My latest post ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

A shot from my book of portrait photographs, coming out in the New Year. It was taken in the late 80s/early 90s, when I used to do an awful lot of PR photography for the Royal Mail. Back in the day, there was enough money in the company coffers to produce a monthly newspaper called The Courier, with offices in the centre of Manchester and distribution to everyone who worked for the Post Office. Now, the PO is in deep trouble, having been sold off to a foreign billionaire and with branch closures threatened all over the UK. (Sadly, there's talk of shutting down the main Post Office in Eccles .. a branch that opened in 1932!)

But hey, speaking of foreign takeovers, does that mean your post will now be in the Czech?? (Badum, tish!!)

A complete whitewash ..

Look what I had to photograph today! Doesn't look much, does it, but I've had to wait almost two weeks for that space to be turned back into a white wall! It was the site of an amazing mural, the creation of which I covered as a Stop Motion video a couple of years back and, if you click here to see it, you'll understand why it took so much emulsion paint to get it back to 'normal'..

Still, all good things come to an end and now that the company has moved to bigger premises it remains to be seen what the new residents will make of it .. 

Reasons to smile ..

Two pictures for the price of one today, and two reasons to smile at work yesterday..

I was shooting some corporate portraits in Liverpool, and the marketing chap I was speaking to was telling me about his friend who had become a 'famous' model - appearing over him as a 50 foot high poster when he went down to London one time. "He gets paid thousands, and travels all over the world.." the chap was saying "He hates it. He wants to be a photographer!" "Hold on there, my friend.." I spluttered "Give your pal a good talking to! I think he'd soon realise which side of the camera the money is on .."

Then, last night, I was shooting a publicity event in Manchester when a man in a snazzy suit came up and said "Silly question, but do you live in Culcheth?.." "Yes.." I said "Do you?.." He said he did and told me he recognised me as I'd done a family portrait shoot for them once. "Great.." I said "So what brings you here tonight?.." "I'm the MD of this company.." he said "The picture you did for us is still framed in our toilet!"..

Anyway, why two pictures? Well, the bottom one is the shot of my cousin I did when he was fixing my car in his socks. The second shot is from the strip of negs I found when my entire shelving system fell down in the office recently. Good news from bad! Another reason to smile ..

Done! Done well ..

Phew! That's that done! It's the morning after the night before and all I can say is .. it was bloody brilliant! My Wedding Fayre has been a great success and everyone is saying how very well it all went. A massive thank-you to all the exhibitors and visitors who braved Arctic weather conditions to get out to The Culcheth Arms. I'm so pleased and - yes, let's be honest - relieved that it all worked out so well. In fact, do you know what? I'm going to do it all over again! Not 'til Autumn, mind .. but the early feedback is so good that I think the Wedding suppliers of Culcheth would be daft if we ignored the local interest that we all got last night..

So, PR head back on today and back into Manchester for the second day's coverage of a Corporate workshop. I couldn't avoid listening in on the speakers yesterday and I'm already an expert on global positioning, market share and commercial propositioning! I'm just happy that all I'm there for is to take photographs! Later on I'm photographing an Awards ceremony at The Imperial War Museum North. I shall certainly enjoy the fact that someone else has had to do all the organising..

Interesting, that ..

A couple of interesting points came out of my ongoing website design over the weekend. Firstly, I was questioned about this photograph, which I'd added to the PR page of StudioFiveFour Photography. "It's obviously superimposed, isn't it?.." came the query. Er no, my friend .. it isn't! This is a 'straight out of the camera' photograph, taken of the owner of the Yang Sing restaurant in Manchester for a Business Magazine about five years ago. The story? The fact that the price of rice was rising, cutting profits for the numerous eateries in Chinatown. Well, how do you photograph the price of rice? This was my take on it. The 'lady' in the background was part of the restaurant wall decoration, so I plonked my subject in front of her and stuck a flash-gun either side of him. It was then left to his PA to stand on the table and spill a stream of rice through her fingers as he let it splash around him. I'm sure she never saw that coming in her job description! However, I was really pleased with the effect. Just wish I'd taken a shot of the mess I left behind me ..

The second point arose when a chap I met on Saturday was asking about my portrait pricing. In a nutshell, he couldn't believe I was so affordable! Seems he'd taken his little daughter to Venture photography and spent over £600 on a series of images. Thing was, that was well over a year ago and, as he put it "I'm still f*ckin' paying for them!"...
Interesting, that ..

Larger than life ..

