the last three

Bridal Trains

2011-05-18T14:25:00.000+01:00

As people keep reading this blog I have decided to mirror my main blog - http://loveartforever.com - here.

This is the most recent post...

A couple of weeks ago I got together with a local bridal shop "Gowns of Distinction" and arranged a shoot for them at the STEAM museum here in Swindon.

I had an awesome team of Make-up artists Jenni Thomas and Hannah McGregor, Stylist Cerianne Pidgeon and models Jean Rae, Marina Dean-Francis and modelling the communion gown, Cerianne's sister Harley.

STEAM is a fantastic place and I didn’t know but they are a licensed wedding venue and can hold up to 750 guests. I could have shot in there for a week but we were up against time and only had the morning to complete the shoot. We were shown around by Ian Surtees the commercial manager and given the largest dressing room ever, the whole Great Western Hall.

I got to use my new battery pack so I could take my studio lighting along. I think I'm gonna need a bigger boom though as the one I have is slightly alarming at full stretch. Being able to take the big light out on location is just brilliant. I have used it a couple of times now and apart from the wind knocking it over once it is just awesome to have power over the sun.

I think we confused some people with two brides and no groom (we did get asked where he was) and surprised others when they got into a carriage with a photo shoot in full swing. But we managed to stay out of the way for the most part and we got some amazing photos.

Sarah took out a full page ad in the Swindon Advertiser and used some of the shots which was excellent and STEAM will be using some for their wedding brochure which is ace.

Anyone else needing promotional shots please contact me 07582 139900.
If you need Bridal, prom or communion dresses then contact
Sarah at"Gowns of Distinction" 01793 528030
To book your wedding or conference at STEAM please contact Ian or Jo 01793 466619/13

Hope you like the photos as much as I do...

My Main Site - www.kevinbelson.com

Steve & Debs at Hampton Court

2011-05-17T15:51:00.003+01:00

I had the pleasure of a pre-wedding shoot for Steve and Debs last week at Hampton Court. As you can see from the photos we had the place to ourselves (not). It was full of school children on day trips and tourists but luckily we managed to keep everyone out of frame. One couple however wanted to get in the frame. When we shot in the doorway with the gold leaves one couple stood aside and waited for us to finish. When we went to move they asked Debs if she would take their picture - Obviously having thousands of pounds worth of camera equipment in my hands didn't mean I could just have a go with any old camera - She obliged and handed the camera back to the husband who gestured that he was not happy with the picture and we should take it again. I stepped in this time and took the picture. I have never known anyone to have the cheek to make someone take their picture again. I should have charged them for it.

The rest of the shoot was fairly uneventful the only drama was my parking ticket expiring but I got away with it. It was great to shoot them both and they really enjoyed it which will put them at ease when I shoot their wedding next month.

My Main Site - www.kevinbelson.com

Watch this space for the wedding pictures.

Crossroads

2011-01-31T17:46:00.001Z

OK I have decided to start Wedding and lifestyle photography as a business. It may or may not be the end of this blog. Probably not as it's still funny to talk about the weird things that happen (mainly to me) on shoots.

I have started a new blog called ..love.art.forever.. which is all about the weddings and I have set up a new website kevinbelson.com. which is focused on weddings and portraits. You can watch me evolve my own style over there.

I will still be shooting models, landscapes and bands but that will take a backseat (hopefully) when the business takes off. I'm in the soft launch phase right now but I have big plans.

If we don't see each other over here again then hopefully I'll catch you over there.

Take care.

My Main Site - www.kevinbelson.com

There's a gap in the clouds. Just wait...

2010-11-29T18:33:00.007Z

For my birthday I spent some of my Marriot points at the High Cliffs hotel in Bournemouth. It's close to the Jurassic Coast (I wonder what it would be called if Jurassic Park hadn't happened? ) The weather was typically miserable. I ruled out trying sunrise shots as I don't think I could sell enough shots of Kimmeridge Bay in the rain to cover the divorce after getting Carol up at 4am.

Sunset it was then.

I have to say that the Marriott were brilliant. Because it was my birthday they upgraded us to a suite and threw in breakfast (That might not sound too much but two people for breakfast at £15 each for four days was unbelievable. Especially as we were paying with points) So thank you very much Marriott Bournemouth - hopefully I haven't just got somebody fired :D

On the first night we went to the beach. Not too far. I thought I would get a cool shot of the pier at sunset. Unfortunately Bournemouth Pier is not very pretty. It looks more like a car park extending into the sea. So instead I shot the groynes (Groins for Americans). I got a couple of nice shots and was setting up to take one last one but then some guy came and stood right next to us (I think I attract them. That's why I never take the bus) He then set out a newspaper and sat right in front of me. I gave him the benefit of my opinion on such things and with the good news still ringing in his ears it started to rain. I grabbed the gear and we went for cover so I could pack up in the dry. I guess he must be a glass half full kind of guy as he came with us and stood well within our (un)comfort zone as we packed up. However as we made our way back up the cliff, my new best mate disappeared. So it was then off to Frankie and Benny's to celebrate.

The following day was constant rain. So we went shopping.

On the Saturday it was dry but overcast all day. I decided that even with the lack of light we might be able to shoot some nice black and whites.

Nice day = colour. Dull day = B&W. In my current world anyway.

So planning to get to Durdle Door at 3pm with plenty of time to set up in case of a sunset (we live in hope) we set off. I didn't realise that the military shut the place for shooting practice when they feel like it but today was ok. I guess being a weekend it's more than likely open. When we got the car park they had card machines to pay which was handy, or would have been but apparently they are on O2 wireless and don't often get a signal. Today was no different so we paid in the shop.

The climb up the hill with all my gear was a nightmare made worse by the fact that the St. Trinian's sixth form were coming down the hill towards us. I tried not to look quite so middle aged, out of breath, sweaty mess but I don't think it worked. I would like to blame cancelling the gym on account of lack of funds but as we only went once a month, if that, I guess I'll put it down to too much decent American TV.

It's hard to make something that has been photographed so often look fresh. It doesn't help when the sky is flat and grey. There's the added issue of the million or so tourists (dawn would have been better but seriously, dawn? Meh!). At least I was the only only with a tripod so I didn't have to battle for position. Just try to keep the facebook camera phone poses out of shot.

There was one small slit in the clouds and I was hoping that maybe it would break and we would have a sunset of sorts. In the end I gave up as it got more and more grey and dull and packed up my gear. As I put the backpack on I had a thought... "If the sun goes down and manages to shine through that small slit it will light up the underside of the clouds." It was worth the wait so I unpacked and set up again.

..and the sky started to turn pink.

Suddenly, like the best cliché, it exploded into colour. Reds, pinks, yellows and blues. The sea also was alight with extraordinary colour. Everyone was oohing and ahhing and I was busily shooting away. 2 seconds @f/16 shoot, shoot shoot, shoot = panorama. Shoot, shoot = smaller pano. Then after about 5 minutes it faded and faded and was gone.

Woo Hoo. If it hadn't been for the time in Cornwall where I packed up, looked up and the sky lit up I probably wouldn't have waited. Yay for bad experience. I would have been kicking my out of breath self from halfway up the path and would have fallen into the sea trying to set up.

All that was left was the pitch black, torchlight and sheep poo walk back.

So here it is. Durdle Door. Before, during and as it faded.

Before.

During (Small panorama. 2 Shots stitched together).

Fading.

Until next time

When the weather goes bad

2010-09-29T00:10:00.005+01:00

Earlier this year we went to Cornwall. The weather was great. Not brilliant for photography but nice and sunny like a holiday should be (but rarely is). So after the high (meaning expensive) season was over we went back.

I was hoping for some more dramatic skies, as last time the sky was cloudless for most of the time. On the drive down it looked fantastic and I was excited. I have learnt however that dramatic skies don't last. There's been many times when I have seen giant fluffy clouds that when I get out for the sunset dissolve into nothing. I'm not an expert landscape photographer but I'm starting to see a pattern. Big drama, get camera out, drive to location, drama ends. Click.

This time the exact same thing happened. We drive down with beautiful skies and when we get there the sky is cloudless. So we set the alarm for 05:00 hoping that the sunrise will be better.

It's not.

Sunrise is hidden behind a blanket of blank. Back to bed, for what it's worth. The first night under canvas is always pretty sleepless. It doesn't help when it's raining and blowing a gale. So what to do? The cloud is not going to break and the light is going to remain flat but the cloud does have texture. Black and white will work. So we're off down to the beach for some landscaping before the light completely goes. I also just discovered that my 5Dmk2 expands to ISO 50 so that's a result. I hadn't checked before but what it means is that I can get longer shutter speeds. I agree with David Noton when he says that camera manufacturers should not only go for higher and higher ISOs but also lower ones. A 1/8th second exposure at ISO 100 would give a 2 second exposure at ISO 6. Great for getting some movement in bright conditions.

So hoping that the tide was going out we set up and started shooting. I usually bracket 3 exposures either 1 or 2 stops apart and then combine them in Photoshop to balance everything. I do it manually rather than using HDR software as I think it gives me more natural results. So with the tide actually coming in and the light going I got about 5 shots before packing up and heading back up the cliff path to the tent. I think that the black and white conversion worked really well.

Although I took my camera everywhere during the week, the weather was miserable for the most part so I didn't shoot very much. The really annoying thing was that on the first night the sky was cloudless and being next to the sea, with little light pollution, the stars were incredible. Unfortunately the camp site had a "silence after 10" rule so I couldn't set up and shoot. In reality even if I did the stars move (or rather the Earth does) so you need a special rotating tripod head if you want to take shots of the milky way and the like. I don't have that but I do know how to shoot star trails.

On the last night we went down to St. Michaels Mount to try and get star trails over the mount. What you don't need is the moon out because it also moves and a giant white blob spread over the picture doesn't look good. It also provides a massive source of light pollution which means that the stars don't show as brightly.

When we got there the moon was directly over the mount. Bugger.

I took an initial shot of around a minute as a test and it looked fine so we went down to the jetty and I set up at the end of it. It was pitch black and I couldn't make out if the tide was going out or coming in. I set the camera low sat down so I could see to focus - only just - and got some long exposures to smooth the water. I couldn't be sure but as I sat at the end of the jetty the waves started to get a little rougher and come over the top. The tide of course was coming in (again). I really should check that in the future.

