Oh, baby..

Another happy customer at the studio the other day! What a delightful little face! I definitely think she took to me - or did she have wind?..

Off to shoot a church's stained glass window today and, this week, I've also shot PR portraits of a Sainsbury's manager for a national magazine and a picture of a chap to be given as a Valentine's Day gift to his loved one this weekend. Saturday's Wedding is also, of course, getting ever closer. Another many and varied week in the life of this here freelance photographer!..

Make a list ..

A bride who's booked me for her Wedding next year sent me an email yesterday. She'd been to a Wedding at the weekend and she said that "at no point did the photographer take any group photographs of guests", which she found "odd" and said "Please tell me that's not the norm"...

She asked me in all innocence but, to me, it's a really important question. By way of reassurance I sent her this photograph, taken at one of my Weddings a couple of weeks ago. It shows the Best Man and one of the guests helping me work through a list of guest photographs that filled an entire A4 sheet! They were rounding up each set of subjects for me as I shot the groups one by one. It took quite a while but .. well, that's what most of brides want. They want a good record of who was actually at their Wedding. It seems 'modern' Wedding photographers have forgotten that, and have gone down the pretentious, arty-farty 'Here's what I learnt at a workshop' route that involves pose after twee pose on the part of the Bride and Groom, with more importance placed on what the photographer can do with backlights, or with trickery on the computer later, than with actually capturing the 'true' memories of the day. As 'my bride' said in her email, the bride and groom on Saturday were gone for 'ages'. Well, how can a couple enjoy their Wedding if they spend most of it on a fashion shoot? Now, obviously, I do do some 'nice' shots where it's great to be creative and exciting but not at the expense of the 'traditional' shots. No, I'll stick to my old ways, thank you very much ..

Getting my back up ...

I've had some lovely words said about my websites lately - both the StudioFiveFour and Manchester Wedding Photography sites - and they've coincided with a chat I was having with another photographer about 'the old days', when a snapper would have to physically lug a portfolio around to clients when he was looking for work. Nowadays you just shove some shots on a website and wait for the work to roll in! Makes it so easy for anyone to seem like they are a photographer, doesn't it?..

I was covering a dinner for a company the other evening - I shot today's picture there and I'll expand on that in a minute. One of my 'tasks' was to get photographs of couples as they arrived at the event. One couple I photographed who, please bear in mind, worked for this company!! .. told me how strange it was for them to be on the 'other side' of the camera. When I asked what they meant they told me they were both 'photographers' too. "Oh, you're photographers for the company..?" I asked "Oh no.." they said "We do Weddings on the side ..."
I hope they're paying their taxes!!..

Anyway, now that I've calmed down I'll tell you about my photo today. I have a long-term project called 'Social Seen' - based on .. well, things I've seen at social events! Today's shot is one of five I got from Friday's dinner. A veritable flock... 

Morrissey and Morris ..

The Monday after a Wedding is usually 'Editing' Day, when I start work on all the shots like this I've taken at whichever venue I've been working at. Not today! Today is Joy Division Day! (Oh, and Smiths Day, too!)...

Today is a day for driving to Macclesfield to put up some of my music photography as part of an exhibition staged by the Art and Design students at Macclesfield College. I've been privileged to be asked if I'd show some of my photography in their 'Sound (Track)' show at Incubation Art's HQ in Charles Roe House. There will be a private view of the show, opened by Joy Division drummer Steven Morris on February 24th. Tickets available!!..

It's just dawned on me! As the theme of the show is Manchester music - and thus the reason I'm showing Smiths pictures, too - it is, for me, a case of Morrissey and Morris! Both very charming men, of course ..

Weather..

Gorgeous blue skies, dazzling bright sunshine and calm, gentle breezes.. just three of the things we didn't get at yesterday's Wedding in Salford's Media City! I was at a funky Private Members' Club called 'On the 7th' - just across the road from the BBC - to photograph the Wedding of Corey and Johnathan, and what a brilliant day it was .. apart from the weather! All my group shots - and there were many - had to be shot indoors but, at about 7.30 last night, the God of Wedding Photography smiled down at me and said 'Oh, go on then. Have five minutes.." and we were able to get outside for a couple of quick shots..

