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I hadn't expected to find the time to take pics of the Channel Island Mower Racing Association's race meeting last Saturday.

However the opportunity appeared between two of my assignments and it was to good to miss.

I'd already spent an hour or so getting layered in dust up at the Motocross racing and had to brush myself down before popping along the the Dressage Championship. Luckily I was early enough to capture pics of a few riders before they took an inconvenient (for me) break for lunch!

But this opened a small time-slot before I had to get to the Fairfield for the Dog Show... I bet you'd love my busy life, eh!!!

So it was more dust for me at the Mower racing where the guys obliged me by running a race so I could quickly grab a few pics. Thanks lads.

My pics from this one race are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MOWER RACING PICS

After taking a short break Cage & Stage Productions returned with a sold-out Lock-In Guernsey - Round 6 at Beau Sejour.

The packed hall of spectators at Beau Sejour was entertained to thirteen hard-fought bouts which included Boxing, K1, Muay Thai and MMA. Much beer was drunk and as the evenings combat progressed the atmosphere built.

Every fighter should be proud of themselves for the bravery they showed by stepping into 'The Cage'. There is nowhere to hide once the cage door slams shut and I can tell you that after spending the evening photographing the action literally inches away from the bruising 'hits' everyone of the combatants did an amazing job.

I'm now working through my pics and the first Galleries are now online.

I hope my photography does justice to the fast moving, brave and committed action taking place in the cage. Make your own mind up by checking out the picture galleries:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FIRST PICS OF LOCK-IN GUERNSEY-ROUND 6

After a very long, hot and busy night at the Lock-in Guernsey, Round 6 at Beau Sejour I'll admit that a 5.45am alarm call wasn't entirely welcome on Sunday morning.

But there was no chance to have a lie-in as I was booked to photograph the Island Games qualifying Triathlon at Rocquaine bay which had a 7am start time.

As is so often the case (if you make the effort) the competitors and myself were rewarded with a lovely early autumnal morning beside the sea on the picturesque west coast of Guernsey.

This early assignment was just the first of a busy, but enjoyable day. The pics of the Triathlon race are the first to hit the Gallery. You can view them here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE ROCQUAINE TRIATHLON

Every few years the end of summer weather conspires to try and spoil our fun.

Sadly 2018 was one of the years that the clouds and rain featured more than the sun during the twelve hour long Vale Earth Fair in the historic Vale Castle in Guernsey.

However, after forty-two years of practice, nothing can dampen the spirits of the small band of VEF organizers and the show goes on regardless. It's a great shame that many potential festival goers are so easily put off attending and all the work put in is wasted on them. I'll call them 'light-weights'!

But... there is always a 'hard-core' who are the real deal and they seem to 'raise their game' in the face of discomfort and the 2018 vintage of the VEF will hold many great memories for those who joined the other stoic music lovers in Vale Castle.

I too endured the drizzle, struggling to keep all my camera lenses free from mist and water... this is an added challenge when you wear specs! As I edited the pics in this gallery I was reminded just how special the VEF is. I hope you enjoy my work.

It will take (more than) a few days to get all the VEF pics online as I'm just off to Jersey to photograph the WEEKENDER Festival for more of the same... that is great live music - NOT rain!!

Keep a check on the VEF galleries for the extra updates:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST VALE EARTH FAIR PICS

The School of Popular Music's Summer Party at The Fermain Tavern brings a week of intensive music tuition and practice to a fitting climax as the students get to show off their new skills to friends and family.

They are given the chance to perform on the famous Fermain Tavern stage... just like Elton John did, and they get to enjoy having professional technicians working the sound desk and lighting rig... and I pop along to capture their performances and the atmosphere.

The SoPM Summer Party gig has become one of my favorites of the year... and I photograph a LOT of bands!

The enthusiasm shown by the students and tutors is infectious. Everyone involved puts every effort into creating memorable performances.

It is fantastic that no judgments are made on any performers - they are just enjoyed for the simple pleasure that live music brings to the world.

Whilst for some students this adventure into playing an instrument and singing will be a short experience before they move on to explore other interests. However I'm certain that for many the foundation is put in place for a lifetime's involvement in music. What a great start in life!

This gallery displays pics of the nine bands that were formed by students for the 2018 SoPM Summer Party. There is also a Gallery featuring Last of the Light Brigade who headlined the night giving students an idea of what the SoPM tutors can do....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM SUMMER PARTY GIG

I only had about fifteen minutes to spend photographing the OSA All Terrain Challenge on Thursday evening at Footes Lane where a Steeplechase run featured in the ATC.

This meant that I only captured action from the first of the races... Division 1... before I had to dash off to my next job.

