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Sadly I was only allocated a short time to cover the day-long British Showjumping Spring Show in Guernsey. This meant only two of the Classes are featured here.... the Scope Furnishing Trophy & the Junior Foxhunter Trophy.

Click the link to view the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE BS SPRING SHOW

Chouet beach was lined with a large crowd of spectators for the end of season Autocross Fun Meeting.

In recent years the format of the Fun Meeting has become a sort of Motorsport 'Muratti' with a growing contingent of Jersey cars and drivers coming over to enjoy some fun on the Guernsey sands.

This year the action was non-stop and, unlike our local football team, the Guernsey Banger racers took the Trophy with a very strong performance.

I've added a new Gallery of pics featuring the action. Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2019 AUTOCROSS FUN MEETING

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

What a great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday morning.

It was a perfect springtime day and I'd been assigned to capture some pics of the Junior ABN Golf Tournament at St Pierre Park. The early morning dew had to be swept off the greens before play commenced and a fine mist hung in the valley.

I enjoyed following the play around the picturesque golf course but the inevitable edit of the pics back at my office had to follow. That's the high and low of life of a photographer.

A gallery of pics is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE JUNIOR ABN AMRO GOLF TOURNAMENT

The Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club hosted nine Bouts at St Pierre Park Hotel featuring Guernsey v Police Community Clubs.

Once again diners were treated to some closely competitive fights with the Guernsey team taking the overall win.

I've added a gallery featuring every bout. You can view my pics by following this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST DINNER BOXING PICS

Now I know that Blog headline is a bit corny... but hey, I'm not a copy writer, I'm a photographer.

But that headline isn't too far wrong.

I photographed a gig at The Fermain Tavern on Saturday. The promoters were Havoc Events. They'd invited a mixed lineup of local talent - both young and not so young (sorry Coastal Fire Dept.)

I missed the first acts but caught the end of the Vice GSY set. Next up were the loud, heavy and grungy Coastal Fire Dept. Has the Tav ever been blasted with such a solid wall of riffs?

Then to contrast it was Kings who closed the night with their polished, modern set. I really like this band. Their sound is distinctive and contemporary. They are another example of the amazing talent that Guernsey seems to nurture.

There must be something about a small community that acts as a catalyst for talent. I recommend that you try and catch a Kings gig. If you like things on the loud and heavy side then Coastal Fire Dept. would be the way to go!

My pics of the gig can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF KINGS
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF COASTAL FIRE DEPT.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF VICE GSY

That was a quick edit! Helped by the consistent light (this makes an edit simpler) I've turned around and uploaded the edit of today's GK&MC Motocross Championship race before the meeting has even finished!

It's always surprising how quick we can get things done if there is a pressure on time available.

At the moment, outside of my work as a photographer, I've got many things to juggle. It's keeping life interesting, busy and challenging... and I'm loving it.

So I'm calling on experience to minimize any time wasted sitting at the monitors. This adjustment is probably doing a useful job as over time I've drifted into a laid back and relaxed attitude to editing.

Time will tell if my new habit sticks for longer than a few weeks!

The mega-fast Motocross edit is now online here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROUND-3 OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

So take a guess what I did after spending all day photographing Day-2 of the Resolution IT Guernsey Rally?

Well my aching knees were telling me to go home and put my feet up, maybe I'd earnt a glass of Single Malt or two? That would have been the sensible thing to do!

But no, I found myself at Beau Sejour straight after the Rally finished as the Guernsey Amalgamated Boxing Club were presenting 'February Fury', a night of 21 Bouts featuring Guernsey ABC v Home Counties.

By the end of the night I was completely knackered but it was a great way to finish the weekend. Variety is the spice of life but thankfully most weekends aren't so busy!

I've started the mega edit of 'February Fury' and the first Galleries of pics are now online. It will take another day or so before I'm able to complete the full edit as I'm working on a couple of Commercial assignments but if you follow this link you'll be first to see the latest updates:
** UPDATE: PICS OF ALL TWENTY-ONE BOUTS ARE NOW ONLINE **
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST UPDATES TO THE FEBRUARY FURY GALLERIES

A quickie update as I'm waist deep in picture edits with no time to chat :-)

The 2019 Resolution IT Guernsey Rally edit is done. Yeah.