Many congratulations guys, and just look at this morning's weather ... gorgeous blue etc., etc., etc.... grrrrrr!

A pain in the a*se..

It's not often you have to cancel a portrait sitting because the subject has swollen anal glands, but that's what happened yesterday at the studio. Ok, the subject was a dog but, as I said on Twitter at the time, there's a first time for everything!...

It'll be my first ever Wedding at Media City in Salford tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it. So many locations, so much 'urban grit', so many fab backgrounds. Unfortunately, not much chance of good weather! I audibly groaned when I saw the weather forecast this morning. The wind and the rain just keep on coming and I'll be one sad snapper if bad conditions keep us from shooting out on The Quays. It'll be a total pain in the a*se!...

Down the studio ..

I'm shooting dogs today! Relax, Missus, relax, they're just coming into the studio for a portrait! Two miniature poodles, I believe, and they'll be all fresh and lovely as they're coming straight from a two-hour session at the dog groomers!..

Slightly different from the photographs I did at the weekend - my first ever Maternity shoot! I asked around for a Mum-to-be and was contacted by the lovely Chantal, who's due to give birth in just a few days. "How's that for a bump?" she said, as it arrived at the studio four seconds before her! The result can be seen on my website. Here's to many more. Now where did I put the dog biscuits?..

Join the party ..

I love this shot. As this couple were saying their vows their young son felt he just had to be part of the ceremony, so stood up and 'joined the party'!..

I'm hoping I'll be able to let a few more people 'join the party' soon as I've come up with a great new offer for Wedding couples who are on that little bit tighter budget. To fill a couple of gaps between my Weddings this year, I've decided to create a £500 package, to include photography up until the start of the Wedding breakfast and 100 images on disc! Places are obviously limited, but it's worth getting in touch to see if YOUR date is still available. Who'd want to miss out on an offer like this? Spread the word! Fantastic!..

And the winner is ..

I heard something rather nice yesterday! I was talking to one of 'my brides' from last year and she was telling me that, prior to meeting me, she'd actually won her Wedding Photography, courtesy of the venue she'd booked for her Big Day. Despite that, and despite the fact that I would obviously charge her, she decided she liked my work better and went ahead and booked me! How flattering is that? Oh, and I had another booking in, too, for August 2017. Very flattering, indeed ..

I haven't told you about my new Maternity Photography, have I? I'll tell you tomorrow. Time for a pregnant pause...

Terry Wogan ..

Today's blog just has to be about Terry Wogan, the latest in a line of stars who bit the dust in January. His sad death hit home even more than that of Bowie. I've been in the presence of both, albeit only once. But whereas I saw Bowie at the MEN Arena - he was about 300 miles away and I spent the whole show watching him on the screens - I actually got to meet Terry Wogan, when I went down to London to photograph him on a PR shoot for Thomas Cook. As everybody says, he was exactly the same off the radio as he was on it - warm, friendly and 'normal'! After I'd done this photograph he had me and the lady in the shot come into the BBC club for a cup of tea and some toast with him and the late Pauly Walters, and then he signed a rather humorous autograph to my Dad - one of Terry's biggest fans! A gem ..

Anyway, January's over now....

Hic! Burp...

I think I'll try having a go at that 'Dry January'!

Oh, too late!..

Especially as I awoke this morning to hear of the death of Sir Terry Wogan, so it's off to the pub and a hearty Guinness to toast the life of a fellow Irishman (Well, I'm half Irish...)

Cheers, everybody!..

Ps: Image of drunk courtesy of my archive!

Martin O'Neill ..

Well I suppose I had to come clean sometime ..

You see, the photography's not going so well these days, so I've had to set up as .. a painter and decorator! Naaaah! 'Course not! I'm a photographer 'til the end but hey, how funny is this? There's a young lad in the village who does work as a painter and decorator and I spotted his cards next to mine in the shopping mall card rack yesterday! Maybe we should team up. He makes the rooms look good and I shoot 'em! We'd only need that footy bloke to join us and we'd have the set!..

Mash it up ..

I'm doing this all wrong! I'm approaching this photography mullarkey from completely the wrong angle. Weddings? Portraits? PR? Naaaah .. I should be photographing spuds! Spuds! That's what I should be photographing! I say this following a piece in the paper about a photographer who's just sold a photograph of a potato for one million euros! £750,00 for a picture of a potato!
OMG! Talk about Spud-U-Like ...

