Let there be love ..

The rain and wind is finally here this morning which means that - incredibly - both my Weddings were shot in glorious sunshine this weekend! In fact, yes .. I did moan that it was too sunny but hey, the Great God of Wedding Photography didth smileth oneth more upon the young O'Neill! You can check out both Weddings from the top of the list on my Recent Weddings page ..

Now, I can't let this weekend pass without mentioning poor old Alan Henning, the horrendously unfortunate victim of the worst kind of evil in the world. For me, of course, the thing that's really brought this whole episode home - the thing that's made it so much more awful, if that can be possible - is that Alan was from Eccles. My home town. He was a taxi-driver .. from Eccles! Not a high-flying diplomat, or a glamorous international photo-journalist, but a caring, compassionate taxi-driver .. from Eccles! My heart goes out to him and his family and well done to the people of Eccles for the great memorial they gave him last night. All I can offer is a shot from my archive of the church that staged it - right across the road from Alan's taxi office. A view he must have seen a thousand times!
 RIP Alan ..    



  

 

The past! The future! ..

I was photographing a christening at a Golf Club yesterday, when I noticed these portraits of Golf Captains on the wall. I remembered doing one of them about eight years ago. Guess which one I took! The one with the blue background! Ha! How obscure! Why didn't they - I thought - tell me that they always had their shots done against brown backdrops? It suddenly dawned on me why I haven't been asked to do any since!!..

Anyway, busy weekend, what with the Zoo2U day on Saturday - which you'll know about if you follow me on Facebook -  and the christening yesterday, and now I switch back to my Wedding head again as I have two Weddings this weekend - at Mottram Hall and The Black Swan in Rixton. Oh, and I took my first booking for 2016 this weekend, too! The past and the future in one fell swoop..

Name-dropper ..

So there I was, merrily shooting 80s pop-maestro Pete Waterman yesterday, when in walks .. Terry O'Neill !! I know! Incredible .. the leader of Warrington Borough Council! Seems I'm - ho, ho - not the only O'Neill with a famous alter-ego and my, how we laughed as the football manager photographed the famous photographer - in name, at least!

So, so far this year I've shot celebs, I've shot cheese for websites, I've photographed dogs, passports, LinkedIn portraits, warehouses, apprentices .. so it's about time I shot a Wedding! I'll be honest and say it's been a bit of a quiet start to the year as far as Weddings are concerned but .. that all changes on Sunday when I head off to shoot my first of the year in sunny old Warrington town! I cannot wait!

Mothers' Day looms and I've tied in with a couple of local businesses to offer a fantastic deal on portraits as a gift idea for Mum. The Raven Inn and Spa Beautiful, as well as myself, are each offering 20% off our respective meals, massages and erm, mug shots as a sure-fire way of keeping your Mum happy come the end of the month. The offer lasts 'til the end of next month, too, so come on down and get yerselves a voucher. Don't be shy about name-dropping. Just tell the others that Martin O'Neill sent you ..

Thwarted ..

I was up bright and early and off to shoot more PR at the Cheese Factory this morning, and barely had had time to put on my glamorous hair-net and hi-vis jacket when everything went quiet and we were plunged into darkness. They'd had a power cut! It was estimated the lights would come back on at around 3.30pm. I'd been thwarted! I drove home ..

Still, it's given me time to work on my website re-vamp, and I'm finding some lovely old Wedding shots to add that I'd forgotten all about! This one, for example, from about six years ago. Ruthin Castle, North Wales. Lovely!..

Right! Off for lunch. Any cheese?...

Wet, wet, wet ..

And so to Willington, in what looks like a brief and very welcome break in the bad weather! Given the amount of rain that fell yesterday I'd think I'll be very lucky if I can shoot today's Bride and Groom down in the field with the venue's famous tree! I spoke too soon when I said that Friday the 13th was lucky, as news came in last evening that the Southport Air Show has cancelled its Sunday section .. the bit I was going to go to .. because of the predicted bad weather! Still, I know we'll have a fantastic Wedding come what may although I have packed my studio lights in case we have to work indoors!

Now, where are my wellies? ..

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Set in my ways? ..

I have absolutely no reason to show you this picture today other than I really like it! I reckon I took it in about 1978 and it sort of reminds me of the August Sander 'Faces of our time' portraits from the 1920s. Good honest grafters, captured for posterity by an artist. I know it's one of my old bugbears but it feels more and more like people don't appreciate photography as 'working'! The 'anyone can do it' ethos seems to be hardening. (Yes, there's my cement connection .. forgive me!) Yesterday a lady came into the studio and told me her grandson was a Wedding photographer. I asked if he was busy. "Oh.." she said, mildly horrified "He's got a job, as well!"..

