I remain, your servant ..

This shot's from another set of images I've been sorting this morning and I don't know why it came back to me, but I couldn't help laughing at something I overheard at a recent Wedding. "Mummy.." said a rather hungry young lady as she sat down at a Wedding reception "When will the servants be coming to our table?" Oh yes, you get a better class of people when I shoot Weddings!!...

Another busy week ahead, with a great mixture of PR, portraits, a Wedding and .. some website shots for a local church. The PR shoot's rather interesting. Bit of a big-wig! I'll tell you about it tomorrow. I just hope he doesn't bring any servants!!...

Itchy!..

Chickenpox! That's what's scuppered me today!
A good old dose of the contagious scratchies! Not me, of course, but apparently some of the youngsters involved in the christening I was supposed to photograph this afternoon. Rather than risk further infection, Mum has sadly decided to pull the plug on the event so, like the man here in my travel shot from Kenya, it looks like a lazy Sunday afternoon for me. Spot on ..

Guidance needed ..

A very nice lady came into the studio a week back to get some new portraits shot, and one of her changes of outfit was a Guides uniform. She's just been to pick up her images and told me that today she was awarded the OBE for services to Guiding in the Queen's Birthday Honours! So that's why she wanted some photographs in 'Guide garb'!  Well done Sue, and thanks so much for choosing my studio for your publicity shots...

It's a shame more youngsters aren't into the Scouts and Guides, as I was reminded this week when I caught a train into Manchester. This young oik didn't see the slightest thing wrong with putting his feet up onto the seat. I'd have got my a*rse kicked for doing that when I grew up! More discipline, that's what we need. Bring back parental slapping! Bring back National Service! Get Sue on the case! It's time these kids were brung up proper ...

Landscape v People ..

Back from a quick break in the Cotswolds. Walking, hills, sheep, ye olde pubs .. all that sort of thing! Had a great time although my shots will confirm I ain't no landscape photographer. Well, that's 'cos I ain't interested in being a landscape photographer, and I've never really seen another photographer's landscape photo that's made me feel like .. wow!..

So, I stuck to what I do and took photographs like this one. It's quite amusing, actually. There I am, in front of an 800 year old church - rooks squawking on the gargoyles, steeple clock clanking out the half-hour as it's done for God knows how long (Well, he would, wouldn't he!) .. and I see three bins lined up next to three tombstones! Picture! Ha ..

Anyway, I've seen enough grass to last me now, so it's studio head back on today and a heap of print orders to get out before I shoot another family portrait tomorrow morning and a christening on Sunday.
Landscape v people? People, every time!..

It was a breeze ...

Yesterday's Wedding was a breeze! Actually, it felt more like Gale Force 9 all day long!! My, how it blew and, of course, how it whizzed the clouds across the sun. One minute it was gloomy and grey, the next we were in blazing sunshine! Not complaining, of course .. it gave me some great photographs!..

This one, for example! A picture with a tale. Melissa and Graham did their early courting on this bench in the middle of Lymm, as it was within view of Mel's Mum's front-room window, and she didn't want her daughter disappearing out of her sight. We blew back there and photographed the couple on their Wedding Day. What a great idea! Have a look at a few more shots here ..

And now, I'm off to read the papers ...

On your marks ..

Time to hot-foot it down to South Cheshire for today's Wedding. The distances between the house and the ceremony are so much that I need to get to shoot the bridal preparations good and early in order to - as they say - get me to the church on time! I reckon that, by the time I've shot the first dance, it'll be a good twelve hour day today! Can't wait!..

Bloomin' lovely ..

What a great way to name your Wedding Tables. I've seen a lot of fantastic ideas for table plans over the years - football teams, Star Wars characters, places a couple have been in their lives - but I thought choosing a whole selection of spring flowers to name your tables was such a sweet and simple way of doing things. Click on the shot to see it larger. I wonder how tomorrow's Wedding couple will name their tables..  

Bloomin' news on the Joy Division front, too. Prints from Hooky's gig are now available to purchase online - for a limited period until December 31st of this year. Go to 'So this is Permanence' to get your orders in! Myself and a young guy called Ant Mulryan have a selection of shots up for grabs with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Epilepsy Society and The Churches Conservation Trust. We do like to do our bit, ya know..

Spread the good word ..

I did something yesterday that I haven't done for a long, long time. I took a photograph for the Manchester Evening News! Ok, it was only a self-portrait but it is for publication so that counts, doesn't it? The paper's doing a piece on my Joy Division exhibition at Charles Roe House and so, rather than have them schlepp a photographer down to Macclesfield, I volunteered to do the shots myself. It only took 378 attempts!..

There's other good news on the Joy Division front. The shots I took at Peter Hook's 'So this is Permanence' gig last month are going on Limited Edition sale. It's been agreed that the three photographers who covered the gig can now offer a selection of prints for sale until December 31st. I've edited my work down to around 20 images - I say around as I'm awaiting final approval - but, once I get the nod, I'll get that link up and running all over those other kinds of media!
Gotta spread the word, eh?..

Just showing my age ..