This was a shame as a water-jump is always entertaining for spectators and photographers alike.

I also guess there was more of a chance of one of the lower division racers getting the leap wrong and maybe falling flat into the water... making a great action shot!

Not that I want to be seen as 'preying' on anyone's misfortune ;-)

The pics that I managed to capture are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE OSA ATC STEEPLECHASE

The 2018 edition of the Guernsey Motorsport Seafront Sunday Festival was even more popular than the previous year!

Once again the St Peter Port seafront was closed to traffic allowing a huge display of all types of vehicles.

The entertainment spread along to the North Beach car park where a full day of motorsport action took place.

The weather played its part by encouraging thousands of people into town and the day provided a fantastic end to the 2018 MSA National Hillclimb weekend.

This gallery features some of the displays and entertainment...
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2018 MOTORSPORT SEAFRONT SUNDAY

That's another gallery update finished :-)

This time it features another two Rounds of the The Avon Tyres/Wynn Developments 2018 MSA British Hillclimb Championship.

Following my trip to Jersey to capture the action at the Bouley Bay rounds I headed home to capture the action at my local Rounds.... No's 21 and 22 at Le Val des Terres, Guernsey.

Once again local drivers split the pack of regular National competitors in the Top Twelve Run-Off. We certainly have a bunch of fast talent in Guernsey and always manage a couple of qualifiers.

This year was no exception and had a thrilling highlight when the (now legendary?) Darren Warwick took top spot on the podium in Round 21.

This was an incredible feat given that Darren uses such an old car compared to the cutting edge machinery on show.

However Darran's Moore Stephens Dallara F399 is clearly fast enough to take FTD when he drives it! Well done to him and all the other local racers.

My pics of the Guernsey National Rounds are now online here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2018 GUERNSEY NATIONAL HILLCLIMB

Maybe you just had to be there?

That's the thing about any form of live performances. Nothing can quite capture what it was actually like to be 'in the room'. No video can put you there. No photograph will replace the experience!

This is how things are with the recent Japanese Punk Invasion at The Fermain Tavern. You really had to be there... to bad if you missed it!

I've seen many great comments by those who managed to get to the gig... people have been enthused by the night and the two visiting bands.

The general opinion is the the Morlleyheads and PUNiK smashed it. I have to agree. The night enters onto my list of legendary Fermain Tavern gigs.

If you occasionally pop along to this website you will know that I rarely make comment or critique on what I photograph... I just take the pics!

However there is someone who does a great job and he is known by almost everyone on the Guernsey music scene. If you want to read a 'proper' report of the Japanese Invasion gig I recommend reading Tom Girard's regular Blog.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW TOM GIRARD'S REGULAR BLOG

So, having already stated that no picture can reproduce the experience of a live performance I still managed to capture a few pics of the bands. If you where one of the audience the pics might help you recall the vibe....
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF PUNiK
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF MORLLYHEADS

I love July... that's the month, not the girl!

July is always such a busy month and this week is a fine example.

I've spent an entertaining couple of days in Jersey photographing their two rounds of the Avon Tyres/Wynn Developments MSA British Hillclimb Championship held at Bouley Bay.

The racing was as close as ever and us Channel Islanders should be proud of the success of our local racers.

Now I'm back in the office its been full speed ahead to complete the edit of my pics before the road-show takes to Le Val des Terres for the Guernsey rounds of the championship.

So the first of the pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2018 JERSEY ROUNDS OF THE NATIONAL HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP

Everyone enjoyed a fantastic Guernsey summer's eve at the KGV on Saturday where 16 bouts of White Collar Boxing were held under the headline of 'King of the Ring'. The action was organized in association with CL Fitness.

The action was truly non-stop and the atmosphere was brilliant.

I survived (just) when one of the Super Heavyweight fighters was knocked clean out of the ring... giving me a knock on the head along the way and removing my specs at the same time! I ended up with a KO'd boxers head nearly in my lap.

My camera also took a tumble but being a Nikon it was fine!

Both camera and spectacles were recovered from under the KO'd boxer when he came to!

Talk about getting as close to the action as possible, eh. I've often commented in my Blogs that when trying to capture action you need to get as close as you think it is safe... then take one step closer! This time I might have overdone it!

However I lived to complete the full program of sixteen bouts and the edit is now complete. It was another big one (like the Chaos Festival - see previous Blogs) but there was no comparison in difficulty. The Boxing shoot was so easy as the light was consistent... in fact the edit was a real pleasure.

Who'd of guessed that I'd change opinion so quickly!