It was getting on towards 9 so now to get the star trails. I explained to my wife that star trail photography is really exciting. You set the camera up. Point it at the sky, turn off long exposure noise reduction. set the ISO to 800, Aperture to f/8 and shutter speed to 30 seconds. Then you make sure the tripod is secure and lock the shutter button.

You then wait...

..for 1 to 3 hours.

..In the dark.

..and the cold.

There's not much to do in the dark and I couldn't leave my gear so a compromise was reached where I would shoot for 1/2 hour and wouldn't get left behind. So not ideal but the results are ok. The other thing that would have been nice is a true wide angle lens but I sold that a while ago when I bought the 5D so I only have 24mm at it's widest. But it still worked.

Below in order, is first the test 1 minute exposure and then the 1/2 hour of 30 second exposures blended together in a program called startrails.exe (from startrails.de). I have also sorted the moon out in photoshop because as I said that moves too (See the video at the end. It's poor quality but you get the point.)

So the moral is don't give up if the weather's shit just try something else.

Oh and that 2 second movie is the entire 1/2 hour shoot. 55 frames, 24 frames per second.

Light painting in the woods

2010-09-27T01:48:00.004+01:00

Tonight we went out armed with light sticks and torches. Inspired by Jeff Newsom (http://www.imakegoldrecords.com) and FIZ-IKS (http://fiz-iks.com) I wanted to make strange balls of light in the woods. So... please bear in mind that this was the first time I've tried it and having Carol work the softshell (She holds my jacket up to cover the lens everytime I have to change lights)

... I give you..

Stange balls of light in the woods (part1)

Hopefully I'll get better and we'll show you some real cool stuff now that the nights are drawing in. (Oh and BTW in the first one I lit the left side tress and the torch went flat - Marvellous)

When to slave your zombie

2010-08-22T21:42:00.008+01:00

Laura and Libby were out walking Spike.

Unfortunately I had been away shooting landscapes and had rearranged my bag. I had taken everything out I didn't need for landscapes to save lugging all the extra gear around. I'm used to everything being in the right place in the bag and had decided that this shoot would be on location. Unfortunately I had put some of my most important things in a different bag. You know so I would know where they were when I needed them. Unfortunately head = sieve.

My studio at home is my conservatory so it can get a little crowded in the house sometimes. Make-up, clothes, people, me, cups of tea. I do like to change it up so as not to become stale with too many of one or the other studio or location shoots. I know plenty of photographers that do the same stuff day in and day out but that bores the crap out of me.

So when Laura & Libby turn up with Spike-on-a-rope™ I decided for the sake of our braaaiiiins that we would rock a location shoot. I've shot down by the Oasis many times and it's always fun seeing the looks on people's faces as they pass by (It's a major public footpath into town). Most people have a "WTF?" look but try not to make eye contact. There are exceptions, those being mainly gangs of kids armed with all the questions. Also in keeping with tradition on my location shoots the police turned up, but not until the end of the shoot when we were going home. They were looking for some bald guy apparently. Didn't remember seeing one of those. Not, strangely enough, a zombie in a noose being flashed by a slave. I definitely would have remembered that.

We had a great shoot even with my embarrassment at leaving important bits of kit at home. I worked it out (thanks to Andy's suggestion of using slave mode on the second flash) It was a learning experience - "Keeping smiling and waving and don't let them see the fear in your eyes." - and thankfully everyone loved their photos.

...and no-one got eaten.

Next time with LL&S it's pin-up!

A reason to burn my hat

2010-07-19T19:27:00.005+01:00

I bought a fedora when we were in Cornwall. Now I look as cool as Kid Rock Whoops! I mean as cool as Kid Rock.

That may change however...

At the weekend I shot my first nude model. We've been down to undercrackers a few times but this was the first nude. It was my own fault. It was supposed to be implied nude. Skivies covered by a carefully placed object so your model looks like they are naked when they are not.

I thought that it would work much better with a smaller object and no clothes. At this point Carol came home from the hairdressers. "Hi honey... um... I'm just looking for........ Oh I can use my hat."

I told Alex that I had shot my first nude "Would you like to see?" He came running over but seemed slightly disappointed.....

Clear skies and cloud magnets.

2010-06-04T19:36:00.006+01:00

Look at your hand.

Doesn't matter which one.

Now imagine that it's 50 feet up made of rock, is sloping and covered with gravel.

Now think to yourself "If I could stand out there it would make a much better shot." Then imagine lifting up your camera on the tripod and walking slowly out. Put the tripod down, put your filter holder on upside down so that all the filters fall out on the ground. Bend down and gingerly pick them up. Swear (because they are now scratched). Slip. Shit yourself. Abandon the shot. A few minutes later after relocating and seeing the best of the sunset disappear (the clouds go blue and everything is over). I pack up. When everything is packed away and the tripod secured to the bag I stand up and see that the sky has exploded back into colour.

Bugger.

I already had some in the bag so it wasn't a disaster. We were in Cornwall on holiday. As unlikely as it seems it was glorious weather all week. The only issue, and I shouldn't really complain, was that the skies were completely cloudless - apart from one day which was completely overcast. Carol had chosen the location as it was near to St. Michael's mount. I had been inspired by David Noton (again) to shoot it at dawn.

We set the alarm for 4:00am. Neither of us could sleep anyway so I was already awake when the alarm went off. I couldn't believe how light it was already so hurriedly grabbed all the gear and jumped into the car. We then tried to leave the camp site as quietly as possible. Halfway to the mount I realised I had left the tripod in the tent. We drove back into the camp site as quietly as possible grabbed the tripod and then off again (as quietly as possible).

When we finally arrived we parked up and Carol set about shivering while I jumped about on the seaweed covered rocks trying to find the best shot. It was low tide so there were plenty of opportunities for a decent shot. Once again the clouds were in short supply but I think I made the best out of what I could see. This is 5:30 am (I have to keep reminding myself as it's such a rare sight for me. I thought sunrise was just a myth, but apparently it's true, it doesn't just appear sometime after 10)

I don't really wait for the light. I always think there's a better shot just over there. So I'll set up, shoot a few and then move to the better location, then move again and so on until the sun has come up (rare) or gone down - or more likely gone behind a cloud bank. Also I don't really have the time to wait for the light. I'm like most people I'm not a pro landscape photographer so I can't dedicate a week to getting the perfect shot. I can dedicate a day or a few hours to making the best I can.

One time where I did wait for the light - or rather waited for the cloud - was later in the week when we decided to shoot the mount at sunset. We parked up and wandered round looking for the ideal location. It started out fine with (unfortunately) cloudless skies but then a mist started rolling out and covered the mount. You couldn't see it at all. So I set up on the causeway and waited. People came past, went on to the mount, came back, I was still there waiting. I was asked if I was doing time lapse. I said "No just waiting for the cloud to disappear. I didn't know cloud magnets existed until tonight." I waited for an hour. Carol had long since gone back to the car. Every few minutes I had to wipe off the filters as they were covered in condensation, as was I. Eventually the cloud cleared and the top of the mount showed through. I shot a few, reconfigured, got the moon in and then retired to the car. Was it worth it? I think so.

On the last day we found a lighthouse. Scouted it out during the day and went back in the evening to shoot it. I thought I had found the perfect spot in the day. Once again had to traverse a steep slope (on which I slipped over on my arse in the day - no grip flip flops) but when we got there in the evening it wasn't working at all.

We didn't have long as the sun was going down so I ran up to where there were a few other photographers (I hate the word "tog") and set up near them. I got chatting to one guy who was shooting on film and had not brought along a tripod. I'm not sure why people feel superior shooting on film. I don't see why I should be limited by a medium I don't use. If there was a painter there, would he feel superior? or maybe some bloke hacking away at a rock. Would he feel superior still? I'm not suggesting he looked down on me. It didn't appear that way. But there are still plenty of people out there that think they are more worthy because they have a roll of film in their fully automatic electronic camera and to be honest I am sick of reading the letters page of Practical Photography and hearing them bang on about it. I have now cancelled my subscription. Rant over.

I got some nice shots. The guy with the film had no idea if he had nice shots as he wouldn't find out until they were developed. He explained that it was all experimental. He had a digital SLR but doesn't like computers. Hopefully his shots were great too.

This one was taken after he declared that the light had gone. It's something he couldn't take. Even though he had a top of the range pro EOS1 canon film camera. All my shots are bracketed (taken at different exposures) and then blended together in Photoshop to produce an image where everything has detail. Nothing is too dark or blown out. It's a way of producing an image that more approximates what the eye can see.

So with a cloudless week behind us we set off home under dramatic skies (typical). Never mind, if we had stayed another day we would have been packing up in the rain and that's never much fun.

Mumble mumble...

2010-06-02T00:11:00.010+01:00

One of the good things about the job I do is I get to travel a lot. Not as much as some people but enough to get a few air miles and Marriott points. I used to be a platinum member for a couple of years but that has now dropped to gold thanks to the credit crunch. Anyway, with the points I had, we booked a few nights away for our anniversary and my wife's birthday, in.... Swansea. The only other time we went to Swansea we only popped into town to get some camping gear, this time we stayed near the Marina which is a really great place.

I chose Swansea as it has the Mumbles and the Gower nearby. I have been to the Gower before but it was early in my photographic adventures (when I still had hope) and so the shots could be improved. One of the things I really wanted to shoot was the wreck of the Helvetia in Rhossilli bay at sunset. We set out well prepared and duly arrived on location in plenty of time. we'd brought sandwiches and coffee so we could eat those and then set off down to the beach to catch the sunset. The sky was looking good with plenty of clouds for added drama. So I got out of the car and wandered over to the cliff's edge to see what the wreck was looking like.

This is what I saw.

Tides? I live in Wiltshire we don't have them. The red arrow shows the position of the Helvetia which you can see in the full size picture as a little black dot. Bugger... and the tide was still coming in.

BTW dawn was also high tide so again that was ruled out.

We ate our sandwiches and headed back to Swansea and up to the Mumbles to see if there was anything worth shooting there. My mate Andy, with his local knowledge, having spent his Uni years there had suggested Mumbles Pier (or anywhere in the Mumbles or the Gower, but not the town centre. Maybe we could use this encyclopedic knowledge to our advantage) There was a view of Mumbles point from the coastguard station beach (don't know it's real name but you know where I mean) that looked quite nice earlier but when we got back there in the evening it was like an episode of Shameless, so that was out. I grabbed a quick shot from the car park but wanted to move on. We moved up to the next car park (oh the glamour and romance of photography) which looked like it had a decent view and as I looked over the edge, there was mumbles pier. The race was on as the light was looking really good at that point and it doesn't hang around so we drove down to the pier car park and I legged it out of the car.

