"... This is a film that I think will forever change my approach to shooting dancing at weddings..."
Read moreMay the festive force be with you...
This little film will absolutely warm your heart - and that’s my idea of Christmas; a time to think, reflect and feel pretty lucky. You’ll see what I mean.
Read moreThe heartbeat of London (interactive graphic)...
If you travel in town a lot you'll find this fascinating. And possibly it'll explain a few late arrivals.
Oliver O’Brien, a researcher at UCL, took data published by Transport for London (TfL) and created a remarkable analysis of the city's over-subscribed underground railways. TfL recorded the exact number of people exiting and entering tube stations every 15 minutes to build a map of the daily journeys of the city’s millions of commuters.
To my mind this is where the web excels, an amazing piece of work. I originally saw this on Wired magazine's terrific website.
Behind the scenes at One Belgravia...
"... I spent an hour, just me and best buddy my 50mm lens, prowling around like a clumsy cat trying to capture the creative chaos of Chantal’s crack team of floral ninjas..."
Read moreCool stuff: The Grey Lady...
"Day after day it nails exactly what I want: plenty of tech news, intelligent op ed pieces and the tendancy to stop short of self-serving wit and sarcasm, unlike most columnists in the UK..."
Read moreObtaining stills from High Res video... The future? (video)
"If the production crew on movie or advertising shoot can record footage and then go back later and extract a publishable, high-end still frame from whichever section of the take they wish, then by and large the unit photographer's role will diminish considerably..."
Read moreCool stuff : Ben The Illustrator...
"It's a great, humorous take on the old ads from decades ago and so many friends and family commented on it. For the record, my wife's halo is entirely fictitious..."
Read moreFrom the archive... #21
Sometimes a memorable photograph is all about what you can't see. And what nobody can view in this shot is my sheer relief, because I'm on the cusp of a brief sit down and bite to eat following 8 hours solid photography at a shoot in central London the day after Boxing Day.
As the guests seated in the ICA's stunning Nash Room for their wedding breakfast, I just loved the way the light hit the walls and overall quiet nature of the shot. Of course, wander back into the room and you would be hit with chat, music and atmosphere - but from only a few feet outside it's a much calmer scene.
About 90 minutes later the room would erupt to the sound of applause and laughter during the speeches - but by then I'd had my sandwich and espresso and all was once again right with the world...
From the archive... #20
If you live long enough, you see everything... women wearing canapés! Yum?
This shot was taken at a recent commission at One Marylebone where my role was to shoot a pretty lavish birthday party. The design and planning of the evening was undertaken by the terrific Cranberry Blue Wedding & Events.
I'm hoping to write a little piece about the detail and superb look of the main dining room itself, but in the meantime imagine the welcome drinks being livened-up by pretty girls displaying nibbles about their person, in this case via a two-tier 'neck brace'.
If that isn't a thought to keep you warm during a cold weekend, then nothing is...
Through the lens... the media stampede
I lost count of how many txts I received that day. No, not invitations to dinner and drinks; it was because my face had popped-up on the lunchtime news - busily shooting in the background of the shot below. Fame at last. Sort of.
Early in 2013 I'd been shooting material with Sir Chris Hoy, Britain's Olympic track cycling hero and all-round terrific bloke. The commission, at The London Bike Show at Excel, was for Jaguar, with whom I was working closely. Jaguar does lots of really creative PR with Sir Chris on both their product range and via his involvement with The Jaguar Academy of Sport.
The day was rocking along nicely: the shots of the new Olympic kit were done, the press conference and Q&A went well and my set-ups with the snazzy new Jaguar Sportbrake were in the can. Then the TV teams went into overdrive. As they always do.
Sir Chris was ambushed on the way out and pushed for a quote on the unfolding Lance Armstrong doping scandal (Armstrong’s interview with Oprah had aired in US the night before). Of course, he didn't want to get involved, but the questions kept coming. Eventually he stated his position and left. Caught up in the TV camera scrum I was cornered behind Sir Chris. So I had only one option: to record the scene because you never know when these shots might be useful in the future.
Having got their sound bite, the media pack fled to the nearest wifi and things calmed down. But around about then my phone lit up with txts with friends complaining I'd ruined their lunch...
From the archive... #18
It's not just social media obsessed teens who love a good selfie! #grandma #fun
From the archive... #14
Only three weeks ago I shot this simple frame at Hampton Court, on a windswept day full of dawn-to-dusk rain showers.
Zoe pulled up in the car (looking amazing), glanced at the deluge, then simply got on with her day. A brilliant approach; the only thing on her mind was getting married.
Seemed an apt first post for 2014. Happy New Year everybody!
Through the lens... Christmas 2013
Credit for this idea sort of goes to my friend, Stacey Jackson, the irrepressible Canadian singer...
