I know I haven't blogged much of late but really I've been a busy bee, honestly I have! Hmm, so what have I done over the past few weeks. Well on Christmas Day I went to the Brighthelm centre to feed the homeless and hungry. It was much more rewarding than staying at home, watching crappy tv and feeding my own face with too much food.
It was nice to see so many people giving up their time and skills to help out and make a difference to those less fortunate.
Since Christmas I have been working on making my website more appropriate to my business, as before it was more a gallery than a 'working' website. I am pleased to say that after a few hiccups and headaches it's now live and I'm looking for clients to photograph for any occasion!!!
My 52 project has just been finished! I can't believe it - late again, because I was unhappy with my Christmas theme and wanted a reshoot - I'm going to settle for the image I have and week 52 was composite, which I like the concept, just not sure about the final image!? I am going to turn the project into a coffee table book and slideshow as I am very pleased with my progress, considering I'm self taught and just tried out random ideas and never done one before. The question is will I do one this year? Answer, errr, NO! It was far harder than I thought and very consuming, but next year I might just to gauge my progress. Well that's it for now I think, Happy (belated) New Year and PLEASE check out my new site and call or email me if you have anything you want photographing afterall that's what I do best :)
Enjoy my final 2 images Week 51 - CHRISTMAS
Week 52 - COMPOSITE
And now for your viewing pleasure my 52 week project SLIDESHOW!
I know, I know - I'm yet again behind on this project. But with good reason, I'm busy putting together certain things for my future business, such as: business plans, website 2.0 and looking for studio premises.
This is a theme I have been itching to do it for quite sometime. The concept was based on a Bryan Peterson idea. Well, this was the moment I got to finally do it.
The theme was LETTERS. Everywhere around us we are faced with letters. Words from signs, logos, directions, warnings, information, names - so I was hardly short of opportunity to find them. The one thing I wanted to do on this challenge was try to find different and interesting letters and shapes. Luckily Brighton is full of weird and wonderful Typography.
Given that I was behind I took several hours yesterday to shoot the whole alphabet from various locations around the town. I did plan on doing two alphabets one using proper letters and the other using abstract letters made from windows, doors and fences etc. But that would take more than a few hours. I will construct that version next year ;)
Wow this 52 has been much tougher than I ever thought. Im not sure I will do this again for at least another year. By which time I hope my photography will have improved slightly more, time will tell ;)
As I am behind and lighting is awful currently I have suffered to find something worthwhile and still lacking motivation somewhat. To make matters slightly worse I seem to have developed an issue with my shoulder/back - not too sure what it is but it is very tender to the slightest touch, yet not so painful when pressed? Also today I felt what seemed like a very hot needle being inserted into my back, there wasn't, that is unless someone has a voodoo doll of me!?
I had a few more images I could have used for this theme, but I felt they weren't good enough, so I went with a few stronger images rather than adding weaker ones just for the sake of it.I am sure if I took longer I could come up with something better, but im happy with the few shots I have. Emma and I went for a hike (and a proper hike it was) up to the Jack and Jill windmills in the South Downs. Sadly the Jack windmill is on private land and cannot be accessed, having said that Jack is quite a dilapidated windmill unlike Jill. So I happily snapped away at Jill while I looked for interesting angles and shapes to shoot.
Both the chosen images for these weeks can be seen HERE & HERE Week 48 - Mechanical
This theme was easier to do as it embodies more possibilities and allowed me to practise my landscape shots a little more too. Luckily the weather has been quite mixed of late, so I have managed to get some diverse, and what I think, interesting shots. Week 49 - Distant
A bit of business before I get down to my 52 week project. My Macbook suffered its first (and hopefully only) malfunction last week - the graphics card started playing up. So I took it into the nice people at the Apple store and they checked it out, only to find no problem. Typical it works when you don't want it too.
I returned home, and for a while, maybe a day, it worked fine then started playing up again. This time I managed to get screen-shots to show them, just in case. So I took it back showed them the issues and they said they would take it in for repair - parts and labour cost was to be £350!!! After a little gulp to myself, he then added "which of course we will waiver as you have had no problems before, looked after your mac" and "its a nice thing to do". I paused with baited breathe, did my ears deceive me!??!
