Unexpected treats ..

 Isn't it lovely when your day pings you out an unexpected treat? Mine last night was an email that popped up from New York and made me feel fantastic. A lot of my music photography is represented there by a gallery which is marking 30 years of The Smiths, and the email from them yesterday took me straight to this page! I've been belting out Smiths' songs ever since! They're actually offering Limited Editions of my photographs of Morrissey alongside those of renowned photographer Kevin Westenberg.What a treat ..

I shot a Wedding once down near Stratford, and went down the day before to have a good look around the venues. The church had a gorgeous cherry tree in full blossom alongside its outer wall, and I marked that as a great place to get some fantastic pictures. Next day, I whizzed the bride and groom round the corner to find .. three punks drinking lager in the shade of the tree! Unexpected treat of that day? They offered to hold my reflector, provided a really amusing shot for the album and .. gave the bride a swig of their lager! What a treat ..  

Printworks ..

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogging, Tumblr .. blah, blah, blah .. but how's about a good old advert in the local community magazine? Yeah, forget 'Social Meeja' .. I'm going back to paper basics for my next advertising 'push', with a quarter page ad to cover two locales within our region. I firmly believe that the fad of the 'selfie' will soon be history and it'll dawn on people that, hey, the best place to get a good photograph taken is actually .. a photographer's studio! When it came to choosing an image for the ad I enlisted the help of my good friend Photographer Smurf, who has been sitting atop every computer I've had since .. well, since the first time I got a computer! He agreed to pose for my photo, although he did apologise for not being able to reciprocate as he's not been able to get the sheet film for his camera since 2003! Say Cheese ..

Pure Vintage..

I've had a lovely little article published in Pure Weddings Magazine, featuring a fab couple whose Wedding I photographed last August. Click on the image to get 'the bigger picture', and you'll see a few of the shots I got round to taking on the day. The theme of the Wedding was vintage which is quite ironic because, once I'd shot the Wedding, I zipped off into town to see ageing punk rockers The Exploited! (I had a change of clothes before I went!) Reminds me of the time I went to see the UK Subs after finishing work at 11pm one night whilst working for the Sale and Altrincham Messenger. I remember arriving at The Russell Club in a suit and tie and the first words on arriving being some spiko leather dude screaming "F*ck me... a Mod!"

Ah, good times ...

Mark you this ..

I went to Liverpool yesterday on a last-minute PR job, after a pal of mine was unable to cover a booking. The first track on the radio as I got in the car began "I'm back in Liverpool" and I later found out it was called 'Let's Dance to Joy Division' by The Wombats! Apparently it was released in 2007! Up to date when it comes to music, me! Ha! But what a coincidence! It made me rush back and shove another Joy Division shot onto my blog. Thing is, I'm so paranoid about having my work nicked now that I've made damn sure I put a water-mark on the image. Over the top? Not after I found a guy selling MY images on Ebay, the cheeky little monkey.

Speaking of water-marks and animals, there was a wrap-around advert for a new Vets' Practice covering our local weekly free-sheet yesterday. The pictures were dreadful and obviously not shot by a professional, a fact that was confirmed when I noticed a photo on the back page had a date-stamp across it from a compact camera. The date was 2012! At least I'm not the only one who isn't up to speed...

Red, white and blue .. and orange!

A touch of the old red, white and blue for you today - described in beautiful spring blossom and just to mark St George's Day. Hurrah for good ol' England - the land of the ditched fag packet, de rigeur use of the phone whilst driving and, My God, don't even think of saying thank you if I hold the door open for you! Rude Britannia waives the rules, and you can post as many 'Help for Heroes' stickers as you like, but I won't believe you have any pride in this country until you start showing .. erm, well, a pride in this country! It starts from the ground up. Literally, when it comes to smokers!..

Blimey, where did that come from? I had intended to carry on the 'colour' theme by telling you something that, I'm sure, a lot of photographers have noticed. All the teenage girls in the UK have turned orange! I made an early start today on some shots from a recent Wedding, and was having a bugger of a time trying to correct the colour balance in a few of the shots. I just could not get a young girl's face back to 'normal' .. and then it dawned on me. Teenage girls are orange. Step away from the photoshop, Martin. Your work here is done..

Top!..

