Bowled over ..

Crikey, blimey, it seems yesterday's Wedding really was all about the numbers, 'cos I put a version of this shot on my Facebook page last night and by this morning it had been viewed by .. 710 people!! 'Owzat?!..

Yes, yesterday's Wedding was an absolute cracker and I'm pleased to say that it all worked out fabulously, despite the long distances between all the venues. We got to Heaton House Farm in plenty of time though, and the highlight of the day had to be the impromptu game of cricket that 'broke out' between the bride and groom, which made some great shots as Jen faced up to the bowling of her new husband as she went in to bat! Two PE teachers, you see! Now that really is a marriage of two halves!

Congratulations, guys .. you bowled me over!

#culchethportraitstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Dat's what I'm talkin' about ..

I feel brilliant today! If I were in a film right now I'd be on a sunlit patio on a Tuscan hillside, leaning back from a wine-laden table after a hearty, healthy meal. I'd smile smugly, wave my cigar at the scenery and say - in a gruff Bronx Gangster accent - "Now dat's what I'm talkin' about!..."

You see - and I'm sorry if you're just about to spend all day in an office - it's a glorious summer's morning, with clear blue skies and the sun already warm .. and I'm off to shoot a Wedding at Peckforton Castle. A gorgeous couple, a happy crowd, an amazing backdrop and three sizzling Nikons! Oh .. and I get paid, as well! Now dat's what I'm talkin' about!

The writing's on .. the windows!

Bloody hell, that's handy...

The unit that is now StudioFiveFour used to be a cake shop and my friend Gail, the owner, had some opaque transfers made to cover a couple of the windows. They list a variety of events for which she makes cakes .. Weddings, Birthdays, Corporate Events, Christenings .. and so on! You seeing a theme here? Yes sirreeee, they're exactly the kinds of things I shoot as a photographer! It's like the screens were specifically designed .. for me! How lucky is that?

Of course, it's behind those screens that the magic happens, dudes! Curiosity is getting the word out there now, and I've already had both the third portrait enquiry and my third Wedding enquiry since I opened. Actually, make that my first Wedding booking from the studio! A lovely couple called Victoria and Mike came in yesterday evening to have a chat, and booked me there and then for their Wedding next year. Well, when I say next year, I mean in 421 days and twenty hours! That's how long it was as of last night until their Wedding. Vix has an app on her phone that's merrily counting down until the Big Day! Bloody hell, that's handy..

#culchethportraitphotography

About time! ..

Well, there you go! I have my first studio shoot in the bag, and how appropriate that its subject was longevity! It's a picture of a friend of mine with his Grandad's Grandad's pocket watch .. a reassuring symbol that I'm in this for the long haul! (Or am I just reading too much into all of this!?) Anyway, felt great to be working lights, moving backdrops, directing 'models' .. oh, yes .. me likey lots .. and good to know that this shot has had no photoshop trickery thrown at it at all. It's just pure lighting and angle! Ace! Speaking of longevity, I also had a 'walk-in' Wedding enquiry yesterday .. for 2015! Cool! Oh, by the way, you can see a couple of shots of the studio here, and there's a really groovy fact about the it that .. oh, I'll tell you tomorrow .. haven't got time now! 

#culchethportraitphotography

Cor, blimey ..

Yesterday's Wedding had it all .. thunder, lightning, torrential rain, a crash that blocked the motorway to the reception .. and a flood at the venue once we got there! Oh, and a deliriously happy couple who didn't give a hoot about what was going on 'cos it was their Wedding Day! Big cheers to Ian and Dee, who smiled all day and even treated me to a pint of the black stuff once we'd got our shots done! Don't be fooled by that spot of blue sky in the photo, by the way. That was just a scudding gap in the clouds before the monsoon set in again! Looks like more of the same, too, as I head off to Willington Hall this morning for Julie and Sean's Big Day. Fear not! I shall rise to the challenge! Mine's a Guinness..

Do you blog?..