I awoke this morning to hear of the sad and premature death of poor old former Liberal leader Charles Kennedy. Fifty-five, people are saying, so young! Old. Premature. Young. Don't we have such defined views on age? I photographed a .. here we go .. young (21!) lady in the studio recently who warned me not to photograph "her wrinkles" and, any other day of the week, we'd complain that, at 55, we're 'getting on a bit' but should that person pop it then all we hear is that they were 'too young' to die. I know, it's all comparative and I'm rambling on a bit but I'd already got an 'age' niggle in my head before I even heard the sad news this morning ..

Cake smashes! That's what was bothering me. This (American) idea of sitting a one-year old child in front of a birthday cake and encouraging it to smash the sh*t out of it, all in the name of 'cute' photographs. If you'd read yesterday's blog you may have sensed my unease at the thought of having to shoot a cake-smash that afternoon, but I just can't believe we'd encourage a child to do such wilful damage to anything! Capturing a child if it did cheekily pinch a bit of cake is one thing, but making them do it is a different matter altogether! As it was, yesterday's little baby wouldn't go near the cake. Thankfully, he couldn't grasp the concept that we all wanted him to trash a perfectly good cake and so the shots simply show him sitting by the side of it with a little (added!) icing on his face.

However - and I can hear you all now - I am running a photographic studio and the customer is always right so forgive me going on so. I think I'm just showing my age ..

Getting Smashed ..

Today's all about getting smashed! Not me, you understand .. just a cake! Yes, I have another of those bizarre photo-shoots called a Cake Smash to do! Basically, put a one year old kid in front of a birthday and let the little rascal do its worst! Makes a mess! Makes really cute photographs! What's not to like .. eh? ..

Actually, today's shoot is but a mere warm-up, as I'm shooting a kids' party later in the week with at least 15 six year olds attending! A bulk order of paracetomol has already been ordered from Amazon! Other shoots include a portrait session with a new Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester .. and a Wedding! Must remember not to ask the bride to smash the cake!..

Forget-Me-Not ...

It occured to me yesterday that the lovely little blue flowers surrounding Ian Curtis' headstone are Forget-Me-Nots. Isn't that incredible? In a shot taken on the 35th anniversary of his death he's surrounded by Forget-Me-Nots!
How appropriate!..

There were a couple of other nice little Joy Division touches yesterday, too. I popped back to Macclesfield to put up some of my prints from Hooky's recent 'So this is Permanence' gig at Christ Church and, as soon as I got on the train, I plugged in my ipod and hit Play. First song that came on? Joy Division's 'Twenty four hours'. First line of that song? 'So this is Permanence'...! Eeeek....!

Second thing? A rather frail-looking old lady walked into the gallery as I was up the ladder hanging prints. She must be lost, I thought to myself but, no, she asked where the Ian Curtis exhibition was and Julie, the exhibitions organiser, led her into the room showing my pictures. Turns out the lady was Ian Curtis' primary school teacher and taught him when he was nine years old! How fantastic!..
Her abiding memory of him? "Very quiet and very clever"..

Now I didn't ask, but she volunteered her age. She said she was 78, so we're talking probably 48 years since she last saw Ian. She hasn't forgotten!..

Hooky & Peely and the passage of time ..

Back to Macc today to put up a selection of shots from last Monday's Peter Hook gig. They'll compliment the Bowdon Vale photographs perfectly, and it's lovely to be able to span 36 years of a guy's career in the space of a few photographs. I hope the shots will please the many fans who weren't able to get tickets to the event..

Thirty six years ago the Radio One DJ John Peel was in his prime and, to my delight, I've just found out that there are entire shows of his available to download. As I sit here now I'm listening to a show from 1980, replete with weird music, wacky music and superb music ..  all interspersed with Peely's droll observations and introductions. Takes me right back! When I worked for the Warrington Guardian I was invariably still busy in the darkroom until 11 and 12 at night, so would always listen to John's shows as I printed my photographs. I find it delicious that I can, once again, work on my photographs as I listen to John Peel. A great way to pass the time ..

What time do you call this? ..

I photographed a Wedding once involving a bride who was so meticulous about everything going to plan that she had a big list of timings printed up on the back of her kitchen door..

Along the lines of : 10.47 - Start make-up. 11.14 - Photographer arrives (I was early, of course!) 12.12 - Get into dress...  that kind of thing! Anyway, she was really late to her Wedding. The make-up artist dropped red lipstick down the front of the bride's dress and the panic that ensued ensured she was never going to get to the church on time. You can't plan that kind of thing into your timings..

Similarly, you can't factor in a VW Campervan that breaks down en route to the bride's house. That's what happened on Friday and poor old Sue was 45 minutes late for her Wedding!! It had a knock effect all afternoon, as you can imagine, and my task wasn't made any easier by the fact that, as the guests all came out of the church, it began to drizzle in a most insistent way. I managed to get a group shot of all the guests and then ... phwit! .. they were gone! Everyone bar Sue's parents scarpered off to the reception meaning most of the shots on the list Sue had provided went by the board. Check out here what I did manage to shoot ..

Anyway, just take that into account all you brides to be. Be chilled about your Big Day. What will happen will happen and it'll all add to the memories afterwards..

You must be the bride ..

