tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61892947189969063672012-01-27T04:34:03.040-08:00A jobbing photographer's ramblings .. from studiofivefour.comStudio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.comBlogger5931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-58933280458509589892012-01-27T04:34:00.000-08:002012-01-27T04:34:03.051-08:00

Grumpy Old Man time, I'm afraid! I put two new Glove shots on Flickr yesterday, shot in the short amount of time it took me to walk to the shop to get a pint of milk! Fair enough! Good work! Keep it up, O'Neill .. BUT .. here's another shot I took at the same time, just yards away from my house. Two of my pet hates - in one shot! If the driver of the car had been on his phone as he'd pulled up

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-10668333123715863162012-01-26T01:58:00.000-08:002012-01-26T01:58:51.050-08:00

 ...I'm going to be a teacher! Seeing as I'm talking about being older than Brides' mothers, and having been a professional photographer for almost 34 years, I'm going to start passing on that experience in the form of affordable 2 hour hands-on teaching sessions. They'll take the form of a guided tour of all those knobs and twiddly bits on a camera, followed by a walkabout shoot,

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-28772381243287971532012-01-25T00:38:00.000-08:002012-01-25T00:45:21.931-08:00

 Well, there's a first! I had a young lady round last night to talk abut her Wedding Photography and, as sometimes happens, instead of arriving with her fiance she visited with her Mum. Now I'm not the type to go prying into lady's ages, and I promise you this information was volunteered without prompting, but it turns out I'm older than the Bride's Mum! Her Mum! How's about that

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-22464509241092398022012-01-24T01:34:00.000-08:002012-01-24T01:34:44.570-08:00

Ok folks, I'm outta here! I'm giving up photography and going on the dole! I'm gonna have me a heap o' babies and live off the State, and if 'they' decide to cap my benefits at TWENTY SIX THOUSAND POUNDS A YEAR then so be it .. I'll live with it! I'll cut my cloth to fit, as they say! Ugh! I feel sick! I really can't believe I live in a country that gives so much money away, yet

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-86557737094767471382012-01-23T03:40:00.000-08:002012-01-23T03:40:33.466-08:00

There's not enough time in the world for the millions of things I've got to do, yet I still keep getting deliciously distracted by my Olympus XA project. I seem to be magically drawn to my scanner and my box of old negatives, and newly discovered 'old' photographs keep appearing from the archive. It's fantastic! What a wonderful little camera that was! I've already published '

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-48170013769786937172012-01-21T03:49:00.000-08:002012-01-21T03:54:47.079-08:00

This is a bit long-winded, but stick with it! I shot a Wedding last summer, and the bride's dad owned the Roll-Royce that she arrived in. Turns out he's got a sweet little collection of sexy motors and was looking to get into the Wedding market, so he and I have kinda teamed up and now I link to his website from mine. Anyway, he asked me if I could make him an exhibition banner

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-34957731777777485002012-01-20T02:22:00.000-08:002012-01-20T02:22:16.473-08:00

Well, it looks like there might be some hope for Kodak film users, after all. Not Kodachrome users obviously, that stuff's been well and truly killed off - but it's awful to hear of the damage that digital is causing these day. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally 'digi' myself now, even though I still complain about its plastic appearance but, along with the recession, it's been the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-44139143974297537552012-01-19T01:45:00.000-08:002012-01-19T01:45:51.403-08:00

Ooh, now that's what you call a birthday present! I've been booked to shoot a Wedding on my birthday this year, and just happened to be passing the venue yesterday. Check it out! Croxteth Hall, in Liverpool. My very own Dowton Abbey! Can't wait to get shooting! Sad to hear about Kodak's continuing demise. I've seen all manner of magazine, newspaper and retailer go out of business in

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-13503976059607420042012-01-18T01:18:00.000-08:002012-01-18T01:18:59.394-08:00

Well, how remiss of me to miss the birthday of The Great Man Himself and, more importantly, the chance to get into my blog that fact that I once photographed him and got his autograph! (Oh, have I mentioned that before?) The poor guy was so stricken with Parkinson's that it took him an age to sign my book but, like the trooper he is, he stuck with it and even added the date at

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-75715053645025184202012-01-17T00:44:00.000-08:002012-01-17T00:44:10.381-08:00

There you go .. I got through a whole blog about Blue Monday yesterday without mentioning New Order once! I mean, if I'd mentioned them I'd have had to talk about Joy Division, and that would have led to me telling you (again!) about my new exhibition at Corvino's Wine bar in Culcheth, where I'm showing some of the shots from their 1979 Bowdon Vale gig. But no, I avoided it

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-31114144362214386842012-01-16T02:25:00.000-08:002012-01-16T02:25:28.590-08:00

Today is the day 'they' say is supposed to be the day when people feel the most depressed after Christmas. For good measure they throw into the news this morning the fact that the UK may already be back in recession! Can you give us all a break, please! There's enough 'real' bad news out there without the need for made-up crap and speculative scare-mongering. Can't we just get on

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-3638352821383821622012-01-14T04:58:00.000-08:002012-01-14T04:58:58.171-08:00

Friday the 13th? Lucky for me, that was for sure! I did a shoot with a local MP in the morning, which went pretty smoothly if rather uneventfully, but then things kicked up a gear when I got an email from a magazine, saying they were "considering" one of my shots for a place in the final of their International Photography Competition! Very nice, and I've got my fingers, toes

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-12979523464635897332012-01-13T00:16:00.000-08:002012-01-13T00:51:22.495-08:00