That came about an hour before I was turned down for a job by a company who'd budgeted to pay less than half the amount I'd quoted for a shoot almost 100 miles away! And that on top of a lady who wanted to book me for a birthday party this Saturday - two hours work, all post-production and a CD of all images .. and pay me fifty quid! On the plus side, I've made a great connection with a fashion importer, of all things, and there are great vibes that I'll soon be shooting all their new ranges for their website. Fashion, eh? Who says I'm set in  my ways? ..

#culchethportraitstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Stars in their .. windows!

Just in case anyone was in any doubt as to what I do in the studio! I put this sign up yesterday with a list of my 'services' .. I think I've only missed off pedicures and dog walking, but it gives you a good idea, doesn't it? The whole place is looking so good now, and I can't wait 'til it really gets known and becomes a popular name in the Culcheth and Cheshire area. I'm off there now to shoot .. Wedding Cakes! Yes, how ironic! I've got 18 Wedding cakes to shoot for the website of the Amazing Cake Company. They have a unit a few doors down from me in the CPS Centre, and they'll be bringing across an assortment of their goodies throughout the day. Let's just hope it doesn't end in tiers! Tiers! Ha .. oh, never mind...

#culchethportraitstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

How to get a head in photography! ..

Seemed simple enough! Get a shot of Saul, without a smile, for his new passport! Fine, except nobody told Saul, so we had a great laugh yesterday when I shot the first passport photographs in my new studio. Look at this fab range of expressions and fun .. you don't get that when you go to a photo-booth, do you? Funnily enough, I also took a head shot for an American Visa and when I got back to the Mac ... aha, that's when the fun started! The sizes needed for the two images were completely different. The Yanks want a two-inch square photo, with the size of the head being one to one and three-eighths inches within the frame. The Brit pic was 45 millimetres, with a head size between 29 and 34mm! Cripes, it took me flippin' ages! Still, the templates are made now, and I'm up and running, ready for the mass rush for passports!

I shot a corporate PR soirée yesterday lunchtime, too. It was in one of the venues for the Manchester International Festival, The Glass House, and yes, it did live up to its name, but at least I was in shorts and sandals and not suit and tie like half the guests! Funnily enough, I've always shot summer Weddings in 'cool' clothing - with the permission of the bride, of course - but the summers have been so useless lately that asking if I can wear shorts hasn't even registered on my radar! My knobbly knees at a Wedding? Now there's a passport to glory ...

www.studiofivefour.com
#culchethportraitphotography

Bloomin' heck! ..

It's such a joy to be up and at 'em on these warm, sunlit mornings and I always try to make the most of the garden at this time of day. I really love photographing flowers and plants, although I don't actually shoot in the style of Florescence anymore as those shots were on medium-format transparency film with a formal studio set-up approach. Nowadays I'm just happy to get down on my hands and knees and get stuck into the flower beds with the old X10. The challenge to come up with a new angle is as exciting as ever, though - in fact, probably more so now that everyone is taking digital photographs - so it does keep me on my toes, which is pretty amazing seeing as I'm already on my hands and knees! I know I get into some funny positions when I'm taking photographs, but I had a new one the other day when a young lady I was photographing suddenly burst into laughter. "What's so funny?.." I asked. "Your 'photography face' .." she giggled "You pull such funny faces when you're taking photographs!"

 Bloomin' heck!...

Hey, bud...

Read into this what you want! Green shoots of recovery, spring on the way, growth, optimism, better days ahead .. or just a saddo shooting bushes! It was a delight to see, though, and I can't wait for the warmer days that are just around the corner. The Wedding season's kicking off good and proper now too, especially with Valentine's Day filling our cash registers - sorry, our hearts - with romance! There's a big Wedding Fayre this weekend - the season opener if you like - at Tatton Park and, although I missed out on a stand, I'll be there in spirit, or at least in 250gm card, as 2000 Goody Bags will all have my little studiofivefour.com business flyer in them, with the offer of a free engagement shoot for all visitors to the event.

As for today .. well, I'm off to shoot a brochure at an Old Folks' Home. Not so much green shoots .. just another branch of my PR photography!

That's lucky!.....

Friday the 13th, eh? Well, lucky for me that it was raining when I got up, 'cos it meant I could get out into the garden and shoot this little montage of droplets on my plants. (Click on the pic for a close-up) Lucky, too, that Lesley and I had to postpone a trip to Wales this weekend, as my pal's suddenly decided to get hitched tomorrow (As you do!) and it's meant I'm available to shoot his Wedding! It's going to be really funky - I believe the bride's wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket! - and there'll be a whole seven people there (Eight if I can get onto a shot!)  I can't bloody wait! Best thing of all? It's the third time he's married!
Third time lucky, eh Mick?...