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Now I really should know better. I’m the bloke who is paranoid about backing up Computers, Images, Databases, Emails…. everything really.

But we all drift off the right track sometimes, don’t we?

My latest excursion off the straight and narrow was at the weekend.

I was trying to write a new Blog. This is something that rarely produces anything of note. They are usually just links to the latest Galleries or they only feature my bland comments. I know my limitations!

However last Sunday afternoon whilst writing a new Blog I felt inspired (in my dreams, eh)!

I’d added a Gallery that featured some shots I’d taken of the Guernsey Snooker Masters Finals at the Gremlin Club.

As I was editing the pics I was remembering how difficult the sport can be to capture pics of.

Now you have to remember that I photograph many, many different Sports. I should be used to whatever challenge each one throws up. But when analyzing my Sports shoots there is a trend… most Sport photography is about split second timing. Nothing unexpected there. Then the environment is usually noisy and the play is fast paced. The skill is in being able to follow the action, anticipate the moves, make sure you are in the best place to see the highlights and keep your concentration.

It was with those thoughts in mind that I was intrigued by how different the skills need to be when photographing some Sports. As I mentioned above I was completing an edit of an important Snooker competition.

I’ve photographed Snooker several times before and you soon realize that being in the ‘arena’ and trying to work is unlike most ‘playing fields’.

A photographer is at risk of ‘getting in the way’ and distracting players as they make frame winning shots. There is no doubt that a photographer will soon be asked to leave if they interrupt the hush with a CLATTER. CLATTER just as a player lines up a crucial shot.

Also a photographer must not, cannot, move around trying to find ‘their’ perfect composition. That movement might again distract and influence play. The important work is being done by the players, ideally a photographer should not be seen or heard, we are very low in the pecking order!

So Snooker is nothing like most Sports to photograph… and I haven’t even mentioned the lighting. OK the table might be brightly lit but there is usually a difficult green colour cast from the baize and the ‘background’ of the room is often as black as a coal mine.

All problems added together it is a great help if a photographer can enroll a little assistance from modern technology. I did this at the Masters Snooker.

But firstly, getting back to how I started this Blog. I’d spent quite some time writing a text on this theme (I’ve already said that words don’t flow easily for me) when my wife called me for the evening meal. I was disappointed to break the flow of ideas but the aroma of roast beef saw me step away from the creative process. The plan was to let the PC go to ‘sleep’. I would simply continue from where I was after the meal. There was even a chance that a couple of glasses of red wine would lubricate the creative juices. However when I returned I discovered that all those wonderful words had somehow disappeared. I was raging… the work was awesome, inspiring, wise and could have changed a generations ideas about photography, ha,ha!

Could I ever articulate such wisdom again? Of course not. That’s why this is all you get to read!

Back to the storyline ….

You will remember that I was limited to the dark confines of a Snooker room with little control of what I could do to give myself any sort of advantage to get the shots. Oh I forgot to mention that I’d only been assigned a short time to get the shots before moving on to the next assignment… a rugby game. No problem taking pics of that Sport! The pressure was on!

So I used experience from previous Snooker shoots to decide that one of Nikon’s latest cameras might help me out. I’ve owned a Nikon Z7 from the day it first went on sale. I was immediately impressed with the quality of files it produces, the detail and dynamic range are as good as it currently gets. But I confess that it is rarely taken out of my bag as mirror-less technology really can’t yet match Pro level DSLR cameras when it comes to photographing fast action. For how long? Who knows as I’m sure the Nikon ‘Z’ range will quickly develop into an ‘all-round’ system. Watch this space.

But as the saying goes… ‘you should always use the right tool for the job’ and maybe I’ve found the perfect one for photographing Snooker. My Z7 stepped up to the mark big time. The dynamic range of the RAW files enabled me to edit for the lights and darks and the colour cast could be balanced with ease. Also the completely silent shutter allowed me to capture moments of play that my D5’s shutter clatter would have got me chucked out. There is a gallery online where you can view a few of my latest Snooker pics. Click the link below.