Well it's raining, so it must be time to photograph another Wedding! If you don't live in England then I can't tell you how bad the weather has been this May. It's cold and wet and 'orrible! Brr...

Anyway, off to a lovely chapel under the flight path of Manchester Airport this afternoon to shoot the Wedding of a couple I haven't yet met! It's quite unusual these days for me not to have a meeting with a couple before I photograph their Big Day but, for whatever reason, it just hasn't happened this time. Never mind, I'm sure I'll be able to spot the Bride and Groom when I get there!..

Laters ..

Will the real Mick Middles please stand up ..

What's better than a night out with Mick Middles? A night out with two of the buggers..

That's what I had last night when I went to see the Joy Division play 'New Dawn Fades' at Bury Met. I went with my erstwhile mucker Mick, who's described as the 'quite brilliant writer' when he actually features in the play as a young journo interviewing Joy Division at the start of the 80s. I wonder what the audience would have felt if they knew the 'real' Mick Middles was in da house. (Don't answer that!) The actor Sean, who plays him, is pictured on the right, just to avoid confusion, ho ho ..

It's a great play though, with warmth, wit, wisdom and a well-handled ending and I'd advise any JD fan to catch it if it ever does the rounds again..

Seeing it at the Met added a certain extra poignancy to the evening, as that was the actual stage Joy Division played on on the night of the infamous 'riot' when Ian was too ill to sing. Adding that to the feelings I had on Monday, being in the actual church he used to attend, rounded off a really rather good celebration of his short and spectacular life. And now my life must turn towards 'other stuff' ..

Weddings, for example .. as I have my next one tomorrow afternoon. More memories to capture..

Capturing memories! Ah! One last thing, then. The shots I took at Hooky's gig on Monday are now online. I chiselled 150 shots together as a good illustration of the night and they've had 487 views since they went live yesterday afternoon. I've had lovely complimentary messages from as far away as Lima, Peru! Even Mick Middles likes' em .. 

Stop press .. here's Mick's interview with the band!

So that was Permanence..

Blimey! It's all over!..

The gig has gone and the only things that remain are the images. Ironic that the show was called 'So this is Permanence'! (Ok, I know they made a CD of the gig but let me have my moment!) ..

What an incredible event. Peter Hook sang every single one of Joy Division's songs in 3 hours 15 minutes to a mere 470-odd lucky people in an audience in an old church! It was really poignant to hear the songs live, especially with Hooky's voice even often sounding like Ian Curtis.
Spine-tingling .. 

For my part I shot over 1000 frames and have just finished narrowing them down to a delicious 150 images which I've now added to my Flickr site. The key for me was to try to replicate some of the shots I took of Joy Division in 1979.

I think I succeeded ..

Man! It's almost hard to go back to 'normal' life again! Even tonight there's more Joy Division 'stuff' to do as I'm going to see the play 'New Dawn Fades' at Bury Met, where the band were famously involved in a riot in 1980! ..

Tomorrow, I'll get back to normal tomorrow ..

Love tore him apart ..

The clock-tower on the skyline is the church where it will all happen today. Every single one of Joy Division's songs will be performed at Christ Church in Macclesfield to celebrate the life of Ian Curtis, the band's lead singer, who committed suicide exactly 35 years ago today..

Peter Hook, the band's former bass player, has taken up the challenge of playing something like 48 songs over the space of almost four hours as a way to mark the occasion and to raise money for charity. I wish him well! (You can listen to him talking about it on Radio 4 this morning .. go to I hr 47 mins) For my part, I will be documenting the day and trying to replicate some of the shots I took of 'Hooky' at the Bowdon Vale gig over 36 years ago! Visitors from all over the world will be converging on Ian's home town of Macclesfield today, and I'm going to cover as much as I can of the event - from what I'm sure will be large numbers visiting Ian's memorial stone in the cemetery to Kevin Cummins' talk about his iconic shots of the band and, of course, the massive gig this evening at the church. I'm then going to create a Flickr album for everyone to view the work and, if anyone wants to download images, I'm going to donate 50% of the fee to the charities..

What a poignant day .. 

What Joy! ..

Well, it's all getting very exciting around here!..

The next few days are the 'Big Ones' as far as Joy Division is concerned, with two Open Days for my exhibition before Monday night's .. Big Gig!

If you're not aware of it, May 18th will be the 35th anniversary of the death of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis, and Peter Hook - aka, as you can see, my bezzy mate Hooky - the former bassist of the band will, with his new group The Light, play every Joy Division song at a gig for charity in a Macclesfield church. I'm one of only four or five photographers being allowed to shoot the gig and it's been arranged for me to shoot a few frames from backstage to replicate a couple of shots I took when I photographed the band in 1979..

Those shots are up at Charles Roe House in Macc until June 28th and this Sunday and Monday there'll be Open Afternoons for fans who'll be flocking into the town for the event. I've already had one long and very pleasant chat with - and arranged to meet - a guy who's coming over from Denver, Colorado just for the gig!..

Oh, and don't let me forget I've got a Wedding to shoot on Saturday, too! What joy ..

Silly old Mayor ..

