Lomography

The amount I bang on about taking good pictures on a funsnap you would think I would be shaking with glee and trawling the web for anything with the word lomo on it.

Instead, I really hate the name LOOOMMMMOOOOGRAPPHY! I dont even know why it bugs me so much.

I like the concept of taking good pictures on old camera's. Even good pictures with rubbish toy camera's. But what I dont like is people taking crap pictures with crap camera's. If you look at a lot of so called Lomo photography its all just a pile of cack! Its almost like if it looks crap then its lomo!!!! What a pile of old tosh!! Part of the theory behind lomo is not to think but just to shoot without taking time to compose the image. Balls!!!!! So when Tracey and Stacey go out on the piss with their little camera's they will come back with the best drunken Lomo Photography ever! After all they wont be composing anything, will they!

I had a camera once that was cheap and took a number of images in a sequence. It was plastic, the lense was cack but it was loads of fun to use.

This very camera is considered to be a lomo camera now! I think I just hate the thought of people thinking they are artistic because they just snap something they see and it will look cool because it looks so cack! I read one Lomo photographers philosophy that he doesnt compose his photo's but lets them compose themselves. It makes me want to weep when I hear crap like this.

So you Lomo ITES, call it what you want, but its still just a pile of horse nuts!!!!

And believe you me, any so called Lomo photo's you see that are good were composed just like us proper photographers do!

To sum up!!! I hate the name!!! I hate the philosophy!!! I hate people who think they are great photographers when they are not!!! HOWEVER........ I do love crappy cameras with a bit of character, wood, plastic, metal, I love them all when they are used well!

Back soon

Just taking a couple of days off, after a busy time to recouperate!
Keep an eye out and I shall be back by Wednesday!!!!

Colour Photjournalism

A misconception when a lot of people think of photojournalism is that it must be in gritty black and white for it to work. This just isnt true and sometimes the colour adds to the story rather than detracting from it. Although I work mainly in black and white, sometimes in certain lighting with certain colours present, it would be awful to rob that colour away.

Its in those situations that I do actually work in colour for a change!

For life not just for Christmas

It was quite a few years ago I decided I would like a tattoo. Rather than going to MIKES TATTOO's in Carlisle I figured I would go down to London and have an original design. My friend Mr Doyle told me he knew a guy very skilled in this art. Off I went to meet my good friend and he took me to quite a small flat where I was greeted by a Romanian girl and her boyfriend. I walked into the small room and was shown my design.The guy who looked like someone from limp bisquit then sat me down in an old chair and begun piercing my pink flesh as marcus received a massage from the romanian.I somehow appreciated how seedy all this seemed! Like I wasn't just getting a tattoo but I'd nearly died doing it. I asked obvious questions like how did you learn how to do tattoo's. He told me he started early practicing on pigs feet! I wondered secretly if the romanian girl had also practiced her massages on the same pigs feet. I also wondered if these were live pigs that he had tattooed and that on some farm the coolest tattooed pigs would compare their designs. After a few hours I was ready to sport my new body art! After posing for a photo with the now naked romanian I left! I think Mr Doyle was quite heavily into his nude work at the time and I asked no questions. So did I regret this experience and did I regret getting my tattoo? Well I returned a year later to get the other arm done, if that answers your question!

The Look of Love

I must mention one of my favourite films of all time is "Somewhere in Time". As above Christopher Reeves Character falls in love with a picture of Jane Seymours character. To his horror after becoming obsessed with her, he finds out she is already dead!!! DUM DUM DUMMMMM!

Cutting to the chase, he finds a way to go back in time and later on in the film you see the very photo that he fell in love with being taken. It is just as Christopher Reeve walks in the room just behind the camera that she looks in love at him and the photo is snapped.

I think thats a really nice touch! That moment of love on her face was captured on a photograph and was on a wall 60 or 70 years later only for someone to become obsessed with it.

