The peace and tranquility of the beach at Platja d'aro must be the attraction !

"Its nice to be back in the UK" we know how to use umbrellas in August !

Taken on my recent break this pic makes me smile !

Its very busy on the Ramblas as this pic goes to show, the locals tell me that many of the residents have moved out on holiday and this is a quiet time in the city.

This Barcelona resident looks very busy to me.

Until the next exposure...

Sometimes shape is more important than form.

How do you spell silhouettes again ?

Until the next exposure...

Although this image is 95% black I think the texture and lighting help to make it special.
The image is a micro landscape of a very popular photographic location in the north east of england and despite the seascapes and wildlife shots I created on my last shoot I believe
this is the best shot from my time up north.

The image has been tweaked a little in the computer but major surgery was not required, I am still no nearer the end of the "The Great North Edit" and I'm leaving for another shoot soon, I do hope that more little treasures like this one are still to be discovered on my
remaining memory cards.

Until the next exposure...

I have just received some good news!
It would appear that a picture of mine has been shortlisted for a major photographic award.
Sadly I am not sure how short the short list is but I do know that more than 20,000 entries
were received by the organisers, so even to get this far is quite an achievement.
Should the image be successful I will win £10,000 pounds and a massive amount of kudos, I have not started spending the lucre just yet as there is a long way to go.

The awards will not be announced until November so I thought I would post this pic (this is not the entry) to celebrate my minor victory.

I think I will buy a lottery ticket this weekend and see if I can beat the long odds again.

Until the next (November) exposures...

It would appear that angels come in all shapes and sizes and for those who believe offer protection and comfort.
We all need one from time to time.

This angel overlooks a whole region and I believe raises the spirits of many.

Until the next exposure...

I have just realised that I have now been working on the images from my shoot in the North East
twice as long as I took to capture the images and the end is not even in sight.
What can I learn from this ?
I could take fewer pix, I could learn to edit quickly, I could stop using HDR or could learn to be more patient.
The latter seems to be my only option as I believe the results below can only be obtained
slowly. I have less than 12 pix I am really happy with so far, this is one of them.

I could never of achieved this look with film, this digital stuff is very "canny" as they say
in these parts.

Save the planet, re-use this and recycle that.

Those who work hard for a modest living have been doing it for years as this picture proves.

This is one of my personal pictures from my recent shoot on the Northumberland coast, it was taken on Holy Island and depicts old fishing boats that have been converted into storage sheds.

Until the next exposure...

Day 2 of the Great North Edit and I have come across this and thought I'd share it.

It may be a little quirky for some but I'm quite fond of it, as they say "less is more" .

Until the next exposure...

Following a hectic time in the North East I am finally back in Gloucestershire.

I made over 700 exposures and have not even looked at most of the shoot, I would expect to end up with 200ish pictures for publication. The Northern welcome was warmer than I remembered and
the chosen locations even more photogenic than I realised.

I was also fortunate enough to catch up with some of my "old" friends and managed to create
some great images. I have posted one below and will post more when I have edited the whole shoot.

This is Dunstanburgh Castle viewed from the North.

Until the next exposure...

I wonder if you can remember the first time you ever collected shells, pebbles and other
little treasures from a beach ?

You probably collected a bucket full and only realised that some of them were not as good as
they looked until you got them home. The beachcombing trips that followed probably involved
fewer "treasures" but the general quality of your bounty improved until adulthood when only
exceptional gifts from the sea would be worthy of the physical effort of bending to collect them. Now you probably never take gifts from the sea at all.

What has this to do with photography ? Everything !

Until the next exposure...

Having noticed a gap in my diary I will be heading back to my native North-East in the near future to photograph many of the things I have missed, being based in the South-West.

I have never pointed a lens at the Angel of the North, The Baltic, The Sage or the new bridge
and I am also looking forward to re-acquainting myself with the castles of Lindisfarne,
Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh a little further north.

When I lived in Newcastle I thought most of these subjects to be a little cliched to be worthy of any serious effort although I used all of them as backgrounds for commercial shoots at one time or another.

Having planned the trip I will be greeting each sun-rise,camera ready at about 4.30am in order to increase my chances of returning with something worthwhile, the safe crossing times of Holy Island are equally anti-social.

So I am unable to describe this journey "home" as a jolly as I think the schedule I have planned is quite demanding, it will be good to visit these iconic locations that have been
taken for granted by me despite the part they have played as a backdrop to my life in the
North East of England and finally pay them the respect they deserve.

So why am I going to all the trouble and expense of making this trip ?

The clue is in the title.

I have not shot a wide angle portrait for ages, so when confronted with a unusual subject I decided to go W I D E !

