and another thing . . .

Too long away!

2009-02-21T14:01:00.004Z

Hi Folks back in the saddle again with the bike and the blog after a long silence. One of my loyal readers has been giving me a hard time for my lack of posts recently - so this should keep him happy! Lots has happened in the last few weeks; some things I will talk about and others that are best left alone! Not trying to be mysterious but this blog is about pictures and the fun things of life and I want to keep it that way - I'm sure you understand.

As the opening picture suggests, I was out for my one hour run on the bike this morning and having benefited from a self imposed diet that started last November, I could feel the benefit of being one stone lighter! With my diet, I have cut out (almost 100%) potatoes, rice, pasta and bread and these "fillers" have been replaced by salads - lots of salads! I say almost 100% as I allow myself the odd chick pea curry, cooked by my neighbour, Shobna or as cooked by myself recently. The curry is bulked out with potato so difficult to have without or a substitute. Surprisingly, I haven't really missed the "fillers" as I discover many and varied salad ingredients. Long may this continue and here's to further weight loss!

Our weather in North West London dawned cool, calm and clear - so absolutely no excuses not to get out on the bike. This morning was the first proper run since the end of October as a mixture of atrocious weather, work and sometimes total laziness kept me off the roads. I always find that the longer I leave it, the longer it will take to get back into but as I easily slipped on the shorts, I felt good. I managed the 16 mile route in just over the hour and I was delayed by a loose spoke on the front wheel, probably one of those things that happens when the bike sits for a few months. I noticed the tell-tale sound and checked it whilst stopped at lights. Easy enough to fix as I carry a spoke key but I might leave it into the Bike Shop for a tune up especially as this was the wheel I rebuilt after the bizarre hub cracking episode. Felt good to get out again and as tomorrow's weather is set fair, no reason why I won't make it two days in a row . . . as long as we don't have a repeat snowfall as illustrated below!

Shot on Monday 2nd February at 830am - three frame panoramic stitch - Canon G9.

London was paralised and most extended their weekend. Hannah managed Tuesday off as well but most struggled in to work and tried to work as normal. There was further snow on the Friday of that week and as I drove Hannah to school, I very nearly slid into the back of the car in front as we approached a roundabout. Instinctively (and probably wrongly!) I stood on the brakes and hauled on the handbrake but to no avail - the car continued to slide slowly towards the car in front. Thankfully we slid to a halt millimeters from the bumper and the person in front probably knew nothing of our mini drama.

Quaker roots

2009-01-03T13:11:00.014Z

Following a recent Ulster TV programme, "Lesser Spotted Ulster" where they featured the Moyallon Quaker Meeting House, I decided to find and visit this on my next trip to Northern Ireland. As my Grandmother was a Quaker and my Father and his two brothers were educated at Friends' School, Lisburn, (a Quaker School), I have always had a connection and interest in this way of life and religious practice.

After a little online research and details from the tv programme we set off for the Gilford area south of Lurgan in Armagh and quickly arrived in the former Linen Mill town.

There was the usual toing and froing as we tried to find the location and I declined Muriel's requests to ask a "local" as they all looked a little strange and "country"!

Eventually I relented and asked three girls employed at the local petrol station and all three didn't even know what a Quaker was - not looking good. What I did ascertain was that Moyallon was north of Gilford on the Portadown road and off we went with more hope.

Without too much difficulty we found the usual brown sign announcing the whereabouts of the Meeting House and after a short drive past some newer, impressive properties we turned the corner and approached the Meeting House that dates from 1736.

As we approached the Meeting House through the modest gates, the place looked deserted but as we got out of the car and walked to the Carriage arch we heard human movement on the other side of the arch. Luckily we were greeted by Nigel who is the Warden of the Meeting House, who was only too glad to take a few moments and give us a personal guided tour of the inside of the Meeting House.

The panoramic above shows the main Meeting room, set up for the usual 20 to 30 members who meet on the first Sunday of each month. A larger and younger meeting takes place every Sunday in the nearby Lurgan but I sense that Meeting House doesn't have the same history or atmosphere.

Strange to think that by having the delays in finding the location and avoiding talking to a "local" and taking precise directions, we arrived at the Meeting House just as the Warden arrived and this gave us the guided tour. If we had arrived earlier we would have missed this experience . . .

Rollercoaster Mournes - edited

2008-12-31T18:31:00.011Z

As the Blogger rendered video of this image sequence is so lame and totally unlike the original movie, I have uploaded the individual frames to allow better viewing and can be seen as 1000px wide images by clicking each picture - enjoy!

Northern Ireland is special in many ways and one of those is the proximity to the Mourne Mountains and the only "real" road through - the B27. This rollercoaster run, takes you between the peaks and is more exciting as a road and descent to Kilkeel than a view of the actual mountains and this is illustrated in the video above. Some will know how frustrating it is to be driving and the perfect composition presents itself as you sit in the driver's seat? People - no longer be frustrated as in this age of multi tasking and digital photography - we can have it all! Multitasking is not limited to the female of the species (we let them think that!) as the video shows - driving at 60mph and shooting pictures - easy!!! I was probably whistling a little tune at the same time! Enjoy!!!

All shot with the Canon G9 (of course!) and processed through Lightroom - no Photoshop at all, at all, Mrs. Doyle!!!

Northern Ireland for Christmas

2008-12-26T22:03:00.004Z

Back after another (almost) full month away . . .

Three years ago we decided to drive to Belfast and Rostrevor for Christmas and following that success we have done this again this year. As with most things the costs have evened out compared to flying but the big benefit is to have the car available for the holiday period. No micro packing and endless queues at airports but the freedom to take what you want and go where you want as usual is so worth it and something we have enjoyed for the last couple of summer holidays.

As the image above shows our journey time between Harrow and Stranraer, we made great time with the final 98 mile leg between Carlisle and Stranraer being the most difficult, being a mostly single carriageway A road. We still made the port with enough time to refind the Starfish Café and have a well deserved All Day Breakfast before joining the inevitable queues for the 1440pm ferry. The crossing was smooth and on time and we arrived in Osborne at 515pm - pretty much as advertised.

Hannah managed to sleep (most) of the way again and apologies for this rather unflattering image shot by her Mother!

After a quick pitstop, we were back on the road and south to Rostrevor. Again this all went to time and I was back at Osborne for 9pm and a welcome beef stew and a cold beer! A long but relatively smooth travel day and much better than any recent airport experience.

Birthday Girl

2008-11-30T10:23:00.009Z

Fourteen already! Where is the time going??? Happy Birthday Hannah!!!

Hannah's Birthday was on Friday and after much consultation, it was decided to split the celebrations over the Friday evening with friends from Longfield and then lunch with friends from Heathfield on the Saturday afternoon.

Pizza Express in Pinner was the venue and a private dining area was set aside for Hannah and eight friends. This was a perfect setup as the girls could relax in their own space and have maximum fun without "irritating" other diners! Sinéad and I left the girls to it and had a quick walk around downtown Pinner before retiring to the pub beside Pizza Express to while away the time. At or near the allotted time we wandered back to see how the girls are getting on and they seemed to be at the coffee stage. Other parents started to arrive and I organised and paid the bill and we patiently waited for the girls to finish and the advertised 4pm finish was about right.

Pinner at dusk is so atmospheric and I couldn't resist shooting the panoramic below as we waited for the "Ladies that Lunch" to finish! Hannah and the girls seemed to enjoy themselves and I think a few of the other parents have taken note and this could happen again for other birthday celebrations . . .

Pictures were shot with the Canon G9 (top birthday cake pic) and the Ricoh GR Digital, for the rest - mainly because of its wider (28mm) lens.

Wedding pictures in the dark

2008-11-25T22:11:00.004Z

The first location, Wilton Crescent was brighter and more evenly lit than anticipated and almost looks like a movie set, whilst the second location near Buckingham Palace was much darker!

As an extra bonus picture, we turned and shot with the Palace as a background.

For both locations, I used Pocket Wizards to trigger off camera flash with full CT gels and either a small softbox or the Stofen diffuser box. Not bad for shooting in the dark.

Dress rehearsal - just about . . .

2008-11-23T20:50:00.003Z

Nothing like returning from a large and complicated wedding at 1am, getting to bed after the usual wind down at 2am and having a rare lie in to 1030am on the Sunday morning - to be alerted to the fact that I should have delivered Hannah to a full Mr Fox dress rehearsal at 11am at 1145am!!! Oops and all hands on deck to get Hannah, myself and a packed lunch out the door in next to no time . . . in the end I delivered Hannah to the rehearsal at 1208pm and most of the girls were still in make up - so what was the panic?

Black and white or colour or both?

2008-11-21T17:11:00.003Z

Digital is a wonderful thing as even the cheapest compacts offer dedicated black and white shooting modes as well as a full range of "film" speeds although most are unusable above 200 iso! These examples are from the Canon G9 and follow on from reading several Ricoh GR Digital blogs where the photographers use their cameras exclusively as black and white cameras and I have shot various tests and love the tonal quality of the b/w mode straight out of the camera.

Of course great to have the option of both - no changing film, midway through a roll and no need to have multiple rolls of film of different speeds and the 2Gb card holds over 370 images - that's over ten rolls of 36 exposure film!

Testing, testing, 1 2 3 . . .

2008-11-20T20:11:00.011Z

Following on from the last post, these images are further tests for Saturday's wedding in Knightsbridge. I predict and hope that the ambient light in Wilton Crescent will be greater than the streets off Rayner's Lane but this was a great test to see where the light level was and how much flash I could use.

Here you see colour, sepia and black an white renderings from the shoot - all shot at 1600 iso and processed through Lightroom and looking good.

I shot with a D200 c/w a 50mm f1.4 lens that was having problems focusing and I had to move Hannah from shade to an area lit with the street light and then the focusing was better and when viewed no screen all was fine. Flash was an SB24 c/w full CT orange filter on the flash at 1/16th power and through a small Chimera softbox all triggered with Pocket Wizards. The CT filter balanced the flash and ambient quite well as I have had to balance many none filtered images in the past and it is hard and extra work that a little gel can fix so simply.

All looks good and roll on Saturday!!!

Test shoot for the Mall

2008-11-19T18:02:00.005Z

Saturday's wedding has a couple of challenging picture opportunities that will work but I needed to test to speed things and avoid time wasting on the day. Therefore I packed the car with the necessary bits and pieces that will be used on Saturday and set up in a local carpark that overlooks common land that stretches south to Harrow. I tried to choose an area and backdrop that would match the Gates opposite Buckingham Palace as closely as possible and hopefully give a realistic result that will be similar to Saturday. In fact I think this area is darker than our spot just off the Mall - so things can only get better! Our area has ample space to park (briefly) two cars, the couples vintage car and mine - as long as there aren't any tv satelite trucks around. The next problem will be trying not to attract too much attention with the cars and the flash and if you read headlines like "General's daughter, new husband and photographer arrested at Buckingham Palace security breach" in the Sundays - you will know exactly who was involved! Hopefully with this preparation and a bit of luck - we should be in and out before the Plod notices.

The above was shot with two SB00s - one on the camera and dialed down by three stops and the other on a stand to the left at 1/8th power and triggered with Pocket Wizards. The camera will be on a tripod to allow me to drop the shutter speed for the ambient light and fingers crossed we will have some very nice images . . .

The sunset above was actually shot before I started the flash and car test shoot. Strange how one can shoot one frame of a reasonable sunset and then Lightroom it to death to create something more exotic! I hope you note - Lightroom to death . . . rather than Photoshop? One can do so much in Lightroom - leaving Photoshop for the real heavy pixel editing.

Scan results . . .

2008-11-18T17:50:00.006Z

Having shot a test roll of Fujicolour 400 neg film on Friday and Saturday morning the film was finally processed late on Monday by Kenton Photographic. The processing was delayed as they no longer process daily and only turn on the machine when there is enough demand - sign of the times? The old EOS 5 film camera seems to work fine but the Fisheye lens is far from crisp wide open at f4. As well as testing the lens at this aperture, I also shot stopped down and these frames are better - still not knock out sharp but better. The image above is where I see this lens being useful and this was shot in Pinner Parish Church on a very bright day and still the exposure was 1/15th sec at f4 at 400iso - just on the edge of everything. I will try the camera/lens combination at Saturday's wedding and as I'll have the tripod with me I might even use it for these images - seems the obvious solution. As regards metering, I was over exposing the film by almost two stops and this gave me healthy negatives and I know that Harrow's Snappy Snaps can push C41 at least a stop. Might check that as it's been a few years since they had to do that for me.

This is a 100% section from the bottom edge - not too unsharp and a reasonable size. This would just about cover a double page spread of an A4 Wedding Book.

Shooting film again???

2008-11-14T17:20:00.004Z

No - a minor revolution has not just happened in Northwest London - rather a test to see how I could actually use this lens (sparingly!) on a wedding shoot. The lens in question is a Sigma 8mm Fisheye with a Canon fit and was bought for a specific series of jobs a couple of years ago. Being a lifelong Nikon user (except for the Canon G9 of course) I didn't have a Canon body to test this Canon fit lens and looked to buy or acquire a Canon body. I looked at the entry level Canon digital bodies with reduced size sensors that would not give the full circular image and whilst that was good in some ways, I eventually thought it lacked the real drama of a full fisheye image and put the project on the back burner.

One of the many photo Blogs I follow is Ken Rockwell's where he shoots with a variety of equipment and workflows and where he shoots film and has reasonably hires scans made at the time of processing by his lab in California. Therefore it came to me this morning, I have a couple of Canon Eos 5 film bodies that I am minding for Ed and the Fisheye would fit these and give the full circular image on FILM! I dug out a camera that is around sixteen years old, although with new batteries and all seemed to fit together and work. The next component was FILM and along with a few other errands I picked up three rolls of Fuji 400 print film (the brand I used to shoot) for £7. These are twenty four exposure rolls as the store hadn't any 36s in stock - slightly strange.

As I write there are eight exposures left on a test roll that will be finished off tomorrow and left in for C-41 process only to Kenton Photographic and I will scan a number of frames and we will see if this is worth persuing. Check back for some test images - I even managed a few Church interiors which seem appropriate.