How to get ahead in business! I was shooting some PR photography at an office in Manchester yesterday - on the day they'd just received some 'blow-ups' of some work I did a month or so back - and couldn't resist a quick shot of the prints, all stacked up and ready to go on the walls! Can't wait to see my new 'exhibition' when it's up, as it'll cover all the stairwells of a 3 storey building!

On the subject of 'larger than life' I'm off to a birthday party with a difference this weekend. The event is a Punk 'All-Dayer' with the good old UK Subs to celebrate the ... gulp, I can hardly write this .. to celebrate the 70TH!! birthday of their lead singer Charlie Harper! I'm amazed! 70 and still heading a punk band! My hero! I'm in awe! I'm .. who the hell left that zimmer there?

Down to the wire ..

Here he is, the bass player I was telling you about yesterday! His name's Ding and he first appeared in my life whilst I was watching a PJ Harvey DVD a couple of years back. He was the bass player on her tour of the UK and America and one day, suddenly, he was standing in front of me at a party and modestly proceeded to tell me that yes, that was him, and since then he's played bass on an album and gone on tour with The Pixies! When I'd stopped drooling and fawning I asked if he'd let me take some photographs sometime, which brings us to the session yesterday. His playing is all about power and strength, so I had this idea of him looking tough and biting through his bass strings. I'm pleased to say it worked as a shot, even if Ding did get a mouthful of old sweat from the wires! Cheers, Ding ..

Back to the bread-and-butter photography today! I'm off to a supermarket in town later to shoot some PR photographs for a Trade Union! See? Rock Gods, Shop Stewards .. they're all the same to me, 'cos as long as they're posing in front of my camera it means I'm still working as a photographer.
Tune...

Name-dropper ..

So there I was, merrily shooting 80s pop-maestro Pete Waterman yesterday, when in walks .. Terry O'Neill !! I know! Incredible .. the leader of Warrington Borough Council! Seems I'm - ho, ho - not the only O'Neill with a famous alter-ego and my, how we laughed as the football manager photographed the famous photographer - in name, at least!

So, so far this year I've shot celebs, I've shot cheese for websites, I've photographed dogs, passports, LinkedIn portraits, warehouses, apprentices .. so it's about time I shot a Wedding! I'll be honest and say it's been a bit of a quiet start to the year as far as Weddings are concerned but .. that all changes on Sunday when I head off to shoot my first of the year in sunny old Warrington town! I cannot wait!

Mothers' Day looms and I've tied in with a couple of local businesses to offer a fantastic deal on portraits as a gift idea for Mum. The Raven Inn and Spa Beautiful, as well as myself, are each offering 20% off our respective meals, massages and erm, mug shots as a sure-fire way of keeping your Mum happy come the end of the month. The offer lasts 'til the end of next month, too, so come on down and get yerselves a voucher. Don't be shy about name-dropping. Just tell the others that Martin O'Neill sent you ..

Put t'kettle on ..

The world's in a right old state at the moment, isn't it? I was watching a thing on telly the other night about tensions in Europe - troops moving across borders, rulers sticking the 'Vs' up at other governments - and I couldn't tell whether I was watching the news or that new drama about the start of the First World War. Gulp! Then we've got that awful Malaysian plane disappearance and all the religious connotations that's bringing up, plus the bad blood between China and Japan, and the never-ending Northern Ireland 'troubles', and Syria, and Israel and, well, pick any bloody country you want in Africa, and ...

It's just as well my blog sticks to more mundane items! So, put the kettle on! Have a cup of tea, breathe deeply of the beautiful early spring and take a moment to enjoy those simpler pleasures.

Life, as the sticker on my fridge says, is too important to be taken seriously!

 •

Hope you like the 'tea-pot'! It was the cake at a Wedding I photographed last summer. I just realised that if I don't put those bloomin' key-words in then the blog doesn't get out there and do its job! This is a serious business! (Oh, damn!)
Do your job, blog! Do it! ..

 #Wedding #prphotography #bride #worldgonemad ..... 

Thwarted ..

I was up bright and early and off to shoot more PR at the Cheese Factory this morning, and barely had had time to put on my glamorous hair-net and hi-vis jacket when everything went quiet and we were plunged into darkness. They'd had a power cut! It was estimated the lights would come back on at around 3.30pm. I'd been thwarted! I drove home ..

Still, it's given me time to work on my website re-vamp, and I'm finding some lovely old Wedding shots to add that I'd forgotten all about! This one, for example, from about six years ago. Ruthin Castle, North Wales. Lovely!..

Right! Off for lunch. Any cheese?...

Cheesy Portraits ..

