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The latest updates include a couple more 'newbies' for me... the list of sports in the gallery gets longer!

The third update records another 'first'... well, for about ten years. Apparently it's about that long since there has been a women's Island Snooker champion. I popped along before the start of play to photograph the two contenders.

But back to my first comment. The two new sports (for me) added to the Gallery are Table Tennis and Dodgeball. The Table Tennis was great fun to photograph as the timing is critical to a fraction of a second.

Dodgeball is a bit of an odd one to capture. There is no interaction of teams as each side keeps to their side of the court and there is really only one 'action'... the throw of the ball!

OK, I'll admit that there are other possible shots... for example it would be great to capture an amazing avoidance move by a player but from what I found on this first photoshoot those moments won't come often.

The new Galleries are here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TABLE TENNIS GALLERIES
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DODGEBALL GALLERIES GALLERIES
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WOMENS SNOOKER GALLERIES

Bikes and boats... you don't find that mixture very often... unless you live on an island!

I suppose when so many people live on a small island whilst pursuing their separate hobbies and leisure activities we are bound to 'overlap' occasionally.

As we all (well most of us!) try and get along together there is rarely any conflict... in fact I believe it is a very healthy way for a community to live. It is a good thing to share our 'space' with others as we get a better understanding of the way our fellow Guern's spend their time.

There was a good example of this last Sunday when the Guernsey Velo Club visited Beaucette Marina for another round of the Ian Brown Cycle Shop Winter Mountain Bike Cross Country Series.

The racing took place surrounded by all shapes and sizes of cruise boats, gin palaces and yachts and as it was a Sunday morning there were quite a few boat owners preparing their vessels for the new season. I chatted with a few of them and they were enjoying watching the racing.

There was also an opportunity for me to capture a few pics featuring the unusual setting. They're now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE MTB RACING AT BEAUCETTE MARINA

The March edition of SOUND took place at the Fermain Tavern on the eve of the schools Easter break.

What a great reason to have a party!

The SOUND crew had invited a top line-up of bands and I was there to capture a few pics.

Tantale headlined the gig and were supported by Watercolour Matchbox and Seven Day Riot

Follow these links to view the pictures:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF TANTALE PLAYING AT THE MARCH SOUND GIG
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF WATERCOLOUR MATCHBOX PLAYING AT THE MARCH SOUND GIG
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF SEVEN DAY RIOT PLAYING AT THE MARCH SOUND GIG

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

Yes it was chilly... but if you kept ducking and diving, sheltered from the bitter wind, climbing cliff slopes, running around Trials sections... all between warming up in the studio van - it was possible to keep warm!

That was my plan of action before leaving home last weekend to capture action at several outdoor events.

Broadly speaking it all went according to plan. It was proof that if you dress for the weather you soon forget about any discomfort and just get on with the job! In fact it was thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining.

I've already put a link up to my 2-day Trials pics. I've now added a couple more picture galleries featuring the first Round of the 'Summer' (you've got to be joking, eh!) Autocross Championship together with pics of Round-2 of the Guernsey Velo Club's MTB Downhill Championship at Pleinmont.

These are the links:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND-1 OF THE SUMMER AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND-2 OF THE MTB DOWNHILL CHAMPIONSHIP

My Saturday schedule had to be re-jigged at the last minute when the start of the 2018 Eisteddfod Artistic Roller Skating was delayed.

I had planned to cover the first hour and a half then pop up to the Motocross Track for a few more action pics... then it was off to the Corbet Field for football - Vale Rec v St Peter.

In the end I didn't have time to get up to the cliffs for the Motocross, shame as it was a beautiful day.

However there was a plus. I had more time to spend at the Roller Skating.

I've just added a new picture gallery featuring most of the performers:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE EISTEDDFORD ROLLER SKATING

It's a known fact that only the youth have this energy and enthusiasm.

Last weekend I photographed the SOUND - The Young Ones Vol.2 gig at the Fermain Tavern. This gig was part of a series organized by a charity called SOUND Guernsey.

Specifically set up to support, promote, encourage and nurture young bands and live music in Guernsey SOUND have been working away building a new young live music scene. It is going from strength to strength with a fantastic 'ethos' playing a core part.