I see this type of image working within ornate Synagogues or Churches - either as standalone pictures or backgrounds for Wedding Book double page spreads and for other architectural interiors. If overused, it will diminish the impact and I can probably shoot what I need on one roll of film, cutting down on film/processing costs and time scanning. I don't want to get back to the amount of time I spent scanning Noblex negatives to produce panoramic images!

One funny thing was my reaction as I shot the first frame . . . I tipped the camera forward to look at the back as if checking the image on the screen on the back! Of course no preview image and a sense of deflation as I have to wait to see and check the results. How things have changed!

The Power of the Recce

2008-11-14T17:13:00.003Z

The image above was shot as I waited for the next Bride, at her Church in Knightsbridge in the drizzle. We met at the time (4pm) when her ceremony starts on Saturday week, just to see how dark it will be! In some respects it was better to have a look around on a dark and wet afternoon as things can only be better with (hopefully) brighter weather on the day.

It was also good to tour potential areas for personal pictures on the short drive to their venue at Wellington Barracks - coincidently the same barracks I shot my last wedding! That was in the Guards' chapel which is at the opposite end of the parade ground.

Now to fine tune the timetable for the day where Ruth will be shooting and helping as well.

Cup Winner!

2008-11-14T16:49:00.005Z

At today's Heathfield Speech Day, Hannah was presented with the Healy Cup for Textiles. Due to Hannah's commitments at the BBC Day described below, she missed the rehearsal but as this was to show the girls how and where to queue, accept their prize, walk across the stage and back to their seats, it didn't seem like rocket science and hopefully something that Hannah could achieve without a problem! Then again . . .

News Hounds after the Hare

2008-11-14T13:18:00.006Z

Hannah is in the news twice this week - first with a handpicked group of Heathfield girls taking part in the BBC News Day around the UK in preparation for the event in March. Follow this link for the full story.

Hannah's second newsworthy exploit will follow in the next post . . .

Follow this link to the School's website and a further article.

Guest blogger of the week . . .

2008-11-08T19:11:00.014Z

Following the awesome lead of Scott Kelby, I am introducing a Guest Blogger of the week who happens to be Hannah, who has just returned from a (very long) school daytrip to the First World War Battlefields surrounding Ypres in Belgium. All images shot by Hannah with the Ricoh GR Digital and tweaked by Paul in Photoshop CS3.

Whilst the expectant viewing public awaits Hannah's text, the image above shows Sophie, deep in thought as she clutches a Remembrance Poppy and Cross that will soon be laid on her Great Great Grandfather's war grave . . .

On Friday 7th November, year nine of Heathfield School ventured out to Belgium to visit the Battlefields where many soldiers from all over the world fought to save our country. It was an early start at 4 am but once we all got on the coach, we didn’t stop talking the whole way there! As means of transport, we traveled by ferry, which was a good journey for some but not so good for others. However, we got back on the coach and settled down to watch the Bratz movie but were constantly interrupted by the tour guide who, to silent us used an annoying phrase of ‘bing bong’. Nevertheless, when he stopped gabbling on about something or other, we continued to watch the very cheesy movie.
We arrived in the trenches and immediately put on all of our layers as we were told that it would be extremely cold. I had my cozy ski jacket that my mother had recently purchased for me which kept me very warm . We walked up and down the trenches and when I became brave enough, crawled into a tunnel, which would eventually pop us out at the other end of the forest. Unfortunately, when my friend turned on her phone to guide us through the pitch-blackness of the tunnel, a canopy of fluffy-looking things startled us and we immediately ran out screaming. So we never made it to the other side but we did think of all the soldiers who had to do that probably every day, back and forth!

After this little adventure, we got back on the coach and made our way to the museum where we would also have lunch. The head of history; Mr. Platt, came over and took pictures of us munching which will probably, knowing him, appear somewhere in the school! After we had finished our lunch, we were given tickets, which had barcodes and a name of a soldier on the back of them. I wondered what we had to do with it as although the tour guide had explained, I was too far away to have heard him – I did try and listen! Anyway, not to worry as Mr. Platt put me out of my misery and explained everything. The ticket was in fact a card that you slotted into a machine, which read it and told you everything about the person on the back! It was very clever and I learned that my person – William White – was an Australian who had come to fight in Passendale. I was intrigued as I heard about Passendale and was amazed that this William White was involved in it. However, I might have learnt a lot but there is always something at the end of a museum tour, that always excites me – the gift shop! I am known in my school for collecting pencils and so to add to my collection; an “In Flanders” pencil! I also purchased a postcard, which had a building of a church being blown up. Bizarre you might say but I thought it illustrated the town of Ypres perfectly as after all, it is famous for the First World War.

Next on the list, was one of the 132 World War I cemeteries which was very fascinating as we got to see the bunker where soldiers were taken when they were severely injured. The tour guide explained that most of the rooms in the bunker would have probably been used for storage or operating. Once he had finished we were able to take a look inside and some of them were extremely tight and others were very big! We then walked round to where all of the tombstones were. It was very sad to see that so many people died but I knew if it wasn’t for them our world would not be like it is today. I came across a tombstone and on it said that the soldier was only fifteen years of age. However, the tour guide said he would probably have been only fourteen. I couldn’t imagine having to go into battle at only fourteen as I will be turning fourteen in a few weeks. I also thought about how terrified he must have been when he was injured and the fact that he was going to die. All I have to say is that he must have been extremely brave as I would never do something like that. I also came across a Jewish tombstone and I was amazed to see that this soldier was a Jew as most of the people in Britain at the time were Christians. However, I soon became aware of how many people of different denominations fought in this war. With only five minutes to spare, I thought I would get on the coach ready to go to the next destination – Sophie’s Great Great Grandfather’s grave.

I was one of the lucky few who went with Sophie to find her Great Great Grandfather's grave. It took us a little while as Sophie was not quite sure where it was but eventually we found it. Sophie laid down a poppy on a cross on the grave – H. E. Woodhouse, Royal Engineer. It started to rain so we quickly ran back to the coach and drove off towards a German cemetery.

We were told that this cemetery would be very depressing and a big contrast to the other cemeteries - which it was! When we pulled up in the coach, I noticed four figures in the distance and I thought that it was four people visiting the cemetery like we were but when the tour guide explained it wasn’t. The four figures were in fact statues commemorating a young boy’s death in the war. The cemetery was extremely different to the other ones we had visited as it had no colour and created an eerie sense. It was very depressing and quite creepy. Towards the end of our visit, I and some other people were brave enough to see the statues and the closer we got, the creepier they were. When I had taken the picture, I ran as fast as I could back to the group. I kept thinking that the statues were going to come alive and follow us. The tour guide mentioned that although it was a German cemetery, there were two British soldiers buried somewhere in it. I thought this a bit bizarre as it was a German cemetery so why would two British soldiers be buried there – surely they could have been buried in one of the 132 First World War cemeteries? However, my question was not answered and life moved on.

We all boarded the coach and we were taken to the biggest First World War cemetery in the world. Unfortunately, it started to become dark but that did not stop us realizing how many people died in the war. At the end, the other tour guide read out two letters written from a soldier who fought in the Iraq War. The first was quite funny but the second was extremely sad and some of the girls behind me were even crying. It began like this; Dear Mum and Dad, “If you are reading this now, I am up in the stars watching over you all.” It continued with the soldier thanking his parents for all that they did for him and this was extremely upsetting. I couldn’t imagine the pain and the grief that his parents would have to go through as soon as they would read that letter. I also couldn’t understand that he knew that he was going to end his life and he was okay with that. I wondered how he must have felt when he was writing that letter and how everybody would continue their life without him. I now know that time is a precious thing and it needs to be treated with care as we never know when we are going to run out of it. Although, I did not cry, I still thought it extremely despairing.

However, after this little sad bit, we made our way back to the town of Ypres and we visited a CHOCOLATE shop! It was amazing and I couldn’t believe my eyes at how much chocolate there was, especially as it was only a little shop. Fortunately, the people who owned the shop knew we were coming and organized a deal which was fantastic as I came home with a tub of flying saucers, a huge bar of chocolate and a box of selected chocolates. YUM! Then I wanted a chocolate figurine and I saw what looked like a Santa. However, when I got home, my Mum said that it was a BISHOP! I looked at it and then I realized that she was right as I noticed that there was a HUGE cross on the back of the BISHOP’S cloak! I then wondered how the shopkeeper probably thought; Why is she buying a bishop? They probably thought I was a little weird… Oh well, life moves on and more embarrassing moments come my way!
After this, we got back on the coach to go back to sunny, old England. We got the ferry and I spilt hot chocolate on both legs, but it wasn’t that hot so I didn’t burn myself. When we got back on the coach, we watched another movie called Step Up. After it had finished, almost everyone fell asleep but then I had Mr Allen – the other History teacher – waking me up to tell us that we had to call our parents but then I thought, my parents aren’t even coming to collect me! So I was not pleased as I was getting a lift home! However, in a minute or two I fell back asleep again so it turned out for the best!
Overall, I had a great time and it was an amazing experience! Although, it was upsetting, I had great fun learning about how the soldiers coped with everything in the First World War. I was also astounded at how many people died during the War fighting to save Europe. It was amazing how brave they all were, especially the soldiers who earned a Victoria Cross. I wouldn’t trade it in for anything in the world and I am glad I went.

The biggest inner city thingy ever - apparently . . .

2008-11-01T19:36:00.016Z

With all the predictable hype and publicity surrounding the eventual opening of the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush, Sinéad couldn't wait to be one of the first through their doors - ears flapping! The Centre opened on Thursday but Saturday afternoon was the soonest we could go and having heard of the traffic chaos in and around the Centre we logically traveled by Tube to the brand new but built very near the original Wood Lane Tube station.

It was threatening rain as we arrived but we managed to join the throng and enter the centre and quickly discover a Fashion Show just about to end. Directly above the catwalk I spotted a familiar logo . . . and yes we did have a look around to check on all the things we have, already!

The majority of retail space has been occupied but there are still a few gaps - most notably for Hannah, the Hollister outlet - an Abercrombie and Stitch rival, apparently. One interesting image I shot outside what will be Hollister is the Paramedic below. Fully kitted out as a cyclist, this must be the quickest way around the 43 acre site.

As the image above shows - lots of customers but not that many carrying bags . . . I think the majority were gawkers - us included. One slightly worrying thing I did notice was that newly arriving punters were quite rain soaked and yes, as we left the heavens had opened and West London was experiencing a torrential downpour that would last for the rest of the day.

As one can imagine, all this window shopping makes you very thirsty and in an attempt to rekindle a long Saturday afternoon traditon, Sinéad, Hannah and I headed for the Bushranger - oops, I should say the Stinging Nettle!

A lot has changed in many areas over the last year including the interior decor of this bar and it was great to see what has been done by the new owners. Interesting to see how the prices have risen - two pints, a glass of lemonade for the child and one bag of crisps (only one flavourleft/available?) - £9.95

Back out into the torrential rain and onto the Tube at Goldhawk Road Station, down to Hammersmith and out to Rayner's Lane on the Piccadilly Line - took an hour but I'm sure much quicker than driving!

Mr Badger strikes again

2008-10-27T21:38:00.006Z

Hannah auditioned and was chosen for a major part in "The Fantastic Mr Fox" by Roald Dahl, Heathfield's production on the run up to Christmas and she will star as Mr Badger. Part of the fun is that the girls have to source and provide their own costumes and the teacher in charge suggested Charity Shops for the essential costumes. After an unsuccessful tour of Rayners Lane, Hannah and I hit Ruislip High Street, Ruislip Manor and finally Eastcote where we found a costume hire shop for the bowler hat and then an RSPCA Charity Shop opposite. We were initially looking for a gents black suit but the sizing would always be a problem. A very helpful assistant suggested the ladies rail and Hannah quickly found a Zara two piece black suit that fitted perfectly and cost £20!

I want that one . . .

2008-10-27T21:31:00.006Z

. . . as said in an "Andy from Little Britain" voice. Hannah and I were returning from a client meeting - she acts as my body guard and technical advisor - and as we queued on Stanmore Hill, I noticed this wonderful Georgian house for sale. I have searched the Estate Agents website but cannot find it listed - possibly too obscenely expensive to show on their site. Maybe in today's economic climate there might be a bargain?

Shot from the car in traffic but the listing building is fairly accurate!

North Harrow or LA?

2008-10-22T18:40:00.002+01:00

A beautifully crisp, clear and cool day ended with a cloudless sunset and as usual the best pictures are seen from the driver's seat. Thankfully as we stopped at the lights, I was able to change the Canon G9 from black and white mode to colour and grab this frame just as the lights changed! Looking east the virually clear sky balances with the car and street lighting to produce an LA look!

This new residential and commercial development on the corner of Station Road and Pinner Road is steadily being occupied by residents but the wider community is waiting anxiously to see which supermarket takes the keys of the ground floor. North Harrow needs its supermarket back and the remaining shops have been struggling since Safeway vacated this property. Strange how we have waited almost four years to get back to where we were . . .

Canon G9, 400iso, Programme mode, 35mm, 1/8th sec at f 2.8

A busy Saturday . . .

2008-10-18T19:47:00.013+01:00

Up and out early for lacrosse and the all important School Open Day. I was asked and accepted the invitation from the "management" to attend as a parent and to chat positively to potential parents and girls - not difficult as Hannah loves the school and we see the worth, daily. Their match was delayed to coincide with visiting parents and I left before it started, to be assigned to the Art Department - much more up my street, as last year I was in the Physics Department. I also took the opportunity to sit in on Miss Juett's address (on the balcony) - something we actually missed on the Open Day we attended with Hannah three years ago - how time flies!

