This month’s a short one, been really busy working on jobs I can’t talk about never mind show the shots, but I was able to shoot some pictures whilst traveling inbetween some of the jobs, hence the title “cavalier landscapes” the view point was close to where I parked my Vauxhall cavalier, engine running, jump out, shoot, jump in again, off to next location – sorry it’s an old joke, which I have stolen from someone and I drive a Fiat.
At the minute I am packing my bucket and spade as I am off to Greece to shoot a job, I will upload some shots from Greece when I return or maybe some of the top secret jobs when the clients have annouced their new products and vision for their future.
In the mean time hope you like the shots and I’ll try to bring back some sticks of rock!
I’m sitting in the office, waiting for a delivery time to start another job and work out a timetable for another adventure north of the border, it’s snowing – last week record temperatures! Well it would be monotonous if the weather was the same all the time like Greece, sun shine, blue sky’s, hang on, I am shooting a job in Greece in May! Will have to get the sun cream, as I am a natural blonde and burn in the sun – I can hear the laughing from here Mr Quinn!
Anyway, on location the other day I met Joan and Derek, two lovely people, they keep chickens and good looking ones as well! With Easter around the corner I couldn’t resist.
Don’t eat too many eggs and when I am on my travels in Scotland I will be uploading to Facebook and twitter, so enjoy and I’ll see you soon, mb
It’s nearly the end of March, what’s happened, it feels like christmas was just last week! Anyway the sun’s shining and we are having a long dry spell, breaking records and a hose pipe ban, absolutely fantastic for a location, architectural photographer, which I have been known to do a bit of that kind of work – well quite a lot actually, so you would think all’s well.
All is well! But the only thing I see of the outside is when I unpack the equipment from the car and carry it inside to a studio or a location interior. That’s about normal for me, requests like “we need it to snow” – in June! or “I know it’s December, but can you retouch the leaves back on that tree!” This is all part of the fun of commercial photography and to be truthfull, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The job I am working on now has it’s challenges, but I am working with a great creative team and we are having a really good laugh. We started early February and we should be finished mid April, if you’re lucky it could be a blog post in the future. Talking of the future I am going on a mini road trip across Scotland, this one sounds a good one, I’ll tweet that one when I start it soon.
A couple of Fridays ago a friend (David Whitfield, a really talented designer-thats a fiver please) asked if I could take some shot’s of Jack Arthurs, a musician for the launch of his new album – Only dreams are true – at a venue in Newcastle for his website. Couldn’t resist a bit of live music and to take some pic’s so here’s my efforts – this is my second go at being a rock photographer – I use that term very loosely, my first was at Middlesboroughs’ Mela festival and it’s been enjoyable both times. Also the gig was excellent and he is well worth checking out. So go to his website for more info, wwwjackarthurs.co.uk
It’s a new one, I’ve opened this months post with the Shot of the Month.
Simon’s a performance coach who works with atheletes and business people, he improves an individuals performance so they can achieve more and be number 1, also he’s a really nice chap, so when I was comissioned to take the shot we discussed how we could bring sport and business together in an image that would tick all the boxes, as well as page size/shape and where the copy would go. If anyone is interested in what Simon can do for them, send me your number and I’ll pass it on.
Last month I was asked to shoot a job in Berwick – about 11am. The last time I was in Berwick it looked an interesting place, and it’s on the coast, also if you follow the blog uploads you’ll know I am partial to a bit of sand dancing, so 5am and a 90 mile journey. I set off to find a beach for a bit of 3f’s. I set off in the dark and get 5 miles from Berwick and see a sign that says beach turn right, so I turn right, drive down a road which turns into a lane, which passes a farm house, which seems to be going nowhere (remember it’s dark) I see a place where I could pull my car to the side of the road, I get out of the car and I can’t see it but I can hear the sea, result! I open the boot of the car, start to get the gear out then realize no torch, but with a bit of lateral thinking I use my mobile phone to light the way on to the beach and here’s the shots from that adventure.
Oh and when I got back in the car to go to the job, it was postponed till April!
Well it’s the start of a new year, so happy New Year!
I hope you all had a good xmas and new year, not too many bad heads. When I was looking through my choices for the shot of the month for January, I was asked to supply an image for a nice little project for someone, cant say any more, it’ll spoil the surprise! This gave me a chance to look back at some images I took in the 1980′s.
I know we all live in the now and we sometimes forget what it was like 20-30 years ago(am I really that old), but photography is such a detailed recorder of the visual it was a stark reminder of some things I had forgotton. With the cut backs, job losses and unpopular taxes or fees of the present, they were all there in the 80′s as well, sometimes I think the only thing that changes is technology, everything else stays the same. I remember when I shot these images I was not doing it with some political slant, the posters and graffiti were everywhere, I just liked the look of them.
Sorry if I have depressed you all I just couldn’t resist in posting the images. Normal service will be resumed next month and if you need to give me any abuse you know where to find me.
Well it’s back, Xmas, twelve months have flown by and yes it’s another short film. Well this ones not as short as the others, but stay with it their are some job’s in there that you’ll say “ooh you did that job!” Well ok you’ll maybe say it once. This year has flown by, it’s amazing, where does all the time go? This year has seen a big change in the way I have worked in the photography business, as I have used the short film’s to promote taking still images (October 2010,was the first short film.) This was an idea to make the viewing of work on the web a different experience. I cannot measure how successful from a commercial stand point this has been (about 700 views have been counted) but I did not do this for that reason. I think some things in life/business have to be done just for the reason they have to be done. Yes I am fortunate to work in a creative profession that can allow this. I have had the opportunity this year to shoot some short commercial films and have a couple of others in the pipeline for next year. I am enjoying the process of creating films, it really interests me but I will always love still photography – it’s been a passion since I was twelve years old. I know their will be friends out there saying how come he’s been doing it that long and he’s still no better, John and Graeme!
