Feeling a little tense are we?!

So, Britian's Got Talent has infected all TV's across the land, screaming and shouting its collection of skilled and skill-less acts (come on you know some of them just really shouldn't be there!); Mr Cowell striking his traditional high waisted pose & upsetting small children as he goes - speaking the only snippet of truth the program or its judges will ever see.  Amanda wearing yet another short sparkly dress & Piers just wishing he was the Cowell & looking longingly at that flat head chop that is going on there.  

I however sit here longingly waiting for the top I have seen in the ASOS catalogue to appear online for purchase, hoping that my credit card may stretch that far.  Looking forward to the weekend as the man comes down for a couple of days and we get to spend time on a friends boat eating olives and pretending were posh folk.  Then kicking myself cos were staying at my rentals in the postage stamp room next to everything & can't have our first ever round of 'make up' nooky.  Too much info?  Lets face it, thats what you come here in the hope of,some  hardcore goss.  I left last time with a useful tip, now I leave this time with a red face & a 'wish i hadn't posted that' comment.  Honesty, it pays.  Well sometimes.  

So lots of waiting but also lots of working, I have an event coming up in June where I get to photograph the lovely Katherine Jenkins again.  I am still getting really positive feedback from the pics I did of Queeny and to top it all of I have another Fat Talent Live coming up the first Sunday of June....always an event full of friends that are more like family & talent that is heading somewhere very high and very quickly.  My new assistant is amazing - look out for some pics from the events posted here, on the facebook group and of course the Fat Blog.  Oh, and if you need anymore odd moaning sesh's from me (can you tell I am in that mood?!) then head over there.  I get to grips with the infamous comment every photographer has heard....."As your there anyway can you just get a pic of Uncle Jack.  Oh and don't forget Aunt Maud and the kids."  There is no just.  Anyway, the blog is being fast updated these days with some excellent content so can recommend a read.

To end on something at least a little useful, if you haven't checked out the strobist.com site that I wrote about in my last post I can highly recommend taking a look.  It really is worth spending some time there if you want to know a little more about using flash / speedlite's.

Over and out. x

Strobist.com.....

It is always worth your while getting advise from other photographers, and not just advise but in general getting along with them and making alliances within your region.  This can be great for so many reasons, from yes advise and FAQ's but also to increase your network, learn new skills, assisting opportunities, covering jobs that they may not be able to do and also showing that you are like them, a small business just trying to get somewhere.  

There are photographers out there that still believe that sharing information is not to be done and befriending the 'competition' is not advisable.  You make your own judgements but thus far the other photographers I have been lucky enough to meet I have already learnt from them and hopefully given them something new to think about to.

A photographer I met the other day is a particular example.  Angus Thomas.  Not only did he live in the village I used to live in, he also went to my primary school and his mother taught there!  OK prob about 20 years prior to my attendance but it was great to start with that in common and our meeting was relaxed but professional and above all helpful.  We are already discussing skill sharing and getting a shoot planned together and I am very excited about getting together more often to pick each others brains & just generally get some good images!

One of the sites he recommended I look at if I was interested in flash was www.strobist.blogspot.com and I have to say, it is brilliant.  This place is definitely worth bookmarking and following the tutorials online is so worth investing some time in.  Take a read and learn some new flash skills plus.....keep your eyes peeled on my blog for images from my shoot with Angus - I am hoping it will be a good one!

Angus Thomas - www.angusthomas.com

"i want to be.....a shiny pound coin"

Metallics in fashion were something I thought strictly stayed within the lines of jewelry but as we have experienced over the past few months and as seen on the catwalks, this is not the case.  I have nothing against a bit of high shine but metallic look leggings, vest tops, skirts, scarves and shoes - its just a bit much.  Where do you stop?!

Yes, it certainly is a show stopping statement & the faint hearted should steer clear.  This is fashion liberation at its best and I personally think is up there with tartan, midi skirts, crop tops and jelly shoes.