I've added pics of the Bouts to a new picture Gallery:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE KING OF THE RING BOXING

The final updates have been added to the massive 2018 Greenman Chaos Festival gallery.

Amongst the new pics are full coverage of the Sound Guernsey Battle of the Bands which was held on the Main Stage giving the young performers an early taste of what it feels like to play whilst backed by great sound and lighting.... surely they can only want to repeat the experience!

Then there are new Galleries featuring the silly games, the burnouts (essential at a bikers festival) and another Gallery featuring the Atmosphere.

So lots more to look at. Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETED 2018 GREENMAN CHAOS FESTIVAL

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

There was a huge entry for the 2018 Guernsey Milk Half Marathon.

I popped down to the start line for a few pics then I headed off to the finish... the journey was a lot easier for me than for the runners ;-)

But this assignment was only the first on a busy day that included the Classic Vehicle Show, Picnic in the Park, Live Jazz music at Candie Gardens and a World Dance team photo-shoot.

Follow this link to view the Guernsey Milk Half Marathon:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2018 GUERNSEY MILK HALF MARATHON
Follow this link to view pics of the World Dance Team Guernsey:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE WORLD DANCE TEAM

When the 2018 British Sand Ace Championship had to be cancelled due to problems with the Ferry timetable the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club decided that they wouldn't give up on the idea of holding a special event on Vazon Beach.

The Club organized a full program of racing to replace the Sand Ace and still managed to attract a good entry of visiting competitors for the 2018 event which was titled as the 'Battle of the Beach'.

Sadly the Club failed to sort out a sunny afternoon and there was a heavy drizzle and wind for most of the meeting... but we still had fun and it was well worth all their efforts.

Whilst the reigning British Sand Ace Champion was unable to defend his title Paul Cooper still made the journey over to Guernsey for this special meeting and I fancy he would have been right at the front challenging for the 2018 title as he was on top form winning every race he entered.

Hopefully the Sand Ace will return in 2019 bigger and better than ever!

I've added a large Gallery of pictures featuring the 2018 Battle of the Beach. Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2018 BATTLE OF THE BEACH

It's taken a while but I think I've finally understood what the sport of Golf is all about.

The enlightenment happened whilst I was following play at the inaugural Matt Le Tissier Golf Day at St Pierre Park Hotel Golf Club.

I was walking the course with the Guernsey Press Sports Editor Rob Batiste. It was a truly glorious morning with the sun beating down. Dragonflies were skipping over the water features. There was an atmosphere of peace, calm and pleasure.

I got the feeling that the cosseted atmosphere hadn't been missed by the golfers as they wandered down the fairways.

So what did I finally 'get' about the game of golf? What amazing fact had I missed for all these years?

Well, a round of Golf definitely beats a day stuck in the office doing a days 'proper' work! I was the unlucky one as I was the one working!

Now that I've seen the light I might consider taking up the sport but for today I had to work whilst the guys enjoyed the sun... and a day away from the grindstone!

To prove that I wasn't completely distracted I've added a gallery featuring a few of my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE MATT LE TISSIER GOLF DAY

It's taken a day to get there but the job is done.

My weekend was busy chasing around the Island completing a list of photo-shoots.

Once again the fun and enjoyment came from the variety of the work.

The shoots included the GK&MC Sprint meeting at Vazon coast road. A Bowls competition (The Sarnia Shield) Vale Rec v Guernsey Bowls Club at the Corbet Field. Saturday ended with too many beers at the Sound in the Market gig... followed by a bus trip and walk home. Yes, I slept well after a busy day (maybe it was the beer?) :-)

Sunday started too early for my hang-over with the Triathlon Super Sprint at Grande Rocque. After a quick edit of the previous work to meet the submission deadline I was off to the Vale Earth Fair fundraising Record Fair. Finally there was a chance to enjoy the fresh air (I needed it) whilst photographing the Living Streets walk in St Peters.

So ended another packed weekend...

These links take you to some of the Galleries:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF SOUND AT THE MARKET
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE VAZON SPRINT
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE TRIATHLON SUPER SPRINT
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE BOWLS SARNIA SHIELD

The Gallery updates are still coming at quite a pace....

I'm having to juggle my Commercial photoshoot work with the Sports and Events photography and having a busy Bank Holiday weekend has only made the backlog bigger!

But perseverance is usually the answer at these times. So I've devoted the day to catching up.

These are a couple of the new updates.

Firstly the Autocross Fun Meeting at Chouet... lots of pics to see.

Then there are pics of the GVC Summer Crit Series at Delancey Park... check 'em out too.
CLICK TO VIEW THE AUTOCROSS FUN MEETING PICS
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SUMMER CRIT SERIES_ROUND-3

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