This is one of my aims as a photographer! Not for someone to feel the need to go back in time because they get obsessed with some bird I took a photo of! But to capture a moment that can never be repeated. A moment that can cause happiness to remember or like in Christopher Reeves case break your heart to look at.

Marcus Doyle Favourites

My Top Marcus Doyle Images (AT THE MOMENT)! Its probably no conincidence that most of these are in desert areas! I just love stuff like this!

Every one of these shots, I just want to be there. Odd really as they are all pretty barren! I want to be sitting in that chair on the bottom photo!!! I want that car to be my car and I've just travelled on that road only to run out of Gas! I want to be sitting in that Diner Contemplating life! I want to be a prisoner who has been transported in that plane who accidently killed a man. I want to be Placing one of those Flags on the fake Mars Surface only to be chased by the Government because I know too much!

I could go on! My interpretation of these photo's I'm sure will be different from everyone elses. You could have completely different stories than I have! But those are my stories, even the Artist Marcus will have his own for each shot! Beautiful work!

A Slow Recovery

I must be getting old! I'm still recovering from my Cowboy weekend away. I was told as soon as I went in my tent around 3.30am I started to snore like a pig. I was then up again at 7.30.

I remember when I was younger I could handle lack of sleep much better than I do now.

Never mind. Apologies for lack of much blog today. I will try and post more today.

Jeff Ascough again

I just thought I would mention Jeff Ascough again and provide a link to his website.
I really do think he has some great wedding work. Definately the best I have seen. Its nice as Ive said to have found another decent wedding photographer!
One slight problem I have with his work is just that all the brides are like models! Not all real people look like that. I'm not saying they arn't real. I'm just saying I have a good mix of brides on my website. More so than Jeff Ascough.

http://www.jeffascough.com/

Tufty

This advert makes me feel a bit old!!! That willy weasels a daft idiot though!

clock below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY8MR0ssk7c

Combovers dont get better than this

Kingpin combevers at their best click below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci6YPGQedr0

Cowboys Return

The Cowboys returned after a fantastic weekend on a farm in honour of our good friends Cruddace and his lovely girlfriend Gilly. It was great to see not only Cruddace and Gilly but other friends as well who I hadn't seen in a long time.

Hopefully I will see Mr Cruddace and Gilly again before they go back to Australia next week.

The Omega Man Vs I am legend

I recently watched the film I AM LEGEND, which I was really looking forward to, as I am a big fan of

THE OMEGA MAN. I was left disappointed with I am Legend. It had some good points, but my main problem with it was the Vampire type characters. I think there was something much scarier about the one in The Omega Man, as they could talk and had some humanity about them. The CGI Vampires in I am Legend were just monsters, which didnt look real. I think Phsyco humans with white faces are scarier myself. Have a watch of The Omega Man and see what you think.

Kingpin

Yet another Favourite Movie of mine is Kingpin. I'm not normally into really silly films, but this one is done in such a fantastic way with brilliant characters and fantastic acting.

The combovers have to be seen to be believed!!!

If I had a Hammer I'd be a Carpenter

All this talk of large format, film, developer ect!!!! It may seem I hate digital! I don't at all. Digital has its place in my photography as do other formats. If I hated digital why would I want a GR Digital? A GR Digital would have a great place in my camera collection. You wouldn't see me on a family holiday lugging a medium or large format camera about otherwise they would interfere with my holiday experience. Nor would I carry my digital slr on me at all times as it just isn't practical! I use digital slr for my weddings because its the best tool for that job! I would sometimes even use the GR Digital at a wedding.
Put it this way, if I was a carpenter, I wouldn't use a saw to hammer a nail in!!! If all a carpenter did was hammer nails in, the only piece of kit he would use would be a hammer. Its the same with any photographer that does more than one type of photography project or commission. I do weddings, portraits, Architecture, still life, beauty! Its not a case of jack of all trades, master of none, its commissioned photography jobs and I use the correct tools for each type of job. When it comes to my own projects I do exactly the same thing. If I want the best results I will use the most suited camera/film/digital/whatever is best! I may have ranted off a bit but its only because someone spoke to me only yesterday saying I was stuck in my ways because I still love film. Yes I love film, but only for the right work. Hope that clears things up a bit. Now give me my fun snap back you whore!