Ps: You can have my shot for a tenner!

Smoke gets in your eyes ..

You know I hate smoking, and I've had quite some cause for dismay at some of the Weddings I've photographed lately when I've seen the number of young people smoking outside the venues. I remember one guy who sat in his car whilst I was shooting group shots outside a church, and he smoked four cigarettes in that time, helpfully throwing the butts out of his car window so that I could count them! At another recent Wedding I had to move a group of smokers from a covered area I needed for a photograph, and had to wait until the cloud of smoke dispersed so that I could use the space. The stink they left behind was disgusting. I, for one, will never figure out why people do this to themselves. Anyway, to the point..

At one recent Wedding I was arranging a group of the bride's friends, and there was one young lady in it who was smoking a joint! Right there, in the middle of the Wedding! The funny thing was, she just wouldn't stop smoking it .. not even for the photograph, and she almost bit the Best Man's head off when he offered to hold it for her! "That.." I said, shaking my head "Is getting blogged one day!.."
And so it was ..

Time flies! Oh, yes!..

I love this shot from Saturday's Wedding - the guests all lined up with their smartphones, waiting to video the arrival of the bride - waiting to catch that one special moment in time. There were a number of things I wanted to blog about this Monday, but that idea of time passing kinda ties in with something that happened to me this very morning...

I just went down to the studio to open up, and bumped into a young lady whose son I photographed on his first birthday. "Hi Jane .. " I said "Haven't seen you for a while. How's your little 'un doing?" "He's great.." she said, a wry smile crossing her lips "He'll be thirteen next month!.."

Man, talk about time flies!!!...

Something old, something new ..

Phwoar! Look at this for class! Now I have to admit I'm no petrolhead, so - for me, I'm afraid - a car is usually a car is a car .. but just look at this! Not only did yesterday's bride have a lovely vintage family Daimler to take her to the Wedding, but the driver - her brother - was shooting on this gorgeous old Leica camera! Both belonged to their Dad and it was lovely that, now he's no longer around, he could still have such a presence at his daughter's Wedding..

If they were the 'old' then the 'new' was my first Wedding of 2016! It was a superb day all round, too. We were at The Lymm Hotel in Cheshire where the couple had such fun at the centre of the swirl that was their family and friends. The weather held until the evening, when it started to absolutely pour down although, as you can see, I was still able to take advantage of the downpour! It's amazing too that, just one month on from my last Wedding of 2015, we're already squeezing another hour out of the light before the sun goes down. I just hope the bride's brother remembered how to adjust the settings for that on the Leica!  Only kidding, Jonathan!..

Many congratulations to Karen and Jim..

Me! It's me ...

Well, here's a first! My ugly mug's actually going to be in a Wedding album! Hannah and Dave asked to have a shot taken with me just before they sat down for their Wedding Breakfast last August, and have picked it for the album I've just designed for them. Which I thought that was very nice! Now they'll be able to scare their grandkids in years to come. Actually, it reminds me of the time I was photographing a Wedding at Tatton Hall, near Knutsford. The hall's right under the flight path of Manchester Airport and, as the guests came outside after the ceremony, the massive Emirates A380 Airbus took off right over out heads. I instinctively raised the camera and got off a couple of shots of its huge belly. The couple picked one of those images for their album!..

Anyway, time to charge the old batteries for this Saturday's Wedding, and it's great that I'm piling into a new Wedding season so early in the year. Another lovely laid-back couple, too. I'll just have to ease off on the plane-spotting and all selfies.. 

Not quite Spring ..

I nipped out to put the rubbish in the recycling bin this morning - I have to do it in the dark because of the embarrassing number of empty gin bottles - and I tripped over a hedgehog! Hello, I thought, what you doing out so early? It ain't Spring yet, Mr Hog!..

I got the same vibe when I did a recce yesterday for this Saturday's Wedding. The Lymm Hotel is a venue I've shot at relatively often over the years, and it has a part of the Trans-Pennine Way just across the road - an ideal place for shots of the Bride and Groom together. At this time of year, however, the path is just a grey, grim muddy river and I only needed one look at it to know I won't be shooting Wedding photographs there any time soon! Hello, I thought, what am I doing here so early in the year? It ain't Spring yet, Mr Snapper ..