Young artists and bands are being 'schooled' in the correct 'behavior' when performing live. They are expected to show respect for their peers and to learn the discipline and 'professionalism' that is required to achieve success.

The gigs are often age-restricted to under 18's so allowing the junior gig-goers to grow, safely, into the live music environment.

The thing that struck me whilst I photographed the latest gig was how young people have endless energy and enthusiasm when they are out with mates doing what they most enjoy. It also reminded me what music does best... it brings people of all backgrounds together to share a good time... the smiles on the faces were proof!

SOUND The Young Ones Vol.2. had been billed as 'featuring the finest of Guernsey's young bands' and 'a night of moshing, circle pits, noise and fun' at The Fermain Tavern.

It did exactly what it said on the tin... or should that be drum kit!

View my pics of track not found, Vice, Cosmic Fish, Isle Stone and Zak Trimmer here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF SOUND - THE YOUNG ONES Vol.2

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

We must be a bit of an odd lot in Guernsey, eh.

When I say 'We' I'm referring to Guernseymen and women... and I'll extend that to include everyone else who has moved to our little Island as I'm sure a bit of the madness and passion has rubbed off on you too!

Maybe it's because we live on such a small Island that we have to make our own entertainment. This is manifested in the huge amount of activities that islanders organize. There's no excuse to feel bored over here!

I see quite a lot of these events during my professional photography and it never fails to amaze me how much goes on. My specialism is Motorsport photography and almost every other form of Sports photography with Gig photography filling a lot of the remaining time.

But up until Saturday we hadn't managed to tick (perhaps the final) Motorsport box... there was no Rally racing in Guernsey.

How on earth had that happened? Well this has now been sorted after the first running of the Resolution-IT Guernsey Rally! It was run with the enthusiasm and passion that us Guerns are known for and was a great success... I think it was the first of many, fingers crossed.

I was out taking pics in the very chilly wind and a gallery of my Rally pictures can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE FIRST EVER RESOLUTION-IT GUERNSEY RALLY

Last Saturday Nessi Gomes played at a special Guernsey homecoming concert as part of the bicentenary celebrations of the St James Concert and Assembly Hall. I was there to capture the atmosphere of this special occasion.

Nessi featured a classical adaptation of her debut album Diamonds & Demons and she had brought together a band that included her select musicians who helped record her album together with some of her elite Guernsey based musician friends.

This well promoted gig was a near sell-out, there were only a few limited view seats left empty. Inevitably expectations were high but I don't think anyone left the imposing auditorium disappointed.

Everything seemed to come together perfectly. The supporting act, Blue Mountains, rose to the opportunity of playing to an attentive audience... their next gig in a noisy pub will never match the ambience of St James!

But, fittingly, it was Nessi Gomes who stole the night with a slick, professional and endearing performance that will leave her friends, family and all that saw her with the impression that she is one of Guernsey's finest song writers and musicians.

I've just uploaded a gallery of my pictures. Follow this link to view them:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF NESSI GOMES PLAYING AT ST JAMES

Tantale launched their latest Album 'Tightrope' on a night filled with the best of the Guernsey Live Music scene.

The band had asked Lord Vapour, The Recks and Flexagon to support them. Anyone who has followed the local scene... even on the fringes... will know that this was a night full of headliners.

Now it is just a great memory for those who were there. For the rest of you - take a look at my pics to see what you missed!

The first Gallery online features Tantale... that's just how things should be! The Recks and Lord Vapour will follow ASAP :-)
CLICK TO HERE VIEW PICS OF THE TANTALE TIGHTROPE LAUNCH GIG

This is where I got my soaking over the weekend.... Guernsey Football Club v Thamesmead Town at Footes Lane.

A 2-2 draw on this very miserable, windy and wet afternoon was probably a fair result. Resilience was needed by both the teams and the 'tog's!

It was the worst kind of damp - a heavy drizzle driven by a strong wind. This is a real challenge to keep the lenses clear so you don't loose too much contrast in the pics.