More PR shots at the Cheese Factory this morning, but today we're concentrating on the cheeses themselves rather than the production processes. Basically, portraits of the cheese! I won't go on about it. I'm probably driving you crackers ...

A lot in store ..

December, and it's time for the final installment of my Twelve for '13 project. Blimey, I've finished it .. and now there are over 1, 000 of my archive photographs online for all to see. I've really enjoyed the work, and I hope it's brought a little pleasure and some great memories to anyone that's seen it. One of the photographs for December is this one - shot in front of the Virgin store in Manchester. Today, by sheer coincidence, sees the release of a sneaky preview of the Being Frank film - about Timperley 'character' Frank Sidebottom. It's a coincidence because when he was with The Freshies he sang about being "in love with the girl on the Virgin Megastore check out desk!" (Ok, this shop wasn't the megastore but I did take a PR photograph of Richard Branson opening it a couple of years later!) Another poignant thing about this shot is that you can see, in the window reflection, the wavy roof of the old Marks and Sparks store - the store that was destroyed in the IRA bombing. One snap .. such a lot in store!

Put your back into it ..

I went to Birmingham this weekend to cover, once again, the annual NEC 'Motorcycle Live' show for one of my PR clients. Usual brief, and a very busy day as always. In fact, a new pedometer I've just downloaded onto my phone says I'd taken 12,600 steps up to 5pm on Saturday! Is that a lot? Sure sounds it! Definitely felt like it! I know I put my back into it ..

Heads or tails? ..

I have a couple of things I wanted to talk about today, so it's going to have to be a toss-up as to what I actually blog. The choices are Queens of The Stone Age and, er .. broken flash equipment! Ok, here we go. Heads! It's Heads! Heads is broken flash equipment! Sorry .. exciting, eh?

So, yesterday I went on a PR shoot to Blackburn. A company's new offices and a portrait shoot with all the directors, including one who'd flown in from the Isle of Man for the morning. Arrived nice and early, chose my locations, set my lights up and .. nothing happened! Without boring you to death (Am I too late?) a piece of gear I use - the deliciously named Nikon SU-800 Master Commander - had suddenly become decidely unmasterful and definitely demoted from Commander. Basically, it was supposed to fire all my remote flash guns and .. it didn't. Now this is where the weather comes in. Oh, I forgot to mention the blog was about the weather, too! If you remember, yesterday morning was hell! Wind, rain, hail .. the works and, as I drove up to Blackburn, I thought there was no way in heaven I'd be able to shoot the outdoor photos that were required. However, by the time I got to Blackburn the storm was passed and the sun ..well, the sun was absolutely blazing down - fierce, low and bright. Too bright to get the group shots I needed! I had to yank everybody into the shade of a nearby building in order to stop them burning their retinas out! Thing was, now that the sun was doing its thing, the stairwell of the new office was aglow with soft, bounced light .. so that's where I shot the portraits! I'm sure the client was wondering what sort of photographer they'd booked but hey, I got the shots and everybody's happy. Well, almost everybody. A new SU-800 Master Commander costs £300! ..

Tomorrow .. Queens of the Stone Age! Bet you can't wait ...

Garlic? Bread? ..

You can imagine the confusion of Peter Kay's Dad if you'd told him they were making phones with cameras in 'em! Phone? Camera?... and now we're getting cameras with 'wire facilities' in them just to add to the technological mix. Well, I couldn't resist mocking up this shot the other day! Phones with cameras in them? I had one years ago! Ho hum ..

Anyway, it seems I'm still not getting this blogging malarkey right! I've been told I have to embed my keywords in my text, rather than just adding the tags to the bottom of the piece. Bit like the old days when they subliminally - "COCA-COLA" - flashed up images of fizzy drinks during films. I'm not sure if that - "WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY" - would work but it might be worth a - "GIFT VOUCHERS FOR CHRISTMAS" - try! Think that -"PR PHOTOGRAPHY" - got the message across? Good! Phone me or .. take a picture!..

#weddingphotography
#prphotography
#culchethstudio

Grub up! ..

Well, here's something to get your teeth into! I seem to be setting a trend here, based around food, glorious food! You've already seen that I spent Monday shooting PR pix in a sausage factory, and last week I was back at Smiths restaurant in Eccles to put up some new food-themed photographs from my Twelve for '13 archive. Today I'm returning to the Deli-Lama Cafe in Salford to put up a banner of Joy Division photographs that will form a backdrop to gigs during the Salford Music festival, but the BIG news is that I've just been selected to shoot the brochure for a new restaurant in Manchester. I can't tell you whose restaurant it is, although my pals James and Martin might be able to drop you the odd hint!! How exciting! Anyone for seconds?..