Fashion is a statement about who we are & if you want to fall into the trap of consumerism, not just for us but where we are within society and possibly where we want to be in the future......does this mean we all want to walk around looking like pound coins or huge ten pence pieces?!  Wow, maybe the credit crunch really has hit home, we now feel the need to dress like money.

fantastic fonticals.....

I am on a marketing drive and as part of that I am re-doing my website, comp slips and business cards - this includes my logo / text for the name of my business.  Now this may seem like a massive overhaul but I am in all honesty embarrassed about my website at the moment & I really feel if I am going to make positive steps in getting more customers and really pushing my work then the first step is to get an identity I am proud of.

This is where you come in!  I would really appreciate all of your feedback on the fonts in the image - they are all numbered and although quite a small pic if you could vote on your favorite I would really appreciate it!!  All comments, feedback and voting is gladly received - so please.....let know your thoughts!

Thank you!

The secret Diary of Damien Hirst.....

(Pic courtesy of toonpool.com)

6am: Aaaaahhhh, soft cuddly toys, fur throw and silk sheets; this is the way to wake up every morning.

6.10am: Well I gotta eat so I am feeling meat, yup meat.  Think I'll take a wonder out to the deer fridge and pick myself a beauty.  Should go down very well with an egg & some pepper.

8am: Time to get the brain going, not feeling the cows heads today so I'll give nana a call.  The cross stitch is going really well so maybe I could have a go at making that 'Cat in a vase' image we so loved.

12pm: My fingers are killing me, definitely take Nana's advise in the future and get myself a thimble.  

1.30pm: '.....come and enjoy tea & coffee surrounded by friends at the Church's annual Mothers Union meeting.'  Better grab my coat, oooo mustn't forget that Pirex dish for Maud. 

4pm: Time for a spot of hunting, where are those plus fours.  Arnold, grab me the bucket I have mushrooms and buttercups to find.

6pm: Exhausted, however dinner tonight is with David Bailey, Turner and good ole Viv Westwood.  Thinking we might crack open a bottle of red and play some drinking games.  Yes, we can have the new dare as eating some of that meat out of the deer fridge raw.  Viv got the eye last time, hilarious.

2am: Ah the smell of lavender and lots of warm bubbles, bath then bed for sure.

D x

Too may Krispy Kream's & some disinfectant.....

I can confirm a few things today.

1) I am motivated by other people and their love of photography.  Following a monthly meeting with some other photographers there was too much wine (them not me!) and all of us were definitely motivated, some more than others.

2) If photography fails I could become a burglar.  Really people, there is a lot of shite left lying around which can be used for 'prying open' and that little window you didn't think you could fit through......well just try.  (Ok before I start a debate or break some health and safety rule, I am thinking you wont be fitting through that window if you weigh like 25 stone, it just ain't gonna happen.  Sit yourself down and have another Krispy Kream)

3) I am not a cleaner for a reason.  Being a mum and clearing up poo - wow scary stuff.  Now dog plus poo, really runny diarrhea poo, words fail me and bleach seemed to as well. Yup, I am not a cleaner.

C x

Without sound......

 

 

Friday saw many things but the morning was a shoot, a shoot I really enjoyed!  It was part of a package deal that I am currently offering for performers @ Fat Talent Live where we get together have a studio session and photography and use the pics and recordings to promote, promote, promote!  This shoot was with Queeny, a soulful singer with a cheeky smile and a spring in her step.

The pictures were about capturing her and building an image that not only could she continue to utilize but also that would suit her style of music, past, present and future.  

Some odd stares from onlookers, an angry rant from a shop owner and attempting to play Leap Frog over street bollards that really were a bit too big were all on the menu.

I am excited by these pics as you never really know what you are going to get with a shoot and things were quieter than I expected on the day, so the results I hope she likes!

To see all the pics check the FB fan page and to hear Queeny's music, check out her MySpace.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=257214&id=155640470054

www.myspace.com/queenymusic 

Send me your feedback if you have any comments, questions or want to learn more about the FTL Photo offer!

C x

What a bunch of crazy...who...you!?

Me interviewing me..............Part one....

So when did you start your own business?

16th Feb 2008!

