Hollin a day's work ..

Time to load up the wheels and head off for my last Wedding Fayre of the year. I'm at Hollin Hall Country House Hotel from 10 'til 3 today and I'm pleased to say I am now the only photographer they recommend ..

See ya there?..

On fire ..

Autumn is here and the foliage is ablaze.
Shame we can't throw the litter louts on it ..

Dancing Queen ..

I had a lovely day yesterday, shooting PR at a 'Retirement Village' for its new brochure and website. I needed a volunteer to pose for a photograph and up stepped Iris, a lovely lady with gorgeous twinkly eyes and the energy of a 15 year old. When I photographed her on a fitness machine I actually had to ask her to slow down! Next time I saw her she was boogying to Abba with the keep-fit class, and then I spotted her dancing around the dining room with one of the other residents. She never stopped! Ironically, I'd no sooner written yesterday's blog about 'growing old' when I was asked if I'd be interested in playing 'Walking Football'. Ye Gods, I'll bet they wouldn't dare ask Iris!..

No country for old men ..

I'm being put in an old folks' home today. Man, I hope I get out alright! I am, of course, only going to take PR photographs - I'm shooting a new brochure for a Sheltered Housing scheme near Preston - but the way, at 56 years old, that I'm bombarded by 'old person' spam you'd think I was about to hang up my camera for good ..

'Cash your pension'; Try this new Walk-In bath'; join this leisure cruise for the over 55s; take this new arthritic joint supplement ...

Just eff off will ya! I'm 56, not 76! I've already been playing the UK Subs on iTunes this morning, for goodness sake!..

Truth be told, I like being this 'old'. I feel I've done stuff. I feel I know stuff, and I sure as hell know I've got lots 'left in me' .. as they say. I just spend a bit more on Deep Heat. That's all!...

*Today's picture is another from my archive - taken when I was 'young'! I was tempted to put it on Facebook, captioned 'Two more children escape from the Calais jungle ' .. but I didn't!

Word of mouth ..

An old pal of mine is setting up as a 'Bespoke' Wedding celebrant, and asked me for a quote to put into her first blog. My heady advice was that couples planning a Wedding shouldn't get "too worked up" and  .. oh, you can read the rest yerself! Very pleased that she thought of me, though, and I wish her well in her new venture ..

Maybe I'll get to recommend her in return when I do my next Wedding Fayre. On Sunday I'll be at Hollin Hall, near Macclesfield, for my last event of the year. I'm now the only photographer that the hotel recommends, and very much hope that brings in the bookings for next year. There's nothing better than good old 'word of mouth' ..

Straight outta me Jim-Jams ..

I was barely out of my Jim-Jams this morning before the phone had rung and I was booked for a shoot with 'People's Tenor' Russell Watson. I burst into song immediately. Something is going on in the world of PR, and I like it!..

I'll be the first to admit that my PR work has taken a dive over the years, I guess because I was focused on my Wedding and studio photography. Just lately, though, it's really been on the up and I'm thrilled. I mentioned on Friday how much I love this kind of work - how I thrive on being in control and thinking on my feet. In actual fact it's no different to Wedding photography, except that modern Wedding photography has become so stereotyped and similar that it's .. oh, don't get me started on that! No, the scope for creativity is fantastic .. nay, expected .. when you work for a PR client. I've just got to get meself a few more of 'em! Perhaps I should send them this montage of work I've shot since September.
Now there's an idea ..

Thunderbirds are go ..

I had a great day yesterday, working for ITV to promote their new series of 'Thunderbirds'. A fleet of taxis will drive around Manchester this weekend, promoting the show with branding all over their doors, and the idea of the shoot was to get that message across to the local press. I worked with five of the 'Thundercabs', photographing them first at the iconic 'Rovers Return' pub on Coronation Street, and then in front of the spectacular entrance to the mecca of shopping that is Trafford Centre ..

I absolutely love being in charge of a PR shoot like this - having to come up with angles and poses, positioning and lighting - all on my own, from a standing start and all at breakneck speed to get the shots out to the press.
All that, and I got to meet 'Virgil' too ..
FAB!...

Twang!!..

I guess you're asking for it when you wear bright orange braces but I do feel sorry for this groom. His new bride just couldn't resist giving them a twang. Click on the shots and look at the pain on the poor guy's face. Yowch!!..

No pain for me, as I have another fantastic PR diary this week. So far I've shot accountants - no jokes, please - an Insurance company, a literature festival, and a library closure protest meeting. And today? Thunderbirds are go! I'm at Granada Studios to shoot the launch of the new kids' TV programme, involving branded taxi cabs and the Rovers Return. Twang!!...   

The year rolls on ..

The shots from last week's conference are in the post to the client and I can finally take a moment to show you a flavour of the event. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, and hope I've impressed enough to get the booking for next year's shebang. One regular booking I do get is already looming in the calendar, and it won't be long before I'm heading off again to the NEC in Birmingham for the annual Motorcycle Show ..

Trouble is, once I've shot that job, I always feel it's downhill to Christmas, and I can't believe I'm already advertising gift vouchers and portrait sessions as suitable gifts. Just where has the year gone?..





   

Ta ra, chuck ..