One of my PR jobs for next week has had the time changed because the local Mayor has decided he'd like to attend. Amusingly, once the new time was confirmed, I then received another email from the PR company involved. Attached was a leaflet explaining the protocol for .. addressing the Mayor! Now I'm all for people being helpful but I couldn't resist replying to the young lady who'd sent me the info. "You do know.." I politely posited "That I've been photographing Mayors since 1977!!.."

Actually, it would have been useful if she'd been able to send me the stuff way back when, as this shot of me in 1979 reminded me of one of my earliest newspaper memories. No more than a week or two into my press photography career I was hauled into the editor's office as there'd been a complaint made against me. The Mayor of Trafford  - the one before this dapper chap - had objected to me asking if he'd wear a Manchester United scarf. I wouldn't mind, but the shot was of him collecting for charity outside Old Trafford! You can guess how I wanted to address him, after that!..

News Update..

I'm using someone else's picture on my blog today, but it's a picture of my pictures, so that's ok! Some of my archive work 'Made in Eccles' is having another little trip out, this time to the Art and Craft House in Monton, Eccles. It's part of the 'Celebrating Eccles' Festival but, as I was at a funeral, the lady at the gallery did the hanging for me. That's why it's her photo! I wasn't being lazy or anything ...

A couple of amusing memories from Saturday's Wedding. At one point in the ceremony the bride's Grandma - a sprightly 80 odd year old - boomed out 'Is she getting married?' to the lady sitting next to her but, best of all, the vicar asked the bride if she would take the hand of Paul in marriage. Paul was the Best Man!..

I must tell you about a 'tie-in' with a rather large local business. You may or may not have heard of Bent's, but it's supposed to be the biggest Garden Centre in Europe, and they've just begun to promote my studio as part of their Customer Benefits Club. Members get 10% off a shoot and 10% off all finished products on production of their card. I just hope I can handle the rush!!...

Big smiles ..

My 'Wedding Season' is now up and running again proper, and it's great to be back at the coalface of creative, quick-thinking photography. Saturday's Wedding was a blast. You can have a look at it here. Could you get a happier looking couple than Adele and Nick? They had a ball! I was at Rookery Hall, near Nantwich in Cheshire, and thank God the weather played ball or I'd have been unable to use any of the beautiful landscape and backdrop for my photographs. Actually, after Saturday's Blog about bad weather, I think my smile was just as wide.

It certainly was after I was 'photo-bombed' by the cheeky little flower girl..

You have to laugh ..

It's freezing cold, blowing a gale and raining on and off. The ground is soaked, the skies are grey and .. I'm off to Rookery Hall to shoot a Wedding!  Never mind, the show must go on. It'll buck up later, and all those other clichés ..
Still, you have to laugh!..

PS: It's half an hour since I wrote today's blog. The sun is out, and blue sky is beginning to dominate. I'll be complaining soon that's it's too bright for my photography! Then I'll definitely have to laugh ..

The Winds of Change ..

As their Big Day approaches, a lot of 'my brides' tell me they've consulted the Long-Range Weather Forecast to find out what the weather will be doing on the afternoon of their Wedding. I smile and nod my head and make reassuring 'Hmmm' sounds as they try to convince me of sunshine or a light breeze or - heaven help us - a pea-souper .. and then I tell them that a forecast is just a guess! It's a possibility and a might-be and, even with all the technology in the world, it's always going to be just what 'they' think! When I open the church door at the end of the Wedding ceremony - I tell them - that's my weather forecast!..

After today's election results it shows you the political know-alls were only guessing, as well .. 

Fate ..

I thought this would make a suitable blog shot on the day of the General Election in the UK 'cos, after weeks and weeks of long, drawn-out, bloody boring canvassing, the big day is finally here and we - the people - can have our say at last..

The sign - pointing towards the town of Fate, Texas - is one of the shots in a show I'm part of in Eccles. I'm showing 'It's a Sign' at the Eccles Community Art Gallery for the next couple of weeks. As you know, tomorrow sees the opening of my Joy Division exhibition in Macclesfield and then - believe it or not - I'm nipping over to Eccles to put up yet another exhibition as part of the 'Celebrating Eccles' festival. If you didn't get to see my shots of the town when they were up at The People's History Museum then this is another chance to catch them! They'll be at the Art and Craft House in Monton..

Now all I need is a sign that says 'Put your feet up, Martin' - or is that tempting fate?..

Dream on ..

The sun dropped below the horizon and the warm, tropical waves lapped around his ankles as he paddled, without a care in the world, across the long, golden beach - heading for the ever-so hospitable bar and that first cold beer of the evening...

Or, I spent all day putting up my new Joy Division exhibition in a cold and rainy Macclesfield yesterday and now I'm off to shoot a PR job in not-quite-so-tropical Cheetham Hill in Manchester! More brolly than parasol, I'm afraid but, hey ho, we can all have daydreams..

 

10 years - 25 years - 35 years!