The Pier was locked........ yay.

I saw two ladies taking snaps from some steps ahead of me so I went over to see if I could see anything interesting from there. "Oooh, very professional!" one of them said as I rushed past with the camera on the tripod over my shoulder. "Not really, I'm just faking it."

Now, I have been inspired to take a few landscapes recently as I bought David Noton's DVD, "Chasing the light." He tells you how to get in position and wait until the light is just right. You shouldn't be running to the location (like I was), you should have scouted it out earlier in the day (instead of scouting out TGI Fridays). That way you are all prepared and set up in plenty of time and don't look like a big confused, sweaty mess.

When I got to the steps that the ladies had been looking out from there was a little beach. I couldn't believe it. It made all the running and parlava worthwhile when I saw this.

The next night we went back up to Rhossilli and walked up to worm's Head. I knew it would be rocky there and tide in or out as long as the sun set was good we should get some good shots. I shot on fluorescent white balance for this one which gives it a magenta cast, which I like. I know some people that don't understand or just plain don't like messing with the natural look but that's not me.

Next time we're off to Cornwall camping where I discover that neutral means purple and nearly fall off a cliff.

Vaz, Jasz and Ruby don't join the Navy.

2010-05-11T00:50:00.009+01:00

One of my favourite sites near here is Spine Road. Not only does it have a cool name but it has quite a few little surprise locations that look rubbish from the outside but when you photograph them right, look amazing. It's a default location for many Swindon photographers and we all try and use it sparingly as it can end up looking a bit samey.

I really wanted to shoot at Corsham. There is an old abandoned navy base where I have shot before. Unfortunately when I went to check out the location with Carol the night before the shoot (OK I might have checked it earlier but I didn't) it was all locked up. We did find a way in around the side through a gap in the fence but it would have been a nightmare lugging all the gear through there. We did get in and the place was deserted which was a little strange. It looks like a scene out of a post apocalyptic movie but there are usually some people in there and the place is covered in graffiti. However tonight it was empty (and a little bit spooky) We did however find a nice location and were just leaving when the police turned up. Now trespassing is not a crime. "Trespassers will be prosecuted" is a bluff ("Shoplifters will be prosecuted." is also a bluff. The store cannot prosecute you only the police can.) but when the police ask you to leave, it's always best to do as they say. So the result was that we could have turned up on the Saturday with Model, MUA, Designer, Photographer and hanger on (Hi Alex :) but when you get turfed out you have to lug all that gear and people somewhere else and to be honest I don't have a mini bus or a helicopter (until, like you, I win the Euromillions) so I decided that we would shift locations and shoot nearer home.

So Spine road it was. I hadn't shot there for a year so probably OK to re-use it. Just the last minute hassle of organising everyone to the correct location and everything's fine

or..... not...

The plan was Vaz (MUA) and Ruby (Model) turn up at mine and we go and pick up Jasz (clothing designer) from the station. We then go to location, shoot and the world is a better place. However... Vaz had left her gear at college and was desperately trying to borrow enough stuff for the shoot so she was running late. Jasz turned up so I picked him up and then we waited (and I flapped) until Vaz and Ruby turned up.

We had a few looks to achieve and probably spent far too long on the first one so the shoot ended up lasting over 6 hours. Which is OK as long as you bring plenty of water and snacks. Which of course this shoot being jinxed we didn't have. But we all survived (just).

Vaz did a fantastic job on the make up and Jasz's clothes were awesome, especially the clown dress. Ruby was new to modelling (this was her second time) but did a great job under the - probably stressful, when the great outdoors is your changing room and a sunny day in April is still bloody freezing -circumstances. Alex also did a great "stand in for the model" lighting test. All in all we had a fun day and got some great results. I always think I could do better but I did get what will probably be one of my all time favourite shots (The clown one below). Thanks to everyone and hopefully we can do it all again soon.

Johnny Boing Boing

2010-05-08T16:40:00.007+01:00

Someone who I don't know said that they always wanted to do a shoot like this but didn't know how to do it. I sent her a link to a behind the scenes shot that is pretty self explanatory but thought I would blog it as well.

Johnny had bought a suit which he wanted to wear at our last shoot but didn't have in time. Maybe it's a good job he didn't. He wanted to do a "falling" shoot. I thought we should probably have him doing ordinary things during the fall. This evolved and we decided to go to Shotover Hill above Oxford so that we had a high view point and took along an exercise trampoline to help with take off.

Johnny brought an umbrella and I brought Carol and a car full of naughty balloons which took turns in trying to drive, until I stuffed them into the boot "Goodfellas" style. When we arrived we looked totally normal the three of us, one in a suit holding a trampoline and an umbrella, one holding a fist full of balloons and a bag of sandwiches and me dragging a trolley full of gear. We looked like Circus seeds trying to take root.

After finding a location where we had a good view over the City I set up two speedlights one side and one the other. Johnny jumped on the trampolene with assorted props while I lay on the ground to try and get some separation between him and the ground. We had a small audience who watched from a distance and once had to chase off a dog that decided that my lightstands were lampposts. All went swimmingly and we got some great shots before the light started to go.

Once we had finished we found a little boy and his dad and gave them the balloons. Of course not all children like balloons and ths was one of them. As I looked back from the car the boy was still refusing to let his Dad offload them.

The results looked like this (more here)

The difference between perfection and doom

2010-04-24T00:33:00.004+01:00

As you may know I always stress about my shoots. It's 00:34 and I have a shoot in 11 hours. I'm stressing now.

I hate the start of a shoot when we are all warming up and I feel like a buffoon who's more likely to shoot 100 pictures of my ears than anything Kate Moss would be proud of, so I was happy today when Johnny said he liked the fact that I was a perfectionist. Perfectionist? I thought that I was a moaning doom merchant. Perfectionist sounds much better. I also thought (think) that I am a little like George Lucas in the "only do as much as you have to" efficiency school of doing things. But now, thinking about it, that's a separate paradigm. I only do what I need to do but what I do, I do right (on the seashore).

So here's my new mantra (or maybe it's not new but I just realised that I have it).

Keep it simple, do it right.

Hopefully that will help with stressing about the next shoot. That and a bowl of cornflakes with a whiskey chaser.

As you know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy so...

Heeeeeeere's Johnny.

Sunset, shorts and snapping fingers.

2010-04-13T00:16:00.005+01:00

The first signs of summer and I go out with for an evening sunset shoot with just my shorts and a thin top. Blimey Charlie it's still cold. Andy did say it was windy but I had stood out in the back garden for at least two minutes and on that basis decided I would be fine. I was mostly, it was just that my fingers were in danger of snapping off after holding a freezing metal box for a few hours.

I bought David Noton's Chasing the light DVD (next one in Blu Ray please) after noticing that nearly half of the visitors to my site look at the landscapes and had gotten all inspired to shoot some. I haven't really done much in the way of landscapery since starting to shoot people last year so it's probably about time to fill out the port.

The previous day I drove with Carol out to Glastonbury to find one of the locations on the DVD. We found it eventually but it was entirely the wrong time of year and there was no sign of there being any kind of sunset. So I have banked the location and will return there in the summer.

The biggest problem I find with landscapes, apart from the dire British weather, is knowing where to go. I sometimes get asked after a great sunset if I got some shots with my camera. The answer is invariably no, as I am probably at work (as it's probably a week day) and even if not you have to be on location and set up if you want decent shots. Once you can see the sunset you have missed the sunset. The best light probably lasts only 15 minutes or so at best. You may even end up only having a few seconds. I have raced many sunsets in the car trying to find a place to set up only to miss the best light and end up with some files to delete when I get home.

I don't do too much landscape photography purely because the whole process can be so disappointing. It can take a pro days or weeks to get "the shot" and as I have a full time job I only get two days a week to shoot and of those two days there are only maybe four hours where it is actually worth pressing the shutter. Considering that two of those four hours are at dawn and only insane people have ever seen a dawn (unless you're still going from the night before) that doesn't leave too many opportunities to shoot (and then it clouds over and rains). Even barring the rain the weather changes so fast that it really is hit and miss and it really takes a lot of planning, equipment and effort to maximise those opportunities. It also takes a lot of patience (which I do have) and can be quite disheartening. But it gets you out of the house and into the country which is no bad thing.

So last night we drove over to Avebury, scouted around for a decent viewpoint and waited...... and waited........ and waited (clocks went forward)... for the sunset. Eventually it came and I got some fairly nice shots, although I always think I could have got more but that's the game as David would say. You wait and wait and wait some more and then with a little luck you get the shot.

This was taken on the West Kennet avenue away from the crowds although most people had given up and gone home by then anyway. Click it to see the set in flickr.

See a real landscape photographer - here

Red, blue and green Box.

2010-03-26T00:14:00.007Z

Remember when I had a shoot arranged and the model didn't show so I shot myself? Well I have always wanted to do that properly.

Funny Story - I will be entering a competition soon and I'm rubbish at choosing my own photos so I thought I would ask other people's opinion. I printed out 40 7x5's and pinned them up at work. All my best stuff. I had an idea which one I would choose but the overwhelming opinion of everyone that looked at them was that this was the outstanding shot.

Apparently it has emotion and they wonder what the sad old man is thinking... Great. Other People have started a career out of self portraits so there is definitely hope for me yet. I mean we're both young and good looking right?

Although I like it and would have thought about entering it, I know I wouldn't have. Now however I will. If it gets anywhere it's cakes all round.

I was talking on facebook with Steve Box, who I photographed with Gemma at the Malmaison last summer. He wanted some head shots for an agency interview and being a sporty type I thought he would fit the bill for Mr Red and Blue. So after the head shots were in the bag I told him I wanted to uplight him and experiment with colours. He didn't seem convinced but I knew it would be awesome so he got his shirt off and away we went.

First we did the Hulk (just for a laugh).

Then we did the red and blue.

We then ditched the gels.

It's funny because all this is shot in my conservatory which if you read this you'll know makes me cringe every time I show a model in. The photos always look great but there's always that initial moment of "yeah... it's my conservatory.....". I have a new background system to install in there over the weekend so it should look a little more professional.

We'll see next week.

