Pro Cycling Tom Boonen cover shoot
Last month I Eurostarred it to Belgium to photograph man-of-the-moment Tom Boonen for Pro Cycling magazine (who use lovely paper stock and pictures well). Eight hours after leaving home I spent ten minutes photographing Tom, had a Belgian lager, which was as far removed from Fosters as you can imagine, and started to make my way back home (as writer Sam prepared to jet off to Turkey for another feature). Lighting chat after the ‘click more’ style link.
Continue Reading →
Studio water shoot
I share a lot in common with my cameras and lighting in that I don’t like getting wet, too hot, dusty or dropped. Studio lighting and water is, to put in mildly, a dangerous accident waiting to happen. Even battery powered lighting will carry a huge voltage stored up in capacitors so using five heads whilst drenching brave reviewer Jo with hoses, watering cans, water pistols and buckets may not have been a good idea. At least she was wearing waterproof coats. Read more for the setup!
Continue Reading →
5 live music photography tips
Everyone loves a good list. If it’s a numbered list, well, the stakes are raised, points are scored and battle lines drawn. I was going to make a list of the best lists ever but I couldn’t decide to put it in bullet point form or numeric, so instead my five pointers for shooting live music will have to do.
Centre Parcs
This photo sums up the weather at the moment. British, muted and a bit damp. I love this scene though, it reminds of the small forests I used to play where I grew up in Wales. The pine forest was always like this, always a bit wet underfoot but perfectly still and infused with that pine smell that toilet cleaners still haven’t grasped. This is one of the reasons I’d like to live at Centre Parcs.
Glastonbury Girl
One of my favourite shots from any Glastonbury. It’s surprisingly hard to get a shot where all the elements click together, the expression, the emotion, the light… not to mention the shades and beer.
Scott Whyte
I met Scott and his family in 2008. Scott, a former Royal Marine, suffered from various problems arising from PTSD and, as a result, found work hard to come by. His family were being threatened with eviction. Their story was really touching and highlighted an issue faced by many countries with large land armies – this Pulitzer Prize winning photo essay by Craig F.Walker of Iraq veteran Brian Scott Ostrom is heartbreaking.
Wiltshire Walking
The best way to start the day? Probably this. Actually I think the best way to start the day is waking in a log cabin in the Alps and going for a ride in the morning sun. But, as Bristol is a bit far from the Alps, this’ll have to do.
Nikki Sixx
Nikki says have a good Friday. Obey.
Clouds
As a fully paid up member of the Cloud Appreciation Society I have a bias towards a cluttered sky. Blue skies might be an indication of a clear warm day but, for a more rounded life, you can’t beat a bit of water-vapour-sky-fluff. I took this on the way back from Hobbs House bakery from a lay-by in Gloucestershire.
Freshwater
A pic taken at Freshwater (I think) on the Isle of Wight. Nice stormy evening. Can’t beat them when you’re wrapped up prepared for the elements.
Glastonbury Catering
During every festival the catering team of Glastonbury, led by Audrey Brown, prepare and serve over 81,000 meals. Last year I went down for the breakfast prep (which meant a nice 5am start). You can see a few of the pictures here along with some other pictures from the day.
Sandown Beach
Well a g’mornin’ to ya! I hope the skies are looking like this in the UK (I’m currently in Belgium).
Hayley Williams
Merry Saturday evening! An archive shot here of Hayley Williams, singer of Paramore, object of desire for an army of young men (and probably a lot of women). Taken at Download Festival in 2007.
Cuba
A few years ago my girlfriend and I visited Cuba. Perhaps a strange decision considering neither of us go for beach holidays at all-inclusive resorts. Our all-inclusive beach side hotel might not have offered the walking options that, say, the Lake District does, but it did offer this picture, shot on an old Lubitel 166 camera with Kodachrome film (400 I think). It also offered all you can drink bars but they only had tiny plastic cups to drink from. The hardened all-inclusivers brought their own insulated pint glasses.
Total Guitar
It’s quite rare for Total Guitar to feature two guitarists on the cover but the duo of John Petrucci and Misha Mansoor is quite fitting. This was shot backstage before Dream Theater’s Wembley Arena show amongst a castle of flight cases. The issue is still on sale now, so go get it! Or at least look at it.
Portfolio Series #19
It’s been a while since I added to this series of images and, with the rain steadily falling, now seems a good time to carry on. The portrait here is of Jane Rodway, photographed for The Times. Jane’s husband was killed in Saudi Arabia in a terrorist attack and, because of the nature of his death, Jane did not receive his life insurance. The shot was taken near Jane’s home using a single speedlite in an umbrella for a bit of fill with the setting sun.
The Hinterlands
My friends Mike and Rebecca are running their superb photography workshop, The Hinterlands, again this year. Places are fast filling up so if you’re interested have a look at the website. The amazing Brenda Ann Kenneally is hosting one of the workshops alongside a Duckrabbit workshop.
OneFest
So the festival season is underway, kicking off with a bit of mud, bit of rain, camping chairs and a faint glimmer of sun. OneFest is one of the smaller dates of the year, probably described as boutique, sitting in the rolling Wiltshire hills outside of Marlborough. Hopefully it’ll stay small and sweet.
