Up the wall ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a new exhibition in our local library. Sounds grand but, in truth, it's only because of a last-minute, stop-gap request from the lady who runs the place, who'd happened to see my some of my Florescence flower photography. "Can you put some up for the summer?" she asked. "Happily," I replied. "Just try and stop me." (I didn't really say that. I don't know how to say it in French, but you get the idea!) It was lovely to be asked though, and so here they are, for the whole month of August, in a little library in our quiet corner of France. The good news is they've asked me to exhibit again in October .. a 'proper' exhibition this time, with a vernissage - or opening night - and invited guests. I'll be showing my 70s/80s black and white documentary work from Manchester, and I hope you can make to one or both of the shows .. 

(One for the anoraks .. all the flowers in my collection were photographed on a Mamiya 645 medium format camera using Fuji Provia 100 transparency film.)

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 ..

No flies on me ..

Well, that's 55 ticked off and I've got a whole year to get used to the idea now! Back to the coal-face today and the hard graft that is ... well .. photographing flowers for my Florescence series! I know! Tough life! Anyway, I was busy spotting one of my shots of a holyhock this morning when I 'spotted' a greenfly hiding underneath one of its leaves! Reminded me straight away of the flower-girl I photographed with a greenfly on her nose! Perhaps that should be my new project!
You can click on the pix to enlarge 'em! ..

Off for a meeting later with a company who want me to shoot their new website photography for them. Probably involve a whole day in a factory, so I doubt there'll be an aphid, greenfly or ant in sight. Still, when it comes to corporate photography, there are no flies on me ..

Roll away the years ..

Go on! Ask me about The Tubes! Go on, 'cos I'm dying to tell you!..

I went to see them on their 40th anniversary tour on Saturday night and they were .. fantastic! Forty years on and - oh, boy - the lads have still got it! Admittedly it was, as Lesley said, a bit like a Saga Holiday coach outing - and that includes the audience! - but I don't think I've ever before seen such joy on the face of a performer! The lead singer Fee Waybill just couldn't stop smiling and laughing and joking with us all. It was superb! Forty years? Man, they just rolled away ..

Anyway, excitement over and back to normal again. As usual in August, work has dropped off a little so, as I mentioned the other day, I've finally had some time to start shooting new work for my Florescence collection. These are the first digital images I've shot for it, and it amazes me now to think I photographed every single image before this on film! Yep, colour trannie, Mamiya 645 with extension tubes and a lot of coloured paper! Up close and personal with plants again, though ..
man the years just rolled away ..  

Bloomin' lovely ..

After yesterday's doom and gloom a little brightness has cheered me up, in the form of a few gorgeous flowers from my garden. Yes folks, I've finally got round to shooting some new additions to my Florescence series, and about time, too .. half the flowers have already gone over!..

On that point, and to hark back to yesterday - Oh, if you have to, Martin! - I am starting to panic a little about our great British summer. Or, should I say, the lack of it! Another few weeks and that'll be it done! To be honest, in my mind I'm practically already in 2016, talking to brides about their Wedding plans for next year! Hey, maybe I could grow their bouquets for them? Bloomin' great idea!..

No it isn't, Martin! Just stick to your photography ..

Planting an idea...

I'm working on a really exciting new development of my Florescence Flower Photography series. It's quite a departure, and I'm really buzzing with the excitement of it all. It boils down to this ... I'm not just going to be selling my Flower Photography on its own, I'm going to be able to start supplying the actual plants as well! Cool, eh? So you buy a plant, such as an anemone or a gladiolus, and it comes in a funky coloured pot with a free greetings card showing a genuine photographic print of the actual flower your plant will produce! Brilliant! It's called my 'Presently .. ' range, which is the play on words of present, as in gift, and presently, as in what your plant will eventually look like! (I was up all night thinking that one up!) So, what do you think? Would it be of interest to you? The prices are great, and the photography - he said, modestly - is brilliant!

Feedback appreciated....