Change is routine.

2010-03-16T00:21:00.004Z

I have had a clear up on the site.

I felt that it was too cluttered and there were too many layers. Each gallery has a slideshow now and I have cut down on the number of galleries. There were just too many. I will add a "Latest" section soon so you don't get bored. You can check out new and experimental stuff in my flickr page.

You can also check how my brain functions on Twitter

Talking of experimental I had a projector this weekend. Unfortunately it was Carol who got blinded as I found an unexpected space in my schedule.

Stylin' with fur coats and lightbulbs

2010-02-04T01:15:00.008Z

Usually the idea just pops into my head when I look at the model. If it doesn't then I'm in trouble. I had exactly that issue with Spike until I unSpiked him the second time and then it was great.(sorry mate). This time though I had the concept. I just needed a fur coat and a floating light bulb. No problem.

The lightbulb was easy the fur coat on the other hand not so. The sales were nearly over, so all that was in the shops was tat. We spent a week or so looking for a coat and had to eventually settle on a waistcoat (there's probably a fashionable name for such a thing). The waistcoat was going to be too big but we would probably get away with it. Unfortunately there was no taking it back for a refund afterwards as the sales meant that stock could only be returned within 7 days. Not that I would do that obviously.

Aeryn was a fabulous model. Her portfolio is stunning so while it's great to be contacted and work with someone like that it also gives you (me) a lot to live up to. It's always stressful in the build up to a shoot with new people (second times are far more relaxed) and when you are shooting with someone that already has fantastic shots then it can get quite scary. What makes it worse is that my facilities could be described as "Tesco value studio." I just have to cover up the blue and white stripes. It's a bit like having Gordon Ramsey round to use your kitchen. Still it might be basic but it works for most situations. I could just do with more space. So if anyone is reading this and has space for a photographer on the weekends or occasional evening then let me know.

I've been trying to work with new MUAs (make up artists) after having been let down on a few occasions. This time I had Shell Clapham arranged and her port looked pretty cool so I was looking forward to (and a little bit scared of) working with her and Aeryn.

Then the snow came.

I love the snow and didn't want it to go but it does cause a bit of chaos even to me. Firstly Shell couldn't make it as she had a long way to travel. This was perfectly understandable and I can't complain. The roads were a nightmare. Then, when I turned up to the station to pick up Aeryn she phoned to say her train was cancelled so was going to be another hour.

When she did arrive on the way back she asked if I had built a studio in the house. "Er... yeah something like that." I can't remember whether I've said but my home studio is my conservatory. It's big and with a bit of work to block out the light it works well. There's only two real issues, it's either freezing cold or boiling hot. Right now it's freezing. Even with two heaters and the coal fire on in the front room. So it's always a little embarrassing bringing someone new in and saying "It looks rubbish but the photos will look fine." Even though it's true.

So we got on with a slightly trunkated shoot and no MUA. Aeryn did her own make up and did a brilliant job. The fur coat looked great and the bulb floated perfectly. If you ask, I'll tell you what I told the others - it was magic.

So this is the result. Click to see some more on the site. Next time a Marina, a real studio and Shell turns up.

Stagnate or die

2010-02-02T23:36:00.004Z

I have shot a few people this month but I feel like I'm starting to stagnate. I've tried to get out and shoot some landscapes but as usual the British weather is just miserable. The two fairly decent days I managed to get out to Glastonbury - where I added to my skull collection - and Weston Super Mare. I don't really know either location so I had to run around and try and find an interesting place to be when the sun set. Unfortunately on both occasions I forgot to take my remote release. This is most disappointing on the Weston Super Mare shot where I would have tried harder to get a better composition if I could have got a 1 or 2 minute exposure. The reason I wanted such long exposures is to flatten the sea. With that length of time you would not be able to see any ripples. However without a remote release this was impossible as the longest exposure in manual mode is 30 seconds. With that in mind I didn't risk my gear clambering down the rocks to get a better angle.

So here are a couple of shots that could be titled "Could do better" (and will next time).

Happy New Year

2010-01-03T02:29:00.002Z

I can't believe that 1990 was 20 years ago. My son is now 20 years old. My daughter will be 18. When I look back at the home videos I wonder where those cute little kids went.

On the first day of the year I chased a beautiful sunset but it stayed just out of my reach. The best of it disappeared as I rushed to get set up. Earlier on I got this which I have modified after being inspired by a piece in American Photo magazine.

First shot of the year.

Round and round and upside down. Then slow down.

2009-12-11T21:26:00.012Z

I have been off work with a cold today, which wouldn't be so ironic if I wasn't in Texas meeting with Microsoft. It's been a wasted day sitting around sneezing in my hotel room. The hotel is on a business park just off the airport. It's like staying at a motorway services without the services. The hotel is nice enough. It's a Marriott and after spending 3 months here last year I'm a platinum member so I get all the good stuff (until February anyway). The only trouble is that it's far from civilization and you need a car to get anywhere.

I have rented a car and with it a sat nav. When you think of sat nav you think of something that directs you to your destination saving the inconvenience of getting lost. That's why this particular version is called "NeverLost" right? What I didn't realise that the "N" is silent. I thought I was imagining it when she said "Exit on the right in 1.1 miles." I move into the right hand lane. While I was thinking that 1.1 miles seemed such a strange distance. Why not 1.32 or dare I say 1? While I was wondering that, she says "Exit on the left in 300 yards." What? I'm now on the wrong side of the freeway in heavy traffic. Do I I try and jink across to make the exit or do I take the next exit into South Central Gangland and try to turn around? Hmmm. I've seen Judgement Night so I use my powers of British driving and force my way across smiling and waving thanks to all the suprised American drivers I just cut up (who wave back with their middle fingers). Any cabbie (or bus driver) would be proud.

I wasn't imagining it. My wife pointed it out as we were driving into Dallas last year. I always get right and left mixed up (and green and orange) so I just presumed that I had made the usual mistake.

Still even a bad sat nav is better than a badly drawn map. When Andy told me recently he had a map, I hovered near the front door deciding whether to get the Tom Tom or not. "It's OK I have a map." he said. I'm sure the neighbours think I'm OCD as I'm always going back inside for stuff I've forgotten. Keys, cards, wallet, sunglasses, laptop, directions, keys. I always have to check I have the front door keys before shutting the door as I have locked myself out so many times. "OK, fine. You have a map. Let's go." Mistake.

We saw all the roads that Bristol has to offer. A few of them we saw numerous times. I felt like Chevy Chase in European vacation driving round that roundabout all day. Eventually we saw the sign for Ashton Court (as we were turning off in another direction) and made it to the venue. By the time we got there every wall, fireplace, window and doorway had umbrellas, softboxes lights and stands in front of it.

We were at a "Strobist" meet. I have to thank David Hobby for his Strobist site. It's always full of inspiration and was invaluable in learning the ways of off camera lighting. However it has spawned a whole generation of generic photographers doing the same thing over and over again. I guess that's nothing new and is a result of his popularity and talent. While I try and push my horizons constantly, some people are happy to place lights, fire, repeat. Still networking is not a bad thing and this meet could be good for meeting models.

So the place was awash with photographers 40(ish, I didn't count them all) in total and it wasn't that big so we had nowhere to set up. we wandered around and talked to other photographers we knew and tried to find a place to set up. Some of the guys had spent a fortune hiring expensive equipment. I was really suprised. Equipment will not make you a better photographer. I get great results from my "studio" - a conservatory with some duvet covers or dust sheets hung up. I was talking with a fellow photographer (I hate the term "tog") the other day and he was listing the studio equipment he had and while I was staring blankly at him he asked me how I managed to get the results I did and that really he didn't know what he was doing.

It really wasn't my scene. There were too many people, we were all going to get the same shots. I just wasn't feeling it and wanted to leave. Eventually though we found a place to set up in the male changing room. There were only two male models so they didn't need a whole room to themselves. I shot my friends, Vicki (English Rose (psycho)) and Kris who were there as models and photographers and then Sherie - who made the trip worthwhile. She is the current "Miss Swindon" and a great person to work with. I got some great shots and managed to bust in on Andy's shoot as well. We spent a good couple of hours shooting her and she was patient and a great sport, willing to hang upside down and clamber around in a dirty old fireplace. I learnt a valuable lesson as well. Not to panic and rush and try to get as many varied shots as possible as quickly as possible but to slow down and get the shots right. Before this (and including this) I have always worried about whether the model is ok, comfortable, hungry, thirsty, bored, all of the above and it has meant that I might not have got the results that I could and should have. So now I aim for less shots and a much higher quality and I think it's working.

So would I do another one? Maybe. Would I get there late? No I'll take the Tom Tom.

Kris and Vicki.

Sherie

Cartographer extraordinaire - Andy

Fun in the sun

2009-12-10T04:10:00.003Z

So I'm out in Dallas, Texas at the moment working. One of my wife's friends said to her "Don't go getting a tan while your out there."

Well today we saw the sun for the first time in 3 days. It's been miserable and rainy the other two. I took the shot below from the hotel window before leaving for work. It looks beautiful and the sun rose above the Westin hotel but when I stepped outside my face nearly shattered from the cold. It was -2° and blowing a gale.

So no worries then we won't be sunbathing until at least February.

Click the pic below to see some shots from Dallas/Fort Worth airport when I was here last year.

A new happy couple.

2009-11-14T00:23:00.006Z

I shot Chris and Annette on their special day. It was my first major wedding job. I have shot weddings in the past but this one was the first "Bride getting ready" to "First dance" full day shoot.

I thought it was starting to get a little cold in the morning so I wore a tank top. When I got hot chasing around I took it off and discovered that I had been in the shower with all my clothes on. Whoops. Never mind it didn't take long to dry off.

The day went swimmingly. It was really well organised and I knew where I had to be and when. The pictures came out great and the Bride and Groom loved them.

They got a CD with 200 images and a fantastic boxed album with their favourite shots in. I got a lesson in how much hard work it is to shoot a wedding. The day alone was a 16 hours long. Start at 8:00 finish at 23:00. Plenty of "cat herding" to get the group shots. Not a job for the shy and retiring. Dealing with Uncle Enthusiast who wants to get in on the act. Bright Sunshine, rain, indoors, dark party shots. An ever changing environment that requires experience and knowing your cameras inside out. Lugging two heavy cameras around all day, setting up lighting when it starts to rain, tearing it down and running outside when it stops. Constantly on the lookout for those "moments".