Stop Press: Had a portrait sitting at the studio this morning. The sitter brought me a bacon butty!!  Foodtastic!!....

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Lucky for some ..

Friday the 13th is the start of a really fantastic few days for me! I've got another Wedding at Willington Hall - one of my favourite venues - then I'm treating myself to a day off at Southport Air Show, and then on Monday I have a full day's PR shoot for one of the country's leading supermarkets!

It was mentioned quite a while back that 2013 would be a quiet one for Wedding bookings as it has the number thirteen in it! I think, on the whole, that's been true for every one of my Wedding contacts but the up-side to that is that it's now looking busier for next year. I already have bookings right up to Christmas 2014! There's a chance, too, that my music T-shirts will be marketed out to a large chain of shops across Tokyo, and I've started working on a new exhibition that will open soon in Altrincham. All that and I finally hit my mini-milestone of 300 likes on Facebook! 2013? Lucky for some ..

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

On a high ..

Well, it worked! My pr shoot came off spectacularly yesterday, and we successfully arranged 200 people into the shape of a new company logo on the staff car-park, and had them back in their offices again .. in 15 minutes flat! Happily, the sun came out, as you can see, and I even managed to make a one-minute stop-motion film of the event as it unfolded! Unfortunately I can't show you any of it at the mo, as I've not yet had the ok from the company, so you'll have to make-do with second-best .. a picture of me! I'd given a spare camera to the marketing lady, and asked if she'd pop off a shot or two whilst we were still arranging the group. It's a shame it's framed like it is. It's so nearly a good photograph, and a perfect illustration of how a 'non-photographer' can't see a shot. This would have been great if she'd just worked a little on that reflection in the window, but she cropped it thus and so I'm stuck with it! Anyway, one of me is enough for anyone!...

One of me is all you'll get tonight at the opening of my new exhibition. If you're at a loose end this evening come down to the Deli-Lama cafe in Salford to check out some of my work. I'm showing some of my Joy Division pictures, and a wall of shots from my Eccles archive. There's beer, cheese and crusty bread up for grabs, too!

Off to the studio now! Matthias' parents are coming in to view the work we shot last week. He's the little fella that peed all over my floor, and that's him you can see in the link! Aw!..

God, I'm on a high ...

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Soft lads ..

Earlier in the summer I shot a whole series of pr portraits for a company in Cheshire, then took it upon myself to 'photoshop' a portrait of one of the ladies. Nothing drastic - just a bit of skin-softening, a bit of wrinkle removal - that sort of thing. I added the retouched photo to the folder of images I sent to the client, and mentioned that I'd be happy to do the same for any of the other ladies involved in the shoot. Skip forward two months and the marketing chap has just come back to me. 'Er, still able to retouch some of the pix?..' he asked. 'Sure..' I said 'Which ladies?' 'Erm.. ' he paused 'It's actually three of the men!...'

I had the 'pleasure' of shooting a birthday party for an 11 year old last night. Thirty-five eleven year-olds in one room and a DJ with what sounded like only two records! Sorry, CDs - er, ipod tracks! Hell, doesn't matter what he was playing, he played 'em loud! Add to that the screaming of all those kids and I came away with my ears whistling better than any punk gig I've been to lately!
Little darlings!

Speaking of music, I'm pleased to say that Phil Oakey's made it onto one of my T-shirts! A new designer fashion shop in Tokyo has just opened, and is featuring four of my music images on its shirts. The usual suspects - Joy Division and Morrissey - are in there, as well as Devo and, for the first time, the lead singer of the Human League. I photographed the band in 1979 - back when they were a proper group, not with any of those girly girlies in there - although I certainly suspect Mr Oakey would have been the first in the queue for a little bit of photo-retouching...

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

My little honey-pot ..

The end of July, and what a busy bee I've been. Can you believe the studio has now been open a month? Where does the time go? It's had a great start, though, and I'm delighted with the interest it's generated. Caused quite a buzz, you might say! But it's true .. having the physical presence of a studio has really given me a lot more exposure! (Ho ho!) I'm a bit like the bee in this photograph now. In between my usual Wedding, Portrait and PR work I keep flitting any way I can to try to bring in new business. I have some shots of a horse lined up for next month, as well as some photo-restoration work for the local church. I'm also going to be shooting a range of Wedding cakes for one of the other units in the centre and the tuition work has garnered quite a bit of interest, too. Looks like Studio54 is going to be quite the little honey-pot!..

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com