Unmissable..

I was over in Leeds last night for the launch of two new exhibitions, and had my copy of one of the photographers' books signed whilst I was there. All the talk of books yesterday got me really excited again about mine, and I put a new page online to try to promote them. If you've not heard of them - really? - they're called Don't Miss This and Don't Miss That! THIS is a collection of shots taken in the early 1980s with an Olympus XA, a camera I fell in love with as soon as I saw it advertised in Amateur Photographer, and THAT is very much related to my recent exhibition 'Salford - Down the line' in that it's a set of images taken before I became a professional photographer, so some of the photographs go back to about 1975. THIS has a foreword by Gallery owner and curator Laura Noble, and was actually taken up by the Photographers Gallery and sold in their bookshop in London. I guess I'll never make a fortune from either book, but they've been a real labour of love and it would be great if more people added them to their collections.

Party like it's 1977..

Come on folks, no slowing down now! One more day to go and then real life can resume again! I thought I'd throw in a couple of shots today from the 1977 Silver Jubilee, which we celebrated not as a street-party but as a full-blown 'do' in the nearby school hall. Being just about 17, I took it upon myself to be the official photographer for the event, which meant I got to swank around looking important and, more to the point, got me in the good books of these guys, whose usual interest in me stretched only as far as threatening to beat me up! This weekend's celebrations have certainly put Britain in the spotlight though and, apart from 'Phil the Greek's' bladder problems, I'm really pleased it's all gone to plan. Just the Olympiczzzzz to go now...

Oh, the shots are part of my book 'Don't Miss That', more of which you can see by clicking the link here...

Er, press that one...

So I've finally got a smart-phone! All singing, all dancing, app filled and fantastic! The only thing it doesn't do is make me look smart! I stand over it, squinting at the screen with my spex on my head, slavering with my tongue hanging out, flicking through the screens like some perv with a porn mag and screaming with frustration as menus go flying past me! It's keeping me up at night, too (The phone, not the porn mag!) Emails that my computer just flings straight to the trash ping merrily onto my Samsung at regular intervals through the wee small hours, and I'm sure my electricity bill has doubled with the amount of times I have to charge it! Leave it with me is all I can say! I'll get the hang of it!

So, my picture of ye olde quaint phone box seems an appropriate illustration for today's blog. It's from my 1980's series, Don't Miss That, and it brought up an interesting point. If you look closely you can see the horse's bridle, held by the caller in the phone box, and oooh, it would be so easy these days to simply photoshop that out. If I did that, though, I would completely change the meaning of the photograph. I'd be saying that yes, the horse is queueing to use the phone, which is, of course, completely untrue. As it stands, the reality of it suggests the horse is standing in line, which is so much more funny than simply 'making it' queue there with computer trickery. Grr, I hate photoshopped imagery! Is there an app for that?..

August, already!..

Bejeepers! How did that happen? School holidays already!  
Cue images of more innocent times, of kids climbing trees, playing out until dusk, eating food that didn't have a 'sell-by' date and knowing all the neighbours down your street...Sigh! This shot, and others like it, are part of my 'Don't Miss That' series, available online or as a book...
Packing my wellies now, as my next Wedding is up in The Lake District, so we're going to make a mini-adventure out of it! Can't wait! Not sure I'll be climbing any trees, but there'll be lots of walking and sight-seeing, and it'll have to do as my summer holiday, until the Weddings ease off after Autumn.

Anyway, I now have a dedicated Facebook page for my Wedding Photography, via UK Brides, the website I'm on for brides around the country. Check me out!
Hey, you might even want to 'Like' me...Aw, go on!