A long, long time ago ..

Have you been watching 'Happy Valley' with the amazing Sarah Lancashire? Man, she's sure been dealing with some monsters in that programme, hasn't she? Well, here she is again - in earlier times - getting to grips with 'The Alien' at the old Granada Studios tours! It's a shot I took when I used to do the PR Photography for the tour back in the day. Lesley had me go into the loft to look for some old thing or other yesterday and, before you knew it, I'd been lost up there for two hours, distracted by piles of my old press photographs. I found shots of Tony Wilson, David Hockney, Cameron Mackintosh, Bernard Manning, Eartha Kitt and .. wait for it .. Sooty and Sweep .. but it's an archive that's sadly lacking because much of my work was filed at the Manchester Evening News .. and they threw it all away when they moved offices. Cheers, MEN! Thank goodness I kept a few of the prints for myself...

Actually, now that I've mentioned them, I can't resist showing you the world's most famous glove puppets - seen here with Brian Murphy and Matthew Corbett at an Asda store  .. 

.. and Cameron Mackintosh, during a theatre photo-call ..

.. a long, long time ago ..

Dead Sexy ..

Now here's one way the Manchester Evening News could buck up its circulation .. boobs and dead bodies .. in yer face, wham bam, hands up! It's the front page of a newspaper I brought back from Brazil (I told you I never throw anything away!) and I thought I'd show it you today, what with all the excitement of the World Cup in that country and all. Click on the pic for your full on close-up!..

The paper's dated 21st September 1990, so I don't know if newspaper styles have changed over there or what but hey, it sure made me buy it, even though I can't read a word of the text! It's certainly different to any press photography I ever shot! Oh, and there are three more corpses inside the paper.
No more boobs though!..


  

Mere? ..

One of the loveliest things about Saturday's Wedding at The Mere - and a first for any Wedding I've ever shot - was that the couple proudly announced during the speeches that the bride was pregnant. The 'Aws' and 'Ooohs' that went up made me wish I was recording sound!

Anyway, I've just finished editing all the pictures .. and Claire and Steve will soon be receiving a mere 1073 images on their CD! Wow! I think that's the largest number of shots I've ever put onto a disc! It's no wonder my eye-balls are aching this afternoon! I'm really happy with the work, though .. especially as the day was such a challenge, weather-wise! I think there were a mere 7 hours of solid rain ..

Weather or not ..

Oooh, I've come over all warm and fuzzy! I've just had a weekend where I received not one, but two fantastic compliments! I won't bore you with the details but the first kind words were from Claire and Steve, the bride and groom from Saturday's Wedding, and the second were from the school for which I shot the pr brochure photographs last week. It's amazing how good a little bit of feedback makes you feel!..

The school job was 'plagued' by brilliant sunshine! It caused all sorts of lighting challenges and prompted the use of a heck of a lot of fill-in flash. Saturday's Wedding was 'plagued' by absolutely appalling weather! It rained practically all day long! More fill-in flash and much use of the covered verandah at the venue! Today I get the best of both worlds. The forecast is for heavy rain but I'm shooting a brochure for a B+B in a converted barn in Cheshire and then have a family shoot at the studio this afternoon. In other words - yippee - I'll be indoors all day and the weather won't play any part in my work! Still, the show goes on .. weather or not!

Wet yer whistle ..

I have a feeling I'll be able to get a few more shots like this tomorrow, as the weather forecast's none too hot for my next Wedding. Never mind, the show always goes on. I'll just have to make sure I'm packing my studio lights in case all the shots are indoors!..

I've been having a little tweak this morning  .. of my Manchester Wedding Photography website, of course! Adding keywords, changing captions, just trying to do all I can to get it up the rankings. I've now been told I'm providing too much information on my pages - a bit like I was told I was showing too many images! Jeez! It's a flippin' nightmare. Oh, for the days when all I did was take photographs! I'm going to the pub ..

Actually, I'm going back to The Raven, in Glazebury, to finish off the shots of their renovation. I did the first images a few weeks back, but they've had their new chairs delivered now so it finally looks 'like it should'! Is 9.45 too early for a Guinness?..

Another PR lesson ..