Shot with Sony Ericsson w850i 2Mb Cybershot

As always one needs to gauge the "sales pitch" with each new family as they come through and I hope I was informative and useful in my role. At about 1225pm we called it a day and I was escorted to the Dining Hall where refreshments and familiar faces waited but no sign of Hannah. I was encouraged to visit the spanking new 6th Form Centre by Soibhan and Vera, especially and curiously the Ladies toilet and the lilac decor . . . After finding the obvious doors locked, I worked my way in through the main school entrance and the corridor past Miss Juett's office into the new centre. Taking in the hotel like interior design and the waft of new carpets, I found my way through to the new Media Centre, neutrally decorated and impressively equipped with three 24" iMacs!!! Sorry - did you just read iMacs??? Yes you did - and the wonderfully determined and far sighted teacher that has stuck her neck on the line to have these installed is Miss Harriet. As Hannah said to this lady, as we discussed this step forward - "the revolution has started"! Maybe by the time Hannah reaches the 6th Form, the centre might be all Mac . . . ?

Finished and fired up because of the Mac inclusion in the school we returned home at 1pm to a waiting and welcome BIG breakfast and this was dispatched with almost indecent haste. Strangely, Hannah was straight into her homework, only punctuated by the breakfast and returned to the desk immediately after dispatching the sausages, bacon, beans and soda bread! I managed to take slightly longer and we turned our attention to how to fill the afternoon and we eventually set off for a northerly drive that eventually took us towards ASDA, north of Watford. Due to Tesco's incompetence we needed to supplement the online shopping and ASDA delivered - well they didn't actually deliver, we had to go there and shop! Our route out of Harrow towards Watford took us up past the Grimsdyke Hotel and the view over sunny Harrow was one of the clearest ever. A swift right turn into the car park and a few frames later and we have the image below, including a Beoing 747 enroute to Heathrow.

Canon G9, full zoom and black and white mode.

Great image

2008-10-18T18:00:00.003+01:00

Guest photographer - Sinéad Dawson - Samsung NV10

Smooth experience

2008-10-15T22:05:00.007+01:00

I hadn't looked within my Trade Area on the Graphistudio website for a few weeks but was delighted to see a software seminar advertised for today and I grabbed a last minute place. This was well worthwhile as I have struggled with their book building beta software and it makes all the difference when someone smart demos the latest version, things fall into place. The unlikely venue for this seminar was the Park Inn, Watford, right beside Watford Junction Mainline Station and this suggested traffic and parking problems as I had booked the 930am slot. Time would be tight as I would leave Sinead to work, Hannah to school and then on to deepest, darkest Watford.

On a wedding Saturday recently, Sinead and Hannah had ventured north to the bright and glittery shops of downtown Watford by mainline train and I immediately thought this would be the easy answer. We worked out that I would catch an H9 Bus from the bottom of the road for four stops to Harrow and Wealstone Station and then a mainline train to Watford Junction with the hotel a five minute stroll away.

This morning I returned from my human deliveries and parked the car at home, grabbed the few bits I needed for the morning and walked to the bottom of Gloucester Road. Five minutes later a fairly packed bus arrived and departed and we swayed our way to Harrow and Wealdstone Station. I have never really used mainline trains but things have become so much easier and foolprooof over the years and I quickly located a train and platform and was on Platform 5 at 854am. My train arrived at 857am and took the grand total of 7 minutes to travel to Watford and I was early for the 930am start!

The seminar was potentially workflow changing and well worth the journey especially as the return route was equally easy and smooth and the total cost being £3.80

A grand morning out!

I seem to be going through a "blue" period at the moment as I test the Canon G9 as a Black and White camera at shooting source . . . I'll try and shoot some autumn colour as mentioned below tomorrow and will have to change a few modes.

Night's a fair draw . . .

2008-10-14T21:09:00.005+01:00

Full moon last night as we rapidly approach the end of the month and when the clocks Fall back and we hit winter, proper. The Autumn colour also seems much more vivid this year - something to do with the wet Summer and a dry Autumn. I must get away from the Mac for an hour and catch the last shades tomorrow - so watch this space.

Two for the price of one

2008-10-09T22:44:00.003+01:00

Say no more! Except that there might be an updated version very soon . . . we will see!

Weird weather

2008-10-09T11:04:00.005+01:00

You may remember a similar jet image from my last trip to Belfast? The weather that weekend was unbelievably warm and sunny - not so this last weekend! I arrived on the Friday to be met with sun and showers, Saturday was wet and miserable, Sunday was clear and cool and Monday saw the return of the wet drizzly weather - hence the colour and quality of the up close and personal picture above.

One other odd thing happened as I went through security at Belfast City Airport where size definitely matters! We are all familiar with the clear plastic bag routine we need to put liquids and toiletries in and to my bemusement my bag was deemed too big! Strange how the same bag was fine and approved at security in Stansted on Friday but obviously the rules are different in Belfast . . . The solution was to remove all my bits and pieces from the x-ray machine, back track and buy four correctly sized bags from a conveniently positioned vending machine for £1, repack the toiletries and then move through security successfully. I immediately asked the obvious question - who gets the proceeds of the plastic bag scam??? Two security ladies hadn't a clue and couldn't answer . . . A little internet digging might be necessary especially as bags are provided FREE in Stansted.

Tip from the top

2008-10-09T10:57:00.004+01:00

My Swatch watch face was looking a little scratched and scuffed but after a little buffing with Brasso - it is almost like new! And who suggested this? Muriel of course!

Note the various languages on the tin - not too sure where Muriel found this!

Stained Glass Windows

2008-10-09T10:23:00.015+01:00

Whilst in Belfast I was asked to shoot and document the wonderful stained glass windows of St. Nicholas' Church which was a joy to do as I had a fantastic sunny afternoon to provide the necessary backlighting. The main five windows were shot as a three frame vertical panorama and then comped together into the image above and all shot with the Canon G9.

More and other window/Church images are online here.

A couple of stand out images (well I like them!) are below if you don't get the chance to look at the link above.

Broadband weekend

2008-10-08T10:30:00.006+01:00

Back in Belfast to see Muriel and also to oversee the installation of Virgin Media Broadband that was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Just as well I was in town as the final stages of activation needed my Mac knowledge to get the thing going. The engineer who doggedly worked through heavy rain to take a cable out the living room wall and in to the bedroom all on the first floor, tried to make a quick retreat when we had problems getting the Mac online. His job was done and he wanted out and he was encouraging us to call their support line as he could do nothing further. If I hadn't been there, Muriel would have been lost and on the phone to me!

Ultimately the Mac spluttered into Broadband life and all was well. I brought my old D-Link router with the intention of setting up wireless and I had won an eBay auction for an Airport card for Muriel's Mac - so all the elements were in place. I struggled all Saturday afternoon and evening and managed to half set up wireless where my Mac would run wirelessly but Muriel's connected Mac wouldn't "see" the internet and vice versa . . . all very frustrating.

In the end, I left the problem and have Muriel's Mac hardwired to the Virgin Modem and all seems well but will investigate this further when time allows.

Another animation

2008-10-08T10:14:00.009+01:00

Having booked and paid for my flights to Belfast for a quick weekend at the start of this month, I had a call from Stuart Newman to shoot some interiors and details for the Society of Antiquaries and of course the shoot date conflicted with my outbound flight time. Through the years I have shot for Stuart on many occasions and the work is always creative and interesting and Stuart is one of the "good guys" in the business. Therefore I had no hesitation in changing the flight to the next morning and this was easy enough and didn't break the bank - still giving me nearly four days in Belfast.

The animation above is the result of eighty odd frames I shot of the Society's brass floor plaque, with shoes supplied by Stuart. The frames are combined as an image sequence in QuickTime and saved as a QuickTime movie - all quite simple but effective. Below is one of the panoramic interiors - five frames stitched in Photomerge.

As I was off for the weekend and all clients want images as soon as, there was the distinct possibilty that I would be processing the shoot through the evening and early hours and then driving the disks to Clerkenwell and then on to Stansted - otherwise they would have had to wait until I returned on Tuesday. Thankfully the first part of the above was true and I was able to drop the disks into a Post Box before continuing to the airport but it still took until 245am to complete. As I didn't have the delivery detour I managed an extra hour in bed, rising at 5am - not a lot of sleep before the drive and flight but enough. It was the end of a busy week as I had shot a wedding last Saturday and had to process the images immediately as the couple didn't go on honeymoon but all the better to get both jobs out the door and finished.

It's strange but I was actually looking forward to the early morning drive into Central London as the City is so magical and quiet at that time of day. I also planned to visit the 24hr Bagel Bar in Brick Lane to pick up a Salt Beef Sandwich . . . ah well, Pret a Manger had to suffice at the airport!

That time of year again . . .

2008-09-26T20:31:00.006+01:00

Virginia creeper is a wonderful thing that coats our garage and side fencing - especially at this time of year as the uniform greens quickly transform to the many and varied colours in the image above. As with all Autumn transitions, things can change and disappear very quickly, so I was swiftly off the mark to shoot a few frames with the Canon G9.

The secret is out . . .

2008-09-21T13:38:00.004+01:00

Before Hannah was born, Ed and I traveled the world for about three months a year for ten years, shooting many and varied subjects for Sedgwick's Annual Report. That's a lot of Airmiles and a massive number of hotel rooms and of course with Mini Bars in most. Quite a number of the Mini Bars contained a mini Toblerone, that sat in full view, bright yellow and an unbelievable temptation at the end of the night, following a good dinner and a few glasses of wine.

Never one to back down from a challenge, I worked out that I could use an ultra sharp Scalpel blade (No. 10a) to slit open one end, slip out the bar and enjoy. Then with a tiny piece of double sided tape I would resecure the open end and replace in the Mini Bar. The Mini Bars were inspected each morning and usually a quick visual check rather than a hands on sorting and therefore as the pristine Toblerone wrapper was still in place the deed was never discovered!

Not in ten years - that's a fair number of Toblerones!!!

Yet another sunny Saturday

2008-09-20T19:48:00.008+01:00

Is there such a thing as an Indian Summer? Who cares as the sun shone all day today and we were out there enjoying it to the full with a winning Lacrosse match in the morning, a slightly roundabout drive to the Chalfonts and then to see Evelyn and Fagan and a wonderful walk in the park in Hillingdon. The image above shows Fagan in his executive mobile as we traveled to the park - woof!

Hannah's team was the only team to win this morning and after that match, the Year 11 First team borrowed a number of Hannah's teammates and narrowly lost 5-3 even though Annabel scored a vital goal.

When we walked Fagan around the park, Hannah and I traded shots as we took the Lacrosse sticks with us and practiced short and long throws. We also saw a group of screeching, bright green parakeets that must have escaped from a cage somewhere as well as two World War Two fighters that were displaying over Northolt Aerodrome with the diesel drone of their engines so unmistakable.

Gone are the days . . .

2008-09-19T17:11:00.003+01:00

. . . when large Dental Companies would "bribe" future Hygienists and existing Dental Departments (Guy's Hospital) with all expenses paid jollies abroad! The year is 1989, the location is Venice and Sinéad is the photographer. My darling wife and a dozen or more soon to qualify Hygienists were wined and dined for a week in Italy - not a bad gig if you can get it.

We unearthed this print that I made from a colour negative, probably shot through a Konica A4, that I inherited from Ed and passed on to Sinéad. The print was originally Black and White but I couldn't resist adding the sepia to enhance the mood.

Refurbished and re-celled!

2008-09-18T08:53:00.006+01:00

Battery technology has improved dramatically over the years, obviously due to our total dependence on consumer electronics. Sometimes the humble battery needs a helping hand and this is when I turned to the Quantum Battery 1+ pack shown above to specifically power one of my Nikon SB800 speedlights (flash gun). This was purchased from Robert White about four years ago and has been heavily used at weddings, corporate and commercial shoots but in the last six months I have noticed the charge not being held by the unit. This is the classic sign that the batteries are nearing the end of their natural life and need replacing.

There are two ways to do this:- the first is to replace the entire unit or more economically, replace the cells within. Take a wild guess which option I chose! The next stage was to track down someone who could replace the cells and after a fruitless Google session, I rang the company I originally bought the battery from. They were incredibly helpful and they would be able to forward the unit to the importers who would do the work. They also suggested that I mail the unit to them immediately as the importers are attending Photokina in Cologne, next week and that any repairs would be delayed if not carried out this week.

I quickly and securely wrapped the battery, included a covering letter and walked down to the Post Office and Special Delivered the unit to Dorset. To my great surprise and delight, I received a call from Robert White the next day at lunchtime, stating that all work had been successfully completed and if I would pay, they would send the unit back. A few numbers later and I was assured that the battery would be with me the following morning and of course it arrived safely and seems as good as new.

Makes me think that as long as no other components fail within the battery this could be a four year cycle?

City shoot

2008-09-17T22:39:00.007+01:00

I have experimented with "stop frame animation" a few times in the past and above is the latest example that grew from a recent shoot for a French Bank in the City of London. There is something within this technique that needs development and further experimentation and as always, when time allows, I will try and take this further. For now, enjoy the germination of an idea that keeps being put on the back boiler!

As with many buildings in the City, they have surprising rooftop views and this one didn't disappoint. A section of a 24 frame 360˚ panoramic image cropped to the interesting bit - D200 c/w 20mm lens and Manfrotto QTVR head.

On the wane . . .

2008-09-15T22:17:00.010+01:00

Unbelievably London has strung three days of Indian Summer weather together - just when I needed it! Another busy weekend that started with Hannah's away Lacrosse game at Heathfield St. Mary's in Ascot. A great game that the girls should have won despite being a player short - they battled well and finally succumbed by a single goal - 7 to 6. French platts seem to be in!

After a very early start (7:50am at the school) at least the match was over by 10:30am and after the usual schmoozing after the game that included some polite conversation with Simon Le Bon, father of the St Mary's goalie, we hit the road back to North Harrow. I was keen to get back in good time as I had a family shoot in the late afternoon but still had a few things to sort before I hit the road again.