Now I am a huge advocate of Apple, but really this takes customer service to a whole new level. They did indeed fix the problem by replacing the part and did it within 4 days - now THAT'S service, oh, and they smiled about it too :)
What else have I been up to in the past week? Well, we had a HUGE snowstorm, more on that later, and I had my second brain scan, which was fun. The first part of this scan involved seeing how you react emotionally to movie scenes such as Forest Gump, Dead Poets, Blair Witch and American History X amongst others. Then a series of questions needed to be completed, boring!!! But the cool thing was, seeing how you brain waves were affected by tension and relaxation (gritting your teeth or closing your eyes) - very cool!!
Only problem is you looked a little weird, this is how I think I looked, I might be wrong, there was no mirror.
On with the 52...
...as I mentioned before there had been a snowstorm. Now when I say this you may think it snowed a little? A faint frosting perchance? NO! IT REALLY SNOWED! In fact I had never seen snow like this in the UK before. But this did give me the perfect opportunity to play my WINTER card for my 52. Everywhere was covered in several inches of snow. Trains had stopped running, the country had ground to a complete stop, it was that bad!
So armed with my camera I set off the get some wintry shots.
The problem I soon found was few places were accessible. My bottom of my jeans had frozen and became like cardboard - you could quite literally knock on them. But I persevered and managed to go for a stupidly long walk along the coastline towards Peacehaven. I took several shots along the way and got what I hoped would be the winner for the week. On the way back the sun had gone down and the temperature had plummeted. So rather than walk back, I made my way for one of the few running buses. After about 40 minutes one pulled up, I jumped on frozen, the driver obviously in good spirits then refused to take my £20, saying "it wasn't allowed" and told me to get off the bus - if only Apple ran buses!?!
So I decided I would walk back after all, but it was bitter cold and my toes were numb (well I think they were, I couldn't feel them). Along came another bus and this time the driver had no issues whatsoever!? hmmm, some people! Chosen image for the week can be seen HERE Week 47 - WINTER
Yet again time is going faster than my little size 9s can take me, as the weeks seem to blend together and I find myself a week behind yet again!
As I mentioned in my last post I had attempted to do some night photography, of which I was unhappy with. So I decided to take the time to do it tonight and make the most of it. So armed with everything except a pair of gloves I set off. Gloves turned out to be the one thing I needed most as it was bitterly cold. I met Emma out of work and she bared the freezing cold with me whilst I trekked around looking for images of interest.
Having been out before I had a rough idea of some shots I wanted to improve upon, so I got those and also worked on some light trails and shots of light reflections on the ocean, these were new and something I wanted to play with for a while. Sunday nights are not the best time to get loads of traffic so took quite sometime to get at least a shot I was happy with even if it wasnt what I wanted overall.
Anyway, these images I am more impressed with and I felt that the night, even though cold, was worthwhile. With each press of the shutter my fingers got number until my battery died and I could call it a night. On the way home as a reward we nipped into a bar for hot mulled wine, YUMMY!!!
I hope you like the images - chosen image can be seen HERE
I am in a strange place right now, no I don't mean Brighton, although.....! I don't know why but my head and heart are at battle with each other. Since the split with Sandra I have found it hard to know what I'm feeling, pretty much about anything. They claim that it takes a month for every year you were together to heal - not sure that's right, some days it feels so raw others are fine and I'm still floundering around for answers which never come :(
My aims and aspirations are moving forward but not as I would like, but then I never did set my standards low. Emma and I, walked around several cafes and bars and quite a few are willing to hold a viewing of my work, which is nice. Now I just need to pick the images I think are best, have the widest appeal (with a view to selling them) and then hope this helps get my name out and push my work forward. I personally feel my photography hasn't moved on much for a while now. I am seeking various photography positions and opportunities to help change this - one of which is photographing inside nightclubs, not great but its work (at least for now).