Jasons Gonna Get Me

Just realised that I'm going on a Camping trip and its Friday the 13th!!!! Here's hoping that I come back alive or you will be deprived of my wonderful words and pictures!!!!

Grand Theft Auto

Last night was a good night on Xbox live. We all played Grand Theft Auto as usual and it is definately one of the best games ever made for playing with your mates!

You can always know a good night on Xbox live when it reaches midnight and everyone is still playing!

I would buy an xbox 360 just for this game actually as I dont think I have laughed so much at my friends on any other game!

Anyone with an Xbox and Xbox live who hasnt yet purchased it, get it today!!!!

Withnail and I

I thought I better put one of my less Romantic favourite movies on here so you dont think I'm completely soft!

Withnail and I is one of the funniest films I have ever seen.

I have actually came accross a similar character to Monty. If you have seen the film you will know who I mean. Luckily I wasnt alone in a house in the country with my Monty Character!

He did however call me into a room and hand me some cash with nothing on but a grin! I had done some photo work for him and I think he was giving me the choice between cash or payment in kind! I chose cash!

If you have never seen the film, check it out! Its a Corker!!!!

Down On the Farm

This weekend I shall be going to a party! A party on a Farm! I have no idea where it is and I shall be camping or sleeping under the stars, depending if I can borrow a small tent or not! So today I have Adventure in my blood and a stride in my step. I must take some snaps of this wonderful adventure! I will post them on here for your pleasure.

Its my friend Cruddace's party as he is back from Australia for a short time.

A cheap Alternative

Yes for those of you photographers who have been considering buying the latest £3000.00 digital camera so as to improve the dynamic range of your images just hold on! There is an alernative and its like the difference between Pong and Xbox 360!! You can purchase a camera from asda with a much better dynamic range! Its about £3.00 and its called a fun snap! I do go on about fun snaps a lot don't I! Truthfully though it is kind of weird that even a fun snap has many strengths over the most expensive digital camera! As mentioned film has a much greater dynamic range than digital. You can also print the results on high quality fibre based paper that no inkjet paper even comes near in quality.
So let's all get fun snaps and take over the world! Let's stop the digital revolution right now!
I like digital really as you know and I use digital cameras myself. But I won't turn my back on film ever! The video game Pong is still good as well, although it will burn a static image onto your brand new 42 inch Lcd Screen!!!

What Format

One thing I really love about photography is all the different formats you can use! Not only that but all the different cameras as well. I have always believed as I've mentioned before that I could still take a fantastic image on a fun snap (disposable camera). Or a childs toy camera! (A one that really works though) I would love to have the time to do something with many different cameras. From fun snap to 10x8 and from film to digital! Pinhole camera's, you name it! I have used 35mm, 645, 6x7, but never 10x8. I love doing work with 6x7 as there are only 10 frames to use on a film. Yes with digital you can just shoot a load of shots and hope for the best, but where is the skill in that? There is a cost involved with film and more so with larger formats and I think this is the greatest problem with digital. Each frame costs you nothing, so the shot can become less precious than if you know you have to make it count. This is what appeals to me about 10x8! Just slowing things down and taking some thought. Dont get me wrong, I have to work fast and capture those moments before they are gone forever but in my personal work, whats the rush? You only have 1 sheet of film and one photo with large format! If its wrong its wasted film and of course money. I have the utmost respect for photographers that shoot on 10x8. My friend Marcus Doyle (pictured above) uses nothing but 10X8 and the quality of his images are outstanding. I myself would never use 10x8 for everything, but I would love to do a project using that format. Unfortunately I think the camera and lenses cost a fortune and I can't really rationalise the purchase for just one or two projects. I would love to do a series of portraits using this format as I know it is difficult to do. Maybe the next time Mr Doyle is visiting he will let me know what the cost involved would be and give me a go with his beast of a camera! Otherwise I will build one out of cardboard!
Actually Mr Doyle if your reading this how much would it be for a 10x8 camera and lense good enough to do some nice portraits? Vintage is fine! Any other tips you vould give would be great!