Until the next exposure...

www.paparazzistyle.co.uk

I thought I would warn fellow bloggers and photographers about this company!
I recently purchased an item from this London based company, when the item was not as shown
I asked for details to return it, only to discover that the Item should be returned to Germany.
and I would have to pay the shipping.
The compny had already charged me two lots of postage one from London and one from Bayern.
My goods were delivered in one package from Bayern.
The customer service I have received is equal to that of the Monty Python dead parrot sketch
as they do not acknowledge that a product of inferior quality was sold.
The companys rep Serena has not returned my email, leaving me no alternative but to put this one down to experience !
I believe this company has a presence on ebay and distributes Walimex products from Germany,
My advice to you all is to give this company a wide berth as I spent almost £200 with this company and had planned to spend more in future, this company can not be trusted to deliver what they promise.

I made the mistake of believing that others took customer service as seriously as I do at
Paparazzistyle.

Anyone want to buy a naff tripod head ?

While out and about the other day I passed a house that had twenty or more old trucks parked in the large garden. I realised the photographic potential of these great icons of transport that had once seen better days immediately and plucked up the courage to ask the owner if it would be okay to take a few pictures.
Thankfully he agreed.

Thanks to Kieth for his help and the cup of tea, until the next exposure...

A respected friend and photographer asked me the other day "whats the point in offering fine art wedding photography when all most people want is painting by numbers ?".
At the time I laughed and disagreed and told him that wedding clients are becoming more
demanding and more switched on to visual styles than ever before.
He maintained his position comparing his business to that of Tesco, stack it high and sell it cheap !

In fairness he is very busy but I wonder for how much longer as anyone can price cut, the challenge for me is to create photographs that will be remembered long after the cost has been forgotten.

Until the next exposure...

We all have days when everything appears to go wrong (Groundhog days) !

Today wasn't like that, it was great, everything was great in fact it was so good I don't want it to end.

What I need to understand is what makes good days good and bad days so bad as they all start
off equal.

Until the next great day...

A new style of wedding photography is now available for those who are camera shy !

A album made up of photographs taken at other peoples weddings can be supplied at very
reasonable cost with spaces for couples to insert passport-style pictures to ensure the album
is fully personalised.

The bride and groom will not be troubled by a photographer, ensuring they can enjoy the wedding
day without interruption.

This service is available from the first of April for a limited time and brides should make
sure that guests bring four passport photographs to the wedding so they can feature in more than one picture. The bride and groom should provide 16 passport pictures each as they will
feature in more pictures.

A sample page is featured below !

Until the next exposure...

www.paparazzistyle.co.uk

I came across this view the other day, It may be vandalism but I can't describe it as mindless!

Photographing very young children is always a challenge, I created this image which shocked and delighted. The image was created in photoshop and no babies were hurt in the making of this image.

Until the next exposure...

I attended a lecture recently on marketing wedding photography by one of the country's most
successful photographers, it was an interesting experience.

I believe that despite being a very experienced photographer I can always learn more as visual styles change and the demands of the market evolve.

One of the suggestions that came out of the lecture involved costs and how they should feature on a photographers web-site. The advice from the speaker was quite clear that prices should not be displayed on-line ensuring that clients should only be given this information face to face.

This may well prove to be good advice from a commercial point of view however when I am
planning a purchase I like to know what is what at the earliest opportunity and not be drip fed information.I am pleased to say that at Paparazzistyle our pricing is totally transparent
we do not use come and get me prices and then try to upgrade a sale, all of our prices are inclusive although traveling expenses are added when necessary.

You will find all of our prices displayed on our web-site www.paparazzistyle.co.uk this
enables our clients to manage their wedding budget from a very early stage it also maintains
my reputation and integrity.

At paparazzistyle we are proud of our pictures and our prices, we have nothing to hide !

Until the next exposure...

www.paparazzistyle.co.uk

The location for your wedding photography is important and should reflect your own style,
however the quality of light available on the day is my main interest before arriving at the
location.
Most people believe that a sunny day is ideal for your wedding day however nothing could be
further from the truth as a photographer I like to work on bright days with plenty of cloud to diffuse the unflattering effects of the naked sun.
The location is really down to personal taste although thought should be given to the amount of space available for photography, country churches can be a bit of a tight squeeze for large
group shots and provision should be made for these pics to be taken at the reception venue.
The other thing to consider is the big question of "what happens if it rains?" does the venue your considering have a indoor area that is both suitable and large enough to accommodate your
photography requirements should the weather turn.

The location for the picture below was created with photoshop it does not exist in reality
although the wood the arch and the bride are real enough I just could not get them all at the same place at the same time.

Until the next exposure...

Although I am a Gloucestershire based photographer, I am a native of the North East.

While everyone is caught up in the Valentines day mularky I thought I would mention that
ten years ago today Antony Gormleys "Angel of the north" first appeared alongside the A1
in Gateshead.