I was on television on Wednesday night! On a programme with Freddie Flintoff, Ricky Hatton and Piers Morgan. Oh, yes, I was! Ok, truth is ..  Freddie presented it, Piers and Ricky were interviewees .. and I was seen for about 0.0007 of a second in a shot from a cricket match with Freddie last August. Remember this? Amazing, though, the number of people who told me they'd seen me

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-31994380177674849072012-01-12T05:26:00.000-08:002012-01-12T05:31:45.985-08:00

Had a go at changing my home page picture today, and finished up with this montage of 172 Wedding photographs made into a heart. Took me hours! No, it didn't - it was compiled by a wonderful piece of free software off t'internet and I just stuck the wordy bits over the image in Photoshop! Good, eh? I Heart it! I Heart Blogging too, which is why I'm never stuck for words when it

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-32743370064150156032012-01-11T02:54:00.000-08:002012-01-11T02:54:31.827-08:00

Hey, hey, we're up and running, and it's all looking good for Mish Mash, my new exhibition at Corvino's, the Culcheth deli! Even before I'd got the pictures on the walls a lady came up to me and told me she wanted to buy a print of Morrissey as a birthday present for her son. Excellent! (Ok, one other young lady didn't know who Morrissey was, and hadn't even heard of New Order,

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-87596867738549176822012-01-10T00:22:00.000-08:002012-01-10T00:22:18.660-08:00

..Meryl? No, it's Maggie! 'Course it is, and I shall hang this blog shamelessly on the coat-tails of the new Margaret Thatcher film and show you one of my pictures of The Iron Lady, photographed when she launched her autobiography in '93. I was covering a private function for the event and, after getting my shots, asked her for her autograph. Well, guess what? She gave it to me!

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-44613398305977053012012-01-09T02:45:00.000-08:002012-01-09T02:45:26.291-08:00

Feeling a bit off kilter today, what with the double pneumonia and all that - bad cold! - and I was beginning to think Man U were playing the same way in the second half of yesterday's 3rd round match! So here, then, is another approriate image from my old black and white series, part of which will be shown at Corvino's wine bar in Culcheth from tomorrow. This was taken way back when

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-66723193837468490092012-01-08T03:28:00.000-08:002012-01-08T03:28:09.445-08:00

I've got double pneumonia! Ok, just pneumonia! Ok, man-flu! Oh, alright.. I've got a cold! That's all, just a cold, but I feel yucky today and I only hope I have the strength to get through the FA Cup Manchester Derby this lunchtime! A Hot Toddy might help! Two hot toddies would definitely help! So anyway, being the hero that I am, I am bravely struggling through the preparations

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-81633412031309135742012-01-06T03:07:00.000-08:002012-01-06T03:08:32.643-08:00

Today's image is a picture I've decided to enter into a 'Social Reportage' photography contest. I thought it was appropriate because I found out this morning that the engagement of a good friend of mine has come to an end, and he's alone again after a couple of years in a relationship. Thing is, he didn't call to tell me and I certainly wasn't told by a friend. No, I heard it on the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-82534093983140900622012-01-05T02:06:00.000-08:002012-01-05T02:06:40.449-08:00

..and, hopefully, lots of Japanese Smiths fans in my T shirts! Yes, I'm Reeling Round The Fountain with some great news! Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before, but I got the call yesterday from my pal in Tokyo to say my new range of Smiths designs had been given the nod, and they'll be launched in February (in Paris!) in time for the 2012 summer season. Can't wait to see 'em, '

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-12029479191137535042012-01-04T02:33:00.000-08:002012-01-04T02:44:51.712-08:00

Ok, I'm being slightly deluded, but I'm grasping at every sign I can find that the Spring is on the way .. the whistle of a song-thrush at three-thirty in the morning, the welcome nudge of a crocus through the decaying leaves of last year, the Easter Eggs in the supermarkets .. and the two-for-one deals on Hot Cross buns! It does help, of course, that all 'my' brides are

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-62691110268800484452012-01-03T01:49:00.000-08:002012-01-03T01:49:35.785-08:00

It didn't take me long to choose my first blog shot of the year. Well, it is a Leap Year, after all! I want my image of a stage-dive to symbolize my approach to 2012 .. head on, hopeful, full of life and fearless! (I know other interpretations are available, but let's not go there today, eh?) No, I'm thinking optimism, ambition, excitement and joie de vivre! Less reminiscing, more

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-14905219009948215242011-12-31T04:30:00.000-08:002011-12-31T04:30:22.336-08:00

So that's the end of '11... How was it for you, darling? It's time to pop the corks for the New Year, and I for one can't wait for all the adventures and photo-opportunities that lie in wait for me there. As it is, I'm diving straight into January with a new exhibition of my work at Corvino's Deli in Culcheth. I'm mashing out the detail next week and you'll be the first to

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-57435663981969733832011-12-30T07:25:00.000-08:002011-12-30T07:28:22.067-08:00

Hello! I've got a hangover! How are you? So, it was straight home from yesterday's Wedding with Laura and Ali at Willington Hall and headlong into a boozy night with friends, but the show goes on and I've just finished editing the shots from yesterday. Check 'em out... So that's that! My last Wedding of 2011, and every one of them has been a blast! Congratulations to all my

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-36993033240177715472011-12-29T02:31:00.000-08:002011-12-29T02:31:04.400-08:00

One last Christmas Wedding photograph for you, and then it's full-steam ahead for the New Year. This shot's from Peckforton Castle in Cheshire where, in May, I will actually be a guest at a Wedding! A GUEST! How the hell do you 'be' a guest? I've not done that for years! I know one thing for sure - I'll be a guest with a camera, just so that I don't feel too weird! Anyway, today

