Self Portrait

I rarely let anyone take my photograph, I never like how look and i always feel uncomfortable in front of a camera. As soon as I know my photo is going to be taken I freeze up and become someone else, I become uncomfortable in my own skin. Since picking up a camera it has become almost a physical part of who I am, it feels right holding a camera. I decided to try and capture this feeling with this image.

I felt it was important to create an image that was raw without being rude but was stripped down to the basic elements of man and machine. I am sure that I will receive some humorous comments from people who know me but I don't mind, this is me and who I am. This is an image of me I can live with.

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Small Man, Big Dreams

In childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking out. In memories of childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking in. ~Robert Brault,

View the image here on flickr

Baltic (Baby It's Cold Outside)

It's that time of year again when you need to wrap up warm to brace the wind, rain and cold of winter. I took these images a few weeks ago whilst out hunting strangers for my 100 Strangers Project. It was freezing cold and damp and there was silly me with my camera practically in a puddle to get the shot of the Baltic entrance and the watery reflection - I must be mad! Due to the weather I decided to pop in and see this years Turner Prize which was on display. This is only the second time the prize has been held outside of London and is somewhat of a big deal regionally. Maybe it's me being a cynic but yet again the only thing worth seeing in my opinion was the building itself!

The building is extremely photogenic with its masses of glass and clean lines. It has some extreme lighting conditions and is great for contrast and shadows. When I first started using a camera I used to take more shots like these, I think its great sometimes to re-visit old places, objects and ideas to refresh and re-learn.

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ExVivo

I have had a week off to chill, and my God I have needed it. After a few days of boring daytime TV, lie-ins and half a swimming pool of tea I decided to get my lazy bones into Newcastle. I have been shooting street portraits for over 12 months now for my 100 Strangers Project however lately I have been very slow in adding new people. After a few hours and two great strangers that I will post later I saw this lady.

View the image here on flickr

I knew I had to get her in my project as she simply looked amazing, very alternative but very beautiful and photogenic. I saw her about to cross the road on a busy roundabout in Newcastle city centre and raced after her. I told her about my project and she happily agreed to be part of it - result. This was my first shot, at the time I thought the glaring green and red traffic lights where too harsh and moved her to another nearby location. When I got home and reviewed the images I realised the original lighting was just too good not to use. It turns out that this amazing looking lady is an alternative model called ExVivo. I am now thinking of various photoshoot ideas for ExVivo as I really think I could get some great images with her.

And randomly this music is also banging around my head with regards to this image. But they say music and photography go hand in hand.

Radiohead 'Everything In It's Right Place'

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Withnail & I

I have recently lost all my mirth.... Well not actualy but I have been photographing without fun or adventure. I have been shooting some commercial imagery with mixed results, both good and bad. I have been forcing my work and had forgotten why I picked up a camera - to show the world as I see it.

The reason for calling this post 'Withnal and I' (one of my alltime favourite films) is because I feel empathy and simlarities to both main characters. I hope that I am more 'I' than 'Withnail'! The scene below (spoiler alert - final scene) sees Withnail quoting from Hamlet, summing up his feelngs of dispair. Still one of the greatest final scenes in cinema.

On a happier note, I have recently recieved the creative kick in the arse that I have long needed and also have some interesting shoots lined up to kickstart the next phase in my practice. Watch this space.

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Faces - Truth and Lies

I am often asked if I take photos of anything other than people and the answer is yes - but not that often. The reason I take portraits is because I truly believe that the human face is endlessly interesting. different emotions can be conveyed by the tilt of a head, glint in an eye or the shape of a smile. I read somewhere that humans are the only mammals who show the whites of our eyes, which is an aid to communication and apparently coincided with our language development. Even when we hide our face with makeup or deliberately distort our features we still show signs of our character - especially with our eyes. The Portrait below is of John from The Low Lights Tavern - my all time favourite pub. Even though John was dressed for Halloween you can still see that behind the ghoulish make up he is a fun, warm and friendly guy.

 "Bad Santa? - see the image here on flickr

Apparently there is an exception to prove every rule - So the image below of my spooky Halloween fiancee - whom is one of the kindest people I know - looks incredibly scary!

"The Haunting" - see the image here on flickr

For a truly amazing collection of portraits check out Steve McCurry's Portraits - one of my all time favourite photographers and a massive inspiration to many photographers of all kinds,

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Nick Clegg

One of my clients Chirton Engineering contacted me to ask if I could pop in today and take some images of a very important visitor today. When I asked who it was they said they could not tell me for security reasons and that they were not sure themselves. I turned up this morning and was told by Chirton and the security team present that it was as I suspected the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg who was visiting. The image below is a candid shot that I took before the corporate images that I produced for the company.

I have been struggling recently to find a balance between my day job and my commercial photography. Whilst I have been so busy that I have lost 2 stone in weight in the last 3 months I have failed to create imagery that makes me happy and reminds me why i picked up a camera in the first place. This is on reason for the lack of blog posts recently. I do however have some really interesting shoots lined up which should get me back on track

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The Eyes Have It

In a pretty awful week I did see this and it made me smile. I love it when you see a little piece of stupidity in an unexpected place.

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New York the City of Dreams

The date 9/11 will be remembered for generations to come as a pivotal moment that changed the shape of modern history for many reasons. The tragic events of that day will be remembered by people across the world, everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing that day. I can't imagine the fear and panic that must have swept America and in particular the greatest city on Earth New York. I first visited NYC in January 2008 and then again in 2009, to this day it is still the most memorable and fantastic place I have visited. I am saddened that I never saw the World Trade Center, to me they symbolised the sheer magnificence and vision of a city and country built on the dreams of pioneers where greatness is possible to anyone.

For me New York is a city for dreamers and visionaries, its beautiful and bold and a melting pot of people from across the globe. On a day when many Americans will be mourning I would like to share some images that I hope show the magnificence and scale of the city. These are not great images, they are images that every tourist and visitor to the city have taken.







My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives and the loved ones left behind. If my brief time spent in New York showed me anything it is that its good to dream and believe the impossible is possible. I hope that many people directly affected by the tragedy will remember the past and at the same time look to the future. People and places are never forgotten as long as you pass on their history and celebrate their achievements. I hope that someday in the future I will be taking photos from the top of The Freedom Tower.

For the the 2996 people who lost their lives on 9/11    R.I.P

The Kindness of Strangers (Helsinki Bus Station Theory)

Every now and then I am amazed by the kindness of strangers, when someone helps you or takes the time to give you great advice for no other reason than basic human decency. Although generally happy with my photographic progress I do have the occasional wobble. This week was a wobble week! I mentioned this in my flickr posting of the image below.

See this image on flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16059306@N08/6098242806/in/photostream

Within hours of posting this image on flickr it became an Explore image which means flickr deem it worthy of mention. This like my other Explore images is not what I think is representative of my better images but what others think. Naturally I am happy to have some Explore images but I was happier to recieve some great comments and advice from some flickr contacts and non-contacts alike. One of my flickr contacts James Drury kindly sent me this great post Helsinki Bus Station Theory that all photographers should read especially those having wobbles like me. I have many great contacts on flickr who always pop up with helpful comments and emails, this link was probably one of the best.

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