Modest men, lovely men ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a follow-on from my 'Read this' post, here's a photograph I took of André Kertész with a cake that was made for his 90th birthday. It was July 1984 and he was at the Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford for the opening of a wonderful exhibition of his work. (It was there that I first came across the word 'festschrift' - a collection of works published in honour of an artist - because I bought a copy and still have it, signed by the great man himself .. )

I believe Salford artist Harold Riley had a lot to do with bringing this exhibition to life. I lived down the road from him and photographed him often. "I'm a painter," he modestly told a lady at an event one time. "Oh yes?" she replied. "Can you give me a quote to emulsion our front room!" ..

Modest men, lovely men. I hope they're chattering together excitedly in heaven ..

Ps: This is from an original print, on RC paper, with my hand-written caption up the side! 

It's an age thing ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny to think Rod Stewart will be playing Glastonbury today. I mean, who the hell wants to see an 80 year old geezer up on stage, reeling out his 'hits' for an audience one quarter his age? And then I have to come clean. Last weekend I skipped over to Manchester to see one of my all-time favourites, good ol' Charlie Harper from punk band UK Subs. At 81 he's even older than Rod but, oh boy, you wouldn't know it. Beer in hand, he belts out songs that first saw the light of day when I was 18, way back in the 1970s. (And if that's what punk and alcohol do for you, then I'm glad I signed up early!) It's just a matter of taste, isn't it? I wouldn't dream of standing in a crowd of 100,000 to watch a screen showing an old fart a quarter of a mile away, but stick me in front of Charlie in a small venue of a couple of hundred punters and I'm in heaven ..

I genuinely dropped upon this photograph this morning, a picture I did of Rod at Manchester City's old Maine Road ground back in the .. 90s? (I'm compiling a set of images for a talk I'm giving next Saturday and there he was, along with a bevy of other 'famous' people in a folder I named 'Slebs'!) I'd forgotten I'd taken it, much as I forget a lot of things these days. It's an age thing ..

Ps: My informal talk 'A life in Press Photography' will take place at GALERIE 16 in Chef-Boutonne at 11 on Saturday. Please come along, if you can remember ..

David Bailey? Who's he ..?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What to do when it's so goddam hot outside? Knuckle down and finish the next edition of your photo-book collection, that's what. So now Book Six is done and dusted, and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it comes back from the printers ..

It's entitled 'Who d'ya think you are, David Bailey ..?' - which will only mean anything if you're old enough to remember the Olympus camera ads he made in the late 70s - and is a bumper collection of 91 images from my archive. The photos were all taken in the late 70s and early 80s, around my old stomping grounds of Eccles, Salford and Manchester, and the good news is that, even after six books of photographs, I still have over a hundred pictures left to show you, so there'll definitely be a Book Seven at some stage. After that, I'm going to start on my colour photography, as I've got thousands of Kodachrome slides from my travels around the world ..

A review in Amateur Photographer magazine said my work was "a flick through history in a well-observed, light-hearted trip down memory lane." You can start your own collection here .. and, by the way, they're only a tenner each!

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.)

Ladies and Gentlemen, my new book ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing a book, they say, is the easy part. After that, you've got to market the bugger! So here I am, marketing the bugger, and you're going to have to get used to me going on about it. Yes, I've finally self-published my book, after probably four years of writing and editing (and trying to find an agent!) ..

Page 99, by Joe Bancroft, is the semi-autobiographical tale of a young Manchester lad who lands his dream job as a press photographer on a local newspaper (ring any bells?) There's a lot more to it than that, of course, and it feels good that it's finally all down on paper ..

I've already had a great review, which ends with the line "Personally I loved the book and can't recommend it highly enough, I can relate to so much that Martin has written about, a joy to read, go on treat yourself to Page 99" .. so that's a good start, isn't it?..

If you fancy a good read, you can get hold of your own copy on Amazon Kindle. 

I really hope you'll give it a go ..

Passion ..

I see a lot of Wedding Photographers using the word 'passion' on their websites. They're passionate about their photography - usually since they packed up their job at the bank and decided to give Wedding Photography a go! Well, check out this shot for passion! It's a 'selfie' - before the word existed - of me as a 16 year old kid in sunny Eccles. Check out the posters! Football teams? Pop stars? Playboy Bunnies? Naaaah .... cameras! I had a whole raft of photographs of cameras pinned to my bedroom wall, probably all ripped from Amateur Photographer magazine! Now that's passion! I've been nuts about photography since I found it/it found me in 1973! I knew even then that I wanted to be a photographer and, this month, celebrate 37 years behind the camera!..

