Which one's witch?..

Hmm.... Hallowe'en or Christmas? Christmas or Hallowe'en? ..

With October on the doorstep I was about to begin a Hallowe'en portrait promotion but then .. well, it's never too early these days to start thinking about Christmas, is it? So, Hallowe'en or Christmas? Well, the decision was made for me yesterday when  I walked into a local supermarket to be confronted with an entire aisle of Hallowe'en gear placed right across the way from rows of Selection boxes, cheese biscuits and Quality Street! Hallowe'en or Christmas? Sod, it! Plug both!..

So, from tomorrow, you can book an appointment for a fun 'Wicked Witch' portrait session for just £20 - including a print - or a full-blown Family Portrait Session and a set of personalised Christmas cards! I've just got to make sure I hide those Easter Bunny ears on the back shelf ..

How Egg-citing...

Happy Easter, everybody! Hope you're shelling out on a few treats for the family - or getting laid! (Tut! Martin....) Anyway, no word of a yoke, it's April Fool's day tomorrow but it's also the day my next Twelve for '13 installment hits the world-wide interwobble, so get that Cadbury's down yer neck and be all ready to log on in the morning! Eggs-act time to be decided!..

Happy Fleaster..

Easter was always a busy time for a press photographer on a local newspaper. The bank holiday kick-started the new season, not only with all the numerous Easter events, but with the rash of Spring fairs, jumble sales and flea markets that were the staple of a young snapper's job sheet in the 70s. Funny to think, now, but there just isn't the space in newspapers anymore to feature that kind of 'street-level' community activity. What a shame! It meant you hadn't had to have committed a crime, or complained about a gas-bill, or had a dispute about a garden fence to get into your local 'paper. Good news was news in those days and, more to the point, covering that sort of event - handfuls every weekend - was great training for a shy 18 year old like me - teaching me how to break the ice with 'the public' and, daft as it sounds, giving me the chance to get my creative juices flowing. After all, it was simply too easy to come away from each jumble sale with the same shot! On that point, I just thought I'd show you this little run of shots from my archive. It's the doorway to a Flea Market in, I think, Flixton, south Manchester. They were actually selling fleas! Only joking! Happy Easter...