Exciting times and being busy!

It's been exactly a month since I sat down and wrote a post.  I can't believe that I have been this busy!  So what's been happening in my world?  Sit back and I'll tell you!

In the last post I wrote about a talk that I was due to give at the Blackburn Camera Club.  This was done with Bob Singleton, club secretary and very much partner in crime.  We did a ten minute talk (each) on our influences.  We hadn't conferred or discussed our selections previously but it turned out that the evening was going to be monochromatic!  Bob talked about Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado who is an extremely talented individual.  His catholic upbringing obviously comes through in some of his photographs which can only be described as epically biblical.

My talk carried on the monochromatic theme but with very different results.  Those being of Jerry N. Uelsmann.  Uelsmann is an American born photographic surrealist who creates all his images in the dark room.  Obviously, I don't have the time (or the space) to do that so I do my surrealist images in Photoshop.

In addition to this I have been busy putting together my submissions for Blackburn & District Camera Club's Annual Exhibition.  I've come to a decision that this will be my last year of doing this as I want to concentrate on my own work and not competing.  In fact, I've decided that it will be the end of me competing altogether.  The side of the camera club that I seem to be enjoying the most is that of delivering talks, seeing what other people are doing and helping people learn more about the subject of photography.  With this in mind I've decided that it would be better if I didn't compete at all and concentrate on the areas of the club that I am interested in and my own body of work.

Remnants has grown a few more images and has now been finally put to bed.  It seems that every time I add something to it it grows that little bit more.  So it is time to call it a day with that project and finish it.  The final shots added were of Jubilee Tower, Darwen taken during the warm spell towards the end of March.  All the images have now been processed and completed.  A Powerpoint presentation has been put together ready for the delivery of the project as a talk.  This slideshow has in excess of seventy slides and around 80 photographs spanning the entire project.  It includes images that will not make it to print or the book.

The book is still in the writing stage but should be available from my Blurb bookstore in the very near future.  Keep an eye on this blog for an audio-visual preview of the whole project and dedicated page.

I'm also working on an update to the Images of Marsden Park project.  This year is the parks centinery and so I'm developing an AV production to commerate.  Keep an eye on the images of Marsden Park page of this blog!

A couple of other things are keeping me busy at the moment.  Pixel, the camera clubs magazine continues to do well and I'm enjoying the privilege of editing it.  As well as this there are a couple of little projects that are on the go that I am involved in but you may read about these in the near future!  Well, I have to have something to keep you hooked!

Tired, busy and preparing for the Annual Exhibition

It seems like ages since I last put a post up.  It may have something to do with the fact that my computer is in storage while I re-model my house.  Thankfully that is now coming to an end and I should be back home.

Photography wise it has been extremely busy!  A while ago I posted about an unusual job.  Well, the job was for the Nelson Branch of the Salvation Army.  They requested a group photograph to celebrate their 130th anniversary.  I was more than happy to oblige and due to the amount of good work they do also waved my normal sitting fee.

A couple of weeks ago a couple of friends and I took a night off from our usual camera club meeting and did a diversion in to Blackburn Town Centre to do some night photography.  I got some shots that I really like.  Here are a couple.

In the coming weeks I have been booked to give several talks.  One is a return to the Salvation Army to talk about my photography.  This one is also going to be the first outing of the finished Remnants project.  I've one location left that I really want to shoot and add to the collection to completely finish the project but the end is almost in sight, which to be honest is a bit sad as I have really enjoyed this one and still haven't thought of a follow up.

The second talk is for the camera club (Blackburn & District Camera Club).  A couple of us are going to a talk about those photographers that influence and inspire us.  I'll post after the talk as I don't want the subject to yet be know.  All I will say is that the opening line of the talk is 'In the words of Monty Python "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"'

This is the time of year for the Camera Clubs Annual Exhibition and just as the other memebers are, I am busy preparing.  We can enter up to 10 prints and 10 digital images.  The hard part is deciding what images to enter in which category.  It's one where you have to put aside your favourite images and try and second guess what a judge will like. The entry night is next Monday so good luck to everyone involved.  I will give reports as and when judging starts.

As far as competing goes I think this maybe my last year for a while.  There are a few photographic challenges that I want to complete over the next few years and the pressure of competing doesn't help.  So it may be time to step back a little and concentrate on what I want to achieve.

Anyway, we shall see what happens!

Nice surprises

One thing I love about being a photographer is the nice little surprises.  These surprises come in different forms.  Sometimes its when you process an image that you thought wasn't very good suddenly becomes stunning or sometimes its just those little moments of beauty that are generally missed.  One I had last week.

I was out walking and looked in to a field because something didn't look quite right.  Led there was a fox.  The little fella hung around for ages.  In fact, I got my tripod out and sat the camera on it and he quite happily let me take photographs of him for about 30 minutes or so!

The image (left) was taken at one of my favourite places, Castercliffe Hill Fort.  The three hawthorns reminded me of three witches and so that has become the title of the image!  Quite apt really!  This year is the 400th anniversary of the Pendle Witch Trail.

Out of the editing room - More Remnants Images

 Last night I finally finished editing some images that had been sat on my SD card for what seemed like an eternity.  Out of those images are some shots that I took in order to fit in with the Remnants project.
As I seem to get to the end of Remnants, I seem to find something else to add to it.  At the moment I've been adding follies to the collection and dry stone walls.  The walls may seem a little dull compaired to other aspects of the project but have you ever stopped to think how they were built and by who?

Now as Remnants draws to an end I am beginning to think about my next project and sitting down to play some more surrealist stuff.  Nothing is coming to light yet but I'm sure it will!

Getting time to edit!

Finally managed to find some time to sit down and do some editing.  I began by finishing off some work for a client. I'm quite happy with the results from that shoot but I'm more happy with the other stuff I have been producing.

I said in my last post that I had been out on Boulsworth with the view of shooting a location to further my Remnants project.  Well, I took a couple of other shots as well.  The one on the left is one that I have finished editing and I have to admit, I really like it.

The location I went to shoot was the doorway in the image below left.  This is one of Lancashire peculiar follies in the fact that it was built like this.  The opposite side

of the door way has been inscribed but this is barely readble due to erosion.

I think I have come away with a fantastic image but I'm not sure if it will make the final Remnants project.  The reason being that I don't think it works well as a mono.  Nonetheless, I had a fantastic afternoon up there and have a couple of lovely images out of it!

Getting out!

Finally, I manage to get out!

Yesterday afternoon was so nice that I headed for Boulsworth Hill and bagged another couple of shots for the Remnants series. It was bitterly cold, with snow on the ground and not easy walking but very much worth it. As an added bonus I saw a pair of Short-Eared Owls hunting. Hadn't seen any for years!

This afternoon, I'm heading out again! This time to Blacko to shoot the tower, Malkin Tower Farm and something else of interest I've spotted. Will post all the images when I've finished processing!

For something a little different!

I'm going to take a little of a side step with this post to introduce a new publication from Blackburn & District Camera Club.

Pixel is a new monthly magazine that is created by a small group of Blackburn & District Camera Club members overseen by its editor and Publicity & Communications Secretary, Lee Johnson.

The magazine aims to keep members informed of club activities and industry news as well as a way of showing off members work and giving hints and tips to our newer members or those new to digital photography.

The magazine is only available on line, although, special editions will be produced throughout the year that will be for sale.

More information about Blackburn & District Camera Club is available from http://www.bandd.cc/

Open publication - Free publishing - More blackburn