D.R.U.G.S.
One the better side effects of music photography is going to a gig of a band you’re not really that fussed about and, thanks to the crowd, getting really caught up in it. D.R.U.G.S, supporting Black Veil Brides, was one of those gigs. To be honest I’ve seen headliners fare far worse than they did. Full set of pictures up here.
Bespoked Bristol
Bespoked Bristol, the UK handmade bike show, made me feel like a teenager again. I remember going to the bike show up in the NEC when I learnt to drive at 17 and wandering around, staring at bikes, touching things I couldn’t afford and collecting stickers. Fast forward 15 years and I was doing the same. Nice feeling it was too. Full set of pictures from the show are here.
Black Stone Cherry
The first song off of their last album was awesome. They played it third song in too, so I got to hear it close up. Black Stone Cherry seem to have boundless amounts of energy, big riffs and “the good” stage lighting (as apposed to “the bad” lighting that’s all red). Three courses of goodness in my book. Pictures are now up here.
Summertime!
It must be summertime for two reasons. Firstly the clocks so say. Secondly the air was thick with the smell of burning BBQs all weekend. I haven’t seen a sun-burnt torso yet but that’s a given when you consider how much lovely sun we had on the weekend. Forecast is for more as well.
The Safety Fire
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen The Safety Fire a couple of times before. Always been impressed by them live, very tight performance. They were headlining t’other night when JCQ played the Thekla. Pictures are now up here.
James Cleaver Quintet
JCQ, who I photographed for a feature in Total Guitar a couple of months ago, were back in town. Like a posse of no good bandits. Pictures are now up here.
Tall Ships
Tall Ships. Three men of above average height who enjoy playing music on boats. Some pictures now up here.
Point to the Sun
I’m not the sort of man that would go to a gig and only photograph one band. Hell no. So here’s another set from the Glass Wing Pilot EP launch of a band that goes by the name of Point To The Sun (which is a much more sensible idea than staring at the sun). Lead singer Sam has an incredible voice, well worth seeing if you’re in Brizzle town. Pictures, as ever, are here.
Glass Wing Pilot EP launch
Glass Wing Pilot, who I photographed a while back, had their EP launch last month. I took some photos then put them on the internet. SEE THEM HERE.
Rizzle Kicks
Rizzle Kicks, one of those lot that fits the moniker ‘sound of the summer’. Unfortunately it’s not the summer yet, although the sun and trees are doing their best to wake from the winter slumber. Cool to photograph as they look like they’re having a lot of fun (which I assume they are). Full set of pictures up here.
Surfer at sunset
And in response to this morning’s post, good evening. I wish I could surf, it looks so graceful and natural when done well. It looks painful and ludicrous when not (i.e. when I’ve tried). This chap’s just had a good surf down at Fistral Beach and we were out making the most of the sunset from on top of the headland. Made a nice change to the last time we stayed at the headland cottages – gale force winds and driving rain.
Photography Pandora’s Box – working for free
Ah Pandora, you curious minx. The first woman on earth, clothed by Athena (a busy Goddess by all accounts) and with her beauty sculpted through the eyes of Aphrodite, had but one chore: not to open a container. Alas she did, spreading evil all over the world. Unforunately for Pandora Greek mythology doesn’t come with Ctrl+Z.
As much as we protest, photographers were not crafted by the Gods (on the order of big Daddy God) and our curious actions won’t always flood the world with evil – despite what the Leveson Enquiry and bad wedding photographers may have you think. But there is a Pandora’s Box in photography that’s been cracking open, spewing forth the thorny issue of working for free…
Continue Reading →
Wassail
I love a good Wassail. I always seem to be the one who drives though, which means all that lovely mulled cider is agonisingly out of reach. The Ethicurean has an annual wassail where they banish evil spirits from the orchard and stuff you up with the best apple and toffee cake I’ve ever had. In fact it’s the best cake I’ve ever had. They also serve an amazing lunch throughout the rest of the year.
Portfolio Series #18
Mr Volker Beckers, seen above, is the Chief Executive of RWE nPower who have large offices in Swindon. I photographed him for the Sunday Telegraph a couple of years ago. This is one of the shots I took without lighting, just using the natural light from the window.
Afternoon tea
With flapjack. This makes me hungry and the muffins I made yesterday aren’t quite up to the old ‘jacks standard. I think I lit this with a bounced flash off a slightly cream wall in the kitchen. To be honest when there’s food involved lighting technique comes a distant second to ‘can I eat this in one sitting?’
Bypass
A token Sunday afternoon post. Spent the morning engrossed in accounts (yuk) and the afternoon making muffins (yum). I took this a while ago when I was photographing the pump track. Whatever they were talking about it seemed all consuming.
Oldbury power station closure
Oldbury nuclear power station will today, at 11am, be turned off after nearly 45 years of generation. Its Magnox reactor, one of the oldest in the world, has produced over 130TWh of electricity.
