F16s and Piebald Cobs ..

Just in case you needed to know what my weekend involved ..

A very nice Wedding Day at Hollin Hall Hotel .. replete with Chocolate Lab and Piebald Cob .. and my annual pilgrimage to all that is air-based and smells of jet fuel .. the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. The horse behaved, the dog did its best to behave and the weather 'darn sarf' behaved until 5.20pm .. so all in all a damned fine weekend ..

Just the 1,479 images to edit now ..

Keepers ..

Well, bugger me, I've only gone and found it! There's something to be said for going through all your old stuff before moving house. Look what's turned up from May 21st 1994 ..

Yes, way back in the mists of time I got an exclusive photo-shoot with Sir Alex Ferguson after Manchester United had won the Treble. That's the FA Cup, The Premiership and the Charity Shield. I can't remember if I set up at the Old Trafford Museum or The Cliff - the team's old training ground - (It looks like the Museum) but I was the only photographer given access for the shot. It was used in the Manchester Evening News and then sold to The Sun for their next day's paper and, by the way, it's not your eyes .. the register was out during the printing so it looks like a poor 3D attempt!..

But why the excitement? Well, I never got a print of the picture to include in my portfolio, and then the MEN very stupidly threw away all our negatives during a move from their Deansgate offices. I thought the shot was gone forever ..

Speaking of The Cliff, there's another belter that turned up during my tidy-up .. Roy Keane's signing for Man U there in July 1993. I was the only photographer allowed in for this shot, too, and I remember shaking his hand and wishing him well after the shoot. (I think he did ok after my chirpy encouragement!) Blimey, he was 21 then, and he sold for a "staggering" £3.75m !! ..

You'll notice I said I was "going through" all my old stuff, as opposed to "throwing out" all my old stuff. Oh yes, you can be sure .. this stuff is for keeps! ..   

 

Plane crazy ..

Heading home on Ryanair and yes, believe it or not, both these shots were taken on the same small 90 minute flight back from France to Manchester. No prizes for guessing which shot is Manchester. In fact, one little girl behind me asked her Mum "Why is it not sunny at England?"..

I've always loved aircraft, and taking photographs of aircraft, and just plain old standing and gawping at aircraft. As a lad I used to catch the number 500 bus to Ringway Airport, as Manchester was then called, just to stand on the roofs of the termini for a couple of hours watching and snapping the jets. And yes, you were allowed to stand on them in 'the old days' - right above the gates and mere feet from the jet-fuel smell and the screeching engines. It was great ..

Thing is, I never got to go on a jet until I was 18. My parents simply couldn't afford to take us anywhere. And I know that plane-spotting isn't everybody's cup of tea but when I left for France last week I saw the saddest sight I've seen in a long time. Ok, keep it in context but ..

.. as I was at the gate, waiting to board, I was back to being 15 and excitedly watching all the aircraft taxiing past me. A plane I didn't immediately recognise was identified for me by an app on my phone, and I was delighted to realise I was looking at my first Airbus A350. I strained my neck to watch it disappear around the corner then looked down to see .. a boy of about ten, with his back to the jets, playing games on a tablet. I almost threw up on him ..

Anyway, gotta go dust off my 500mm mirror lens. I'm off to the International Air Tattoo this Sunday..

What a buzz ..

I'm back from four days in France. Sunshine, fields of sunflowers, great days out and lovely food. That's what I'd have loved. Instead I spent all my time repointing a stone wall in our house. Four solid days of dust, heat and a ton of graft, that's what I got. (Aw!) It's been so bloody rewarding though, made all the more so because of this shot. I was using an outside tap to mix my mortar and, as the thermometer hit 100 degrees I started to notice these wasps, zipping in for a drink every time I turned it off. Well, you know me, so the mortar got put to one side and I started to take shots as the stripey slurpers zoomed in. This was my reward. The even more amazing thing? It was shot on my phone!..

Ok, I did manage some time with my 'real' camera too .. and I'll post some shots on Instagram later on today .. but I just had to show you this picture. It gave me such a buzz ..

Car Insurance .. a crash-course!