Further to my ramblings about the Google ranking system and how to get yourself up it, I was chatting to a new chap at badminton last night who turned out to be a 'senior IT consultant'  (That was handy!) I asked him if he knew anything about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) "A little .. " he said, self-effacingly, so I asked him if he knew how I could get my website higher up the search pages. "What is it you do?" he asked. "Photography!.." I said. "Ah, ok.." he nodded "So do you change the pictures on your site very often.." "Oh, yes.." I said "In fact, I just changed the front page this very day..."


He thought for a moment... "Do you actually submit the site to search engines?"
"I do, indeed" I said "And I use Google Adwords, albeit at a very low budget"
"And are you on Facebook?"
"Oh, yes, of course.." I said "I have a specific Facebook page for StudioFiveFour"
"And Pinterest, Flickr, etc...?"
"Yes, I use all of those.." I said "and Tumblr"
"And you Tweet?"
"I tweet"
He scratched his cheek and twirled his badminton racket as we waited for our turn on the court. "Ah, well..." he said, breaking into a smile "What you need to do is to write a blog!.."

Oh, bugger....

Next..

Ding, ding! Round Two, and after a fantastic Wedding yesterday I'm up and off for an early start on today's! I'm at Willington Hall, one of my favourite venues, and the weather looks amazing. Oh, the joy of being able to say "Everybody into the shade, please!"...

Past and future..

I can't wait for tomorrow's Wedding! It's in a tent .. in a field .. with wellies and a VW camper .. and guests camping in their own tents behind the main teepee! Far out, man! How cool is that? Actually, probably freezing, and I'll bet we'll need those wellies, looking at the weather forecast! But it's like I always say to my brides and grooms .. I've never yet seen the weather spoil a Wedding Day for a couple. Book your date and go for it. No-one can tell the future...

I can't wait for tomorrow's gig! It's at The Ritz .. with punks .. and a 10pm curfew! Aw, aren't they considerate, those venue managers? Ten pm, last song, and then all us ageing punks can catch the last bus home and be in bed with our Horlicks by 11pm. Horlicks .. and probably Deep Heat, smeared on our achy legs after an evening of trying to relive our pogoing, energetic past..

I can't wait to tell you my exciting news! But, alas, I'll have to .. as it's still not happened! God, will it ever? Oh, I wish I could tell the future...

Pretty flowers..

And so it's off to the gallery again, this time to hang images from my Florescence series of flowers and leaves. No time to be a diva for this one, though, as I'm just one part of a group showing. I'll be interested to see what other work will be gracing the walls around mine. Don't worry, darlings, I'm not going to get all precious on them and demand a five foot 'barrier' of white wall between my work and theirs, or insist that their pictures all face the back wall! Although, actually that sounds ..      no, maybe not!

I'll report back on my fellow exhibitors once I've seen the work, and then you'll get your chance when the exhibition opens on Saturday.

Catch ya later, flower...

Glamorous cameras, clickety click!..

This photograph brought a little amusement to a chilly week when I posted it on Facebook and asked people if they could identify the cameras. (Hey, why don't you click the link and join my group whilst you're at it!) These are the actual bodies I used to shoot a lot of my Twelve for '13 archive and they all still work, apart from the Olympus XA at the front (Oops, gave that one away there!) Well, it's still chilly but I don't think that's going to put people off from coming down for the second of my Saturdays at Eccles Community Art Gallery. So many people have expressed an interest, and I know they're going to love it when they visit. The Gallery are saying on their website that it's the most popular exhibition they've ever had, and it's only been on a week! Wow! Anyway, just before I head down there, the other cameras are a Zentih EM and a Yashica 124G. So now you know, but let's see if anyone knows where today's Blog title comes from...

Jobs a good 'un..

I'm not usually one for trite 'isms' but one that seems to hold fast is 'Be true to yourself'. I'll come clean and tell you that a quote from that Steve Jobs speech is pinned to my wall, with good ol' Jobbsy staring at me with a challenging frown.

"Have the courage.." he implores me "To follow your heart and intuition"

So why mention this? Well, after a dry spell for enquiries, it's suddenly been a good week for Wedding bookings this week, with three in already by last evening. The thing is - and I've asked them - every one of those couples has gone with me because they like my no-nonsense style. They like the relaxed, informal, genuine approach I offer them, with none of the current sickly style for turning everyone's Wedding into a hammily-staged, time-consuming, purple and yellow, sun-flared, backlit, unsmiling, serious fashion shoot!