Then when I get home I have 600 pictures to go through, select the best, process 200 shots, removing flying bugs, stray "things" and all the usual airbrushing to make people look their best. 600 might not sound too many. I know some photographers take over 1000 on a day (and advertise that fact) but I believe in quality not quantity. I don't keep my finger on the trigger hoping that some will come out well. I know that what I take is going to look good and that helps when you have so many to go through and process. It helps with processing but it's still long and hard work. I promise 200 and you get 200. No duds.

It was the first time I had this kind of album produced and I have to say it was impressive. I was suprised at the size and the weight. It was leather effect in a velvet lined, leather effect box. "That explains why it was so expensive" said the Groom. That and the constant backwards and forwards choosing just the right photos to go in it.

"I'm not saying this because it's ours but this is the best wedding album I have ever seen." said the Bride.

Hard work but worth it when you see their faces as they open the box and see the full size images for the first time. "That's why we hired a professional."

Indeed.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T16:42:00.000Z

Come round we're waiting for you...

Things to see and do when your model doesn't turn up.

2009-10-27T13:38:00.003Z

There are many excuses. "I got my dates mixed up." "I broke my hand." "My phone stopped working and I didn't get your text." "My dog ate my leg." and so on.

Usually these are last minute which leaves you without any chance to re-arrange so what do you do?

If you didn't manage to get any hair or fingernails the last time you shot them then a voodoo doll is out. You could hunt them down and gut them like a fish but what if they were telling the truth? ...and extending the patio again (at night) can alert the neighbours. So take a deep breath......... and relax.

The wife is looking like "Don't even think about it." So it's self portrait time. It's time to test what you were going to do with the model but - just for fun - it's going to be slightly harder. You need a tripod and you need to be able to focus with your toe. You also need to keep running backwards and forwards to check what you just took and you need to not knock all the light stands over (unless you have the camera tethered to a laptop and I couldn't be bothered to set that up). So it's take a few shots, chimp, adjust, take a few more. Spot the wife looking at you like you've lost your mind, chimp, and so on.

It actually works out well because you can test all the stuff you were going to try and then improve it so that when the model does eventually recover from the flu/moving house/washing the cat you should get a better result.

We will see in due course and you will see it here first.

So what does all this running back and forth, chimping. look like then?

It looks like this..

50 ways to leave your lover (in pieces)

2009-10-23T00:36:00.005+01:00

OK not fifty just three. Just in time for Halloween. It's rock, paper, scissors updated for the naughties. Scissors, knife, DEATH RAY. Death ray wins every time though I'm afraid. MWAHAHAHAHAHA. Now to retire to my pacific island lair with optional volcano upgrade.

Get all your villain supplies at Villain Source Formerly known as Villain Supply. I love this site. Need a new lair, doomsday device or hapless henchmen to replace that last batch that just got fried?

Like I said Death ray wins every time...

Trouble at t' mal

2009-10-13T02:24:00.001+01:00

My camera has an lcd screen on the back. It might as well have a boxing glove on a spring. Everytime you look at what you've just taken - technically known as "Chimping" a derogatory term devised by the morons that argue that film is better/photoshop is evil/not photography but digital art, blah blah, go and boil your head - it shows you a blurry but correctly exposed picture. Then it sniggers. You see what you really have is an underexposed but sharp image. It still freaks me out though and I know it knows. You have to trust the histogram. When the image on the back screen looks 1 stop over and slightly worse than the first one. You've nailed it. Trust yourself otherwise you'll end up with a bloody nose.

I do trust myself. But it is still hard.

We had free run of the best hotel (IMO) in Oxford for the whole day. Couldn't believe it. I had the best creative team, MUA and models, every shot was planned, location had been previously scouted. On top of our game, this was going to be awesome. What's the worst that could happen?

Well, I could lose 2 models a week before the shoot. That would be pretty wrong.

Panic.

Casting call. Put a casting call on Model Mayhem. Got loads of responses. Great. Didn't use any of them. They weren't bad, some were really good. Some just scared me.

What I had planned was a fashion shoot. Dresses, hair, all that good stuff. Two female and one male models and rather than just straight fashion, nice location and a bit of voguing (or vogueing - it's not a real word anyway so whatever) - that would be too easy and I am always inspired by Annie Leibowitz - I wanted to emulate a Vanity Fair Hollywood shoot called "Killers kill, dead men die." (Google it). So the plan was, we would have a honey trap. Two women would entice our poor sucker. He would think it's his lucky night with two gorgeous girls and then BAM! However now I have two vital ingredients missing, one male and one female. I was starting to think that it would become a straight shoot after all or more likely a non event.

Flash of inspiration. Twins! Technically the shoot would become harder and my one female model/MUA would have to play both roles. She agreed. She also suggested a male model who was up for it. Yay! we were cooking on gas. Why is cooking on gas a good thing? and why is blowing smoke up someones arse also a good thing? I've never done it (The smoke thing. I have cooked on gas. That was OK) so maybe it's great. If anyone knows, leave a comment. Every day's a school day.

I had fantastic location and two fantastic models, Gemma Sutton and Steve Box. It was all brilliant again. Photography? Brilliant! I have to say here that Gemma was an absolute star. Not just sourcing the male but procuring all the dresses, designing the makeup and hair, constant changes of clothes throughout the day. She worked extremely hard (even making some random dude's day, she's all heart like that) and deserves all the credit. Steve was great too but he only had to change his tie and take off his shirt. That's right I shot my first topless model. Unfortunately it was a bloke. Bugger.

Everyone's been in a hotel right? You know how dark they are? Bloody dark that's how. 1/8 @ ISO200. Everyone.. stand.. very.. still.

There's five parts to a wireless flash set up. The transmitter, the reciever, the wire, the flash and the random failure. This makes it totally unfathomable when it doesn't work. Here is the mantra of the people photography underclass "Did that go off?" Repeat, chimp, fire, repeat. I upgraded from ebay triggers to skyports, second only to the almighty Pocket Wizard. Nothing says wireless flash trigger like "Pocket Wizard." (I could upgrade, but I want a Macbook Pro). I still have issues. My 580 (top of the range Canon flash) hates my skyports. They are like cat and cheese. If you've never tried plugging cheese into a cat. I can tell you it doesn't work. They don't light up and you don't win a shiny pound.

Here's the score. we have a beautiful location, gorgeous models. We are wide open, high ISO, slow shutter, tripod mounted and shooting the girl twice. We have one day and there are 12 shots to complete. We have costume and hair changes every time. No pressure.

The best part was getting Gemma to whack Steve with the house red. What fun and does he look suprised!

So did we make all 12? No and I was seeing stars all the way home from keeping chimping Tyson's fist. You just can't see if you have sharp images until you see them on the computer screen. They all look blurry. So it wasn't until we got home that I saw that we had nailed it. One more small victory.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Malmaison, Oxford for their hospitality. If you get the chance, stay there. It's the best. Thanks to Carol for putting the light where we wanted it. Thanks to Gemma and Steve for their patience, violence, acting and modelling skills. Thanks also to Canon for putting so much suspense into such a small screen.

So here's the story.

She's been after the contents of that case for weeks. Finally she has him where she wants him. Tonight she has a plan and he will get what's coming. They get ready in the room and head to the bar. While he's distracted she slips her twin the room key. When she arrives he thinks it's his lucky night. Unfortunately they have another suprise for him. He didn't even see it coming.

The problem with Flemish flies.

2009-10-11T02:29:00.010+01:00

Some things stay off the rails no matter what you do.

This shoot was the cause of some sleepless nights. So what could cause this? Heard of the six P's? Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. That's true. Guess what? Yep, we were on another turn up and see what happens gig again. Well not quite. There was some last minute planning but as it turned out not quite enough.

I wasn't losing sleep about this shoot. No I was confident about this one, at last. After Spike this was another one I couldn't get a handle on at first. Danni wanted to shoot in Bristol as it was fairly close to where she lives. Much as I love Bristol I know the way to my friend's house and from there to the pub but not neccessarily back again. Knowledge ends. So where to shoot? I ask everyone I know where's a good place to shoot in Bristol and get this much info.................. Not really enough to inspire confidence. Of course at first I wasn't so bothered it would all turn out good in the end. But the days fly by and the next thing you know there's less than a week. Panic. So I'm chatting on line to my mate and he suggests shooting near his and he would let me use his bike.

Problem solved. Phew. That was close. So I let Danni know and she's happy. Bike's cool. I thank bike dude for his generosity. Location and theme sorted. Wow I owe him one.

"Oh I was only joking. I don't know what we're doing that day."

..................Shit.

So what do I tell her? I say he's decided to sell the bike and has people looking at it that day. Never mind. Nervous laugh.

Luckily we do indeed get the bike and everything gets back on track. Phew! (again)

...or so I thought.

I had a look at the location to shoot. In front of some garages and everything looks cool. I'm confident. It's going to be great (and easy).

On the day the model gets lost. She had asked me for a postcode so I presume she has a sat-nav. Apparently not. No biggie she turns up only a little late. I finish my coffee and we move to the location. He brings the bike out. It's black. It is plastered in flies. "Still on there from Belgium." Right. We clean it with a plaster covered towel. It is now black and streaky white and wet and coverered in Flemish flies. Does it get any better? Eventually we get it presentable and dry. My ninja photoshop skills will sort the rest out. It's not good to have a model looking on while all this is happening (and I do wonder about sharing all this with you also. still it's funny right? Laugh at me go on). It's the School Of Hard Knocks and It's all good experience. It means that my next shoot will go smoother and the images will be better. I always push myself to the limit and when I'm not shooting I'm lost so whatever happens there will be a next time and it will be better. I always compare my work to the best in the business not my peers. I want to be up there.

...and we start shooting and the garage doors are too small and it's very limiting. I can't get many really cool angles without grass or blown out sky. I was hoping for a Japanese racing version of the Biker Babes but that is not happening today. Then my lightstand with umbrella attached crashes to the ground and the umbrella breaks in half. That was the good one.

We move on from the bike and go up the road. We stop outside B.Edwards garage which was on the BBC show "Being Human" as an undertakers. It's where the vampires hung out. Then on to a music shop with scaffolding outside. I shoot her in front of a tree and we're done. I think she looks like a young Demi Moore, Carol thinks she looks like a young Yasmin Le Bon. Either way it's a good look for a model.