What a day I had yesterday. Eight hours solid shooting pr for a Primary School's new brochure. Choirs, sports day, trumpet lessons, PE sessions .. I shot 'em all, and at a breakneck speed that had me sweating profusely and aching all over! I actually shot more images than I would at a Wedding! The list of shots they wanted was incredible. I got them all! And then some! Shots like this little cameo of a schoolboy's life! And pictures of pupils making daisy chains..

The photographer's eye never stops, even if his legs might, sometimes!..
 

Funny, that ..

Less is more! Yeah, that's what I got told after I mentioned I'd added 138 images to my new Wedding website. I'm showing too many pictures, I was told. Funny, that! 'Cos I'm damned sure that if I'd simply put six or seven images online there'd have been someone right there behind me telling me I wasn't showing enough. So you know what, like the comedians I've photographed here, I'm just gonna do it my way! If I like 138 images on my site, I'm having 138 images on my site and if brides get bored of scrolling through all those images - as this guy suggested they would - then guess what .. they can click to change pages! Was he having a laugh?..

Anyway, recognise the comedians? The A to Z reader? That's Dame Edna, of course. Shot at a hotel in Manchester when I was covering his/her appearance in town. The fingers guy? Sean Hughes, shot at his flat in London when he was just getting famous. And the Comedy Sign guy? That's Alan Partridge .. I mean, Steve Coogan, way back in the early days of his career. Now these guys are having a laugh ..

I'll have the squits ..

Busy few days ahead for me, with a range of PR jobs to shoot and a lovely Bank Holiday Wedding to round off the week. I'll be at a primary school on Wednesday, photographing the kids for a new school website and brochure. I'm also photographing a 'Summer Showcase' for the Imperial War Museum North, and then it's a trip down memory lane as I get to return for a shoot at the one and only Coronation Street Tour, at the old Granada Studios site in Manchester. I used to shoot all their PR photography, so no funny comments about it shutting down all those years ago!!..

Of course, as soon as one is busy again any recent holiday seems to disappear into the distance faster than a 99 on Blackpool beach. It's a week after our return from Greece now, but I'm pleased to say we had a pretty fair re-run of the holiday yesterday. Great weather, al fresco dining and lots of lovely drink! Here's something we didn't order from the menu, though!..

Just thought I'd share that ..

Larger than life ..

How to get ahead in business! I was shooting some PR photography at an office in Manchester yesterday - on the day they'd just received some 'blow-ups' of some work I did a month or so back - and couldn't resist a quick shot of the prints, all stacked up and ready to go on the walls! Can't wait to see my new 'exhibition' when it's up, as it'll cover all the stairwells of a 3 storey building!

On the subject of 'larger than life' I'm off to a birthday party with a difference this weekend. The event is a Punk 'All-Dayer' with the good old UK Subs to celebrate the ... gulp, I can hardly write this .. to celebrate the 70TH!! birthday of their lead singer Charlie Harper! I'm amazed! 70 and still heading a punk band! My hero! I'm in awe! I'm .. who the hell left that zimmer there?

We have lift-off ..

Ok, folks! Time to get this show on the road. I think I've finally finished the new website for Manchester Wedding Photography so, to mark the launch of the new name, I've come up with a great offer. I'm going to give a free DVD Slideshow to each of the first five couples who book me to shoot their Wedding as Manchester Wedding Photography. That's a presentation of all the images from their Big Days! How good is that?..

Anyway, I've sorted out all my new pricing and all my new packages and I feel really good that I'll soon start to work my way up the Google rankings and begin to get seen by all those lovely Brides and Grooms. They'll certainly get a good flavour of my style when they see the new site, that's for sure. Much to my surprise I've just totted up that I've put 138 images on my own home page slide show - everything from close-ups of Wedding rings to this trio of unusual Wedding vehicles! 138! If that doesn't tell you how I work then nothing will!..

Anyway, speaking of work, I've got a PR job in Manchester today, photographing a Board meeting at a swanky hotel. After three days of looking at Wedding Photography I just hope I don't ask for the Bride's parents! Now, where are my car keys?..    

Thought for food..