Wye Valley walk
Saturday morning was the perfect Spring morning. Crisp, clear skies and just warm enough that you didn’t need the layers of a Blue Peter presenter heading to the arctic on a bike. The three of us (Lucy, Tom and I) headed up to the Wye Valley, just up from Chepstow Racecourse, and like something out of an Enid Blyton story trekked for days, surviving off the land. That’s what it felt like, the reality was we walked for a couple of hours then went to Tintern for a cream tea.
The Treatment
Some more live music photos, this time The Treatment.
Motherboard
I’ve been spending some time down at the studios of Future Publishing working on test shoots. This motherboard is the fruit of one days labour. The shot is a composite of a variety of photos taken with different lighting setups to bring out all the detail on the board. The background was added in post processing (which is why it looks a bit fake – because it is).
Foggy photographer
That’d be a cool title – ‘Foggy Photographer’. Fog chasing could be like storm chasing, only a bit more sedate and with a soundtrack from Classic FM. This was one of those shots where I stood there thinking ‘I really hope someone stops to take a picture in that exact spot’ and, after twenty minutes, someone did. Thank you to that man.
Ben Johnston
The portrait shoot I did with Ben from Biffy Clyro for Rhythm is one of my favourite shoots. Partly because Ben was cool to work with, partly because it was my first cover for Rhythm, partly because the shoot went really well and partly because to get to Wakestock I had an amazing drive through Snowdonia. Lit by a single heard in an umbrella softbox.
Hot air balloon flight
Every year I photograph the mass ascent at the annual International Balloon Fiesta in Bristol. While they may not have the control of a helicopter the hot air balloon is the least stomach churning of flight methods (microlights being my personal nemesis). Thankfully my basket wasn’t as full as this one.
BMW tracking shot
Remember the BMW 3 series coupe I photographed at Christmas? Well here’s a tracking shot of it. The car mount I bought off eBay last year is still holding up strong. Much to my surprise. I’ll post pics of it at some point.
Canon lenses
Some more portfolio work, this time my slightly less than perfect condition Canon prime lenses. Shot on black perspex with a four light setup – reflector head into the backdrop, two heads into large white boards to the side and a softboxed head for a bit of fill at the front.
Portfolio Series #17
I don’t think there’s a better sound than soft snow powder compacting as you walk through a field. It’s the audio equivalent of the smell of freshly cut grass. The south west had a real dumping of snow a couple of years ago which left most of the area, in true British fashion, terrified and house bound. In true selfish fashion I’d already been to the office where I was working at the time and commandeered the Land Rover. I took this as I was driving around the Downs and it’s probably one of my favourite weather shots I’ve taken (my parents have a print of it at home).
Lavender harvest
Last summer I spent three mornings waiting for the sunrise at Snowshill Lavender Farm up in the Cotswolds. The first two mornings were rained out, the extra moisture ruins the lavender, but luckily on the third morning the sun came out and the harvest took place. It only takes a few days to turn a scene that resembled a French rolling countryside into a British field.
Grass
Ah Monday morning! What better way to gloss it over than a picture that is very un-Monday morning. As I’ve aged, like a fine wine or a strong oak as apposed to a fragile old man, I’ve enjoyed going back to the countryside where I grew up. The photo above was taken on a walk in Bronwydd, just north of Carmarthen.
Portfolio Series #16
I love this picture for one reason – that guy in middle who is absolutely loving the fact that Bristol City have just missed a great chance. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in the action at football that you forget that if it wasn’t for the fans there’d be no games.
Apples
And a hessian sack. Took me ages to find hessian material, ended up in Hobbycraft where they had a bloomin’ big roll of the stuff. It makes a lovely backdrop and works really well with the apples here – almost feels like they’ve come straight off the tree (they haven’t, they’ve come from a man called Reg who sells veg. And fruit).
Portfolio Series #15
Sometimes you meet people who, in their own way, make you want to follow them all day long, quietly photographing what they do. I met Paul Fisher as he came up to retirement from his role as the clock winder at Wells Cathedral. The Cathedral was being fitted with an automatic winder as Paul’s long climb up narrow steps was coming to an end. Paul’s day job is here, fixing and selling watches and clocks. Watching how precise and careful he works was incredible. He loves his job and, I bet, he’ll still be doing it into his retirement.
Satsumas
Lovely, soft natural light. You can’t beat it (or recreate it that easily). Some more portfolio work I’ve been working on. As much as I love setting up lights and making things ‘pop’ – insert your own cliched photography term there – working with a few reflectors and natural light allows you to be quicker and more productive. It’s also cheaper too.
Portfolio Series #14
In my last post I talked about Chris Tremlett, a 6’5″ fast bowler. Well here’s a 6’5″ bull named Field Marshall. Field Marshall weighs a bit more than Chris tipping the scales at 1.6 tonnes (around the same weight as a family car). Arthur Duckett has been breading large bulls for years. This shot was one of the last I took before leaving as the sun popped out from behind some clouds.
Portfolio Series #13
Another sportsman, this time it’s Chris Tremlett, England’s test cricketing fast bowler. Chris is a big guy. Built like a doorman and 6’5″. Pretty intimidating for a batsman. I photographed Chris for The Sunday Times in Bristol during a county match between Surrey and Gloucestershire. Lit with a 580EX to the left in a shoot through brolly and a bare 550EX to the right and triggered with RadioPoppers to use high speed sync.
