New foundations...

So, it's time for the Tories to 'up sticks' today and buzz off from our quaint Northern town again. I heard at least one of 'em talking about how surprised he was to see the sun shining in Manchester! Oh, how we laughed! Grrrr! And I love the fact that David Cameron will today tell us to "pay off our credit cards" So how does he expect...

Ooops! Got a bit distracted there! Anyway, after Sunday's little TUC demo, here's another dip into my archive and a look at a more pleasant march through our 'town'. That lad will be nudging forty years old by now, I reckon, and look at the old Marks and Spencer building behind him. Remember that? Pre-bomb? Well, I once stood right at the bottom of the huge hole they dug when they knocked down the damaged building. Some 'big-wig' had come up from M&S to ceremonially dig the first spadeful of the new store. I excitedly asked just what would be on this exact spot when the new building went up. "Oh, nowt.." said the gaffer "This is just the foundation for the crane!"..

My perfect cousin...

Feargal Sharkey, and Mike Batt... in the same room! (As well as Martyn Lewis, Eric Pickles and erm, Lord somebody or other...!) I was covering an intimate little soiree last night in Cloud 23, the Bar up on the 23rd floor of Manchester's Hilton Hotel, as part of the Conservative Party Conference, and who should be hosting it but one of my all-time punk heroes (And Feargal Sharkey was there, too.. ho, ho!)
What a lovely man he is! Mike Batt, I mean, not Feargal! He sang a couple of little ditties at the old Joanna, and then still had time for a few shots and a chat with me before he buzzed off for dinner. I then spent the rest of the night trying to get rid of a weird re-mix in my head ..  'Remember you're a Womble v Mars Bar.." and if you don't know those songs then you are YOUNG!!

Any road up.. WOW! A massive thank you to everyone that read my Blog yesterday. All records smashed (Speaking of old music! Ha ha!) as I had almost 200 hits on the page yesterday, courtesy of some generous tweeting and a concerted email effort. I just hope one or two of you stay with it as I travel the road of a professional photographer! Now then, must go say Hi to Madame Cholet!...

Cool as..

I just love this photograph of a groom and best man before a Wedding ceremony! How calm are they? They sent out for sandwiches, sat at the back of the Wedding room and scoffed the lot! It's funny, because I quite often meet grooms at their Wedding who'll show no sign of nerves at all. They'll be fine until the guests start to arrive, when then one of them will invariably ask "Do you feel nervous?".. and off they'll go with the shaky hands and knocking knees!
Sadly, there wasn't much knocking on the door of the Wedding Fayre at the V and A hotel in Manchester yesterday, all courtesy of Messrs Cameron and co.. The Tory Party conference is on this week in Manchester, and the City's in lock-down, with blocked roads and diversions all over the place. As if that wasn't enough, the TUC decided a good-old protest march through the middle of town would be the perfect way to stop prospective brides and grooms from coming to see me! Oh, and it rained!
Apart from that.. met some great couples with some fab ideas, and really do hope that some of them take me on board as their Wedding Photographer! PS: Spot the old Mamiya 645 on my tripod. Cool!

It's all about ME!...

"Martin shooting my favorite shot" That's what this photograph has been entitled! How nice is that? (I'll excuse the American spelling but then Tamara is from South Carolina!) I just got sent it in the mail today. It's a picture from the Civil ceremony of Tamara and Julia, which took place at Manchester Registry Office last summer. She's written to say she "loves the way I capture love.." What a compliment! Many thanks, T! I love that line and it's gone straight onto my home-page! You can check out the shots I was getting by clicking here! Actually, whilst I'm at it.. I received another email today, from a pal of mine who reads the blog in New Zealand. (Hi Simes!) He wrote to say "Your blogs are great, funny & I would miss them if they didn't show up every day!" Fantastic! Just how big is my head getting? What a great ego-boosting start to October! It's just so nice to get feedback! Oh, sod it, I'm on a roll now! A chap in Holland emailed last night to say he 'loves my photos.." as he's just seen my Joy Division pictures online and, last but not least, a company I shot some PR for last week mailed to say they thought I'd supplied some "excellent snaps which we are delighted with!" Snaps? Oh, well.. I can live with that!
Happy October, everybody!!

Show us yer conkers!..

Blimey! It's the last day of September! If I was a kid now I'd be thinking 'Wow! Only five weeks to Bonfire night!' My mates and I would be out collecting any bits of wood we could find, stockpiling it for November the fifth, trying to keep it dry and, more importantly, out of the hands of other kids! Our bonfire had to be the biggest and the best, and over the weeks it would grow and grow in the back garden! My Mum's rows of spuds had no chance, and God knows how we didn't set all our houses on fire when it was finally lit! I know it makes sense that those days have gone but you have to admit, it was great fun! This shot, from my 1970's series, just brings all those memories back!

