I Hate Manchester…..
Yes….thats right! I hate Manchester. Well, its not JUST Manchester, I hate cities in general. Some people will be surprised by that comment, yet those close to me will not be surprised at all. Manchester is a city that is so diverse, so alive, so dynamic……so how can I hate it? The thing is, I don’t see it like that. I see it as loud, far too busy and grimey; I have nightmares about getting stuck on the M62 and then the M602 and beeping at idiots who annoy me…..Grrrrrr!!!! Give me the countryside any day!
However…..a couple of weeks ago I decided I needed to head into Manchester to find some new locations for shooting in. I headed out with camera in hand and my trusty sidekick (otherwise known as Ste) in tow. I wasn’t very impressed – I had no idea where to start – it was a Saturday, so it was going to get super busy and it was raining! We started off exploring the back streets in the hope that they wouldn’t be too busy, and before I knew it the camera was out! There were so many doors, windows and walls that I had NEVER noticed before – places that I never knew existed and some places that I had passed so many times but never given them a second glance. Before long, it was lunchtime – half the day had gone and I’d not even noticed!! I was in awe – this city that I hated, that I felt so much contempt for was coming alive right before my eyes. I had gone from looking for new locations to just generally exploring the city – being inspired by the whole “grittyness” and seeing everything with new eyes - I was completely in awe of it. There were so many beautiful buildings that I’d never looked at before and then so many derelict buildings just left to rot.
Not only that - Manchester presented us with a variety of street musicians and erm…..three dudes dressed in lycra suits running around! Where else could I see a guy dressed as a Zebra running through the streets posing with passers by who wanted their photo taken with him?!
I wouldn’t go as far as saying I “love” Manchester, I wouldn’t even say I “like” it. But to be honest, I’ve certainly learned to appreciate it a little bit more and I’ve realised it offers much more than I gave it credit for….
Miserable Weather – Fantastic Photoshoot!!
A few days ago I headed over to Blackpool to do a Portfolio shoot with Kelsey Colquhoun, who is currently studying Contemporary dance. Driving up the M6, the weather was awful; grey, rainy and just generally miserable! As the first part of the shoot was going to be outside, I was ready for calling Kelsey and telling her to head straight to the studio instead. But as luck would have it, as I reached the end of the M55, the weather decided to clear up a little….Phew! I continued over to Ashton Gardens in St Annes, armed with an umbrella, just in case the weather decided to be unkind to us – but luckily enough it held out for another hour – which was just enough time to finish the outdoor part of the shoot. We were lucky really, the gardens were pretty quiet – apart from the group of ducks and pigeons that attacked us (well, more Kelsey really); they seemed disappointed when they realised that we didn’t have food for them!
After the duck and pigeon incident we headed off to finish the shoot with some indoor studio work; this was where the real fun began! This part of the shoot was to catch Kelsey’s dance movements – strong poses along with lots of leaping around catching plenty of “air” shots. It was an amazing day and I got plenty of images that I’m really proud of; here is a sneaky peek at some of the shots – the rest will be put up once Kelsey has seen all of the photos.
Thanks for a fantastic photoshoot Kelsey!
Pre-Wedding Party, Bridal Prep & Big, Big Wedding!
Wow! The title says it all really!
Back in April I was lucky enough to be involved with the Engagement Party / Civil Ceremony of Kavita and Amit. At the beginning of July it was time for their big wedding ceremony and to be involved in this was absolutley amazing. It started off on 2nd July with Kavita’s pre-wedding party…..it was so lively…..lots of singing and dancing and pre-wedding traditions taking place. The atmosphere at Kavita’s house was buzzing and I felt honoured to be able to share this with Kavita and her family. The night ended on such a high with everyone filling the streets of Ilford all dancing and singing…..absolutely amazing.
The following day, there was an early start over at Kavita’s house….I got there just before 7am and the place was already buzzing with people; the hairdresser and make-up artist had arrived at 3am!! There was so much going on and to watch Kavita getting ready was heart warming – she looked absolutely stunning.
At 9am we waved off Kavita, legged it to the car and drove over to the Decorium…..I arrived to find the car park was full and the over flow hadn’t been opened yet! After sitting for 15 minutes I played my photographer card, explained there was no photographer inside the building and was eventually allowed into the full car park where I ended up double parking and blocking in at least 4 cars! Ah well….I was easy to track down…I was the only person there driving a bright yellow car! I dashed inside where I was met with the most stunning room – decked out so elegantly. After the wedding ceremony we headed to the park across the road for some photographs and then back inside for some delicious food, followed by some very entertaining speeches from the two best men. Once the speeches were over the night continued with lots of dancing…..it was so lively and the atmosphere was buzzing! I’m sure Kavita and Amit will be very happy together…..Congratulations guys!
It's All In The Eyes….
Oooops! What can I say? Considering this is a blog where I’m supposed to provide updates about what I’m doing – I’ve been pretty crap recently…..I don’t even have an excuse…..I’ve just been a bit erm…lapse really! Anyway, this is the first of a few blogs that are to follow over the next day or so….
On Tuesday 13th July, I was lucky enough to do a photoshoot with Casey Allum - she described it as “a blast” and I couldn’t have put it any better myself! She has the most amazing eyes – absolutely stunning – and when you look at the photos I’m sure you will agree. Casey hadn’t done anything like this before, which is pretty difficult to believe as she was such a natural in front of the camera and looked so at ease with everything.
There were a few locations that had already been chosen for the shoot, but to be honest after we had finished at the first one we just “winged” it a bit and went off the beaten track! It worked out pretty well though as we discovered a closed down industrial unit complete with old diesel pump – it was bright red and just so gritty looking – the contrast looked amazing against Casey’s green coat!
I could go on all day about the shoot, as Casey was right, it was a blast……But I think I’ll end here just by saying a big “Thank you” to Casey – she was brilliant to shoot and her eyes were just so stunning. I really hope I get to work with her again in the future…..top day, top girl, and some images I’m really proud of!