As usual I left Harrow early and drove the short distance to Mill Hill in only 15 minutes - a third of the time I had allowed. As I arrived way too early, I spent some minutes refining my various routes through north and east London for Sunday's wedding. Time well spent but even though I was early, I decided to knock on the door and give myself extra time to set up and get settled for the family shoot that involved four small (under five!) children. Just as well I did as one of the off camera flashes refused to sync with the Pocket Wizards and I worked hard to swap out the hardware to isolate the problem. Finally and in front of a very interested and sympathetic client, I finally solved the riddle. The "hotshoe's" contacts that held the SB28 flash, was canceling the PW trigger. A small piece of black electrician's tape over the contacts solved that.

The shoot was centred around three sisters, their spouses, children and of course and most importantly, their parents. I originally shot Sally and Howard's wedding in 2002 and have been in intermittent contact since but was delighted to take a call from Sally as I sat in the shade in Valras Plage in the south of France in July, when she called to organise the shoot. All shot with five SBs - four off camera and one on.

On to Sunday and a wedding shoot for Deborah and Leon with Deborah being the second of three daughters whose weddings I have shot this year, having shot Naomi and Oren's wedding in March. As this post is very weather orientated, it was amazing to have the same clear sunny conditions as we had in March for this second wedding.

Always trying something new, I placed an SB and Pocket Wizard off to the left and synced this with the camera and 50mm and shot with the very effective side lighting - manual and at a quarter power.

Here's hoping for a new Nikkor 50mm to be announced at Photokina in a few days time.

New Season

2008-09-06T14:05:00.011+01:00

Thankfully this morning's weather co-operated allowing the first practice session of the year to be completed in dry, windy and even sunny conditions. Competition is fierce for team selection and this was the first opportunity to impress. The team will be announced at the start of next week with the first game away to Heathfield St Mary's in Ascot. Bizarrely this school has the same name as Hannah's as well as a famous father who supports his daughter at Lacrosse matches, Simon LeBon of Duran Duran.

All very serious but there is always time to smile for the Paparazzi!!! There may be more present for next week's game if Simon attends?

Afternoon in Town

2008-08-31T15:43:00.016+01:00

As regular readers may remember I had a leaking piston within my Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 fountain pen. This was successfully repaired and a new nib fitted, giving me an almost brand new pen, all for £43. The only problem was that the ink flow seemed much reduced, making me lean too heavily to write and still not delivering the silky smooth writing experience I was used to and the main thing that sets Montblanc apart. Hannah and I jumped on the Tube and dropped off the pen at the Montblanc Boutique on New Bond Street and they promised to adjust the ink flow and try and return the pen within four weeks! Thankfully I was contacted after only ten days and we decided to take advantage of the great Saturday weather to take the short Tube ride to Green Park.

After collecting the pen, we walked the short distance to the Abercrombie and Fitch Store where Hannah was determined to spend some of the cash she collected last weekend from unbelievably generous Grand Parents and Great Aunts. This is a strange store, shrouded in almost total darkness, uptempo popular disco tunes constantly blasting out and the entire store is stuffed with customers and almost as many pert wannabee models as staff.

Eventually Hannah found and made her selection and we located the correct queue and eventually emerged, blinking to the sharp sunshine of the West End, thirsty and on the quest for a bar! We found a Pitcher and Piano near Maddox Street that was almost deserted and we settled in for a swift pint. On to the Apple Store for a quick look at all the bits and pieces we already have - so the visit was short.

Below is a snap of Hannah looking cute and hugging her new A & F Butt Loungers!

Just like the locals

2008-08-25T21:08:00.009+01:00

One of the slightly clichéd things to do in the wine growing areas of France is the "dégustation" and never afraid of a cliché we found a wonderful Co-operative in Sérignan, a close village to our campsite. Whilst going through the expected tasting and the potential purchase of a few "real" bottles, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, the locals in line at the other end of the outlet with all manner of empty water bottles and more regular wine carriers. We finalised our purchase but in between time I nipped out to the car where I had a couple of 1.5l water bottles. These were pressed into immediate srevice and filled with the local Rosé and White with a 1.5l bottle costing €1.48 - for the equivalent of two bottles. Needless to say this was the routine for the rest of the holiday as we filled and emptied the water bottles and gained loyalty points with each purchase!

And how was the wine? Superb - and all the better because of the price! We brought a few water bottles home and consumed the wine on this side of the Channel and it still tasted great - always a true test of the quality.

Top speed - could be quicker!

2008-08-25T20:48:00.006+01:00

And it was - two days later I managed to squeeze another 1.5 mph out of this hill. In between, I sped down the same descent with a stiff headwind and I barely crested 30 mph. The descent was virtually straight and open allowing me to concentrate on speed and try a tuck position to try and wring the last mph out of the downhill. Then again I could have pedaled harder at the top but that takes some of the fun out of it!

And yes - that is an Avocet 30 "computer" that is still running! Pre-dates Hannah by a couple of years - so about 15 years old at least. I'm not the typical consumer and for some things, I seem to take care of things and they last forever!

We love French Supermarkets

2008-08-25T20:27:00.013+01:00

With a self-catering holiday there is the obvious need to buy food and drink and following many years of past visits to France we know the Supermarket scene inside out. As we arrived at a reasonable time on a Saturday afternoon we quickly unpacked into the mobile home and went on the first "trolley dash". We didn't want to leave things until the Sunday morning as we have been caught out by odd French opening hours before, so off we went on our voyage of discovery.

After a few u-turns and signs that never delivered, we found the "mother of all" Hyper Champions in a purpose built small retail park about fifteen minutes from the campsite.

Even though we flirted with an even bigger Auchan, a strangely attractive Hyper-U and some smaller stores, we always returned to the Champion - even their petrol was keenly priced.

The top picture shows a section of the Canal du Midi that stretches from Sête to Toulouse - shot on a rare overcast day as we visited the Auchan Hypermarket in Béziers.

Halfway house

2008-08-25T20:09:00.007+01:00

As our wonderful English weather has been so poor throughout August, it doesn't take too much to take my mind back to our wonderful holiday in France. To break up the journey south, I arranged an overnight stay at Chateau Ribagnac, just outside Limoges and Colette and Patrick welcomed us like old friends. This is part of the charm of the Chateau as their easy company compliments the stunning surroundings, fantastic food and new found friendships. We joined the "regular" guests for aperitifs and then a long and luxurious four course dinner, finally skipping coffee and rising from the table at midnight.

After a continental breakfast and a few "goodbyes" we were on our way south and the Girls were predictably wowed and impressed having experience something first hand after seeing so many pictures. A wonderful start to the holiday and almost the last time we would speak English for the next two weeks!

Almost there . . .

2008-08-24T14:50:00.003+01:00

After a break from this project, there was a major push this and last weekend. Last week I completed the second and final emulsion coat and this weekend I tackled the woodwork. A few finishing bits and pieces tomorrow should see this finally finished and then I will tackle the stairway woodwork!

Now and then . . .

2008-08-20T16:58:00.004+01:00

For almost the last two years, Hannah has put up with all the poking and prodding that goes with major orthodontic treatment and we all think it has been well worth it! Hannah had slightly "buck" teeth that needed to be corrected as well as severe crowding - top and bottom. The treatment started with four extractions and then the addition of the braces - see below.

A wonderful smile and no fillings - long may this last!

My Tour de France

2008-08-07T20:05:00.007+01:00

In its tenth year, I packed the Quest into the Thule topbox for another few days of sun and foreign riding in the south of France. Amazingly the bike breaks down and fits in the box perfectly and also to the amazement of a bored and understressed security person at Dover port who had never seen a bike in a top box before? G-d, they ask such stupid questions and it's a real effort not to retort with an equally stupid reply that will inevitably end you in the soup and delay things further.

I managed ten rides through thirteen days and covered 228 miles with most rides being just over an hour - later in the fortnight I began to extend the distance. I recced a couple of routes via Google Earth and these proved to be perfect and the right way round, especially as the wind was such a factor. The first route took me out into a headwind and then a sharp climb, through the outskirts of the first village and a short downhill section with a little help from a tailwind. On to the next village with a short sharp climb out and a further good downhill section to the next village - Vendres. This hamlet had a viscious climb out of the village that strained my lowest gear of 42 x 19t but this got easier through the two weeks. A fast main road section brought me back to the campsite with a stiff headwind to finish. Some mornings, I would park up the bike and dive into the camp shop and buy a L'Equipe and baguette and teeter back to the mobile home and a late breakfast.

French roads are well surfaced and well patched but the vineyard access roads and campsite avenues were less smooth. Despite this, I only suffered one puncture throughout the two weeks and no other mechanical problems - the bike has truly bedded in!

Our own Tour de France

2008-08-05T17:34:00.010+01:00

Back last weekend after our own Tour de France, having driven via Chateau Ribagnac, just outside Limoges to the Mediterranean coast at Vendres Plage, south of Béziers. We stayed at Les Foulegues Campsite in a static mobile home and very similar to our holiday last year to Grosseto in Italy.

I drove 2260 miles, had 10 morning rides, totally 228 miles, we had thunderstorms overnight, 39 degree heat and ultimately, we had a great time away! A small selection of images - all shot with the Canon G9 - are online here. As time allows, I will add posts detailing some of our experiences when in France.

Enjoy the images as I sit looking out at rain in a not so summery, Northwest London.

Weekend visit

2008-07-12T18:54:00.006+01:00

Mum is over for the weekend to avoid the ancient and ludicrous Twelfth of July marches through central Belfast and as mentioned in the previous post, I needed to collect my repaired Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 Fountain Pen from their boutique in New Bond Street. Therefore, I thought it would be good to combine this collection with a walk around the world famous Bond Street Boutiques and we ended up in John Lewis for a lovely lunch on the 5th floor.

When London's Tube works properly, it is brilliant - unfortunately on Friday it wasn't a great run into central London as there was a "person under a train" at Finchley Road . . . Obviously my sympathies go to the family and ultimately our journey was delayed but not terminated - unlike the poor individual at Finchley Road.

Exceptional service

2008-07-12T18:15:00.008+01:00

You hear these stories but they rarely happen to me - except this time . . . My treasured Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 Fountain Pen developed a leak at the start of June - you see a pattern emerging as my previous BIGMac suffered the same fate. As soon as the leak happened, I left the pen into their Bond Street Boutique as I combined this drop off with a meeting in Southwark. Thankfully this problem has a happy ending as I called the Montblanc boutique in Bond Street to see how things were going - especially as they had had the pen for almost four weeks. The good news was that the Repair Dept. had complied a repair quote but the bad news was that this was £202!!!

Once I had picked myself up from the floor, especially as the original quote was £43, so I asked why so expensive? A further call later and a superb lady at the Boutique had found out the reason for the extra costs. As the pen was over thirty years old the new (required) piston would not fit the existing nib and the Repair Dept. needed to replace (and charge for) a new nib. Thankfully my ally at the Boutique argued that the customer (me) should not have to foot the nib costs just because the pen was "old". They swallowed that and the costs and the final total remained £43 leaving me with a virtually brand new pen - not a bad outcome.

When is a single yellow line not a single yellow line . . .

2008-07-08T23:10:00.004+01:00

. . . when that single yellow line is in the London Borough of Camden and on a Sunday afternoon. As the location where I parked in preparation for a wonderful Greek Wedding at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, Camden Street was deemed in proximity to Camden Market and therefore not free on a Sunday - I received the above PENALTY CHARGE NOTICE. At least one quick phonecall to Camden Council's Parking department clarified the situation and I will not contest the ticket and I will pay without delay before the total rises from £60 to £120 - quite a bargain!

Sculpture Gallery, Woburn Abbey

2008-07-02T20:11:00.009+01:00

I love the panoramics that I shoot, stitch and present to the client! Thankfully after many years of championing this format, clients are seeing their worth and selecting them for their Wedding Books or as final images. Things have progressed from shooting with the Noblex 135 Camera where I would shoot with 800asa Fuji print film, Kenton Photographic would C41 process this, I would scan as two overlapping halves and once colour corrected and balanced, I would eventually put the two halves together to produce a final file - very time consuming.

With Photoshop CS3, I have the ability to shoot panoramics with my main camera and then stitch. I can also shoot more formal panoramics with an ancient D100 c/w 20mm lens and tripod and Manfrotto QTVR head and these stitch perfectly in Photomerge. Much better to have a dedicated pan camera, rather than having to set up a main camera just for the wide shot.

Monday's food shoot

2008-07-01T17:41:00.015+01:00

I am lucky to be one of the recommended photographers at One Great George Street, Westminster where Aoife and Yvonne, their wedding coordinators keep me busy with weddings, corporate and food shoots! I was coming to this after three fairly heavy days but actually felt great and was able to boil down the necessary kit to allow me to take the Tube to Westminster, rather than drive.

The starter above was the first of three courses shot and we tried a red and black table cloth versions as well but I think the white looks the best. This was shot with an SB800 through a Chimera Maxi Softbox (22x16") at the back and slightly off to the left and the fill light at the front was provided by another SB800 on its stock table stand, zoomed out to 85mm and a 1/64th power. All triggered by Pocket Wizards, although with this combination I could have used Nikon's Creative Lighting System but after three previous shoots, the less buttons to press the better and setting up the PWs is so simple.

The Client also wanted an in situ portrait of Executive Chef David Wilkinson and again, I used the softbox and a backlight over the shoulder and triggered by the PWs.

Nikon D200 c/w 50mm lens.

Heavy weekend . . .

2008-07-01T17:00:00.009+01:00

Two weddings, a bar mitzvah and a food shoot - sounds like the title of (supposedly) Britain's all time favourite movie but actually the running order of shoots from last Friday to yesterday, Monday! Thankfully the weather cooperated throughout the weekend with only a couple of showers on Friday afternoon that didn't coincide with any outside parts of the wedding. Friday's event ended late and I left the Sculpture Gallery, Woburn at about 1230am and returned to Harrow about an hour later. I carefully downloaded the cards, backed up to two external harddrives and finally crawled into bed at 345am.