Busy day today... Just two days until my next Wedding Fayre at Manchester's Victoria and Albert Hotel. Tomorrow I'll tell you a story about a famous Coronation Street Wedding I shot there once (For OK! Magazine! Swanky!) but now, if you'll excuse me, I just need to don my gloves, safety goggles and hard-hat. I'm off for a game of conkers!

Let's go outside...

Gorgeous, isn't it? What a spectacular setting for a Wedding. It's Soughton Hall, near Chester, and we were so lucky with the weather when we all arrived there last week. I'd just managed to finish the 'posed' shots when the heavens opened and everybody had to dash under cover. Unfortunately, that's the problem with the English weather! I've covered many a Wedding in a spectacular venue where I haven't been able to take advantage of a beautiful backdrop because of poor weather conditions, and it seems to be a law of Wedding Photography that the larger the 'pile' the smaller and darker the rooms inside!

Anyway, speaking of the unseasonal weather, I just love the fact that it's making a joke of the new Co-op TV advert! I'm sorry, but I cannot stand that guy's voice when he talks about the Co-op being "Gerd with Ferd" (Say it out loud!) and I'm enjoying a naughty tickle of pleasure to hear him describing things as "chilly outside" ! Ha!

Pay peanuts, get monkeys...

I've just picked up a lovely half-term portrait booking, as a lady I know has asked me to get a shot of herself and her grandkids. "I'll dress them up in their outfits again" she said. Outfits? Aha! Seems they'd all been to her daughter's Wedding and the photographer didn't get a shot of them all together. Well, I say photographer - the technical term is actually 'Friend of the family who owns a good camera'. See?  Pay peanuts, get monkeys!

The heat is on..

Jack Straw and Lord Falconer .. just two of the people who didn't turn up to the event I was covering last night at the Labour Party Conference! Hey ho, what can ya do? At least the good folk that did attend all seemed to have a great time, and the speeches were kept to a minimum (Hurrah!)

I'm getting 'stuff' ready for Sunday's Wedding Fayre today. I'm at the V and A hotel in Manchester, and I've designed a new leaflet to give out there. I'm going to show a new style 'Signing Board' too, which I'm offering as an incentive to early booking. Free engagement portrait too, now that you ask! I'm working at a fair old speed, too. If it's going to reach 28 degrees by the end of this week then I want to be out in it with my shorts on! I still have shorts, don't I ?

On yer bike...

PR head back on for a very interesting day today. Firstly, I'm off to one of my clients to shoot a press picture for their new product .. something (he said coyly) about DNA and motorbikes! Then, I'm off to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to cover one of their evening soirees. Talk about variety!

Anyway, next Easter's booking up nicely now for Weddings, and it's only a matter of days now, surely, before I see Easter Eggs in the shop to get me in the mood!

The photograph? Ah! That's good old Richard Thorp, who played Emmerdale landlord Alan Turner back in the day. I photographed him on his 'hog' for OK Magazine, and you'll be pleased to hear there was no DNA involved in the shoot, at all !

Phew!..

Put in a great 13 hour shift yesterday, covering Lucy and Pete's Soughton Hall Wedding from bridal preparations to first-dance .. and now just the small matter of 955 images to edit! Still, the weather held out for us all, and even when it did rain it made for some great shots, with many of the braver guests hunkering down under the parasols in the garden! Have a look at their page on my Web-site, and now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do!...

All the signs point to...

..a long day today! I'm off to Soughton Hall, on the Welsh/English border, to cover the Wedding of Lucy and Pete from Manchester. Had a trip down there last weekend for a quick look around, but didn't realise there was a Wedding Fayre on. I'd have whipped out my products if I'd known.. (Behave!) So, bridal preparations until first dance to shoot today, so I reckon I'll be finished by about midnight - that's after I've downloaded all my shots onto the computer and backed it all up .. twice! Can't wait to get cracking, though! Hey, I'm even being fed today! All the signs are good!

You have to laugh...

"How good to see a British company doing so well.." said the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, as I covered a visit he made to a local factory yesterday. I type this as the news is of stock market tumbles all over the globe. So, a moment of good cheer amidst the doom and gloom as he made the official presentation of the Queen's Award for exports to this company. Off he went, then, for a tour of the 'works', where he was shown how..  Oh, look! Look, everybody! It's me! It's me .. in the mirror!
Say cheese!