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-59804863553010696692011-12-27T02:23:00.000-08:002011-12-27T02:27:26.647-08:00

Ah!...  Sprouts eaten - check! Wii played - check! Family argument - check!.. and for me that's Christmas put back in its box and let's all get on with normality please! Hope you made it through, and everything went to plan! I'm now the proud owner of a bottle of Jack Daniel's, a Jack Daniel's T-Shirt, a Jack Daniel's hip-flask, and a .. ok, you're getting the idea .. Oh, and a

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-52481052699471868932011-12-23T00:37:00.000-08:002011-12-23T00:37:13.144-08:00

I'm sure you've all been very good little boys and girls this year so today, as a treat, I'm showing two of my favourite Santa photographs. They were shot, of course, on the Ho Ho Holympus XA! Laters.....

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-90318962028494440382011-12-22T01:39:00.000-08:002011-12-22T01:39:26.100-08:00

I did it, I did it....All my Christmas shopping, sorted! In one afternoon! Now it's down to others to see that I get a Fuji X100 and a Nikkor 85 1.4 for Christmas.. oh, and a round-the-world airline ticket to carry on my travel photography. I love this shot from Greece, shot on two and a quarter trannie with my trusty old Yashicamat. It's just been added to my Flickr sets, as

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-40804473766678418762011-12-21T03:02:00.000-08:002011-12-21T03:02:14.997-08:00

I really need to hit the streets and start buying a few things for Christmas, but I've had a gift come early and I can't stop playing with it! (Behave!) I've unearthed a small stash of old black and white photographs from my Olympus XA days, and as I have no idea where the negatives might be I've spent the whole morning in me jim-jams scanning the prints and retouching the dust spots.

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-53519691187301325722011-12-20T01:52:00.000-08:002011-12-20T04:51:24.971-08:00

Not your normal shot from a Wedding, but all the more fun for that... and now I really must move on from the fact that it was snowing on Saturday!! I had my office Christmas party last night which, as a self-employed photographer, is a little more tricky than it sounds! It involves trying to tie up with as many other freelance snappers as possible and heading into town for a

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-50499110080521990402011-12-19T03:02:00.000-08:002011-12-19T03:02:41.519-08:00

Phew! Let me pause for breath! What a weekend! That'll teach me to complain about the rain, because no sooner did I reach Heaton House Farm on Saturday than it began to snow, and boy, did it snow! It actually snowed too much to be able to shoot in, and Plan B was definitely in progress as the guests hunkered down in the Hall. Still, job done, and very well too, if I may say! (What? You want me

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-33143335290059701942011-12-17T01:13:00.000-08:002011-12-17T01:13:10.741-08:00

No sooner do I think about Plan B - alternate routes through the snow to today's Wedding - than the snow disappears and it starts to pour down. Nowhere near as photogenic, but at least it means I'll be able to travel safely to the venue. Oh, hang on! The Wedding doesn't even start until 3.30.. so I won't be able to do any shots in the snow anyway, and you try getting 140 people

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-91450793166121281362011-12-16T00:35:00.000-08:002011-12-16T00:35:09.931-08:00

It's a solitary life being a freelance photographer and, as much as I thrive on that responsibility, it's still nice to get the odd fillip every now and again! Well, this morning I got two! I awoke to an email from tomorrow's bride, Sarah, who's sent me a list of all the shots she'd like me to take at her Wedding. It's all helpfully split into sections - shots before the ceremony,

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-85852853358933852502011-12-15T02:28:00.000-08:002011-12-15T02:35:34.049-08:00

Pity the poor punks in Indonesia, shaved of their mohicans and thrown into a bath to be 'spiritually cleansed'! Still, it gives me an excuse to show yet another Olympus XA 'drunkard in a toilet shot', and this one did make it into my book Don't Miss This! Hopefully there won't be any unrest on Saturday, as my next Christmas Wedding draws closer. I'm at Heaton House Farm, and I'm

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-1941479414581412422011-12-14T01:54:00.000-08:002011-12-14T01:54:22.240-08:00

They say the best camera in the world is the one you have with you, and for a good ten years from the eighties I always carried an Olympus XA camera with me wherever I went - including the loo! So, here's a shot for all you 'Office Party' boozers who might be feeling a little down and out this morning, because the makers of my little camera are feeling a little under the weather

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-63017985967591824662011-12-13T01:55:00.000-08:002011-12-13T01:55:12.180-08:00

Did my passion for photography come from my Dad? Hard to say! He did own a Kodak Instamatic, but it was always kept in its plastic box in the sideboard, and I can't ever remember him using it. I do know that he was always very supportive once I got the photography bug, and he signed as my guarantor when I bought my first 'good' SLR on HP! It was a Yashica FR1, a couple of

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-32053669636297111442011-12-12T01:31:00.000-08:002011-12-12T01:31:48.619-08:00

True story! My girlfriend and I were putting up our (artificial!) Christmas tree yesterday, and the insertable branches were lettered from A to M as they grew in size down the tree. Well, we put in the A's, the B's.. right down until we got to the K's.. and then the letters skipped to M. "Hey.." I said to Lesley "There's No L..!" Hahahhaha! Jeez, you couldn't make it up! Anyway,

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-72384096087258087162011-12-11T02:29:00.000-08:002011-12-11T02:29:19.108-08:00

