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As this website smashes through 17 MILLION VIEWS I maintain the effort to keep the updates coming.

CLICK HERE TO READ MY 17 MILLION VIEWS BLOG

The variety of work that makes up an average week of photography keeps everything interesting for me... and I'm pleased to say a few of you too, judging by the amount of picture views made every day on this website :-)

As an example of some of the variety of photoshoots there have been three new galleries added today. They feature Round three of the GK&MC Summer Kart Championship.

Then there are pics of Jo Reeve's fortieth birthday gig at the Golden Lion which saw Gay Army make a rare live appearance.

There's also a gallery of cricket pics that I captured during the Loveridge Cup half-time at KGV. See the previous Blog for those pics.

All this still doesn't mean that I'm up to date with the weeks work yet... but I'm definitely three steps closer!

These links will take you to the new uploads:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROUND 3 OF THE SUMMER KART SERIES
CLICK HERE TO VIEW GAY ARMY PLAYING AT THE GOLDEN LION
CLICK HERE TO VIEW CRICKET AT KGV

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

May the 9th is Guernsey's National Holiday... but I have to ask 'What National Holiday?'

Liberation Day is a day that most locals enjoy chilling out on. There are many events taking place if you need entertainment. Or you can take the chance to visit friends and family for a couple of beers.

However for a working photographer it is far from a leisurely day.

This year my first assignment on Liberation Day day was to photograph the 50th time that the Guernsey Velo Club had run their Liberation Day Road Race over the L'Eree course. There was a good size entry when you consider other events that were taking place.

After that 6.30 am start my working day didn't finish until 18 HOURS LATER!!!

Once I'd captured a few action pics of the Road Race it was back to my office to sort, edit, caption and submit the pics for publication.

Next on the list was the Guernsey Athletics running race from the Peninsular into St Peter Port. I captured the start then followed the runners around the coast until (after struggling to find a parking space) I was at the finish line just as the winners crossed. Then back to the office for another edit.

Now it was time to photograph the historic motor cavalcade along the St Peter Port seafront. This always promises lots of colour and flag waving. It produced the goods :-)

It was now time for a bit a music... and a deserved beer... up at the Vale Earth Fair stage placed in the front garden of the Last Post Pub in St Andrew. To be honest with you, I could easily have called it a day then and there as there was a lovely chilled-out vibe among the crowd of locals sitting in the closed main road.

But no, there was more on my list. So back into St Peter Port I headed to photograph some of the bands appearing on the Lib Rock stage on the Albert Pier... only stopping to take a few pics of the fireworks.

So like I've already said, Liberation Day is far from a 'chilled day off' when you're a working 'tog. But it was still great fun. I hope you enjoyed yours.

You can view my pics of the 2017 Liberation Day by following this link:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF LIBERATION DAY 2017

Do you want a master class in how to organize a party?

Do you want to know who the experts in fun are?

Well I'll let you into the 'not so secret' formula!

You need to ask Guernsey's most popular band for dancing and partying to help you out.

During the last 30 years King Rat and the Soul Cats have been the masters of the party and they celebrated that milestone with a mega gig at Beau Sejour recently.

The word had spread that it was likely to be a lively event and the band definitely didn't disappoint. During the two sets King Rat and the Soul Cats performed many of their own songs together with the expected Motown classics.

It was a reminder that, in my opinion, nothing can replace a live band.

The Motown classics (as you would expect of such great songs) are often played by DJ's at dances and functions but they just lack that special something that a live performance has.

You could feel the love and happy memories in the haze of the Beau Sejour function room as we time-travelled back through thirty years of good times.

Thanks go to the band, the music and the loyal fans for a great night :-)
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE KING RAT 30th GIG

Taking pics in the 'hear a pin drop' environment of a Snooker tournament is a challenge.

This is where I found myself last weekend after being assigned to cover the 2017 Snooker Team Inter-Insular for the Guernsey Press and the Jersey Evening Post.

The competition was held at the Gremlin Club between La Villette Hotel Gremlins v Tower Green Baize Goblins.

The problem a photographer has when taking pics of Snooker (the same can be said for Golf) is that a hush settles over the crowd of spectators as the player sets up his next play. A photographer has to be extremely careful not to fire off a sequence of exposures at the critical moment... so ruining the competitors concentration. You will soon find Security escorting you off the premises!

When I arrived at the tournament I had already sorted out in my mind how I would try to approach the job. I would take advantage of the 'Quiet' mode on my new Nikon D500. This would be combined with the new Nikon 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens. The kit performed brilliantly and I was surprised by how quiet the quiet mode actually was... I love new technology :-)

Using the zoom lens allowed me to stand well back from the tables cropping the scene using the zoom effect.

The one remaining problem was the tables... note the plural here.

The play was taking place on two adjoining tables at the same time so I had to shoot with both eyes open. One watching play on table one, the other eye watching play on the second table. It can be done!

That was the only way to avoid clicking the shutter whilst a crucial play was being made on the other table.

I'm pleased to say that it seemed to work as the security let me stay in the room. Job done with the help of my Nikon kit.

