A short film from this years Southern Lights Festival

My third year as official photographer at Southern Lights, so this film is just for fun.   I took a few short clips and I've made a little film with them.

I hate video editing, and I'm a bit rubbish out of it.  I'm sure someone out there could take my source video and actually make something really quite watch-able out of it.  This however, is the best I can do.

The sound came via recording the drumming workshop.  Gotta love the sound of the drumming workshop!

Technical Info - Filmed with a Canon 5D Mark II, Sound recorded on a Zoom H4N Recorder with a funky fire red Redhead Windscreen.

Roof of the World Rally Video

A short video of Ashley Platen-Mills telling us what the Roof of the World rally is all about.

Although the video doesn't look anything special, it's a small step forward for me because it's the first time I've synced video with an external sound source.  Even if I do say so myself, I think I did rather well!

Donate at www.charityroadtrips.org.   It's for the children damn it!

Ahmad Tea Training

Today, our team involved with "The Roof of the World" rally spent a couple of hours at Ahmad Tea in Chandlers Ford learning how to make tea.

Apparently turning a teabag in a mug for 10 seconds isn't exactly the right way of doing things.

The proper way is to put (in a pre-warmed teapot), 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup, and then 1 extra for the pot.  Add boiling water, and leave to stand for 4-5 minutes.

The idea behind going to meet Ahmad is because the team will be serving tea to the locals as we make our way from London to Tajikistan.  Ahmad have given us some mugs, tea cups, saucers and tea pots with tea cosies.  I'm quite looking forward to photographing them, the team and the locals in some obscure places as we serve tea in the oh so British way.

If you'd like to sponsor us, the main charities are Make-a-Wish and Sworde Teppa.  Any donation, however small is very much appreciated.   If you do donate via my blog, please leave a comment saying you came via my website.

Many thanks :)

The link is - www.charityroadtrips.org

Photo Training Workshop in the New Forest

Short notice this one, but I've just been asked if I can put on a training workshop closer to Southampton, and the only Sunday I have free before September is Sunday 27th June.

So...

You'll be using your own equipment and I will be on hand to advise how to get the best possible results with the kit you have at hand.

Bring everything, lens, filters, tripods...

Come rain or shine the day will happen.  Often you only get one chance to do a shoot and postponing / rescheduling isn't an option.  So be prepared.  Bring sunblock and wet weather gear just incase.

To make things more interesting we'll all have our own individual themes to shoot, which we'll pull at random from my hat.  So as well as the normal landscapes you will have your own specialist subject as it were, eg man made, flowers, grass etc

The event will start and end at the Lyndhurst Park Hotel in Lyndhurst.

Limited to 5 people, there is a special introductory price for the first of these training workshops of just £65 * (normal price will be £95).

FREE DOUGHNUTS FOR EVERYONE INCLUDED IN PRICE!

* Food & drink at the pub not included!

http://phototraining3.eventbrite.com/

On your marks, get set….

One of my favourite shots from my shoot earlier today with fitness model Lisa Cunningham.

Ethnic attacks in Kyrgyzstan

I've just seen these set of photographs of the ethnic violence in  Kyrgyzstan on the Boston.com Big Picture page.

www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/ethnic_attacks_in_kyrgyzstan.html

The Big Picture is one of my favourite photo journalism websites.

This time, it's all a bit close to home.  In less than 4 weeks time I'm due to start a trip across the middle east that was originally going to go through the heart of where all the troubles are at the moment.

I'll be documenting the last 2 weeks of the Roof of the World rally that ends in Tajikistan.

I've even got a visa in my passport for Kyrgyzstan and I think it's safe to say that I won't be needing that visa.  The borders with Kyrgyzstan are apparently closed, so we will be forced into changing our route.

I was already a little nervous about the trip, and this isn't exactly doing much to put my mind at ease.

For more information about the trip, and the charities we're doing it for please visit www.charityroadtrips.org.

Got the England blues?

England are rubbish at football.  Fact.

Hope these pictures of the lovely Abby cheer you up a tad guys.