The Day-1 gallery is now online. This features the Friday evening stages which were raced mostly in the dark and gave photographers a real challenge to achieve any sort of decent result.

My effort at this challenging task is now online.

Also today it was great to see four pages of my Rally pics in the Guernsey Press. Hope you enjoyed the coverage.

Check out the Rally Day 1 pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW DAY-1 OF THE RESOLUTION IT RALLY[/url

It's been enjoyable completing the first Resolution IT 2019 Guernsey Rally edit.

The first pics online are of the Day-2 Stages. They were in St Andrew and St Saviour. There were two closed sections of the public road... actually very narrow lanes.

Each of these was raced in one direction in the morning and then reversed for the afternoon. Of course this produced a completely different Stage.

The enjoyable part of this edit (actually the same can be said about many edits) is that I get to see what I was photographing and it's almost like I'm seeing the scene for the first time!

Weirdly there is something about the concentration and adrenaline whilst photographing fast moving action that gets in the way of actually 'seeing' what is in front of me!

So I can now say categorically (and I've seen the pictures!) that this was one amazing event.

You can see if you agree with me by checking out this first Gallery:
THE RESOLUTION IT RALLY PICS_DAY-2 PICS ARE ONLINE

Will I be accused of being over excited if I state that the 2019 Resolution IT Guernsey Rally was pretty spectacular?

Well, so what if I am! I spent two days following the event including seeing some of the massive amount of organization and the number of people behind the scenes who have to come together to make this event happen... and I was more than impressed.

The Stages were varied and challenged competitors versatility on each day. A large number of spectators took full advantage of the perfect springtime weather... but it is still midwinter!

Big respect to the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club, some great work sorting that out! Or maybe it was all the helpers who came over from Jersey who brought their own sunshine along with them? I don't care if they did. It was the icing on the cake of a great Rally event. Bring it on again next year please.

I'm now working on the edit... and it's a big one! Check out the link below to keep up to date with the latest uploads.

As well as photographing the Rally I also covered 21 BOUTS of boxing at Beau Sejour and just to completely wear me out, there was also a gig to photograph on Friday night after the evening Stages of the Rally.

My whole body is aching... but it's a good kind of ache. The sort you get after having a good work-out. The only problem is my recovery rate at 64 years old isn't what it used to be :-(
CLICK TO VIEW THE RESOLUTION IT 2019 RALLY PICS

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

There was a double-header of action events for me to photograph this morning. I reckon that this sets the tone for the rest of the year as my diary is already filling up with a multitude of different events.

As I've mentioned many time before, it is the variety of sports, gigs, festivals, commercial shoots and news items that I photograph that makes my job the best.

I get to see and experience so much that Guernsey can offer its residents... just as long as they chose to be involved. I'm going to work as hard as ever to offer the best coverage out there. Make sure you visit this Blog page regularly to find a link to all the latest updates.

Today you can view pics of the GVC MTB XC race at The Guet and Round 7 of the Autocross Club Banger racing championship at Chouet. Follow these links:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC MTB XC RACING
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST AUTOCROSS RACING

I've just finished uploading pics of two of my favorite ways to get into the festive spirit.

There were a couple of (now traditional) back-to-back School of Popular Music events held recently and there was nowhere to hide from the classic Christmas songs!!

Thankfully lots of other music and song also featured from well over a hundred performers spread over the two nights.

First up was the SoPM Christmas Concert held at the Church on the Rock followed by the SoPM Christmas Gig at The Doghouse a day later.

The Concert showcased the less experienced and younger students with the experienced students being treated to a professional venue with the added benefits of a pro sound desk and lighting at The Doghouse.

I've added two full galleries featuring all the performances:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM CHRISTMAS EVENTS

The annual tidy-up is still underway and I've found another folder of pics that seem to have missed the edit... but that's sorted now!

These pics are from way back in the summer when a David Bowie tribute act visited Guernsey and played a couple of outdoor concerts within the historic walls of Castle Cornet.