My Joy Division photographs are going on display in Macclesfield this week to mark the 35th anniversary of the death of lead singer Ian Curtis. It was only as I was checking through all the work this morning that another date dawned on me. It's exactly ten years ago to the day that the photographs went on display for the very first time in a show I'd wanted to stage to mark the 25th anniversary of his passing. Until then none of this work had been seen .. by anyone! - and I'd decided I wanted to do something on such an important anniversary. I'd hoped to stage the show in the actual Youth Club in which the band performed but, after much searching, came to the conclusion that it didn't exist any more. The nearest venue with space available - at a time nearest to the anniversary - was Hale Library, and they actually only had a five-day slot for me to exhibit. In the end that went down to four days as the library was used as a Polling Booth on the Thursday!
Bloody elections!..

The work that's going up at Charles Roe House is the original set of prints and frames from that first Hale Library exhibition. I hope you can get down to see it ..    

Stories ..

A writer who's just had a play performed on Radio 4 was in touch this week asking to see more of my work. Apparently she's hoping to get 'inspiration' for new stories from the characters in my photographs. At the same time, this photograph from my archive popped up on a Facebook 'Eccles' page, and a stream of posts began to flow following its appearance. The thing is, the comments weren't about the cheeky chappy in the shot - rather, they were about the graffiti in the background. The word ROGUE had been sprayed or chalked onto the concrete that forms part of the multi-story car-park and, for me, it works simply as a humorous 'label' for the man, who seems to be smokin' a fag in sheer defiance of everyone around him. It turns out that this word apparently appeared all over Eccles, and it was written by a glue-sniffing young lad who, it seems, sadly subsequently fell/jumped to his death during one last graffiti session! Jeepers! Who needs to make up stories?...

Reasons to smile ..

Two pictures for the price of one today, and two reasons to smile at work yesterday..

I was shooting some corporate portraits in Liverpool, and the marketing chap I was speaking to was telling me about his friend who had become a 'famous' model - appearing over him as a 50 foot high poster when he went down to London one time. "He gets paid thousands, and travels all over the world.." the chap was saying "He hates it. He wants to be a photographer!" "Hold on there, my friend.." I spluttered "Give your pal a good talking to! I think he'd soon realise which side of the camera the money is on .."

Then, last night, I was shooting a publicity event in Manchester when a man in a snazzy suit came up and said "Silly question, but do you live in Culcheth?.." "Yes.." I said "Do you?.." He said he did and told me he recognised me as I'd done a family portrait shoot for them once. "Great.." I said "So what brings you here tonight?.." "I'm the MD of this company.." he said "The picture you did for us is still framed in our toilet!"..

Anyway, why two pictures? Well, the bottom one is the shot of my cousin I did when he was fixing my car in his socks. The second shot is from the strip of negs I found when my entire shelving system fell down in the office recently. Good news from bad! Another reason to smile ..

Up in smoke ..

"I hate smoking" ..
"I know you do.." said the guy I was talking to "I read your blog!"..

Well that was a nice surprise though, sadly, the reason the subject had cropped up was because I was telling him that my aunt had just died - yet another of 'the clan' who's succumbed to smoking-related illnesses (Note the plural!) ..

It's such a disgusting habit and, despite the indoor smoking ban, there's still no getting away from it. There are empty fag packets all over the place, and you can't walk more than a couple of feet before you come across a discarded cigarette end. Even the doorways to the shopping centre where I have my studio is 'guarded' by two bloody great big ash-trays at the entrances. Very classy!..

So, to the three schoolgirls from Culcheth High School I saw smoking the other day ..
Please, for your sakes - and mine - stop!..

Nepal ..

I wanted to show you another of my travel shots from Nepal. One day when I was trekking near Pokhara I heard the cutest chorus of voices singing the most charming little song, and couldn't resist going to find them to take a photograph. With me I had a top-end Sony Walkman - remember them? - which was special in that it had a recording facility on it, so I asked them if they'd sing their song for me again, this time into my microphone. By sheer coincidence I was listening to that recording last week - I do wish I could find a way to let you hear it - and I said to Lesley "I wonder what became of those kids!"

My God, I'm certainly wondering that now .. 

The flip of a coin ..

What awful news has been the earthquake in Nepal. My heart goes out to all the lovely people of the country. I was lucky enough to spend time in Kathmandu and Pokhara - both severely affected by the disaster - and I really hope that all the people I met and photographed there are safe..

Hearing of the boat disasters in the Mediterranean also brings a shudder. I once covered a story in Libya and, to get there, I made a God-awful 14 hour ferry crossing from Malta to Tripoli - and back again! Shocking to think these are the very waters that are taking people to their deaths. By the same reasoning, I suppose, I've been to the top of the World Trade Centre at least three times and, like everyone else, have trusted my life to pilots I've never met or will ever know.. 

Life is just a flip of a coin, isn't it? Pure luck decrees where you live, how healthy you are, what abilities you are given and what will happen to you on any given day. Today, with my thoughts going out to all those poor people, I'm just appreciating how lucky I am. I hope you do the same..

Bogies ..