Saturday's Wedding was fantastic! So laid back, so much laughter, such fun .. and hey, even the sun shone! Many congratulations, Liz and Ben! Loved being part of your Big Day! It was, as we say in Manchester ... top!

So, that's Easter done, 1000 images to edit before I hit the studio and I'm just waiting to hear now from a pub that's asked me to shoot its new menu and interior. Other than that, not the busiest week ahead but at least my day has started a little better than David Moyes'! Tough at the top, eh?..

Love the new portrait of the Queen by David Bailey, though I've never seen such a kerfuffle over one bloomin' photograph! It's lovely! Damn, you'd almost think she was human! Top clicking, Bailey! Still at the top, dude..

Music to my ears..

Hey, Happy Record Store Day, everybody! I'd be buzzing down to buy some vinyl too if I wasn't shooting a Wedding today. Or would I? I seem to have enough records already! In fact, I was quite amused by the fact that I liked this 1980 album so much I bought it twice! (Fear of wearing it out, I would say.) Bet you don't even remember The Photos - the most appropriately named band ever .. for me! I was smitten with lead singer Wendy Wu and if I can ever find it I'll show you the picture I had taken with her backstage at some gig or other. Discount Records in Sale was my 'place to go' .. and every lunchtime a hairy hippy dude called Nick would convince me that I just had to have such and such a record. He was mostly right, of course, and I'll never forget his advice to me to leave the needle on the Spizz Energi 'Where's Captain Kirk' 45. There's a really funny mickey-take of Spock, just before the run off, that I've never heard on any CD version of the song. Hurrah for real music! Go and buy a single .. now!

Come into the garden ..

Easter, and time to tackle the garden! Well, that and shoot a Wedding tomorrow! I'll always remember my first Good Friday as a young Press Photographer on the Sale and Altrincham Messenger. Living in a flat with my dad, I merrily picked up a big pile of my laundry, and began to do my ironing. There was a knock on the door. One of the other snappers was standing there, looking irate. (I should mention that we didn't have a phone back in those medieval days) "What are you doing here?.." he blurted "You're supposed to be at work!" "But it's a Bank Holiday.." I said, which caused him to laugh out loud! "Photographers don't get Bank Holidays off.." he said "Get ready and get back to work!.." Guess the ironing had to wait...

Happy Easter, everybody ..

Blueprints ..

Gearing up for Saturday's Wedding now, having had a dry run of the journey from the bride's home to the venue. As always, when I've not shot at a venue before, I had a wander around looking for locations to pop the bride and groom, and sent the bride a few shots like the one above, having 'drawn' in where I'd like to place the couple. Good old Liz emailed back straight away, saying she wasn't now bothered if it rained on the day as she was happy to go with their blue outlines! "You've made us both look tall and slim" she joked!

Before that, more PR photography today which, ironically, I've got from one of 'my brides', who just happens to do the PR for the builders! I'm shooting a new 'show home' for her, just north of Manchester. It's gone from from blueprint to reality, just like Saturday's couple!..

Just goes to show you ..

Two passport photographs, and guess which one was chosen as acceptable. Wrong, the one on the left! I know, I can't believe it either but now this poor lady has got to put up with looking - well, let's say 'not at her best' - for the next ten years! I shot her passport picture at the studio last week and was rather dismayed to receive a message telling me it hadn't been accepted. I was flummoxed! That's never happened before! Turns out she'd not gone to the Post Office in our village, but a different one a couple of miles away. As she was in a rush she was 'advised' to go for a new photograph at Max Speilmann's, the photo-shop across the way from the Post Office. The shot on the left is what she was presented with and - to my utter amazement - the one that was accepted by said postal worker! When I told the lady that my shots have always been accepted at our local post office she, out of curiosity, took them in to be checked. All four staff said the shots were fine! Work that one out! Just goes to show you, eh?...

(Ps: Many thanks to Elaine for letting me show you her shots!)

Ah, the old days ..

I really should know better! Going to see The Buzzcocks on Friday night was, almost inevitably, like going to see a Buzzcocks tribute band! Only two original members - with Pete Shelley looking like his own grandad - and balding men trying to scrape the remnants of their hair into a semblance of the mohicans they sported a mere 35 years ago! Still, I sort of enjoyed it, although the sound was terrible and, this being Warrington - and therefore almost just as inevitable - there was a fight just six feet away from myself and Lesley. Boys! We're too old for all of this!..

