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A cause for celebration.....

Well I know I can’t expect you to get quite so excited as I am today as this celebration is personal to me and this website.

But you might like to enjoy the moment too as the fact you are here reading this Blog means that you are actually part of this occasion… without even knowing it!

The special event is the achievement of another significant number of views of THIS WEBSITE.... but just missing 5,000,000 views in the last twelve months, maybe next time, eh!

I know I sound like a ‘cracked record’ if you read through some of my previous ‘Landmark’ Blogs but my enjoyment of the interest so many people take in my photographic work never fails to surprise and humble me.

The continued and increasing visits to my picture galleries encourages me to continue this work and as time goes by the widening selection of events and occasions that I photograph grows the awareness among Islanders of just how many Sports, Gigs, Events and Places we have available to all Guernsey residents to have fun at and take interest in. There is never a weekend without something to attend.

You’ll never find me moaning about having nothing to do on our beautiful, but small, Channel Island. If you are ever tempted to make such a comment I’d encourage you to look through a few of my picture galleries… you’ll soon see what you have been missing!

Now I’ve allowed myself to get side-tracked, again. What this Blog should be stating is that the viewings of this website have just passed another very significant number.

TWENTY MILLION VIEWS…. That’s 20,000,000 if you like your numbers with noughts on the end. I’m not fussed. I’ll take it either way!

So thank you for your continued interest in my work. This really is a LANDMARK number 😊

I’m also proud of the fact that these views are all on my own self-run website. The viewings and interest are all generated without the benefit and help available when photographers enroll into one of the big, but anonymous, picture gallery sites.

I’d like to take this chance to recommend the website provider and admin that I use to run this site. They are called Photium and I wholeheartedly endorse them to you. This provider has hosted my website for many years with VERY little downtime or other problems. Their tech support if needed is usually - literally - just minutes in responding. They also offer a good choice of packages and even a Trial to see if the options suit your needs.

If you have been considering starting a website of your own it’s well worth having a look at: CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTIUM WEBSITE

Please continue making occasional visits to view the latest updates to my Galleries… maybe even buy an occasional print or two! You can then be part of the next MILLION MILESTONE.

I hope to see you out and about at one of Guernsey’s many varied events sometime soon. Remember... NEVER SAY THAT NOTHING GOES ON IN GUERNSEY, you just haven’t opened your eyes and made the effort to find out!

You can view a few of my previous MILESTONE BLOGS here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW SOME OF MY PREVIOUS MILESTONE BLOGS

Well how about that. I turn my back for a couple of days and the viewing total on this website passes through another MILLION MILESTONE!

I've been very busy for the last week and it seems that the 18 MILLION VIEWS total was broken at the weekend... and I've only just noticed!

What is also quite amazing is that the last five days has seen an extra 100,000 views added to the total!

Thanks for the continued support :-)

You can read a few of the previous MILLION MILESTONE Blogs by clicking here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MILESTONE BLOGS

During its short life Guernsey's School of Popular Music has established a strong base of support. It has also established its own traditions. Not a bad effort after just a couple of years work!

I've been lucky to document some of these 'traditions' as they became established. It has been fantastic to get to know the tutors and students and to see how the hard work and practice is rewarded.

It is clear that the SoPM's modern approach to teaching music enables the students to blossom in confidence leading them to enjoy sharing their talents with friends, family and a wider audience.

The students have just completed two showcase events allowing them to demonstrate the progress they have made and I was at both gigs capturing some of the performances.

Many now familiar faces took to the stages fulfilling their ambitions to share their love of live music.

The first of the summer season's events was the Summer Concert at The Church on the Rock. Followed by the Summer Gig at The Doghouse.

You can view my pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM GALLERIES

I’m chuffed to say that this website continues to gain a following. My thanks and a high five (a hug if you’re a lady) to anyone who pops along here for an occasional browse through the picture galleries.

The time I spend taking pics is mostly exciting and enjoyable…. and it definitely beats having a ‘proper job’!

Now whilst the pleasure I get from working full-time as a photographer should be enough to keep me happy there is an additional side to making me smile – that is this website and the amount of interest shown in my work.

