Local Press Life

On the beach...

Was down at the beach today, one "owned" by the National Trust. I'm down there regularly, shooting for the paper. Took pics of a big sponsored walk event that was hapening while i was there. The job was a portrait of a local musician, Dale Grundle, formerly of the Catchers who were seen at a time touring round europe with the likes of Oasis and Pulp. check him out here.

large camera bag appeared, and the national trust 4x4 raced to the scene, demanding an explanation and that a fee would have to be paid.......  "Thats OK, i'll go somewhere else".

thinking to myself, I'll delete the pics ive shot of the sponsored walk on the beautiful strand, and we'll do the story without a shot, and you can just pay to advertise in the paper instead.... :o(

anyway, heres Dale, on the hill overlooking the Strand, with mussenden temple, on the cliffs in the distance. 1.5 stops under ambient, with flash on a stand, ettl with ste2.

Its a hard life....

...but, hey, somebody has to do it!

Had to go cover a fashion show in Town tonight, and to be honest, i couldnt be bothered. had a few long days in a row, and the usual 'fashion' nights round these parts are, well, rather dull.

Happy days, they'd got in models from one of the Norths top agencies, inc the current and past Miss N.Ireland. ahhh.  Some days you just have to smile, and be happy.

We actually won....

Well, i suppose it had to happen sooner or later. After a really dissapointing start to the season, My home team actualy won a cup last night!

I hate going to cover night games there, as the lights are bloody really terrible. We're talking iso3200 1/200 @ f2.8  and thats in the bright bits, and about 1 stop under..........

Friday night....

Another week gone, and what better way to finish a shift, than shooting a footie match. Every time i cover a game, i feel so lucky to be there at the side of the pitch, with the best view in the park, and that all the people there have had to pay, and i get to swan in for free. Class. anyhoo, heres a shot from tonights game, it was 2-0 to Glebe Rangers when i left! 

Shoe designer

Had a shot to do today, of a well known shoe designer, who left the bright lights of London, and moved to the small rural community of Glenullin in Co. Derry. Her parents were from there originally, so thats why. i think.

Was an interesting shot to make. My good wife is a confirmed 'shoeaholic', so i kind of approached the job with that in mind. I got quizzed when i got home.....  along with a "zoom in to that pair'" kind of thing when she saw the pics. LOL. One big brolly, camera right, to light up everything, and light from the window, camera left, as fill.

Creative blanks...

Some days you just cant get the creative juices flowing, which is a shame, because i get paid to have freely flowing creative juices....

Sometimes its through the constraints of time, or subjects arent really up for it, or maybe you just cant face it!  but its times like that, when you just have to get a shot, any shot, and not worry. One such picture yesterday evening. it had been a long day, and an extra booking came in for some pics of a newly crowned world champion rower.  after loads of the usual group pics, unveilings, etc, i had a second or two to grab a quick portrait.  so quick it was, and quick it looks!

Photo briefs....

They call them brief, because thats what they are. a basic instruction, person, place, time,and a line like "interesting angle, pr style"

apart from that its up to you, although you know that ,really, its not at all, and you have to shoot a pic in a style a client likes.  Had such a job today, a freelance job for a paper in Dublin, to shoot a portrait of a Marine Archeologist (sp?)  He wasnt up for a quick trip to the coast, or anywhere apart from the office, actualy. oh well. after a bit of scrounging around the store room produced a cool prop.  was quite pleased with this one.

Luck??

Sports photography is a funny thing. At times it can be impossibly difficult and theres times it happens in front of you and all you have to do is click. I've been told by many people thats its dead easy, especially with modern AF systems etc..........  maybe they havent tried it!

I think its a mixture of luck and skill, perhaps more luck. although saying that, you have to take the shot when you see it, its no good a split second later.  This shot was luck, i was tracking the player with the ball, when he got hit hard by the other team and they all ended up in a pile. I think it looks like some sort of sculpture.  300mm again.

A wee change.

After a long morning, photographing kids who've just started school this year, i had a late job come in to shoot a sponsor pic for a local surfer, John McCurry.  What a relief to work with someone who doesnt need everything to be sooooo exiting and smiley, just to get him to stand still...........

Got a few snaps of him on the rocks with his board etc, to keep sponsors happy with visible Gul logos and the like, and as the waves were so good, in he went, and i got a few action pics while i was at it! happy days. 300mm+1.4TC and a 20D for the extra reach, shot from Blackrocks in Portrush, Co. Antrim

Flash on a stand

Well after my previous post on flash on a stick, this time its flash on a stand.

now, because the bulk of the people we photograph with the paper, have been photographed many times before, (usually by photographers in a mad hurry), when time comes to make a bit more of an effort, they tend to look at you like your mad.  The new principal at a local grammar school seems to have taken it upon himself to improve the quality of pics we get at the school. Gone are the days of a quick group pic on the school steps, and in with the same shot, but in the setting of attractive school grounds.

I asked him if he did a bit of snapping himself, but no, he just thought the standard pic on the steps was rubbish.

YAYYYYYYYY!!!!  How often does that happen!  His school is now on my list of fave places to go take pics.

anyway, had to pop up and get a quick portrait of him for last weeks paper, so in the spirit of making an effort, i dispensed with my usual ' flash at arms length, or on a monopod', and stuck it on a stand.... he didn't bat an eyelid..........   exposure set for background -1/2 stop. Subject in the deep shade, so no ambient light to speak of.  I really enjoy my job, and guys like this make it easy. Cheers Mr. Principal.