Had a request yesterday from someone asking if they could use a couple of my Wedding photographs on their new website. "I'm sorry.." I replied "But I don't let people use my pictures for free anymore.." "I'm not asking for them for free.." this person said "I was offering to use them on my site so you'd get free advertising!.."

Ah! So, that's how it works, eh? God, I'll be paying them next!
I'll need a sign soon .. WILL WORK FOR FOOD!

Hey, speaking of food, I love this shot from a Wedding gone by! (Yeah, I know .. lousy link!) Wedding Scoff! You gotta love a couple who presented their Wedding breakfast as 'Scoff'! My kinda guys! I just had to add it to the ever-growing selection of images on my new website!

Oh, God!..

Incredible as it sounds, I haven't shot a Wedding in a church since last July! Next week's will be the first in almost a year to take me into the House of God! How times change, eh? Doesn't seem two minutes since the first 'civil' wedding ceremonies started taking place, and now it seems you can get married practically anywhere - at your favourite football ground, your fave restaurant .. or simply the hotel down the road. Hey, it's the 21st Century and if The Big Man don't play no part in yer life then why should he be troubled to turn up for your Wedding, eh? Still, I can't deny it takes a lot of pressure off a Wedding Photographer, as there's none of that crazy packing up of gear and dashing off to the reception venue after a church service! I guess I'll just have to get used to it all again next Saturday! God help me ..

At the end of the rainbow ..

I was in the position of being able to use the word 'bokeh' during a Scrabble game last week. "Bokeh..?" laughed Lesley "What kind of word is bokeh?" (I have to admit that, up to a year or two ago, I myself thought a bokeh was what the bride carried as she went up the aisle). "It means blurred background.." I said. "It's one of those new-fangled digital photography words!" She let me use it .. and then went on to beat me by over 100 points!..

I didn't care! We were on holiday in Greece, and the end of the game merely marked the time to pour another Ouzo as we lazed in the scorching Greek sunshine. Back at the coal-face now, though .. with a jumper on! Brrr...

The big thing that happened whilst I was away was the launch of my new Wedding Photography website. ManchesterWeddingPhotography.com went live at probably the same moment I was tucking into a Chicken Souvlaki at our new favourite taverna. The email came in, and we ordered an extra portion of Baklava to celebrate. I can't wait to get its name out there now .. and I can't tell you how excited I am about the relaunch. Let's hope there's gold at the end of that there rainbow ..  

Taking Control ..

It's become apparent that, when it comes to my web-site, I need to seperate my Wedding work from my 'other' work! To be honest, I'd rather just have one site, that simply says I'm a photographer - of all sorts of things - rather than splitting up work into categories. A photograph is a photograph, right? Well, it seems not, and I've finally been persuaded to start a web-page specifically for Wedding Photography, with no mention of any of my other work. The thinking being that, if a 24 year old girl is looking for a Wedding photographer, she wants to see what he can do as a Wedding Photographer. Not how well he can shoot food, or babies and, as for Joy Division .. forget it! She wasn't even born until ten years after Curtis died! So, O'Neill has got with the programme! I'm going to show those young ladies what I can do! I've taken control and bought the domain name .. wait for it .. ManchesterWeddingPhotography.com, and the new site'll be live under that name in a couple of days or so. Click the link. Have a look. No mention of PR on it, no mention of The Smiths .. just good old out and out Wedding Photography. I just hope nobody asks if that's all I do ... 

Unexpected treats ..

 Isn't it lovely when your day pings you out an unexpected treat? Mine last night was an email that popped up from New York and made me feel fantastic. A lot of my music photography is represented there by a gallery which is marking 30 years of The Smiths, and the email from them yesterday took me straight to this page! I've been belting out Smiths' songs ever since! They're actually offering Limited Editions of my photographs of Morrissey alongside those of renowned photographer Kevin Westenberg.What a treat ..

I shot a Wedding once down near Stratford, and went down the day before to have a good look around the venues. The church had a gorgeous cherry tree in full blossom alongside its outer wall, and I marked that as a great place to get some fantastic pictures. Next day, I whizzed the bride and groom round the corner to find .. three punks drinking lager in the shade of the tree! Unexpected treat of that day? They offered to hold my reflector, provided a really amusing shot for the album and .. gave the bride a swig of their lager! What a treat ..  