To summarize. This Blog has become an extended ramble as I made an attempt to re-write my thoughts. The points to note are:

1: Always backup your work as you go along. You don't want to lose your words of wisdom!
2: Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the aroma of roast beef.
and
3: Always use the right tool for the job!
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY SNOOKER MASTERS

We must all acknowledge that recent generations including ourselves have little to be proud about when it comes to how we have treated the Earth... the only planet that can sustain life.

Any of you who like me are of near pensionable age will probably be departed before the true horror of the seeds we have sown manifest their worst damage and change.

Thankfully there are groups of people of all ages who a least attempt to undo some of mans short-sighted excesses. One such group is the Guernsey Trees for Life who aim to increase tree and hedgerow cover throughout Guernsey.

The planting is made using native species which should offer the best habitat to other native plants and wildlife. They must be praised for taking a long-term approach and hopefully future islanders will be grateful for the endevour.

I was able to spend a short time talking to some of the volunteers whilst taking a few pics for the Guernsey Press. There was a good turnout even though the weather wasn't great... maybe the promise of a bacon butty helped!

A few pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY TREES FOR LIFE PLANTING

Those who know me will be aware that I love live music and that I combine this passion with my profession in the form of my music photography.

But those who really know me will know that I also enjoy mixing a few pints of Real Ale into that mix. This is an entirely natural and obvious pairing to me!

So I was one of many visitors to this years Vale Earth Fair who were aware that something was missing. It just wasn't quite the same.

During the past year the Vale Earth Fair Collective... and indeed all of us, lost one of Guernsey's special ones. Errol Groves passing left a massive hole in the heart of the VEF music festival. It also left me without my favourite landlord, even if he was that for just one day a year.

But we can all be sure that the quiet, caring, thoughtful, likeable and memorable guy who was friend to so many will live on at the VEF as his real ale bar has been renamed as 'Errol's Bar'.... which of course it always was.

I'm pleased to say that Errol's Bar continued his fine work by serving many a satisfying pint. I, as did many others, drank an extra pint just for the great man.

My edit of the many pics I took of the VEF 2019 (fueled by many pints) will take a while to edit as I actually still have to finish the Chaos Festival edit. That too was fueled by music and real ale!

For now I've added a small picture gallery featuring my Press edit that had to be submitted overnight for publication.
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2019 VEF PRESS EDIT

Once again this year I was asked by the Guernsey Press to help them cover the opening by students of their 2019 GCSE results.

This year I had to cover this event at Elizabeth College and the Ladies College.

This is a most enjoyable event to cover as a photographer finds himself 'in the middle of' what is a quite happy and emotional occasion where students discover that their ambitions and future is falling into place.

I've added a small gallery featuring my pics to this website. It is password protected as it features young people. You can Email me to get the password.

This is a link to the Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2019 GCSE RESULTS GALLERY

On Saturday night I took the steep Stairway to Vale Castle to see a tribute to one of my favorite bands... actually is was a steep pathway but that didn't quite work with my analogy!

The previous comment should be enough of a clue to any rock music lover of my era as to who the tribute was for.

One Louder promoted a special event within the historic walls of Guernsey's Vale Castle featuring Europe's finest Led Zeppelin tribute band.

Letz Zeppelin powered through two sets of the originals finest songs and had the crowd (which were mostly of a 'certain age' - like me!) rocking like the years had dropped away!

The event could have done with a few more people... the band certainly justified gig goers making more of an effort. But for those who had made their way to the castle it was a memorable gig.

This Gallery of pictures should give you a flavour of the night:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF LETZ ZEPPELIN

Once again the SoPM Summer Gig at The Fermain Tavern proved to be one of my favorites gigs of the year.

The 2019 version had a fantastic atmosphere and it is great to see the progress students have made since their last performances. Well done to teachers and students alike for organizing such an enjoyable evening.

I was invited to capture the performances and my Gallery of pics is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM 2019 SUMMER GIG

Darren Warwick has received a sponsorship deal from Zef Eisenberg's MADMAX Race Team allowing Darren to race the last three rounds of the 2019 FIA European Hillclimb Championship.