Portfolio Series #12
Dai Greene, one of our hopes for a gold in the London 2012 Olympics, training at Bath University’s sports village. I photographed Dai for a feature for the Daily Express. He was awesome, jumping a few hurdles for me even though he wasn’t supposed to… Lit with a single Alien Bee 400W.
Portfolio Series #11
Back to the cold again, this time an early morning shot from the winter solstice at Stonehenge. The winter solstice is better than it’s summer sibling for two reasons; One, the sunrise is later so you don’t have to be up all night/sleep in your car. Two, there aren’t burger vans and portaloos catering to a load of ravers (because there are no ravers, they don’t seem to like the cold). The freezing temperatures also reduces the photographer count (we don’t like the cold either). This picture was taken towards the end of the ceremonies after a pretty uneventful sunrise. King Arthur Pendragon was leading a ceremony away from the stones which drew enough of a crowd to make the image work. The Independent ran it on their front page the next day (which was roughly when my toes had thawed).
Portfolio Series #10
The last two posts were cold, early morning starts, so I though I’d counter those with a warm afternoon shot. During the last World Cup large screens were setup around the country, including one in Bristol in Queen Square. The first game involved a lot of drinking and, unsurprisingly, it got a bit, well, carried away. The game against Germany was already tension packed so the public drinking was halted (probably for the best). This shot is from the moment when Frank Lampard’s goal was missed by the match officials and it’s nice that, despite being thousands of miles away, you can still take a shot that sums up that moment.
External hard drive
Quick upload before I head to London to make snowballs. It’s a Seagate external drive shot in the home studio. Lighting setup after the link.
Continue Reading →
Portfolio Series #9
I’ll carry on with the theme of early mornings. This shot of starlings leaving their roosts in Ham Wall nature reserve with Glastonbury Tor in the background took four very early starts to capture. A combination of bad weather and variable take off times meant either birds in the dark or no birds in the light. Got there in the end though, even if the coffee brought by a colleague was terrible…
Portfolio Series #8
It’s kind of a given that if you work as a press photographer you’ll have some cold early morning starts. This goes across the board, from a weekly local paper to an international agency photographer. More often than not it’ll involve a court case and a good few hours facing the brunt of mother nature’s cold, slapping fingers. But every so often you’ll have a morning where you’ll be stood there thinking “my job’s pretty damn good”. I have to admit it didn’t start that way when I took this shot of Stourhead. It was cloudy, cold and didn’t look (or feel) particularly autumnal. Then, just as the sun breached the horizon, the clouds parted and I got this shot. The next day, on the way to the office, I heard Mr Humphries on Radio 4′s Today programme talk about a golden autumn scene across two pages in the Daily Mail. Two good mornings in a row (it was this picture BTW).
Portfolio Series #7
ARGH! What’s that?! Blood… OH THE HORROR! Someone call the police.
Actually don’t, it’s paint. Realistic though. The house is on the campus of the University of Glamorgan and is used by students studying forensics as part of their course. It gave me a massive excuse to fire a flash off of one of my cameras as if I’d caught the perfect moment myself. It was shot for a feature on the university for The Times.
Portfolio Series #6
Tom Herbert, who is currently appearing in The Fabulous Baker Brothers alongside butcher brother Henry, comes from a long line of bakers. Fathers, uncles and grandfathers have all baked (and contributed to the sour dough recipe). I photographed Tom at his Hobbs House bakery in Nailsworth, in between him baking and serving. The shot was fairly straightforward to setup, a soft light from the front and a directed flash from the side.
Portfolio Series #5
Back to photojournalism for this shot taken during the G20 protests in 2009. Mike and myself had spent most of the day avoiding being kettled and shooting the trouble between protestors and riot police. We were calling it a night when, down a side street, we heard glass smashing and scuffles. We went up to investigate and saw one person was on ground. He was being protected by protestors but riot police forced their line up and allowed police medics to treat him. At the time we thought it was nothing too serious. It wasn’t until I was driving home in the early hours, listening to the radio, that it became clear the man we had photographed had passed away. The gentleman in question was Ian Tomlinson. He wasn’t a protestor, he was trying to get home.
Portfolio Series #4
I photographed The Hoosiers for the Independent’s Arts & Review magazine at the start of their UK tour. The venue, the Academy, is next to a large NCP car park that offered views of the city and some excellent graffiti as a backdrop. I had this shot in mind from the start and during scouting before the shoot knew it would work. We’d already shot a couple of setups when I suggested the shot. The PR on the shoot wasn’t too keen but the guys were already up for it and running down the stairs. The shot wasn’t chosen for the feature but it still remains my personal favourite from the shoot.
It was shot on a 50mm f/1.2 which, at large apertures, vignettes nicely – which works very well for the shot.
Paul Stephenson OBE
Paul Stephenson‘s story and work is inspiring. In 1963 he led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company after it was revealed they had banned the recruitment of black and asian drivers and conductors. Through his work the ban was overturned. His career has been based around the community and in 2009 he was awarded an OBE in recognition of this and I photographed Mr Stephenson for the Guardian soon after the announcement at his home in Henleaze. Bristol City Council has new opened an exhibition at the Record Office celebrating his life.