It's been an interesting start to my day ..

I needed to renew my car insurance, so rang for a chat with the company who currently insure me. A new policy, they said, would be £205 more than it was last year.  "What?" .. I said, er .. politely "How come?" ..

"Well .." said the lovely chap in the call centre "It seems that, last year, your insurance was underwritten by the Co-op, and they don't seem to want you any more!" When I asked why not he said it could be because of my job.
"My job?" .. I said, protectively.
"Well, yes .." he said "They've probably seen 'Freelance Photographer' and lumped you in with all the "Lady Di paparazzi" types! Your occupation is right up there with the most risky types like .. journalists!"
"What?" I gasped "Not that crazy bastard loony driver bunch. No way .."

He chuckled and I heard his keyboard tapping again "There's something else .." he said, and I gulped."You have the highest risk car on the entire list!"

(At this point he must have felt a bit sorry for me, as he added "You're not having much luck here, are you?")

"What do you mean, the highest risk car?" I asked.
"Well .." he said "You have your Ford Ka kind of thing .. that's down at level one for risk. A BMW 5 Series is at level 50. Your car .." he said, building up the tension " .. is level 61 !!!"

I thanked him for his time and went to an online comparison site, putting in exactly the same details as he had on the old policy. I've got a great new policy now, for £10 less than I paid last year.

It's with .. the Co-op! 

Back at ya ..

 I pulled a muscle in my back last week, causing pain sufficient for me to go to the doctor. Nothing, though, has been able to wipe the smile from my face these past few days. Firstly because I've had another great weekend .. with two fun family portrait shoots, and a 'Shoot 'n Tutor' photography workshop on Saturday afternoon. Thing is, all the sessions had an extra glow about them as I'd had some great news beforehand ..

The first piece of news was that I've had a Wedding enquiry .. for St Tropez!! .. and the second was that another of my clients has said that - once I've moved to France - they'd be happy for me to return to the UK to shoot their bigger events. It's so reassuring to know that my PR work won't cease once I move abroad ..

I've had some fantastic feedback from Weddings and portrait shoots, too. "Gorgeous" was the verdict from one young Mum on her daughter's photographs and "He was lovely and everyone commented on how great he was, and how funny he was" was from another of "my brides ..

Sorry if this blog sounds a bit "braggy' .. 

My back still hurts, if that's any consolation! ..

All at sea ..

It's all getting very real! Our move to France has stepped up a gear now that we've started getting quotes from removal companies to ship all our gear across the Channel. Another two months and all our worldly goods will be boxed, packed, wrapped and on a big lorry heading for South-West France.

This, of course, brings up the big question of what exactly we take over with us. Do I really need that old copy of the NME from 1985? Yes, of course, it's got The Smiths on the cover. And that advertising brochure for the Nikon FE2 from '83? Naturally! That's part of my photographic history. And so it goes on. I have managed to throw out one or two things. There are only so many copies of The Face and Spin magazine that a man needs but, apart from that, I'm finding it very, very hard to part with any of my past. Perhaps I might start thinking differently once the quotes start coming in .. 

If Carlsberg did weekends ..

I have had an absolute blast of a weekend, with two fabulous Weddings, another booking to photograph a gîte in France and some lovely words of thanks from couples whose Weddings I've already shot ..

The Weddings were fantastic. One in a cricket club and one in a golf club. Not ideal for Wedding photographs, you might think, but I've come away with some of the most relaxed, loved-up shots I've taken in a long time ..

I arrived home on Saturday to a lovely thank-you card from 'one of my brides', saying "Our guests loved you! We loved you!" .. and another couple tweeted "Great evening looking at the wedding photos. Great memories Thanks @MoTakesPhotos"

Nice!..

Oh, and to top off the weekend, I received another booking to photograph a gîte in France.
Life is very bon ..

An inside job ..

There's an article in one of this morning's newspapers giving advice about photographing interiors, with a professional photographer offering such helpful hints as 'clear the clutter from the room' and 'try to correct your verticals'. The best bit of wisdom he proffered was 'if you want professional looking photographs, hire a professional photographer'. Amen, brother ..