I'm really lucky in that I don't generally have to 'do' rush hour. I can normally time my work so that I don't have to throw myself at the mercy of the roads whilst everyone else is on them. Yesterday, though, I had no choice. I was shooting a PR job that finished at 5.30 so had no option but to join the 19 mile car park that was the M6 northbound. Ironically, I'd been photographing a replica DeLorean 'Back to the future' car at a corporate function. Oh, for a Mr Fusion Reactor now, I thought to myself, as I wedged into the throng. But oh, what fun it was! What a great opportunity to 'people watch'. My favourites were the lady having a really lively conversation on her hands-free, using both hands to gesticulate wildly .. whether or not her car was actually moving; the lady who sat so close to her steering wheel that I can't believe her horn wasn't blaring constantly, and the fat man in the white 64 reg Mercedes who spent about 3 miles in the jam picking his nose .. and eating it! I think he'd gone back in time to being a three year old ... 

Oh, the memories ..

Suddenly, it's all happening! The blossom's out, leaves are unravelling at a pace and the Wedding season is kicking off good and proper! It's time to make some memories!..

Actually, I'm back to my old tricks! This morning I drove 36 miles to check out a venue at which I'm shooting a Wedding in July, only to arrive at the gates and shout 'Damn! I've been here before!'
Doh, me and my memory! ..

Not so much a Wedding as a Vow Renewal to photograph this week, though I'll treat it exactly like a Wedding, of course. It's only the second one I've ever shot .. as far as I can remember!

PS: Now that the feel-good factor is back I've chosen a suitably vibrant shot from my Florescence range to go with the mood!..

Good gear ..

Well, there it is! The entire 'Made in Eccles' exhibition - clothes pegs, washing lines and all! (You'll know what I mean if you saw it!) Doesn't look much, does it? I took it down from the People's History Museum this morning after two months on show. I've yet to have a good look at the Comments Book but brief glances reveal notes like "Thanks for the great memories" - "As good as Martin Parr" and, one of my favourites from a 13 year old "Great pictures that made me laugh"
Cheers for that, Molly!..

So, on to the next one, and that's going to be a Joy Division 'celebration' at Charles Rowe House in Macclesfield in May. No laughs here, but great memories of a fantastic band. Opens May 17th!..

I've decided I want to become a Nikon Ambassador! I occasionally see photographers who describe themselves thus on their websites, and I think I ought to be up there as well. After all, I've been using Nikon gear since at least about 1979 so I reckon 99% of all my professional shots have been on Nikon gear, and look how well they all turned out. So yes, folks! That's NIKON gear, wonderful equipment..

Stop press: No word from them  .. yet!

Late ..

Too late! You missed it! My 'Eccles' exhibition at The People's History Museum in Manchester ended yesterday. That was quick! By all accounts it's gone down very well and I can't wait to pop back there tomorrow and pick up the Comments Book..

Sadly, something else ended yesterday. My Auntie died. Born in Northern Ireland but a resident of Eccles for the best part of her life, she was the mother of the lads in today's shot - my cousins, obviously - although poor Ricky, on the right, died many years ago.

Thank God for photographs .. 

Just for the record ..

I suppose I should be really pleased that today is 'Record Store Day' but I can't help feeling that a title like that is hung around the neck of 'things that need a bit of a boost.' You know the kind of thing - National Verruca Day, Support your local Catholic Priest, Let's hear it for Herpes ..  that kind of thing! So I should be really happy that 'they' are plugging local record shops today..

I guess they mean vinyl when they talk about records. Well, of course they do Martin, that's what records are! Well, yip yip, let's hear it for vinyl but, holy moley, have you seen the price of vinyl these days? Jeez! Download me a file, any day! Mind you, that's easy for me to say that as I sit on my pile of lovely, sexy, shiny, dusty, scratchy, sleeves-bent-at-the-edgy, memories-by-the-million, so-much-part-of-me-you-can't-believe-it .. records and, if you follow me on Facebook you'll know I'm partial to taking the odd snap as I spin my discs - as Tony Blackburn might say - on my ageing Technics turntable. Just for the record, you understand!..

Click out the screen grabs above! Happy plastic ..

I know that bum ..

I've been contacted by someone who recognised their bum on my blog! Just as I concentrate on my Travel photography, I get a message out of the blue from an old pen-pal in The States! Yet another amazing coincidence!..

I stayed with Vallerie in Concord, New Hampshire, after she and I began writing to each other about 1980. I'd written to the Tourist Board in Manchester, NH, saying that I lived in Manchester UK and ..  would anyone like a pen-pal? Val's Mum worked in the office and took my letter home, telling Val to 'write to this English guy!' ..

Well, we corresponded - long before email and Skype, of course - then finally got to meet in '82, when I spent two months travelling around America on a £200 Continental Airlines pass. Man, what a trip that was. I was so broke that I used to sleep in airports then fly somewhere just so's I'd get fed on the 'plane! Sounds like I was the bum, actually! ..

Great to hear from you, Vallerie ..

It's a sign ..

Not so much a blog today as a screaming great advert for my latest exhibition! A new set of work called 'It's a Sign' has gone up at the Eccles Community Art Gallery after they were let down by an artist and sent out a 'Mayday' for somebody to fill the space! The work is a collection of travel photographs rendered to look abstract in Photoshop - the very software I normally vow to use only to 'tidy up' an image - Oops! It's looking good, though, and will be on display every Saturday and Tuesday until the middle of May..

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm going to design a page on my website for the images..

Laters..

