Two Weeks

Is it really two weeks since my last blog. Deary me that is not good.

Well let's have a recap and I will expand on areas that I think have been interesting in a separate entry.

Well the first thing that I was working at the Eden Project near St Austell for 5 days after Easter. This was - once again - a great privilege. The briefs were interesting and challenging. I also had time to achieve some ideas I had in mind.

However I did suffer a couple of catastrophes:

1. I broke the filter on the end of my 24-105mm lens (I say broke - more like shattered to smithereens). If you have read my top tips you will know that it is there to protect the lens and it did - so it did not die in vain! Just need to buy a replacement (£55) think it'll go onto the birthday list! The accident that caused that to break bent the pin/plug on the remote timer but I straightened it and it seems to be working! Fingers crossed. But might see if I can get my hands on spare cables.
2. When I started the first time-lapse the battery in the transmitter had died. Get new batteries then - easy! Ha ha ha not so fast my friendly readers. To get to the battery you need the tiniest screwdriver in the world to remove three screws. So after a trip to a Cornish optician and a shop that sells CR2032 batteries I have now added CR2032s and a tiny screwdriver to my kit bag! The battery failure on that first day meant that I had to do the time-lapse 'old school' - ie pushing the shutter myself at irregular intervals - as a result I can see the camera movement and people are very random as they pass through the scene because I was not as good at consistency as the equipment is. The result at the end of the day was a  very achy arm!

One of the briefs was for some product shots - including some bird feed imaginatively called 'Peck and Mix' I decided to be adventurous, set myself up in the Mediterranean Biome (the lighting was lovely and I had seen quite a few birds in there) opened up the bag of feed and waited. A robin, blackbird and blue tit all obliged - but I loved this one of the blue tit sitting on the packaging.

This week I have - whilst suffering with a rather stinking cold - undertaken three photo shoots. An engineering company, a Health and Safety advisor and a Physiotherapist. more will follow about that work and images to share.

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New Blood - Burton and London

An exhibition panel of my recently commissioned work (Olympics and Eden) has been created. These panels have then been exhibited in Cooper's Square, Burton and at the New Blood exhibition at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London.



Cooper's Square, Burton

Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London

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New Blood

Getting quite excited about my work being exhibited at New Blood next week. New Blood showcases the best in graphic design, visual communication, advertising, digital media, illustration, photography and other commercial creative arts. There will be extraordinarily talented people showing their work to interested people who are looking to commission work. Very pleased to have the opportunity to talk to people about my portfolio and the future direction of my work.



The logo for the exhibition has a postively vampiric feel to it! Rapture.



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Business card redesign

I bit the bullet and ordered 200 new business cards. I have paid a premium for them as I would like them to arrive before I go down to London on Thursday next week. They should arrive on Tuesday.

After doing my research on what to put on the front of my cards I decided on this design:

The front

The back of the card will have one of 40 different images. I don't know who is going to pick up my business cards so address is just as important as twitter, facebook or website. The QR code takes you straight to my website.

All set for exhibition next week and portfolio review with Le Book and Making Pictures.

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Odyssey arrives

The UPS man arrived with my bundle of joy. The book looks so much better as an 80 page book. Right time to bubble wrap it up and send it to Matt at the Eden Project.

Feeling very proud of myself today.

Bubble wrapped and ready to go

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New Blood - D&AD

I have been asked to exhibit at the New Blood show at the end of June. Very excited about this. I will be prepare these images from the Olympics brief:.

and these from the Eden Project brief: 

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Missed my UPS man

I was out getting work and missed my UPS delivery. Never mind they will try again tomorrow.

I am really looking forward to receiving these books. Client has just emailed to say yes please can they have more than one copy of the book and also there may be further opportunities during the summer.

This week started a bit rough but has turned out rather spiffing with all sorts of opportunities popping up.

The highs and lows of life I guess.

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UPS package tracking

My Eden Odyssey book left Brussels this morning at 5.25am and should arrive at my door before 5pm tomorrow. I love technology.

I'm very excited about receiving this book as there is a possibility that I will be exhibiting it at a show in June.