The total number of picture viewings of the galleries has just passed another MILLION MILESTONE. The total now exceeds 17 MILLION VIEWS!

It seems that the annual average has now settled at FOUR MILLION VIEWS A YEAR!

This got me interested in calculating what that number means on a daily, hourly and minute basis. The result is quite surprising!

So I started with the 4 MILLION annual views.

A simple division gives you 11,000 views a day – every day of the year!

I then looked at the Google Analysis which shows most viewings are between 7am and 1am…. that’s eighteen hours out of the twenty-four day.

So another division…. 11,000 views divided by the 18 hours gives you 600 views an hour every day of the year!

Next divide the hourly views by 60 minutes and you arrive at 10 views a minute.

Finally another quick calculation and you can work out that (on average throughout the year) a picture is viewed every six seconds. WOW!

So there we have it, my Maths teachers at the Grammar School always said that I would be surprised how useful ‘learning sums’ could be later in life. In this case it has helped tickle my ego and encourage me to keep taking the pics…. At least while the interest remains ;-)

Thanks again for all your support.

If you want to read a few of my previous ‘MILLION MARK’ Blogs just click on this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MARK BLOGS

It was a case of dodging the showers at a recent photoshoot I did for BMW, Jacksons Garage and the Guernsey Press.

The special event was an open day featuring a wide range of the latest BMW motorbikes which were on display and also available for test rides.

Brian Martel had been asked to test ride and report on the BMW R nineT Scrambler. I needed to capture pics to support his article.

Whilst I'm guessing that the damp conditions were what this bike is designed to cope with it was still a shame to get a new bike wet and splashed with spray.

After the shoot, this meant more work for both the photographer and garage technicians to get the bike looking at its best again.

My cleaning 'tool' was the Lightroom 'spot healer'. I didn't go for a complete touch-up as I quite liked the slightly 'grungy' look. I am sure, however, that my cleaning work was easier than the rags and polish required back in the garage!

You can view a small gallery of pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW A FEW PICS OF THE JACKSONS BMW OPEN DAY

My work-time has been a bit disrupted recently as I've had to commit more and more hours to the care of my father.

It has been a challenging time trying to fit everything from a 'normal' work and home life around the substantial hours spent caring for my dad.

My father is now over 90 and up until recently he has managed to look after himself... with a lot of support from me. But as time marches on things change and during the last few weeks he has had several falls which have knocked his (and my) confidence in his ability to live alone.

However I'm really pleased to say that after I've stayed with him nearly 24/7 for the last week he is now getting back to normal and is getting stronger again. We have also had fantastic support from all the Guernsey Social Services... from Carers, Fast Response Nurses, Social Workers, St Johns Ambulance, A&E, Doctors.... the list could go on. Thank you all.

This whole episode has caused me to step back and re-asses what is important in life... what is really important to me. I have realized that spending so much time with my father has meant we have strengthened our love and friendship in a very special way. It has been very rewarding.

But, away from that commitment life has to go on and whilst it has been challenging in every way I think a care plan is now in place. I think dad will be able to remain at home - which his wish.

The lack of free time and the stress of trying to keep dad safe are now the main factors that we have to address going forward.

What this ramble is leading to is explaining why it has taken more than a week to update a gallery featuring Round-6 of the GVC Winter MTB XC. I've now sorted this out and you can view the pics by following the link.

Going forward is a bit of an unknown. I'm intending to stay fully committed to the caring of my father and fit as much photography around this as I can. You'll maybe have to be a bit patient if the updates are a little slow sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support and interest in my pics... life goes on... it's just a little different :-)
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND 6 OF THE GVC MTB XC SERIES

I’m not usually touched by the celebrity culture that we live in.

I’m rarely ‘star-struck’ when meeting people that spend their life in the public eye. Maybe that comes with my job as a Press photographer and Journalist where I attend many events where ‘faces’ are the centre of attention.

However, when I think back, I’ve never really been ‘star-struck’… even as a teenager when I followed David Bowie, Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper I never really thought of them as anything other than people… just like you and me.