OK enough chatter, onto the week - I had GRAFFITI as my theme, and Brighton being Brighton didn't let me down, almost any quiet street you go down there is Graffiti. I mean that in a positive way. To me, graffiti is art not tagging (just writing your name on the wall) - I think you would agree that the folks images below have a real talent for art and very creative. I liked the Chess image but the fear in the eyes did it for me, I just loved that comic styling :)
You can check out my chosen image HERE I lay no claim to the artwork used within this theme - and as such I haven't copy-written any of the images.
All change for Brighton please, all change! I am now here, in Brighton! So what's changed apart from the geography? Well, I'm now staying with a friend - Emma, I have a new 2.8L lens, I have hair and a beard and thanks to Hussian I now have a printed portfolio of my images - to promote to local businesses and potential clients. Hopefully my mojo will catch up soon and I will start feeling back on top.
To that end, I have being doing photo walks - just going out and about and taking photos of whatever catches my eye, some images were good whilst others turned out to be nothing of interest when I finally got home and reviewed them.
These photos have being mounting up slowly and now it's your chance to see them. chosen images for these weeks are WEEK 43 & WEEK 44
Week 43: PHOTO WALK
I recently went to a photography workshop - which has potential to be worthwhile if developed further, but it was aimed a little low for me. What it did do however, was highlight what I already know is more than I thought ;)
I have a few plans in mind and when the time is right I will launch them. Right now I am looking at studio spaces, opportunities within venues and making use of the environment around me, oh and of course, global domination, all good things.....
....anyhoo. There was a car rally last weekend with vintage cars travelling from London to Brighton which appears to have been going for some years now (the annual event that is, not the race). It was good to see some of the older cars coughing and spluttering along, their metal parts glistening in the sun, the drivers wrapped up warm donning various driving goggles. The sad part came when we (the spectators) were forced to stay behind barriers and could only view them from afar. I like to get up close and personal - to take detail shots, luckily I had my zoom lens, but that's not the point - the good old biker boys let us get close without any problems!? As a result, the images I got I'm not terribly impressed with at all :(
As I didn't get shots I wanted to use and the theme was NUMBERS, I hope you like what I have in store for you - eyes down...
Not many weeks left of this project, and only days until I move to Brighton!!!! The Oxjam gig was successful with the highest traffic we have had to our website, so if you havent checked out the pics you really should.
Lately I have been taking quite a few shots of the trees as they continue to change colour and not quite focussed on a theme as such, just snapping away at what caught me eye.
Autumn is such a cool season
So, I went back to my list and chose 'Abstract' as my theme. Then having looked through my many collections and image stored away for a rainy day, I chose the images I think fit nicely as abstract images.
I'm a big fan of 'working smarter not harder', so for this weeks theme I combined an event with my 52 week project, the theme: MUSIC.
The photoshoot was in Leicester and organised by Oxjam. They were hosting a music festival on Braunstone Gate for the whole day. It involved 8 bars and nearly 80 artists of all kinds of music genres. I'm sure you're dying to know what Oxjam is. It's a music festival that is happening all over the UK - not only to promote Oxfam and raise money for charity but also as a platform for music artists - two key reasons I was keen to get involved.
Adam and I went to the Independent Arts Centre in Leicester for Friday nights gigs. It a nice sized art house, which has a stage set up at the back for musicians. The artists themselves were good, but sadly the turnout was poor. However, Saturday was the main event so it was a nice warm up.
Saturday arrived, the weather looked hmmmm - changeable. 1pm rolled around and kick off time! When I arrived at the O'Bar the place was packed and rocking as music filled the room, as some great musicians were giving so much energy to their performance, a fantastic start and set the tone. The challenge for me this time round was that I have never photographed music events before, and to make it even more challenging, the musicians were playing in eight very different venues, with a mix of lighting conditions and space. One thing I wanted to do where possible was catch the action and also the ambience, but still get nice crisp images, no easy task for a novice like me.
