It's all about the numbers ..

Twelfth Night, and there's Christmas .. back in the loft again! Speaking of The Twelfth, there have been some other interesting numbers in my life of late. Amazingly, I've had 220 hits on my StudioFiveFour website in the so-called 'quiet' days between Christmas and New Year, and I've also had a fantastic 1,706 'reads' of my blog in December! (Thanks, Mum!) Then there's the 10% I'm taking off all bookings - be they PR, Wedding or portrait - made in January, regardless of when the shots are needed. The best figure of all, though, is the number 2! That's the number of Wedding enquiries I had in the first two working days of 2014! Now that makes me feel 100%...

Pegged out!..

Late blog today as I've been far too busy putting up my new exhibition. Looks bloody great too, with almost 100 photographs pegged out on washing lines, ready to receive visitors' comments about who the people in the pictures actually are! Ironically, one of the first shots you see in the McCullin film (that I spoke of yesterday) is of a line with pegs clipped to it, strung out across his darkroom to dry his prints! How's that for a good omen? Anyway, check out Twelve for '13 if you fancy seeing more from this archive. Meantime, I'm off to wash me smalls .. all this washing line's got me going!

Through the round window..

A few self-portraits inevitably turned up whilst I was going through my box of 'archive' negatives, and I thought it was rather amusing that I seemed to be drawn to circles when I did 'em! So - looking though the round window - I can't tell what camera I'm using for the shot on the left but I can see my old Yashica FR1 in the centre shot, and my tried and trusted Zenith E in the shot on the right. That and a really dodgy hair-do! You can click on the image to get a really good look!! Hey, speaking of dodgy, the creatives at Eccles Community Art Gallery have decided to surround my exhibition photographs with 70s memorabilia, and have put a shout out for help in finding naff old clothes, games and other items from the decade. Think Space-hoppers, Choppers, tank-tops, clackers, platforms, David Cassidy posters and the like. Can you help? Far out, man...

Life's a Gas!..

.. but hey, it's not always plain sailing, so I thought I'd talk to you about the 'other' side of Wedding Photography for a change - the 'it's getting tougher every day' side - that I don't often mention. By the way, I'm not looking for violins here. I know we're all finding things hard, but this recession jobby is hitting photographers particularly badly. So here are three things that, I swear to God, have happened to me this week .. and it's still only Wednesday!

Firstly, a hotel near to me had asked if I would link to their website in return for a link to mine from theirs. Groovy! Yes, please! So, yesterday, they got in touch again. Their link, they said, would take the form of a photographers' blog, so could I please .. get this.. could I please give a piece of advice to all aspiring new Wedding Photographers! Now, if you follow my tweets then I apologise, because I'm repeating myself here, but here goes. My advice was for them to F*ck off! Why on earth would I want to encourage even more Wedding Photographers onto the scene? Fair point, said the hotel.. and I haven't heard from them since! (Their link on my site is now history, too!)

Now, you'll have noticed that I'm organising my own, my very own, Wedding Fayre, to feature one of each of a number of different suppliers. One florist, one dress shop, one photographer, etc... (I'm the photographer! Oh, you guessed!) Well, before I'd even got things moving, my man with the Rolls-Royce was approached by another photographer, who wanted to get a stand at my Fayre. Er, no! It's my Fayre! I'm the photographer! So, as my second point, he revealed to me yesterday that this 'photographer' was actually a hairdresser, who fancied a 'go' at photography!!! Great!

Thirdly, I had an enquiry from a bride over the weekend, who has now emailed me back to say that she won't be needing my services now, as her Wedding venue was "throwing in a photographer for free"...!!!

Life's a Gas? I need Oxygen!....

Hats off...

..to all you wonderful people who've racked up an amazing 1,472 reads of this Blog in the month of January! Like, wow, as they say (If you're 14!) .. and that's not to mention the 1,078 hits on my website in the same period. Well, it's nice to be popular, as they say (If you're popular!)

Seriously, it's amazing to know so many people have taken the time to have a little read of my ramblings. Since the beginning of the year my blog's been read by people as far afield as Mexico, Russia, New Zealand, India, Germany, Turkey, The Philippines and The States! It's bloody amazing, as they say (If you're amazed!)
I only hope you've found it worth reading!

I've noticed a rather reasuring trend. In the old days, as they say (If you're me!) brides-to-be used to call because they liked your work, your style, your personality .. but then it became all about the money! Brides began to simply ask "How much?"... Well, in the past two days I've had three brides in a row call me to say how much they liked my photography, and hoped I was available for their Big Day. It's so nice to have your work appreciated! Hats off to those ladies!..  
(As they say!) 

But I'm still fond of you...

Oh, you know you want it! I've put together a montage of photographs of Morrissey, shot as he twiddled his gladioli with The Smiths in 1984. Featuring nine images, it's printed on superb Fuji Pearl paper at 18x12 inches, and it's yours - yes, yours - for a mere £15 plus P+P...

(And you can buy the images individually, too!)

I've been looking at the pictures a lot lately. Firstly of course because two of them have just gone up as part of my exhibition at Corvino's Wine Bar in Culcheth, and secondly because the images will soon be on a new range of t-shirts launched at the Paris Fashion shows. Oooh, la la.. Can't wait to see 'em!

So, an exciting day coming up, as I've sourced a great new supplier of Wedding Story-Books, and I'm about to design my first one. 100 images, 30 pages, acrylic photographic front cover. What's not to be fond of?...

Stand there! No, don't...

Was back at Manchester Town Hall the other day, shooting an engagement portrait for a couple who tie the knot there this September, and was rather dismayed to see that all my photo 'locations' are disappearing, one by one! The lovely arched corridor on the corner of Albert Square, where I often shoot pictures of the Wedding couple together, is now shrouded in wooden hoardings, as the re-development of Central Library continues, and in the square itself, where I would normally shoot my group and family shots, there is now a semi-permanent (I hope!) concrete arena being built for the forthcoming Spanish Festival!
Even inside the Town Hall, the Sculpture Gallery has now become a cafe, with a flat screen TV right in the place where I'd normally shoot a lovely portrait of the couple. What to do? Photoshop a tropical beach into the background? Hmmm....

Keep that space....

So, you tootle along as a Wedding Photographer, dealing with enquiries as they come in...

You're getting married in 2012? Excellent! Hope I can help! Here are my details... 2013? Lovely, have a price list!    2015? ..    Wow! You like to plan ahead, don't you!..

This week, though, I've had all records shattered! I have had an enquiry from a couple, my lovely reader, who are planning to get married in .. wait for it .. 2017 !!! Oh, my giddy aunt! That's six years away! How the heck do I know what I'll be doing in six years' time, although, ho ho, I do imagine I'll be available!!