However, I'm like everyone else. I keep a close watch on trends, styles and subtle changes in the Wedding Photography market, and every now and again I'll get a little niggle in my head. Should I shoot for the Vintage 'trend'? Should I 'photoshop' every picture to within an inch of its life. Should I seperate the bride and groom from their whole Wedding for an hour's heavy-duty posing? And then it comes back to me. No, I shouldn't! I'm basically a Press Photographer! I shoot reality. I've shot reality since I first took up photography in 1973, so reality is what I'll stick with. Like these punks, who got 'volunteered' to hold my reflector when they were sitting drinking lager under the tree I wanted to use for my pictures, I'll be true to my own values and 'my' market will come to me!

So Cheers Jobbsy, Cheers punks, Cheers you lovely, lovely couples ..

Quick, March!..

I know, I'm so literal, aren't I? Hey, any excuse to show you another shot from my archive, though I think this one was definitely influenced by a photo by Elliott Erwitt - the one with the soldiers marching and the black guy sticks his tongue out? - You know that one? Anyway, I reckon this shot's about 35 years old now, so many of these boys have long since been men, and probably have children of their own. The idea of documenting the past was the theme of a talk I went to last night by the renowned British photographer Daniel Meadows. He travelled around the UK in an old bus in 1973/4 and photographed 'The British' in towns and cities up and down the kingdom and then, 25 years later, re-visited some of the same places to try to find and re-photograph some of his subjects. It was a lovely talk, accompanied by some great short films and a cool rendition of 'Summer Holiday' by Cliff Richard (Don't ask!) I love the fact that by simply taking a photograph - any photograph, of anything - you're instantly capturing history. I even feel like that when I shoot a Wedding. For example, I'll take a few shots of a bride, nervously waiting at a church door, and then, whoosh, off she goes up the aisle, and that moment - yes, with its nerves - but also with its record of fashions, hair-styles, current trends - is gone, and gone forever without a photograph. Hmmm... Maybe I should go back to Eccles to try to find some of people I photographed in the seventies?

Give me a break?..

Yeah, gimme a break! Turns out one of the four photographers at the Wedding Fayre this weekend was actually .. a fireman .. and I'm not going to say another word about that! Not one! Not a dicky bird! Schtum! ...

All in all it it turned out to be not a very good fayre, and very few actual Wedding couples came through the store the whole weekend. I ended up giving out a mere five business cards on Sunday! Pretty bad, huh? Still, every cloud has a silver lining, and I had a nice chat with a photography student who told me all about how she shows her Wedding photographs (No comment here, either!) on Flickr. Lightbulb moment! I'll hold my hands up and say that I've never thought of putting my Wedding photographs on Flickr. Everything else, yes .. flowers, documentary work, travel, gloves and poo .. but never my Weddings .. So, guess what I spent last evening doing? They look good, too!..

Wacky..

.. that's what I was called yesterday! And that from a young couple who'd just decided to book me for their Wedding Photography! (Hi, Sam 'n Steve!) It made my day! Wacky, quirky, off-beat .. you can call me that all day long! Hey, who wants boring? I love being recognised for having a slightly off-kilter way of looking at things, and it really gives me a buzz when I get to shoot a Wedding for people on the same wavelength as I am. I guess that's the only thing I can't get across to a couple when they come to see me about their Big Day .. the fun I have when I shoot their Wedding! My laid-back attitude really helps to unlock the nerves of a Wedding Day and that, over the years, has translated into thousands of relaxed, happy photographs and hundreds of delighted newly-weds! Now, why wouldn't you want that?

Treated myself to a second pint of the black stuff yesterday afternoon, as Sam 'n Steve's Wedding was just one of two bookings I picked up in about ten minutes flat! Both for next year, too, so things are looking good for the big Thirteen! Crazy!...

Window of opportunity...

Come on! Don't be afraid to show your age! It reminds you of Play School, doesn't it? Today, Kate's shoes will be coming through.. the round window!