The trouble is, there's nothing to replace it! Nothing comes near the music I grew up with and if - as my pal says - I'm stuck in the 70s and 80s, then it's only because there's been nothing to drag me out of there. Today's music positively depresses me! Anyway, if it ain't broke don't fix it and hey, it gives me the opportunity to show you this photograph of my old mates Roddy and Tish at The International, circa 1986 (And yes, I still have the poster in my collection!)
 

Stompin' ..

Rather miffed to find a company in Nottingham was offering - on Ebay - in any size you liked, starting from £3.50, a nice selection of ... MY PHOTOGRAPHS! A big thank-you to the pal that alerted me to this blatant breach of copyright! Imagine! They were quite happily prepared to make money from photographs over which they had absolutely no ownership claim! God, it drives me mad! Digital has a lot to answer for! The stealing of photographers' images must be Stamped Out! (Cue image of big chunky boots worn by P.Paul Fenech, lead singer of The Meteors, and available to BUY - from ME - from here!)

Ah, music! I had to laugh at a selection of ads in last week's Sunday Times. Upcoming concerts from the likes of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Yes, Steve Hackett and ... Julio Iglesias!! OMG! Am I stuck in 1979? ...

(Erm, I hope so, 'cos I'm off to see The Buzzcocks tonight! Oops! Blush! Sorry...)

Spiffing ..

Had a bit of a spiffing day yesterday, one of the highlights being a fantastic portrait shoot with Faith and Rachel at the studio. I also started to get my new 14' backdrop into position, though it's that big and heavy I think I might need to hire a crane to get it up into situ! There were two Wedding enquiries too, and one of them was absolute music to my ears. The call was from a young lady who had been a bridesmaid at a Wedding I photographed five years ago! (Yes, you have to be patient in this game!) She hit the 'ego-boost' button straight away by telling me how I'd been the first photographer they'd thought of booking, even after all that time! As if that wasn't enough she went on to say how "amazing" the shots were at her friend's Wedding, how "artfully" I'd captured every little glance and how I'd .. 'brought out the bride's cheeky side'! (Not sure how I did that, to be honest, but a compliment's a compliment, innit!) Best thing she said, though, was that she wasn't into this current 'trend' of every shot being photoshopped to buggery! No yellowed, faded, ultra-posed photography for her. She wants it done properly! Young lady, I'm your man! Hmmm, don't know about the backdrop being large, I'm gonna have trouble getting my big head into the studio today!..

Life's simple pleasures ..

Bubbles! A squirt of washing-up liquid and a hoop to blow it through and a kid can play for hours! Amazing what little it takes to make you feel good. It was a 14 foot roll of white paper that put the smile on my face yesterday, when I nipped over to Leeds to pick up the new backdrop I won in an auction on ebay. It'll run down the side of the studio and it makes me feel so excited to know that I'll now be able to shoot much larger groups than I could before.

Commercial Break: Come on down to StudioFiveFour for your fun family group photograph!

Oh, and talk about simple pleasures .. I spent this morning watching my Bronze Corydoras spawn! If you don't know what that means, then you don't know what you're missing!..

Bargain ..

Fifteen quid! Not bad, eh? Fifteen pounds for a 15 minute photo-shoot and an image of your choice to use on your Facebook profile! Under 21s only, of course, but what a bargain. It's pocket money money, if you see what I mean! Anyway, I had my first two takers on Saturday, and we got some great shots in very little time at all. Charlotte and Nathan came up to the studio and really went for it! It was great fun! Of course, the best part for me was that, after they'd looked on their online galleries, they both had the 'problem' of liking too many shots, and found it hard to narrow their choice to one image. No problemo.. I sell extra images for just £15 each as well! Bargain ..

Twenty-five quid! That's what I managed to pay this weekend for a brand-new roll of backdrop paper. Won it on Ebay and it made me feel 'reet chuffed'! I saved a fortune and it'll allow me to start shooting larger groups in the studio. Ooh, don't you just love a bargain? ..

  

Hey, mister ..