This Championship series is very expensive to compete in as the Hills are spread across many European countries. The overall cost has meant that currently no British driver takes part.

There is also the added challenge that Darren will be competing against many big budget teams and drivers.

However we have our hopes raised that Darren does enough during this short run of events to attract a big headline sponsor in 2020 to allow him a real opportunity to try for his Class title.

As well as the MADMAX logos Darren's car also features Zef's new ITV4 series 'Speed Freaks'.

This gallery features my pics of Darren and Zef shaking on the deal.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF DARREN WARWICK & ZEF EISENBERG

A notable anniversary deserves a special effort to celebrate it and that is what the SoPM team made to mark their fifth year supporting the musical population of Guernsey.

Hundreds of children and adults have benefited from the talent and enthusiasm within the young, energetic SoPM team of tutors. I've been lucky to have covered most of the SoPM special events and the latest anniversary concert was organized in the modern Performing Arts Centre.

Once again the talent was amazing as performers did their thing in front of a packed audience.

The SoPM goes from strength to strength each year with a stream of new ideas and events designed to keep their many students exciting and enthused.

My pics of the anniversary concert are now online. Check them out here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM 5th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

Its been a busy few weeks doing almost everything apart from photography!

Life has been full of selling property, buying property and dealing with Advocates. I need to get back to work to pay for that one as that's an expensive business!

Also I've packed more boxes of belongings than I'm prepared to admit too.

How is it that many of us feel we need so many possessions to be 'who we are'? Probably most of them are forgotten and unused until we have to pack when moving residence!

To add to the work load I've been project managing the modernization of our new home which will be a completely up-to-date and most importantly easy to keep clean and maintained fully networked bungalow... after it is finished and we can move in. For now we have to 'camp out' in rented holiday accommodation.

Carol and I never really expected to be moving to a modern place after more than forty years living in a nearly two hundred year old Guernsey cottage but now we have started on this new journey we are really excited by it and we are certain the future will be easier for both of us.

All this ties in with my retirement in less than a years time but this will mean anything but putting my feet up as there will be a long list of decoration and projects to complete before life becomes all about putting the feet up, drinking beer and laying in the sun (at least that's my plan - I haven't run it by the boss yet!).

Luckily I was able to find my cameras this weekend (an amazing feat given we have things spread over four buildings and dozens of boxes) so I managed to get out to take some pics. I've photographed Sandracing, Cricket and a loud gig... much like normality really!

The first pics are online and feature a pre-season friendly game of cricket at KGV where Cannaccord Griffins played a visiting side from the UK, Sparsholt. The pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF CANNACCORD GRIFFINS v SPARSHOLT

Harry Dean Junior and the New Breed played their first gig to a packed theater at Beau Sejour. We were all there to pay tribute to one of our talented and loved 'musical brothers', Ged Kelly who recently died too young.

It was a true tribute to Ged and his family to see so many local musicians play a role during the evening, many others had traveled to Guernsey just to be a part of the evening.

The headliners on the night were Harry Dean Junior and the New Breed. This new band fronted by Chris Dean featured several members who would be familiar to fans of King Rat & the Soul Cats.

That link kind of gives you a clue about what you'll hear from Harry Dean Junior and the New Breed... together with a new set list. A greater recommendation couldn't be made. Make sure to get along to one of their gigs.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GED KELLY TRIBUTE CONCERT

Guernsey's Baliff, Sir Richard Collas, conducted the opening ceremony of the new Sarah Groves Room, a refurbished children's library, within the Guille-Alles library.

He welcomed the children as he opened the new facility and encouraged them to charge up the stairs to be first into the beautifully designed and constructed room.

Everything has been laid out specifically for children with places to explore and many little nooks and bolt holes for the young ones to hide and find a quiet spot to read.

I photographed the ceremony and a few of my pics can be viewed here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE OPENING OF THE SARAH GROVES ROOM

As I near the end of a marathon edit of the Greenman Chaos Festival photographs I’ve had a lot of time to mull over my photographic life.