All in all we got some nice shots but I left the shoot feeling disappointed. I will make it up another day but in the meantime I start to worry about the next shoot. It's a biggie with multiple models, a make up artist and set in the best location yet. My blood intermittently runs cold. I wake up at 4am. I've run out of talent.

Of course I haven't. The next shoot goes great. Not without it's issues though. But that's another story.

In the meantime click on Danni.

Now that is some magic photoshop fly removal.

Put the axe away. The Pirate Police are coming...

2009-10-10T00:41:00.009+01:00

With a lungful of asbestos, plywood, brickdust, chewing gum and spiders (probably going to eat my brain or lay eggs in my eyes) we continued the shoot.

Now Spike has a particular look and I was still in the inspirational badlands (5 miles east of Dudley). So it was a kind of turn up and see what happens kind of shoot. Not my favourite kind as I have said before. I have wanted to visit the location, a disused Navy base for a while although I think I have moved on from the "stick a pretty girl in front of some graffiti" type of shoot that seems to be all the rage. I say moved on but I never really went there, I was put off by the amount of other people doing it. I try to make every picture tell a story not just look nice. I think every shot should stand up on it's own. Even if they are part of a set I try to ensure that each one is interesting in itself. I have had conversations with people who are hell bent on technical perfection over artistic merit, that couldn't care less about the art as long as the exposure and focus are spot on. I don't understand that but there you are.

So here we were with me wishing my stands bag wasn't quite so heavy and wondering how floppy my hands would become when my tendons stretch that extra two inches. I know what you are thinking, "You should get one with wheels", well I did. This one has wheels, it's just that the stands all slide to the end of the bag, drag along the floor, slide out of the holes and then grind to a point on the ground. If I had to harpoon a model I would be laughing (and they would be running and screaming) but you just don't get the work when you keep having to hide the bodies.

Spike was a cool guy and his girlfriend made a great lightstand and kit guard. She also discovered a new talent for finding hidden holes and falling into them. We shot all around the place in front of the graffiti until I was struck by a very small inspiration fairy. Spike, when he isn't in his PVC corset and skirt looks like a pirate. So the obvious thing to do was to pretend he was on some kind of hostage rescue mission and burst into one of the office blocks all (toy) guns blazing. One thing I didn't know until recently whilst browsing Airsoft is that toy or replica guns have to have more than 50% of their surface brightly coloured. Otherwise they are classed as Realistic Imitation Firearms and then you need to have a license to have them. So you can't just buy some toy guns from the pound shop and some black paint and spray them. That would be breaking the law. That's definately not what I did. Actually thinking about it Spike would have been riddled with gunfire had the armed response unit turned up. So I needn't really concern myself.

I don't know if anyone reads those "What's in my bag?" type features that pro photographers (and saddos) do. Well I'm not a pro but this is what I've turned up to shoots with - an Axe, a hammer, lengths of rope, chains, a bag of pistols and a bowler hat. It's my "go to" bag for photography. They look at me strangely in B&Q.

Once I was standing by the side of the road, waiting for a model to arrive, a black holdall at my feet with an axe handle sticking out from one end when the police drove past and it dawned on me that this could be... awkward. "That axe officer? I'm just waiting for a girl I met on the internet to turn up and I'm going to take her down that dark alley. Is there a problem?"

Click on Spike.

Severed head, asbestos death

2009-10-08T00:42:00.008+01:00

We arrived at the location which is a disused Navy base in Wiltshire and heard a lot of banging and general clattering around in the building we were going to use. Apparently there is some kind of underground, alternative model plane culture. Who knew? I always thought that model planes were flown by the same grey anorak brigade that turn into photographers. "Hello future me." (I don't think anyone that knows me believes that will happen. You will have to prize "cool" from my cold dead fingers) :D

I digress.

"It's OK." said one of the guys in the building "Come in. We'll be setting up for ages yet" So their plan is to fly their petrol powered model planes (that's right, big ones) around the disused gymnasium that we were planning on shooting in. Oh well in we went.

We set up and started to shoot when they fired up one of the planes. Slightly alarmed about having a large propeller chopping bits from my face, I retreated behind a pillar to watch. Of course an 18" square pillar would probably not save me from severed head and flaming death but I had to see it. If you don't live on the edge, you're taking up too much room. Right? Well maybe not but it makes me sound cool (see above).

What I didn't think about was the clouds of dust kicked up by that powerful engine in such a small space. Still it was entertaining to see the plane hanging like a helicopter and flying around the gym while the alt.plane guys videoed it. They soon got bored and left for the great outdoors and it was strange to occasionally see a plane "walking" past the door followed by a guy with a remote control.

Later on we were at the other end of the gym when someone noticed a sheet of material lying on the floor. "Is that asbestos?" he asked. "No that's plywood" I replied pointing at another sheet "That's asbestos." Marvellous. "Cough"

Sometimes, something magic happens....

2009-10-07T00:47:00.004+01:00

.... and nobody cares.

True. My day job is IT and anyone that works in IT knows that every so often you solve a problem that you have been working on that has seemed impossible. You have that Eureka feeling, You leap up and punch the air, crying with the emotion of the moment. Everyone else either ignores you or looks up at you with indifference and apathy for a nanosecond before returning to their own issues. Sometimes you have to grab someone and they get the the full explanation followed by a "I know you don't care but I had to tell someone." and they'll nod politely. Please understand I'm not complaining, I'll gladly ignore or deflate anyone else given the chance. It's a savage world in IT and only the geekest survive. I have a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet that says "Survivor" all over it.

So here's the thing. I hate shooting models when I have no plan. It's a disaster that's unravelling right now in my hands and I have a highly critical audience of one who is expecting me to pull beautifully lit rabbits from my hat. Of course I didn't bring my hat because I had inspiration block and I left it until the last minute to pack and here I am with the spotlight on and the bead of sweat starting to trickle into my eye. Sounds like fun don't it? It's all my own fault, I should be more prepared, but (and here's my defence) I haven't been doing this long - about 3 months - so I don't have a fall back repetoire of standard locations and poses. I want every shoot to be different. I want to push the envelope and try new stuff everytime I shoot. Sometimes it seems like the only new stuff is shooting a different foot (note: I'm making this sound worse for comedy effect please continue with your booking. Everything will be fine. Honest.) So I put myself into these holes and then proceed to dig myself out.

On a recent shoot with the fearless Saya (I've never had a model wanting to hang from a tree, twice! Kudos) I had a plan but it quickly disintegrated and then we ran out of time. However in the midst of it I got the shot below. I have photoshopped it to replace one leg but it was crying out for that and that's all that's done. The rest is SOOC (straight out of camera). I don't have anything against photoshop anyway. I don't see that I should be limited to what I could get with a film camera. I'm not using that medium and imposing false limits on yourself is just silly.

I love it. I know it's going to be criticised for being "shopped" but I don't care. The title to this post is slightly misleading, I have had some nice comments about it. The point is that even on a shoot that doesn't go as well as you'd hoped you can still find that magic shot in the bunch that makes it all worth while and you always find it back in the office on your own with no-one else to share the glory. So you you just sit and stare at it for a while and it makes you want to get up and do it all again. It's addictive.

The best compliment a photographer can get...

2009-09-01T21:02:00.006+01:00

I got one of those today. It went along these lines -

"I showed my daughter your website."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, she loved it."
"Oh cool."
"Those pictures of the horses are great. You've got a fantastic lens it really makes them jump out of the picture."

Jo and Nathan's party

2009-08-30T01:32:00.006+01:00

"Just random shots of our friends" That was my instruction when I asked if there was anything specific I should be shooting. Fine. So the first dance "Suprise!", the speech "Suprise!" and the cake cutting "Suprise!" all caught me off guard. Usually finding myself the other side of the room from the camera I really would have liked to have had in my hands. Never mind it all turned out well but I always feel that I could have done just a little better. It was the same when I was behind the drum kit. It was a rare exception that I came off stage happy with my performance. Always could have done just a little better. You learn to ignore mistakes and get on with it. Act like you mean it. Don't think about what you did wrong. Learn from it, move on and quickly. No-one will ever know.

...and you just get a little bit better.

They loved the shots which is always nice.

Rapture

2009-08-07T21:18:00.006+01:00

She was lonely. She wanted something else. She thought she had found it.

Biker Babes

2009-07-28T00:26:00.010+01:00

This weekend I organised the biggest shoot of my life. Four bikers and their Harleys (and a Kawasaki) two models, two assistants in a warehouse the size of Wales (along with a few assorted friends). I hadn't attempted anything like this before. In fact this was only my 5th shoot using models. Oh well in for a penny....

I had decided to arrive an hour before everyone else to get the setting up and recce out of the way. However when I arrived so did an extra four bikers (yikes!) and about 15 minutes later the models turned up. Uh Oh. Now I have a lot of people hanging around with nothing to do but wait for me. Now being an ex drummer and spending many years in bands I know that this situation is similar to spending hours in recording studios. Long periods of boredom interspersed with quick bouts of action. I was ok as I was busy but I spent the day concerned about everyone else. There's a lesson in there.

The extra bikers soon got bored and rode off. It was a shame because they had some very cool bikes but I didn't have the time to fit them all in. In fact I had far less time that I thought as I was just about to find out. Once the shoot had got into full swing I found out that we had less than an hour before getting kicked out. I was lucky as Jo and Vicki are awesome models and we got some great shots very quickly. It was a bummer though as I like to get the "bankers" and then let the shoot evolve and experiment. There were so many unexplored areas that we just didn't get to use or even see. I came away from the shoot a little disappointed but that changed when I saw the photos.

Hopefully there will be a next time and I'll get to see more of the place.

I must thank the models Jo and Vicki for being patient and looking fantastic. Thanks also to Cider & Lil for the bikes and the location, Andy for assisting with lighting and Carol for assisting with everything else and Recording the shoot.

See the making of the "masterpiece"

Kiss my tailpipes

2009-07-18T21:20:00.003+01:00

I just got back from RIAT 2009. I have a big red nose and white eyes. I took 1700 pictures today not counting the ones I deleted on camera. That's 18Gb. That's a new personal best, although I won't think that when I'm trawling through looking for keepers.

Here's one from today.

Guess I'd better do it all again tomorrow :D

Belong

2009-07-16T00:55:00.006+01:00

That's right ladies and gents you can now become a fan of the acceleration lounge on facebook.