So who blogs on a Sunday? Well, me, of course! I've just got so much to tell you! I was just working my way through Kate and Stefan's Christmas Wedding photographs when I was spurred on by a lovely email from a 'summer couple'... Get this! .. "The photos you took are fantastic - we are currently printing lots of them off as Christmas presents for parents etc! We really

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-14068575964496530342011-12-10T02:15:00.000-08:002011-12-10T02:15:12.031-08:00

Well, I was right! The weather did play havoc with yesterday's Willington Wedding, and even the poor bride Kate decided enough was enough, calling off any idea I might have to get more posed photographs! I chanced my arm early on and tried to get my 'trademark' crowd shot organised, but promptly ditched that idea when only about 20 of the 140 guests braved the elements and came

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-13411940387606822012011-12-09T00:46:00.000-08:002011-12-09T00:46:16.660-08:00

The sun is rising and it looks like a nice day for a White Wedding. Trouble is, the white stuff's hailstone! It's blowing a gale and it's bloody freezing, too! Did I say I liked Christmas Weddings? Oooh, 'course I do, and all this weather won't be enough to stop me from getting on with shooting today's Wedding. The thing is, though,  it will make the bride, groom and their guests

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-78873633936481017662011-12-08T02:36:00.000-08:002011-12-08T02:40:55.293-08:00

Enjoyed a nice little get-together last night, 'social-networking' with local business people as varied as a mortgage advisor, a private health provider, the owner of an industrial estate and a South African guy who used to farm chickens and now renovates houses! What a mish-mash! Had a great chat with a lady about music, too. She was raving about my Joy Division photography, and I

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-72083311942565843522011-12-07T00:49:00.000-08:002011-12-07T00:49:11.737-08:00

Putting pen to paper is my preferred way of making a record of anything, so imagine how freaked out I was when my computer suddenly couldn't read any of my back-up discs yesterday! A heart-stopping moment, you'd call it, if it was a movie review! I mean, it's less than a fortnight since I cleared as much as I could off my hard-drive and actually put it on those externals! Turns out

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-38443759112447706102011-12-06T02:29:00.000-08:002011-12-06T02:30:24.013-08:00

Not a sight you see every day, but then this bride is a Wedding Photographer! I was very flattered to be asked to shoot her Big Day and she was, after all, a rather useful helping hand! Hey, thanks to everyone who went for my potty-mouthed Blog title yesterday! I had hits from as far afield as The Philippines, Israel and Bulgaria, so heaven knows what image I'm putting out in

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-51697706528318320242011-12-05T00:19:00.000-08:002011-12-05T00:19:17.974-08:00

Hey, Happy Monday everybody! Hope all's well! Did you have a nice...? Huh? The title? Oh sorry, didn't mean to alarm you! Don't worry, nothing's wrong! Far from it! I just read an article at the weekend about the art of succesful blogging, and it said you had to choose a title that grabbed readers by 'the short and curlies'. I thought 'Oh, bollocks' might be just the thing to

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-3667361402168920352011-12-02T01:44:00.000-08:002011-12-02T01:45:42.080-08:00

Do you know, I just might pack up this photography lark and go and be the Manager at Sunderland! Just can't make up my mind!..

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-29128481411661277892011-12-01T08:16:00.000-08:002011-12-01T09:16:23.527-08:00

Phew! Late blog today as I was out early to get into Manchester. I was covering a Management Presentation at the Palace Hotel, and I was just browsing through all the shots I took when I came across this nice juxtaposition. The 'nose' photograph was obviously taken during the presentations, but the shot of the lone girl on the Oxford Road station roundabout came about whilst I was idly

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-33769168336754106242011-11-30T01:22:00.000-08:002011-11-30T01:30:10.927-08:00

I'd be a busy boy today if I were still a Press Photographer, as public sector workers down tools and walk out over their pensions dispute. I could take my pick and photograph striking airport workers, teachers, Mersey Tunnel toll booth operatives .. you name it! At least I don't think the Fire Brigade is coming out today, as they did in 1977. I remember walking down to Eccles Fire Station that

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-1280329189537980422011-11-29T01:35:00.000-08:002011-11-29T01:35:40.361-08:00

Here's one for you if you're getting married at Knutsford's Belle Epoque Restaurant any time soon. It's a montage I made a year or two back, and I've just found it again whilst I was searching for another image. It brought back some great memories - the Belle Epoque's a really funky place to get married. Anyway, I was looking for images because I'm trying to design a new

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-51655867691415542832011-11-28T02:30:00.000-08:002011-11-28T06:11:37.542-08:00

I trapped my left index finger in my car door the other day. Hurt like flip, but that was before I tried to type on my keyboard. Ouch! And now, today, my internet connection is running sooo sloooowly that it makes me realise how much I take a normal run speed for granted. Same as my car - there's an engine warning light keeps coming on, despite my car running fine, but it really

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-61983305111325701262011-11-27T01:08:00.000-08:002011-11-27T01:41:12.819-08:00

White Wedding....erm, Fayre! Hope the horrible weather isn't putting you off coming to see me today. I'm at The Fir Grove Hotel Wedding Fayre, just south of Warrington. Come on down for a chat and a check on my work. Walk this way and hopefully 'aisle' see you later! Groan!...

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-64464150287274742872011-11-26T00:56:00.000-08:002011-11-26T00:56:43.340-08:00

Feeling hot to trot today... It's my last Wedding Fayre of the year tomorrow, and then I kick off my Christmas Weddings as we hit December! I love Christmas Weddings! They have just that extra little sparkle of magic about them, though they're usually a lot harder to shoot! All that low sun and early darkness and freezing cold weather stuff! Certainly keeps you on your toes!