Far out!..

I just love this incredible new Deep-Space image from The Hubble Telescope. Somewhere out in the constellation of Taurus, it shows dust lanes, galaxies, nebulae and at least one supernova, and it all took a kerzillion years for the light to actually reach us!

Naaaaa! It's a pile of bird poo I saw on the way to the paper shop! Just my little dig at people who feel that Photoshop is more important than photography! Taurus? Bull !

I've turned into my Dad...

Tony Wilson and Derek Hatton - two of life's more 'colourful' characters, I'm sure you'd agree! God knows what function I shot this at, or where, but they certainly looked like they were having a good time at it, didn't they!
And doesn't life seem so bland these days with so few larger-than-life people to entertain us? (Sorry Del Boy, I know you're still around, but you've gone very quiet these days!) We seem to live in a world where everybody wants to be 'like' someone - where sounding like/looking like/acting like somebody is the height of a kid's ambition. (Yes, I have just been subjected to X Factor, now you ask!) I was having my hair cut last week and my barber Andy and I were chatting about the state of music these days. He'd just bought a Cabaret Voltaire compilation, and I was talking about looking forward to going to see Wire in November. His 21 year old assistant had no idea who we were talking about, but he mentioned he'd love to see Michael Buble in concert! The pair of us almost threw up! "We've reversed roles.." laughed Andy "I'm the one that's supposed to be saying that, not him!"
It's a shame that both Andy and I look backwards for our musical enjoyment, but there's hardly any new stuff out there any more that stirs my juices! Oh, God! Adele's on the radio again....

Ding, dong...

So, you get to the church nice and early, and you're all set up and waiting for 'the Wedding' to arrive. How to fill in the time? Well, a bit of landscape photography doesn't go amiss, and here's a nice autumnal scene from last Saturday's Wedding. Little did I know that I'd be cursing that flippin' bell-tower just two hours later! It's the bells, you know! (To be read in the style of Quasimodo!) They drove me crazy! Oh, it was lovely how they rang out as the bride and groom came out of the church! It was joyous as the guests congratulated the newly-weds, and then it was downright bloody irritating when the vicar forgot to switch off the tape and I had to yell like hell to be heard above the racket! (What? You thought it was real bell-ringers? Tsh!) Good job I've got a big gob!

And the forecast for Saturday is...

It's always a little joke between me and 'my brides' that they shouldn't pay too much attention to the weather forecast for their Big Day! There's a lot of studying of long-range forecasts goes on by brides as their Wedding Day approaches. "The five-day forecast says sunny.."  they'll tell me! "The CountryFile weekly forecast is for tornados.." they add! "My gran's tea-leaves say 'heatwave'.."  (Ok, maybe not)
I, however, don't listen to a word they say. "Whatever the weather is like.." I always tell them "..when you come down the aisle after your ceremony.. That's the weather forecast!"
So, look at last Saturday's 'forecast', summed up in one shot as I looked back whilst Sam and Steve came down the aisle. That'll be rain, then... Sigh!

The wider view...

Time to get the 10 'mil' out for this wide shot of yesterday's Wedding, up in the rafters and all the nearer to the rain, hammering on the roof! I've never seen such a changeable day, weather-wise! When it rained, it was a monsoon - when the sun shone it was blinding! Still, lots of opportunity for nice backlit group shots - it's incredible how low the sun is already! So, everybody had a blast at the lovely Mere Court Hotel, near Knutsford, and today I'm off for a recce at Soughton Hall, near Chester, the venue for next weekend's Wedding, with Aqua-lung, canoe and Factor 45 at the ready!

Bobbing along...

Abstract, eh? But I thought it would make an appropriate image for today's blog. It's the last look I got of Tripoli, as I left Libya on a boat after covering a story there for the Manchester Evening News. (You couldn't fly directly to Libya in those day!) Those streaks are the lights of the harbour as the boat bobbed out to sea towards Malta, shot on Kodachrome 64 at who knows what?..  A second? (They never did figure out a way to record shooting details on film did they?) Anyway, point being, of course, that we can only hope this is the last look Gaddafi gets of the country one day, as he's taken away somewhere nice and cosy for the rest of his life! All I can say now is that if we're all pally and mates again with Libya, can I have that bottle of whiskey back that you confiscated at the port? Ta very much!

Get the point?..