It's about time I added the word 'passion' to my website!!...

Fayre Enough ..

Well, you know me - I love a good project - and, this morning, I popped the cork on a new undertaking. I've created a Wedding Fayre! I'm holding the Culcheth Wedding Fayre - I still don't know why it's always spelt like that! - on March 31st at the perfectly named Culcheth Arms in .. er, Culcheth! I've got some really good suppliers on board and have already set up a Facebook Event page to promote it. Just need some lovely brides and grooms to come along now! Please spread the word if you know of any loved-up young couples looking to tie the knot!..

Lucky 13 ..

It's Friday the 13th, and I'm feeling really lucky! A local magazine is carrying what must be the weirdest by-line I've ever had. The tag runs 'Front cover photo by and of Martin O'Neill' .. my italics! At the beginning of the year our Culcheth Essential Guide mag began a year-long series of profiles of local businesspeople, and I was asked if I'd take the shots as I very often provide the front cover image for the company. Well, call me biased, but I thought a good start to the series would be a photograph of .. me! So I shot the proverbial selfie and, as I say, it's the front cover of the mag .. until I shoot the next one!..

I'm showing a flower photo because I want to tell you about a 'Pop-up shop' that I'm having next month. I was told about some space that can be hired withing the reception area of Warrington General Hospital, and have managed to book a date there at the beginning of March. I thought it would be the ideal opportunity to try to sell some of my Florescence photography - bright colours and good vibes within a hospital, and all that!..

Tomorrow I'm being visited by a bride and groom who are coming all the way from Sheffield to see me! Their Wedding is exactly one year today! They really like the look of Manchester Wedding Photography so let's hope that, this time tomorrow, I'll know what I'm doing on Saturday the 13th of February ..

Getting a sweat on ..

There's a lot of water around at the moment, what with the 'orrible weather and all that, so I had to laugh when I edited this shot from July for 'one of my brides' the other day. Look at Mike's brow! Dripping with the stuff! Boy, did that guy have a sweat on! Oh, for July's temperatures right now. At least, I think it was the heat, though I know Weddings can be a stressful time for young lads! Anyway, I'm delighted his new wife added this shot to their selection!..

Emily's just one of 'my brides' who's done the 'Christmas thing' and got a spurt on with their picture choices these past few days! It means I'm knee deep in Summer Weddings at the mo although, it's true to say, some of those were as wet as it's been here lately!..

The New Year's looking good for Manchester Wedding Photography, and I've even had two Wedding enquiries this week, something that hardly ever seems to happen this close to Christmas. At this rate, it'll be me that's getting the sweat on ..

Just cut the bloody ribbon ..

Three PR jobs today! My God, count 'em! It's been a while since I had three in a day like this! In fact, it pains me to think back to the 'old days' when I'd be so busy - and so in demand, blush, blush - that I was actually able to dictate when jobs would go ahead, just so that I could work them into my diary rather than the other way round! I even had a Wedding like that, once! The couple wanted me as their photographer so much that, when they found out I was already booked on their Big Day .. they changed it to when I was available! Talk about an ego boost!
Well, I am an artist, dahling....
It's funny how work has changed. I'm just glad I'm hanging in there!..

Damn! Forgot to put keywords in again! Erm .. Manchester, PR, Photography! There, that should do it! Doing my own pr here ..
 

Life's too short ..

I had a rather poignant afternoon earlier this week. Booked in to the studio was a lady who wanted a nice family portrait because, in her own words, she "hadn't got long". She has a cancer that has reared its ugly again. As I was preparing the studio, I had a text from an old snapper pal. Morrissey, it said, had cancer! Well, that made for a thoughtful old photo-session, I can tell you, and it just drove home how important a role photography plays in our lives. I wish both my 'photographic subjects' well..

Speaking of driving, the O'Neill-Mobile came in handy when, for the first time, I used it as my roaming Sandwich Board, slapping on my new magnetic signs at both the Weddings I shot over the weekend. I hope it's not long before they start to work! ..

Treated myself to a brand new 26 mp Nikon the other day - you know, the one I absolutely need to do my job properly - and I finally plucked up the courage to tell Lesley about it at the weekend. She started talking to me again last night!
Only joking, life's too short ..