Over dinner one evening she berated me for not doing enough social media and self-promo... "you don't need a reason, man - just get them out there!". Doesn't do to disagree with the Stae.
So, here is the start of a series I'm going to call 'through the lens'. Basically a little corner of the site where I will regularly show shots which haven't been seen in blogs, and are possibly too left field or quiet for the portfolio. It's also a chance to lift the lid on some technical info for each featured image, something people ask me about a lot.
The first batch comes from commissions shot over the Christmas period, at weddings staged at The St Pancras Renaissance, Hampton Court and Kew Gardens.
Click on any photograph to enlarge....
A quiet moment during a drinks reception at Kew Gardens... (85mm lens, 125th/F2, 1600asa)
Morning preps with the flower girls, always a time for great shots... (28mm lens, 60th/F1.2, 2000asa)
The arrival of guests. I'm in the warm, they're in the cold - brrrr... (50mm lens, 250th/F2.8, 800asa)
Where would we all be without our smartphones! (28mm lens, 30th/F1.2, 2500asa)
A nervous giggle before the bridesmaids head for the ceremony... (50mm lens, 60th/F2, 2000asa)
Left: lovely moment with the bride reacting to a speech... (85mm lens, 90th/F1.8, 2500asa)
Right: a committed Liverpool fan... (200mm lens, 180th/F2.8, 1600asa)
Workflow. Here's the skinny...
I'll warn you right now, this is geeky blog post. If this doesn't scare you, read on...
Workflow. The backbone of any professional photographer's day. Many moons ago life consisted of shooting film, processing it, editing selections and then filing - all these tasks involved physical contact with material things (chemicals, cabinets and that funny little place called the Post Office).
Today's darkroom is lean and mean. It's about processing power and efficiency. Apps, plug-ins and passwords - and a cloud! In 2013 your darkroom is your Mac. And good luck if can keep it down to just one.
Everybody is different. No two photographers work in the same way. But I am frequently asked by clients how I manage the process from creation and delivery. So here's a brief production overview, whether the commission is a three-day foreign trip or an hour of studio portraits…
On the job...
Regardless of the shoot content, all the photography originates in RAW format, recorded to several CF cards (compact flash). At the end of the shoot, but while still on-site, I download everything to a Macbook Air, still leaving the data on the CF cards. Two copies now exist of that day's work. For me, this is vital and it's the minimum I hold at all times.
A quick check of the material in Photo Mechanic (an extremely powerful software package for browsing large files), and then we're done.
At the office...
My workhorse back at base is a 2013 spec, RAM-tastic 27" iMac, with a well used and trusty Mac Pro as backup. The laptop is plugged in to the Thunderbolt port of the iMac and the files upload. Once the transfer is complete I immediately back-up the folder to an external 2TB G-Tech hard drive.
At this point I can erase the CF cards and also remove the files from the laptop, still leaving two copies; the copy on the main iMac and one on the external drive.
The RAWs are then loaded in Apple's Aperture editing software. This allows me to work on the set and as I progress, create 'versions' of the original, after I’ve completed tasks like colour correction and cropping, etc..
The great thing about Aperture is that regardless of the work I do on a file, the master always exists, so if I wish I have the security of going back to the original and starting over - or create a different type of version.
Any extra or significant work/changes can be exported to Photoshop CS6, with these changes then saved back into Aperture for archiving. Once the whole set is edited, I can prep the batch of files in any format the client demands (.jpg, .tiff, . psd) ready for the distribution.
Post edit...
There are still choices to be made. Some clients want their shoot on a USB flash drive some need the selection transferring via Dropbox. I also use WeTransfer, Box, and a variety of other digital media. Amusingly, almost nothing is posted. If the media needs handing over I'll do that during a catch-up drink or lunch.
My role is to fit in with people's preferences and solve the problem. I don’t believe it's for the client to adapt to me. I am constantly amazed how many photographers don't get this is a service industry. The tail absolutely does not wag the dog…
If you got this far and you're still awake - bravo. Welcome to my day...
From the archive... #12
Certain shots simply fall into place right in front of you. You only have to press the button...
This shot was several years ago at a private residence; a gorgeous house near Liverpool. The shoot sticks in my mind because the original booking was to have been in Marbella - but we ended up on Merseyside - a long story.
Here you can see the Toastmaster, let's say 'urging' the little flower girl back to the reception after she had wandered away, no doubt looking for mischief. The shot really benefits from the walkway - a makeshift white tunnel which linked a chill-out lounge to the dining room.
The crisp simplicity of the surroundings and body language of the people in-frame tell you what's happening. I really like the playful feel to the shot and the way the vivid uplighting pulls the eye into the centre of the photograph.
More proof that the best photography is simple and without fuss...