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Summer 2010 Roadtrips

Posted 20th July 2010

Living as I do in a rather overpopulated part of the country which is also lacking in dramatic scenery, I take the opportunity, once or twice a year, to go on photography road trips. Not only does this give me a chance to explore different landscapes, but also a convenient way to work with different models.

Over the last couple of months my travels have taken me to the Lake District, the edge of the Peak District and then, on a separate trip, to Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. The latter was a particularly hectic week. Between the vagaries of the English weather and the risk of models who don't show up, I plan a lot of shoots in the expectation that they won't all go ahead as planned. This time they all went ahead and I ended up with five shoots in as many days. Over a month later and I'm still catching up on the editing.

Rather than drip feed a few images here and there onto the site, I've decided to upload a little gallery dedicated to this year's travels here.

Mud, glorious mud

Posted 10th July 2010

Sometimes a model will come up with an idea I wouldn't dare suggest. This mud shoot at an old quarry is a classic example - I would never have asked a model to roll around in the mud, and get covered head to toe but once Layla suggested it I couldn't say no. You can see more of the results from this shoot here.

Dance

Posted 31st May 2010

I finally got a chance to progress my dance photography recently and it's an interesting challenge. Like sports photography, shooting dance relies on timing, anticipation and good knowledge of what's coming next. Even in a controlled environment, where you know each move the dancer is going to make, it's difficult to get the shots spot on. As anyone who's tried will know, normal studio flash just isn't quite quick enough to freeze motion. The usual answer is to catch the dancer at that still point at the top of the leap, but it's also interesting to make a point of the blur and use it for effect.

Of course, a great deal of trial and error goes into this type of photography and for this shoot I have to thank Katie for her tireless efforts and patience! I'm certainly happy with my first serious foray into studio based dance photography and it has certainly whetted my appetite to do more.

2010 starts to get rolling

Posted 23rd April 2010

After a sluggish start to the year, the ball is definitely rolling and I'm getting back into shooting. I'm starting to suspect I may suffer from SAD, as I felt drained of all enthusiasm through January and February! I finally did my first shoot of the year in early March, but I was rusty and not that enthusiastic.

Now that the weather's improved and the days are longer, all of a sudden I want to start shooting again. Even though my shoots are still inside, where the weather really doesn't matter, somehow I'm more keen to get on with it. It doesn't even annoy me to be stuck inside when it's bright and sunny out, although I'm also looking forward to getting back to doing location work. I'm sure once the evenings are warmer and even longer I'll get fed up with the hours in front of Photoshop, but for now I'm back and enjoying my photography.

Plans for 2010

Posted 6th January 2010

It's now 2010, so I'm starting to plan my shoots for this year. I'm keen to continue working in the styles on this site, particularly dance photography. I have several models in mind already for various projects but I'm always happy to hear from anyone who wants to work with me. See the modelling pages for information on what you can expect from a shoot.