Photographic training workshop in Devon

Update: I guess I should mention the date - Sunday 8th August 2010.

With my first workshop selling out it seems like the perfect time to get a second one moving.

Russ Hewer of Tailored Tours UK & Michael Palmer of Michael Palmer Photography are teaming up to offer a photographic training afternoon.

Quality digital cameras have never been more affordable. Yet most people only use them on P mode and probably aren't getting the best results.

We will start the day at my friend Steve Lundy's Home Farm Hotel & Restaurant just outside Honiton.  They do this amazing burger there that is one of the biggest, and best I've ever had.

From there Russ will take us on a specially crafted tour.  However the route we take is flexible and fluid.  No two tours are the same, if we see something of interest, we'll stop.

You'll be using your own equipment and I will be on hand to advise how to get the best possible results with the kit you have at hand.

Bring everything, lens, filters, tripods...

Come rain or shine the day will happen.  Often you only get one chance to do a shoot and postponing / rescheduling isn't an option.  So be prepared.  Bring sunblock and wet weather gear just incase.

To make things more interesting we'll all have our own individual themes to shoot, which we'll pull at random from my hat.  So as well as the normal landscapes you will have your own specialist subject as it were, eg man made, flowers, grass etc

The evening will end as it started at Home Farm in Honiton.

Limited to 10 people, there is a special introductory price for the first of these training workshops of just £65 * (normal price will be £95).

FREE DOUGHNUTS FOR EVERYONE INCLUDED IN PRICE!

* Food & drink at the pub not included!

To book your place click on the link below

http://phototraining2.eventbrite.com/

One of my favourite fire photos

I had a comment on this photo on Facebook last night.  He said it was one of the best fire photos he'd ever seen.  It got me looking at the photo more closely, and you know, it's quickly becoming one of my favourites as well.

The man playing with fire is more often found putting them out, fire fighter, and 1 of 4 of the guys behind the Southern Lights Festival, Mr Simon Chainey.

I've seen Simon's act a few times, so I knew to be ready for this.

I love how little bits of the fire are left behind seemingly burning his hair as he throws the staff up into the air, and how there is a small pocket of fire on the right of the photo.

Southern Lights Festival 2010 Photos

Lighting with a torch & a crisp packet

I was lucky enough to be the official photographer again at the Southern Lights Festival this year.  I wanted to get some portraits at night, and decided to use my torch.

Shining the torch into peoples eyes was going to blind them, so I needed some way of diffusing the light.  Looking around the car the only thing I could find was the outer packet from a 6 packet of cheese & onion crisps.  I fixed it to the torch with a bit of wire I'd ripped from my car earlier in the day (the previous owner had wired in a handfree phone system that I no longer wanted).

Hardly the most glamorous of lighting solutions and the results weren't perfect.  I am going to have to find a difuser that lets a bit more of the light through.

It was quite fun to play with though.  I'll be posting some of the portraits taken with the torch later.

Southern Lights Fire Performers

I'll be posting many more photos over the coming days from this years amazing Southern Lights Festival.  For now though here's a shot of the breathtaking performers from Saturday nights fire show, along with the festival organisers, Matt, Simon, Reza & Lee.

Halfords are rubbish

I don't really use this blog for rants, but today after visiting Halfords I feel it is justified.

I went in looking for a replacement stick replacement for my rear view mirror.  Although my car, a Peugeot 407 is very common on the roads, it was a special order.

The other thing I wanted was a couple of blind spot mirrors to stick on, I always use them, and feel blind without them.

Halfords had them, at £7.99.

I walked out.  Drove home.  Within 2 minutes of getting on Ebay I'd found the replacement mirror for way less than Halfords were asking.  I'd also found 2 blind spot mirrors, total price including delivery £1.98.

I bought everything I needed on ebay and still had enough change from a tenner for a Mars bar!

Halfords you are rubbish, and the only reason you haven't gone under is by default because you have no serious competition in the UK.