Had my PR head on this morning for a cool photo-shoot with a big firm of solicitors, but the office was a little lacking in props, to say the least! So, what did I do? I used the shadow from the window-frame to make an interesting picture, that's what! (It was about the one shot when I wasn't actually complaining about the gorgeous bright sunshine!) Oh, and by the way, this is full-frame, too.. not a crop in sight .. and for me that's what keeps photography so interesting and exciting - the never-ending search for the next good shot and, if you'll forgive my arty arrogance, the ability to see it/create it/shoot it properly. So, stick that in your pipe and smoke it, you £300 Weekend Wedding Wallies.....  Get the point?

Happy Christmas, everybody...

Ah! 'Tis the season to be jolly, or to dress as a witch, or to..   
Oh, God, I'm confused!
There are Christmas selection boxes side-by-side with whole shelves of Hallowe'en CRAP in Sainsbury's this afternoon. Whoa! Hang on! I've not even worn my shorts yet this summer! Give knees a chance, dudes! I mean, it's obvious a Wedding takes a bit of pre-planning, but do we really have to be bombarded with all this commercial rubbish months before the event?
I know it's nothing new, but it's depressing, and I wish it would all go away!
PS: Dear Father Christmas, I have been a very good boy this year....

Aw, fair go...

I did have a good look around when I saw this sign, though I didn't really expect to see one that said "Please keep off the ordinary working man!"  This sign's at Tatton Park, pointing people away from the lovely grassy slopes at the rear of the Mansion House. I saw it when I was shooting a Wedding there last week.

On the same subject - not! - I found an old diary from 1981 the other day. Guess what I've got written on the inside front cover..  Phone numbers of my nearest and dearest? Names of picture editors on national newspapers? Nope! The development times for Ilford HP5 film, that's what! Since you ask, it was 7 minutes in ID-11 for 400 ASA, up to 25 minutes in Microphen for 6400! God, how I love that ISO dial on digital cameras!!

Don't tell me the score...

Staying on the subject of the USA .. I must, must, must start watching the American Football again. Now that I've finally got one of those whizz-bang digital recorders I've got no excuse for missing any of the games that will be shown this season on Channel 4 (And before I go any further, I recorded The Jets versus The Cowboys last night, so nobody tell me the score!) Now, did you ever see a more incongruous shot than this picture of 'American' footballers mashing it up in front of a row of Salford 'back to back' terraced houses? Not exactly the MetLife stadium is it? In fact, it's The Willows, the home - up to last week - of the Salford Reds Rugby League team. This was back in the late 80's, when the marketing men were trying to get 'Gridiron' established in the UK (You may have noticed that they failed!) The Willows was one of the grounds where the game was played in England, and I went down there a few times to try my hand at photographing the sport (You may have noticed that I failed, too, ho ho! I'm rubbish at sports photography! I think I'll stick to Weddings! ) Anyway, just to add that  even The Willows closed last week, and the team will soon move to Barton, in Eccles.  Gotta keep moving, eh? Now what's the American term for an 'Up and under'?...

Ten years on...

No need for words today, just my Kodachrome shot from the Staten Island ferry, and a moment to think back to the events of ten years ago. I went up the twin towers a couple of times, including once with my dear old Dad who has, himself, now died.

All I can say is, don't ever take anything for granted!

Gizza kiss....

A sweet little montage from last Sunday's Wedding at Tatton Park, and I'm sure I'll get some equally good shots at today's Civil Partnership ceremony, too. I'm off to Manchester to see Matt and Andy tie the knot, and really keen to get some cool reportage as they amble between their three different venues around Albert Square.. Manchester Registry Office, the bar they're visiting for some refreshing sparkly stuff, and then the town hall itself for their reception.
Bring it on!

Rain, rain, go away...

A lovely moment from yesterday's Wedding, when Hannah married Mike at Mitton Hall, near Clitheroe. Unfortunately, the rain and drizzle hung around all day, so I couldn't take advantage of the lovely scenery - well, I coudn't see most of it! - but we all made the best of it with lots of shots in the hotel's sumptious rooms and the odd venture out to the front door! So, batteries charging as we speak, 'cos I'm off again tomorrow, this time to cover the Civil partnership of Matt and Andy at Manchester Town Hall.

Now somehow, in between all this Wedding mullarkey, I've managed to find the time to change my whole website, as I mentioned yesterday. (I'm so behind on my Coronation Street!) Amazingly, I've now uploaded 90, yes ninety, images to my gallery page, so you'll need a good brew and a steady supply of biscuits to get through it all. I think it's worth it, though, and it was a lovely trip down memory lane for me to compile the collection. There were just so many that I had to leave out, though!

Stop Press... this just in from Hannah's step-mum, and I quote..."Martin you are a STAR xxxxx"

The signs are good...