OK, they did have a BIT MORE TALENT and MONEY and FUN than me (and probably you)... but hey, they were still just human beings!

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet many famous people and I’ve rarely been star-struck by the person themselves.

So what is this Blog leading to?

Well you should now have an idea that I’d be the last person you should invite to join any sort of quiz team that requires a knowledge of celebrity. My missus has learnt (after 40 years) that it is pointless trying to have any conversation with me if it involves the lives, jobs or faces of the rich and famous! I’m not interested. I know NOTHING!

I have friends who work as Paparazzi in London and they enjoy taking the piss out of me by saying that I would starve if I did their job… they are right. If David Beckham bumped into me with Cheryl Cole on his arm I wouldn’t even notice them!!

So you understand that I’ve built up a ‘thick skin’ when in the company of celebrity… particularly in this decade when so many people that are given the label of ‘celebrity’ have no memorable talent at all!

All this commentary has been to try and explain how uninterested I am, normally, with star quality.

But occasionally I get caught out. This happens when I meet a particularly charismatic person or experience an amazing live performance.

That was the case at The Fermain Tavern on Saturday.

I had been looking forward to seeing Nessi Gomes play at her Diamonds & Demons album launch. Nessi is a Guernsey girl (with a Portuguese background). She was a familiar face on the local music scene before she took control of her ambition to make music and she started a passionate road to making that happen.

The first time I can remember seeing Nessi perform was at the Vale Earth Fair ‘Beach Life’ in 2009 (I have the pictures!). This mini festival was held in the picturesque Petit Bot valley next to the beach. Nessi played an acoustic set with a few friends and, even way back then, I remember that there were hints that Nessi had a special talent.

This talent has now blossomed and matured and Nessi Gomes revealed the result of the many years developing her own unique style and sound with her live performance at the ‘Tav launch of Diamond & Demons.

I was bowled over by the quality of her performance and yes… this old hag was more than a little star-struck! She must be something really special!

Now is the the time for you to discover Nessi Gomes. Follow her here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nessigomesmusic/

I've edited my pics of the album launch and you can take a look at them here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE NESSI GOMES DIAMONDS & DEMONS ALBUM LAUNCH

How do you get into the festive spirit?

Well if you're still of 'working age' then the chances are that part of the seasonal 'warm-up' process is to spend some time in the company of your work-mates at the office Christmas party.

Now, as we all know, these 'do's' can end up in all sorts of dramas!

Some of the stories of misbehavior circulating around the office the day after a lively party go on to become legendary. Reputations are both made and lost!

Even though we all know that we are walking a risky road by joining the revelry at the office party we all give in and let our hair down... well why not - it's just once a year ;-)

This blog is leading on to me telling you about my own ultimate office Christmas party.

When I throw a party everyone is invited ;-)

OK, maybe I'm 'bigging' up my part in organizing the TALLPICTURES.com Ultimate Office Christmas Party just a little.... OK, actually quite a lot.

In fact my own TALLPICTURES.com office party involved me sitting in a dark corner of The Cock & Bull (alone) with a pint of real ale and a packet of crisps... it can get lonely when you're the only employee :-(

However there is always an answer to any problem, if you look hard enough.

So my idea was to tag onto someone else's office party. This turned out to be an amazing plan as I joined hundreds of revelers at the OneLouder 2016 Ultimate Office Christmas Party at Beau Sejour.

These guys really know how to have fun and their choice of two of the most popular bands in the Channel Islands was perfect to party to!

Fade2Grey and King Rat & the Soul Cats had Beau Sejour rocking and the party took its place among all the legendary parties of years gone by... but this time it was for all the right reasons :-)

So I left the party with a camera-full of pics (yes I know I shouldn't work at my office party) but I couldn't miss the chance to take a few pics... even if the lighting was a struggle for a photographer to work with. Yes I'm still a moaning misery even at Christmas time!

The OneLouder party did its job getting me in the festive mood and I've just one more thing to say...

'Seasons Greetings to you all'

If you want to see how my office party went, check-out the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF MY ULTIMATE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

I love round numbers. Numbers like one million, one hundred, ten… in fact any number that ends in noughts. The more noughts the better though!