As I write this, it’s started to snow outside (quick put the Bing Crosby film on.) I hope everyone has a good christmas – if you’ve been good Santa might bring you all the things on your list.
Hope you enjoy the short film, posting it has caused my grey hair to turn white, and hopefully see you next year.
Sorry, did not upload anything to the blog last month as I was really busy, thanks for all your emails I received asking where I was – I wish! I have been on my travels, I thought my jet-set days had gone but no, I did just over 1000 miles in one week, from one end of the country to the other, shooting some varied stuff from furniture to interiors, it’s been fun working with good clients, having a laugh and driving the wrong way down a one way street.
The images on the blog this month are some shots I took for myself on some down time (remember the 3f’s, come on keep up that was in a previous upload). Hope you like them as you can see it includes angry building and mad monkey, also the shot of the month for this month was another shot I took on the way to a job, had to stop the car and take the shot, it’s at Loch Fyne, not a kipper in sight but i videoed me shooting for another project and I slipped over – maybe I slipped on a kipper, I don’t think it’s a £250 clip for Harry Hill. If you read the blog but don’t receive the shot of the month, please send me your email info and I will put you on the mailing list.
As for work this month, I have been working on a short corporate film which will be uploaded when the editing process has finished (I will put a link on the blog when it’s ready to view). With all the talk of convergence in the world of digital imaging it is something that I have decided to look at, as a service to provide. Years ago as photographer who mainly shot large format film, I thought that this digital thing would not catch on in the line of work I did (how foolish I was back when the dinosaurs had just died off – I have friends who still remind me of these words – thanks Graeme).
I am in two minds about next month. I usually send out a Xmas shot of the month, but I have another idea, it will be my biggest upload to date, it’s a bit ambitious but I hope to end the year with something
I hope you enjoy!
September’s been a busy time, had a bit of a 007 moment with one job, can’t post it this month but don’t worry I’ll include it in a future post.
In between jobs I still carry a camera and shoot things that catch my eye sometimes it’s for visual note taking, so I can return another time of day and re shoot, or sometimes it’s because the small camera or iPod have the feel that the image requires. I mentioned this in a previous blog upload, the preset types of retouch that are included in the app or scene setting on a camera are quite remarkable, they sometimes transform the most mundane shot into something reasonable, is that a road in which we all just press the button and wait for automated magic.
I think that there’s more to photography than the magic button (then again I would say that wouldn’t I!)We are in the communication game and photographer’s can’t rely on the magic button, we must be aware of the clients needs and more importantly the needs of the commission (in some cases these are totally two different things??) You have to shoot what the client requires and then try to move the work forward by developing the idea further, then hopefully everyone has a smile!
Anyway have a look at my magic button shots for this month – any abuse can be forwarded via the usual channels.
Also I hope you’re not sick of the short films, there’s another one in the pipeline, maybe the end of the year!
It’s amazing what I can get up to from one month to the next, organising large machinary in a forest to meeting up with channel swimmer Damien for a bit of the three f’s (fotography for fun) this time I tried an underwater housing for an action shot but I also couldn’t resist a couple more portraits, Dan gave me a hand with this one so thanks Dan, also see if you can spot the trendy head wear that everyone will be after at 29 seconds into the film – you saw it here first!
In the second week in August Damien travelled down to Dover to swim the channel, he had a 4pm start time and stayed in the water for six hours, until the crossing had to be abandoned because ten foot high swells and waves made it unsafe. In his words he was “gutted” in not completing the swim but I know from the type of chap Damien is he would have given his all. Damien still managed to raise over £3000 thats -the count at the moment for Mencap – well done mate!
music by SilverFox
I have also been playing with a small format digital camera for small grab shots of shapes, details etc. In a world of the all singing digital camera I sometimes miss the use or misuse that you could have with film cameras. Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, I was one of those photographers who used a 5×4 to shoot buildings and products. Occassionally when a job required 35mm I would shoot it on 5×4 or 10×8 to get a different feel to the image. This is now becoming more of a post process and not in the actual performance of the act of taking the shot, but people say thats progress! (I still shoot 5×4 and 10×8 mainly for the 3f’s).
Hope you enjoyed this one and I’ll see you next month mb.
Here we go again with another upload that I hinted at in a previous blog.
I was commissioned by EGGER to produce shots of forest machinery, product and iconic landscapes
which showed various aspects of their business. The weather was a help and a hindrance on this one,
I had travelled to Kielder when the weather forecast was good, got there and you couldn’t see anything
for fog, then went up three days later when the forecast was not so good and got sunburnt, there’s
nothing like the British weather!
The machinery was very impressive and I tried to include the forest in with the harvester or loader so you can get the feeling of how the machine looks in it’s working environment and I knew this also meant that
the shots could be used as double page spreads or exhibition panels, the files had to be quite large 260 meg files to cover all uses in the future. Also the chaps who work in the forest were very accommodating
even when I asked them to start work at 4am so we could get the night shot and this shot was my idea not the clients!
The landscape shots had to include specific parts of the forest, so this meant a bit of map reading, a recce and the good old sun compass to plan the shot and as I mentioned earlier a bit of luck with the weather.
(you make your own luck)
I was really happy with the results and the client was too, so gold stars all around.
Lately I’ve been shooting more portraits than usual, so maybe next months upload will be a still life, no only joking, I could even threaten you with another short film but that could be film overload!!
You can contact me through the email and mobile number in the contact section on this website, I haven’t
had any abuse yet, so either no ones reading this(I am not stopping ,this saves me £20 at the therapist’s) or everyone likes it.