Anyway, with perfect timing, a lady whose gîte I photographed last week sent me some of her own shots, with a suggestion that I show them alongside mine to let people compare the difference. Good idea, Ingrid! So here's a shot of the kitchen in one of her gîtes, shot by both of us. My shot's on the left, but you knew that, right?..

Retiring??...

"I hear you're retiring" ..

That's what someone said to me the other day. What? Are you kidding? Give up photography? Are you crazy?..

Having said that, can you believe that, after this weekend, I only have three Weddings left to shoot in the UK? What a strange thought. France is starting to feel really real!..

I'm still going to take bookings in the UK, of course. With a flight time of 90 minutes I'm never going to be far from all my regular Wedding haunts and, indeed, as long as Ryanair go there I can now photograph Weddings all over the UK. I'm pushing for 'destination' Weddings in France too, of course, and I'm hoping the gîte photography picks up after last week's fantastic start. I'm also going to offer Photography Workshops and am currently designing a fun day's activities for keen amateur snappers.

Retiring? I'll need a holiday after all that lot ..

Word up ..

I'm delighted to say I've been booked to give another reading from my book, and I'll be ..

What? You didn't know I'd written a book? Where have you been for the last year? Obviously not on Amazon Kindle, that's for sure! Yes, I wrote a book - a childrens' adventure story - called 'The Boy who missed Next Year' and, having failed to get it passed at least 25 publishers, it's now available to all on the aforesaid Kindle ..

Anyway, I'm going to another local school to give a reading next week, and can't wait to see the reactions of the kids. I've let the marketing go a little quiet of late - what with moving to France and all - so this is as good a time as any to give it a kick start again. Go and download it. Run it past your kids. Let me know how it goes down. I'll remember you when I'm famous. Honest ..

Martin O'Neill .. gîte photographer!

I'm back! Back from working in France, and I can't tell you how pleased I am with how it went. I ended up photographing four gîtes in total - four absolutely amazing holiday homes in the gorgeous French countryside .. in temperatures of up to 34 degrees .. and I got paid for it, as well! Oh yes, I can definitely see this being my future ..

Lots more to blog about, but that's for another day. 756 gîte shots to edit first.
Have a look see. What do you think?..

 

Allez ..

Well this is all very exciting ..
Crossing the channel again today but, this time .. to work! I've got four gîtes lined up to photograph in France in what will be my first ever jobs in our soon-to-be home. It feels fantastic! Just got the 750 mile drive and the four hour ferry to contend with now ..
See you in France..

The times they are a-changin' ..

Magnolia! That's what I'm painting on the walls of my house, as I prepare for the day we move to France and start to rent it out. Yes folks, the times they are a-changin' and it's full speed ahead for our new life on the continent. I've been working on my website too, turning its emphasis to France rather than the UK - to gîte photography as well as PR. My clients have been rather helpful in this direction, too. A one-off job came up recently with a company for whom I used to shoot a lot. When I sent them an invoice I was told I was no longer listed as a supplier. Hey ho, that's the way it goes. My old life is leaving me behind and a new one beckons. I already have four gîtes to photograph when I go over there again next week. Changing times, and bloody exciting it is, too .. 

Sunshine after the rain ..

Like the Tory manifesto, this morning's blog was going to be full of light and goodness, of hope and optimism, of the feel-good factor ..

                          .. and now I just feel like having a grumble!

Firstly, because of the weather. I awoke to pouring rain on a day when my car is going to have its air-conditioning re-gassed - for the intolerable high temperatures, don't ya know - and on a day when I've got to wait in for the delivery of an inflatable plunge-pool to take to France - for the intolerable etc., etc., etc ...
Oh, the irony ..

And then there's the fact that I've just had some emails from a hotel at which I shot a Wedding recently. "Can you send us some of your shots for a booklet we want to produce?" they asked. "Of course" I said, and mentioned a repro price that was sensible yet reflected my undoubted skill, artistry and genuis vision (!) "Oh, we'll leave it then" they said "We thought you'd supply them free of charge" ..

I shall leave a pause here for you to imagine the angriness ..