I am indeed very lucky. I work for myself. I’m busy enough to enable me to be a bit selective of the jobs that I take. I’m also able to fit a large chunk of ‘personal assignments’ into a year’s work.

My personal work mostly comes under the headlines of Music and Motorsport. These two subjects (I think) are really good fun and at times challenging to capture.

But, whilst spending many hours sorting, editing, uploading and linking the Chaos pics I’ve started to question what I do and why!

The thing is that it has taken a working week to capture, edit and upload my Chaos pics. Bear in mind that my working day is usually 12+ hours and a working week is six days long… that’s an underestimate!

I’ll let you do the maths.

What makes my previous comments worthy of consideration is that (referring back to my first line) my (only) job is as a photographer and as it’s my work I should be trying to make an income from it.

This is where things start to go wrong.

I know from conversations, the Internet and the viewing stats for my website that there is a fantastic interest in my pics. But ‘likes’ don’t pay bills!

So after a boring week editing pics (it’s only the taking that is exciting) I’m questioning why I should continue giving major coverage of these events. Can I justify taking the pics when it costs me so much in time for no gain?

It would be nice for good coverage of local events to continue…. But should it be by me?

The bottom line is that my interest in these events is sure to continue so I’m certain to still attend them and I fancy I’d find it hard NOT to take a few pics! But maybe it would be nice to leave the exit knowing that the job was done?

I’ve got a lot to think about.

So getting back to the important stuff. My Greenman Chaos edit is nearing the end and there is a massive Gallery of pics to look at…. Maybe you’ll even be tempted to buy a couple to help me justify the time and work?

Follow this link to view my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2018 GREENMAN CHAOS FESTIVAL PICS

The Guernsey Triumph Motor Cycle Club with visiting friends from the England, Wales and Germany made an appearance at the GK&MC Hillclimb and rode in formation up Le Val des Terres.

There was almost more sparkle off the polished chrome than my camera could handle!

It's fantastic to see that this group are doing such a great job of keeping these historic British bikes on the road. The latest Triumphs were also on show offering a chance for spectators to see what the marque has offered through the decades.

I've added a Gallery of pics featuring the Triumph ride-out....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE TRIUMPH RIDE-OUT

I enjoyed a fun evening at St Pierre Park Hotel before I had to leave to photograph another event.

This first assignment was one of those that just seemed to fall into place... why can't they all be like that?

I was at St Pierre Park Hotel to photograph a few of the early arrivals for the Guernsey Grammar School Proms.

Now, I'll let you into a secret. I'm a former Grammar School student. However when I went to the school it was very different. Firstly there were no girls! Secondly the idea of having an end of term Proms hadn't been invented yet! Times have changed!

But back to my first comment. This was such an easy assignment to photograph... helped by the fact that the students were excited by the completion of their school time and their party mood had kicked in.

Ultimately I have to accept that the world is so different than the one I grew up in. But thankfully one thing remains unchanged. The youth of every decade always look forward with optimism, energy, excitement and freedom. This generation isn't so different after all.

But how I envy them ;-)

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2018 GRAMMAR SCHOOL PROMS

Viewings of this website have hit the Speed of Light!

I'm not sure that a link can be made between web viewings and the speed of light but hey, this is my Blog so I'll do what I like, ha, ha!

Purists can e-mail complaints to CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR COMMENTS if you think I've overstepped the obligation to be accurate and factual within the known laws of physics.

I imagine my wife will be among the first to pound the keyboard... and one of my sons will likely join in with the complainants. They seem to share a liking for correctness!

For the rest of you maybe you'll just go with the flow and allow me to use this unproven association as a way to describe the amazing speed that the latest ONE MILLION VIEWS have been added to this website.

Something special must have 'come together'... maybe the stars aligned in just the perfect way... for my fastest ever million new viewings to be recorded. These are the numbers... ONE MILLION VIEWS IN JUST 40 DAYS!

