Mrs Margaret Thatcher ..

Barely six months into my first ever job as a press photographer, I can still remember the day a lady called Margaret Thatcher hit the campaign trail in our little town, and we all know how successful she was with that! Now I read that next month will be the 40th anniversary of her coming to power.
Oh, my bloody God. Where did those 40 years go?..

As it happens, I was to photograph Maggie one more time, and this time it was in a much more intimate setting as she prepared to launch her autobiography. As she was in book-signing mood, I asked if she would add her name to my little autograph book, which she happily did and which I still possess to this day ..

I don't care what you think about her politics, but you have to admit she was a hell of a figure during the late 20th century and I for one am really proud to say I actually met her in the flesh ..

Wow!..

Following on from my night of star-shooting, I sent some of the pictures to an old pal in the UK. John Fox is a former photographer at the Manchester Evening News and now gives talks on Astro-Photography. He very kindly emailed me back with the word "Wow!" and then proceeded to identify and caption everything in what, to me, was just a pretty picture of the night sky. I was amazed, I am in awe and, on the day that a Black Hole was photographed for the first ever time, I am absolutely gob-smacked by what my camera has captured. And the distances and sizes of everything out there! These star-clouds and nebulae are 5, 6 and 7,000 light years away, yet still within our own Milky Way Galaxy. Imagine that. So far away and yet light travelling for up to 7,000 years landed on my camera sensor for a mere five seconds and recorded an image like this!

John, I think "Wow!" sums it up nicely ..

 

Stars in your eyes ..

I find it very exciting that today we might be on the verge of seeing the first ever photograph of a Black Hole. Scientists have teasingly announced that they "may" be revealing an image later this afternoon ..

By sheer coincidence I was up at 4 this morning to take some 'sky' pictures of my own. We get some really clear skies in our part of France and I'm trying to interest astronomers in coming to stay at our gîte for some tip-top night-time viewing. I'm being helped in that by an old snapper pal of mine, who  is head-honcho of an astronomical society back in the UK. He gives talks on astro-photography and has actually already used some of my photographs in his talks ..

Now might also be a good time to tell you that I've written and illustrated a children's adventure story about a Black Hole. It went off yesterday into that dark unknown world of literary agents and I'm hoping that all these coincidences mean it's 'in the stars' that it'll find a publisher.
Watch this space (Ho ho ..)

One more coincidence .. and I swear this is true. As I finished writing this blog a track by Alan Parsons came on the radio.  Which track? Eye in the Sky. I kid you not!..

Anyway, for anyone interested, my shots show Acturus, with three shooting stars (Top left); Jupiter and a section of The Milky Way (Top right); Polaris (Bottom left) and the constellation of Lyra (Bottom right).

It was 40 years ago tonight ..

I was a skinny, spotty 18 year old photographer when, exactly 40 years ago tonight, I took my camera to a gig in a local youth club and shot a set of photographs that are still relevant to this day.

I can still remember the shock as Ian Curtis started his wild, whiplash dancing, and I can still remember getting onto the stage, standing behind Peter Hook and being told, in no uncertain terms, to "Fuck off!"

This photograph is the poster from the first exhibition I had of these photographs - an incredible 25 years after the death of Ian. Now another 15 years have passed. It gives me great pleasure that these photographs are still used in magazines and other publications - a tribute to the late, great lead singer.

RIP Ian Curtis. 

Hey mister, take my picture ..

When you think of great 'street' photographers the names Roger Mayne and Shirley Baker will, naturally, be up there in your top ten. So imagine how delighted I am to have some of my photographs included in a book with some of theirs.
I'm chuffed to bits, as they say ..

The book - 'Paradise Street' - is full of pictures of children playing in the street (A rare sight these days) and has just been published by the renowned Hoxton Mini Press in London. My copy was posted to me yesterday and I can't wait to see it. Not only that but the lady who compiled the collection was interviewed on Radio London last week and gave me a lovely name check. (Cheers, Luci. Back at ya!) Oooh, I'm dizzy with the fame. Touch my robe. Orderly line for autographs ..