You just wouldn't ..

I had an enquiry about Wedding Photography recently from yet another bride who has now decided to "go with a friend". She emailed me yesterday and all I could do was shake my head! Obviously that's partly because it's a booking I won't get but it's also because I really feel for a bride who would go to all the expense and trouble of organising their Big Day and leave the recording of it to .. a friend!!  Maybe I'm missing something! It just must be that all these girls have friends who have been professional photographers for 36 years and can handle any situation of light, equipment, timing, posing, weather, guests, composition .. (and who have, let's not forget, that all-important insurance!) ..

Yes, it must be that, 'cos if your friend is just someone with a 'good camera' .. well, you just wouldn't, would you?..

Cough up, Mother ..

Well, I've never done that before! I had to send my Mum an invoice last week! She's a pretty big big-wig on some steering committee for her Housing Association, and they're planning a launch 'do' to mark the completion of years of upgrades to their buildings. Anyway, the flats are near the Manchester Ship Canal in Eccles, just across the water from where you'd have been able to see this sight up to 30 years ago, so they've asked if they could use this image for their publicity poster. Naturally, for Mumsy, I was only too happy to help, but even more so when I found out that her committee was going to pay for the use of it. (She did cough up, too .. so I've not had to send in the Big Boys .. ho ho!!) ..

The picture is actually of Barton Power Station and the Bridgewater Canal at the point where it magically crosses over the Manchester Ship Canal via an aquaduct. You can just see it, swung open, with the criss-cross beams and white girders. It'll probably be one of the shots I show in my forthcoming 'Eccles' exhibition at the People's History Museum in Manchester. I've just realised I have less than a week to prepare some schpiel and choose a couple of representative photographs for the pre-publicity bumf! I'd better get a move on!

Bumf? Schpiel? Have I ever written those words in my blog before? And are they spelt correctly? Damn it, they're close enough for me ..

Just in time for .. October!

I heard an ad on the radio yesterday for one of those ubiquitous sofa companies, proudly boasting that orders were guaranteed to be ready in time for Christmas!  
I should bloody well think so, boys! It's September!..

Anyway, I've had Christmas on my mind these past few days, as I've been designing an album from a Wedding at Peckforton Castle on December 23rd last year. Now, I see a lot of photographers' blogs that basically just consist of a huge selection of photographs! One never-ending line of shots from a single Wedding. An easy way of blogging but then, I suppose, also a great way to show off one's work to the general public. So, for once, I thought that's what I'd do, too! I'm showing you a selection of pages from this album. The Wedding Day itself was one of non-stop rain and murk - so all the photographs were shot inside. (You can see a few more from The Big Day here!) Anyway, Emma and James emailed me their choice of photographs only last week, and their album is being printed as we speak! Ready by Christmas? Dude! Try October! ..

Hanging around ..

Amazing what you can find on the web these days .. ho, ho! This is a spider who's set up home outside our back door, shot on my favourite lens - the Nikkor 85mm 1.8 - and, for me, it's a shot that sums up the past few days. I've just been hanging around, basically! Don't get me wrong, I've had a couple of cool shoots in the studio,  a PR job for an Estate Agent and a lovely new booking for a Wedding next August but, overall, things seem to have gone into slow motion. It's just that quiet time between the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn. Neither one thing or the other...

Still, let's hope things start to gear up after Sunday, when I'm doing my one and only Wedding Fayre of the season. I'll be at one of my favourite venues, Willington Hall, in Cheshire. By all accounts the other fayres in the series have been doing very well, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good show. Lots of brides! That's what we want! After all, there's nothing worse than going to a Wedding Fayre and just hanging around ..

Lesbian Hookers on Acid ..

Ooh, yeah! My specialist subject! Bring it on ...
Oh, come on! Lesbian Hookers on Acid? What the hell do I know about lesbian hookers on acid? (Don't answer that!) No, I was intrigued actually because yesterday I got more hits on the blog than I've had in a very long time. And the title of yesterday's blog? Pin-up girls! Pin-up girls was read by over 600 people - 449 of them in Canada ( .. and I'm saying nothing else about that other than 'Hi, Canada, hope you're keeping warm'! ) Anyway, by way of experiment, I thought I'd plop another 'interesting' title into the blogosphere to see what happens. I hope it works for you guys in Canada and, if you happen to be either a lesbian hooker or on acid, please drop me a line to say hello!..