I was sent along by the Guernsey Press to take a few pics and enjoyed re-living my youth to a stream of Bowie hits. I was a great fan of the Starman and hearing so many of his hits during a two hour set reminded me of the time when I wore flares, platform boots and had hair down to the shoulders. Thankfully not too many pics exist of that very questionable period of fashion!

The Bowie Experience did a good job of 'time-travelling' us back to the days of cassettes and no mobile phones. Those were the days :-)

This is a link to my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE BOWIE EXPERIENCE

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

European Tour Professional Golfer Robert Rock visited La Grande Mare Golf Club where he coached the Guernsey Island Junior Golf Team.

Robert had lots of good advise and tips to offer after many years playing at the top level. He first joined the European Tour as an affiliate member back in 2003.

Since then he has played all around the world against the biggest names in the sport. Impressively he can add two of the all-time greats to his list of opponents that he has beaten... Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy no less!

Let's hope a bit of his magic will rub off on our local juniors!

I was sent along to take a few pics. View them here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROBERT ROCK

There was no map needed by me to find my way to The Captains Hotel. In fact once I'd got near I only had to listen out for the live music.

I'd journeyed 'down south' to listen to Jim Delbridge launch his new album 'The Navigator'. When I entered the very packed bar it was clear that Jim's devoted fans had come out in bus loads!

There was a fantastic atmosphere with people just wanting to absorb the new tracks... just as well as it was near impossible to find a way to the bar for a beer!

Once again Jim has produced a mature, well crafted and memorable collection of songs. As always much of Jim's work could stand alone as poetry as he is a great wordsmith.

Seeing the size of the crowd that filled the bar I'm not alone in my enjoyment of his work.

I (somehow) managed to capture a few pics of the evenings performance. Take a look at them here:
CLICK TO VIEW A FEW PICS OF THE NAVIGATOR LAUNCH

If you're not a Guern you probably won't understand what I'm talking about but just believe me this does make sense to us!

My edit of last nights gig at St James is now complete and online. The two new galleries feature pics of The Cor Damme Lars (get it?) and The Recks.

Follow these links to view my pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST PICS OF THE COR DAMME LARS
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST PICS OF THE RECKS

The Baghdaddies headlined a mid-week gig at St James in Guernsey where they went down a storm with the crowd who managed to raise their spirits despite it being a Wednesday night and miserable weather outside.

This is a great party band... catch 'em if you can!

I popped along to take some pics for the Guernsey Press and was pleased to see my favorite lighting tech behind the desk... Lloyd Helyer.

Now before I upset all the other lighting techs around and jeopardize any of their gigs I photograph in the future (I love all of your work too... I really do!) it is just something in the way Lloyd lights a stage that makes the job of photographing a performance so much easier.

I've noticed this very often. Lloyd's lighting makes my processing of the pics so much quicker and easier... he saves me time, what's not to like!

I should clarify this a bit more... and I accept that I'm seeing this just from a photographers point of view.

From an audience's viewpoint I'm sure they would never have a 'preference' for any good lighting tech.

But back to the photographers viewpoint. I don't know if there are 'technical' terms for this but I notice that Lloyd tends to 'layer' the lighting. He uses colour really well and generally doesn't 'flood' a stage in a single primary colour. There's often an element of subtle white light too. Another factor is that I find I can predict his timing better than some other lighting techs.

All these elements combine together to assist my work... in colour.

But I have to admit that I do have a love for the black& white print. There is a strength and dynamic in that traditional format. Many of my favourite pics are indeed B&W and I will always continue to produce (lots of) B&W work.

However today's lighting and cameras offer the chance to capture colour better than ever before. So when given a beautifully lit and colourful stage it is maybe a sin not to use it to its best effect!

Hence, if you look at my gallery of The Baghdaddies pics you will see they are nearly all in colour. Lloyds lighting means that I don't have to turn to B&W just to 'save' a pic.

Also on the bill were The Cor Damme Lars and The Recks. Their pics will follow shortly.

I hope you enjoy looking at my Baghdaddies pics. Drop me an email Email me if you have any comments... agreeing or disagreeing with my thoughts.
CLICK TO VIEW MY PICS OF THE BAGHDADDIES