Smashing ..

Jeez, I think I'd keep my head down right now if I were a musician. What a car-crash of a start to 2016! ( Cue image from archive! ) Man, the stars are dropping like flies! Unfortunately, so are the mere mortals. Lesley is at the funeral of one of her young colleagues today and, last night, I was told of the death of my Dad's old .. er, girlfriend. Rest in peace, ladies..

The cycle of life goes on, of course, and that, for me, meant the booking of two Weddings and a baby portrait session yesterday. Always look on the bright side, and all that ..

Passing out ..

I covered a groovy PR job last week, the Passing-Out Parade for the first new recruits to Greater Manchester Fire Brigade in seven years. What a great day it was! Great for the trainees, obviously, but great for me from the point of view of all the fab shots there were to be had. It hammered with rain all through the night before, then cleared to dazzling - and cold! - sunshine all through the parade! I just had to take advantage of it!..

Thing is, for the past week I've had the worst cold I've had in a long time. Just can't shift the bugger, and I know I sound like a drama queen but, honestly darlings, I thought I was the one who was going to be passing out ..

Lucky 13 ..

It was all down to the local Scout Hut yesterday to photograph this fun family of 13! They'd all come together for the shoot in Culcheth from as far afield as Huddersfield and Telford in Shropshire. But, did you say Scout hut, Martin? Well, I simply didn't have space for them all in my bijou little studio, did I? And as for shooting outside ...

The idea worked well, though, and it took but a few minutes to transfer all my gear across from The Mall. I'll certainly be promoting the capability in the future. Or now!..

Space ..

Really looking forward to Tim Peake's space-walk on Friday, coinciding nicely as it does with BBC2's 'Stargazing Live' programme on TV all this week and, of course, the constant playing of David Bowie's 'Starman' at the moment! What a Spacetastic time it is, and the perfect excuse to show you this archive photograph of my cousin Neil, shot around 1978..

I've got a couple of big jobs in the next few days. Tomorrow I have a full day's PR photography, shooting the first Passing Out parade that Greater Manchester Fire Service has held in seven years, and on Saturday I'm shooting a family portrait group that's so large we've had to 'borrow' the nearby Scout hut to fit everyone in! Talk about needing space! ..

Bowie ..

I have a stinking cold! I have a stinking cold, yet I feel fantastic! I feel full of life and full of enthusiasm for the future! I feel excited, I feel lucky, I feel confident..and it's all 'cos of Bowie! I feel his death has switched on my 'Go' button and I can't wait to grab life by the proverbials and live it for all it's worth. Like he did, right until the end. I'm inspired, I'm cheerful, I'm happy! Atishoo! Bless you ..

Magical Lives ..

I was already in a philosophical frame of mind before I'd even heard of the death of David Bowie this morning. The thing is, I was working on the restoration of an old photograph for a lady who came into the studio last week. A simple shot - just two guys standing together in a field in their 1940s demob suits, smoking fags, brylcreemed hair, smiling (So obviously not these two! This shot's from my archive!) - but it was when she began to tell me a little about them that it started to hit home. I mean, I always look at the people in old pictures that I'm working on and try to imagine the lives they led, but the two chaps in this particular photograph turned out to be brothers, both of whom served in the Second World War. One of them was in the Navy, and managed to break his ankle whilst playing football on the deck of his ship. He was put into port for treatment in India, after which his ship sailed off .. and was torpedoed! The other brother was in the RAF and rescued a pilot who'd crash-landed in a plane that was still carrying a bomb. He got the pilot out, and the bomb went off. Both guys were flung 50 feet across the airfield!..

Magical lives! Bowie had one, God less 'im .. but so do we all. Now do you see how important your photographs are?..   

Golden hour ..

Friday morning has started like this. This is going to be my view of the world today. Golden! Nothing will get me down today! Not Syria, not crashing stock markets, not flooding .. not even the news that any drinking is bad for you! Pah ...

Stop Press: I was right be be upbeat .. look what I was rewarded with as the sun went down ..

Would you like to see my holiday snaps?..