In order to see and hear the bands playing live, you bought a wristband to gain entry to The Looking Glass, Loaf, O' Bar, Sumo, Natterjacks, The Hub, Venus and The Bowstring bars. Not only were the bars full, but there was plenty more merriment to be had in the street, with Capoeira, a Caribbean Carnival, Fire Poi, Graffiti artists and even Vikings?!?! (Yeah, I didn't get that one either).
To top it all off, I also got to see an old friend playing and he blew me away with how well he has done - if you haven't heard of him yet you will, allow me to introduce THE JAMES LEWIS BAND, you heard it here first folks! One of my fav songs so far is Kathryn, go check it out or why not buy it from iTunes. One trait which drove me crazy was the fact that about 90% of the musicians sang with their eyes closed - it looked like I caught every one of them blinking - which is typically what I try to avoid, having said that, it does work well on some images.
It was a fantastic, tiring, ear popping, head banging, foot tapping day! I would like to thank Adam Breedon and Oxjam for getting us involved and a big shout out to all the musicians and performers who did themselves and Leicester proud by raising £1000s for charity ;)
Below is just a sample of the many images I took that day, the remainder can be seen by clicking HERE
I have several images I really liked this week, but my fav is a shot of The James Lewis Band and can be seen HERE
Not many more weeks left of this challenge and boy has it been harder than I imagined. Having said that though I have learnt a lot more, slowed down, worked on my composition and started to train my eye - so it has been a very worthwhile venture.
So from my time in Brighton I have managed to catch up on my weeks finally. I chose BIRDS and TRANSPORT as my themes. There were of course many shots which didn't make the grade but also from the ones I did take, and preferred, it became hard to choose a worthy winner. Anyway I finally decided which I liked the most as you can see below.
Chosen images are available here - WEEK 39 and here - WEEK 40
I really needed to get away, lots of things getting on top of me and certain people taking the opportunity to kick me whilst I was down, so I headed south to Brighton for a while.
Maybe its the sea air, the change of scenery or the company, but it felt better. As long as I can quieten the voices I'm OK.
Whilst in Brighton, I tried to focus more on my photography and keep active. Luckily there was a motor bike rally, so loads to see and do. It also gave me a chance to catch up on my 52, as I got candid shots and some specific images in one go.
I tried to get a wide variety of images, people, bikes, boats, cars, animals, landscapes - more for practise than anything else. I stood on the top of the promenade and shot down into the vast crowds trying to pick out interesting characters. I did manage to get some, but the one thing that was all too clear was how poor my 'cheap' lens is. I really need to replace this with a better one. I also want to upgrade my camera too as I think I have out grown this one, I will ask Santa really nicely ;)
As for the shots I'm happy with them, nice mix, good feel them I think. As yet I haven't chosen a winner, so feel free to offer your suggestions as to which deserves to be chosen and why. I finally chose the one I thought is the best image click HERE
Well this one was the toughest weeks yet. Not in terms of subject matter, more the fact that my life was turned upside down with my long term girlfriend and I splitting up :(
I have so many things to say but better I say nothing, my mouth tends to get me into trouble - my head however is a mess, my heart destroyed! I wish I had a magic wand to fix everything but that wont work if only one person wants it, no matter how hard you wish - I learnt that before. So I needed space and some friends offered me some places to crash, but I dont like imposing, never have, but thank you for the offers folks. I did disappear to Brighton for a few days though - very cool place, kinda reminded me of Camden town, cool, funky, arty place.
Anyway now I'm left with the decision as to where my life is going next - currently, no where fast, being refused jobs left right and centre, besides my intention was to return here and run my own business, and that already has become a costly choice, so silly to leave it now.
I just want to thank the friends who were there and who offered support. Once I have my mojo back, watch out world!!!
On with the images - click to see the chosen shots WEEK 36 and WEEK 37
Autumn has arrived and in order to mark this the chosen subject for this week is AUTUMN.