There is something nice and tidy about a number that ends in a nought.

I’ve no idea where I get the passion for numerical tidiness from as my office desk is proof that I don’t carry this zeal for tidiness into all aspects of my life!

But I won’t let that small fact spoil the pleasure I felt when my website viewing passed another significant mark… another of those cherished ‘round numbers’.

In fact I’m celebrating two new markers in one this time around. Just how happy can a photographer be???

The celebration comes as this website's total picture views passed through the FIFTEEN MILLION mark…. that’s SIX NOUGHTS you know ;-)

By coincidence this also marks a new record for the number of views within a twelve month period. In fact it is just eleven months since the website views passed ELEVEN MILLION, so for the first time, I have had more than FOUR MILLION views within a year.

That deserves a smiley face :-)

When viewings passed the THREE MILLION annual total I commented that it probably wouldn’t be repeated but now I’m getting cocky and have set myself the challenge of breaking an annual FIVE MILLION views.

To achieve this I don’t see any time in the near future when I’ll find a moment to get around to tidying the disorderly desk…. But that’s fine as ‘tidy’ round numbers will keep me happy ;-)

Thanks for the continued visits to view my pics. It is you who make up the numbers.

You can view a few of the old ‘Milestone Millions’ Blogs by following this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS 'MILLION' BLOGS

As one of the Guernsey Press pool of freelance photographers I was called in to assist the team of full-time 'togs to photograph the Guernsey Press 'Pride of Guernsey' Awards Evening.

The GP and all their staff had made a huge effort to make the evening memorable and a success.

The whole main open plan office area had been cleared of all the workstations leaving a massive space to layout the dining tables and stage together with the lighting and sound system supplied by Joys.

During the preparation there had been a massive amount of work and inconvenience... remember that this was the working office that still had to produce the daily Guernsey Press from within all the disruption!

However all that upheaval was worth it as the space worked incredibly well and the evening was considered a success by everyone I spoke to.

Of course I was the lucky one as the next day for me was just a 'normal day'... my GP workmates had to rebuild their office before meeting the next days print deadline.

I really enjoyed being part of the event and supplying 'live' pics of the awards ceremony so that a special edition of the Guernsey Press could be printed on the evening so the Award winners and guests could take away a copy as they left.

The only thing remaining for me to do is to congratulate all the Award winners.

You can view a few of my pics in this gallery:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE PRIDE OF GUERNSEY AWARDS 2016

Few cars have endeared themselves on drivers over the decades as successfully as the classic Fiat 500.

The original version is now a sought after vehicle which truly qualifies as an iconic motorcar.

This status encouraged Fiat to try to re-interpret the design and the success of the current Fiat 500 proves that they did a fantastic job.

Le Mont Saint Garage decided that there was an opportunity to celebrate the owners love of their cars with a chance to raise a few pounds for three important charities.

So on Sunday morning, for as little as a fiver, Fiat 500 owners could meet other owners and help the RNLI, St John and Channel Island Airsearch all at the same time.

I popped along to take a few pics....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE FIAT 500 GATHERING

I've just discovered that I have a new talent... and it's a bit special.

It's one of those amazing abilities that you dream about as a child and now, at the ripe old age of sixty-one, I've just found it!

How would you like to be able to see into the future too?

Well I promise that if you follow my advice you too can possess the same super-power!

All I had to do was to attend the School of Popular Music's Summer Party at the legendary Fermain Tavern last night.

The SoPM's young and energetic team had organized the evening to show-case six of their new bands. There was huge support given to all the young performers who were treated to a full stage sound system and lighting all controlled by pro technicians. How lucky were they!

If that opportunity didn't fire up their passion for live music I don't know what else would.

To get back to my original point I think that last night I saw into the future of the Guernsey music scene and it looks good.

In fact my guess is that the talent on show could be destined to even bigger things. Maybe there was a future chart-topper among them?