I needed to be up early for Saturday's wedding that was near the south coast in Lewes, East Sussex but with only the panoramic card to offload from Friday, I was reorganised and out the door at 10am and first stop was the garage for petrol, then Greenford for a McDonald's breakfast and Kouros Eau de Toilette, from Boots - an essential combination for any wedding day! Finally onto the A40 towards the M25 and the traffic is already backed up but thankfully this clears and it is the usual stop and start stuff until the M23 turn off. I made the venue with five minutes to spare within my self imposed timetable that still put me there way in advance - I love being early! This wedding went well, with beautiful weather and I eventually left at 1045pm - an early departure and I was home just after midnight. I left the offloading until the morning as the bar mitzvah wasn't until the afternoon.

Sunday dawned clear and sunny and as I wanted to be at the Emirate's Stadium, Arsenal's ground, at 3pm, I left at 2pm and drove over to Highbury through moderate Sunday traffic, arriving at 255pm. Access and parking were all organised and I quickly found the area of the Stadium I needed to be, taking the lift to the Club floor level and into the party. Again, all seemed to go well and I was outta there soon after the wrap at 1115pm and back home just after midnight. The image above was stitched from five horizontal frames in Photoshop CS3's Photomerge.

Harrow on the Hill sunset

2008-06-25T21:57:00.005+01:00

Traveling back from delivering wedding prints to Putney, I crested Harrow on the Hill and was blinded by the soon to set sun. A quick U-turn at the bottom of the hill and I was back to a very handy footbridge that gave this wonderful street light level vantage point. The Canon G9 handled the conditions well but most frames were shot on manual.

What a difference a day makes!

2008-06-22T16:15:00.008+01:00

Having prepped and filled the hall walls and after I had collected Hannah from her sleepover, I started into the first "cleanup" coat of white emulsion. The idea of this is to bring the walls back to neutral and give us a starting point. It also shows if the walls need to be papered or simply painted and as far as I can see they look good enough to paint. Painting I can do and enjoy whereas, papering is a skill I have dodged through the years and do not wish to learn for this project. Areas will need a second coat of white but most panels are ready for the final colour - possibly a warm crushed cotton.

What else does one do with a wet weekend?

2008-06-21T16:16:00.016+01:00

Over the years we have worked on and redecorated most rooms in the house but we have always shied away from the massive hallway, stairs and first floor - until yesterday! Despite my vehemnet protestations, Sinead went full steam ahead and stripped 75% of the wall areas up and downstairs to reveal an unbelievable array of wallpapers and colours from previous redecorations. Most areas stripped well but as always there was one area by the radiator that took an hour!

As you can see there is one large area that Sinead could not tackle and we will look for specialist ladders to borrow or hire to complete the job. The walls have been sanded and despite their multicoloured appearance they are quite smooth with only a few small areas needing some filler. I plan to give everything a base coat of white emulsion to bring it back to neutral and then we will see from there.

Thankfully the "Huckleberry Finn effect" took hold and Hannah joined in and her efforts can be seen above and below and she worked well and hard and is now off to a Hawaiian themed sleepover party! Back to work tomorrow.

All images shot with the Canon G9 with the top two being 12 frame Photomerges . . . the first 4 x 3 frames and the second 6 x 2 frames.

Broken the duck

2008-06-15T15:59:00.005+01:00

Having had the great theory of getting out on the bike very early in the morning through the week for the last few summers, I finally did it last Tuesday! The alarm went at 5am and I finally struggled out of bed at 515am, dressed and had a quick drink and was on the road by 530am. As sunrise is around 445am at this time of year, it makes sense to "use" the available daylight to pack in a short ride rather than trying to make time for it through the day. All went well with even less traffic than the usual Sunday morning and I was back home at 630am, invigorated and "up" for the day ahead - wonderful! I will need to pack a few more morning rides in before our rapidly approaching holiday to make the most of the bike time in France. I have Google Earthed a couple of routes already and these look more interesting than Italy last year, without being over the top.

Bath Crowd continued . . .

2008-06-14T22:03:00.002+01:00

Before and after Anna and James recent wedding, I have been in email dialogue with Rob Taylor, brother of Nick Taylor, whose wedding Simon shot a number of years ago. Unfortunately for Simon and to great benefit to me, he left for Calfornia, leaving the "Bath Crowd" to turn to me to shoot their forthcoming nuptials. To date I have shot three couples from this group of friends with Anna and James the fourth. As you can imagine there are serial guests that appear at each event and it's wonderful to see so many familiar faces.

I usually limit my housecall visits to within the M25, but as an exception, I drove down to Guildford to meet Rob and Debs to discuss their wedding plans. The M25 seemed like a Sunday morning and my trip down took 45 minutes and the return was even shorter at 35 minutes! I had a great chat with the couple and they confirmed the booking the following day - so a very well worthwhile trip!

The image above was shot from the driver's seat as I breasted a hill in leafy Guildford as I started the (short) return trip to Harrow. Canon G9, Programme mode and around 210mm.

The pleasure of small airports

2008-06-11T16:50:00.005+01:00

As some of you may know - I love aircraft and one of the many benefits of traveling through small airports is the proximity they allow to the aircraft. Flying Ryanair is a unique experience to start with, especially as they lined us up in a corridor right beside the aircraft parking slot, separated only by glass and a few metres in blazing sunshine whose heat was magnified by that glass! Of course we were queuing well before our aircraft had even landed which was a bizarre feeling. The plus point of all this was that when the Boeing 737-400 landed and taxied to its position I was able to take the above image.

The flight itself was largely uneventful if dominated by a young couple's loud and boring accounts of their recent drinking exploits. As soon as the Seat Belt sign went out, in went the iPod Touch headphones to drown out their drone. Amazingly when I had to remove the headphones for landing, they were still on the same subject - oh dear!

Rather disappointingly the weather at Stansted was wet and windy and quite a shock compared to the fantastic sunshine and warm temperatures in Northern Ireland. I'm sure you won't see that written anywhere too often but it is true and you have seen the pictures that prove it!

Monday lunch

2008-06-11T14:23:00.006+01:00

Another wonderful day dawned and thoughts of what to do before my evening flight back to Stansted started to formulate. After visiting the Boucher Road shops that include a massive Cotswolds Outdoor branch, we bent the ear of a Kia car sales lady after Muriel had been attracted by their recent tv ad campaign. That took us up to 1030am! As I was restricted by the hand baggage allowance there were no visits to Dunnes Boutique to stock up as usual - except for a sneaky look on Friday when I snapped up a shirt - but don't tell the girls!

Thoughts turned to finding a lunch venue and one out of town - not too far as to be rushed to return to Osborne before leaving for the Airport - but not local either. We settled on Donaghadee which is about an hours drive east to the coast and we headed to Pier 39. Arriving at 1230pm the restaurant was deserted as we were first through the doors but no sooner had we settled to look at the menu a "bus load" poured through the entrance. We chose quickly from the menu to get our order to the kitchen first and I enjoyed the first and last pint of Guinness of the weekend.

Lunch for both of us, was Portavogie Scampi and chips with a side of coleslaw - big on bulk but lacking real flavour. They could easily halve the portion size and concentrate on the taste but then again size matters in rural Northern Ireland. After lunch we had the obligatory walk along the harbour with a cliched Lighthouse and blue sky image at the end of it!

Sunday - must be beach day?

2008-06-09T23:44:00.005+01:00

After Church and a quick lunch we decided to drive the short distance south to Tyrella Beach, a well known and popular seaside destination that just happens to have the shadow of the Mournes to the south . Interestingly this stretch of strand has been largely unspoilt by commerce with only a carpark and no shops and the only slight irritation was the £3 fee to park at the beach. The beach was quite busy, even though this was the most overcast day of the weekend, it didn't seem to discourage the bathers and sun seekers - we even encountered a group of Polish with one rather attractive blond in a yellow bikini.

Always on the look out for the odd, I spotted this line of buildings dwarfed by the Mournes but it took quite a bit of persuading before Muriel would perform the necessary u-turn and find the perfect spot to stop and shoot. I think it was worth the effort.

Hot, damn hot!

2008-06-09T23:36:00.007+01:00

There is no arguing with the figures as displayed on Muriel's In/Out Thermometer . . . but then again one might as these are full sun readings! One way or the other it was a spectacular weekend weatherwise and coupled with the more northerly latitude, much longer dusks and evenings.

Magic of the Mournes

2008-06-09T22:58:00.009+01:00

As a Norwegian friend once mangled a well known saying, my trip to Northern Ireland was to "kill two flies with one rock" and this Saturday saw me drive west to Brookfield and then south to Rostrevor to visit Frank and Noreen and install Frank Snr's new 20" iMac - the second of two flies! Thankfully this was as simple as advertised and as I've been through this process a few times recently, I had a good idea of what to expect and all was completed by lunchtime.

Now for the fun part of the day as I left Rostrevor and headed for the Mournes and the B27 that cuts through the centre of the mountain range. Of course I have shot pictures on this road and area many times before and in varying weather conditions but on this occasion, the weather was superb if a little flatly lit due to the time of the day. Not that I could really choose - so I made the best of the situation and shot a few frames . . .

What a joy to have a 35 - 210mm hires camera in the pocket - disguised as the Canon G9! This goes everywhere and produces stunning images, be they single frames across the above focal range or multiple frame stitched panoramics as the opening image of this post is.

Once through the Mournes the B27 joins the A24 main road back to Belfast and for a number of years this was a well driven route up and down to Newcastle where my Nana Nixon was resident for a few years. One particular Sunday in December dawned clear, cold and photogenic and thanks to my Father as he indulged every request to stop as I shot a memorable series of images of the Mournes, Whin and the "Yoh" tree as we drove to and from Newcastle . . . A new version of this image appears below as thankfully the tree seems to have survived.

Brookfield Quaker School revisited

2008-06-05T22:43:00.006+01:00

As hinted at in a previous post, I wanted to revisit the Brookfield Quaker School near Moira and I had the opportunity to do exactly that last Saturday morning en route (sort of!) to Rostrevor. The image above was shot from the road off the main A3 and gives some idea of the size of the property but not its condition.

To be honest, not a lot has changed or deteriorated further since my last visit a year ago - the grass, nettles and shrubs have grown but nothing has collapsed and even the bell tower seems as precariously balanced as before. The vast number of Jackdaws seem unable to topple the remaining skeleton of the clock.

Having confirmed the name of the School as Brookfield rather than as I originally thought, Brooklands, I have discovered a small number of web articles that outline the School's history and try this link to one excellent and comprehensive historical account. I have included an image from this article below for an immediate comparison of now and then . . .

Lack of imagination?

2008-06-03T21:54:00.004+01:00

Never have so many silver cars been gathered together in one place at one lunch time in the car park of Osborne Park House! To be fair Muriel was probably the first with her silver Honda Jazz and there were a couple or other coloured vehicles around but still - we head to the black and white and the bland! I must, at this point state that my car is metallic sky blue - so there!

Baggage free travel

2008-06-03T21:16:00.007+01:00

Always one to try something new and a different approach to weekend travel, I went to Belfast with Hand Baggage only. Surprisingly Ryanair allows 10Kg of Hand Baggage and 15Kg of Checked Baggage . . . with the Hand Baggage limited by size. I managed to stuff four days of clothing, the PowerBook and cables and limited toiletries into my aging, 15 year old 25 litre Berghaus back pack and glided through security having checked in online. This process was doubly impressive as I printed my own security cleared boarding cards and with this process one gains Priority Boarding and I went to the head of the queue each time. This also saved me £18 as I didn't check a bag and also £4 each way as I didn't need to check in at the airport. Seems a no brainer and I'm sure I'll travel this way again in the future.

Weekend in the tropics!

2008-06-03T20:28:00.008+01:00

As previously mentioned, I nipped over to Northern Ireland last weekend to see my Mum and set up a new iMac for Frank and Noreen, Sinead's parents. The flight went well, was early but the landing must rank as one of the worst I have ever experienced! The last flight into Belfast City Airport, back in March wasn't that great either but the pilot then, had strong winds to contend with, whereas Friday's incumbent had perfect conditions and sunshine. Possibly the glare fooled him into thinking the runway was actually nine feet lower than advertised!

As we were a good twenty five minutes early another aircraft occupied our slot at the terminal, so we sat and then trundled around the apron until that aircraft was dispatched. The upshot of all that was, that I was bang on time and as I took a call from Chateau Ribagnac in France, I walked down the steps of the aircraft, through the terminal and straight out to Muriel who was waiting in the Short Stay Car Park, having circled around once herself.

As the title of this post suggests, we had wonderful summer weather for the entire weekend and that miffed my darling wife, something rotten! More later . . .

Chateau Ribagnac virtual tour - live!

2008-05-29T16:46:00.005+01:00

I am delighted to announce that the virtual tour I shot for Colette and Patrick at Chateau Ribagnac, near Limoges, is now live. This was shot last September and after a winter hibernation, things have moved quite quickly to bring the tour to their website. I must admit that I probably spent far too much time creating my version of the tour but that time, I believe was very well spent as the final rendering is a cut down version that uses a number of the graphics I created. The process of recoding the movies, whilst rather repetitive and time consuming, was quite straight forward and all was running on the Chateau's server without any hitches and the tour pages fit the existing site well and the integration works.

It will be interesting to see how this is received and how useful it is to potential visitors and I'm sure Colette and Patrick will quiz future guests on exactly this subject. We will be staying at the Chateau en route to the South of France in July and we will no doubt have a few things to say about this and everything else!

Whilst with the family, one of the images they wanted to updated was their family group image to show their new arrival Gilberto and how the girls have grown and I suggested matching the original pictures composition. All gathered in the Chateau's doorway and a wonderful late afternoon ray of sunshine lit the group and I helped Mother Nature with a little SB800 flash off camera. The screengrab above shows the original and the new image that will be added to the site very soon.

Macro mode

2008-05-29T09:44:00.005+01:00

One picture I like to shoot towards the end of a wedding is a macro shot of the couple's rings. This of course, means prising the rings from (sometimes) swollen fingers and I choose a suitable table area away from the dancing and crowd. I use a specialist Sigma 105mm macro lens that yields great results but is limited to the long lens look. It also means I have to change lenses and tie up a main camera - something that I nearly got caught out with on Saturday evening.