Wow! I've just revamped my entire web-site! My eyes are boggled! It looks great though, and I'm really excited. Please check it out and tell me what you think! Quick blog today as I'm leaving soon for Mitton Hall, up near Preston, to shoot the Wedding of Hannah and Mike! Can't wait!
Please don't raiiiiinnnn.......

Anyway, here's a 'word for word' text from Suzanne, whose Wedding I shot on Sunday at Tatton Park.
"Just to say the pics are absolutely amazing. I had tears in my eyes going through them, you captured every little detail, it was brilliant" 
Nice, eh? 'Cos so often these days it's a case of "Silence is Golden" .. If I never hear from a client or a bride after their event I can only assume it's because they were happy with my work and didn't need to contact me to have a moan!!

My ego is suitably massaged...

Sheena is...

 ..a punk rocker!



I was working with a lady called Sheena the other day. You don't meet many girls called Sheena, do you? Trouble is, ever since then I can't get the flippin' Ramones out of my head! ('Sheena is a punk rocker' was one of the American band's early tracks, just in case you're completely lost at this point! 1977! Good grief!) Anyway, it tied in nicely with an old Kodachrome slide I found in my files recently. This was taken at one of the old 'Futurama' punk festivals in either Leeds or Stafford at the beginning of the Eighties. It reminded of a gig I went to in Houston, in 1982. (The Minutemen, if you're interested!) I saw the drummer of the band, sitting out amongst the crowd, chillin' with the chicks, and excitedly asked if he had any badges I could buy. He just gave me a really dirty look and turned back to chatting with his admirers. It was only when I got home and played one of their albums I realised they actually had a track called 'Badges'. It's 31 seconds long, and the entire lyrics of the song are "We have no badges! We don't need no badges! We don't need no stinkin' badges!"
Whoops!

What a day!...

Phew! Tatton Park! Bring it on...

I shot what was probably the most amazing Wedding of my year so far yesterday! It was the Big Day for Suzanne and Paresh - a fantastic mixture of Scottish and Indian, sari and kilt, at the amazing Tatton Park, in Cheshire. I was exhausted by the time I'd finished it! With coverage from bridal preparations to first dance it was a long day, and now I'm currently working my way through 1, 366 shots from the whole event. I received two of the best compliments I've ever had, too! The bride's step-dad Mike said I was "brilliant", and when we got into a conversation about advertising and promotion he said he'd describe my USP, my unique selling point, as being a crackpot! Love it! I love it, but how do I get that across when nobody phones my studio anymore? It's all done by email, these days, and we all know how sterile that can be. I bring this up because only this weekend I had an email (Ironically, they didn't phone!) from my 'Freephone number' supplier. They said I might want to cancel my Freephone number, as I'd gone below my minimum usage amount. In other words, as I said, people are e-mailing rather than phoning! The minimum usage amount? Three minutes per month! Jeepers! Thank you for (not) calling! Have a nice day!

PS.. I think he meant crackpot in a nice way !!   ;-)

When ya gotta go....

Well, what to Blog about today?... Libya? The Economy?  Weddings? Naa..it's Friday! Time to chill and let it all hang out whilst I can! There's a big Wedding Weekend coming up, after all! I can't wait to get cracking at Tatton Park on Sunday but, before that, I'm off to Peckforton Castle in my new role as Wedding Photography Advisor! (I just made that up!) The couple whose Wedding I'm actually going to want me to walk them around the venue and show them the best locations for their photography. Just gotta keep telling myself that I'm not actually shooting it!
Oh, I did end up talking about Weddings, after all! What are the chances?...

'Owzat?...

Vaughan, Flintoff, Fairbrother...not to mention DeFreitas, Muralitharan and Wasim Akram! Cricket's finest came out to play the other day, and I was the official PR photographer, covering the event for the De Vere Hotel group. The 'England Legends' event was a fantastic fund-raiser for research into a rare syndrome which sadly caused the death of a young member of staff at Grappenhall Cricket Club, the venue for the function. Full marks to 'Freddie',  I must say, as he patiently signed autographs, programmes and miniature cricket bats until every one of his adoring fans was happy they had a piece of their hero!
I was then up bright and early next morning to shoot a presentation to a very surprised and happy chap at Manchester Airport, who was named as the 3 millionth EasyJet passenger to pass through the airport,  and was given a year's free flying on the airline as a prize. Back to the office then, and a mere 857 frames to edit!