I met Jean Alexander once - at a Kevin Cummins' exhibition at Salford's Viewpoint photography gallery - and I wore this actual t-shirt for the occasion. Eeeeh, our Stan .. she gave me such a dirty look when she saw it, and wouldn't pose with me for a photograph. Perhaps she wasn't happy about her image being used like that - who knows? Anyway, like my meeting with Victoria Wood, it's a slightly unpleasant memory that sticks with me as another of our 'heroes' bites the dust. By sheer coincidence, I'm booked for a PR shoot at the 'new' Coronation Street next week and, although she was never based there, I'm going to use the visit to say a formal 'Ta ra' to 'our Hilda' ...

Over the moon ..

Back ache, sore legs, 1818 images to edit .. and a bloody great sense of a job well done now that I'm back from covering a conference at The Lowry in Salford. Fantastic keynote speakers, a brilliant dinner with the surprisingly hilarious Steve "Interesting" Davis - who even knew he swears? - and a fascinating insight into a side of business I don't usually deal with. Then, just when I thought I'd finished work on Wednesday night, I saw this fantastic view on the walk back to the hotel. One of my clients, The Imperial War Museum North, reflected in the moonlit waters of Salford Quays so, tripod up, gear out and a chilly 20 minutes waiting for the cloud to disappear just long enough to catch this.
Click the pic for a better view. Man, I love my job ..  

Leave it out ..

Looks like we're set for a wonderfully colourful autumn, with the leaves already showing some fantastic shades of yellow and red. I'm minded of the one time I went to The States in 'The Fall' .. when I visited a pen-pal (yes, it was that long ago) in New Hampshire and got to see the trees in all their glory. The countryside was breath-taking although, as you can see from today's shot, the leaves in the city didn't let their concrete surroundings stop them coming up with the goods too ..

Landscape photography is way down on my list of photographic faves though. A tree on a hill? Big deal! Give me PR and people every time. I'll be in my element tonight when I cover a dinner that will kick off a conference I'm photographing tomorrow. A late night, and an early start tomorrow morning, mean I'm being put up in a hotel by the client, and they've sent me two full A4 sheets of shots they want me to get during the event. Obviously don't want me to 'leave' anything out!..

(See what I did there?..)   

Crowd scenes and close-ups ..

I had a couple of lovely photo-shoots at the 'studio' over the weekend, including one with these two cheeky chappies and one with a crowd-scene of 23 family members. Both were a case of shoot, shoot, shoot. I kept on shooting with these two 'cos they, together with their 10 week old brother, just would not keep still .. and I kept shooting 'cos, with 23 people on one group shot, there's always going to be someone who blinks on any given shot. Thank the Lord for digital, eh?..

A few interesting PR jobs in the diary this week, including a shoot at a refurbished hotel, a job at the Manchester Literature Festival and a conference that involves so much work that the client has booked me a room at the same hotel as all the delegates .. and it's only in Salford! Something tells me I won't be writing a blog that day ..

Crossing the line ..

People ask me if I still photograph gigs and the answer, I'm afraid, is no. Ok, I might shoot a few snaps when I go to see someone, but nothing that you'd call 'professional'. Probably because I don't actually go to many gigs anymore. There aren't any new bands that I like, and I hate to sit through a gig when it's somebody I don't like. The main reason though, is access. Three songs and you're out. That's all a pro snapper is given these days. None of that hanging around and walking on the stage like I did with Joy Division. I hate the way groups are kept so separate from the fans - those big metal barriers that say 'Stay away' from us ..

Today's shot is from the gig I went to in London a couple of weeks ago. Believe it or not a steward told me to 'get back behind the line' when I was standing thus that Saturday. Rock 'n roll? I think it died and went to Health and Safety school ..

London Portraits ..

Busy day in London yesterday, shooting PR portraits before the inauguration of a new firm of financial advisors. As luck would have it they were all deep in a meeting by mid-afternoon, giving me some time to wander over to the William Eggleston 'Portraits' exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. That's a lot of portraits for one day ..

Couple of grumbles, if I may. Virgin Trains' coffee machine was broken on the train down. No coffee! Can you imagine? Then, on the way back, the 'tilting' bit of their tilting Pendolino trains broke too, meaning we couldn't do top speed and ran late. No tilt! Can you imagine? Buck up, Virgin ..

So now, a day of editing before two more PR shoots tomorrow. This time they're in Manchester. No coffee or tilting required .. 

Darn Sarf ..

Off to London today for a corporate PR shoot at a firm of solicitors. According to the brief I'm to photograph every member of staff as they gather for a meeting at their new offices. The meeting starts at 2.30 and they're arriving for their photos at ... 2pm!! Sounds a bit like buses. You wait all day for one, and 15 turn up at the same time ..

Which brings me nicely to today's photograph. A long row of London buses, lined up in front of a hotel in .. Sri Lanka! I was over in Colombo to cover the Viraj Mendez story - and if you can't remember him then don't worry, nobody else can, either! Anyway, I came out of the hotel one morning to find all these iconic red double-deckers lined up on the green. It was one of the most gob-smacking double-takes I've ever done. Apparently, they'd been shipped over to join the ranks of public transport in Sri Lanka. I just had to take a photo. Aldgate East please, guvnor ..

Oh, la la ..

Another great weekend ticked off! We flew to Paris on Friday - as you do - then had our hire car upgraded to a Jag for a drive down to the Charentes region of France ..

Oh, and then we bought a Gîte!!..

I know! Unbelievable! Our heads are still spinning, although that might be from steering that swanky Jag down the Périphérique in the rain on Saturday night after our 550 mile jaunt. Anyway, if you're thinking of a French gîte holiday next year then we can help. Get in touch for details, and watch this space for more news ..

Oh, la la ..