Hand out ..

Here we are, folks! This is one of the earliest of my photographs - as early as any I can find in my archive, anyway. It was taken in Foxhill Road, in about 1974, on a Kodak Instamatic 126. I think you can see a certain nascent creativity there, ho ho! Certainly this was my first encounter with parallax error, as you can see that what was seen through the lens is slightly different to what I saw through the viewfinder! It's ok, though, I got the hang of that over the next 34 years!

Well, the exhibition is going swimmingly, even getting over 100 visitors on the cold, rainy, snowy Saturday we've just had. It's such fun to be there, listening to the tales and memories the images evoke. What I need now, though, is for the archive to be seen as a 'photographic' project rather than a collection of 'old photographs'. I certainly think that will become more evident once the gallery show finishes and Twelve for '13 gets going over the next year. I've picked the worst time to be trying to get a book published from it, though. There isn't a budget to be had from anyone, and the books are far too expensive (unfortunately) to self-publish .. unless anyone's got a spare thousand quid they can lend me?

So here's my idea ..

I'm going to be honest with you! My Florescence range of Flower and Plant Photography hasn't quite taken off the way I'd hoped it would! Oh, for sure, people love the pictures, and if I could dine out on compliments alone I'd weigh forty-five stone but, in these straitened times, folks are reluctant to put their hands in their pockets for photography.

So .. I've decided to give 'em the flowers as well! I make no apology for re-blogging it, but I've designed a range called "Presently.." as a way to push the photography by selling something people percieve as more 'value for money' .. the plants! People who buy from the range will also receive a free blank greetings card with a photograph on it of the actual kind of flower that will 'presently' appear from their pot! See what I did there? Bloody plantastic idea, I'm sure you'll agree!

Now I know timing is everything, and it is a little late in the season to be selling this sort of thing, but at least the plants all come from bulbs, which will over-winter with no problem and be ready to go come next May. So there ya go! My new idea! Eat yer 'eart out, Titchmarsh!...

Turn on, tune in, drop out....

What's the best thing on the radio these days? The OFF switch! Hahahahaha.....
Honestly, I've had enough! I can't stand it anymore! I've had it up to here with Adele and Lady Antebellum, and DJs that just have to tell us they "Really like that song.." and Davina Bleedin' McCall buying shampoo that's been tested on "British hair".. (What??!!) ... and Scottish people telling me that the Co-op is "Gerd with Ferd" and, and....Aaaaagh!!!!  So yeah, the off-switch is on as far as the radio is concerned, and I'm back to playing cassettes of old John Peel shows from the 80's... Ah, that's better!

Sorry, folks! This has all come about because I emailed one of my PR shots of Johnny Mathis to great old Manchester DJ Phil Wood the other day (That's him on the right!) Now HE was good! (Phil, not Johnny! Sorry Johnny!) He was funny, informative, entertaining and, more to the point, he worked in an era when the bloody music was worth listening to! Like wise James H Reeve, Phil Sayer et al.....

These days the DJs, the ads, the music.. it all just plops off the end of the corporate drip pipe and washes down the gutter of "modern" entertainment! Well, they've lost a listener here, folks, and erm.. I actually do like Johnny Mathis! Now where did I put my pipe and slippers?

Get the point?..

Had my PR head on this morning for a cool photo-shoot with a big firm of solicitors, but the office was a little lacking in props, to say the least! So, what did I do? I used the shadow from the window-frame to make an interesting picture, that's what! (It was about the one shot when I wasn't actually complaining about the gorgeous bright sunshine!) Oh, and by the way, this is full-frame, too.. not a crop in sight .. and for me that's what keeps photography so interesting and exciting - the never-ending search for the next good shot and, if you'll forgive my arty arrogance, the ability to see it/create it/shoot it properly. So, stick that in your pipe and smoke it, you £300 Weekend Wedding Wallies.....  Get the point?

The double-edged sword..

Not a complaint, just an observation!
Digital Photography is amazing, and it's made photographers of us all!  Wrong!
Digital Photography is amazing, and it's made us all capable of getting a photograph that will turn out ok!    Right!
So, I set up a shot of a Bride & Groom signing their register, and (Sigh) in the 'old' days might hope to sell the odd reprint or two of the moment. Not so these days! Look at this shot. There are six people in this frame alone, taking their own version of 'my' shot, and I say 'taking' because I've done the 'making' of it! The shot just didn't happen! That's what couples need to remember when their pal with 'a good camera' offers to do their Wedding Photography.
They'll find they're going to get Wedding 'Snaps', not Wedding Photography.
Hm, ok! Maybe a bit of a complaint...

Me, me, me...

More self-indulgence, and today we go for 'A day in the life of a working photographer'! These are recent shots of me, taken just twelve hours apart, Firstly, I was covering an awards dinner with 720 guests one evening, but fortunately still found a spare table on which to stand to get a picture of the room, and then, next morning, I went all high-viz and steel toe-caps to shoot the installation of that rather large 'thing' you can see behind me. I'll blog some photographs of what I was shooting tomorrow!

The exciting news today is that my Florescence shots have been taken up by an online Photography Gallery, and are being displayed as 'Picture of the day' over the next few days.
Feel free to buy a print! Don't let me stop you!
Check 'em out here!

Finally for today, a text from Saturday's Wedding couple. "Thanks for all your hard work, Martin. You went down a storm!"

Mmmm, feedback! Let's talk about ME!