Fiddling with the Canon G9 as I love to do, I tried a few macro shots - as can be seen above. The results are stunning, especially as one can vary the focus point to wherever you want it on screen and to match your composition and shoot wide - 35mm - macro images. The other great advantage is that this could be a stand alone macro camera that would be quicker to use and not tie up a main camera.

Like Marmite . . .

2008-05-28T21:19:00.023+01:00

You either hate it or love it, just like the veg extract - Ryanair offer unbelievably cheap travel to a vast number of close and far European destinations and as long as you accept and play by their rules all should be fine and as expected . . . The first Ryanair experience was when I flew to Limoges, to shoot a wedding at Chateau Ribagnac and I was clobbered for £60 extra on the way out and €90 on the way back and I was on a fixed fee deal and couldn't charge the client! As you can imagine, one learns very quickly and even though I tried to ditch a few items for the return flight, I still incurred their rath!

Our next flight with Ryanair was to Krakow, Poland and using the hard won experience we as a family, packed carefully to avoid the dreaded excess baggage and successfully avoided any charges. As you all know, I always like to give credit where due and I must say, that all Ryanair flights, so far have been on time, and I hope this continues as I fly to Belfast on Friday to see Muriel and install a new iMac for Frank Senior. Cost of the flight with hand baggage only (a first flight experience!) including taxes, surcharges and bending over levy is £11.98!!! We all remember in the 80's, if we secured a return flight to London/Belfast for £150 with BA or BM, we thought we had a bargain! Times have changed for the better - flight wise anyway! We have since traveled with Ryanair a number of times to Belfast and Limoges and as we now know the rules, flights have been on time and (thankfully) uneventful.

The best bit of this weekend in NI will be a personal drive back through the Mournes on the Saturday - watch for (hopefully) some spectacular images.

A quick note about the lead picture above . . . this was the original Quaker School in Northern Ireland, sited at Brookfield, between Lisburn and Moira and as you can see. it has unfortunately fallen into disrepair. When I shot this last year, I disturbed an old boy and his yappy dogs, who lived in one of the adjacent houses and he was able to give me some background information. This house was in fact the Head Masters' residence with the adjacent house in almost as bad repair as the school behind. My Grandmother's family attended Brookfield as staunch Quakers, with my Father and his two brothers attending Friends School in Lisburn as Brookfield closed and transfered to Lisburn. My Father showed me Brookfield many years ago and the sight of its tower on the hill stuck with me through the years and it has taken a couple of trips back and a few infuriating U-Turns on the main road with Muriel to finally track it down - it was worth the effort.

Like valleysite.co.uk, Brookfield could be so much . . . a little bit of vision and a sh*t laod of money could restore this courtyard and old school to something special.

Unfortunately, according to the old boy I talked to that afternoon, things may have deteriorated too far, floors have collapsed and the roof is shot. As with my bigMAC recently, I hear the phrase, "uneconomical to repair" and another priceless (to some of us) piece of history, quietly disappears. Such a pity but not unexpected as the Quaker community in Northern Ireland have other things on their mind but, still a missed opportunity.

I might take a detour to check on the disrepair of Brookfield this weekend as I feel it won't be around for too much longer - such is progress . . .

HDR imaging - again!

2008-05-28T09:56:00.008+01:00

As some of you may remember, I shot a number of test High Dynamic Range images (HDRi) for one of the top retouching studios in Central London. All exciting stuff and thoughts of moving in a different photographic direction almost materialised but as usual, nothing came of it! Naturally, my ears prick up at the mention of HDRi and the above reworking of a dusk picture of One Great George street is a very recent example. As usual my approach is to use a stated workflow but to add in my own techniques and twists to try and create something more . . .

The above image consists of an eight frame stitched panoramic, processed three ways through LightRoom, then combined as an HDRi in PhotoShop and then combined with the dark and original renderings of the image back in PhotoShop. Finally, I reveal and balance the image with masks.

There is something here and I'll have to get the ass in gear and get out at dawn or dusk and shoot some architecture to create some raw material to work from. As usual, I find it hard to make time for this sort of project, due to family commitments and the potentially awkward hours but as sunrise is stupidly early at this time of year and I would be shooting an a hour before - it could work. I'll need to work out the timings, locations and logistics and try not to get arrested at the same time!

Exploding tomato and wonderful British weather

2008-05-26T09:03:00.004+01:00

As the title and picture suggest, I had an interesting run in with a roasted tomato at this weekend's wedding. Having secured my main course I walked the short distance from the marquee to the Bride's parent's home and kitchen and settled to enjoy the food in relative peace. The rack of lamb was delicious and the accompanying vegetables superb, until I cut into the second tomato that immediately exploded in true cartoon style, peppering my white shirt and tie with seeds from collar to waist! Thankfully I was able to instantly wipe my tie that seems to have survived unmarked but the white shirt was another matter. As most of you know I carry multiple shirts to allow a change through the long working day and Saturday was no exception and thankfully the clean shirt was still in the car, so no real panic. Lesson to be learned - leave the tomatoes next time!

As it's a Bank Holiday in the UK this weekend we are guaranteed to have the worst weather possible and this weekend has not disappointed! Thankfully Saturday was clear and sunny in Essex for the entire day although the wind was strong throughout and several hats disappeared over the hedge and veils and dresses had minds of their own. This wedding was such an outdoor event that there was no plan B - all walked to and from the Church to the Marquee and drinks reception on the lawn and all formal pictures were shot in the back garden. The day would have been ruined and very different with wet weather!

As I returned home from Essex at about 130am on Sunday morning, I could feel the first drops of rain arrive and it has been pretty wet ever since, as I write this on Monday morning . . . The weather was fine for the wedding and pictures and that's what's really important!

Lavender jungle

2008-05-20T19:56:00.006+01:00

Despite erroneous local and national weather forecasts, we seem to have strung another few days of good weather together. Nothing like the temperatures we had a week ago but strangely, temperatures that are in fact, average for May. I hope to get out on the bike early tomorrow morning - and I mean early! I've had this great theory of getting out before 6am for an hour for the last two years - especially as sunrise tomorrow is 5am. With a wedding this Saturday, it's not a great idea to go out on that morning and as the gig is due to wrap around midnight, the likelihood of me making it out on the Sunday morning is slim! At least we have a Bank Holiday Monday so I will aim for then - weather permitting of course.

I repeated my hilly ride on Sunday and despite a head wind on the way out, I completed the 21 miles in 1 hr 20 mins. This route takes in a number of long climbs with the longest and steepest a mere mile from home punishing me as I have not warmed up for the ride.

I must have felt good after Sunday's ride as I set about the hedges at the front of our property. What a boring job this is . . . Not so much the actual cutting of the hedges but the inevitable clean up - it takes so long! at least we now have the Brown Bin that accepts garden cuttings and this means I no longer have to brave the Sunday queues at the local dump. I managed to fill our just emptied Brown Bin early this evening and this is when I shot the image of backlit Lavender with the Canon G9 on Programme. Absolutely bang on exposure and just a few tweaks in Lightroom.

Retail Therapy Weekend

2008-05-18T18:40:00.007+01:00

As the title suggests we found ourselves at a variety of local and not so local retail outlets this weekend. We didn't go bananas but were able to pick up a few choice bits and pieces - including a couple of informal shirts, Hannah tops and a mop head that Sinead wanted!!! Evelyn was with us for most of the weekend - Fagin permitting - and it was lovely to share many laughs along the way. I even bumped into Lisa, Nimrod and Sophia (wedding clients) at a newly refurbished pub in Shenley.

On Sunday afternoon we ended up at the Castle Inn on Harrow on the Hill and Evelyn joined use for a drink before collecting Lju from Heathrow.

A quick note about the pictures above . . . the jet about to crash into St Mary's, Harrow on the Hill was seen and shot from the roof of the St George's Centre car park. I had to start the camera and zoom to 210mm and shoot - all quick and responsive and shot on P programme. The next is a surviving 30s exterior of a once popular dance hall, on Station Road, Harrow - 35mm. Hannah munching cheddar McCoys - doesn't need further explanation! Hannah tries her hand at portraiture (love the stubble, darling!) with me as the subject - not bad but I will still encourage her to get a real job! The last image is a long lens shot looking west along West Street, Harrow on the Hill.

All shot with the Canon G9, all jpgs, minimal adjustments in Lightroom - and I mean minimal!

Breathtaking photographic locations at Valleysite

2008-05-12T18:23:00.004+01:00

Memorable, romantic pre-nuptial photographs composed in consultation with you in the relaxed

setting of the Valleysite. Take lunch overlooking the mill pond as private guests of the Water-mill. Customise the music for your event with composer, musician Pete Lennon whose popular ensemble is guaranteed to create just the atmosphere you want for your important event - or order your customised play list through his studio.

Conveniently located within the M25 (20 minutes by train from Baker St.), we guarantee a professional and discrete atmosphere.

Our expertise - your ideas!

Summer already?

2008-05-09T21:58:00.004+01:00

Here, in good old London town we have managed to string a few days of good weather together. Driving through the outskirts of London the hedgerows and trees seem to have exploded and look as though they need a good shave. I know this as Sinead and I have just returned from a vital Marks and Spencer's run to Colney Heath on the outskirts of London - possibly into Hertfordshire! I needed some casual smart shirts for a family event tomorrow and as usual, I left things to the last moment but G-d love M&S they came to the rescue! A quick look on their website and I like what I see and amazingly I find the exact shirts in my size in multiples of two and we bag a brace at the store. The added complication and pressure is that we have this mission to complete between leaving Hannah to Guides and then collecting her at 9pm. Thankfully the traffic is running well and we hit M&S at 745pm, the shopping is complete by 810pm and we return to HA1 by 840pm - very comfortably within the two hour window.

The image above is St Alban's Church where Hannah's Guide group is based and I had time to shoot a few frames - camera details are below.

2008-05-06T22:05:00.001+01:00

Another test image from the Canon G9 - iso 100, P mode and jpg.

Processed through LightRoom with minimal adjustments - the auto exposure is so good!

So which camera is it . . .

2008-05-06T21:12:00.008+01:00

Most camera companies seem to have an 18 month upgrade cycle, whereas I seem to come in at 24 months - for compact cameras that is! I have been reading great things about this puppy since it hit the stores back in September '07. Whilst I still love my Ricoh GRD, the unique selling point of a fixed 28mm lens was beginning to wear thin and I hankered after the long lens end of things. The Canon G9 has a 35 - 210mm zoom and if I need to shoot wide, I simply shoot overlapping frames and stitch in Photomerge in CS3 - example below of a 7 frame comp.

The main reason for upgrading to the Canon G9 was the reinstated RAW capability - apparently this was dropped from the G7 to great dismay. Predictably, I went straight to manual exposure and the RAW mode but found the files not particularly sharp or easy to correct. Almost by mistake, I shot some frames as JPGS and have shot JPG and Programme mode ever since! The Auto exposure is spot on, needing only minor tweaks in LightRoom and the camera is even more responsive and capable of recording many more images on the SD card.

The two aircraft images were shot at a privately owned Mosquito Aircraft Museum near Shenley, Hertfordshire that I was "allowed" to find on our Bank Holiday Monday afternoon drive. Our stay was all too brief as we wandered in without paying and we didn't want to push our luck too much - £5 each for adults and £3 for Hannah - too much for a small collection especially with two girls in tow that have little interest in aircraft!

Above is the result of a fast panning shot where I had been shooting long lens details but heard the Police car's siren and was able to zoom out and grab the image . . .

Overall - having collected the Canon G9 last Friday - I find the camera intuitive to use, just the rights size and weight and built like a tank! I have ordered an extra battery, another 2Gb Sandisk SD card, a lens hood and a stick on handgrip - so my commitment to the G9 is obvious. I now need to work its use into wedding use - possibly as a silent camera through the ceremony?

Now to clean up the Ricoh GRD and move it on through eBay!

Chateau Ribagnac Virtual Tour - live very soon

2008-05-06T20:32:00.003+01:00

The great unsuspecting traveling public will be able to tour the extensive grounds and shabby chic interiors of Chateau Ribangac. I originally shot the tour and many other images for Colette and Patrick last September over a five day period. Once back in London I spent quite a bit of time to create a working tour - something that has paid off and is usually the only way to show clients with a fully functional tour. Having spent so long on this project, it only took another two hours to recode the movies as they were transfered to the Chateau's site.

All should be online very soon - watch this space.

Wedding Guests

2008-05-06T20:22:00.003+01:00

Our wonderful neighbours, here in North Harrow, invited Sinead, Hannah and I to the Champagne Reception and Evening Dinner to celebrate the wedding of their daughter Nisha to Nimit a couple of weeks ago. Shobna and Buppendra welcomed us to the neighbourhood almost 13 years ago and we soon built up a friendship where amongst other things we look after each others homes when we/they are on holidays.

We were honoured to be seated with Buppendra's brother's family at a table right beside the Top Table! The food was vegetarian and superb and I have never seen Sinead and Hannah tuck into the feast so eagerly! The tandoor paneer being a firm favourite. The entertainment continued with speeches and dancing and Sinead could not get over how animated everyone was, especially the men - no holds barred "stacking the shelf and changing the light bulb" dancing from the off!

Wedding recces

2008-05-06T19:52:00.006+01:00

I love a recce! Be it local, a drive to the country or as, today a very efficient Tube ride to St. James's and Dukes Hotel. The image above is, in fact from a wedding recce in Lewes, East Sussex, a couple of Sundays ago when we had the last couple of days of good weather. The couple and I had a great stomp around the venue and various and many locations in the centre of Lewes, including the Castle. This was an exercise in what we wanted to shoot and what not, areas that seemed good on paper, were soon dismissed in preference to other locations. Always such a useful thing to do at one's leisure rather than faffing around on the wedding day.

Their venue was originally the local council offices and now converted to a swish restaurant and small exclusive hotel. This is a small wedding but offers big picture opportunities and a couple who are up for the challenge - should be good.

The reason I mention this recce with today's trip into St. James's is that the Lewes bride to be used to work at Dukes Hotel and that is how she found my details . . . Today's meeting was with September's American bride and her Parents at Dukes Hotel. Another smaller wedding (85 guests) but it has the potential for something special, especially with a military angle and a few Bear skins thrown into the mix!