... but that's just a bit too far into the future for me to see yet :-(

Follow this link to see into the future with me:
CLICK HERE TO SEE PICS OF THE SoPM 2016 SUMMER PARTY

I'm sorry that this website has been completely down for a large part of the day and when the technical issues were identified it eventually re-appeared but in a VERY SLOW form :-(

This was all out of my control and my website administrator has been working hard to return things to 'normal service'.

The whole event is VERY frustrating but Photium... the web admin that I use, have a very, very good record of reliability and are extremely quick to respond to problems. Indeed they come with my full recommendations.

But sometimes these things are out of all our control and patience and understanding is all we can ask for.

I'd be feeling a little bit pleased if the 10,000+ daily views that this website gets had bought the internet down but I can't make that claim to fame!!

Please bear with us while we get things back up to full speed.... thanks.

UPDATE: The website has returned to normal and speedy service. I would like say a big thank-you to the Photium team for keeping me up-to-date with the problems... which were out of their control. These things happen but thankfully are extremely rare!

Andrew :-)

Last Wednesday I photographed the 2016 Guernsey General Elections at St Sampson's Douzaine for the Guernsey Press.

I've photographed the Elections before and always enjoy being a part of what is a long, tiring and stressful day for all the candidates... and the media!

The whole local media 'circus' was on site to give complete coverage of the St Sampson District's General Election results and I think the small foyer of the St Sampson's Douzaine was the 'coziest' venue of any of the districts.

When the Returning Officer of the Day, Tom Oliver, climbed a few steps to speak to the amassed Candidates, family, friends, officials and supporters it was approaching 1pm.

The media had spent the previous five hours waiting in the Fontaine Inn, drinking Coke and tweeting whilst multi-tasking watching the earlier declarations on two televisions with live radio feeds running in the background on mobile phones! We didn't want to miss a thing!

When it came, the St Sampsons declaration saw an end of Deputy Kevin Stewart's short political career. Lyndon Trott topped the poll and there were two newcomers, Jennifer Merrett and Carl Meerveld.

After finishing the photography, which is not unlike sport/action photography as the whole thing happens very quickly, the job was only half-done as the editing, tagging and submissions had to be made at the Press headquarters to allow for an early print of the newspaper for Thursday.

I eventually dragged myself into bed at 3.30am having had a thoroughly interesting night at the centre of an epic, emotional event.

I can't wait for the next time... in 2020!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW A FEW OF MY ELECTION PICS

As a Professional photographer I take pride in producing high quality work.

I also rely on selling a few pics to pay for the food, the beer, the household bills.... you get the idea :-)

A large part of my income comes from selling prints. I've invested in my own large format Pro printer that produces industry leading quality using 11 Archival Pigment inks. These prints should outlast you!!

But I often feel disappointed when I deliver a batch of prints as I have an idea that, after the initial enjoyment of them, many of the prints end up in a draw... forgotten and creased :-(

Now maybe I shouldn't be bothered... after all I have been paid for them!

The thing is, I long for people to see and enjoy the pics for longer than that.

This brings me to this SPECIAL OFFER. It's for the print option that I think is the best that I offer. An A3 sized FRAMED & BEVEL MOUNTED PRINT.

These A3 prints are big enough to have impact and show off all the pictures detail - and being framed behind glass they will remain in perfect condition for years.

So to encourage all my customers to try an A3 FRAMED PRINT I'm offering, for a limited time, a SPECIAL PRICE of £45... that's a £10 reduction.

This is a fantastic price that I'm only able to offer as I control every aspect of production. I personally optimise every individual print before hand-cutting a bevel mount. Finally the print is framed in the satin black frame that I purchase in bulk direct from the manufacturer.

This results in an UNBEATABLE PRICE.

Next time you are thinking about buying a pic please consider choosing an A3 FRAMED PRINT. You won't be dissapointed, I promise.

It’s a tantalizing thought and something has just grabbed my interest. :-)

Now that another MILLION MILESTONE of views has been shattered I can only look ahead to the next one….

13 MILLION VIEWS HERE WE COME!

My interest was tickled after I analyzed how long it took to jump from 11 MILLION views to hit the 12 MILLION mark… it took a couple of days short of three months.

After a few simple sums it suggests that the hit rate might just be on the way to a new annual total.

