Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a tree I pass on my walks and cycle rides, a big old oak I call Gabriel (See what I did there?) It's leafless at the moment, of course, but its rough, gnarled trunk stands solid as ever against the cold and the wind and the weather. How many New Year's days has this proud fellow seen, I wonder. A hundred? Two hundred? And how many more has it got?

One can't help but reflect at this time of year, and it's not escaped my notice that I'll turn 65 in 2025 - an old-aged pensioner before they shifted the retirement age. Time is a'tickin', as they say, and I wonder how many New Year's days I will see before the man with the axe comes to get me? How many .. holy shit! Let's make a New Year's resolution!! Less of the schmaltzy sentimentality, O'Neill. Go get a drink. Happy New Year, everybody. I really do hope it's a good one for you ..

Time to face the New Year ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It's time to face the New Year and, if I have one resolution, it is to read more, as was the plan when we moved to France. I'd spend afternoons - I imagined - in the sun (or by the woodburner!) making my leisurely way through heaps and heaps of books, catching up on titles I'd not yet read and re-reading some of my favourites from the past. Fat chance! I never seem to get a chance. There's always something to do, even if it's something as pointless as writing a blog that gets seen by seven people ..  

That's a wrap ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it .. 

2022, over and done with and on we go. Forward to a year where countries don't fight each other, recessions are reversed, diseases are eradicated, famine and food-waste are things of the past, plastic gets recycled, neighbours smile at each other, common sense makes a reappearance in modern life, the world population starts to decline, green energy becomes the norm, the books I've written get picked up by a major publisher and I don't sit here all day daydreaming over my blog ..

Still, nice to picture, isn't it? And, speaking of pictures, here are my favourites of 2022. Not many shots of people in there, but then I don't seem to photograph people any more. Perhaps that should be my New Year's resolution. Get back into portrait photography. Yes, good idea Martin. Get it sorted ..

In the meantime, thank you for reading my blog, and may I wish you a fantastic New Year full of peace, happiness and whatever it is you might need to put the icing on the cake that is your life ..  

The Digital Decade ..

It seems it's fashionable to look back over the years as we reach the end of another decade, so here goes. (Don't worry, it won't take long ..)

I think I can sum up the past ten years in one word. Digital. And if you need a few more words to go with that then how's about 'Digital Photography ruined my career!' ..

Ten years ago I was riding high as a successful Wedding Photographer. I once topped over fifty bookings in a single year. I started shooting them in the year 2000 after Press and PR work started to die back and, bear in mind, back then (Cue: Old man's voice!) everything was shot on film. I would hoik a bloody big Mamiya RZ67 camera up a ladder to shoot my group shots and get a whole 12 frames before I had to change film. Then, along came digital and all of a sudden (Cue: Cliché) everyone was a bloody photographer ..

Now, put away that violin. I'm not writing this to elicit sympathy. I'm just stating the facts and the fact is that, during the past decade, my career - and the careers of many, many others - was shot out of the sky because of digital technology. Actually, if I was to add another word for my decade it would be 'France', and if you'd like some more words to go with that, then I'll throw in 'I'm such a lucky bastard. Thank God we moved here when we did.' I've even got a Wedding to photograph next month ..

Happy New Year. Happy New Decade. I wonder what I'll be writing in another ten years ..

   

Made it. Now let's do it again ..

We've come through to 'the other side'! Congratulations everyone, and a Happy New Year to you all. I offer you this shot from my archive as a toast to 2019. You will always find me in the kitchen at parties ..

So where to now? What plans are in the offing? I can't help but think back to my early freelance days, when the arrival of January meant a nose-dive in the old income. The newspapers were smaller, with less advertising after Christmas, and 'photographable' events disappeared from the diary as people hunkered down for the winter. Pretty grim, but creatively interesting times as one sought to produce useable work for the press ..

No such problems now, of course, as I mellow down into my blissful semi-retirement and, ironically, at - literally - 1.20 am during our New Year's party, I was asked if I would photograph a Wedding this coming year. How's that for a cracking start to the year?..

My most recent project has been the new children's adventure story wot I wrote. (Copyright Eddie Braben circa 1974 and if you don't like Morecambe and Wise this joke will go right over your head!) I finished the story several months ago, but knew that - as a children's book - it needed to be illustrated. To cut a long story short I ended up doing it myself and have just finished adding 73 illustrations to the book. Just got to get it published now. In my last blog I said my closing word would be 'Optimism'. So let's hope ..

Happy New Year everybody ..

Optimism ..

I hate all this 'end of old year/start of new year' stuff, which is why I always use an academic diary. These begin and end in the summer which is why, for me, December 31st is only five months into 'my' year. So, today, there'll be no depressing closure, no thought of what the 'new year' will bring, no resolutions - just a pleasant continuation of 2018/19 ..

Having said that, it's nice to look back as today does mark the end of our first 'full' year of being in France - From January 1st to December 31st - and, without banging on about it, I have to say it has been a fantastic year for Lesley and I. Lovely to see all four seasons run by us, and it's delightful to see next Spring already making itself felt in our garden. With all the shit going on in the world right now I think this will be my closing word as 2019 approaches. Optimism ...

