All at sea ..

It's all getting very real! Our move to France has stepped up a gear now that we've started getting quotes from removal companies to ship all our gear across the Channel. Another two months and all our worldly goods will be boxed, packed, wrapped and on a big lorry heading for South-West France.

This, of course, brings up the big question of what exactly we take over with us. Do I really need that old copy of the NME from 1985? Yes, of course, it's got The Smiths on the cover. And that advertising brochure for the Nikon FE2 from '83? Naturally! That's part of my photographic history. And so it goes on. I have managed to throw out one or two things. There are only so many copies of The Face and Spin magazine that a man needs but, apart from that, I'm finding it very, very hard to part with any of my past. Perhaps I might start thinking differently once the quotes start coming in .. 

If Carlsberg did weekends ..

I have had an absolute blast of a weekend, with two fabulous Weddings, another booking to photograph a gîte in France and some lovely words of thanks from couples whose Weddings I've already shot ..

The Weddings were fantastic. One in a cricket club and one in a golf club. Not ideal for Wedding photographs, you might think, but I've come away with some of the most relaxed, loved-up shots I've taken in a long time ..

I arrived home on Saturday to a lovely thank-you card from 'one of my brides', saying "Our guests loved you! We loved you!" .. and another couple tweeted "Great evening looking at the wedding photos. Great memories Thanks @MoTakesPhotos"

Nice!..

Oh, and to top off the weekend, I received another booking to photograph a gîte in France.
Life is very bon ..

An inside job ..

There's an article in one of this morning's newspapers giving advice about photographing interiors, with a professional photographer offering such helpful hints as 'clear the clutter from the room' and 'try to correct your verticals'. The best bit of wisdom he proffered was 'if you want professional looking photographs, hire a professional photographer'. Amen, brother ..

Anyway, with perfect timing, a lady whose gîte I photographed last week sent me some of her own shots, with a suggestion that I show them alongside mine to let people compare the difference. Good idea, Ingrid! So here's a shot of the kitchen in one of her gîtes, shot by both of us. My shot's on the left, but you knew that, right?..

Retiring??...

"I hear you're retiring" ..

That's what someone said to me the other day. What? Are you kidding? Give up photography? Are you crazy?..

Having said that, can you believe that, after this weekend, I only have three Weddings left to shoot in the UK? What a strange thought. France is starting to feel really real!..

I'm still going to take bookings in the UK, of course. With a flight time of 90 minutes I'm never going to be far from all my regular Wedding haunts and, indeed, as long as Ryanair go there I can now photograph Weddings all over the UK. I'm pushing for 'destination' Weddings in France too, of course, and I'm hoping the gîte photography picks up after last week's fantastic start. I'm also going to offer Photography Workshops and am currently designing a fun day's activities for keen amateur snappers.

Retiring? I'll need a holiday after all that lot ..

Word up ..

I'm delighted to say I've been booked to give another reading from my book, and I'll be ..

What? You didn't know I'd written a book? Where have you been for the last year? Obviously not on Amazon Kindle, that's for sure! Yes, I wrote a book - a childrens' adventure story - called 'The Boy who missed Next Year' and, having failed to get it passed at least 25 publishers, it's now available to all on the aforesaid Kindle ..

Anyway, I'm going to another local school to give a reading next week, and can't wait to see the reactions of the kids. I've let the marketing go a little quiet of late - what with moving to France and all - so this is as good a time as any to give it a kick start again. Go and download it. Run it past your kids. Let me know how it goes down. I'll remember you when I'm famous. Honest ..

Martin O'Neill .. gîte photographer!

I'm back! Back from working in France, and I can't tell you how pleased I am with how it went. I ended up photographing four gîtes in total - four absolutely amazing holiday homes in the gorgeous French countryside .. in temperatures of up to 34 degrees .. and I got paid for it, as well! Oh yes, I can definitely see this being my future ..

Lots more to blog about, but that's for another day. 756 gîte shots to edit first.
Have a look see. What do you think?..

 

Allez ..

Well this is all very exciting ..
Crossing the channel again today but, this time .. to work! I've got four gîtes lined up to photograph in France in what will be my first ever jobs in our soon-to-be home. It feels fantastic! Just got the 750 mile drive and the four hour ferry to contend with now ..
See you in France..

The times they are a-changin' ..

Magnolia! That's what I'm painting on the walls of my house, as I prepare for the day we move to France and start to rent it out. Yes folks, the times they are a-changin' and it's full speed ahead for our new life on the continent. I've been working on my website too, turning its emphasis to France rather than the UK - to gîte photography as well as PR. My clients have been rather helpful in this direction, too. A one-off job came up recently with a company for whom I used to shoot a lot. When I sent them an invoice I was told I was no longer listed as a supplier. Hey ho, that's the way it goes. My old life is leaving me behind and a new one beckons. I already have four gîtes to photograph when I go over there again next week. Changing times, and bloody exciting it is, too .. 

Sunshine after the rain ..

Like the Tory manifesto, this morning's blog was going to be full of light and goodness, of hope and optimism, of the feel-good factor ..

                          .. and now I just feel like having a grumble!

Firstly, because of the weather. I awoke to pouring rain on a day when my car is going to have its air-conditioning re-gassed - for the intolerable high temperatures, don't ya know - and on a day when I've got to wait in for the delivery of an inflatable plunge-pool to take to France - for the intolerable etc., etc., etc ...
Oh, the irony ..

And then there's the fact that I've just had some emails from a hotel at which I shot a Wedding recently. "Can you send us some of your shots for a booklet we want to produce?" they asked. "Of course" I said, and mentioned a repro price that was sensible yet reflected my undoubted skill, artistry and genuis vision (!) "Oh, we'll leave it then" they said "We thought you'd supply them free of charge" ..

I shall leave a pause here for you to imagine the angriness ..

And so to today's photograph. What has it to do with the blog? Sod all, but I shot it in France so it makes me feel better. Oooh, the sun's coming out ..

Hang on, I just remembered about Trump. Oh, God ....