Everything happens for a reason ..

Everything happens for a reason - so they say - and, after the day I've just had, I can only nod my sad, tired head in agreement!..

What happened? I found a negative I've been looking for for ages! Hurrah! It's this one, the shot of my cousin fixing my old car .. without his shoes on! It's so funny! Been looking for it for ages ..

The reason I found it? The entire shelving system in my office fell down!

I can laugh about it now, but at the time it was terrible (©Morrissey 1984 .. ish!) ..

Yes, all the shelves in my office fell down and I don't know why. Well, apart from the fact that they were stacked chock full of negatives, prints, magazines, picture frames, empty beer bottles - or important souvenirs from travels around the world, as I call them -  sample wedding albums, Florescence table mats (Heavy!) Joy Division prints.. etc, etc., etc ...

All I can say is that my office floor looked rather tragic on Monday evening. Broken glass, torn magazines, scattered prints and ... whoa, hang on! I've been looking for that neg for ages!..

So, guess what? What happened happened and now, with hindsight and a negative filed in its rightful place, I can breath again and smile. The irony is that the car my cousin is trying to fix lead eventually to me being 'laid off' from Cheshire County Newspapers. As the junior photographer on the 'paper in '82 I was expected to supply my own car. Everyone else had a staff car. However, I was never in a position to afford a good enough car to do the job. Out you go, O'Neill! Being made redundant was one of the worst things that had ever happened to me, but it resulted in me going freelance and, er .. the rest is history.

Everything happens for a reason, eh?...  

All show ..

Easy when you know how and, thanks to a photography workshop I've just held, a few more keen amateur snappers have got to grips with how to use the aperture on their cameras. This demonstration of depth-of-field  - achieved by the mere twiddle of a thumb - was just one of the exercises we worked through on my first ever 'Walk in the park' tuition event on Saturday afternoon. I'm delighted to say it went really well and I really enjoyed showing people the basics of camera operation. Messages that have come in such as "I think I've cracked it" have really spurred me on to do another event very soon, too. Thanks to all the 'students' who braved the chilly Spring breeze to come along ..

I've been meaning to tell you about a new exhibition I'm going to have in Eccles but, believe it or not, I've now had another show offered to me that'll take place before the first one even goes up! Strewth, dudes, it's non-stop! I have a meeting about it tomorrow and I'll tell you about everything then. In the meantime, just a quick reminder that this is - sob, sob - the final week of my show at The People's History Museum in Manchester. Get on down there ..

Bloody hell, it's Ted Edwards ..

Blimey! You wait for one reason to write about the Sahara, then another one turns up on the very same day! Yes, folks, as coincidences go, yesterday's was one of the best I've had in a long time!..

You might recall I mentioned the Sahara in yesterday's blog, which was on the theme of travel. I was telling you that I'd been sifting through lots of my old travel photographs to make a new webpage on my site, and mentioned that a cloud of sand and dust was blowing up to the UK from the desert. Anyway, after writing the piece I headed off to sunny old Eccles where some of my archive photographs are going to go on display - more on that soon - and then I nipped into Morrison's to get me tea and some lagers. Well, guess who I bumped into! Only Ted Edwards, that's who! After all these years! Ted bloody Edwards, in the flippin' flesh..

Ted Edwards? Ted Edwards is a long-time resident of Eccles - a former folk singer and peripatetic teacher - who, in 1983, took it upon himself to walk - alone - through what's called the Empty Quarter of the Sahara Desert! The BBC did a great programme about it, with a wonderful opening shot of Ted in a cowboy hat getting on the 166 bus at Eccles bus station - next stop Timbuktu! I did some pix for the MEN at the time. Anyway, the trip nearly bloomin' killed him! One of his camels stood on one of his canteens of water and meant he ran out of good old H2O long before he was meant to! It was only a chance meeting with some Bedouins who took him to a well that saved his life. Anyway, I've always rated Ted for doing that and he's been high on my list of 'top blokes' ever since. Thing is, not so many years after his adventure, poor old Ted had a stroke and the last time I saw him - maybe sometime in the early 90s - he was hobbling about on a walking stick and having one hell of a time even trying to talk to anyone. Imagine that for an explorer who used to sing for a living! Now Ted's in a mobility scooter, still wearing a stetson and sporting badges on his jacket from his travels..

Well, of course I pounced on him, told him of my admiration and - hey, you gotta do it - booked him in for a portrait shoot next week! Ted Edwards, I salute you!..
 

Hit the road, Jack ..

There's a cloud of dust and sand blowing up into the UK from the Sahara today, and its timing couldn't be more appropriate as I'm suffering a severe bout of wanderlust this morning! I decided I'd add a Travel Photography page to my website and so, yesterday, set off trawling through files and files of colour slides of trips I've taken in the past. Big mistake! I'm now absolutely pining for journeys I've made and places I've been and seen. Tahiti! Brazil! Australia! Noo Yoik!!
Oh, I wanna go back..

Still, it's a good job I took photographs, eh? And all on good old Kodachrome, too! Kodachrome 64, pushed to 80 ASA, if you're interested! I got through boxes and boxes of the stuff over the years and ok, the slides take up space but, call me old-fashioned, I really love having folder after folder of physical, tangible images to pick up and look at. You won't be saying that when you can't find your iphone holiday shots of Greece, will ya?..