It's rained a hell of a lot lately but no, this isn't a shot of me in my back-garden! It's the Great Barrier Reef in 1991, 'cos I spent most of yesterday thinking back a whole twenty five years - 25 years!! - to January 6th of that year, the day I set off on a 6 month round-the-world backpacking trip. My Epiphany, if you like! From that day until the middle of July I had complete and utter freedom to travel where and when I wanted, and it was heaven! My only fear was that, as a freelance and away for six months, I'd lose some of the clients I'd built up over the previous nine years. That didn't happen. Work was so plentiful and diverse then that, as far as I can remember, I picked up the phone and was shooting a PR job the very next day. Those were the days ..

The working week ..

I finally edited last week's Wedding down to 874 shots .. and now I need a drink! Here's a screen grab from my website - click to see it larger!..

The more mundane side of photography is kicking back in again this week. I have a passport to shoot and a photo-restoration to start on and then I'm off to check out two venues - one for a Wedding in February and another for a PR shoot I have coming up next week. I'm also acting as a 24 hour dial-up Nikon camera manual, as a pal of mine has bought the same camera as I use and keeps phoning me up to ask me questions about it! And all this as Tim Peake prepares for his first space-walk next week!..

Time ..

And so to my rant!..

A young chap rang me a few weeks ago, asking if I had any need of an apprentice at my studio. He was 18, he said, and really keen on getting into a career in photography. Well, that question is one I'm asked quite often but, for some reason - probably that cheery Christmas spirit of mine - I decided I'd invite him in and have a look at his portfolio. You never know, I thought to myself, he could be really handy as a second snapper at a Wedding. We arranged a date between Christmas and New Year and I duly went over to the studio to open up for his 10am appointment. He didn't turn up! Now I'm a stickler for punctuality so, to be honest, the fact that he wasn't there at 10 meant he'd already blown it, but by quarter to 11 I'd had enough, and rang him up to ask his whereabouts. I had to wait on the phone whilst his sister got him out of bed!..

So there you go! That's my rant! What is it with kids today? Ok, not all of them! Ok, just him! I just can't believe he blew a chance like that. By 18 I was already working on a newspaper because I was so bloody crazy about photography, and I'd have jumped at an opportunity like his. In fact, when I used to work at a factory as a spotty 17 year old I would always find out when a retirement party was being held, because it meant a photographer from the Eccles Journal would be coming along to take a picture for the paper, and I'd get a chance to grill him on the ins and outs of press photography!..

Anyway, I thought this shot from last week's Wedding illustrated my point perfectly. The bride had listed my arrival on her hand-written itinerary. It was rather important that I arrived on time! I can only hope that's a lesson this young chap might learn ..

Normality ..

Back to normality at last and that, for me, means another whole Wedding to edit and a new Wedding album to design before I buzz off to shoot my next Wedding in less than three weeks time. Something that wasn't so normal was a phone call I had yesterday from a young bride-to-be who wanted to talk about Wedding photography. She was ringing from Norway!..

On the Joy Division front I'm quite excited too, as it looks like I'm going to be part of a new exhibition later on this Spring in Macclesfield. Off for a meeting about that this Saturday..

Actually, I said we're back to normality and that often means me having a grumble on the old blog! Well, who'd want to start a New Year by complaining? Certainly not me! I'll leave that for tomorrow's blog ..

Bring it on, '16 ..

New Year, and I've already been reminded of a little lesson in photography, courtesy of my midnight attempt to capture the moon seen through our local firework fizzfest! Sometimes - despite your best efforts - that fantastic shot you're after will elude you! The shot you have in your mind's eye will just not come together. Last night the fireworks, seen from my camera position, were just too far over to the left to give me that perfect shot with the moon. Still, the thrill of trying to get the shot is what photography's all about for me and - ooooh, goody - I now have another whole year of trying to come! Bring it on, '16... 

Ring in the New Year ..

Time to ring in the New Year and it's slightly confusing that all the Wedding enquiries I've had lately have been for the year after next .. 2017! I've already got two wall planners up in my office! I shalln't be jumping the gun, though - we've got a whole New Year ahead of us and I for one can't wait for it. My thoughts go out to my furthest flung blog reader - a pal in New Zealand - who, as I write this, has only got a couple of hours left before he pops the corks on next year. Our fizz is in the fridge too and I'll raise a glass to us all as we swing over into '16.
Happy New Year, everybody. Peace and love, peace and love .. 