How does 4 MILLION views a year sound to you?

It sounds GREEAATT to me. :-)

As always I have to thank all of you for making it over to visit this website. The Google analysis shows that more than 50% of you drop in quite regularly, so I guess that you continue to find the occasional item and photoshoot that interests you.

I’m encouraged by the fact that I’m also finding a stream of new visitors. Now it falls on me to grab their attention whilst they are browsing with the aim of getting them back again too.

I know from my own Internet usage that if a website is to become one of my regular ‘haunts’ it has to be updated on a regular basis. I’m also aware that my own browsing usually includes sites that offer comments, advise, reviews and analysis.

As I’ve been receiving regular requests to pass on a few of the tips and tricks that I’ve picked up along my photographic journey I intend to add an occasional Blog covering a variety of topics – from the software I use to the kit I hang around my neck.

Perhaps my first Info-Blog will cover my first impressions of the new Nikon D5 and D500 cameras!

I have these new range-topping cameras on pre-order with Grays of Westminster… right near the top of their list. :-)

As a registered Nikon Professional Services photographer I’ve been able to get my hands on the first UK delivery of cameras going all the way back including the D200, D3, D300, D3s, D4 and D4s. It has become a little perk of the job to play with the very latest kit… and I wasn’t about to break with tradition!

So the count-down to delivery has started. Hopefully in about three weeks I’ll have a new Nikon D5 to play with. This time I intend to share my thoughts. Pop back soon to see what I make of the latest upgrade. :-)

You can read some of my previous 'MILLION VIEWS' Blogs here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PREVIOUS MILLION VIEW BLOGS

Technology..... It's a Love/Hate thing for me.....

I'm about to use the word 'fail' again in a 2016 Blog and it's only the 2nd of January! Read on to have a chuckle at my expense :-)

I think I come out of the 'boys like toys' mould and have been spending on technology since I first collected pocket money. Back in those days Lego was cutting edge!

However as the years have passed I've trained myself to consider purchases more maturely.

But every few years the itch starts again and the Internet draws me to something special.

A few months ago I decided that I deserved a new cutting edge computer. Weeks were spent researching and the day came to press the 'Buy button' for a system that is now the envy of NASA. I think there might be a Blog to come later on the specs!

The thing is, past experience has shown me that computer upgrades never go quite as smoothly as you hope. These days software registrations, passwords and many other things try and trip you up at every turn.

This is why I planned on making the move over to the new speed machine a slow and measured affair. Even then there have been several hiccups and late nights. I think there's another Blog there too!

Now let me tell you this little story.... It actually relates to yesterday's Cross Country Blog.

As you may have read, I'd been asked to photograph the run for the Guernsey Press. Part of the brief was making it VERY CLEAR that there was an EARLY print deadline. I also knew that the back page layout had already been planned and my shot had to be an upright. A blank hole awaited. No problem I thought.

I spent an enjoyable hour or so taking the pics down at Mont Cuet tip whilst chatting with the Guernsey Press Sport's Editor... he really is passionate about sport and journalism in general.

When we parted my last word to Rob Batiste was that I was going straight back to the office and the pics would follow ASAP.

Forty-three minutes after my last photograph (aided my blisteringly fast Super Computer) I had selected, edited and tagged my pics ready for e-mailing.

I was enjoying the warm feeling of being on top of a job.... Little did I know!

I probably qualify as a 'belts and braces' guy. This outlook means that I always submit my work to two different client e-mail addresses. I also BCC copy them into another one of my own accounts. This is checked to ensure the e-mail has 'left the building'.

It was only when I received a remarkably calm phone call from Rob that I realized something had gone wrong... he asked 'When can I expect to get the pics Andrew'?

Oh, heck. The print deadline loomed!

I told Rob the e-mails were sent nearly three hours ago to his xxxxx@guernsey-press.com e-mail address. 'But that one hasn't been active for years' he said 'there's no hyphen in there now'!

Due to my belts and braces mentality I had saved a copy of all the pics on to a USB stick (just in case of problems) and I offered to pop down to Rob's office immediately but he suggested that I simply 'try the correct e-mail' and of course this worked first time!

