A place for everything........

Mikes Dad is an amazing woodcarver and he asked me to photograph some of his carvings today to submit to a magazine.... this meant that I had the perfect excuse to have a nosy around his workshop while I had my camera! It is the most fantastic place, so tidy, so organised and I am so jealous.... both of his neatness but also of his creativity, he keeps pieces of wood and then finally finds a use for it.... nothing is wasted, he even found me a tiny wooden wedge today to prop something up, anyone else would have been satisfied with a price of rolled up paper but he is meticulous. So I thought I would share some glimpses of what I saw today.... he could not understand why I wanted to take photographs of the details of the workshop, but to me those details tell such a story of the place and also of the person.

I hope that you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed taking them

Photo Camp and walkabouts

 Morning everyone.... I cannot quite believe that January is flying by so fast! Photo Camp is just over a week away and plans are coming together nicely. The idea for the Photo Camp developed fromn the Walkabouts that I ran last year which just got bigger and better as the year went along, it was amazing to see the networking that went on, the sharing of skills, equipment and information and the ongoing collaborations long after the cake has been eaten and the images have  been edited.

One of the best and most unexpected impacts of organising the Photo Camp has been watching all the delegates chatting together on Facebook, the willingness to share knowledge and experience has overwhelmed me and most of them have not even met yet! This reminds me a little of my last Blog post about the White House Photographer Pete Souza who felt that one of the main qualities he needed for the job was the ability to gain the trust of the people he worked with.... all the girls who are chatting to each other have shown a huge amount of trust.... they are sharing business information, technical information, resources and so much more and expect nothing in return, its fantastic!!

I will be running Walkabouts again this year.... I know that after the lengthy discussions on Facebook that people have very different ideas about how they should be organised, what they should pay etc.... and I have to admit that for a moment I was getting a little stressed about the whole thing and was going to throw in the towel but then I looked back at the photographs...... and plans started buzzing around my head again!

Sorry for the ramblings this morning! I think I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been part of the Walkabouts, and and huge Thank You to the Photo Camp delegates who have demonstrated the true value of net working.... I cannot wait to meet you all!!!!!

Barack Obama

I would love to think that the title of this post related to me taking photographs of Barack Obama........ but its not! I watched a fascinating documentary this week about Pete Souza who is the official photographer to the White House. The programme looked at the role of the official photographer and also looked at the relationship between Pete Souza and the Obama family. It was really interesting to see how Pete works, how he has to be tactful, intuitive, able to react to ever changing situations and the main skill he showed was his ability to gain the trust of the Obama family so that he was able to capture the most intimate moments and tell the most amazing stories with his images. President Obama was interviewed and he admitted that the constant media scrutiny was one of the most difficult parts of his job and so having a photographer who he could trust, who could blend into the background but always capture the moment made life so much easier for him. One of the main functions of the White House Photographer is to develop and maintain a full archive of the Obama admisnistration as a piece of living history.... no pressure then!!!!

If you get the chance to watch this programme I urge you to do so.... as a photographer it made me think about the job that I do and how we are all trying to capture a little moment in time.... our children as they grow up... a family get together, a Wedding , or just a lovely walk in the park on a sunny day. It made me realise that trust is such an imprtant part of what we do.... we are trusted with special occasions, but mainly I feel that we are trusted to make the people we photograph feel incredibly special and beautiful so that the images become part of their family archive , to be treasured..... no pressure then!!!!

The Presidents Photographer  Here is the link to the National Geographic site for further information

A Yorkshire wierdo in London!

Just before Christmas I saw an advert for a workshop that I just could not miss.....  John Denton Photography was holding a Photography seminar in a disused Underground station in London.... inspired by the film   American Werewolf in London.... there is a classic scene of a man getting off the underground....alone....and hearing the growl of the werewolf , perfect location for a fashion shoot!!

The course started at a hotel with an overview of the day and an intrroduction to Johns work.... and his humour.... I realised that this was going to be anything but boring. So we all jumped on the waiting coach and headed down to the Embankment with Vivienne our amazing model for the day. John introduced us to off camera flash and using light to enhance our images.

We then headed down to Aldwych Station... this was closed in 1994 but is now used regularly for filming and photography, Prodigys video for 'Firestarter' was filmed her, as was the film 'Creep' and parts of 'V for Vendetta. We had access for just 2 hours as it is thought the the hire price is approximatly £1500/hour!