Now then, back to the subject of Weddings, and I mentioned I was being fitted for a suit! Yes, folks, I'm going to be a guest at a Wedding! How weird is that going to feel? I nipped down to the swanky Groom suit outfitters in Wilmslow, and had my manly chest measured up for a cool .. oops, musn't say, just in case the bride's reading this! Anyway, I must remember to behave myself at the Wedding, and not try to interfere/help/annoy the official photographer! It's not until next May, so I have plenty of time to practice! Eeek!

Location, location, location..

I get to see some great venues as a Wedding photographer. Huge castles, sumptuous hotels, grand stately homes. Some I see on a regular basis. I've been to Willington Hall twice already this summer, for example, and I once did three Weddings in three consecutive days at Manchester Town Hall. This weekend I'll be back at Tatton Park, one of the UK's most complete historic estates, and I popped back there last week to refresh my memory and look for new sites in which to shoot, because it struck me that I haven't done a Wedding there for two years. Really looking forward to working there again!

Before that, though, it's time to put on my PR head, as I've got a couple of busy days working with some great clients, covering a milestone event for EasyJet and Freddie Flintoff for DeVere hotels. Let you know about those jobs later in the week!

Oh, and ask me about getting fitted for a Wedding suit, too!...

Back of the net...

I had a fantastic dream last night! I dreamt that Manchester United beat Arsenal 8-2! Can you imagine that? 8-2? All the better to know then that it was true, and Oh boy, what an afternoon at my local that turned out to be! It's not often I talk about football on my blog, but that result was fantastic, and my arms are still aching from all the goal-celebrations!
Well done, Man U !

So, Bank Holiday Monday - well, here in the UK, anyway - and that means, of course, appalling weather! The heavens opened right on cue at the weekend, and it's still raining now as I type this. I had the weekend off, Wedding-wise, so my heart goes out to all the soggy brides and drenched Wedding photographers out there! Anyway, the bad weather's meant I've been able to work on my website, and there's a lovely pair of photographs up on the home-page now. I'm also introducing a fab offer in conjunction with my Facebook page. If you become a fan, and then book me for your Wedding Photography, I'll knock 25 smackers off the price, right there and then (£15 off Crunchtastic!) That's even good enough to put the smile back on the face of an Arsenal fan! Back of the net!...

Ooh, Harold...

Harold Wilson! No reason! Just found it in my archives this morning and thought I'd pop it up! Must have taken it about 1980. Went round the back of the podium and shouted his name! (Gosh, the nerve of the young O'Neill!)  Anyway, read into it what you like! Politicians/Hard Times/Oil Prices/Europe....
By the way, he's pictured here with Lewis Carter-Jones, the long-time Labour MP for Eccles, the anniversary of whose death is, coincidentally, tomorrow! Weird, eh? Still can't see Wilson, though, without getting an image of Mike Yarwood in my head! Ooh, Mary...

Cheers, Tony...

Now, I have been known to use this Blog to rant about the swamping influx of cheap amateurs into the world of professional photography!   
So.. here we go again!

My local shopping centre has some racks in which local companies can leave their business cards. I went in there yesterday to top up my 'pile' and there, next to my cards, was a new set of cards proclaiming TONYS (sic) BUDGET PORTRAITS. They're so budget that he can't afford an apostrophe, they look like they've been printed on Letraset, he doesn't list a website and the price is written on the back in biro !! (From £60 for a 24 x 16, just in case you're interested, you b*stard, and, by the way, I'm only £15 dearer!)

Now, why would you? Please? Does a card like that instil confidence? Would you let someone like Tony capture your image for posterity? Is a saving of fifteen measly quid worth missing out on the chance to have your shots done by a fantastic photographer like what I am? Then STOP RIGHT THERE! Do not encourage these fly-by-night amateurs, out to make a few quid spending money, when you could have me, me, me to shoot a fab set of images for you. Cripes, before you know it our TONY will be offering himself as a Wedding Photographer, and where would we professionals be then, eh?

Rant over! Large G & T, please!

What do I do now?..

Hmmm! Do you think I should have spent it whilst I had the chance?
I've mentioned before about the time I went out to Libya to cover a story for the Manchester Evening News, and I've still got this one erm, dinar, I think, note, from the trip. By the way, note to self if you're planning on becoming a dictator. Don't pose for the shot on your bank notes with a look of confused resignation on your face. It might come back to haunt you!

I don't know if you noticed but it's another yucky day, weather-wise, and I really can't shake a feeling in my head that the summer is already over, particularly as I've now shot my last August Wedding for the year. My next is on September 4th so it'll be, in my mind at least, an Autumn Wedding, and I'll be frantically whizzing round trying to find yellow leaves to shoot against!

Wonder if Gaddafi feels like things have come to an end?...

Saturday...