Let the sun shine .. a bit longer!

Sunday saw my last Wedding shoot of the year and I must have been a very good boy this Christmas because, after all the rain we've had this month, the God of Wedding Photography smiled down upon me and a glorious winter sun shone down all day long! However - as I always say - no Wedding Day is ever completely perfect, and poor old Claire and Steve's Wedding Car refused to start when they got in it to be taken from the church to their reception, and there was horrendous traffic on every route to the hotel. The couple took it in good humour but, for me at this time of year, every moment they spent going nowhere was another minute's less light so, despite the stunning start to the day, I had to shoot the majority of my pictures indoors. Still, that's what flashguns are for and I've come away with well over 1,100 shots to edit once the Christmas break is over..

And so that's it! My 2015 Wedding year is ended and now I have to wait another .. oooh, three weeks until my booking! Looks like 2016 is going to be a great year for my Wedding Photography! Can't wait ..

No standing around ..

Christmas done, and I hope you all had a cracker! No time to stand around for me today as I'm off to photograph my last Wedding of the year. I'm heading for our local church and the lovely Mere Court Hotel near Knutsford and .. whisper it gently .. the sun is shining as I write this. It looks like Claire and Steve are going to be lucky! Oh please, oh please can I have a nice day for this Wedding!..

Catch ya later..

Dad ..

I'm writing this at lunchtime on Christmas Eve - a time that is inextricably linked with memories of my Dad. I can remember him coming home from work one Christmas Eve lunchtime when it gently began to snow. By the time we were woken to go to Midnight Mass the light dusting had frozen over and I can always remember the crunchy noises we made as we walked down the street to the church. A few years later, as a spotty 17 year old, lunchtime on Christmas Eve was the time I met him at the pub, as we both worked in factories across the road from each other, and I can still remember the crush and the cigarette smoke that filled the pub. Sadly, Dad's latter Christmasses were spent with dementia in a nursing home when he had no idea what day of the year it was..

Today's photograph is actually of my Grandad, larking about with my sister Catherine in about 1964, and it makes me think how much my Dad must have missed his own Dad when he'd died. Enjoy 'em while you've got 'em, folks!
Merry Christmas to all ...

From on high ..

A look back at the history of Health and Safety here as, in around 1977, I was allowed to go up in the cherry-picker being used by these council workers as they put the lights on the civic Christmas tree in Eccles! No 'clearance from the top', no straps, no 'emergency' lecture, no hard hat! I just asked and they took me up! What a simpler, more relaxed era! If I could have one wish for Chrimbo I'd have the return of that 'take responsibility for yourself' attitude...

.. and a train set!

Here comes the summer ..

Right, that's the Shortest Day out of the way, and off we go towards summer.
I swear it got light a little earlier this morning!..

As you can tell, I'm not the biggest fan of wintertime, and my idea of heaven is being able to grumble at the cacophony that is the dawn chorus on a spring morning when it's already getting light by five. However, you make the most of what you've got, so my flash guns are charging, ready to light next Sunday's Wedding..

Last shoot of the year at the studio this morning - tomorrow's has been cancelled due to tonsillitis - but what a way to end 2015. I had the most awkward two-year-old I think I've ever had in the studio today, and I know I can say she was because Grandma agreed! She just would not play ball .. and then blew me a kiss as she left the studio! The kid, not Grandma! It brought a ray of sunshine to the morning..

My Christmas sELFie ..

My festive message to you all and yes, I was sober when I did this! Hey, you gotta get into the Christmas spirit, innit?..

It's the shortest day of the year today! Downhill to summer now and, even though it's not really been cold here, it's been really gloomy, wet and grey for what feels like months already. Roll on summer, that's what I say!..

Roll on Sunday, too, when I have one last Wedding to shoot before I wrap up 2015. Really looking forward to it as it's been a couple of months since I last shot one. Might even see if I can squeeze in another sELF portrait..

Christmas catch-up..