Man alive I know nothing about large format

I have been looking into maybe doing a portrait project on large format since my last post and I know nothing about what camera to try and get hold of, or what lense would be suitable for large format portraits. Its so far removed from what I have got used to and I would love to have a crack at it. I'm not interested in doing landscapes, just portrait. I understand it may be long exposures and also a narrow depth of field but that's about it. The sort of lense I would need would be something to do maybe waist up stuff and also some stuff to include a bit of the environment they are in for full length stuff. I don't mind vintage equiptment as long as it works! I don't want anything as crude as pinhole photography though! I don't want it that vintage! I also don't want it to cost much for the equiptment either! Am I asking too much? If any large format photographers are reading this and have a good idea of what I would need to get started please let me know.

Vanilla Sky

Another of my favourite film is Vanilla Sky. Once again visually I love it and its yet another love story. Maybe I'm a bit soft, but as I've said before I am a bit of a Romantic which is probably why I love doing Wedding Photography so much.

Its the fact this film shows that choices and actions that you take may seem little, but they can effect everything.

I do just love this film so much. Have a little look at this youtube trailer below for it, and buy it on Dvd. Its so good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LOUCUlo4bw

The Death of Poloroid

I found it really sad the other day when I attempted to look for some poloroid film. The poloroid photo's were going to be props in a shoot I was going to do. The stuff just isn't made anymore and the price of the remaining film has soared on places like ebay! Although doubtful film will die in the same way, it is hard to get hold of any decent film in high street shops here in Carlisle. Not that long ago I went to Jessops to buy some black and white Tri X. Not only did they have no TriX. They had no black and white film whatsoever. They had the remains of their film in a junk drawer, with no intention of restocking once it ran out.
Even harder to get was some film developer and some fixer! No chance, anywhere! What was worse was that the people working there had no idea what fix was! And so is the new generation of so called photography experts! They know much about megapixels, but nothing about photography whatsoever! Now I can get any of these items from the internet or mail order, but I used to love my little trips to Jessops and decide there and then what I wanted for that days shoot! I would be envied by the men that worked there and fancied by the girls! Now I'm just the freak that asks for things they have never heard of and would never stock, much like a character from little britain! Yes when I was a lad and worked in Boots we would get them in there. The weird chaps that would ask for all their music on an LP record long after tapes and Cds were all that remained! I'm just a lot more attractive than they were!

Great Expectations

If you wonder why i keep mentioning films, its because a lot of my influences come from films. I love great sets and am always looking out for ways to recreate my favourite movie moments.

Another of my favourite film is Great expectations 1998 version. I will post a couple of clips to show you why later on.

Once again the photography is great and its a really nice romantic film with some amazing scenes.

Check it out!

Headshots

Every couple of months I have regular work from a casting agent who takes on wannabe actors onto his agency after a short audition. This was a job I had to rush back from Alton Towers to do on Sunday. Its quite an eye opener seeing so many people hungry for fame. Some its so obvious that they will get nowhere. Others you can see potential there to star in the next episode of Hollyoaks. Its quite hard sometimes to get nice flattering headshots as many that audition dont seem to have made an effort at all. There is a makeup artist there, but I really dont know where they come from as sometimes it is just plain terrible looking. One man walked up for his headshot looking like a Ghost, he had that much white powder on! Even the guy that owns the agency spotted that one!

I do find it all interesting though and although its not my usual thing of capturing the moment, its a client I have had for 15 years and its flattering that he has never went elswhere for his shots. I wish all those wannabe actors all the best. The rest I will see the next time I order my double whopper with fries!

Travelling the world as Elvis

I read a really cool article in a photography magazine a few years ago about a couple of guys who travelled about dressed as Elvis. In their guitar cases was their camera equiptment and they just took photo's of each other in many different locations.