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-15107049715574473612011-11-25T00:54:00.000-08:002011-11-25T00:54:21.678-08:00

So there you have it! My friend closes his pet shop today after umpteen years in business, and walks away with only his sanity intact. So that's at least another four people out of work as from 5pm today and means I'll have to join the masses and start shopping at Pets at Home! Sorry to begin a Friday so negatively, but you can imagine it's pretty upsetting! Anyway, speaking of

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-3061727179056173362011-11-24T03:26:00.000-08:002011-11-25T03:41:53.154-08:00

 ..in photography! Be a milkman! At least, that's according to a lady I know who owns a bridal shop near me. She sold her posh chaise longue on Ebay the other day, and a chap who said he was a milkman came to pick it up. Realising he was visiting a Wedding dress shop, he told her he shot Weddings at the weekend. "He's really busy, too.. " the lady told me! So, that's the secret -

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-30643603846166294072011-11-23T01:23:00.000-08:002011-11-23T01:23:55.361-08:00

Time for more photographs of me! (Well, it's been a while, eh?) And right on cue my old boss at the Warrington Guardian sent me a picture of all the photographers who worked for Cheshire County Newspapers back in 1981. I'm at the back, the kid with the punk hair and Buggles glasses! I had to laugh because I'm doing exactly the same in that shot as I was in a picture taken of me this

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-28607768585155567152011-11-22T01:25:00.000-08:002011-11-22T01:25:13.288-08:00

So I've finally got a smart-phone! All singing, all dancing, app filled and fantastic! The only thing it doesn't do is make me look smart! I stand over it, squinting at the screen with my spex on my head, slavering with my tongue hanging out, flicking through the screens like some perv with a porn mag and screaming with frustration as menus go flying past me! It's keeping me up at

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-89619644033205415392011-11-21T03:12:00.000-08:002011-11-21T03:12:28.534-08:00

What's the best thing on the radio these days? The OFF switch! Hahahahaha..... Honestly, I've had enough! I can't stand it anymore! I've had it up to here with Adele and Lady Antebellum, and DJs that just have to tell us they "Really like that song.." and Davina Bleedin' McCall buying shampoo that's been tested on "British hair".. (What??!!) ... and Scottish people telling me that the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-11265706252242105502011-11-20T01:31:00.000-08:002011-11-20T01:31:45.556-08:00

Check out the Apps on that! Yes, it was time for my annual booking at Birmingham's NEC yesterday, for the opening day of the Carole Nash Motorcycle show. This is where I have to spend the whole day in the company of a bunch of lycra-clad lovelies, shooting them for PR purposes on a variety of the latest motor bikes! (Well, someone's got to do it!) Oh, this shot was to show off a new

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-38560100234317751092011-11-18T00:15:00.000-08:002011-11-18T00:32:12.165-08:00

          Now, I'm not one to boast but I've just had the third amazing testimonial in a week! Out of the blue I got this sent to me on Facebook yesterday morning.. "10 yrs ago today you shot our Wedding at Statham Lodge Hotel - the best wedding pictures I've ever seen and you captured our day perfectly!. Thank You from Keith and Jen Harris"  Isn't that amazing? Ten years after their Big Day

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-79892502305494434772011-11-17T00:23:00.000-08:002011-11-17T06:37:37.565-08:00

I went to see Colin Newman last night! Who? Wire, you know.. the band! Who?.. Sigh! I first bought a single by Wire when I was 17, and finally got to see them play live at Academy 3 in Manchester last night. The three original members of the band were either bald or getting there, the bass player had glasses like bottle bottoms hanging round his neck, and our Colin had to have the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-38005082985993405962011-11-16T01:41:00.000-08:002011-11-16T01:41:58.870-08:00

Nice to be busy with the "day-job" this month, and the PR work's picked up as the Weddings quieten down until December. Last week I was sloshing around the mud of a building site, shooting apprentices for a Construction company, and this week I've been up to my eyes in Cheddar as I shot the new images for a cheese manufacturer's website! Talk about variety! Later this week I'm

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-25634538110288650812011-11-14T01:37:00.000-08:002011-11-14T01:37:36.387-08:00

..unless you're a beautiful bride in a gorgeous photograph, of course! This is another shot from Wendy and Phil's Wedding at Manchester Town Hall on Saturday, caught just as Wendy peeped over her shoulder at me. Now, I look back all the time in this blog, what with my constant reminiscing about my 33 years as a 'snapper', but a pal and I had cause to look back with sadness last

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-58074091700998315042011-11-13T02:19:00.000-08:002011-11-13T03:17:53.869-08:00

What a great Wedding that was! I really enjoyed yesterday's fab shoot for Wendy and Phil at Manchester Town Hall and yes, Father Christmas is already in situ over the entrance to the building! Of course, that meant that I wasn't able to use the locations I normally enjoy for my photography, but it was fun to wing it and 'take over' Albert Square to get the whole Wedding party out

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-30860008103288550312011-11-12T02:58:00.000-08:002011-11-12T03:01:40.017-08:00

Ok! Let's rip! Off to Manchester Town Hall for today's Wedding shoot, and let's just hope that sunshiney thing in the sky stays put! The diary goes quiet at this time of the year, so this is my last Wedding for a month! (Oh, good grief! What am I going to do? Erm. the garden, the front room, the hall, stairs and landing, the.. ) Ok, ok! Let's just say I won't be bored over the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-56198936150953712122011-11-11T00:32:00.000-08:002011-11-11T00:34:28.689-08:00