Sadly, my guess is that no scientist will bother trying to research how this event happened. That's a shame as I'd love to know so I could repeat it again and again!

So I'll just enjoy it this time as it might never be replicated.

Also, whilst I'm here, I'd like to say 'many thanks' to everyone who keeps coming back to look at my pics and say that you are now part of a previously unknown 'Law of Physics', ha, ha!

You can view a few old Blogs recording past MILLION MILESTONES here:
CLICK TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MILESTONES

Liberation Day in Guernsey is celebrated as our very own Bank Holiday each year on May 9th.

Whilst first-hand memories of the actual occupation grow fewer and fewer with each passing year this special day is still a good excuse to party!

The day also has several established Sports events to go along with the traditional historic cavalcade and live music.

This year the day started early for me as I was assigned to photograph the cycle race at the Imperial…. Up at 6am, that was a shock to the system!

Once those pics were in the can it was straight on to the Lib Day road race at the Houmet, then it was me racing up to The Last Post to meet a Guernsey Press reporter for a news item.

As some of the pics were needed for Thursday’s paper I completed a quick edit and tagging of those pics in the back of my studio van/office using mobile data on my phone to submit the pics.

Then it was off into St Peter Port with things not stopping until past midnight!

It was a very long day… about seventeen hours in all – but the infectious fun combined with the fine weather, smiles and partying kept me going!

I’m working through the edit and the first pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE FIRST PICS OF LIB DAY 2018

The weekend offered me another varied day of photographic work :-)

First there was a Commercial shoot for pi-top at The Digital Greenhouse.

Pi-top is an international innovation award winning company which produces a build-it-yourself laptop powered by the Raspberry Pi. I photographed the pilot event which saw young people gaining access to over £10,000 of state of the art inventor equipment.

I was very impressed by how quickly the young students grasped the flexibility and power of this modern teaching aid. The Digital Greenhouse offered a fantastic, bright and modern 'backdrop' to the photo-shoot.

When that was all done and dusted it was off to the Motocross track for the latest round of the championship... I told you the day was varied!

Then to complete the day there was an evening shoot where I photographed the Guernsey Island Snooker Championship at the Gremlin Club.

Here are a few pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY ISLAND SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP

This Blog explains some challenges to photographing Motorsport… and a couple of the solutions I came up with recently.

It was whilst photographing the first Resolution-IT Guernsey Rally that I used a little ingenuity to help myself get the shots that I wanted.

After the recent tragic loss of life on Scottish Rally sections the first challenge in Motorsport photography is to acquire permission to get close access to the track. The MSA has revised and tightened up how they allocate Media access with a process that can perhaps best be described as a classic ‘chicken or egg’ puzzle.

Accreditation is only offered to published photographers… forget it if you are a ‘Facebook Photographer’. Forget it if you are 'working' for a ‘Sponsor’ or competitor or simply running your own website selling pics. You have to prove that your work has already been published in ‘paid for’ media and that you have been assigned, by a publication, to take pics at this event.

This is where the ‘chicken or egg’ comes in. For your work to be accepted for publication it will need to be dynamic and immersive… this almost always requires you to be close to the action… but without accreditation you won’t be allowed that access… so how do you get published in the first place?

I’ve had many conversations over the years with enthusiastic amateurs who are VERY frustrated by this fact. I can only advise that they stick with it and a ‘lucky break’ might come along.

I’m fully aware and appreciate that I’m privileged to have MSA Accreditation. I certainly don’t take it for granted and I make sure I maximize this advantage where-ever I work… read on.

At the first Resolution-IT Guernsey Rally I was given MSA Media access to photograph the action from track side for four publications. Having attained this access it was important that I made good use of it and I’m sharing a couple of the ‘tricks’ I used to enhance my pics and make best use of my limited time - firstly making use of modern technology, then later in the day the technology couldn’t have been more basic!