Click here to become a fan

Deviate. Create. Belong.

Latest shoots

2009-07-11T12:45:00.006+01:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have been shooting a few models for our respective portfolios. Although we have been pushed for time in most cases the models all been great to work with and we got some fantastic shots.

Click the pictures to go to the corresponding gallery.

In chronological order we have -

Rosie

Dan

Scott

English Rose (psycho)

2009-06-29T00:47:00.011+01:00

I recently got to work with a talented local model Vicki Blatchley on a personal project that I have been thinking about for a while. Titled "English Rose (pyscho)" It was inspired by a scene from the film American Psycho starring Christian Bale. In that scene his friend sits on the sofa while behind him Christian starts to put on a raincoat. He then pulls out a shiny axe and gives him the good news.

I had the idea that instead of American psycho it should be an English psycho. What better psycho than a sweet English rose - it named itself. It wasn't my intention to involve any fake blood or gore but just try and allude to threat. I also wanted to do it in a cartoon manga(ish) style aong the lines of the anime in the middle of Kill Bill pt.1 (geek alert). The finished result would then be highly processed a la Dave Hill to give a stylised look. I had a few shots worked out in my head and some sketched down but a good shoot will evolve and you can end up with some outstanding shots that you hadn't thought of previously. That certainly happened with this shoot.

Initially another local photographer Kris Talikowski came down and helped me set up and became victim #1 before he had to head off. The shoot was pretty much nailed from the start. I let Kris go knowing that we had stuff in the bag, so the pressure was off and we could experiment a bit. Just when I was thinking of packing up Vicki had an idea about throwing some "Bond girl" shapes silhouetted against my umbrellas so we tried that and they came out really well.It was a great shoot.I think there were a few suprised people on the footpath that night and I even managed to rope one guy - James - in to help out with holding a flash which was brilliant.

All in all the shoot came out really well and I got more than I could have wanted. The response I have had also has been unbelieveable. I'm part of a group on Flickr and everyone there has been fantastic. I have had more views, comments and favourites on this set than all of the others put together. I'm hoping that I'll soon be looking back thinking that this was a good start but in the meantime I'm going to have to put a lot of effort into the next concept. I have a few ideas rattling around. Nothing concrete just yet but it shouldn't take long. The hardest part will be organising the models.

So here's a couple and you can see the rest by clicking on them.

Click this image to see the set on Flickr

The local

2009-06-17T00:53:00.004+01:00

Did some work for SwindonWeb last week. There was a 10k run which started in an old railway track that is now a (dingey) footpath. It was the darkest place ever. I met the photographer from the local paper who asked me if I had a torch (I always carry a torch) and then went off to find the start which was cleverly hidden from the runners and seemed to be on a need to know basis and no-one needed to know. Although I had in mind to get the start, I gave that up and went to find a break in the trees. I found one, set up by the side of the track and the heavens opened. Great. I had brought a raincoat but not an umbrella (and the coat had no hood). After the runners had passed I headed back to the finish completely soaked. I got the umbrella from the car and waited at the finish line to get the winning man and woman, then I could go. The winner crosssed the line and crashed into my brolly (oops). I got a good picture though which can't be said for the winning lady. I got a shot of her head over someone elses shoulder. Oh well off to the dry for me, sorry love.

Saturday I covered a horse show. Normally I wouldn't have gone if I wasn't assigned but it was a lovely day and it turned out to be fun. I took my mate Andy and we both had a great time. I think I got some fantastic shots and that made me think, I need a t-shirt with the web address on. Can't sell stuff if people don't know it's available. So it's off to the printers later to get a couple printed.

Here's some from the jobs.

The Wedding

2009-06-16T01:02:00.006+01:00

As promised now that the bride and groom have approved the photos I can tell you about the wedding.

The happy couple. Roland and Gloria.

Lesson 1. Everything that you had planned has changed. Everything you know is wrong.

I turned up with all the kit, everything charged, an assistant and I knew what I had planned. Took a few test shots and waiting for the bride. The bride drove straight past me so I had to run to get her getting out of the car. The light was terrible, it was noon on possibly the sunniest day of the year. Hard, harsh, high contrast. Still I had Fergus, my assistant, with a reflector and we made do.

Lesson 2. Indoors the lighting is mixed and the registrar hates photographers.

"We're running late there's no time to shoot the bride's entrance you'll have to set it up and do it afterwards." I've got news for you lady, that's not happening. I shot it anyway. The "everything and the kitchen sink" lighting is concerning me. What do I do? CTO the flash and shoot for tungsten or run with no flash or, use flash but not gelled and hope for the best? I can see why so many wedding photographs are black and white. (I didn't gel and shot for daylight) This made the B&G slightly orange against the lovely blue blinds (nice). Slightly weird but not too bad and not unfixable. Phew.

We got outside after the ceremony, got some casual mingling shots then it was groups time. Not too bad and we whipped through them. A quick break and on to the reception. To get there for the happy couple's arrival.

So everyone has confetti but the B&G are unaware of this and start separately mingling. I think people are expecting me to organise them so I do. Get the entrance through confetti shot.

Lesson 4. I don't know what all the fuss is about.

The rest of the day goes on without any hassle. The blessing, the speeches, gift giving, food and cake cutting. As the sun goes down I get the B&G for some informal shots in their casual gear and that about wraps the day. My first wedding. Not so bad. A bit of a flap at the start but the rest was ok. I know it was hardly the wedding from hell and there may be some of those in the future but as a first attempt I didn't run screaming. I know a few photographers who would not go near a wedding but I would certainly do it again. Oh and the pictures turned out fine as well the B&G loved them. Here's a few from the day.

Spine Road

2009-06-04T21:21:00.004+01:00

I have mentioned in the past about Strobism. Strobism is a huge phenomena in the photographic world. It has driven prices of second hand flash guns through the roof. It all started with David Hobby and his Strobist blog. This was a revalation to most including myself as it teaches people of all abilities how to use off camera flash effectively. It has spawned a whole movement and there are many groups around the world who have strobist meets. One of those groups is relatively new (30 members as I write) and is based in Swindon, Swindon Strobists. We have met up a couple of times for a beer and for shooting. The second meet was at a place that looks really cool. It is an old bridge that has fallen into disrepair and so all the brickwork is flaking and there are holes built in to the middle of the supports. It's really easy to get to has a carpark at the side and looks great in a picture. Kind of a hidden treasure and easy to overuse.

This was my first time at this location and I think the results turned out really well. I have to say that I don't consider myself a "Strobist" as such but an artistic and concept portrait photographer but the strobist site has helped me develop my skills immensely in a short space of time. So cheers Mr Hobby there's a lot of people that owe you a beer or two.

The first and last pictures below were lit with gold reflectors throwing the sunlight quite far down the tunnel and on to the models' faces (or hat). The middle was lit with two lights. One shining on the back wall behind the model's head and the other was a shoot through umbrella high up on a stand camera left.

Coming soon it's "My first wedding" but not until the Bride and Groom have approved the pics.

Hello World

2009-05-29T01:46:00.009+01:00

I know I haven't posted anything for a while and I know some people follow this (Hi Alan). It's not that I don't have any news, I do and I will pull my finger out and post some new stuff up soon.

I just stopped by as I was looking at Google analytics and noticed that London you are now the leaders and visit my site more often than anyone else. So hello London thanks for coming. You can drop me a line if you like here or find me on Model Mayhem here if you want to book a shoot. That goes for the rest of you too.

In the past it has been Reading and Southampton that have lead the way. I get visitors from all over the world and it's a great feeling to know that you guys are looking at the site that I created with my pictures. Thanks for visiting and come again soon.

Pools, football and vision poetry. My first job.

2009-05-07T12:43:00.006+01:00

This Monday I was asked to cover a number of events for SwindonWeb. The opening of a new pool, the start of the Swindon literature festival and a football match between Swindon Town and the media.

The first job was to get down and cover the pool. I was to get shots of the local dignitaries, ribbon cutting and people enjoting themselves in the sun. Hmmm. Sun. Well when I arrived, the pool was open and one family was slowly freezing to death in that traditional British way. Grin and bear it. I got some shots of them and the manager and then we discussed what else I could get, as there was no official opening. Could I take pictures of the kids in soccer camp? No. No children. Right. O.....K..... I'm there to cover the opening of a new pool at a place called Next Generation Kids and I'm not allowed to take pictures of children. Oh hold two minutes later and I can, they will get the parent's consent when they pick up the kids. Fine. Shoot kids. No problem. "Pull!"

After the football the next event was pool games. so while I'm waiting I shoot a family who were perfectly happy to pose until a lifeguard comes running over and asks me what I'm doing. I explain and she appears happy. Now kids and parents are starting to get into the pool ready for the games so I set up on one of the loungers and start snapping, for about five minutes until another manager - Do they fall out of the sky? - appears and tells me that I have already been told to stop taking pictures of the kids and that I can't use any of the shots I have taken as I don't have permission. What? I might remind you at this point that I am here at the centre's request to cover the opening of their kids pool. Right now I'm getting a bit annoyed. Oh and can I just say, "Look at me when you are talking to me". I explain to him that he is incorrect. Another member of the management team appears - one that five minutes ago was telling me about the pool games - and explains to me that I only had permission to take pictures of the kids playing football. Right. OK I give up. No publicity. I leave.

In the centre of town it's much better. Poetry, jugglers, dancing, music, tree hugging hippie stuff, cool. I get some nice shots, I learn what a vision poem is and find that I have left part of my wireless flash kit at home. Never mind I have a TTL cord and I get to use it on a poet in a van. Super cool. On to the match.

True to form for the day I missed the line up and kick off but it all goes well and I get some good shots. So that was it my first job. Just now time to process the best and send them off to SwindonWeb. Easier said than done but we got there in the end.

Hopefully we'll work together again as I was a fun day overall and I learnt a few lessons. Particularly about leisure centre management. I'm off to Majorca next week and I'm hoping to get some nice shots there but the weather seems to be the same as England right now. Oh well.

Some from the day.

Woodchester

2009-04-26T23:56:00.006+01:00

There is a popular trend at the moment called "strobism" it has been popularised by an website/blog called Strobist run by David Hobby. It's all about lighting, mainly using small flashguns or "strobes". It's something that I got interested in about a year ago and I’m just starting now to make pictures that I'm proud of. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a strobist I think of myself as a conceptual photographer. I know that sounds pretentious but it just means that I dream up an idea and try to put it into pictures.