Suspension Bridge silhouette
This was taken last summer during the International Balloon Festival that takes place each year in Ashton Court. We sat on top of Avon Gorge, had a picnic and waited for the balloons to take off. They didn’t, it was too windy. Still had a nice picnic though.
Portfolio Series #3
Sometimes the simplest picture is the most effective. Lighting can shape and define an image but I still find an overcast sky is all you need. Jim, the subject in this picture, was one of the crowd that attacked the police van carrying Chris Halliwell, the murder suspect in the Sian O’Callaghan and Becky Godden-Edwards case. Public feelings were running high after Halliwell’s arrest and it boiled over as the van carrying him arrived at Swindon’s Magistrates Court.
This shot was kept very simple, shallow depth of field on a 100mm f/2 lens. It’s Jim that does the work in the shot, not me.
Cotswolds walkers
Is there anything more appealing right now than walking through a warm Cotswold field in the Summer? Trying to decide which old country pub to have lunch in… Certainly beats sitting at your computer watching your own breath in the Winter.
Portfolio Series #2
The second in my series of portfolio shots and this one is of Jack Moules who, at 14, became the youngest ever UK freestyle jetski champion. I spent the day photographing and filming him during training in High Wycombe – in, it has to be said, freezing cold weather (at least I was wrapped up and not in the water). This portrait was part of the set of images and was very quick and easy to set up. A single Alien Bee 400, powered by a Vagabond battery, is set up facing Jack head on and powered to kill the sky. The extreme contrast of the jetski really lifts the image, especially with such a clear sky.
Wakestock Festival boys
Another shot from Wakestock festival last year. They took exception to the fact I’m a Spurs supporter (they were Man City supporters). I guess they’re a fair reflection of the crowd at Wakestock. Still fun though.
Portfolio Series #1
For most photographers your portfolio is your CV, covering letter, foot in the door and a whole host of other things. In a short set of pictures you have the ability to show a client your experience and ability without having to say a word – which, for many photographers, is nothing short of a blessing.
So with that in mind I thought I’d start a series where I’d go through some of my portfolio shots and give an explanation as to how the picture was made. And yes, the answer will probably be “I stood there are pressed that there button”. Or words to that affect at least. So first up is the opener of my photojournalism folio, a shot from a repatriation passing through Wootton Bassett.
Continue Reading →
Mini DH
After a 10 year gap I’ve started getting back into my riding again. I popped over to the Mini DH race in the Forest of Dean, partly to take pictures but partly to scope the race out as I might enter the last race next month. Two of my senses were given a jolt by the smell of pine trees and the sound of freehubs clicking as riders push their bikes up. Cold, muddy, dark and dingy. Pretty much sums up DH racing in the UK! Full set of pics here.
Leigh Woods bike trails
This is the first update on my Bristol bike photo series (I don’t like to call it a project, story, etc…). These shots are from the new Leigh Woods trail. They seem to be really popular with families and riders who, perhaps, have never really ventured off road before. Pictures are up here.
Turbowolf
Total Guitar’s February issue features Turbowolf, Hawk Eyes and The James Cleaver Quintet in a great piece called ‘The Future of British Riffs’. All shot down at The Croft where it was hot and sweaty. At least I was anyway. Here are some of the shots of Turbowolf from the night.
B&W Bristol
Shot from the suspension bridge as I was headed over to Leigh Woods this morning. One of those moments when the light was right for this kind of shot, but horrible for any other type of shot.
McDonalds burger factory
Every beef burger that’s eaten in the UK, and had ever been eaten in the UK, is made in one factory in Scunthorpe. OSI Food Solutions make up to three million burgers a day, using meat sourced from 17,000 UK and Irish farmers. In total they make their way through 380,000 cattle a year. What’s amazing is that there is no contract between McDonalds and OSI. There never has been and, in all likelihood, there never will be. Part of this is down to the production line that OSI have developed, patenting and refining it so that they are the only plant in the UK that can meet McDonalds’ standards. Full set of pictures here.
Continue Reading →
Bristol pump track
I’ve started working on a small photo story on the bike scene here in Bristol, England’s first cycling city (officially). Alongside the title Bristol was also given £11m to bolster the cycling network. The great thing is that the money hasn’t been squandered on cycling lanes nobody needs and mid-level management, instead Ashton Court and Leigh Woods have seen a dramatic transformation. Another addition is the superb pump track by Brunel Way in Cumberland Basin. I went down the other evening and here are the shots.
Slebech Park, Pembrokeshire
Last month we had a little family get together at Slebech Park in Pembrokeshire to celebrate my parents wedding anniversary. It’s a pretty cool place, sitting on the estuary and in 600 acres of land. It even has it’s own disused chapel (and graveyard). This shot was taken looking out over the estuary soon after dusk. Peaceful to say the least.
Lotus Evora
I am, in the UK at least, an average height for a grown man. Despite what my 6 foot plus friends think they are in fact the oddballs within our group. If we all owned a Lotus Evora we could race to see who could get in and buckled up first. I’d back myself, even if it takes quite an effort to clamber into the broad two seater. I’m guessing Lotus’s designers are all of average height as someone blessed in inches certainly wouldn’t have thought the entry system was a good idea. Lighting setup if you click the link.