Sigh! Well, that was a lovely Wedding! Julia and Phil said " I do.." at Culcheth Newchurch on Saturday, and then whizzed off to Leigh Golf Club for fizz and a party, party! Lots of European guests there, too, all of whom seemed to be able to understand my manic blathering! Bonjour, tout le monde!

So sorry to hear of the Red Arrows crash on the same day, too. Just think how many of us have 'seen' that poor guy as he went through his aerobatics! Probably photographed 'him' at RAF Fairford in July! My thoughts are with his family.

Looking forward to the past...

Oh, my word! Another awful day for news, what with looming recession, concert-goers killed in freak weather, suicide bombers and the unsurprising fact that petrol stations haven't dropped prices in line with falls in wholesale prices....

Time to whisk myself away (mentally at least, 'cos I've got a Wedding to shoot tomorrow) to sunnier, happier times - in this case Thailand in the early nineties, when photography meant film, music meant Nirvana and I still wasn't drunk after three pints of Guinness!

So, roll on Saturday, when I can put my Wedding head on again and plunge into the world of happiness, love and Pimms!

Keep smiling, everybody!

A real artist at work!..

Ah! Siouxsie Sue! Back in the day, at Manchester Apollo! Look how close you could get to the stage in those days! By the way, it's not a real Polaroid! Naaah! I just used some of that free software to make it look like it! How crazy that the more we progress, the more we yearn for the past, and I've already blogged about how ironic I find the software that makes one's photography look faded and shot on old film stock!
Anyway, I digress! I finally went back to The Met, in Bury, yesterday, where I had an exhibition of my Joy Division pictures in the spring. They'd emailed to say "Please come and pick them up!" so I did, and now they're knocking about my office again, gathering dust! So, does anyone know of anywhere that might be interested in showing this work? Particularly in that London or somewhere down there, as they've never been further south than sunny old Macclesfield! A music pub? A club? A record shop? Thinking cap on, dear reader!

The artist at work...

Yes, here I am, captured for posterity, shooting the 'group shot of everybody' at a recent Wedding. Three cameras on the go, too! What a guy!

Now, no disrespect here, but I've got to tell you about an postcard advert I've just seen stuck up in our local shopping centre window. It's entitled 'Work Wanted' so as I say, more power to the guy for being interactive but... 

He's asking £7 an hour and lists his assets, in order of appearance as: Fork Lift Truck licence, Warehouse experience, Computer literacy, driving licence and, right at the bottom ... photographic experience!
Like, shoot your Wedding type experience, or what? Seven quid an hour?

Your servant is humbled!

Drink up, we're off...

It's those last few seconds before the start of your ceremony! The butterflies are fluttering, the mouth is dry! Just one last glug of Moet and you're off! Oh, the nerves and excitement of those moments just before a Wedding. All those months (years!) of planning are coming together for this one moment!
I love to be around to capture that electricity in the air, camera poised, shutter finger ready! Will the bride lick her lips, or glance quickly at her Dad? A tear from Mum perhaps, or a quick kiss from one of the bridesmaids? It's all there to be captured, and it's a fantastic feeling to have been asked to be the one to capture it! Adrenaline? Excitement? And that's just me!

Bouquet of roses...

Being the sensitive artist that I am it's always nice when someone takes the time to give me some feedback, and this weekend has been fantastic for soothing my fevered brow. I've had one of my blog readers using the word "brilliant" in an email to me, and another using the words "stunning" and "photo" in the same sentence! Now that's the kind of email I like!

More of my sexy Australian Jorgensen albums to make this week, before I head off for what will be the most local Wedding I've ever done, as both the church and the reception are in the village I live in!

Oh, and my lovely girlfriend bought me a smashing new Nikon Coolpix camera for my birthday last week (What do you mean, you forgot?) and it's started me off on a whole new set of Flickr project ideas. More to follow! Happy Monday...

Wet, wet, wet...

Well, it was the Lake District, but I didn't expect to get quite as wet as I did yesterday! Up there to shoot the fabby Wedding of Mikaela and Mark at The Inn on the Lake, Ullswater, and got absolutely drenched as the rain came down. When it wasn't raining it was drizzling, and when it wasn't drizzling it was spitting! Still, the show must go on, and there are already 690 shots online for the couple to check out...
Now, where's the hairdryer?...

Welcome to England, have a nice day...

Ok, the real world is a little too unavoidable today, so a few words on the terrible state of this country in 2011. I am ashamed and saddened by what these idiots did to Manchester last night, and I know what my response would be. Physical pain!