I've added a few pics to a new gallery.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE SNOOKER INTER-INSULAR

The Annual 2-Day Trials meeting was organized by the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club last weekend.

I managed to get down to some of the sections but was limited for time this year. There seemed to be a good turnout of riders including visitors from Jersey, France and the UK.

It was a shame that the weather wasn't warmer with less wind as some of the conditions at exposed sections were pretty grim for the Marshalls. I hope their grit and stamina was praised by the competitors... it's never much fun sheltering from the wind and rain when you aren't taking part in the Trials action.

Even though the obvious, comfortable option was to stay at home there were good numbers of spectators spread around the sections and they were rewarded by some great riding.

An early springtime date for this meeting always runs the risk that it might be spoilt by inclement weather. But I've taken a look in previous years galleries and sometimes we've been treated to fantastic conditions. You really never know what you'll get with British weather!

I've just added a new gallery featuring pictures of the 2017 2-Day Trials meeting. Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2017 2-DAY TRIALS

Here we go then... I've added a new picture gallery featuring the 2017 Inter-insular Squash between Guernsey v Jersey.

Guernsey came out on top but it went right down to the wire in a very close competition.

Squash is played at very high speed. That fact alone makes photography a challenge.

When you add to the mix that most basic courts can only be seen from above - looking at the back of the head of competitors - it is almost impossible to capture a great image.

Just two of the courts at Beau Sejour have glass backs. Now that is an improvement but it still makes photography a struggle. The majority of time during a game, spectators and photographers are still just looking at players backs.

Then the other major factor is that the glass is usually far from crystal clean. No, it is usually smeared with grease and sweat... in fact is makes a perfect 'soft focus' filter!

But all of this isn't enough to put off a dedicated photog so I actually made two visits to Beau Sejour during the day. These were split by another sports photography job.

My congratulations go to the Guernsey and Jersey Squash teams as your joint efforts produced a great competition.

My pics are now online. Hopefully they aren't too far into soft focus!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2017 INTER-INSULAR SQUASH

On Saturday the Guernsey Amalgamated Boxing Club held 'Rampage on the Rock' at Beau Sejour... offering twelve bouts of Amateur Boxing.

This time it was a Guernsey Select who went toe-to-toe against the visiting England Universities Select.

As always the evening was well organized and supported by a vocal crowd of followers.

There was barely time to catch your breath between bouts as the action was non-stop. It was fantastic to see how well matched the opponents were as nearly every bout used the full three rounds with several being judged as split results.

Photographing boxing from ring-side is a real challenge as the action is fast moving. Combine that with the twisting and turning of the fighters and the referee walking in front of you at just the critical time you are grateful to get just a couple of 'keepers'.

However Saturdays shoot was one of the easiest I have covered as the ring lighting setup was very good. It was even across the whole canvas and perhaps most importantly it was fairly bright and the colour was consistent. The Dinner Boxing at St Pierre Park Hotel is plagued by strip lighting that varies in colour across the ring... that edit is a nightmare.

But the Rampage on the Rock edit is a piece of cake... a simple case of setting your colour balance, tones and exposure and a relaxed batch process did the job. Thank you Mr lighting manager!

I've just added the first seven bouts to a new Gallery featuring:

BOUT-12_Billy Le Poullain v Conner Fanning
BOUT-11_Casey De La Mare v Zohaib Hanif
BOUT-10_Jimmy Lesbirel v Jordan Awale
BOUT-9_Nathan Green v Mo Bakr
BOUT-8_Sam Masterman v Jordan McIntosh
BOUT-7_James Woolnough v River Watson-Bent
BOUT-6_Steve Traynor v Dhiren Mohan Kapur

All the remaining bouts will be added shortly.

Follow this link to view my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF RAMPAGE ON THE ROCK

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

Guernsey's School of Popular Music has only been in existence for a few years but they have already established a tradition.

At Christmas-time the SoPM arrange a special gig to show-case their students... both new and old. This is organized at one the Guernsey's live music venues and gives students the chance to experience what it is like to perform to an audience with the benefit of a pro sound system, sound desk technician and stage lighting.

I've photographed many of the SoPM events and enjoy seeing the progress of the first singers and musicians to start the courses. There is real talent on show. It's also great to see the 'buzz' that the 'first-timers' feel after their introduction to live gigging.

This year the SoPM arranged two special events at Christmas. As well as the Doghouse gig the newer students had their very own concert at The Church on the Rock. This was performed to a packed house of family and friends.

You can check-out pics of all the SoPM events that I have photographed by having a look at these galleries:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE SCHOOL OF POPULAR MUSIC EVENTS
CLICK

So what's a bloke to do when the majority of the Motorsport season is over?

Well today I spent an enjoyable sunny morning photographing the GVC MTB Winter XC Series Round-2 at Pleinmont. The circuit used part of the Motocross track (so I felt quite at home), combined with fields and clifftop paths.

OK, I did miss the noise and engine fumes but the action was great! The hour long race was challenging even for the fittest rider but we all benefited from the wonderful sunny winters morning.