There are a few timings to iron out but so far - things are looking good.

As mentioned before most, if not all images on this blog were shot with the Ricoh GRD . . . Well folks there is a new kid on the block - more of which later in its own post but safe to say the Ricoh may be on eBay soon!

The image above and below were shot with the new camera, on P mode (auto exposure) and with minimal LightRoom processing and greatest shock of all . . . shot as JPGS! Yes folks, the jpgs out of this pup are phenomenal! More later.

I'm a great fan of giving credit when credit is due and our venerable Tube system covering London always comes in for constant criticism. On this occasion, my return trip to St. James's couldn't have been smoother or closer to the advertised times on the online journey planner. In fact I was almost 25 minutes early but i managed to fill this with picture making with the new toy. The meeting went well and the Parents loved the Parents' and Guest Books as well as the main Wedding Book - could be a good one!

And another month . . .

2008-05-06T19:30:00.004+01:00

Time is flying by - frighteningly so! Many things have happened in the past month and the most important thing is that, as of this morning, Sinead returned to the Surgery to go back to mornings, for this week only, we hope. Sinead seems to have healed in textbook fashion and we hope to resume normal service as soon as possible . . .

The image above is one of many from a soggy Oxford and Cambridge Boatrace - a day I have covered for the oldshipw6 on the Thames for almost ten years. Always a fun day that is dictated to by London's weather and we have experienced tropical sunshine through to this year's wet and windy conditions. All went well and further images from he day can be seen at
http://www.oldshipw6.co.uk/boatrace2008

As you may have read in a previous post, my main work Mac decided to leak and give up the ghost . . . In a flurry of eBay selling, mostly old and valuable bits for Ed, I included the G5 carcass and 4.5Gbs of memory for sale.

To cut a long story short the Mac went for £165 and the memory for £41 - quite amazing and a 15% contribution to the new Mac that was purchased two weeks ago. Back to business and soooooo fast!!!

Unbelievably there is next to no visual difference and the only differences being a second optical drive door and a different, more useful range of input sockets on the front.

What is the big difference is that this Mac is almost silent, runs without a liquid cooling system (odd choice in the first place but state of the art four years ago) allows the insertion of extra sata Hard Drives in seconds and is just so quick!

Almost a month away!

2008-04-07T21:07:00.005+01:00

Almost a month since the last post and a lot has happened...

No need to dwell on too much detail but what I must say is Sinead's hysterectomy operation happened on (ironically!) St. Patrick's day and went smoothly without complication and she was discharged on the fourth day and continues to heal quickly. Sinead should be back at work at the end of the month - mornings only at first, we will see how things go. Funny how events repeat themselves as 13 years ago, through the day I rode up and down to Queen Charlotte's Hospital to visit Sinead and the newly born Hannah. Again I used the bike through the day to visit Northwick Park Hospital and to save £3 each trip as the parking is difficult and expensive! Parking the bike looked dodgy but as I removed the front wheel and any accessories and secured everything with the D-lock, all stayed safe through the four days - even the weather co-operated, only raining on Sinead's discharge day.

Unbelievably, the day before Sinead's operation, my main work Mac decided to leak and give up the ghost. Despite expert attempts at resucitation, it looks like eBay for the BIGMac! If you have to experience such a drastic failure, I think I have had the lesser of the two possibilities where I didn't loose any data - just the Mac that displays that data . . . Consequently, I have been nursing Sinead, Hannah who is not surprisingly bored through her three week Easter break and two slow and old Macs as I try and keep the business going!

To keep me on my toes, I also hit a busy period with a couple of recces, a family shoot, a Corporate Conference shoot, the Boat Race and a wedding - all to be downloaded to, backed up and processed through consumer and ancient Macs.

As usual, I work through things and eventually things come together and are completed and off to the client. Thank you to a couple of wedding clients who were more than understanding and allowed some later than advertised deliveries - that was much appreciated.

Thank you also to Evelyn, Sinead's younger sister, who lifted and laid Hannah from school and generally helped through the week that Sinead was in Hospital - love ya!

Amazingly after three weeks, things are getting back to normal, Sinead is healing quickly and the business seems to have survived the Mac upheaval and the necessary nursing duties. Onwards and upwards!

Photo: Sony Ericsson W850i

No problem Air travel!

2008-03-13T22:00:00.005Z

After many years of Air travel, that includes trans-Atlantic, round trips to Australia and many domestic UK flights, I still have a fascination for pictures shot from the passenger's seat.

The image above might show why . . . as the weather was as bad as it gets before our early morning flight to Belfast from Stansted Airport. Thankfully things improved as we climbed to the cruising altitude and welcome sunshine and as we neared the Northern Irish coastline we overflew a very distinctive Scottish? coastline that I want to try and trace and then we hit a few islands that included Lighthouses.

As you can see the weather had improved incredibly and as as it turned out the South of the country was battered by gales and storms, Northern Ireland seemed to survive relatively unscathed . . . The next image is unusual as I managed to catch the shadow of the aircraft as we landed - not something I have seen before on my many flights.

The final image of this sequence shows the famous but now redundant Harland and Wolff yellow cranes in the background - subjects of tourist tours rather than the hard work of building ships . . . Quite a dramatic airport approach that outdoes the run in to Aldergrove but doesn't quite take the prize for the approach to Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong!

As the title suggests, we had a very smooth travel itinerary on Friday morning as it took 35 minutes from Harrow to Stansted, we parked instantly and the shuttle bus was waiting. We transferred to the terminal in 10 minutes and approached the checkin desk with no queue ahead of us. Our only delay was waiting for Sinead to finish her cigarette before joining us at the head of the non-existent queue! Even though the baggage belt was out of order and we had to deliver the bags to the Oversize Baggage belt we still made it through security in double quick time, even with Hannah having to remove her Ugg boots! After the usual Ryanair scrum we settled into our choice of three seats on the right of the aircraft that allowed me to hog the window seat and pass the short flight time taking pictures.

Blast from the past . . .

2008-03-06T21:40:00.005Z

Having completed a hastily arranged press-call shoot early this morning, the shot above shows me stuck in traffic at Buckingham Palace. thankfully I was able to perform a swift U-turn and exit the West End via St James's.

My early morning shoot was another job at One Great George Street to cover the launch of the report about cutbacks of NHS Dentistry throughout the UK - a subject that I have at least some knowledge. The shoot featured Edwina Curruy who demanded - no flash whilst she was speaking but thankfully she "allowed" available light pictures! As usual, the Pocket Wizards and SB flashes were employed to lift the interior pictures. One Great George Street is a wonderful venue to work in but there are areas of darkness and broad swathes of dark wood paneled walls that reflect flash horribly, so the use of extra flash seems a no brainer! After a first run through the raw images, all seems fine and I will process out at the start of next week . . .

After the shoot, I drove the short distance to meet up with Ed at his flat and to collect, what turned out to be a car's worth of boxes and cases that needed my attention. Some of the items will be eBayed, others claimed and the rest will be star attractions at Harrow's Civic recycling centre! It is interesting to see many items still baring my handwritiing and many memories of moving the same items around over fifteen years ago come flooding back. There a number of small items that are immediately useful as well as others that show immediate eBay potential and I will endeavour to sell and claim the promised 30% After our weekend away to Belfast, I should have more time for this and hope to shift the bulk of items and clear some floor space!

As mentioned above, we are off to sunny Northern Ireland this weekend where I will see my Mum and Sinead and Hannah will attend Noreen's Birthday party at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry. I won't be with them - due to local difficulties that don't need to be explained but I look forward to a few beers with Evelyn and Lju on the Friday night in Belfast - possibly the first proper night out in a long time! Watch for some air to shore images as we fly into Belfast City Airport for the first time and the Ricoh GR Digital will be poised as I hog the window seat!

Image above shot with the GR Digital as I queued briefly on the Mall.

Cost of calls

2008-03-04T13:20:00.003Z

I hate paying for phonecalls and try to keep the yacking to a minimum and I think I'm beginning to get there with various deals and technology to keep these bills down. In the last week BT have offered a package that allows FREE evening and weekend calls but still with the line rental and I have signed up for this as calls to Belfast are obviously included with these usually taking place at weekends. I have resurrected Skype account and can use this as the BT line replacement for daytime calls when I'm in the office and in front of the Mac. A five minute call to Graphistudio in Italy knocked a grand total of 10p of the Skype credit! It's also very informative to watch the credit total drop differently as one calls varying number types . . . but still much cheaper than BT.

You may ask why keep the BT line as there are a number of very good alternative packages out there? My broadband connection needs a BT connection - so no way round that one.

So where does my Mobile come into all of this??? As a long time Orange customer, my monthly bill is always in and around £30 - again careful use and most calls are incoming anyway. As always with these things, I will keep an eye on the bills over the next few weeks/months and report findings later.

The power of the Recce . . .

2008-03-02T21:27:00.003Z

As the title suggests - time spent before a shoot recce'ing (if there is such a word) is time so well spent, especially if you can incorporate a bike ride! You may remember a previous post from Sunday 17th February, Wedding recce in a refrigerator where I toured the City and Westminster to find suitable locations for a personal wedding day shoot? Well, yesterday was the Wedding Day and shoot for real. Those of us in London experienced rain and gusting winds on Friday and to much relief all round Saturday dawned clear and sunny. This perfect weather, considering the time of year, persisted throughout the day allowing me to shoot successfully at the locations I had found and you can see a sneak preview of one of the images from this very fruitful hour above.

All this was down to the recce . . . an invaluable exercise in preparation taught to me by Ed Pritchard where time spent before the shoot is time saved during the shoot, allowing things to flow effortlessly. A great day and shoot and I hope the wonderfully patient couple also love the images . . . we will see!

Coincidences . . .

2008-02-25T20:40:00.002Z

Funny how things coincide and work themselves out . . .
I was booked in to meet with one of the Graphistudio representatives at Focus on Imaging at Birmingham's NEC as well as picking up another Pocket Wizard from The Flash Centre's stand and funny how things pan out as I was able to check out one of their new Wedding Book covers.
A previous Wedding Book order needed a new cover and Sheila from GS suggested that I ask for the old cover to be returned and I now use this as a sample. The current Bride whose Wedding Book order is about to go to print was unsure of the cover style I suggested and as it was of the same design as I now have a sample of I mailed it to her to make sure she was happy with the choice. Ultimately she didn't like the cover so we had a quick rethink which was not a problem as the order had not gone to GS and the Bride liked the look of the new leather die cut covers and I was able to ask questions about them this morning, see actual examples and even sniff the leather - a question from the Groom - "does it smell like real leather?" The cover passed the sniff test and this last part of their order is confirmed and I'm ready to upload to the GS site even though it seems to be offline at the moment.

Driving to the NEC was a breeze - 1hr 35mins there and 1hr 50 mins back although the £8 for parking is always a killer. I originally wanted to stay and catch a Pocket Wizard talk, hosted by The Flash Centre but by 1345 I was wanting out and thinking I could miss traffic, I bailed out early. Just as well as a possible panoramic job came in and I was able to talk properly to the client and get figures and urls to her before the close of play.

Sunday's Route F

2008-02-24T16:42:00.006Z

After last Sunday's marathon City recce ride in freezing temperatures, it was time for a change as I headed out towards Chorleywood and the countryside! As you might be able to see from the screen grab of my route laid out on Google Earth, I had a 26 mile trundle this morning in mild temperatures and even some sunshine.

Leaving North Harrow I travel north towards Hatch End, Pinner Green, and Northwood on the A404 where I hit the first climb of the day to pass the aptly named Mount Vernon Hospital. As one catches ones breath the road undulates before a steep descent into Rickmansworth with a top speed of 36 mph! Still on the A404, I work my way around Rickmansworth and on towards Chorleywood on a constantly climbing road and I cross over the M25 before turning left and dropping into Chorleywood. Once through the village I turn sharply left and start the second climb of the day that needs the "extremely" low gear of 42 x 18t - as low as my straight through freewheel allows! I start out of the saddle and then settle into the slow ascent back in the saddle. Not a long hill and I'm soon back in the usual 16t and away from housing and into wonderful Hertfordshire lanes. These lanes rapidly close down to single track and one has to be very careful as the Sunday drivers are already out. I eventually emerge onto the B4442 towards Chalfont St. Giles before immediately turning left onto an undulating section that precedes the best descent of the day into Maple Cross. There are two bends that need to be respected but otherwise a fast downhill that never disappoints. Onto the main road to Denham but I soon turn off left towards Harefield and the last big climb of the ride. Through Harefield I take the Harefield Road that eventually pops out back onto the A404 near Mount Vernon. From here it's a fairly downhill run back to North Harrow only hampered this morning by a freshening head wind. Back to North Harrow after just over 26 miles, completed in 1 hour 46 minutes - not a record time but again, good for me at this stage of the year.

Image shot last July just before the Tour de France arrived in London - not the usual matrix sign text content for the Marylebone Road!
Camera specs - Nikon D2H c/w 50mm f1.4 lens

Shopped at Brent Cross and survived

2008-02-24T14:49:00.007Z

Just like Father Jack from the wonderful and oft repeated series, Father Ted, if there is a drink at the end of it - I'll go! Maybe that's a little unfair and a gross exaggeration but I survived our shopping trip to the venerable Brent Cross yesterday, Saturday. On my own shopping list was the purchase of a new slimline Apple keyboard which I first saw one on one last week in John Lewis in Reading - hey I get all the interesting shopping trips. Irritatingly they were out of stock or I would have snaffled one then and at the Apple Store in Brent Cross there were no such shortages. I don't usually get too excited about keyboards but this latest design is just soooooo slim, sleek and it even seems to react to my sausage fingers more quickly - definitely worth the upgrade.

The image above as well as the red door picture gives away the location of the Father Jack reward after surviving Brent Cross. The Castle on Harrow on the Hill is a wonderfully relaxed traditional Victorian Bar without screens or music and serves great food and where we can usually find a table. Not surprisingly it can be very busy on Sundays at lunchtime and is worth booking a table as we did recently when we had lunch with Evelyn and Lju for Sinead's birthday.