But what had gone wrong? I had to try and find where this ancient e-mail had appeared from.

Well, what I have found out only re-enforces my Love/Hate of technology.

I think that the move to a new computer and the installation of new e-mail systems were the problem. It seems that the 'helpful' software takes a look at your old 'Sent' folders and lifts all the e-mail addresses out into a new Contact list.

Now I'm sure you are like me, few of us remember actual phone numbers or e-mails any more as the phone/computer does that stuff for us now.

So when I started to enter the Guernsey Press e-mail addresses the 'helpful' computer finished them for me... I didn't realise that the 'old' e-mail address had been filled in - I just pressed send!

When I double-checked that the e-mailed pics had arrived back into my own backup e-mail, I enjoyed the warm feeling of success thinking that the job was done.

FAIL!

A word I hope won't feature in another Blog this year :-)

BTW, a blank back page was averted and my reputation has survived - but only just!

3am EDIT: I've just watched the Jules Holland Hootenanny and realized how many of the artists on the show I've been lucky to photograph.... then I got hooked by the BBC coverage of Glastonbury 2015..... MASSIVE & MAGNIFICENT... and I want to photograph it :-0

So to the Blog>.................

I warn you, this is going to ramble.

It's New Years eve and inevitably, like so many of my previous Blogs, it'll be late by the time I manage to upload this update. Also, as is often the case, I've partaken in a couple of pints of Real Ale and a few glasses of red wine. (3am EDIT.... add a couple of Whisky's to that list too). What could possibly go wrong!

I'm sitting here at years end (I guess like many others) thinking both about the year that is about to become history together with the future... 2016, here we come.

These moments of contemplation will always be individual and personal. But allow me to share my own thoughts.

Inevitably my mind goes back through the previous busy year of photography. Once again I have enjoyed almost every moment of my 2015 photographic year.

But things could always have been done differently... and certainly there is always room to improve and change. So that begs the question 'What could I have done differently and where did I go wrong?'

So I will allow myself to expose (nice little photographic reference there!) some of my photographic failings to you, just as long as you promise not to tell anyone else!

So where did I fail?

Well, just yesterday, I was updating a picture gallery for one of my favorite local bands... Thee Jenerators. THIS IS A LINK TO THE GALLERY

The latest gig I photographed them at was a photographers nightmare. When you combine a band that will not stand still for a moment together with light levels akin to candlelight it will always be a challenge.

I'm pleased to say that I ended up with quite a few keepers (33 out of the 49 pics taken), but could I have done better?

My personal 'style' of photography encompasses taking as few pics as I possibly can (born lazy, eh). I try and limit the shutter presses to the peak moments of action. My belief is that you give yourself a massive editing workload by being 'trigger happy'.

This was highlighted for me during 2015 when I shot an indoor sporting event alongside an ambitious young local 'photog'. He was using his camera in machine gun mode and must have gone home with 1000+ pics. I took 251 and had 170 keepers after the cull.

I have also had this experience whilst working off-island alongside top pro motorsport and festival 'togs. Some, but by no means all, fire off endless pics - seemingly with the idea that 'One of 'em has to be a keeper'! So maybe it's me who is completely wrong on this but one thing I'm sure about is that my editing time is a lot shorter than theirs!

But back to my point. I still think that restraint is a good thing. I believe that I should consider the timing and composition of each image before I press the shutter release button.

Even after taking this stance the final part of the photographic process is still to come... the edit. This is the time extra discipline and ruthlessness is needed and I think I'm failing in this area and could complete most assignments to a better standard by taking a less 'precious' view of my pics during the edit.

Although I attempt to restrain myself at the capture stage I then go on to 'fail' when it comes to the edit. I think I'm not ruthless enough when deleting the rubbish.

So let me take one step back, I mentioned that I've just updated the Thee Jenerators Gallery. This led me to be distracted by looking through some of the old pics in the Thee Jenerators gallery. Some going back five years. This was quite enlightening.

Remember that I said that Thee Jenerators were one of my favorite bands. This is because they take 'performance' beyond simply standing behind a microphone.