 We are living with the results of bringing up children without any form of meaningful discipline. Kids are not taught any respect, because they know that their punishment will not 'hurt'! I look at the namby-pamby parents around me, with their precious Sigourneys and Joshuas, and want to scream at them for the way they let their kids run around. Give them a clip round the ear! Make your point! Teach them!

See this photograph? I took it in 1974, on my way to school one morning, but a scene like that today, three kids approaching me in a dark tunnel, would fill me with dread! What a terrible way to feel!
Please, England, get real!

Oi!!!.....

Can you morons stop messing up my country, please!

Right! That's enough about 'the real world'...Let's have a little fun!
An amusing PR moment, and an amusing Wedding moment!

PR Funny... Yesterday I had to go through security to get in to an office to do some portraits for a company in Manchester. The chap on the door was filling in my pass. Name? O'Neill. Last name? No, that is my last name! Oh! First name? Martin. Martin O'Neill? Wow, are you related?

Wedding Funny... I was talking to one of my brides for next year, and asked if they'd sorted a suit for the groom. Oh, yes, she said, a blue one. It'll go so well with his cummberbundle !!! 

Gotta laugh, innit!

 

In the garden...

What to do on a Saturday afternoon without a Wedding? Why, shoot the flowers in my garden of course!
I just stepped out for a cup of tea, and a bright red gladioli caught my eye. Before you knew it I'd shot almost 400 images of flowers and foliage, a mere 89 of which I have made into a new Flickr set for your enjoyment! Reminded me of a chat I had with one of my Wedding couples over the weekend. The groom told me how keen he was on photography and how happy he was that, from the thousands of digital shots he had now taken on his new camera, there were 12 that were "really good" .... 

Rest assured, dear brides, my average is a LOT better than that, and I generally end up offering each of my Wedding couples a choice of at least 650 images from their Big Day! 

Now, go and have a look at my flowers! Peace and love, man!

In the sh*t....

Doom, gloom, credit crunch, recession! Must be time for a picture of a cheerleader and a pile of horse sh*t!! Nuff said!...

Hey! Picture the scene! Warm summer's day, car driving past, windows down and music blasting out. So far, so normal, except that the car that drove past me yesterday evening was playing "I wish it could be Christmas every day"! Well, we all need something to look forward to, don't we?

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....

Dust yourself off...

Oh, why did God invent dust? I've spent the best part of a day photoshopping the bloody stuff off just three new Florescence scans, but I'll tell you what .. I'm delighted with the results! Now I've just got to get ten other images up to the same standard! I was revisiting my Big Box of Transparencies the other day, and found all these overlooked images just crying out to be added to my set. All I need now is somewhere to sell 'em! Anyone know of a cool gift shop or florist that might be interested?

Speaking of dust, I'm always amazed at how much gets inside my cameras, with no detrimental affect. When I used a medium format Mamiya 6x7 there was a tiny dust mite that had dropped dead in the middle of my viewfinder, far out of reach of any dust blower, and people used to have a look into my camera whilst it was left on the tripod at Weddings, just to show each other the bug!

Child's play...

Young lads up a tree, schoolgirls in the park - Jeez,  I'd hate to be trying to get these shots today. No sooner did I blog yesterday about memories of a more innocent time than I pass a lady pushing a baby in a stroller. Well, I say lady, she was probably about 16 years older than her child - but when I waved a little hello at the baby the mother gave me such a dirty look .. and that's without trying to take a photograph, so there you go, instant judgement! I'm a pervert, a paedo, a threat to her likkle precious offspring. Bloody hell! What chance does that kid have of growing up with an open mind? And so the cycle will continue, until it will actually be an offence in the UK to talk to someone unless you do it by text, or smile at someone unless it's on a videolink. God help the next generation! The photograph, since you ask, was taken at a sports day in Warrington in, oooh, 1981... and absolutely nobody took offence! Smile!

August, already!..

Bejeepers! How did that happen? School holidays already!  
Cue images of more innocent times, of kids climbing trees, playing out until dusk, eating food that didn't have a 'sell-by' date and knowing all the neighbours down your street...Sigh! This shot, and others like it, are part of my 'Don't Miss That' series, available online or as a book...
Packing my wellies now, as my next Wedding is up in The Lake District, so we're going to make a mini-adventure out of it! Can't wait! Not sure I'll be climbing any trees, but there'll be lots of walking and sight-seeing, and it'll have to do as my summer holiday, until the Weddings ease off after Autumn.

Anyway, I now have a dedicated Facebook page for my Wedding Photography, via UK Brides, the website I'm on for brides around the country. Check me out!
Hey, you might even want to 'Like' me...Aw, go on!