The first example: I rarely enjoy having my own picture taken but on this occasion it was fun! Even with accreditation the access to photograph the Resolution-IT Guernsey Rally was still restricted and though it allowed me enhanced access I still needed to maximize that opportunity. The problem was that the competitors had just four runs through each section… so this limited the chance to take a variety of shots from different angles. This was compounded by my intention to vary my pics by moving between Sections (when the track wasn’t ‘live’). This movement between Sections meant that during the travel I'd not be capturing any action at all! Maybe a waste of valuable shooting time?

This is where a bit of technology helped me out - by doubling the shots taken at a single corner. Take a look at the ‘double’ picture above. These two shots were taken on one of the afternoon’s sections at exactly the same time by using a second radio controlled camera. By the way the photographer in the top picture is me... in my own shot. Clever, eh! Two different viewpoints for the price of one. Bargain!

The second ‘trick’ I used was as simple as it gets… at least once I had thought of it! Take a look at the picture below as it shows the problem.


The Rally stages ran into the early evening and as it’s February they finished in complete darkness. Eventually it was near pitch black as I don’t think electricity has reached the narrow back lanes in Guernsey yet! There certainly isn’t any street lighting!

So I was faced with the challenge of photographing the speeding cars with the only light coming from their powerful headlights. The problem was that flash photography isn’t permitted as it could distract the drivers. My first couple of shots after the darkness descended quickly showed that as well as coping with the speed of the cars and the high contrasts of the scene the side view of the cars were just black silhouettes. The photographs were unusable. Then I had a brainwave. I had a small LED cycle lamp in my camera bag. Would that be able to light the side of the cars?

I found a convenient twig high up on a track-side tree to attach the torch to and aimed the tiny light onto the road where I expected the cars to pass... then I continued shooting. Amazingly, and a credit must be given to the class-leading low-light quality of the Nikon D5 camera, this low level of additional light seemed to be just enough to do the job. This simple work-around enabled me to capture another range of pics adding variety to what was a long and tiring days’ work… but fulfilling too.

If you’re a photographer yourself you might be interested in the settings that I ended up using for the night-time pics. They prove to you that even with my added torch light it was still very dark! These two examples really misrepresent just how dark the scene was. But that's what photographers do... we enhance reality ;-)

Pics were shot with these settings:
Camera: Nikon D5 (the low light master!)
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED at f2.8 and 15mm
Shutter speed: was at 100th sec
ISO 12800

It should be obvious (hopefully) which the ‘unlit’ shot is (above)!

Here are a couple (below) showing how just adding a little extra torch light to the shots turned them into keepers.





I’d love feedback to this short Blog with stories of how you have improved your chances of returning back to the studio with usable pics taken in challenging circumstances.
E-MAIL YOUR COMMENTS AND STORIES BY CLICKING HERE

In a rare moment (for me) of Festive good spirit and cheer I've started my January Sale already :-)

Whatever the reason... be it the ample partaking of the Single Malt or the mild weather this gives you a chance to make real savings on the regular price of A4 & A3 sized colour prints.

When you purchase 5+ A4 prints they now cost just £6 each.

Order 5+ A3 prints and they now cost just £14 each. I recommend the A3 size as I think that prints look their best when printed BIG.... but I may be biased :-)

These reductions represent savings of up to 25%!

This FESTIVE MADNESS won't last forever so take your chance to pick up an early JANUARY BARGAIN before my rosy glow of Christmas wears off!

The reductions are made automatically as you check your Shopping Cart after adding the required quantity of a print size.

Seasons Greetings to you all.....
CHECK-OUT ALL THE OPTIONS HERE

We can't avoid it. Christmas is on the way and present ideas are in short supply!

So why not think about buying a CUSTOM DESIGNED MONTAGE for a family member or friend.

Or, if you don't know what to add to your own Christmas list why not request a MONTAGE of your own special memory?

These can still be supplied for Christmas... just don't leave it too long!

Details of how to order your INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED MONTAGE can be found here:
CLICK TO VIEW HOW TO ORDER A MONTAGE

If you have any questions or if you prefer to have a chat about a design don't hesitate to contact me here:
E-MAIL ANDREW LE POIDEVIN
Or phone my Mobile: 07781 144525