Continue Reading →
Sunset over Avonmouth
Had one of those days that you wish you could wake up to more often. Bought some good coffee, drove up through the Cotswolds, photographed an awesome car, had a great lunch at Hobbs House, bought some hessian and, as we approached home, got to experience this sunset. This is the view from the corner of Clifton Downs (where the ice cream van is) looking down towards Avonmouth. Happy days indeed.
Bike wheel
Mmmm…. carbon fibre bike wheels…. Wouldn’t it be great if you could keep everything you photograph? Unfortunately you can’t (boo). And anyway I don’t ride road bikes as I look ridiculous in lycra. Lighting setup through the door marked ‘click for more’…
Continue Reading →
Charge leather bike saddle
Charge’s leather saddle is a thing of real beauty. It’s also faux leather, thus easing my meat avoiding conscience. It’s so beautiful in fact it won’t be finding its way onto my bike. Instead it’ll be taking pride of place as a feature in the flat – my own crown jewels. Lighting setup after the ‘continue reading’.
Continue Reading →
Cadbury Sisters
The wonderful Cadbury Sisters, a vocal harmony group from Bristol. We did a quick shoot to send out to record labels and, due to time constraints, the lighting setup was kept simple (click through to read it).
Continue Reading →
Glass Wing Pilots
A blessing in disguise, that’s what the UK weather is sometimes. Ok we have to live nine months of the year under grey skies, but the plus side is no distracting shadows from sunshine (that’s my way of thinking Britain is nicer than California). Glass Wing Pilots, who sound like Foo Fighters and Biffy, basked themselves under the beautiful grey skies of Bristol. The drizzle didn’t put us off but it did mean I left all the lighting in the boot and, instead, wandered the streets with a few lenses.
Late autumn in Bristol
Another archive (old) picture, this time of the avenue in Clifton. Protected by Avon Gorge and sitting slightly lower than the rest of Clifton Village, the row of trees always seems to change its colour later than the rest of the city. As a result you get golden autumn colours late into November.
See No Evil, Bristol
Another old set of pictures, this time from the See No Evil project that took place along Nelson Street in Bristol. Nelson Street was a throwback to 60s concrete architecture, pebble dash and other crimes to your vision. Organised through the council, who should be applauded for daring to arrange the largest outdoor exhibition in Europe, street artists from around the world worked for days on murals and paintings. There’s a full set of pictures here.
A foggy Bristol morning
A while ago (October to be exact) we had a perfect foggy start to the day. The landscape of Bristol, with Clifton sitting on top of the opening to the Avon gorge, means, if you’re lucky, you get a sea of cloud sitting over the city with you perched God-like on top. Or as God-like as you can feel after running up a hill laden with kit first thing in the morning. I’ve waited for five years to get a morning like this, it’s that few and far between. There’s a full set of pictures up here.
BMW 320d Coupe
Had a lovely relaxed Christmas with family (and chocolate). Managed to get a quick shoot with this nice BMW 3 series coupe. Click through for lighting setup.
Continue Reading →
Samantha Crain, The Fleece
The nice thing about arriving at a gig early, aside from getting a good spot at the front, is that you’ll sometime stumble across great supports. Not always, I still remember seeing Punk Action Shotgun in a cold, empty TJs. Samantha Crain however is far from dubiously gun-monikered Welsh punk bands – she’s a lovely singer and guitarist from the States. Her album’s great too. Here she is, supporting Adrian Edmondson at the Fleece.
Zappa Plays Zappa, Colston Hall
Is there nothing more terrifying than the image of your late father bearing down on you? Obviously not for Dweezil Zappa, who revels in giant images of his Dad, soloing away above his head. Here’s proof.
Adrian Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds
I remember sneaking in to the front room at home to watch Bottom. My parents didn’t approve of watching programmes that encouraged kicking people hard in the nuts, cellotaping people to ceilings and countless other episodes of mutilation maskerading as a half hour comedy show on BBC2. Adrian Edmondson the musician, however, does none of the above. But he does play a mean mandolin/banjo/banjolele. Pictures you say? Well here they are!
Rise Against, O2 Academy
Rise Against played TJs in Newport years ago. They co-headlined with Alexisonfire. Annoyingly I was very much in my slow-synch flash stage at the time (and also didn’t shoot RAW – two sins I’ve been trying to make up for ever since). But here’s a set that was shot in RAW and with a complete lack of swirly long exposed lights.
Tom Morello, O2 Academy
If you’re that kind of age (I am), grew up listening to Nirvana (I did) and longed for a rebellion (I hoped) you’d have stumbled across Rage Against The Machine. They swore! They riffed! They rapped! Their self titled album has stood as one of the classic rock albums of all time and one of the highlights of shooting gigs for years was seeing them from a dozen metres away as they headlined Download. Now Tom has done the right thing and become a folk-punk-acoustic musician – following in the esteemed footsteps of Greg Graffin, Chuck Ragan and, erm, well others. Here’s a set of pics from his gig at the O2 Academy in Bristol.