More news to follow.

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Eden Odyssey - update

11.5.11

The feedback I am receiving concerning my Eden Odyssey book is so good that I have decided to update it, add a few more images, add a little bit more text and have it printed on better quality paper. I am then going to send the digital marketing team at the Eden Project a copy.

Thanks to all those that have given me feedback and shown me ways to improve what I had created. Books have been ordered and should be here within the next week.

In the meantime my new business cards have arrived which feature images from the Eden Odyssey Book.

Beautiful

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Captain's log

Star date 140511 ... ... ... ... been watching some star trek sorry about that.

Eden Odyssey updated book has been shipped. It's very exciting ordering all this stuff. The anticipation. The joy. The sense of achievement.

The most recent arrivals are gorgeous. (Business cards and postcards). The only thing not to love is the hit my bank account takes.

When I look back at the first set of Business Cards I had made I am slightly embarrassed when I compare them to these. But we all have to start somewhere. Perhaps I should be cruel and put the old ones up in the loft.

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Odyssey - a hit

The book I created to showcase my Eden Project images arrived yesterday - delivered in a huge UPS van. I opened it with great expectation and excitement. I was concerned that the overlap I had put onto images that bleed across the gutter of some of the pages was going to be too generous. I need not have worried - they looked perfect. In fact the whole book looks wonderful and I will post an image of it soon along with feedback I receive. I am taking it to show off tomorrow morning at my Business Network meeting.  

Feedback:

"This is the best book you have made so far".

"Oh this is lovely".

"Can you buy this at Eden? My wife would love it and we are going soon".

"Delightful".

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Eden Odyssey Book

How to showcase the Eden Project work? I want to see it all together, telling a story - so I created a book.

I have shown this set of images using my i-pad a few times during the last week but realise this is not enough, it does not tell the story properly - it needs to go into a book. I will find out the Eden Team's email contact and send them this link to the book on Blurb.

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Eden odyssey

Processing images from Eden Project and refining my edit. Loving them as a collection of images. Uploaded some to my website and put them all onto my I-pad. This will give me the chance to make a fourth edit before sending them to Eden for their use.

Here are my favourites:

The Biomes:

Eden at Sunset

The Core, Mediterranean Biome and Rainforest Biome



The Roof of The Core



Rainforest Biome

The Birds:

Thrush



Robin itching



Thrush



Thrush Nest Building


The Plants:

Tulip



Always something growing at Eden



Ferns

People and Things:

Wendy Tailor - story teller and singer



WEEE man



Sculpture



Gardeners Shed



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Ph Fi Da

Photography Filled Days

What a fantastically photography filled few days I have had and four more to come.

Thursday I was in the studio assisting on a product shoot for country-ware clothing. Ended the day with hands that smelled of waxy jackets.

Friday I was photographing 24 students at Roundhills Community College for their new college prospectus. Beautiful day, wonderfully behaved students and some pretty decent shots.

Saturday I processed the images and dealt with the necessary paperwork.

Sunday was a day without photography apart from having my photograph taken at the Ashby Town Council Civic Service at St Helens Church, Ashby. Oh I also delivered the paperwork and DVD with all images to my client.

Then I started packing in preparation for the journey to the Eden Project in the morning. Camera bag full to overflowing, items logged, serial numbers noted, cables already spaghettifying. Chocks away.

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Roundhills Community College Students



Science



Cookery



Music

Still Films

Quite interested in the idea of still films. DuckRabbit has some simple but stunning ideas on this idea. This is something I want to do for the Photo-Canopy brief when I visit the Clay works and the Landfill. I will also be doing some personal projects on the heritage of my local area and this would be a lovely way to show the work on the website.

Although this is not a new idea - it is a lovely way of adding layers to photography. 

Equipment and Training

Oral History practitioners in the East Midlands have suggested a Zoom H1 with an accessory kit as cost effective good starting point for this idea. I have organised to receive some training from East Midlands Oral History Archive. 

Zoom H1

Accessory Kit

Watch this space as this idea develops.

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