And then ..

It's been a photographic roller-coaster of a day today, starting with an overnight e-mail from a gallery in New York telling me one of their clients wanted to buy one of my Joy Division photographs. Great start to a Monday. Then, before I'd even had my cornflakes, I discovered there's a guy selling one of said photographs as a poster on Ebay. Cheeky bastard! Then, I had a meeting at the library in our local town, which has offered me their space for an exhibition of my work in the summer. Great pick-me up! Then, a lab I used to print my work in the UK sent me a shot of an order they'd received. It was for another of my Joy Division prints - and they sent in their own digital file from which to have it printed. A complete and utter rip-off of my work ..

My summer exhibition will be from my Florescence series of flower photographs and I'm so pleased to have been asked to exhibit. In fact, thinking of the show has taken me back to the top of the roller-coaster. I like it up here ..

Flip the bird ..

I'm known around these parts as a professional photographer who offers One-Day Photo-Tuition workshops (Spot the blatant plug!!) .. and one of the things I try to drum into people during their day with me is this: if you see a picture in front of you, then take it. Take it very quickly, and then worry about focus, or exposure, or composition. Just don't let the moment pass ..

Today I was driving into town for three bags of sand. Let's skip why. As soon as I hit the main road I saw the mass take-off of the biggest flock of lapwings I have ever seen. It looked so fantastic that I screeched to a halt, rummaged for my 'phone and shot the one frame you see at the top of this montage. Then I raced back home and grabbed the 500mm ..

Got back, and the birds just sat there. For ages. 'Please' I begged .. 'Just fly near the tractor again. Please!' And did they? No, they didn't. They sat and ate worms .. for ages .. and then waited 'til Tractor Man had buggered off before they took to the air once more ..

Now I understand what it means to 'Flip the bird' ..

(I do believe you'll be given a closer view if you click on the image ..)

By 'eck ..

There was a lovely documentary on TV last night about the great photographer Don McCullin and bugger me if it wasn't exactly 27 years to the day since I met him. He was giving a reading of his new book 'Unreasonable Behaviour' at Waterstone's bookshop on Deansgate in Manchester and, when I went up to get my copy signed, he said "Do you know, you're the first person I've spoken to tonight that's got a Northern accent!"

Fade to grey ..

February, and I take down a cup for my morning brew. Gosh, I say to myself, look how this logo has faded away. Then, coffee in hand, I switch on the Mac and an email informs me that my internet domain name 'Manchester Wedding Photography' is about to lapse. It's now 18 months since I last shot a Wedding in Manchester. I think we can safely say that that part of my life is fading away ..

And in its place?..

Well, I find that I'm now one of those 'semi-retired' types who wonders how the hell I actually managed to fit any work into my life. The best thing is that I finally have more time for my writing, and I'm pleased to say that my second 'book' is now doing the rounds of literary agents. A new part of my life is fading in.
Keep your fingers crossed ..