The thing is that, thinking back to my 'archive' photographs from the 70s and early 80s, I can only feel sad that those kinds of shots are practically impossible to take these days. Hot on the heels of the Michael Jackson 'revelations', it's a horrible thing to know that, nowadays, a general view of photographers is that we're all perverted pædophiles. Why are you going up to kids in the street with a camera, you weirdo? Even sadder for me is the fact that the poor kids have been drilled to think the same thing. Lift a camera these days and it's the norm now to have 'Pædo' yelled at you by children not even ten years old. The beauty of the photograph of mine that's featured here is that those kids were actively trying to get into my photographs. Their cry of "Hey, mister, take my picture" is a line not many snappers will hear in the sunny twenty-first century. What a difference 42 years makes. Innocence lost, and it makes me sad ..

(Click on the picture to see one of my shots as it appears in the book ..)

And then ..

It's been a photographic roller-coaster of a day today, starting with an overnight e-mail from a gallery in New York telling me one of their clients wanted to buy one of my Joy Division photographs. Great start to a Monday. Then, before I'd even had my cornflakes, I discovered there's a guy selling one of said photographs as a poster on Ebay. Cheeky bastard! Then, I had a meeting at the library in our local town, which has offered me their space for an exhibition of my work in the summer. Great pick-me up! Then, a lab I used to print my work in the UK sent me a shot of an order they'd received. It was for another of my Joy Division prints - and they sent in their own digital file from which to have it printed. A complete and utter rip-off of my work ..

My summer exhibition will be from my Florescence series of flower photographs and I'm so pleased to have been asked to exhibit. In fact, thinking of the show has taken me back to the top of the roller-coaster. I like it up here ..

Flip the bird ..

I'm known around these parts as a professional photographer who offers One-Day Photo-Tuition workshops (Spot the blatant plug!!) .. and one of the things I try to drum into people during their day with me is this: if you see a picture in front of you, then take it. Take it very quickly, and then worry about focus, or exposure, or composition. Just don't let the moment pass ..

Today I was driving into town for three bags of sand. Let's skip why. As soon as I hit the main road I saw the mass take-off of the biggest flock of lapwings I have ever seen. It looked so fantastic that I screeched to a halt, rummaged for my 'phone and shot the one frame you see at the top of this montage. Then I raced back home and grabbed the 500mm ..

Got back, and the birds just sat there. For ages. 'Please' I begged .. 'Just fly near the tractor again. Please!' And did they? No, they didn't. They sat and ate worms .. for ages .. and then waited 'til Tractor Man had buggered off before they took to the air once more ..

Now I understand what it means to 'Flip the bird' ..

(I do believe you'll be given a closer view if you click on the image ..)

By 'eck ..

There was a lovely documentary on TV last night about the great photographer Don McCullin and bugger me if it wasn't exactly 27 years to the day since I met him. He was giving a reading of his new book 'Unreasonable Behaviour' at Waterstone's bookshop on Deansgate in Manchester and, when I went up to get my copy signed, he said "Do you know, you're the first person I've spoken to tonight that's got a Northern accent!"

Fade to grey ..

February, and I take down a cup for my morning brew. Gosh, I say to myself, look how this logo has faded away. Then, coffee in hand, I switch on the Mac and an email informs me that my internet domain name 'Manchester Wedding Photography' is about to lapse. It's now 18 months since I last shot a Wedding in Manchester. I think we can safely say that that part of my life is fading away ..

And in its place?..

Well, I find that I'm now one of those 'semi-retired' types who wonders how the hell I actually managed to fit any work into my life. The best thing is that I finally have more time for my writing, and I'm pleased to say that my second 'book' is now doing the rounds of literary agents. A new part of my life is fading in.
Keep your fingers crossed ..
 

Party like it's 1981 ..

A diary in surprisingly good condition tells me that last night, as it were - January 24th - in 1981, I went to see The Revillos at Manchester University. It also tells me that, on January 15th, I went to see The Fall at a Manchester club called Rafters. On the 20th it was Toyah at Manchester Polytechnic - The Poly - where I also saw U2 on Feb. 27th. Before February was out I'd also seen The Passions (pictured), The Modettes, John Cooper-Clarke, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Bad Manners, The Drones, The Expressos, The UK Subs and The Freshies. No wonder I was always skint! But what an incredible line-up and I'll forever offer thanks to the Great God of The Snare Drum that I was the perfect age at the perfect time for such a musical feast ..