There's only one subject to blog today, of course, and here's an image of an old Remembrance Day Parade that I shot back in the late seventies. It's the Cenotaph in the front of Eccles library, with some of the guys from my old Army Cadet unit standing guard by the monument. But it's a poignant shot in other ways, too. The long, curving building that you can glimpse in the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-9725771162293750642011-11-10T00:52:00.000-08:002011-11-10T00:52:29.833-08:00

OMG! (As my niece would say!) Have you been watching the new David Attenborough 'Frozen Planet' series? Isn't it incredible? What amazing shots, what dedicated cameramen, what patience, skill and artistry! It's all absolutely jaw-dropping .. as was a web-site I came across yesterday whilst I was supposed to be ploughing through my magazines. Now, I love travel as much as the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-32164254346378414252011-11-09T02:48:00.000-08:002011-11-09T02:48:44.600-08:00

One of the great things about covering the corporate dinners and events that I do is that I get to spend some time wandering around the tables, prowling for those unguarded moments whilst people scoff their nosh! I've just added a few more of those shots to my Flickr stream 'Social Seen' - Check it out ! I get a bit of breathing space today, as I'm still waiting for the wedding image choices of

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-33892918707779439252011-11-08T01:54:00.000-08:002011-11-08T02:50:02.846-08:00

Such a lot of bad news going around, so I thought I'd give you a laugh! This is an old Olympus XA shot from my 'Don't Miss This' period, shot on Church Street in my home town of Eccles. I haven't been down there in ages, though I remember that the last time I visited, a very helpful 'local' came up to me and suggested I "don't wave a camera around round here!".... Anyway, busy making a new

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-91912646855337910192011-11-07T03:44:00.000-08:002011-11-07T03:44:43.177-08:00

Brrr! First ice of winter this morning, and a nice early e-mail asking if I'd shot a cover photograph for our local Village Magazine. Ooops! My busy weekend meant I never got time to do it, but two minutes in my garden got me this! Now I admit there was a bit of Photographer's luck involved, but wasn't it great that this little flock of Canadian Geese just happened to fly past whilst I was

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-86970828605282207122011-11-05T03:16:00.000-07:002011-11-05T03:16:39.687-07:00

I'm sure I must have blogged this image before but hey, it deserves an annual outing! It's a shot I did when I worked for Eddy Shah on Messenger Group Newspapers, based in south Manchester. It made it to the company calendar for 1981, and I'm trying really hard not to think about that being 30 years ago!!! I went to the opening of the new Open Eye photography gallery in

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-53866602469718652902011-11-04T06:21:00.000-07:002011-11-04T06:36:31.421-07:00

Oh, yeah? What you trying to say?  Am I getting paranoid or are the knives really out for us snappers these days? Ok, only joking! In fact, I laughed out loud when I saw this alphabetical page listing in my new Thomson local directory, 'cos obviously I think it should read ' Pest - People who buy a digital camera and think they're a photographer'..  Now that would make much more

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-26122802401006088042011-11-03T02:31:00.000-07:002011-11-03T02:31:24.232-07:00

A glorious rainbow soars across the sky, nature's paintbrush at its most beautiful, and arches down towards the golden pot that is .. Risley Prison! It's another Seen photograph - just uploaded to Flickr - and now I await the knock on the door from the authorities for photographing the outside of the jail! I'm keeping a close eye on the sky today. Tomorrow's PR shoot is on a

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-60667912182093363142011-11-02T03:22:00.000-07:002011-11-02T03:22:52.216-07:00

Oh, good Lord, it's happening again! Dead people? No, I see gloves! Single gloves, all over the place! Lost, trampled, soggy wet gloves! They just won't leave me alone! Ahem! Calm down, Martin! Well, it's that time again - The cold weather's coming and the gloves are out once more, which means I've started seeing 'em on the floor all over again. I've just added another five pictures to

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-56435249411950527502011-11-01T04:33:00.000-07:002011-11-01T04:33:08.347-07:00

Working on a new Jorgensen album today and, much to my delight, here's one of the shots that the bride has chosen to  go in it. I just love the fun and joy in it - Christine and her bridesmaid bopping to their ipod in the hotel room as Mum has her hair done before the Wedding. This shindig was in May, which seems so long ago now that we're already in November. Where on earth is the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-49222240081573750902011-10-31T01:57:00.000-07:002011-10-31T01:57:27.685-07:00

I love the way this pumpkin's been carved into the image of the late, great Robin Day and the.. oh, it is the late, great Robin Day, picking his nose during our photoshoot! The funny thing about this session was that my lastolite reflector was actually being held by Paddy Ashdown, who was appearing on the same episode of Question Time when it was being broadcast from Manchester.