I know I've complained before about working in these conditions and I don't really know why as in fact I like the challenge and the 'dynamics' can add something to the record that us pro 'togs are trying to record.

Also, the discomfort is soon forgotten when you have a beer in your hand!

So I'm all happy (and dry) again and looking forward to the next downpour!

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF A SOGGY FOOTBALL GAME

Only the Vale Earth Fair Collective would be able to line up such a mix of 'Unplugged' Bands on the stage at The Fermain Tavern.

In fact they had set up two stages for the stripped back bands to play on in support of the 2018 Vale Earth Fair which is the headline event for the VEF Collective.

The night began with a new local band (they have to be local with their name) The Cor Damme Lars!

The night then, nearly seamlessly, swapped between stages with a lineup that included Savage Sons, Between the Signs, Rectory Hill Skillet Lickers, Ramblin' Nick Mann, Space Pirates of Rocquaine, Blue Mountains and Richie Powers.

I think you'll agree that was a lineup guaranteeing a busy and entertaining night... and it was all for a good cause.

Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE VEF UNPLUGGED 2018 AT THE FERMAIN TAVERN

The first event of the 2018 GVC Downhill MTB series took place in Petit Bot valley on a very muddy and slippery course which challenged the best of the riders.

This was confirmed when I was almost wiped out by a rider who lost control at the bottom of the hill! I was soaked from the waist down by muddy water!

In the end everything (including the rider) was OK... the mud splashes over my clothing disappeared after a visit to the washing machine and the cameras and lenses were fine after a more gentle wash!

That's the price a 'tog pays when getting close to the action ;-)

My weekend involved plenty more action in the form of the Guernsey Raiders Rugby against Sidcup - a 69-5 win for the Raiders produced plenty of the afore mentioned action!

I also covered the Guernsey Athletic's Junior Cross Country at L'Ancresse. This was run in a strong and bitterly cold wind making it a real challenge to the willpower and determination of the very young competitors. Well done guys 'n gals.

There was more ' gig action' on Saturday evening at the Vale Earth Fair's 'Unplugged' fund raiser at the Fermain Tavern.

All the edits are in work. Keep a check on this News Blog for updates to the Galleries.

First up are the MTB Downhill pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE MTB DOWNHILL RACE

Well that's another job done.... and it didn't hurt a bit. At least not from my side of the ropes!

All ten Bouts of the Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club's first fight evening of 2018 are now online. Every Bout was well fought with Guernsey winning overall by six to three with one draw.

Well done to the visiting Liverpool Select team. You put on a great show and I know you will be welcomed back again in the future.

The final Bouts to be added to the Gallery are:

BOUT-6_Tomasz Kot v Shaun Magennis
BOUT-5_Chris Sumner v Lewis Mullineux
BOUT-4_Niall Adams v Jake McCarthy
BOUT-3_Monika Duda v Elena Narozanski
BOUT-2_Charlie Watson v William Lawson
BOUT-1_Callum Langlois v James Kerr

Follow this link to view my pictures:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETED DINNER BOXING GALLERY

Are you man enough?

What prompts me to ask the question is a brief conversation I had with George Jennings, one of the two Ref's at Friday's Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club evening at St Pierre Park Hotel.

We were waiting for the bouts to start when George commented to me that there were several three round/three minute fights on the bill. As an ex-boxer and someone with experience playing other sports George said he felt the fight 'game' was the toughest of all! 'The fighters were going to feel the pain!'

Who was I to argue? There has never been a chance of me having the bravery, confidence, fitness or strength to want to test myself in such a public place as a boxing ring. The last fight I had (OK, it was more like a brawl) happened perhaps forty-six years ago in a dark hotel car-park and my 'bravery' had come out of a Vodka bottle!

I soon knew that George was right with his judgement. The boxing was fast, grueling, brave, exhausting... and entertaining from outside the ring ;-)

I can assure you this was the case as my privileged access to the side of the canvas meant that I could feel the shudder when the big punches found their target!