It brings tears to my eyes to venture further into this diary. The Pretenders, The Go-Go's, Jools Holland, Girls at our best, The Passions (again!), Cabaret Voltaire, Wall of Voodoo, a two-day Futurama festival in Stafford featuring about 30 bands including Simple Minds, Flock of Seagulls, Theatre of Hate and Bauhaus (I really must find the playlist). Then there was B-Movie, Altered Images, The Photos (Yes, I know .. the perfect name for a band for me), Split Enz, The Tubes, Modern Eon, The Cramps, Bill Nelson, Toyah (again), U2 (again), Pauline Murray, Squeeze, Spizzles, Department S, Bow Wow Wow, Gang of Four, New Musik, Discharge, The Revillos (again) and .. how could I forget? .. The Surgical Supports ..

Actually, I have forgotten them! Sorry lads ..  

You have to laugh ..

It's a mess, isn't it, this Brexit palaver? So thank God for comedy. There's been some great stuff to cheer us up on Facebook - be it a gently ribbing from the Dutch or perfectly-forgiveable astonishment from the Germans - and I thought I'd have a dig through my archives to remind us of some of our own great comics. Ken Dodd was probably one of the best comedians ever - when he was being rude! - but although I photographed him several times, I have none of my shots around to show you. Instead I give you Norman Wisdom, Sean Hughes, John Thomson and Steve Coogan. You have to laugh, don't you? .. 

60 is the new 18 ..

The New Year's rushing on - as it always does - and I was quite happy with that until a thought occurred to me yesterday. As it's now 2019 I can safely say "I'll be 60 next year!" Eeek! I'm not old enough to be 60!..

The flip side to that, of course, is that I'm very lucky to have reached this stage of my life. There was a sign above the bar in the pub I used to drink with my Dad that read 'Old age is a privilege denied to many' and, as I get older, I realise more and more just how true that is. A lot of you won't know Diane Oxberry, but she was the weather-girl on the BBC's North-West news programme for over 25 years. A real chirpy, happy fixture. She died last week at 51. Suddenly and shockingly and I didn't want to let something that awful pass without mentioning it. Poor old Diane. Except, she wasn't old, and she'll never get to be old. Even as old as 60 ..

Ps: That's me circa 1963. I thought we'd end the blog with a smile .. !

Over the moon, Brian ..

Oooh, that looks good in the window!..

We had a lovely surprise in Saturday's post. A big blue envelope containing a certificate and this window sticker announcing the fact that our gîte, La Galerie, has been rated 9.8 out of 10 by the Booking.com website. Talk about elated! We're over the moon! And did I mention that we've become "Superhosts" on Air B'nB? Not bad for our first year as gîte owners, eh? ..

 

Count your blessings ..

I don't know the point of today's blog, other than to say how lucky I feel that my life is going so well. I'm fit, I'm in a great place and I have no problems. I'm not saying this as a boast - I just want to point out how grateful I am that this is my situation at the moment. For sure, I've had my ups and downs like everybody else - redundancy, divorce, meningitis, an accident where I almost drowned, the death of my Dad and a stint on the dole when I felt like crap - but, at the moment, life is good. You see, already this year I've been told that my nephew's job will come to an end thanks to the closure of HMV's record shops; have seen the effects of cancer on two friends I've made here in France and have listened to a friend tell me how his idyllic life here could be about to be turned upside down because of marital problems. It's just brought it all to a point where I felt the need to stop and count my blessings. You just don't know what's out there, do you?..

I chose my shot of these kids in Kathmandu as a good way to bring that into focus. Sleeping on the streets in a sack. Hungry, futureless, unwanted. They should be in their early thirties now. I hope they made it ..  

Barking mad ..

I decided I'd dismantle my studio for the winter. It can get cold in that barn and I wanted to protect all my gear. Big mistake. I've now taken my third booking since I 'shut up shop' and shot the second of them this morning. It prompted me to show you these prints of Lesley's dogs, which I photographed and have just presented to her as a Christmas present. Give me a shout if you'd like your pets photographing this coming year. I promise my studio's all back in place! ..