I was full of the joys of Spring as I left the studio last night, and stopped by the car park to shoot some beautiful pink blossom that was looking stunning by the side. Just one frame in, a foul, disgusting oik - the type of teenager that gets the rest of 'em a bad name - walked straight into my shot and shouted "Oi! F*ck off! Don't take f*cking pictures of me!" and then pulled his hood up and carried on walking. Talk about spoiling a mood! Man, what is happening with society? How do farts like him get away with all this terrible behaviour? Because they know they'll get away with it, that's why! This guy's dad isn't at home to belt him one when he gets reported! Oh, come back 1975! I want to be troubled by my old problem! Like this shot 'down our street' .. my difficulty was trying to keep kids off the shot! "Hey, mister! Take a picture of me..." I haven't heard that on the streets for a long time!

Just wait 40 years ..

Much to Lesley's annoyance, I never throw anything out. She watches programmes about 'Hoarders' and tells me I have all of the supposed sad, debilitating symptoms! But hey, if I threw things out I wouldn't have been able to put this montage together, would I? It's a Piccadilly Radio programme schedule from 1979, and I put it on Facebook when I saw a story about it being the station's 40th birthday (Not just any station, either. This was the Manchester radio station to listen to when we were growing up!) There's a shot in my archive too, of DJ Pete Baker on an outside broadcast from Altrincham in '79. Happy Birthday, 261!

Anyway, this has absolutely nothing to do with today's Blog, which was to be about Brides-to-be and their approach to Wedding photography. I thought I'd hit a new low this week when a young lady enquired about a booking. When she told me that she'd already had a quote in at £280 I knew I was on a hiding to nothing but, depressingly, that figure was knocked into a cocked hat yesterday when a bride told me she'd booked a "professional" photographer who would cover her whole Wedding day and supply 500 images on CD for ... (God, I feel sick just saying this...) ... £200!! "Are you sure that's a professional?" I asked her. "Oh yes.." she said "I seen her work and she done some luvly wedding photos.." Ah, I don't feel so sick now! Not as sick as she'll feel in 40 years, anyway!...

No flash in the pan ..

Bloody hell, the writing was on the wall there for a while but I have some good news! I'm going to be able to keep StudioFiveFour going for at least the next three months! Hurrah! Yes, things have panned out favourably, and I'll now be able to complete a full year at my 'base'. That's a weight off my mind, I can tell you!
Just got to convince people to come in for a portrait, now!..

Today's little 'shadow' picture comes from the Imperial War Museum North, where I was shooting a dinner last week. There I was - Three Camera O'Neill - caught in the spotlight, and it was only when I looked at the picture again I realised one of the cameras looked - well, a little bit odd! Leave it out, it's only my flash!..

Sounds good, looks good ..

I've launched a new FaceBook site to promote my music photography and see if I can 'shift some units'! Sounds Good, Looks Good is what I've called it, and now begins the process of getting it known about the place! I'm offering A4 fine-art inkjets for just £25, and hope that might be tempting to a lot of music fans around the world...

The end of the line? ..

I'm thinking of closing down the studio!

I know it sounds like an April Fool but, sadly, it isn't!
The line I didn't want to write is right there, and it's no joke.

It hasn't worked, basically. Not enough people have come in to be photographed. I hate to say it, I'm sad to say it, I'm even embarrassed to say it, but there you have it. The time, or the place .. or both .. just weren't right for the opening of a new Photographic Studio. But, hey, I gave it a go and now seems the right time to stop chucking dosh at something that doesn't chuck any back! Bottom line is, people are taking their own shots on their phones and, as far as they're concerned... that will do! Amusingly, though, there has been a flurry of interest in the place in just the past few days. Two phone calls have come in asking if .. I could offer an apprenticeship or an opportunity for work-experience, and another two calls have come in asking if .. I'd donate portrait sittings for charity! Ha! Well thank you for the interest in my studio! The crazy thing about raffle prizes is that, when I've given donations in the past, even the winners haven't bothered to come in for their portrait, so what does that tell you about the state of portrait photography in this country?

Anyway - hey ho - I won't go on about it 'cos it might still not happen - just trying to negotiate on the rent and all that kind of thing - but, if nothing comes off and interest doesn't pick up immensely in the next 30 days then that will be the end of that, and StudioFiveFour will bite the bullet in four weeks. I'll have reached the end of the line...

News just in: I've spotted a gap in the market! Now that StudioFiveFour is threatened with closure, I'd like to introduce you to Martin O'Neill, the Culcheth-based photographer who would just love to come round to your place for that all-important family shoot. Book him now on 07860 792660. All aboard...