Polar Bear Club, O2 Academy
The new Polar Bear Club album is pretty awesome (if you think post-hardcore is pretty awesome). They’re taken the look of Weezer and thrown in the music of Hot Water Music. It works. They’ve just toured the UK with Rise Against and Tom Morello and I think they really stood out on the tour. There’s a full set of pictures up now from their Bristol gig.
Canon 1Dx – it’s still just a camera
Three 5D IIs. Two months travelling up the west coast of America. A three year old Honda Civic diesel. Over a years rent.
That’s what £5,500 will buy you. That or a new Canon 1Dx. It’s serious money for a camera, but is the huge outlay worth it?
Continue Reading →
Funeral for a Friend, O2 Academy
I remember seeing FFAF years ago. They opened for Snapcase in Cardiff, back in the day when they had two vocalists. I’ve still got the first EPs – a lot heavier than the newer stuff. It’s always cool to reshoot bands from my days in Cardiff. If only my hangovers were as mild as they were back then…
Pictures up here.
Glen Campbell, Colston Hall
Glen Campbell, living legend of country music, is currently on his farewell tour. Suffering from Alzheimer’s this is last hoorah before retiring. It was a really touching show, Glen was joined on stage by his kids Ashley and Cal. I also didn’t get hit by a plastic pint glass either – always a plus.
There’s a full set of pictures of the gig here.
Alice Cooper, Colston Hall
Alice Cooper, who plays off a handicap of two, has incredible teeth. They probably look even more impressive thanks to his choice of eyeliner (black), coat (black), hair (black), shoes (black) and the time he goes to work (black). Colston Hall is always a joy to shoot in, the lighting’s spot on, there’s room to move about and the acoustics are great (less ear bleed for me). Here’s a full set of picture from the show last night.
Laura Marling, Bristol Cathedral
Ah folk music. Real ale, village pubs, beards, banjos, tales written by bards. Pretty similar to Laura Marling. Except she has a lack of beard. But I’m sure she likes village pubs, banjos and, hopefully, real ale. Laura’s currently touring the UK playing cathedrals; an amazing venue and acoustically fitting for her style of folk music. I shot her gig at Bristol Cathedral the other night and you can see the full set of pictures here.
Simian Mobile Disco
I shot Simian Mobile Disco a few years ago for Future Music. They were all running a bit late which threw our interview and planned shoot into disarray. Thankfully one of the set of shots I needed to get was of them setting up and sound checking. The shot above wasn’t set up, just luckily standing in the right place to see it. You can see a full set of shots here.
Honda Integra Type-R
Ryan’s Honda Integra Type-R, photographed at Western Tyres garage in Clifton, Bristol. Lighting was kept pretty simple, pair of softboxes to the front, bare light at the back and a speedlite in the car to light up those eye-catching Recaros. The car’s for sale if you’re intested…
Cage the Elephant
Cage the Elephant – a band that exists solely endorse the technique of shooting with both eyes open. They’re so good live, so much going on and full of character. You can check out the full set of pictures from their gig at the O2 Academy in Bristol here.
Ashton Court mountain biking
It’s been a while since I’ve just wandered out into the sunset, like some Wild West hero (or a lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world). That’s pretty much how I imagine I look when I go out to take some pictures. Always quite nice to take some pictures for the sake of taking pictures.
Band lighting with three lights
Dramatic lighting, three flashes, all pretty easy stuff. No modifiers and no booms means no hassle – especially if you’ve remembered to charge your triggers for once (well done to me). Full lighting setup after the MORE!
Continue Reading →
The Revival Tour
The Revival Tour, the Royal Rumble of acoustic punk songwriters, rolled into Bristol this week for the start of their European tour. I’m a massive Chuck Ragan fan, his solo stuff and Hot Water Music, so seeing him live is always pretty awesome. Throw into the mix Dan Andriano, Brian Fallon and Dave Hause and you get something pretty special. It feels more like a group of friends jamming than a real planned gig. If you get a chance to catch the tour you really should (and get there early, they play non-stop for nearly three hours). For a full set of pictures click here.
Food lighting setup – red pepper
There’s nothing more relaxing than a day shooting in studio. Especially when that studio is also close to coffee making facilities and lunch (i.e. my kitchen). It can be quite hard to motivate yourself when the weather isn’t great and, on the face of it, you’ve got nothing to shoot. So to counter all of that I spent an afternoon photographing food. Lighting setup is after the ‘more’…
Continue Reading →
Jay-Z headlining Glastonbury
I’m still confused as to why the BBC cut the introduction Jay-Z made on the Pyramid Stage of Glastonbury – mocking Noel from Oasis following comments made about hip-hop not being Glastonbury. Jay-Z’s set has now gone down in Glasto folklore as one of ‘those’ sets. I’ve added shots to my archive now – you can see them here.
Alistair Simms, Wadworth’s master cooper
I’ve been updating some of portfolios and decided to add a few shots of Alistair to my features work. I photographed him a while ago in his traditional cooperage in the heart of the Wadworth’s brewery in Devizes, Wiltshire.
