"What is that thing on top of your camera?"

It's the single most asked question I get. For starters I don't keep my sandwiches in it.

I stumbled on the Fong Lightsphere a year or so ago. At the time it was expensive but to honest it was worth every penny. I got some severe stick from the press guys until they saw the shots. I've never been a great fan of direct flash but when you have less than five minutes to get the shot then you just get on with it.

Over the last few months I've got peeved with the amount of light it was chucking out, yeah it's diffused and yeah it's everywhere.... but for the music stuff I've resorted to a home made snoot out of black card.

Don't get me wrong, for 97% of all my flash shots the Lightsphere is on the camera.

Want an example? Just look below.....

The best shots happen by accident...

How long did this shot take to put together? About three minutes. Totally unrehearsed, no-booking-required-portrait. My good mate Ali Moore was in need of background material, all I had was a large sheet which I had not unwrapped since buying in the charity shop.

When I rolled it out it was four foot wide and twenty foot long.... no good to anyone but we gave it shot anyway. Ali held up a pole and I "A" clamped the material to the background. Quickly asked Laura to stand in front of said human standed background and there you are.

I find that the pre processing stuff in RAW is much better than hanging on what Photoshop will do to it. I've pretty much moved over to Lightroom for most things now, just PS for the odd clean up healing brush type malarky.

The office move

Been a long time coming, perhaps it's fresh starts with the website. I'm moving my office from one room to another. Computer first, that took all of twenty minutes, clear the debris from my desk took another hour then I could move the table.

It's going to take another two days to get through the remaining pictures, paperwork, invoices, CD's and a stack of magazines including Professional Photographer, Digital Photo Pro, umpteen bridal magazines, Vogue, North West Woman... it all mounts up.

I also found my flash gun stand that I've been hunting for the last two years. Happy Days!

New website launch.

It was a long time coming but I finally put some time aside to redo the website. So, nice sleek navigation to each portfolio, easy to find information. The client list has been updated, I forgot how many people I've worked with. It took a little time to wrangle with the iPodesque coverflow thing. Finally big thanks to TDR Networks who looked after me with new hosting and lightening email support when I needed it.

Constitution - 18th June 2008

So not a bad catch all in all. Two pages of Limavady Jazz and Blues live pics and Anita Flavin for two, shame they were black and white as they were really strong images. (And for anyone wondering I did not shoot Anita low as there was a shed in the background).

Tomorrow is back to the photographic land of school awards and cheque presentations.

Limavady Jazz & Blues Festival 2008

Good to see the festival doing well this year, last year wasn't that bluesy or jazz for my tastes (with the exception of Kent Duchane who was just plain amazing).

Two acts from Yorkshire which was nice as I got to hear what was going on. The King Bz turned out into some long lost reunion since our first meeting in 2006. Paddy McGuire gave me the low down and that Gary Barrett himself said to say hello to me. Bless.

Friday night was subdued, in and out in an hour. It would have been shorter but the firework display at the Radisson Roe Park Hotel meant I couldn't get parked. Samantha Payne had just taken a break and then went back on.

Saturday night was just heaving all night. It took me twenty minutes to get from one end of Frank Owens Marquee to the other only to realise that I could have walked up the outside and through the "stage door". I got some great shots of Rab McCullough Blues Band so the trek (and three thousand hellos) was worth it.

On events like this you always see the usual gang of photographers. David Larmour, festival photographer Andy Cameron and Norman Thorpe were all out. Twenty four pics later for the paper and my job was done. That didn't stop me getting in Andy's path a few times.... (see below)

Fathers Day Listening

Three little surprises for me this morning. Even though the stack of Level 42 I have
(for which I'm pretty well known for liking) there's a version of "Return of the Handsome Rugged Man" on the CD which is one of my fave instrumentals. Whooohoo double CD of Peter Gabriel too.

Now what can we do with these shoes?

A very quick shoot with shoe designer Anita Flavin. She was speaking at the Women In Enterprise evening in Coleraine, my editor was there and wanted to know more. My first meeting with Anita was at Belfast Fashion Week. I pelted it from Limavady to Belfast, got lost, got followed by the police (the English plates, oh they love the English plates), I couldn't find a parking space, I was desperate for the toilet and the catwalk was starting in two minutes. Plenty of time.

There's a good few different ideas in the shoot, can't post them all up just yet but there's a nice one to get you started.

The eyes are the window to the soul?

I kick started a little personal project while I was at the gallery. The Limavady Jazz & Blues Art Exhibition seems to be doing well, in terms of interest. In between times I've been wanting to do portraits with their eyes closed. It doesn't work with everyone. Getting people not to look into the camera but close their eyes takes a little doing, but once they get into it they go in to a world of their own, that's when the good pictures finally start to happen. So the initial idea of the exhibition is there, I'd love to know what they were thinking so I can write a long random list down.

The shots were both natural light, the gallery was acting as one big studio lovely, white and diffused. Panel boards were basically reflecting light all over the place.



Both Joni and Stevie got into it real quick, the white wall helped a lot. Now once I've got 100 of these then I'll exhibit. Only 98 to go.