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-69908630335914585272011-10-30T02:44:00.000-07:002011-10-30T02:44:11.216-07:00

Now then, dear old Jimmy Savile hung up his running shoes yesterday, and we'll never see his like again! I photographed him in Manchester years ago, at the beginning of one of his marathon runs for charity. What a character he was! I never wrote in to Jim'll fix it, but I used to watch it avidly every week, squirming with envy at the things some of the kids got up to. God bless

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-19493285636004067282011-10-28T04:08:00.000-07:002011-10-28T04:09:40.819-07:00

John Sergeant was the guest speaker at an Awards Dinner I shot last night, and Neil and Christine Hamilton were the hosts. It was the annual EN Magazine Entrepreneur of the year 'bash' with almost 500 guests at Mere Golf Country Club - or The Mere, as it's rebranding itself! Well, a good time was had by all, as they say, and I'm sloshing my way through 520 images this morning! The whole lot

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-44031271095649662272011-10-27T01:12:00.000-07:002011-10-27T01:18:18.260-07:00

Well, you can't keep a good man down, and no sooner does Gordon Burns retire from the Beeb than he pops up as head of a new PR Consultancy!  I did the publicity shots of Gordon and his new partners, including my old editor at the Manchester Evening News, on Tuesday morning, and the news of the launch has just been announced today. I'll have my PR head on again tonight, too, as

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-3143421119420239262011-10-26T06:07:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:07:40.071-07:00

I went to Ikea yesterday, completely forgetting it was half-term! Eeek, there were kids everywhere although thankfully Ikea, thinking of everything, had most of 'em corralled up in a play area by the front of the store! Anway, that's my way of introducing another shot from my archive! I must have shot this around 1980, and I seem to remember it was in a park in Irlam, near

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-78818573651696261982011-10-25T06:16:00.000-07:002011-10-25T06:16:57.298-07:00

I've had a think about my Wedding pricing, and I've come up with a fantastic offer. So, guess how much it now costs for me to shoot your whole Wedding Day? Correct! £650, and that includes bridal preparations, a password-protected on-line gallery, a CD of all your images - all SmartPhone & Facebook friendly and ready to show to the world - plus a spiral-bound proof book of all your

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-73243878482723448302011-10-24T01:41:00.000-07:002011-10-24T01:41:28.414-07:00

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. This was on the hoardings outside all the building work around Manchester Town Hall, and a very kind passer-by used one of my other cameras to get this 'snap' of me before I started work on Saturday's Wedding! Oh, Saturday's Wedding! What a blast that was! It was the civil ceremony of Chris and Fred, at the aforementioned Town Hall, and it was a

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-74680118623854317992011-10-22T04:52:00.000-07:002011-10-22T04:53:14.718-07:00

Oooh, get me with my selective colour! I'll be shooting through brandy glasses next! Anyway, just a quickie as I've got to shoot off to today's Wedding in a mo.. Fred and Chris at Manchester Town Hall. Pix to follow, naturally.... Just wanted to let you know that my new YouTube Wedding Video is up and running, and it's looking pretty good. Check it out! All feedback appreciated! Ok

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-62024417706288297382011-10-21T06:43:00.000-07:002011-10-21T06:43:07.721-07:00

So, Gaddafi fell, and look where I was!... No, not there! I was at the Imperial War Museum of the North, where this sign is on the wall. So Gaddafi spent yesterday getting shot in the head, whereas I was laughing so much I couldn't see through my viewfinder! No, I wasn't laughing at him, I was laughing at a Cabaret act called 'Spanner in the Works', the entertainment at an Awards Ceremony I was

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-15508859763712508512011-10-20T00:44:00.000-07:002011-10-20T00:49:02.882-07:00

K, V, T, F, Y .. No problems. Sixth line down and all's looking good at the optician's yesterday. Jeezo! This is easy! "Hm! Read this now.." says the optician, shoving a white card under my nose. There is but a fuzzy whirl in front of my eyes! Er........   Mr Specsaver drops in his killer line. "Ah!.." he says "That's pretty normal at your time of life!.." Eeeek! I'm

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-29221354187411563932011-10-19T01:50:00.000-07:002011-10-19T01:50:14.681-07:00

Did I mention I'd gone to see Wilko Johnson the other week? Hm! Must have forgotten, what with blathering on about photography all the time! Anyway I did and, fab as he was, I'm afraid I just couldn't take my eyes off "Wilko's secret weapon" - the bass player Norman Watt-Roy. (He used to play in the Blockheads, with Ian Dury, if you want an inkling of his fab bass riffs. Think 'Hit

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-5142126879898643862011-10-18T06:43:00.000-07:002011-10-18T06:43:14.859-07:00

Ah! Just back from a quick week off (See what I did, there?) in the sun and happy to report that all went well, and there were no travel trip-ups like this shot I got once in Manchester! Oh, apart from an eight hour delay at the airport, 2 days of totally torrential rain, and a hotel full of people who seemed hell-bent on smoking themselves to death! I hate smoking! How on earth did

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-42624377920870694742011-10-09T07:01:00.000-07:002011-10-09T09:49:01.890-07:00

Fantastic! What a busy day I had yesterday! I was shooting the Wedding of Faye and Chris at Statham Lodge, in Lymm, and it more or less rained all day! I had to more or less shoot all the family poses indoors. Then, just as the guests were being called in for their meal .. it stopped raining! More or less!  I grabbed the opportunity to invite everybody to come outside (Read:

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-31631390457391781702011-10-08T01:43:00.000-07:002011-10-08T01:45:09.320-07:00

Whaddya think? This is the new image on the home page of my website, although I'm starting to think that Tamara, the bride who quoted that great line, will want to charge me for using it in my advertising soon! Anyway, another great Wedding in prospect today, although the weather doesn't seem to be playing its part! (Again!) Let's just call it Autumnal, eh, and go with soft light

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-85993665913903493572011-10-07T01:03:00.000-07:002011-10-07T01:03:56.129-07:00

Yes! That's what I'd meant to tell you about .. solar panels! I had my PR head on again this week, shooting solar panels on a house in the Peak District, but with the wind being as strong as it's been I actually thought I was going to photograph solar panels being ripped off the roof and flung into the street! However, all went well, and another happy client describes my work as "Fab"..  By the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-68587955252065960002011-10-06T00:57:00.000-07:002011-10-06T00:57:56.210-07:00

