at the Dinner Table, with lm sure Elaine McKay  . Iv just spend the last hour hour looking for the photo convinced its in the 1988  New QE2  Maiden Voyage across the world  programme, its not

What used to always amaze me was you would quite often see the same photo over the years here and there scattered about the various brochures, some remained timeless and yet others were very Ageless.
The sailaway photo taken inside with the streamers and the Midships Bar with the old Guy in the white DJ and the afternoon tea photo in the Queens Room with the Pastry swans and the server in the tartan skirt.. Then there was the time they used a QE2 photo in the QM2 brochure, That didnt last long, when emotions were still raw it was flung across the room and stamped a thousands times upon. 

Just how were these taken, a modeling agency perhaps ?, filmed on a free cruise, or a snatched few hours on turnaround day. So whats your favourite photo of QE2 showing the models, real or otherwise, what stands out ? Quite often theres a staged photo with one table of Diners and no one else , and photographing food no matter how nice is problematic, we tried once to photo soup with steam for a cold winters special. we ended up with a smoker and a straw and careful positioning to get the effect..it never really worked
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Online cunardqueen

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #12 on: Jan 20, 2020, 08:51 PM »
Quote
  In the Gallery there are some brochure photos that you can see in the Bars and other albums.  In this one in the yacht club I wonder what the bartender is pouring.  Could it be cold tea with milk? 

I would like to think shes having a Frozen Baileys , think of a slushy Baileys but in a much smaller glass other wise you get major brain freeze, But l think your right , Cold tea with milk !
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Online Chris Thompson

Re: Photo shoots for QE2 brochures
« Reply #13 on: Jan 22, 2020, 06:07 PM »
Found these promo pictures of the QE2's Casino in an old issue of Gambler's digest.
Recognised the 2 chaps standing behind the table players as Casino staff.