Any of you who have visited this blog before probably think this is an excuse to post a pic of
the great lady, however I regret to say that I have never taken the time to photograph this
amazing piece of art.(I may rectify this soon).

I remember the local press of the time shouting about the waste of public funds and a number
of Gateshead residents expressing concerns about TV reception. I believe that this instalation
was the seed for everything good that has happened on the south side of the Tyne Bridge in recent times.
The Sage and the Baltic to name just two.

So happy birthday to a great icon of the north I lookforward to seeing you soon.

How many is enough?

That is the question I have been asking myself, I was quite happy when I had six and now I have ten and I don't feel that much better and I certainly don't need anymore.

What am I talking about ? MEGAPIXELS !

Having just acquired a new digital camera at the end of last year I was surprised to see that it was being superseded by a 14 mega pixel model only months after my purchase.

The chairman of the camera company was asked "why" 14 megapixels. I thought his answer was
quite revealing as he indicated that he thought 10 megapixels was enough for most users
however the new 14 megapixel product came about as his company could only purchase the larger
chip in the quantities required.

The tail is wagging the dog and I think the dog may soon bite back. The spec of most DSLR
cameras is already over the top, I wonder if we are already reaching the plateau of truly
useful spec so soon in the evolution of the digi-cam ?

Is bigger better ?

Not always...

Following the show at Dewstow I have received a number of emails from people who want to check my availability for this year and next. As a creative person it is always nice to see how people respond to the images I create.

I would like to thank all of you who took the time to view my work and say Hi .

The other good thing to come from the day was the opportunity it gave me to meet other
suppliers and photographers that I had not come across before including the "Chimney Sweep"
who was the life and soul of the party.

I also received an enquiry from outside the UK this week but I do not think this is due to
the Dewstow show but you never know!

Until the next exposure...

Its time for our first wedding show of the year.
We will be at Dewstow on Sunday (tomorrow) and look forward to meeting those of you who can make it.
If you are unable to attend take a look at our website www.paparazzistyle.co.uk.

Until the next exposure...

A rainbow is an icon of optimism and riches if you believe in the pot of gold legend.
What happens if you break one?

This rainbow has been broken many times and reconstructed. I think the breaks make it stronger.

What do you think?

Until the next exposure...

I believe that the harder I work the luckier I become and the effort I put into a picture
is usually reflected in the final result.

Occasionally the pictures feel as if they are just given as gifts and all you have to do is open the lens and collect them.

Unfortunately it does not happen as often as I would like, but it did on this occasion.

Until the next gift...

No, but I've got a dark brown overcoat !

Wet, Wet, Wet.

Until the next exposure...

I recently received an email from Natasha asking the question above.
This made me realise that unless you have seen our finished books first hand then neither this
blog or my web-site really convey this information very well, I shall try and rectify the situation today.

A. Each book features its own dust jacket which features a design of the clients choice.

B. The layout of the images in the book is totally flexible allowing the use of double page
spreads.

C. Each page is printed like a coffee table book, we do not use old fashioned overlays. Each
book is a printed one-off.

D. Beneath the dust jacket the book is bound with bonded leather in a choice of colours.

E. Each page can feature more than one image of various sizes allowing us to use unique
designs. We do not use fixed templates to design your book.

I hope this helps people understand our service a little better, however I believe that
the only way to appreciate the quality of this product is to see it first hand.

I would like to thank Natasha for her question and welcome questions from anyone regarding
our services.

PS. Our photography contributes greatly to making our books special!

Until the next exposure...

I'm not sure if this is a compliment or not.
A first time visitor to my web-site www.paparazzistyle.co.uk described my work as "fabulously
different" I may use this description on my publicity in future.

Although I'm not shy about beating my own drum, I don't think I would ever of described my work
in that way.

Thank you Simone for your kind words.

Until the next exposue...

The big day for lovers is only a month away. To celebrate the occasion we are offering
couples the chance to book a portrait session that will not only be a fun thing to do but
will serve as a permanent reminder for the future.
The portraits will be black and white and created at a location of your choice indoors or out
and be of a relaxed candid nature (Paparazzistyle). Its got to be better than a box of chocs!

Should you require more information drop me an E-mail.

This could be the Valentines gift you've been looking for.

Today I went for a walk to get some fresh air and took a few pix, I've posted one of the the shots below.

Until the next exposure...

Visitors to the web-site www.paparazzistyle.co.uk may have noticed that I can now only be
contacted by e-mail.
The thinking behind this is to ensure clients have seen my work before checking my availability
and that I am not driving or behind a camera when you make your initial enquiry.
I am then able to check my bookings before contacting you ensuring that your booking can be discussed at a mutually convenient time.

It also means that I will probably be given fewer opportunities to buy double glazing and other
things I do not need.

Until the next exposure...