I was going to write about Graham Nash today, but Steve Jobs died overnight so I thought I'd say a word in his honour. I love Apple, and I've never used or owned a PC. In fact, I'm typing this on an Imac, listening to music on my Ipod! Yep, I'm a Mac man through and through, and all because of Steve Jobs' genius! RIP Steve! Now, on the subject of technology a good pal of mine, a

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-35848056697667452652011-10-05T00:40:00.000-07:002011-10-05T00:40:51.937-07:00

So, it's time for the Tories to 'up sticks' today and buzz off from our quaint Northern town again. I heard at least one of 'em talking about how surprised he was to see the sun shining in Manchester! Oh, how we laughed! Grrrr! And I love the fact that David Cameron will today tell us to "pay off our credit cards" So how does he expect... Ooops! Got a bit distracted there!

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-72828513972546246432011-10-04T02:21:00.000-07:002011-10-04T03:49:37.593-07:00

Feargal Sharkey, and Mike Batt... in the same room! (As well as Martyn Lewis, Eric Pickles and erm, Lord somebody or other...!) I was covering an intimate little soiree last night in Cloud 23, the Bar up on the 23rd floor of Manchester's Hilton Hotel, as part of the Conservative Party Conference, and who should be hosting it but one of my all-time punk heroes (And Feargal Sharkey

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-86402180825665026892011-10-03T02:05:00.000-07:002011-10-03T02:05:20.219-07:00

I just love this photograph of a groom and best man before a Wedding ceremony! How calm are they? They sent out for sandwiches, sat at the back of the Wedding room and scoffed the lot! It's funny, because I quite often meet grooms at their Wedding who'll show no sign of nerves at all. They'll be fine until the guests start to arrive, when then one of them will invariably ask "Do you

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-48233886001922551002011-10-01T01:49:00.000-07:002011-10-01T01:49:28.433-07:00

"Martin shooting my favorite shot" That's what this photograph has been entitled! How nice is that? (I'll excuse the American spelling but then Tamara is from South Carolina!) I just got sent it in the mail today. It's a picture from the Civil ceremony of Tamara and Julia, which took place at Manchester Registry Office last summer. She's written to say she "loves the way I capture

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-58829495291085269272011-09-30T00:53:00.000-07:002011-09-30T01:03:14.031-07:00

Blimey! It's the last day of September! If I was a kid now I'd be thinking 'Wow! Only five weeks to Bonfire night!' My mates and I would be out collecting any bits of wood we could find, stockpiling it for November the fifth, trying to keep it dry and, more importantly, out of the hands of other kids! Our bonfire had to be the biggest and the best, and over the weeks it would grow

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-10488266294827630442011-09-29T00:38:00.000-07:002011-09-29T00:38:04.663-07:00

Gorgeous, isn't it? What a spectacular setting for a Wedding. It's Soughton Hall, near Chester, and we were so lucky with the weather when we all arrived there last week. I'd just managed to finish the 'posed' shots when the heavens opened and everybody had to dash under cover. Unfortunately, that's the problem with the English weather! I've covered many a Wedding in a

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-9651630592752329082011-09-28T00:19:00.000-07:002011-09-28T00:19:53.904-07:00

I've just picked up a lovely half-term portrait booking, as a lady I know has asked me to get a shot of herself and her grandkids. "I'll dress them up in their outfits again" she said. Outfits? Aha! Seems they'd all been to her daughter's Wedding and the photographer didn't get a shot of them all together. Well, I say photographer - the technical term is actually 'Friend of the

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-62956995341737220192011-09-27T01:53:00.000-07:002011-09-27T01:55:20.065-07:00

Jack Straw and Lord Falconer .. just two of the people who didn't turn up to the event I was covering last night at the Labour Party Conference! Hey ho, what can ya do? At least the good folk that did attend all seemed to have a great time, and the speeches were kept to a minimum (Hurrah!) I'm getting 'stuff' ready for Sunday's Wedding Fayre today. I'm at the V and A hotel in

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-30136298718011057282011-09-26T00:12:00.000-07:002011-09-26T00:12:56.880-07:00

PR head back on for a very interesting day today. Firstly, I'm off to one of my clients to shoot a press picture for their new product .. something (he said coyly) about DNA and motorbikes! Then, I'm off to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to cover one of their evening soirees. Talk about variety! Anyway, next Easter's booking up nicely now for Weddings, and it's only a

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-69368217855966674392011-09-25T02:23:00.000-07:002011-09-25T02:25:23.001-07:00

Put in a great 13 hour shift yesterday, covering Lucy and Pete's Soughton Hall Wedding from bridal preparations to first-dance .. and now just the small matter of 955 images to edit! Still, the weather held out for us all, and even when it did rain it made for some great shots, with many of the braver guests hunkering down under the parasols in the garden! Have a look at their page

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189294718996906367.post-38954136652713427262011-09-24T01:02:00.000-07:002011-09-24T01:02:28.034-07:00

..a long day today! I'm off to Soughton Hall, on the Welsh/English border, to cover the Wedding of Lucy and Pete from Manchester. Had a trip down there last weekend for a quick look around, but didn't realise there was a Wedding Fayre on. I'd have whipped out my products if I'd known.. (Behave!) So, bridal preparations until first dance to shoot today, so I reckon I'll be finished

Studio54http://www.blogger.com/profile/05266508029707171667noreply@blogger.com0