I suppose I should call this my 'Post-Party' post as it is now the morning after the night before, and that's another freelance photographers' Christmas booze-up done and dusted! As usual there was lots of catching up done, and much toasting of each other's success in making it through another year and still being a photographer. Shock revelation of the night was the fact that a photographer we'd all known from about twenty years ago had been found dead in his flat after lying there for a week undetected. Oh yes, we're a chirpy bunch when we get going!..

On with the show now and this last week before Christmas seems to be all about last-minute portrait sessions. The studio's going to be heaving with families flying in for eleventh-hour gift ideas, and Santa's sack's going to be bulging with gorgeous family photos...

Speaking of Santa, here's a nice juxtaposition of Father Christmas and the fairy lights lined up with the moon over Manchester's Christmas market. I managed to shoot it on my 'phone without spilling my Gluwein and I do believe - if you look very closely - you can just see Tim Peake in the top left hand corner!..

Get that down yer neck ..

Party time! Off for the 'Office Do' this afternoon, which has the potential to be a sad, lonely affair seeing as I work on my own! Fortunately there's my usual bunch of freelance renegade chums to call on, and we'll all be crawling out of the woodwork to descend on Manchester in about three hours time!..

I'm feeling the most un-Christmassy I have ever felt this year. Something's just not switched on! At the moment, the day I can't wait for next week is the 27th, when I'm off to shoot a Wedding in Cheshire. Maybe a few mulled wines and some hearty chortling with me muckers will put me right.
I can only hope..

To Bury, and beyond ..

Well, it's a big smiley sky for Tim Peake today, heading off to the International Space Station and the start of six months flying around our l'il ol' planet!
How exciting!..

As a kid I was spell-bound by the Apollo moon missions, glued to the box as grainy spacemen bounced around a monochrome moon in what was the most exciting adventure .. ever! Tim Peake was born in 1972 - just as the Apollo project was nearing its end - so he might not have been around to experience the excitement of seeing a Saturn V lift off from Cape Kennedy, but the lucky bugger will certainly be a lot nearer to the action today than I'll ever be! Safe flight, Tim ..

As Tim heads off to space I'll be driving to Bury! Not quite as glamorous, I grant you, but I like to think we're working towards the same goal today, Tim and I. I'm off on a PR job, photographing children involved in the promotion of household recycling and so, like Major Tim, I like to feel I'm doing my bit to enthuse the next generation's interest in science and technology and the ultimate security of the Earth!

To Bury, and beyond ... 

Double or nothing ..

There's been a roll of film sitting on my desk for well over a year now but yesterday, finally, curiosity got the better of me and I took it to a lab to have it processed. First surprise? This double-exposure at the start of the roll..

You just don't get these happy accidents any more, unless you specifically set a digital camera to 'multiple' but, by then, it ain't no accident 'cos you've told your darling device that a double-exposure is what you're aiming at!..

It just reminded me that, as much as I love digital, a lot of the 'magic' of photography has gone. The 'not-knowing' what you'd shot, the anticipation in the dark-room - behave! - and the sheer raw 'hands-on' satisfaction of knowing that, from shot to print, you made that photograph in front of you. Still, I'm saving a fortune in Polaroids!...

That's so last century ..

There was a programme on telly last night called 'That's so last century' in which guests reacquainted themselves "with the gadgets and games of their childhood, including ... 35mm cameras!" Talk about making a man feel old!..

I did feel old this morning! I haven't watched the programme yet as I was out on the first of my Chrimbo booze-ups last night, and boy, did I know about it when I woke up! Last century? I think that was the last time I was able to cope with a heavy session..

Anyway, that's me in the party spirit now, much like I was in this photo of me and me little sis Catherine, circa 1964. Yes dear, the nineteen hundreds..

Strut yer stuff ..

Now I'm not one to blow my own trumpet .. sorry, I'll just wait for the laughter to die down .. but I had two lovely things said about me this past week.
Unsolicited testimonials, as it were!..

The first concerned my pr work at the Motorcycle Live show last week. I was tasked with getting lots of detail shots of quite a number of machines on show, and the company I was doing the work for then fed them onto their Facebook page throughout the week to show the range and style of the motorbikes. They received a comment which they passed on from a chap who wrote to them saying "With images as good as this, you almost don't need to go to the show!.."