Whilst heading off on this journey I had a good idea of where I wanted to go, as I hung out there as a kid. 20 years later though, much had changed. My old infant and junior schools have been demolished and replaced with a housing estate! In fact the whole area has changed quite a bit. There used to be an old tree at the bottom of the school fields, that has been removed. That tree was like a perished fossil of what used to be. The rumours were it had been struck by lighting and died on that very day - it was old, twisted and so iconic, we used to say that at Halloween ghosts would haunt it. It really did look like a hanged mans tree.
So a quick trip up to the Wrekin and the Ercall supplied me with plenty of opportunities for subject matter. There was a chance to catch three young deer but sadly they saw me before I saw them and they ran off into the distance. Anyway, I headed up into the woods taking shots of the various fields and animals as I went. Music playing in my ears, camera in hand, wind in my face, I trudged on. When I arrived at the base of the woods, my intention was to get lost - that way I get off the beaten track and hopefully find something more unusual than that you find along the footpath.
The colours of the trees are starting to change and perhaps I'm a little early as there is still more greens than browns around. Still it was nice to get out and stretch my legs get some fresh air. One thing I really enjoy about photography is it quietens my crazy head and gives me focus if only for a little while.
I hope you enjoy the images below the chosen shot for the week is HERE
Whilst experimenting and taking pictures using our Hi-lite background I struck upon an idea for my next 52 project. As the theme is POSED, what better than me posing, but not just a pose or two, oh no, that's way too easy. I want 100 different poses!!!
So I got to work thinking about what faces, expressions and emotions I could use. I decided for this project I didn't want to use props, like hats etc (i have enough of them), instead only use my face and hands, that should offer enough variety. I then began by going through the usual emotions - happy, sad, grumpy, sneezy, sleepy - yes, I did use the 7 dwarves as a reference point. Then I got a little more creative and started working on a flow from one image to the next. I also decided to use movies, music and whatever I could think of for inspiration as well as using my own many crazy faces.
I was lucky enough that Hussian was available to take the actual shots, which saved me running backwards and forwards to the camera. So we set up what we needed and began snapping away. Huss added in ideas as we went along which kept the project alive and fun, amidst the laughter and frivolity we did manage to get plenty of shots. We then got to a point where both our minds went blank (no smart comments) we called it a day, with around 140 images in the bag. Typical, that once we had finished and packed everything away I suddenly thought of maybe 20 more options, maybe for another day?
Anyway, as I have 100 images I wont be uploading them all. Instead, you will see the finished project below.
This weeks theme presented a new challenge for me, each week is a challenge in its own right but this one was special. The theme was OBJECT, and to make it tougher I decided I could only use one object. Typically I go out and shoot several variations on the theme and get something I like from one shot or another. This time however having only one object to shoot made me have to be more creative with what little I had!
I wanted something I could do a variety of shots and angles with, and my love for colour was also a factor, so I thought about using a slinky!
When I was in Spain I looked for one, but no one really knew what I was after - they just laughed at the crazy English man. Being back in the UK, a quick trip to the toy store and a pound later I had what I needed. But rather than simply shooting the slinky I played with it a little and worked the abstract nature of it more, as I felt it made for more interesting images.
I must say, I tip my hat to all those who complete a 365 challenge (photo a day). Having been busy with many other things I have not kept on top of my 52 challenge as I would like. Right now there is so much going on, yet at the same time nothing! Do you ever have those moments?
Anyway these are the latest offerings I have. For week 31, I had RAILWAY as the theme. I went down to a local train station and took some shots, but was not inspired. So I went on to another station, but still nothing excited me. Then on a quick day trip we came across a cool Olde Worlde train station, so I quickly snapped away.
Feeling much happier with the results from this occasion, I was able to complete this weeks challenge and breathe a sigh of relief. Rather than just one image I ended up with two I really liked, but, there can be only one!
This weeks challenge, (which now brings me up-to-date) is SCENIC. Again whilst out and about with a friend I managed to get what I needed for this particular challenge and some additional shots should I want to use them another time or for other things. Sadly my battery died and that ended the shoot, what I didn't realise until I arrived back home is I had my spare battery with me all along. The weather was nice which was great considering how awful it has been. It was also good to get away if only briefly, fresh air does help clear the mind ;)
I know, I know I'm really falling behind! I have being trying to keep up with everything but sadly not got the motivation I need, I think the weather is partly to blame.