What a fantastic project! I have looked everywhere on the net to find any info about it and a few piccys to post on here but I just cant find anything.

If anyone knows where I can find the info about this, please let me know.

Coolest Characters

Ahhh Captain Kirk! I used to love watching the original Star Trek as a boy. I also watched all the other ones from Next Generation onwards. Actually that Star Trek Enterprise was a load of rubbish! I never watched much of that one!

Good ideas or just Good business ideas?

Its pretty well known that most photographers arnt the best at running a business. Most find it hard to stay true to their art without conforming to just trends that will bring in good revenue until the next trend comes along. I love doing weddings, but I have never followed any trend, as wedding photographs need to still be fresh in years to come. Luckily for me, without following trends I have managed to run a sucessful business for well over 10 years. I am also really good at doing portraits and this is a part of the business I should expand on really. I just find that there are so many gimmicks going on with portraiture, especially in Carlisle that it really puts me off making an effort to try and get that sort of business in. One nice little idea that's nothing new but someone has jumped on here in Carlisle is underwater babies. Basicly babies and children underwater. Our local press here goes crazy for stuff like that and they have received a nice bit of publicity for it. And it is capturing a special moment so I can appreciate it. I had thought about doing something similar myself. Too late now though!
I hope they get eaten by a shark!!!! Not really! Please don't complain! And well done to the photographer here in Carlisle thats doing it. Carlisle does need more than just the usual traditional portraits!

Alton Towers

Well I took my 11 year old daughter along with her friend, my wife, and my 4 year old daughter to Alton Towers as promised. I had intended to take a good few photo's but ended up preocupied trying to be the greatest dad in the world(something I have to prove regularly as I have the mug with it written on). We stopped over on the Friday night with intention of an early start the next day. Unfortunately it never worked out that way and we were stuck in stand still traffic for over 4 hours. We did make it eventually and while my wife took the birthday girl and her friend on the rides, I tried to win various stuffed toys for our youngest. A basket ball game won her a huge dog teddy on my first go! I then spotted the same game only with a huge shark as the prize. Of course I was under the illusion that I would win first time on this one as well. When I missed the first one, I was a bit surprised but not as much as my little one who then started to cry. 20 attempts later and her cry had developed into a tantrum while a huge crowd had gathered willing me on to get the ball in the basket! Cheering me on and even putting more money on the stall to see what would happen, the pressure was on. I could have carried on, but it seemed this shark was going to cost me a lot more than what it was worth. At which point I took my little girl by the hand and began to walk away in shame. The crowd chanted at the stall holder "GIVE HER A SHARK..GIVE HER A SHARK!" But alas we still walked away without the giant stuffed animal. A failure as a father I calmed her down to explain that you can't win all the time only to spot a stall that said WIN A PRIZE EVERY TIME. Of course I didn't tell my little girl this as I needed to restore my dad can do anything hero status. After getting a plastic ball into a cup (not a blue one for a medium sized teddy or the only gold one for a giant teddy) I was handed a small pirate stuffed toy which from the disapointment on my little girls face, I could see was not the one she had her eye on. 2 attempts later she was offered a swap for her three pirates teddys already in the bank to the one she wanted. She accepted and was handed over a pink George from Rainbow. Job well done I thought! My eldest daughter who's birthday it was, managed to get round only 4 rides as there is around an hour wait for each one. She enjoyed herself though, but I think next time we will go to Blackpool with no hour waiting time and hundreds more stalls for me to win badly made soft toys!!!! I may even get myself a kiss me quick hat for good measure!

Vincent Gallo

I cant really have this guy as one of my coolest characters, can I? CAN IIII?

Bufallo 66

If there's ever a film I would recommend its Bufallo 66! I really love everthing about it. Not only is it funny (not in a stupid way!) Its a really sweet love story. The two main characters are pretty child like and innocent. The fact Vincent Gallo's character doesn't like girls because they smell, says it all really.The photography has a really unique look to it in places as well. Definately worth watching!