I went down to London at the weekend to attend a workshop led by the photographer Craig Fleming who has had several entries in the Portrait Photographer of the Year Award in the past. It was a chance to watch his process, ask questions and spend some time in a studio environment which is rare for me. The model was Laurie Delaney who was fantastic to shoot and made it easy to make some portraits I was pleased with. Craig created a very relaxed and open atmosphere so no question felt too basic and it was easy to follow his lead.
People
Cor Tadau Trisant at St Davids Cathedral
Cor Tadau Trisant, a male voice choir from the Llantrisant area sang in the St Davids cathedral on the 17th June. I took a few pics of the concert for the choir and stuck around longer than I’d planned as the sound of a great choir in the cathedral is such a lovely thing. The choirmaster and soloists had all met as part of Only Men Aloud! who gained prominence after winning the Last Choir Standing competition run by the BBC in 2008. They performed a mix of traditional and more modern songs from the musicals and recent pop songbook. The cathedral is a lovely place to take pictures and it’s always a pleasure to make a collection of images from events that take place there.
Milan - San Remo 2023
A short trip out to San Remo to watch the end of one of the ‘monuments’ of pro cycling; the Milan - San Remo. The race finishes in the centre of town and it’s a great place to spend a few days; exploring (getting lost in) the sprawling alleyways of the old town, cycling along the brilliant coastal cycle path and venturing up into the hills that rise up behind the town for lunches in hilltop villages and some great cycling routes. A chat with the olive oil guy in the market was also a must-do for a stay in Italy.
I was trying to get some shots inspired by my hero of cycling photography, Jered Gruber but soon realised a motorbike and a press pass is the necessary to really tell the story of the day! Obvious I know!
It was still fun to get a few shots of the race, including Mathieu van der Poel winning on his own. Aside from the action it was lovely to be surrounded by the beautiful buildings of this once grand tourist destination and get some images that hopefully convey the atmosphere of a few sunny Spring days on the Ligurian coast.
Autumn in the Orchard
Here’s some pics from a quick Autumnal family shoot in the orchard in a slight rush before the rain came. Both boys are keen on pulling faces so it was a challenge to get some natural looking shots but we got there in the end by the combination of shooting a ton of shots and some patience! Contact me if you’d like a shoot for a special day or just a fun hour messing about picking apples!
Slocan Ramblers - Live music returns to St Davids
I found myself with a smile on myself processing these images. It’s been a while since I shot any live music and it was really nice to get back on it with the fantastic Slocan Ramblers who returned to St Davids for a second time. Anytime I see bluegrass music performed live I’m certain that it’s the best music on the planet. The Slocan Ramblers are ridiculously talented players with great songs to go with the talent so it was lovely to listen and take some shots of them performing at this Boia Gigs event which has been on hiatus due to Covid etc.
Summer Wedding in St Davids
Some images from a summer wedding outside St Davids on a perfect sunny day on the coast. It was a real pleasure to shoot Alex and Debs wedding in a stunning spot. I’m taking booking for weddings in 2023 so please get in touch if you’d like me to take pictures on your special day.