This shot's a great lesson in spot-metering because, by taking a reading from the shoes, I've massively over-exposed the glamorous back-drop of .. Bradford Bus Station! Teaching people how to think about things like that is part of my new Shoot 'n Tutor photo-session. Try it for £50!!

So, throwing in the towel.... I now know of three photographers/studios who have sadly had to call it a day. As my pal, another snapper, said to me the other day .. "They didn't throw in the towel, they had the towel thrown at them!" .. Jeezo, times are hard!

Not so bad...

Oh, well...things ain't so bad now I've found that I can still actually write my blog from this pesky machine, so.....

Had a great Wedding on Saturday.. Kate and Andy at the Great Victoria Hotel in Bradford. Lovely interior, which is just as well,'cos it was bloody freezing outside! I'd started the day on a high anyway, as one of my Wedding photographs has just been published in Professional Photographer magazine  - you know me and my little ego-boosts! - but the whole day just got better and better. It was challenging, rushed, emotional, happy, fun.. and my shots capture it all. Now I just have to wait to get a working Mac, and I can actually edit the 852 shots...!

Got to tell you about a rather amusing Freudian slip my mate made on Friday night. He asked me how things were in the world of "PhotographRy.." Free? The way the fees are falling it's starting to feel like it, ho ho.....

Good times on the horizon...

I pride myself in offering a really good selection of photographs when I shoot a Wedding, but must admit to getting a lovely, warm feeling when a new bride-to-be told me she was booking me for her Wedding because she was going for "quality over quantity"! And that on the same day another couple said they loved my "unique" style and could they come and see me, rapido!!

After what, by normal standards, has been quite a slow start to the year, there are real glimmers of better days ahead. My Wedding bookings are really picking up the pace, with lots coming in for next year now, and I've just been put forward as the photographer on a potential long-term construction project. I have my own exhibition running at the moment, of course, and the planning for my very own Wedding Fayre is coming along nicely, with yet another new addition to the exhibitors yesterday. On top of that, my Shoot 'n Tutor sessions are now up and running, with a new price of just £65 for an in-depth two-hour session with your's truly! All that, and my first Wedding of the year tomorrow! Ain't that grand?...

Put out to grass...

This picture's so funny! I found it on that CD of images I was given when I was designing a banner for Decadence Cars. It shows the lovely bride Julia walking down the path of the church with the best man - I'm not starting any rumours here, by the way! - but lo.. what is that strange sight in the background?

Why, 'tis I, up my ladder, apparently taking a picture of the lawn!

I've been captured setting up for my trademark 'Big Group' shot, the result of which you can see below...  That lawn's much better with a bunch of people on it, eh?

Brings tears to your eyes...

 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 for a landmark moment in one's career? For the first time, as far as I know, I'm actually older than the M.O.B! (Mother of the Bride!) Well, I think that'll silence all my mates, who think I spend every minute of a Wedding chatting up the bridesmaids and it's a sign that, now that I'm in my 34th year as a Photographer, it's not just digital that's changing things! Brings tears to your eyes...

Some good news! I'm organising my own Wedding Fayre! It's going to be at The Raven Inn, in Glazebury, near Warrington, on March 25th, and I'm planning to get 'one of everything' together in the one place on the day. Obviously, that won't take much doing, as my list of Wedding suppliers is long and varied so it's rather amusing, then, that another photographer has already asked how they can take part in the Fayre! You can't! It's mine! Go away! Jeez! Brings tears to your eyes.....

Feel the Benefit...

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 fines me £100 if my tax return's a single day late! Thank you, Great Britain. God Bless you! Where do I send the cheque?

Now, of course I realise there has to be a place for income support - I was on the dole myself for a few weeks when I got made redundant in 1982 - but for goodness sake, when 'they' class poverty as a kid not having his or her own bedroom! Oh, come on !!!!!!!!

Deep breath! Hey! Hi, dear reader! Thanks for checking in, and if you're reading this from outside the UK then this rant might not mean a lot, so I apologise, and let's get back to photography. Here's another shot of Eccles from my Olympus XA box. I felt it fitted with today's topic and, is it just me, or does that lady look like The Queen?

"Oh, Gawd, Phil! We've been rumbled!.."