Standing out from the crowd

I really like it when my subjects know what they want from a photoshoot, and they come prepared.  It makes my job easier, and my subjects get results they generally like even more.

I met up with Suraj again recently during one of my business portrait phothshoot days in Central London.

As well as these photos we shot some more "normal" portraits.  However when Suraj gave me his image choices I noticed the fun 'super' shots were absent.  I thought to myself, "I'm not having any of that!", so I picked my favourite 'super' photos and sent them to him anyway.

I like them because they are different, they show the Suraj I know, and they will almost certainly be remembered once seen.

Being a little bit different in business isn't a bad thing, but always be yourself.  Don't try and fake it.

Behind the scenes of a business portrait photoshoot

I should probably add to the title "Behind the scenes of a bloody freezing cold business portrait photoshoot".

To see some photos from the shoot - click here.

Video Blog of a fitness photoshoot

I didn't put much thought, effort, or time into this very quick video from my photoshoot at the weekend with IFBB Figure athlete Larissa Reis.

It's kinda boring, but figured I'd share it anyway.

 

Larissa Reis – a fitness model in London

The last time I worked with IFBB Figure athlete Larissa Reis was a day after she stepped off stage at Olympia 2009.  Of course she was ripped.  We shot at the dry lake bed just outside of Las Vegas.

For those of you who may not know, strange as it might seem with me living in the UK and generally being a bit of a lardarse,  I'm actually quite an established name in the fitness photography business in Canada and the USA.

I caught up with her again on her recent visit to London.  She was off-season, but still looking fabulous.

The shoot started well, but it didn't quite go according to plan.   We started in one of the only quiet areas overlooking the Thames and the O2 Arena that I know.  Things were going well until some uptight guy threatened to call the police.  Not because I was shooting Larissa - she was hidden in the car at the time changing, but because my friend and helper for the afternoon Jorge was taking a few photos of his son.

I don't do stress these days, so we decided to move on and try and find somewhere with Tower Bridge in the background.  That's when it all started to go a bit "tits up".  With the southbound Blackwall Tunnel closed the traffic going towards Tower Bridge was horrendous.   It must have taken us about 90 minutes to go little more than 2 miles.  In the end we gave up and restored to plan b.

Plan B was actually always going to happen - going back to Larissa's posh London hotel and to shoot in her room.  First though steak , chips and beer were calling!

Although I had my lights with me, I wanted to do the hotel shoot using just available light, which as it was now dark meant just the lights already in the hotel room.

I'm pleased with the results.  Hopefully some photos from this shoot will be gracing the pages of a fitness magazine in the near future.

Thank you Larissa.  Always a pleasure to work with you!

 

Our chariot awaits

This is the vehicle that's going to take our team all the way from London to Tajikistan in July.  I'll be spending the last 2 weeks as we battle across the hardest part of the journey.

It's all for charity, and all for the children.  For more information read my blog posts on the Roof of the World rally.

To donate - www.justgiving.com/charityroadtrips

Please mention my name if you donate.  Thanks :-)

I shoot babies

I seem to be shooting quite a few babies lately.  Here is a shot of another family photoshoot I did in London recently.

Blue skies, jet trails & cheesy balls…

I was sitting in a friends garden last night eating a sandwich, some cheesy balls and enjoying a nice cup of tea.  I looked up, saw this shot, and snapped it.

Look all around you, you never know where your next photo is coming from.

Beware the crouching kitten

Being given the look of Damien on a baby photoshoot!

Cute baby photos are everywhere, but it's not often I get one where the baby looks pure evil.  I like this photo of little 17 month old Ava!

Just to proof she can also do cute....

My Evil Twin and I

This is a picture of Mike and myself.  Mike is my evil twin.  We were both born on the same day, in the same hospital.  For all we know we could have been swapped at birth!

We have just finished building our barn!

Business Portraits in London

On my recent trip up to London I had the pleasure of photographing businessman Sohail Khan.

This is my favourite photo of him.

For more information and to book a session on my next London Business Portrait day please follow this link - http://businessphotos2.eventbrite.com/