The second feather in my cap was very unexpected. One of Lesley's friends was married at Crewe Hall a year or so back, and I was invited in the evening as a guest. Well I'm not very good at doing 'Wedding guest' so, of course, I passed the time wandering the room and taking the odd shot or two. At one point the bride jumped onto the illuminated dance floor and started to 'bust some shapes'. She was wearing some really high shoes, which I closed in on - foot fetish and all that - and shot with a hint of movement. Lesley told me on Sunday that that shot was the bride's favourite picture from her entire Wedding!..
   

Sweet!..

I think it's fair to say I've put in a shift this past weekend. As well as another morning's 'Photo for a fiver' session with eight kids I've done two venue PR shoots - at the Imperial War Museum North and at Chill Factore, the indoor ski-slope in Manchester. Really enjoyed myself at both as always, and loved the challenge of shooting everything from the freezing slopes, the windowless conference rooms, the War Museum's wall projections, three Christmas parties and .. a Candy Cart! Bizarrely, this is one of my favourite shots from the whole weekend! It was such a lighting challenge, stuck as it was in a purple-lit booth with the brightly lit ski-slope behind it and 100 party guests .. behind me! I even manage to grab a couple of bon-bons! Sweet!..

  

FAQ!...

Darlings, I have a new page on my web-site. I've added a FAQ page - Frequently Asked Questions - to help brides and grooms in their efforts to find the right Wedding Photographer. I hope I've covered a lot of things that might be on the minds of newly-engaged couples..

One question I'll be asking tonight is "Could you move out of the way, please!?" .. as I'm off to The Imperial War Museum North to shoot another room set-up for them. Trouble is, it's set up for a party, so people tend to get in the way rather!..

And one last question will be "Can Salford win tonight?" as they take on Hartlepool in the FA cup! Ooh, questions, questions, questions ..

Ho ho ho ..

Well, this is all very exciting! I woke this morning to a tweet announcing that a new range of my T shirts had been launched! Just like that! It was quite possibly my equivalent of Santa arriving overnight! A company called StonedLove is putting out a new range of Ts featuring some of my photographs of Joy Division and The Smiths, and they're available in white or grey for a mere £22.99! More designs will follow but, ya know, Christmas rush and all that..

By sheer coincidence - and I swear I'm not making this up - I was contacted yesterday by the Tourist Board in Macclesfield who asked if I had any Joy Division T shirts to sell, as they were asked for a lot by Ian Curtis 'Pilgrims' visiting the town. Well, happy to help, young lady, and thank you for asking! I tell ya, if the T shirts were Santa then this request was that magical little extra sparkle of fairy dust by his elves! Ho ho ho, that Christmas spirit is definitely kicking in now... 

That's the spirit ..

It's not all plain sailing during a kiddy photo-shoot ya know! There's often a lot of snot and tears going on in front of my camera! I thought I'd share a few images that parents don't get to see when I've photographed their little 'un! Hopefully everyone will be rather more well-behaved when I shoot my next 'Photo for a fiver' sessions this coming Saturday...

I wrote yesterday about getting into the Christmas spirit. At the last count there are now five Christmas parties in the diary! My next Wedding is on December 27th. I just hope there's not too much spirit going on out there .. 

December will be ..

Wow, December .. already! The thought crossed my mind the other day that this will be my 56th Christmas on the good old Planet Earth, and then it dawned on me. Fifty six days is eight weeks. Holy Sh*t! Eight weeks of my life has been Christmas Day! I don't know whether to laugh or cry!..

My mates will know I'm not the keenest fan of Christmas there's ever been. Such a hoo-ha over one bloody day I have never known. Like everyone, I've had good ones and I've had bad ones but I'll confess to always having a sense of relief when Boxing Day comes and I'm asked "Did you have a nice Christmas?" Past tense, for another year! Phew ..

Of course, Christmas as a grown-up is never going to be the same as it was as a kid, and the 'Christmas record' was always a part of that magic. December the first is a good excuse to dig out this golden oldie - Kate Bush's 'December will be magic again'. I'm pleased to report that this came out for my 21st Christmas, so the 'festive spirit' was alive and kicking in me even up to adulthood. Given the state of the world as we head into this year's season of 'goodwill to all' I think it's time I listened to Kate and let some of that magic dust sprinkle down on me ..