What did you do before you photographed 'stuff' for a living?

Well right now I wouldn't call it a living - ha the jokes, they are just gonna keep coming.  Ok no, sorry.  Well I graduated from uni & decided in fact, camera's may not be for me & fashion was my thing.  It still is but after working in the marketing dept. of a photo studio and then helping out with the fashion design in a formal menswear studio for folks such as Ted Baker, French Connection and River Island I felt my creative buttons were just not being fully pressed.  There was more out there & once I realized it was my choice to do photography I decided to take it.

Your choice?  Was it a creative path you were forced down?

Not at all.  But i think there is a lot of pressure for students to 'do something' with their degree immediately after leaving & its not always that easy.  Plus you need to do it because you want to not because you feel you have to.  It was after somebody said to me, you know it doesn't matter if you dont do photography for a living, no one is going to judge you either way - that I thought yea, its just me that I need to consider.  I laid off myself for a while and thats when it seemed to happen!

So getting back to your student days, was there a lot of guidance in terms of career management?

When I was there we had some great opportunities and I wished I would have utilized them better.  It is a time when at minimum cost and with maximum support you can get yourself out there & start getting involved.  I didn't do as much as I could have.  

What do you miss about University?

The complete and total freedom.  I don't think there will ever be another point in my life where I can completely concentrate on the kind of fine art and fashion and personal photography that I did there.  I used the projects and the freedom to explore emotions I was feeling at that time & things I had or was dealing with.  I really used photography as a way of exploring my own emotions and creating some answers or at least closure for those questions that remained open at that time. 

Do you still use photography like that & undertake personal projects?

I still try and dedicate a lot of time to doing personal work but it just has to get put on the back burner as financially its not so viable.  I do try to do a purely personal shoot once every 3 months, the thing is I really tend to get involed and it often takes me 3 months to create the final brief in my head so it can take longer.  It also depends what else I have on.

Well after interviewing myself I feel there is more to come and well possibly, there is a a little more humor to be injected beside the fact I am actually interviewing myself!

Part two to follow guys......oooo hold onto your baseball caps, sock hats and bowlers.....

Where have all the posts gone.....

  

(Ooooold skool pics!)

Well it has been a while...too long in fact.   There I was today raving on about how I loved to blog and thought that facebook, blogging and twitter was a really important part of my business and I am rejecting them!!  Boo hiss to me.  

Lots of little bits to catch up on I suppose.......First things first PR shoot went ok and even though it was food photography which tends to be a bit yawn friendly it was actually a good shoot and I was relatively pleased with the images.  Look out for the pics in magazines such as Sunday Telegraph supplement, Women's Own and some others I am not sure of the name of, but generally that kind of market and where recipe features may appear!  

On the more exciting or rather poop my pants front today a friend (fellow photographer as well) went into our old Uni and had a chat to some lively students about how we had found the transition from baked bean eating twenty something to a baked bean eating twenty something and a bit older also calling themselves a professional photographer.  It was really interesting actually to hear the types of questions being asked and questions I have myself all the time.  It also made me think about my student life and how I have started.  Not sure if you guys are aware of where I have come from (no not the bird and the bee's edition) but thinking a history lesson over the next couple of days may be in order.  I will post random facts about my student and 'becoming professional' life before I started this dear blog and it was all here for you to read at your own leisure.  Photography at Uni was my way of expressing a lot of emotion I was feeling then and things that have impacted heavily on my future and I still think about now so be interesting to see where that gets us.

Oh, noticed the sponsor bar at the top of the page?!  YES crazy me is doing a 120ft abseil down the side of an office block (in Reading - oh the views!) to raise money for charity.  All the cash goes to British Red Cross and will supply more ambulances for the South so get donating and allowing those lovely docs and nurses to treat us quicker.

More interesting pic, fashion and 'me me me updates to follow.... this weekend I am making an effort to blog every day/night!  (Not sure how the gentleman I am seeing at the weekend will feel about that but he has been pre-warned about my love affair with my laptop so time to test those waters.)

Night crazy kids x