No, the actual reason for today's blog is .. ta da daaaa... to blow my own trumpet! Well, you haven't done that for a long time, Martin! Thing is, I've had some great feedback this week. A couple whose Wedding I shot said "We have had so many compliments about how great the photos are, and also what a great photographer you are as well. Our family and friends have all commented on what a good job you did with crowd control and how you actually made having the photos done fun instead of a chore, so thank you for that." .. and a lady whose children I photographed last week said "Just wanted to say how fantastic the portrait is. Absolutely love it" ..

Bet you wish the blog was about hookers now, don't you? ...

Pin-up girls ..

Loving all this stuff on TV lately about Debbie Harry and Kate Bush. I never could decide which of them I fancied more! In the flat I shared with my Dad I had a poster of Debbie on the front room wall and a poster of Kate on the door (The one where she was in the shiny blue leotard. Phwoar!) I know my Dad would have been much happier if they were pictures of Tammy Wynette and Billy-Jo Spears but I beat him to it and, as far as I remember, Country and Western posters weren't a very big seller in sunny 1978!..

It was whilst I was looking for a shot I took of the 'Debbie' poster that I came across this old picture of a girl in our office called Karen. That's all I can remember - just Karen. Before I got my first job on a newspaper I worked in the Progress Office of Gardner Diesels in Eccles, and Karen sat directly in front of me working as a typist. She must have been 19 or 20 when I was 17 so, to me, she was the absolute height of sophistication and the pin-up fantasy of practically every bloke in the factory! How envious they all must have been when I asked her if she'd let me take some photographs of her, and it must have taken the timorous young O'Neill an age to come up with a classic pose like this one! Still, it was all about learning my trade, and growing the confidence that has stood me in good stead from that day to this. I wonder what Karen's been doing these past 37 years!..

Back to school ..

School's in for Autumn .. as Alice Cooper never sang (Hasn't got quite the same ring to it, has it?) .. and already poor old Lesley's commute to work has just got half an hour longer! Oh, for the days when kids walked to school, through all kinds of weather, getting fresh air and fit as they frollicked! Unfortunately, though, I can imagine a stream of modern pupils - sorry, students, as they all seem to be called these days - all slobbing along at a mile an hour, earphones in, heads down and focussed on their 'phones!..

I have but one thing to thank my school for, and it's obviously not grammar! No, I thank my school for its camera club, which I joined at age 13 and which got me hooked on this photography lark - so much so that by the time I left school at 15 I was the sole remaining member of the club - even the teacher had packed it in! - and I was the proud keeper of the keys to the darkroom, which meant that, instead of studying in the biology class, I was locked next door, developing film and printing those early masterpieces that have led to my world-wide fame, fortune and notoriety as a ..

Hmm, back to school there, then ...

I got your number ..

Honestly, you couldn't make this up ..

My next Wedding is on Friday and, as usual, I phoned the bride over the weekend to have a final run-through of the shots she needs me to take on the Big Day. There was no answer so I left a message, only to be called back two hours later by a very suspicious sounding young man who wanted to know who I was and why I'd left a message on his phone. I immediately assumed it was the groom, so asked if I was speaking to Mike. 'No..' came the reply, and I began to apologise for having apparently calling a wrong number. After a few more seconds of conversation it turned out I had actually misdialled, and I was wrong by one digit but .. get this .. the chap I was speaking to is an usher at the Wedding! What are the chances? Flippin' 'eck ..

Barking mad ..

National Dog Day, is it? Well, that's appropriate because already today I've stood in a pile of dog poo .. and had to mop up a puddle of dog wee in our kitchen .. and had to photoshop a family portrait with a dog that was .. er, rather visibly excited to be in the picture .. if you get my drift!
Ahem, ahem ..

When it comes to dog photography I bow, of course, to the great Elliott Erwitt, who I had the pleasure of meeting about six or so years back. Although obviously not on his scale, I do have a few dog shots in my archive. I still feel sorry for this poor old pooch, with his oh so youthful 'minder'. A plaster on his tail and all his bones on show tell you all you need to know about his hard life.

It's true what they say about not working with children and animals, though! I did another family portrait on Saturday, with a family of nine in their back garden. Ninety two shots, I took and, guess what, there isn't one that has all the kids' eyes open! Not one! Barking mad, I am ..