There was an excellent turnout of competitors who took full advantage of the Motocross track layout that offered opportunity to overtake and a choice of racing line.

I'll call this event a great success. Let me know what you thought of it.

I've added a full selection of MTB pics to my website galleries. Take a look at the pics here....
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROUND-2 OF THE MTB XC WINTER SERIES

It has become tradition that Noizemonkey host a special gig at The Fermain Tavern on the Halloween weekend.

Regulars know what to expect.... lots of ghouls, ghosts, madness and music :-0

This years effort was as good as any of the previous nights of terror. The guys had done a fantastic job of decorating the venue and this offered a fitting backdrop for those gig-goers who had made an effort to dress up and paint their bodies. At least I hope it was all pretend!!

There were some truly scary haunted beings wandering around St Martins.

As a photographer it is fun to take pics of the characters however I'm the boring one who turns up at these nights wearing just my normal gear... and face. My excuse is that I don't want to get grease paint and (hopefully fake) blood on my expensive kit ;-)

It was only the next day that it dawned on me that maybe my 'normal' look is so scary that I fitted right in without the aid of props!

This years halloween Saturday was a busy one for me as I had a conflict of events to photograph. This meant I had to share my time around.

I started off at the 'Tav taking pics of Blacksmith.

I then jumped in my van and headed off to the Haunted House event in Vale Castle. Checkout the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE HAUNTED HOUSE EVENT

After capturing some of the atmosphere in the Castle it was back to the 'Tav just in time to see the nights headliners SugarSlam.

This finished off the halloween weekend with style. Well done Noizemonkey for all your hard work. You can now return to the vaults until next year.

The pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BLACKSMITH PLAYING AT HALLOWEEN
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF SUGARSLAM PLAYING AT HALLOWEEN

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

I've added another two Galleries featuring more Rock from the weekend.

Actually I should really phrase it like this.... 'more rock from the 80's' as these particular gigs/parties held last Saturday within the walls of Vale Castle offered a trip back to the Rock music of the 80's - with a bit of Dance and Halloween thrown into the mix!

The nights were organized by House Events and promoted as Haunted House 2016.

It was a double header featuring a Dance night on Friday followed by live 80's music on Saturday from 'That 80s Rock Show'.

My overall impression of the two nights was very positive with the choice of the Halloween weekend being a good one as people seem to make a special effort to get out and have fun :-)

I've added two galleries that feature the atmosphere in the heated marquee that was decorated in a Halloween theme and set up inside Vale Castle. If you didn't make it down this year the pics will give you an idea what you missed.

Checkout the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE TWO HAUNTED HOUSE NIGHTS

Today made a pleasant change of working environment to the 'normal' petrol fumes of motorsport or the noise of a live gig where you will often find me taking pics!

Today I swapped those types of event for the quieter and more genteel atmosphere of a showjumping arena. I was invited along to photograph the North Show equestrian event at the BSJA grounds in the Forest.

I was quickly reminded how much fun it is to attempt to capture the best action in a showjumping arena. There are many similarities between all 'action' photography... it's about timing and reading what, where and when things reach a peak.

Hopefully I dialed in to the pace of the jumping and caught the competitors best monents.

Unfortunately the conditions were less than perfect as it was dull at first then turned to rain :-(

However I thoroughly enjoyed photographing a change of subject. I must do it again soon :-)

You can view the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NORTH SHOW SHOWJUMPING

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

Liberation Day in Guernsey is our National Holiday.

Islanders come together to organize many different events that offer something for all ages and all tastes.

I usually manage to get around to a few different venues and have enjoyed being the official photographer for the day.

I've updated this years gallery with a few more pics featuring Stone Em All.

You can view pics of the band by following this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF LIBERATION DAY 2016

As the seasons change and autumn approaches we look forward to the weekends when we can lock the doors, close the curtains, stoke a glowing fire and watch this years Strictly Come Dancing.



No! What this season means to me is that the live music scene gets back into it's stride after it's mini summer holiday!

Maybe you will take the lazy choice of exercising the thumb on the TV remote but I promise it is worth making the effort to search out some live entertainment.

Saturday kicked off the autumn season at the Fermain Tavern. If you missed it because your thing is more Ballroom than Band then you can see what you missed here :-)

Pics of Sugarslam & Lifejacket are online here:
SUGARSLAM - THE ALTERNATIVE TO STRICTLY COME DANCING
LIFEJACKET - ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE TO STRICTLY COME DANCING

It's a slow start but the BIG Jersey Live edit has begun!

But just as I get things moving I'm working away again for a few days so the updates will continue in sloooww motion.

However it is worth mentioning here that Jersey Live 2016 managed to entertain me again... and (as usual) offered a few 'new' finds together with a couple of surprises.

For example the Mungo Jerry band is much more than the 70's hits we all remember. You want the Blues... you got it!!

I'll be adding a lot more pics featuring Jersey Live 2016. You'll just have to be a bit patient :-)

The first pics are here though:
CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW THE JERSEY LIVE GALLERIES ARE PROGRESSING