Anyway, here's me, pointing out where I was during a trip around Australia. On the Nullarbor Highway, since you ask! And where am I hitting the road to today?
Eccles! I'll tell you about that trip tomorrow ..

A nice pair ..

I've been busy getting together another selection of archive images to send to The Mary Evans Picture Library in London, the new representatives of the 'Martin O'Neill Collection' (Ooh, I love saying that!)  ..

Anyway, I started to spot images that work really well together, and spent half my time pairing up shots that I thought might make a good exhibition. You can also read this as getting distracted, not concentrating and/or wasting my morning. Nevertheless it's been a fun exercise, and I've started a folder of pictures which I shall treat you to sporadically. Probably when I can't think of anything to write which .. er, hasn't happened yet, so don't hold yer breath! ..

Anyway, there I go again, writing a blog when I'm supposed to be sorting images! Oh, hang on, there's another nice pair ..

Handy ..

Meet my new assistant! Ellie has just turned two and already fancies herself as a photographer! Blimey, and I thought I started young! I loved the fact she began to copy me with her toy as I was taking pictures over Easter, and it was beautiful to watch how everything is of interest to their growing, ever-curious brains..

On the subject of learning, this Saturday I'm running my first ever group Shoot'nTutor session, with a handful of keen snappers gathering in Culcheth for a two-hour hands-on workshop. It's a handy run-through of the basic controls of the camera. (Wow, that's a lot of hands!) I just hope no-one brings along one of them there SnailPix 25 digital .. er, cameras!..

Ps: Two places still available! 2pm Saturday -  £25 each

Time flies ..

There's a pub at the end of the runway at Manchester Airport and it's one of my favourite places to go! I've been drinking there for years and years. A good pint of Guinness and the kerosene waft of a Boeing Triple Seven as it taxis towards the threshold. Heaven!..

Well, heaven just got better. The Airport Pub's been 'done up', and a visit there yesterday was my first time back since the refurbishment. Like, wow! It's absolutely changed beyond all recognition - well, apart from the fact that jet planes still keep whizzing in front you every few minutes! It's got an amazing aviation theme to it now - surprise, surprise - with great food and a really good buzz to it. Add to that the gorgeous sunshine yesterday - and a get-together with one of my oldest journo pals - and it made for the most perfect of Easter Sundays. This is my mate, by the way, snapping the pub's star draw - the Emirates A380 - as it trundled down towards us before take-off..

Of course, despite all the aviation excitement, our conversation inevitably drifted back to 'the old days' when we both began working on newspapers together, and he reminded me of the time a Boeing 737 caught fire on the runway. He worked for BBC Radio Manchester by this time, and was the first reporter on the scene of that horrible accident. That, folks, was 30 years ago this year! I then told him my story of the time I'd brought a girl to the pub, one warm Sunday afternoon exactly - as the newspapers reminded us this week - 25 years ago. Half way through a pint, my bleeper went off and I dropped everything - including, I blush to say, the girl! - and headed off back to work. It seems a riot had started at Strangeways Prison..

Call the Fire Brigade ..

I was shooting an Awards Ceremony last night for The Greater Manchester Fire Service when a young lady came up to me and said "I know you!" I reached into my pocket, assuming I owed her money but, for once, that wasn't the reason.
"You photographed my sister's Wedding at Portmeirion" she said..

Well, we narrowed it down and it turns out I did photograph her sister's Wedding at Portmeirion and, by coincidence, have just published a few of those photographs as a venue page on my website. Anyway - guess what - her sister was at the ceremony 'cos her husband - the groom! - was there to receive a Long Service Medal from the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester. What a lovely coincidence, and I couldn't wait to get home and post a picture on Facebook for them. In return I got this lovely message "Thanks Martin. Lovely surprise to c u there, lots of lovely comments about your work tonight"

This morning, they've also returned the photo favour by posting a picture of their own from the ceremony. There's Paul, receiving his medal from the gaffer and lo .. check out the serial killer lurking in the corner! It's me, it's me! Someone call the fire brigade ..

Done! Done well ..

Phew! That's that done! It's the morning after the night before and all I can say is .. it was bloody brilliant! My Wedding Fayre has been a great success and everyone is saying how very well it all went. A massive thank-you to all the exhibitors and visitors who braved Arctic weather conditions to get out to The Culcheth Arms. I'm so pleased and - yes, let's be honest - relieved that it all worked out so well. In fact, do you know what? I'm going to do it all over again! Not 'til Autumn, mind .. but the early feedback is so good that I think the Wedding suppliers of Culcheth would be daft if we ignored the local interest that we all got last night..

So, PR head back on today and back into Manchester for the second day's coverage of a Corporate workshop. I couldn't avoid listening in on the speakers yesterday and I'm already an expert on global positioning, market share and commercial propositioning! I'm just happy that all I'm there for is to take photographs! Later on I'm photographing an Awards ceremony at The Imperial War Museum North. I shall certainly enjoy the fact that someone else has had to do all the organising..