The main ticket area has been maintained and is really beautiful

The rest of the workshop was held in the old tunnels.... very very spooky and on part of the track. It was a long day....it made my brain hurt trying to take everything in but it was fantastic. I got the chance to work with Viv who is a fabulous model and John who is one of the best Photography tutors I have met, patient, willing to share his expertise, creative....I could go on! I know that going on courses like this means that there are 20 or so photographers all trying to get the best shot and all coming out with very similar images. I also know that the images I got were with the help of John, Viv, and the amazing location but what I hope I have achieved is a willingness and confidence to try new techniques, an opportunity to look at the way I process and compose my images and the chance to spend time in a location  that few people get access to.
 I have really tried to make these images 'my own' by using different angles, processing techniques etc

In the lift

Add caption

Me!!!

 

 

John in action!

  
Sorry for the very long blog post and there are far too many images I know but I loved it..... can you tell ???
                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone..... I have not sent Christmas cards for about 3 years now and so this is my card to you all! I would love to tell you that the reason I don't send cards is to minimise my carbon footprint but actually its because year after year I would write them and then forget to send them! My family are very aware that it is a miracle if their birthday cards arrive on time never mind Christmas cards.... sorry Mum and Dad - I promise to try harder next year!

So a good friend of mine Mandy Dunbar - she is the owner of the amazing levitating wellies in a previous Blog post introduced me to Oxfam unwrapped and so instead of cards I now make a specific donation to Oxfam.... last year I bought a goat (very hard to wrap) and this year I have made a donation to sponsor the training of a teacher.

This year has been amazing, the Walkabouts have been inspirational and I have made the most amazing friendships and learned so much from everyone. I have become a full time photographer after taking voluntary redundancy....... this is still a very scary place to be and I am so grateful for all the help and support that I have been given by friends and family. I have worked with stunning models who are more than willing to put up with my crazy ideas..... barbed wire fences to climb over.....boudoir sessions outdoors with leaves......chickens, horses, helium ballons, pink wigs, wedding dresses, ballet shoes, snow.... the list is endless and I thank all of them for putting up with me on my steep learning curve. Thank you Tabitha, Heather, Lucy, Thomas, Dan, Emma and Kayleigh Jo.

I also want to thank Lucy Barcas not only for her fantastic make up skills but also her willingness to act as a reflector holder, stylist and general assistant .... including getting rid of the evidence after the little incident in the hotel!

Warren.... what can I say, one of the kindest and most generous souls I have met, your daily quotes make me smile. I wish you every success this year.

Claire and Andrea should need no introductions, we only met this year but feels like we have known each other forever - I truly value our crazy 3 way Facebook chats!

John Le Fevbre...... thank you...thank you.... thank you.... you saved my life when I dropped my hard drive and did not tell me off!

I know that I have not mentioned everyone by name who has been part of my life this year -please don't be offended xxxx

I cannot wait for 2011....more Walkabouts, the Photo Camp, more friends to discover and more cake to eat

Onwards and upwards xxxxx

Jordan

As some of you may be aware, until recently I was a University Lecturer and have taken the plunge into photography. I have to admit that I miss my lovely students and so I was really pleased when one of them - Jordan - approached me to have a photoshoot for not other reason than to make her feel gorgeous. I love this as a reason .... sometimes we just need to be reminded that we are gorgeous and wonderful and what better way than to have some beautiful photographs taken. Now I think I have some insight into Jordans personality after teaching her.... I know her crazy friends, Danni - (apologies for my spelling), and Louise, I know that she had a party last night for her birthday which included pass the parcel, face painting and vodka jelly.....what a combination and I know she loves all things retro and vintage.... and I am hoping that I have captured some of this in the images. Oh and yes this is Winter - she is wearing shorts, a festive jumper and holly in her hair!

Do me a favour chaps.....if you like these images will you leave me a little comment - I know Jordan would love to know what you think too xx

Dawn at Liverpool One

I met Dawn when I was photographing a Charity fashion show a couple of weeks ago and she approached me to do a photoshoot with her. We decided to use Liverpool One as our base... I have been wanting to do a shoot here for ages, and it seemed like a perfect location for Dawn who is extremely stylish and loves fashion.... it was actuually quite difficult at times to get her to be able to walk past the shops!!

We started off in the gorgeous car park - yes I did say gorgeous... the light is stunning and each level is lit in different colours! Dawn then got braver and we moved out into the main shopping area with all the Christmas shoppers facinated with what we were doing........ we had a few offers from chaps walking by.....offerring to model for us!

Dawn - you were brilliant to work with and look absolutely gorgeous! Hope you like your sneeky peeks

If you would like to book a photoshoot like Dawns feel free to give me a shout!  I am taking bookings for January now