Jesuits and Friends - Magazine Cover Spring 2011

An old photo from Guyana has found its way to the front cover of the Jesuit supporters magazine 'Jesuits and Friends'.






















I also got the back cover shot too - with this shot of lightning over Kaituer Falls, Guyana.

Pro Porsche, Brighouse

After a week of great sunshine and the beginning of spring I had a cold, grey morning taking some photos of the Pro Porsche team in Brighouse for their website and promotional material.

I'm not sure which ones they're going to be using, but at the moment I like the dark, moody version of the team shot.  And just to add a bit of contrast, here's a picture of young trainee Joe getting a Ferrari ready.  It's not just a Porsche garage - in fact, there's a Lamborghini having some work done which might have to guest star in some photos once it's ready to be moved.


To finish off the shoot, a few days later, we headed up to Saddleworth Moor for some good evening light.

Pro Porsche, Brighouse

I've just finished an afternoon of photography for ProPorsche - an independent Porsche specialist in West Yorkshire.  It was a cold, grey day - not so great for standing around outside, as the temperature was at about 2 degrees, but good for getting even lighting on the cars without using too much fill in flash. 

It was a great location - a country estate close to the hidden grave of Robin Hood.  Hopefully I'll get more chances to visit there again.  I'd like to go see the grave, and also I want another go at mobile rig car shots - this one below is what the first attempt came out like.

An unexpected find

I was helping my dad clear out his loft last week, and we came across a small treasure trove of cameras.  In amongst a few worthless compact bits of plastic (though maybe the Canon IXUS APS will be a museum piece one day) we found his old Adox camera which he bought in Malta whilst in national service there in the 1950s.

I remember this camera well from my childhood.  Maybe this intriguing bit of equipment, with its folding front door and collapsing bellows, helped generate my own interest in photography.  I even remember the first picture I took on this camera (possibly also my last, as 35mm was the way forward and this camera was on its way out - or at least to the loft).  Maybe one day I'll have a look and see if I can find that photo.  For now, I'll just say it wasn't very good.

The unexpected find was a camera bought by my grandmother in the 1920s.  The camera wasn't unexpected - I remember seeing it before, and maybe even playing with it when I was young.  The unexpected part was that I'd never realised the grandmother who bought it was on my mother's side.

My mother was a painter.  She started painting late in life, but progressed at a surprising rate.  I'd always hoped that I might achieve some balance between the artistic merit on my mother's side of the family and the technical nous on my father's.  Finding this nice Kodak on my mother's side tilts my preconceptions a little!  I can now claim a long family history in photography- a fine pedigree.  All I need to do now is get out there and take some fine photos to match...

Merry Christmas

To me it's a scene which reminds me of heat, sweat dripping off my brow, and no doubt a few mossies swarming round.  But for Jesuit Missions this has become their Christmas Card for 2010.  With a print run of a few thousand cards they will be sent all around the world to people who have provided support or donations to the British Jesuits in 2010.

The image has also been used in a calendar for ScotiaBank in Guyana.  See Georgetown photographer Michael Lam's blog for more images from the calendar.

2011 Calendar for Gafoors, Guyana

An unexpected Christmas Bonus.

Twelve of my images from Guyana, all taken in the Rupununi during 2010, have been chosen to be used in the Gafoors 2011 calendar.  Gafoors are Guyana's largest manufacturers and suppliers of building materials.

With a print run of 10,000 calendars this is probably going to make the photos on this calendar my most widely distributed photos so far.

However - they're only going to be available in Guyana...  Shame!

B-)

Fireworks at Blackheath, London

Since returning from Guyana at the beginning of November I've not been taking any photos (other than a few basic handheld shots of the Blackheath Fireworks on Bonfire Night) .  It's good to have a break, for me and for my equipment (most of which is at Fixation in London being repaired or cleaned).

I'm not planning on staying in hibernation mode for ever.  December is the month to make plans and decide what photography is for me and what I'm going to do with it in the future.

If nothing else, I'll restart a photo a day project for 2011.  It will be interesting to see whether the project is easier or more difficult on home turf.

And to keep me busy for the rest of November I've got a whole lot of organising to carry out on my Guyana photos.

Unless it snows - then I'll be out with the camera and cold fingers!

B-)