Made it. Now let's do it again ..

We've come through to 'the other side'! Congratulations everyone, and a Happy New Year to you all. I offer you this shot from my archive as a toast to 2019. You will always find me in the kitchen at parties ..

So where to now? What plans are in the offing? I can't help but think back to my early freelance days, when the arrival of January meant a nose-dive in the old income. The newspapers were smaller, with less advertising after Christmas, and 'photographable' events disappeared from the diary as people hunkered down for the winter. Pretty grim, but creatively interesting times as one sought to produce useable work for the press ..

No such problems now, of course, as I mellow down into my blissful semi-retirement and, ironically, at - literally - 1.20 am during our New Year's party, I was asked if I would photograph a Wedding this coming year. How's that for a cracking start to the year?..

My most recent project has been the new children's adventure story wot I wrote. (Copyright Eddie Braben circa 1974 and if you don't like Morecambe and Wise this joke will go right over your head!) I finished the story several months ago, but knew that - as a children's book - it needed to be illustrated. To cut a long story short I ended up doing it myself and have just finished adding 73 illustrations to the book. Just got to get it published now. In my last blog I said my closing word would be 'Optimism'. So let's hope ..

Happy New Year everybody ..

Optimism ..

I hate all this 'end of old year/start of new year' stuff, which is why I always use an academic diary. These begin and end in the summer which is why, for me, December 31st is only five months into 'my' year. So, today, there'll be no depressing closure, no thought of what the 'new year' will bring, no resolutions - just a pleasant continuation of 2018/19 ..

Having said that, it's nice to look back as today does mark the end of our first 'full' year of being in France - From January 1st to December 31st - and, without banging on about it, I have to say it has been a fantastic year for Lesley and I. Lovely to see all four seasons run by us, and it's delightful to see next Spring already making itself felt in our garden. With all the shit going on in the world right now I think this will be my closing word as 2019 approaches. Optimism ...

Christmas 2018 ..

Christmas Eve .. already! Time to hope for world peace, a sensible resolution to Brexit, a reverse of global warming and unspeakable things to happen to the fluff-headed Yankee one whose name means 'fart' in English ..

Of course, being realistic, I'll just have to settle for a day of rosy glow and the glow of rosé but I guess that's the 'magic of Christmas', isn't it? The vague, miniscule hope that things just might come good and we end up in a better world. I give you my shot of the joy, excitement and innocence of Christmas as a nod in that direction ..

I've already had my present, as Lesley returned home safely last night from a week in the UK and now we'll get to spend our second Christmas together in France ..

So, to you and yours .. thank you so much for reading my blog and may your Christmas take you back to the magic of your childhood. It was good back then, wasn't it? ..

Here comes the summer ..

Right, that's it! The sun's gone down on the shortest day of the year and we're officially rolling our way back to summer. Yee haaa..

As it's the Solstice, I have followed statutory regulations and played Jethro Tull's 'Ring out Solstice Bells', which I promptly followed up with The Undertones version of 'Here comes the summer' ..

The sun's setting as far from the north as it gets - although I took this shot two days ago and it's just as well I did .. it's absolutely poured down all day long .. but it won't belong before we're back to drought conditions and all this water will be long forgotten ..

I think I'll just see if my shorts fit ..

Regular as clockwork ..

There's only one thing as regular as a New Moon, and that's the appearance of our neighbour's Christmas garden decorations. Lovely then, to see them both combined in this shot from last evening and amazing to think that this is now the third winter we've seen Fabrice's reindeer ..!

I know I'm getting boring but, seeing as Christmas is a time for reflection, I can't tell you just how much we've both settled into our new lives here. Yesterday Lesley sang at yet another of her choral Carol Concerts in a beautiful church near here, only to be asked at the end if she'd consider joining a new quartet that's being formed, and last week I gave another of my 'Shoot 'n Tutor' workshops to a young lad, only to be thanked by his dad for his "awesome course on photography," adding "He hasn’t stopped talking about how much he has learned."

Actually, there is another thing that's as regular as clockwork. The village church bell has just started to ring its 8am Angelus. It's a warmly reassuring sign that this is where we truly belong ..