And so to today's photograph. What has it to do with the blog? Sod all, but I shot it in France so it makes me feel better. Oooh, the sun's coming out ..

Hang on, I just remembered about Trump. Oh, God ....

Get in there ..

Doreen couldn't have expressed her feelings any more clearly when she married Graham on Saturday and do you know what? .. that's exactly how I felt yesterday when I got my first ever booking for a shoot in France. Yes, I'm booked for a job in France! Bloody brilliant!..

Anyway, first things first. I shot the Wedding of Graham and Doreen on Saturday and had a blast. They were so much fun and much to my relief we managed to get all our shots done outside despite the threatening thunder rumbles.
Check them out here ..

And then yes .. I got my first booking for a shoot in France, and will be heading over again next month to photograph three gîtes for website and advertising purposes. I am so thrilled. This is where my work needs to take me as I aim to be living there full-time by September. So thank you Doreen, for expressing my feelings exactly ..

Lost in France ..

Back from another week in France, and I am SO settling into their way of life! Check out this shot from our last night at the house. Our mower packed in half way through cutting the lawn .. and so what happened? Our next door neighbour whizzed round on his own sit-on mower and finished the job for us, that's what! I'm afraid there was nothing else we could do but chat with his wife and drink gin and tonics as the sun went down. C'est la vie ..

Anyway, I am now registered with a great web-site called 'Brides in France', and am pushing for Wedding bookings in what will soon be my new home. Have a look-see here ..

I've actually had to come back to the UK because I have another Wedding to shoot on Saturday. It's the Big Day for a lovely couple who'll be marrying at The Village Hotel in Warrington. Can't wait!..

Now, what's the French expression for 'time to wash my dirty socks'?..

What a load of rubbish ..

No, I'm not talking about the Eurovision Song Contest. In fact, dare I say it, I thoroughly enjoyed the programme this year, and thought our entry was pretty damned fine, with a great performance by Lucie Jones. Indeed, I feel a strange urge to learn to yodel .. 

I'm actually talking litter. I just can't believe how much there is in the UK. The first thing I noticed when I came out of the door of Manchester Airport last week was all the litter lying around and, within 24 hours, I'd seen two separate incidents of people throwing rubbish from their car windows.

Where is your pride, people? Where is your consideration for your fellow citizen?
My archive shot today is from about 1979. Nothing changes, eh?..

That's so 1997 ..

Yesterday I bumped into a lady I'd not seen for a while.
"Do you remember coming to our house to photograph my grandson?" she asked.
"I do .." I replied "How is he?"
"Oh, fine .." she said "He's just had a baby of his own!" ..

Long silence! What? That baby is a father? How did that happen? Turns out that original photo-shoot was just over twenty years ago! Twenty? Oh, my giddy! Where have all those years gone?..

I suggested I return to the house and arrange another photo-shoot. The lady giggled, embarrassed, and the friend she was with looked me straight in the eye and said "We can do that on the phone now .."
How times change ..

No time for a lie-in ..

Good Lord, it's just gone two weeks since I last wrote my blog. What a slacker! I've got lots of good excuses, though, so please bear with me ..

The main excuse .. sorry, reason .. for my absence is summed up in today's photograph. Our French gîte is now well and truly up and running, and I've been over to France twice in the last fortnight to tend to its successful upkeep. I must admit it was rather odd to go into what was our pristine new project and see all the signs of it's being used. Beds unmade, coffee pot on the draining board, the smell of cooking in the air. Still, that's what we bought it for, so cause for rejoicing all round. I'm actually off to France again next week to greet our fourth booking, so it's all going really well ..

I have managed to squeeze in a little photography, too. I was up at a lovely place called The Fisherman's Retreat to photograph a Wedding last weekend, and I've shot another house for a local estate agent. I also had a nice picture used by the Times Magazine last weekend, and - a bit of really good news - I've had some great conversations with a couple of my clients, who are committed to carrying on using me to photograph their events, even though I'll be based in France ..

It was great to be back there again this week. It felt like I was on holiday, even though I was really busy. I certainly didn't get time for a lie-in ..