I had a busy night trying to capture the best action and I've now started the edit of the pics. So far these Bouts are featured in the Gallery. The others will follow:

BOUT-10_Billy Poullain v Mark Bebbington
BOUT-9_Casey De La Mare v Casey Brown
BOUT-8_Jimmy Lesbirel v Kayne Chapple
BOUT-7_Henrique Jesus v Dexter Makaza

Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE FIRST DINNER BOXING EVENING IN 2018

I've mentioned in previous Blogs that 2017 was a quite traumatic year for my family.

During the year my 90 year old father slowly found life getting more challenging and this wonderfully brave and independent old soldier had to accept that he needed more help from his family.

I chose to spend more time as his Carer before he eventually needed to move into a Care Home. Sadly, after his health deteriorated further, he died on the 27th of September.

Ultimately this was a happy release for dad (and his family) as his pain and confusion is no longer troubling him. We are left with fantastic memories of an incredible man who lived life with such a positive attitude. He could find fun and adventure in everything he did and he shared an exceptional marriage with his dear Madelaine.

Only now, after the passing of the months, am I finding that I can focus on getting my life back into some 'normality'.

This has seen me trying to catch up with some of the editing that wasn't completed due to a lack of time.

The latest updates that I've completed show the coverage that I made of the new Jersey Weekender Festival. This was a major edit as it features the full two days of fun and 26 of the Bands!

I'm pleased to say that the job is done! You can view the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2017 JERSEY WEEKENDER FESTIVAL

Thankfully, last year won't get repeated. It was a year that my family experienced the death of my father, Leslie Le Poidevin.

He was a wonderful man who was loved, respected and compassionate. He made a real difference in the world by the way he chose to live life... and he led a life that was worthy of a movie.

He was of a generation that experienced being evacuated from Guernsey to Scotland as a child. Whilst there he had many adventures. He then joined the Army and served in Palestine where the adventures continued... like I mentioned before, there really could be a film made of his encounters.

Sadly, towards the end of his life things became confusing and an old wound he sustained in a roadside bombing made his mobility very difficult.

It was during these final years that I was privileged to become his carer until he needed more specialist help in a Care Home. This final move was the worst thing I've ever had to be part of but it was for dad's comfort and safety.

Maybe I'll try and write down some of dad's many adventures when I have a little time as my children and grandchildren should be able to share some of the stories.

All this Blog so far has been to explain why the last year or two have been challenging at times to find the time to keep this website up to date. The same goes for the cataloguing of my pics into my IMatch Database.

So the last few days it has been 'nose to the grindstone' trying to catch up with the backlog. One big update that has now been completed is to the 2017 Vale Earth Fair gallery... and it's a real biggy!

Find the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETED VALE EARTH FAIR 2017 GALLERY

I'm guessing that the hallowed walls of St James hadn't seen (or heard) the likes for a long time... maybe never!

The event was the launch party of the track not found EP. The band had invited Lord Vapour to warm the party up first with a set of their heaviest sounds and this proved to be a good choice as once the girls took to the stage things were bubbling along nicely.

'The Only Way Is Lost' does a good job of showcasing tnf's live sound and is a notable achievement for such a new and fresh young band.

I'm sure they are destined to even greater things in 2018. The future is in good hands. Make sure you catch one of their gigs.

Follow this link to view pics of the track not found launch party:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE TNF LAUNCH PARTY

Christmas eve was anything but quiet in St Peter Port.... although you did need to know where to look for the fun!

A couple of venues had opened their doors to live music on the eve before crimbo and that was the formula to drag the punters in.

Whilst the High Street and most pubs were echoing in their emptiness the Golden Lion and The Vault were packed to the bar by revelers with a mind to start the party early.

My first call was to the Golden Lion where Joe Corbin was playing a rare gig in his home town. Joe now lives in the UK and gigs all over playing his Blues.

I then popped across town to The Vault to catch an energetic set by Thee Jenerators before seeing the headline act, Of Empires. This band now also resides in the UK playing regularly... and it showed. Of Empires were tight, professional and polished. Indeed their set was one for my short-list of 'Best Gigs in 2017'

This year has been another memorable one featuring our ever-strong live music scene. With just days to go before the New Year I hope 2018 will give us more of the same.

You can view pics of the Christmas Eve gigs here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF JOE CORBIN
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THEE JENERATORS
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF OF EMPIRES