Off to Birmingham and the Focus exhibition at the NEC tomorrow and have an appointment with the Graphistudio team amongst other things to look at. There are a number of talks and tutorials available and one that is of obvious interest is all about Pocket Wizards and is hosted by the Flash Centre.

Krakow - last year . . .

2008-02-23T09:37:00.008Z

Exactly this time last year during halfterm we visited Krakow in Poland for four days and what a wonderful winter destination that did not disappoint on any level. We travelled from Stansted with Ryanair on an insanely early flight and arrived on time and without major incident to hire a cab for the short drive into the city. We were greeted by a pleasant taxi driver who spent most of the journey missing second gear as he would race off in first and over rev and shift to third, all the time missing potholes - just! We arrived safely at our city centre hotel which was a leisurely 10 minute walk from the main square as pictured above. After settling in to our massive room, we wandered to the square to find an early lunch and managed to get into a lovely restaurant just before noon.

Beer is big in Poland and wine is a tourist after thought! Apparently vodka is probably the biggest of all tipples but as neither of us are big spirit drinkers, the vodka went undisturbed. We managed well enough and enjoyed a number of local draft lagers - so good! The food was wonderful and hearty and we had no problems ordering or receiving the right amounts as we were never short or greedy and the costs were so reasonable. A big hit with the girls was soup; either mushroom or borscht as well as the dumplings. We found one particular restaurant that was at the more expensive end of things but we ate there twice and never went over the £30 mark!

Being late February we experienced the full range of weather over our four days with moderate temperatures to start that turned to cold rain as above, that progressed to heavy snow and freezing temperatures and back to rain! The snow that did fall managed to hang around to the evening before the rain started and caught us at a Square area bar with a mad dash back to the hotel. Thankfully these extremes never lasted very long and by the time we had dried the coats and decided upon a restaurant for the evening, the rain had gone.

Of course we wanted to get out of Krakow and were determined to try the train system only to be told that the entire network was paralised by a strike! The only alternative was the bus which we eventually found quite close to the train station. One of our journeys was to Auschwitz and Birkenau and as so much has been written about this I would prefer to simply post the following two images - these seem to sum everything up.

Now a few practical points about visiting Poland . . . Things couldn't be easier! Never has £400 spending money gone so far! Prices as they used to be as long as you avoid the really obviously over the top Main Square restaurants. In desperation we found ourselves in one of these and even though we were seated on the third floor we managed the "runner" before the waiter returned with the first round of drinks! If you don't like the look of things - you don't have to stay! Massive pretzels are available on the street and make long bus journeys easier. Paying to use a public toilet at the Bus Station was more expensive than the one way bus tickets purchased a few moments earlier . . . Stay at a hotel just outside the Main Square and walk in - this is where 75% of the interest is - stay close! Watch out for the "closed door" policy, where due to the cold main doors are always closed making the synagogue/museum/restaurant look deserted. Beer is cheap and wonderful - no need to spend on imported ordinary wine. I'm sure the vodka is fantastic but as stated above we didn't go there. Final tip - your hotel package will probably include the breakfast, so eat heartily (if you can early in the day) and stock up for the inevitable walking and touring.
Four days was ample.

Finally a word about technology, namely Internet access . . . Our wonderful hotel had a hotel wide broadband network that allowed unhindered access 24/7 that allowed me to keep tabs on email in London and for Sinead to search for restaurants on a daily basis, sometimes finding that evening's eatery minutes before we left the hotel. It was wonderful to preview the restaurant's look and menu before making the trip and commitment. We also used this to find museum opening times and even train schedules - all very useful until you find the network is down due to a strike! As we were returning early on the Saturday, Sinead even ordered the Tesco groceries online so they would be delivered after our return!
As seems to be my habit with travel pictures - all images shot with the Ricoh GR Digital. I shot many multi frame panoramics that were later stitched flawlessly with Photoshop CS3's Photomerge - I do not miss the Noblex at all! The key to family trips is to travel light and nothing could weigh less than the GR, an extra battery and SD card, the battery charger and adaptor and that's it!

A wonderful town, trip and experience that we can highly recommend - go before they put the prices up as Poland inevitably adopts the Euro!

Gone - solid gone . . .

2008-02-20T21:08:00.002Z

The very last vestiges of the film world finally disappeared this evening in a small but significant eBay sale. During the usual Friday clearout, I found 12 x 35mm rolls and 12 x 120 rolls of Fuji Transparency film with various and many expiry dates and thought, why not try a sale on eBay before I really throw them out. Wonder of wonders, someone out there thought they were worth £18 plus the postage! We are finalising the sale as we speak - he will be happy and I will have more space - oh, what to spend the fortune on? I think this is already earmarked for prints through PhotoBox - a wonderful symmetry?!?

Stunning Sunset . . .

2008-02-18T19:14:00.006Z

. . . shame about the pictures! In this instance I was not in front of the Taj Mahal or Houses of Parliament when we were treated to one of the most dramatic, cloudless sunsets in a while. I have a couple of "rural" locations I can get to in about 15 - 20 minutes out towards Rickmansworth but on this occasion I was housebound and just enjoyed the glow.

Just a nice image . . .

2008-02-17T18:58:00.001Z

Shot as I went for the Tube having finished a corporate day at One Great George Street - might try a little fill-in flash for the Tube sign next time.

Lunch darling?

2008-02-17T17:54:00.004Z

Last Wednesday, I had arranged a couple of collections/deliveries in Central London and as it was half term, Hannah was only too happy to accompany me, especially as the was a promised visit to the newish Abercrombie and Fitch store just off Regents Street.

Business completed, we headed almost directly to the A & F store with only one predictable deviation into the Apple Store to sniff around the MacBook Airs - big surprise! I picked up my email via the Store's wifi with my iPod touch and moved rapidly south to the A & F store. We even walked straight passed the Quiksilver/Roxy store! Once inside we waundered a little before homing in on a hooded top that was quickly the choice. We joined a snaking queue that contained other Fathers with resigned looks as daughters clutched expensive armfuls of clothes. I escaped with one item and it was about 100m outside of the store before Hannah wanted to change into the new top! We walked through to China town and most of the New Year decorations were still in place, adding even more atmosphere to a wonderful area. China China is our restaurant of choice and has been for years and we quickly walked the length of Gerrard Street under all the amazing decorations seen in the picture above.

We wanted a quick and cheap lunch so both went for soup, Hannah had Won Tun and I had Prawn Dumpling with some Prawn Sesame Toast and drinks - £16.30

Back on the Tube and we were home by 2pm - when the Tube works it is brilliant!

Wedding recce in a refrigerator

2008-02-17T17:00:00.016Z

At 8am the exterior thermometer read -3.5˚centigrade and the conditions were sunny and very crisp - not necessarily the perfect conditions for what ended up being a three hour round trip to St Bride's, Fleet Street in the City of London. Past experience told me that the bike was the way to go as I would be stopping frequently and able to dodge any traffic that might delay me if I used the car. Thankfully the temperature had just crested freezing point when I left home after 9am.

I followed the Harrow Road A404 into the West End - a route I know well having commuted using this route for a number of years and arrived at St. Bride's after just over an hour. A reasonably uneventful ride as I tried to moderate the pace as I new the total mileage would be twice what I usually do and especially with my current low level of fitness. It has been a few years since I visited the church with Ed when we shot a cityscape featuring St. Paul's from the tower but easily located the location and saw the first irritation - scaffolding on an adjacent building - just have to avoid this as best one can. Great to have a look around and find the front door that is actually around the corner and also to work out the parking for the day as I will be on the clients' transportation throughout - a white Taxi and later two Red Routemaster Buses.I left the Church and went in search of The Press Wine Bar - the last stop on the Wedding tour and quickly located it in Bride's Lane, also seeing the Old Bell Pub right beside the Church, where the Groom and men will meet before the ceremony. It was suggested that we visit St. Paul's for some pictures and as can be seen above the best position is in fact, halfway down Ludgate Hill rather than on the steps. I'll use a long lens to compress the image and enlarge the facade. we may continue to the steps of St. Paul's for some wider pictures.Another possible stop is at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Next stop was on the Embankment and there are a couple of potential areas to shoot long and wide pictures.
The above image is still on the Embankment but close to the Houses of Parliament and Parliament bridge. The last location on our route to Altitude is actually on Parliament bridge looking north.After this marathon shoot we will pile back into the Cab and finally arrive at Altitude, Millbank Tower. As usual with recces, they can be time consuming but ultimately so worth it as I have now found and seen all the locations for the wedding day and consequently things will run a lot more smoothly - well that's the theory!
And the final mileage for the recce was 36 - not a long run but good for me at this stage of the year and fitness level. The ride went well but the feet froze! Even though I found and wore a pair of Berghaus "socks" over the regular socks - the feet were a problem - better than yesterday but still cold. The thoughts from today are that if I can get out in this weather, I'll appreciate and reap the benefits when I'm riding around the South of France for two weeks this July - motivation enough, I think!

Just a quick word about the pictures - all shot with the Ricoh GR Digital, the opening panoramic is two frames stitched and the "long lens" pictures of St. Paul's and the Embankment are radical crops from the centre of the frame. At this size and online, the quality is great but as the Ricoh has a fixed lens, I'm currently stalking a Canon G9 - watch this space!

How things change . . .

2008-02-14T20:06:00.007Z

As a youngster I had a fascination with radio and my Father gave me a wonderful red pocket MW radio that ran off two AAs when I was about 13. The interest grew from there and with the introduction of FM, I managed to rig up a speaker cabinet that housed two 15" speakers, to a domestic tape recorder with FM radio - the sound and bass were phenomenal. When the John Peel theme kicked off each evening at three minutes past ten the whole house knew about it. Of course I delved deeper and soon discovered the covert world of Short Wave radio - no longer was I confined to the UK or Ireland for listening pleasures, I could surf the world and all before surfing as we know it!

It was a few years later before I bought the beast above and I'm glad to say that this is still in daily use in the office. The Sony ICF-SW7600G was purchased from Selfridges about fifteen years ago for an extortionate £175 - an awful lot for a small radio some would think. The other immediate irritation with this radio was that it ate AA batteries by the fours! So hungry in fact, I soon reluctantly shelled out another £49 for an AC mains adaptor that as we all know with these, pays for itself instantly but always seems such a massive amount initially.

This radio has truly travelled the world, having accompanied me throughout ten years of global travel shooting Sedgwick with Ed, been included on numerous family holidays to France, Greece and Italy. The aerial needs attention and has been repaired a few times but other than that it functions perfectly with the AC mains adaptor working overtime to save the world from AA battery consumption. In recent years the radio's role has shifted slightly when we travel as I can use an iTrip FM transmitter to transmit audio from an iPod to the radio via the FM frequency and be able to hear the podcast or music through the radio's speaker - much more social as one enjoys a sunset with the family.

One could also argue that the radio itself is redundant or soon to be . . . For a number of years now, one no longer needs to use such specialist equipment to listen to Radio Moscow or the Voice of America as the InterWeb (a Bushism!) has so brilliantly brought even the most local Radio Station within a few mouse clicks on the Mac. Almost any Radio Station worldwide worth its salt, will have a "Listen Live" button that takes one to the next minefield of which media player they use and one has to download and install before one can hear the latest news from Israel for example. Once that is sorted the listening is easy and repeatable and so much easier than the Sony Radio. With some additional software, one can also record or time shift the broadcast - almost too many options!

Getting back to the original Sony as detailed above, it is interesting to see that after all these years Sony have not really updated the "G" as the current model is a "GR" and sells through Amazon for £121

What this might suggest is that Sony got it right 15 years ago or more probably they haven't seen the need to update an item in a shrinking market. All I can say is that once again, if one looks after things as one should, they will last a lifetime! As discussed with Neil a while back, I am certainly not the typical consumer as I seem to extract more life, wear or usefulness out of pretty much everything I buy - the Sony Shortwave Radio is still going strong and at £11.66 a year so far - it seems great value!

Here's to the next fifteen years - but no, isn't analogue radio being cutoff soon?

DAB - that's next on the shopping list and I have already bought three of these but all as presents - have to be selfish soon!

How come . . .

2008-02-11T22:45:00.000Z

. . . the best driving pictures are always "seen" from the driver's seat, on the M1, at dusk whilst driving!?! Yet another series of images for the taking? All I need is a tame driver as all close relatives or friends DON'T drive - strange that! There have been so many occasions when I have been stuck in traffic and been in almost the perfect position with the dusk light adding to the atmosphere, only to pause too long and be beeped from behind as I fumble for the camera! Not something you want in Knightsbridge, the City or in downtown Harrow. Thankfully digital makes these sorts of images so much easier to capture as on can immediately see the combination of shutter speed, aperture and "film" speed (iso) to create the perfect balance.

Shot on England's backbone, the M1 returning from Luton Airport after Christmas this year with the Ricoh GR and a two frame comp. All I need to do is train Hannah to shoot this type of shot or teach her to drive - not sure which would/will be the easier?

Amazing what you find . . .

2008-02-11T22:11:00.001Z

During the great sort out and trawl through years of prints and negatives, it's not a great surprise to turn up a number of gems and forgotten images. Of course, the images and experiences shooting them are instantly remembered . . . especially the Getti commissioned Cycle Courier picture above that I helped Ed shoot, way back in my assisting days.

Neil if you are still reading - please send Martin's email address. we are vacationing in the South of France this July and will be in his area - not to stay - just a visit!

More sunshine . . .

2008-02-10T17:55:00.001Z

Another stunning day in the Northwest and after another bike ride and big breakfast, we decide to get out and enjoy it! Not too extreme you must understand - especially as Sinead had just cleaned her Timberland boots and as there was the distinct possibility that mud would be involved, we drove to Rickmansworth and joined the River Chess footpath. After a brief walk up a non-muddy section of the footpath we found ourselves back in the Scotsbridge Mill Pub for a cool beer all outside and in wonderful sunshine. Not at all bad for mid February - probably rain all next week!