This then is where my lessons started and my current 'mantra' of trying to be vicious with my picture editing revels itself as still needing a bit (OK a lot) of work!

There are quite a few pics in the gallery which, I think, capture the full character and performance of this energetic band... but too many pics have crept in that are nothing more than average... or worse. These should never have seen the light of day... or the Internet! Thankfully most of them are from several years ago, including the 5 year old example below. Maybe this proves that I am getting a bit better at what I'm doing ;-)

It's clear that I still have loads to learn but take this New Years tip from me and short-cut your own scholarship. You can borrow my own New Years resolution that 'In 2016 I will try and make my picture edits more ruthless'. The delete button on the keyboard is there for a good reason..... to help us improve the quality of our work.

I'm resisting the urge to delete my 'fails' from the Thee Jenerators gallery to give you the chance to see what I am talking about here. I'd love to know which pics you think are the 'fails'. Please let me know what you think and we can compare notes.... This is my e-mail CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL ME.

You can be as ruthless with me as I like... I need the help ;-)

Oh, and one final tip from me (for FREE).... and it's one that I use myself sometimes.

I still have some old 1GB cards that only hold 36 pictures. It really focuses your mind when you shoot with one of those - just like it did when I started taking pics on real film and it cost money with every click!!

3.15am EDIT: Time for bed I think ;-)

Variety is the spice of photography... just as it is in life itself.

I am able to mix many genres of image taking into most of my working weeks and this keeps me interested and motivated... although maybe I should find a better way to describe what I do as the term 'working' doesn't really portray how I feel about my avocation.

My Blog often states how much I enjoy what I do and after more than a decade of life spent exclusively looking through a lens my luck, good fortune and opportunity to pursue photography full-time still feels as special as the first step I took on this amazing journey.

It is also rather special that so many people have joined me along the way by occasionally popping along to this web-site to see the latest updates.

Today I'm amazed to see that the total views on this web-site have reach another Milestone with ELEVEN MILLION VIEWS being logged!

May I say a BIG THANK YOU to you all.

As it has become traditional to mark these Milestones you might like to view a few previous Blogs:
CLICK TO VIEW A FEW PREVIOUS MILLION MILESTONE BLOGS

TEN MILLION has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

How nice it would be to have that many Pounds in the Bank.... even Dollars would be OK for me!

However the chances of a professional photographer ever making that sort of money are pretty unlikely :-(

So when TEN MILLION features anywhere in my working life it will always feel a bit special... and that number has just shown up.

I've been running this web-site since 24th October 2010. It replaced what is now my very dated original web-site (still on-line for nostalgia only).

This means that it's still a couple of months short of five years since www.guernseymotorsport.com went live.

I'm incredibly proud to say that (since the start) this web-site has been viewed an amazing TEN MILLION times!!

The first MILLION views took one year - almost to the day. This current year will see over THREE MILLION views and I am thinking that this is probably where the level will settle... but who knows?

My decision to work full-time as a photographer came about ten years ago when I was 50 years old after I sold a business.

I tried retirement but that was horrible! It might sound like a good idea but I'm someone who has to be creative and challenged. So I turned a hobby into a job... and it has certainly been challenging!

However I have loved nearly every single hour of it... and there are many more hours put into photography than I ever gave to my old 'proper job'. How did that happen?

It must also be said that in the decade that I have relied on photography for my income the whole industry has been shaken up and changed beyond recognition. It now seems that everyone who has a DSLR and a Facebook page is a 'Photographer'.

But I've never regretted the decision to give it a try and I've now established a loyal following and a good sized base of regular Commercial customers for TALLPICTURES.com.

My thirty-five years spent as a retailer have stood me in good stead to respond to competition and (after a short period when I questioned the future viability) I now realise that it isn't what other people are doing, it is about what you do for yourself that either 'makes or breaks' a business.

There's also lots of room in the marketplace for every-one.

I'm now privileged to make an income out of my passion and I genuinely thank all the visitors to this web-site and the many customers who buy pictures.

So that now brings me to the future.

Well I have a couple of very exciting new developments on the way. More about those later :-)