This last weekend a group of photographers from the Digital SLR user magazine forum met up at Woodchester Mansion. We brought some models along - just family and friends - and practised our portrait and lighting. We hired the place for 4 hours and spent the afternoon making the visitors outside wonder what the hell was going on. Woodchester Mansion is a cool old building that has many different and strange styles of architecture and due to the owner passing away during construction, was never finished, and it’s haunted.

There were loads of places to set up and shoot and I could easily have spent 2 or 3 days shooting there. Of course when I came home and went through the photos I saw many missed opportunities, which just makes me want to go back. Hopefully we will get together again soon and have another go. In the meantime here’s a link to the DSLR User forum thread and a couple of pics from the day.

The Thread. Other people's pics start at the bottom and go on for a few pages.

My pictures start here and are spread over the next few pages.

A couple from the day.

The happy couple

2009-04-17T16:43:00.005+01:00

On Good Friday I spent the day photographing a couple who's wedding I am shooting. This was my first "paid" shoot. The day was completely miserable and constant drizzle hampered the shoot all day. I was really looking forward to it but it just rained and rained. Oh well trial by fire, Round One.

We tried some outdoors shots but they were just getting soaked along with me and all my gear. The camera was ok but I was worried about the flashes. To exaserbate my pain I had to deal with the "I hate having my picture taken" syndrome. It just wasn't working at all well. Lesson 1 - It takes time for everyone (including me) to warm up to the shoot. When you have someone who hates their picture being taken just keep talking and eventually they will almost forget that you are pointing a camera at them.

Eventually the rain took Round One and we moved indoors. Round Two a crowded conservatory. We threw open the conservatory doors, set up a chair in front and shot them as if they were outside. This gave me much more flexibility and time to get the set up right. It was a bit of a squeeze with 2 shoot through umbrellas amoungst all the furniture but everyone was warmed up now and we got some great shots. I think I took Round Two. A little photoshopping and some looked like they were taken on a bright spring day.

I was nervous whether they would like the results. Being my first proper job I didn't know what to expect. The next day I sent them the best shots as a collage. Expecting a quick reply I knew I needed printer ink but I would see which one they wanted as a freebie and get ink when I needed it.

No response for 2 days.

Uh-Oh. What was wrong? I thought I had done quite well. What didn't they like? Should I make contact?

Thankfully I needn't have worried, they loved them. Now I have the wedding to look forward to. Am I nervous? No. Not yet anyway. I learnt some valuable lessons that day and I'm sure there are many yet to come. But I love doing this, like when I used to be in the band. I didn't get nervous before a gig just excited and that's true of photography too.

Next week I have hired - along with some other photographers - an old mansion for half a day. It should be really cool and I have a load of new gear to try out. There's one item of gear that I am so excited about - a ring flash - I haven't received it yet and as soon as I do I'll post some shots here. In the meantime here's the happy couple, Glo and Ro on that bright spring day that didn't happen.

It's good news month.

2009-04-10T00:02:00.005+01:00

Well I got a call the other day from a digital photography mag saying that they wanted to run a portfolio piece on me. That means that I get a four page spread with a whole bunch of photos included. I was really chuffed that I was chosen until another mag emailed me and told me that they were running a couple of shots for their "Showcase" feature and that I had bagged the double page spread there as well. I honestly can't believe it. Big Grins. Not just that but I have a meeting tomorrow (Good Friday) - oh actually it's today now - with my first Bride and Groom. Luckily I have managed to blag a load of new equipment on the back of this wedding, not least a new 70-200mm 2.8 and a new 40d body. It really is good news month.

Here's a couple from both mags.

Down in the woods

2009-04-03T00:23:00.003+01:00

If you go down to Savernake Forest you may well be lucky and bump into me, it's one of my favourite places to shoot. I went down last week with a single flash on a lightstand and using the sun as another light source shot some images that I'm really pleased with. I have desaturated them slightly with a black & white layer in photoshop because I like that effect. But I especially like the way the models (me and the wife) pop from the background.

Aus

2009-03-31T00:27:00.006+01:00

I have just returned from a work trip to Australia. I visited Sydney and Melbourne. Both fantastic cities in their own right and quite different from each other. I shot the usual tourist haunts as I didn't get to venture far. I had to stay in the city as it was work.

On the first morning in Sydney I was up at 04:00 and taking pictures from my hotel window. I then decided to walk down to the opera house and I'm glad I did as I got some great dawn shots.

In Melbourne I got shots of Federation Square, Flinders Street Station and South Gate all lit up in the evening. On the Saturday I made a pilgimage to Albert Park 2 weeks before the Grand Prix arrived and saw the track under construction. On the Sunday I went to Avalon airport to see the Australian International Airshow which was cool. When I say cool I mean freezing. It was very cold all day. Unfortunately it started to pour with rain about 15:00 and I missed the final show of the F111.

Sydney

Melbourne

I love Australia and hopefully it won't be too many years before I get to go back. Last time I was there it was 3 years ago. In the meantime I will have my photos to look back on.

Future Electric

2009-02-02T00:06:00.007Z

The trouble is that as soon as I press the shutter she's wanting to get up and leave. Therefore I'm hoping to find some models for TFP/CD. If anyone reads this, knows what it means and wants to boost their portfolio then let me know. You can contact me through the main site The Acceleration Lounge

Even with a jumpy model we managed to make this which I (currently) love -

Future Electric

It reminds me of Zhora the snake dancer from Blade Runner. It was set up with the model lying flat. It's really important when taking macro shots like this that you keep everything perfectly still. Any movement of the head or nudge of the camera gets amplified and will ruin a shot. The flash was gelled blue and I used a shoot through umbrella - overhead and slightly behind the model - to soften the light. To camera right there is a yellow gelled flash pointed directly up and reflecting off the ceiling. That's it. You can see the umbrella reflecting in the model's eye but I think it looks kind of cool and futuristic. No post production on this one save a little sharpening. Quick and easy but looks fantastic to me.

This is a great advertisement for "live view". I try as much as possible when taking any shots on a tripod where I have time, to use live view. It is just fantastic to be able to zoom right in and selectively focus. I know that a lot of photographers dislike live view and see it as an amateurish add on for a DSLR but they are very wrong and are missing out. I must admit that at first I didn't see the need for it but given the right camera (not a Sony apparently) I couldn't live without it. It really helps when focusing off centre or particularly when using a shallow depth of field. My advice is if you have the tools then use them. I'm sure it's the same brigade who think that they are more worthy because they don't use Photoshop but they are stupid and should return to cave painting or wherever they drew that imaginary line in their head. (Deep breath. I'll save that rant for another day).

Caffeine hit (and miss)

2009-01-19T22:35:00.001Z

Just looking at the new Lavazza coffee calendar for 2009. Shot by the great Annie Leibovitz, it's a bit of a disappointment as far as I'm concerned. It's a bit half and half. The cover for instance is great but the "Romulus and Remus" image with the wolf mother holding a coffeee cup is just odd. Annie still rocks however.

The site is well worth a look showing the calendar going right back to 1993 with some fantastic photography. You can see it here

Mixed feelings.

2009-01-18T20:13:00.000Z

Just a quickie. Although the subject matter is not the most desirable - my wife being made redundant after 22 years - I did get a picture in the Observer newspaper today. It looks like this.

At the scene.

2009-01-18T11:08:00.002Z

I was astonished one day to find out I had won a camera. I keep entering competitions believing that it will make me think harder about my photography and help me improve. However like most other people what it actually does is raise and then dash my hopes. Then one day out of the blue I get an email from Digital SLR User magazine telling me that I had won a Samsung GX20. I was over the moon. I have been shortlisted before (and since) but I'd never won anything. Part of the deal was that I shoot some images with the camera and send them in to for the next issue. Having forced my wife into "starring" in some she soon got fed up. I was impatient as I wanted to get as many images into the magazine as I could so I went out on my own to an unfinished road near our house. This was the result.

I had 2 flashguns set up in the car, the camera was on a tripod and focused on the car and I stood up close to the camera in order that I would be out of focus. In post production I had to remove a lot of barriers, "road closed" signs and general clutter. Finally I converted it to sepia. This is probably my favourite shot from the entire shoot and certainly one of my current favourites.

Super Major

2009-01-17T00:51:00.000Z

You know at the time, I thought that "the last three" was a cool name but it's been so long since I set up this blog that I can't remember what it stands for. I'm a professional photographer and part time amateur messaging specialist. Oh no hang on that's the other way round. In these times it doesn't look like I'll be going pro anytime soon. Especially as now "Everyone's a photographer." But I can't complain I'm everyone. I just hope that I can stand out from the crowd a little you never know.

If you want to see my best stuff head on over to the Acceleration Lounge. Feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment below.

Anyway I thought it would be cool to start a blog but then ran out of ideas and enthusiasm. Now I just remembered that I had set this up so I might as well give it a whirl. I'm going to share some of my favourite pictures that I have taken through my long career of nearly 24 months and explain how they came about and what the process was in capturing the image and any processing that was done on them. I don't really expect a single person will ever read this but I'll do it anyway. I'll start with an easy one. "Super Major".

The Savernake forest sounded like a cool place to go and I had just got my first DSLR, a Canon 400d. I chose Canon because it was the best I could afford at the time. I was going to make it big as a "rock star" photographer and needed some shots for the portfolio. So my wife and I set out, one mild spring day, wandered around and shot some trees, a brick, stuff and things. The light was awful, flat grey sky but I had my new toy and that was enough, I was happy (and i had all that fame and fortune to look forward to). Eventually we came across this tractor that was being used for clearing up the logs or whatever they use tractors for. It was the weekend so there was no-one to ask. I got up close set aperture to f/3.5 (What the hell I didn't know any better, "What's an apature?") and shot the following:

It's still one of my favourite images even now. I shot it in RAW like the magazines told me too and converted in Photoshop. I added a duplicate layer desaturated it and then used a layer mask so that the image fades to black & white and then back to colour again. I also added a black gradient layer that you can see fade out on the left and set the blending mode to Multiply. That was it. I had no camera skills and no Photoshop skills but I think it came out ok. If I remember rightly it was also my first post on to a website. I was proud and largely ignored. Over a year or so it got about 1 comments (sic). It was a start, as is this.

Hopefully I'll be back soon. I'll try and do at least one post a week but aim for more.

Out.