Slipknot photos now online
I’m in the process of (slowly) adding my archive back onto my updated music website. It’s actually quite nice going through and re-editing old shots, adding new ones and generally improving on my post processing techniques from yesteryear. Added recently are these pictures of Slipknot from Download Festival in 2009 shot for Total Guitar.
Snowshill lavender farm
I was up in Snowshill shooting a job for the National Trust when I saw a sign for Snowshill Lavender (right before the summer fete stalls being setup – which I also recommend, even if I didn’t win a coconut). I had a drive up and stumbled across a scene more like French rolling hills than the Cotswolds. The lavender is now harvested for the year, but keep an eye on Snowshill Lavender‘s website for news of next summer’s crop. The smell is something else and reminded me of my Nan’s house – she loved lavender (I think it’s an old lady thing).
Bristol riots
Thankfully Bristol escaped the devastating scenes that engulfed many UK cities last week where lives were lost, families were made homeless and millions of pounds of damage was caused. Photographers were mugged and beaten – a direct result of putting themselves on the front line to document terrifying scenes. From the devastation though real heartwarming stories emerged; mass street cleanups and internet fund raisers for people such as Aaron Biber, the 89 year old barber who had his business looted.
Mike Sullivan, Russian Circles
Russian Circles’ guitarist Mike Sullivan shot for this month’s Total Guitar. I’m not a fan of church / graveyard shoots but thankfully this didn’t end up cliched (and made a really nice DPS opener on the feature). Click on for the lighting setup…
Continue Reading →
The Casualties
I knew that I’ve missed shooting at punk gigs – but until I go to one I don’t realise how much I’ve missed them. The friendship, the laughs, the fact that you have a free reign to wander around and shoot what you want. I’ve also strangely missed the bodies flying into you at the front of the stage from the pit. Odd.
Nismo Spec R34 Nissan Skyline
Andy’s lovely Nismo Spec R34 Skyline. Shot at a bodyshop in Bristol. The green Ultralite wheels really give it a lift (that and the huge Japspeed graphics). Andy reckons it’s running at around 360bhp – probably explains why it ate up the standard clutch… Lit with three lights, softbox to front of car, large brolly to right of camera and a smaller shoot thro brolly hitting the bonnet – plus a speedlite in the car itself.
Peugeot 306 Rallye photoshoot
A quick shot from portfolio work on working. A friend’s 306 Rallye (a GTI-6 without the fancy gubbins). Click for lighting setup…
Continue Reading →
Chris Tremlett sports portrait
Chris Tremlett is a big big man. Not just tall, as most pace bowlers are, but carries the physique of a human who is more likely to ask you to leave a nightclub than ask you if you’d like another cucumber sandwich with tea. Click on through for how this portrait for The Sunday Times is lit…
Continue Reading →
NAPA award
Back in April I proudly received the NAPA (National Association of Press Agencies) award for News Photograph of the Year for this image taken during a repatriation in Wootton Bassett that run in The Times. It was a real honour but, all the same, I think we’d all rather to have never had to see a repatriation.
Steve Cradock
Steve Cradock’s a bit of a hero of mine, I’ve been a Ocean Colour Scene fan since I was a kid. I got to photograph him (and drive a slightly pished writer) in deepest Devon at the Deep Litter Studios for Total Guitar.
Continue Reading →
NAPA Awards in London
Nothing like a free meal to get West Country boys out of the fields…
Continue Reading →
New music photography website
I’ve finally got around to redesigning my music photography site. It’s now online and called Three Songs No Flash. It uses some HTML5 instead of Flash and has a full screen portfolio (ooooh!). But the archives aren’t up to date yet (or work for that matter).
Canon 5D II for sports in low light?
Here’s what you don’t buy a 5D II for – anything that moves faster than walking pace or to shoot anything that requires focusing in low light. So how does it fare when you combine the two?
Continue Reading →
Single light setup (that’s bewitching)
Another Wookey Hole witch shot, although I think the witch is a bit more attractive than the last (sorry Neil).
Continue Reading →
The Hinterlands Workshop
Good friends of mine, Rebecca Harley and Mike Lusmore, have teamed up with Duckrabbit to setup The Hinterlands Workshop.
Continue Reading →
Wookey Hole witch, simple lighting
It’s all too easy to get carried away with lighting, especially on location when, quite often, a simple solution is more effective.
Continue Reading →
As one sun sets…
After nearly four years of working at the press agency SWNS I’ve left to go back to a freelance way of life.
Continue Reading →
The Gaslight Anthem
The new issue of Total Guitar is out now with a feature on Brian Fallon and Alex Rosamilia from The Gaslight Anthem. I photographed them both at the Academy in Bristol under beautiful drizzle skies…
Continue Reading →
BMW E30 photoshoot
6am, an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning, spent with an old car on an old industrial estate outside of Bristol. Not the setting of Hollywood dreams I’ll admit. Thankfully Paul, the owner of the shiney nice red BMW, brought me an apple from his garden as breakfast.
Continue Reading →
Vivian Maier feature
The Guardian has a small feature on the photography of, until recently, unknown Chicago street photographer Vivian Maier. You can see the collection here as a small slideshow.
Continue Reading →