Printworks ..

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogging, Tumblr .. blah, blah, blah .. but how's about a good old advert in the local community magazine? Yeah, forget 'Social Meeja' .. I'm going back to paper basics for my next advertising 'push', with a quarter page ad to cover two locales within our region. I firmly believe that the fad of the 'selfie' will soon be history and it'll dawn on people that, hey, the best place to get a good photograph taken is actually .. a photographer's studio! When it came to choosing an image for the ad I enlisted the help of my good friend Photographer Smurf, who has been sitting atop every computer I've had since .. well, since the first time I got a computer! He agreed to pose for my photo, although he did apologise for not being able to reciprocate as he's not been able to get the sheet film for his camera since 2003! Say Cheese ..

Pure Vintage..

I've had a lovely little article published in Pure Weddings Magazine, featuring a fab couple whose Wedding I photographed last August. Click on the image to get 'the bigger picture', and you'll see a few of the shots I got round to taking on the day. The theme of the Wedding was vintage which is quite ironic because, once I'd shot the Wedding, I zipped off into town to see ageing punk rockers The Exploited! (I had a change of clothes before I went!) Reminds me of the time I went to see the UK Subs after finishing work at 11pm one night whilst working for the Sale and Altrincham Messenger. I remember arriving at The Russell Club in a suit and tie and the first words on arriving being some spiko leather dude screaming "F*ck me... a Mod!"

Ah, good times ...

Mark you this ..

I went to Liverpool yesterday on a last-minute PR job, after a pal of mine was unable to cover a booking. The first track on the radio as I got in the car began "I'm back in Liverpool" and I later found out it was called 'Let's Dance to Joy Division' by The Wombats! Apparently it was released in 2007! Up to date when it comes to music, me! Ha! But what a coincidence! It made me rush back and shove another Joy Division shot onto my blog. Thing is, I'm so paranoid about having my work nicked now that I've made damn sure I put a water-mark on the image. Over the top? Not after I found a guy selling MY images on Ebay, the cheeky little monkey.

Speaking of water-marks and animals, there was a wrap-around advert for a new Vets' Practice covering our local weekly free-sheet yesterday. The pictures were dreadful and obviously not shot by a professional, a fact that was confirmed when I noticed a photo on the back page had a date-stamp across it from a compact camera. The date was 2012! At least I'm not the only one who isn't up to speed...

Red, white and blue .. and orange!

A touch of the old red, white and blue for you today - described in beautiful spring blossom and just to mark St George's Day. Hurrah for good ol' England - the land of the ditched fag packet, de rigeur use of the phone whilst driving and, My God, don't even think of saying thank you if I hold the door open for you! Rude Britannia waives the rules, and you can post as many 'Help for Heroes' stickers as you like, but I won't believe you have any pride in this country until you start showing .. erm, well, a pride in this country! It starts from the ground up. Literally, when it comes to smokers!..

Blimey, where did that come from? I had intended to carry on the 'colour' theme by telling you something that, I'm sure, a lot of photographers have noticed. All the teenage girls in the UK have turned orange! I made an early start today on some shots from a recent Wedding, and was having a bugger of a time trying to correct the colour balance in a few of the shots. I just could not get a young girl's face back to 'normal' .. and then it dawned on me. Teenage girls are orange. Step away from the photoshop, Martin. Your work here is done..

Top!..

Saturday's Wedding was fantastic! So laid back, so much laughter, such fun .. and hey, even the sun shone! Many congratulations, Liz and Ben! Loved being part of your Big Day! It was, as we say in Manchester ... top!

So, that's Easter done, 1000 images to edit before I hit the studio and I'm just waiting to hear now from a pub that's asked me to shoot its new menu and interior. Other than that, not the busiest week ahead but at least my day has started a little better than David Moyes'! Tough at the top, eh?..

Love the new portrait of the Queen by David Bailey, though I've never seen such a kerfuffle over one bloomin' photograph! It's lovely! Damn, you'd almost think she was human! Top clicking, Bailey! Still at the top, dude..