New Day Dawns ..

It's New Year's Day for me! For years I've used an academic diary to plan my days - and their year finishes on July 31st - so it was a funny old morning as I closed the book on 2017/18 and opened my new brand new 18/19 diary this morning. I say funny when I actually mean nostalgic, because 'last year's' diary opened onto a month that was full of preparation for our move to France. It's fascinating to look back and see what we were up to as we packed our lives into cardboard boxes last August ..

There was excitement, and nerves, and a mega sense of things rushing towards us. At the same time as we were gearing up to leave the UK, I was trying to get my house in order to enable me to rent it out. There are one-word entries like 'Carpets' and 'Skip' and 'Burglar alarm' .. (ok, that's two) as I got everything ready for tenants, and there are entries like 'Phone Tristan' (French plumber) and 'Book Rob' (French TV installers) and 'Speak to Emma' .. the last bride whose Wedding I photographed in England. Yes, it was manic ..

And today? New Year's Day? Bliss! 30 degrees, and a leisurely day getting the gîte ready for tonight's arrival. (They've just arrived, by the way, and what bloody lovely people they are.) Who'd have thought it would all settle down so quickly? This afternoon I was working on a few pix ('Cos it's far too hot to go out!!) when I got an email saying we'd had a gîte booking - for three weeks - next summer. The lady has just been over to France and was so keen to get her next visit sorted that she went straight online and booked a trip. All this as I dust off my f1.8 because .. I'm photographing a Wedding on Saturday! Oh man, who'd have thought?

Yes, it looks like it's definitely going to be a 'Happy New Year'! Season's Greetings, one and all  ..

 

Our little French dream ..

 Ok, here's the thing. This is my first day back in the UK after spending New Year over in France. I mentioned a couple of months ago that we'd bought a gîte over there, so the 'holiday' was spent getting it ready to let out for the forthcoming season. It was more 'paint-pot' than party on New Year's Day but the work's all done and I can now crack on with building a social media presence for our little French dream. I'll feature it on the blog soon .. once I've edited all the advertising shots I took but, in the meantime, if you or anyone you know is thinking of spending some time in the warmth of Loubillé in central France ..
I can help!

Now .. off to my first Wedding of 2017. This one's going to be a belter.
Tell you all about it tomorrow  ..

Ring in the New Year ..

Time to ring in the New Year and it's slightly confusing that all the Wedding enquiries I've had lately have been for the year after next .. 2017! I've already got two wall planners up in my office! I shalln't be jumping the gun, though - we've got a whole New Year ahead of us and I for one can't wait for it. My thoughts go out to my furthest flung blog reader - a pal in New Zealand - who, as I write this, has only got a couple of hours left before he pops the corks on next year. Our fizz is in the fridge too and I'll raise a glass to us all as we swing over into '16.
Happy New Year, everybody. Peace and love, peace and love .. 

Happy New Year!

And so we take our first tentative steps into the new year!
Happy 2015, everybody!..

First task today - looking forward to the New Year - was to look back at 2014 and design a montage of some of my fave Wedding shots! I spent this morning trawling the files and putting together a 'greatest hits' of the year collection for Manchester Wedding Photography. It's a bit too big to put on here so I added a link to it here! Enjoy!..

And now I must away to set the table, as we're hosting one last 'fling' of the season.
Incoming! Parents at one o'clock... 

Happy New Year ! ..

Hey, Happy New Year, everybody! Let's hope it's a good one, without any tears!..

Have you gone bonkers, Martin? No, no! Everything's fine! Let me explain..

You see, I hate the sickly nostalgia and sentimentality of December 31st. I hate that idea of closing a diary on a full 365 days of my life, looking back at another year gone, twelve months never to be seen again .. so for years I've used an Academic Diary  .. and my new one starts today! Today is my New Year's Day! By the time the end of December comes around I'll only be five months into 'the year' with a diary still full of lovely white fluffy pages for the days, weeks and months ahead. Sounds daft, works for me!..

So, New Year's Resolution? Well, I really must work on my projects. The shot above's from one I have running called 'Social Seen' (Ironic, really, as everyone's got their eyes closed!..)
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet ..

Sing along!..

And cut!....

So that's the end of '11...
How was it for you, darling?

It's time to pop the corks for the New Year, and I for one can't wait for all the adventures and photo-opportunities that lie in wait for me there. As it is, I'm diving straight into January with a new exhibition of my work at Corvino's Deli in Culcheth. I'm mashing out the detail next week and you'll be the first to know about it when it's up! I'd love to see you down there! Of course, I'm not hiding from the realities of being in business in these old tough times of ours and, if I have one resolution, it would be to continue to adapt to the changes being thrust upon anyone working as a photographer in the digital age. Actually, of course, I have no choice! As I always say, I don't 'do' photography, I am a photographer, and if I want my career to reach the 34 year mark I've got to keep on being the best I can be to make every Wedding couple's day fantastic!

So, I'll end 2011 with a shot from last Thursday's Wedding, and I wish you all you wish yourselves in twenty-twelve! Happy New Year!!....