My week 29's theme is Summer, but I'm struggling to find anything 'summery', in fact, little except rain! Sandra is online showing me her tan and here in the UK all I have to show is a cold, so not fair!
Being back is not what I thought it was going to be, for reasons I won't go in to. But someone is determined to make my situation harder than it need be. Not being able to move forward in my life is perhaps what's holding me back in my photography as I just aren't as inspired as I have been. This MUST be resolved one way or another, luckily I have Sandra and some friends who have helped keep me sane (no easy task).
So I finally did get round to posting the images, they were already shot, I was simply unhappy with them as they didn't convey what I wanted or were of a quality I would like.
Be afraid, be VERY afraid, as the theme for Week 30 is Fear! This one was a little better because fear is pretty abstract. It started with a few simple questions: what do people fear? What am I afraid of? What's the biggest fear in the world? Then going to create an image that would embody those answers.
Heights, spiders, public speaking and clowns!!! But maybe the sight of those things would be too fearful for my audience?!? So a quick re-think. Its fair to say most people fear death - they sure dont welcome it anyway. The internet and technology is another big fear, so armed with these new ideas I set about creating my week's images. It certainly did get me being creative again as the winner of this week will show you. The image can be seen HERE... ...if you dare to look!
I thought this would be easy, go the shop buy a few sweets and snap away. Thats what I did, I also didn't much like the results. I played with a few ideas and considered a few options - I tried to get arty, but weren't happy with the images, tried being clever but didn't have the skill to pull it off, tried shouting at the products; that didn't help either :-S
Anyway I cracked on and took the following shots I was at least OK with. Jelly Babies are no longer the cool looking sweets they used to be - bring back the original Jelly Babies!
OK, so it was an excuse to grab some sweeties, but my creative edge was evading me and I wasn't happy with much I set up. I did try catching an M&M bouncing but couldn't get a shot I was happy with :(
As you would have previously read, I had to take a trip to London to see my ladies back off to Spain. Whilst there I had a quick look around for inspiration. The place is bursting with opportunities for photography everywhere you look.
My theme for the week was Authority so I had to choose my shots, but I captured the typical images of London too, and why not. It was great to be back in London, far more interesting than I recalled.
I decided against going for the obvious authority figures being Police officers, mainly because the issue they typically have with photographers, plus they were armed! The soldiers looked splendid and were happy to pose, well I say that, they had no choice as they couldn't move. The poor guys must feel like chimps in a zoo with everyone wanted to be near them and photograph them. Still they do make great shots.
Oh I nearly forgot to mention, an image of mine (flaming shot) has been used by a American rock group - now thats Rock 'n' Roll. ;)
I know I'm behind on my 52, dont worry I will catch up, I'm almost at the half way point and it would be foolish to fail now, but my mojo is lacking big time!
I took a trip to Shrewsbury, which cost far more than I recall, nearly £10 for a return ticket to somewhere which is 10 miles away. I was amazed it costs so much, hardly surprising more people wont give up their cars when the rail networks charge such ridiculous prices. More of the same can be seen when I came to check tickets to pick up Sandra and Pitu from the airport, if you book way in advance you pay £28 but close to or on the day you could end up paying from £58 to £150!!! Really it would be cheaper to hire a car and have less of the hassle of charging trains, missing connections and struggling up and down stairs with suitcases. Anyhoo, Pitu and Sandra have arrived and I will no doubt be busy with them for a while as they are visiting for 10 days before they return to Spain. The weather so far has been good, lets hope it remains that way.
Hussian and I shot a wedding recently, I was there as backup and Hussian did the work, I simply helped out and caught some candid shots; great practise for me. As far as the business goes, its a slow uphill struggle, but headway is being made. Looks like a while before we will have a studio though.
I have managed to speak with China on Facebook and sadly it's all I can manage at this point, I hope to have this resolved soon too; lots of work to be done!
