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Nothing is more satisfying than spreading it about a bit.

So that is what I've been up to today. Don't tell the missus ;-)

I'm spoilt for choice at the moment when it comes to Festival and Band pics to edit. I have so many!

This is why I decided to spread my time between preparing a few new Galleries from Jersey Live 2015 and also Vale Earth Fair 2015.

Both these Festivals have their own individual character and personality but both share one very important similarity... GREAT LIVE MUSIC.

Today I've enjoyed spending a little time browsing through my pics from each Festival and you can now view the new Galleries by clicking the links.

There are still loads more to come. Keep a check on this Blog for new links:
VIEW PICS OF VALE EARTH FAIR 2015
VIEW PICS OF JERSEY LIVE 2015

It shouldn't be a surprise to me but every year the workload at this time seems to creep up on me from a hidden place!

My Commercial clients suddenly remember that the Autumn is just around the corner with its changeable weather and falling leaves.

So the Elevated photo assignments start to log-jam. And then it is also a busy season for my other work. There are Hillclimbs, the Vale Earth Fair, Jersey Live together with Petit Bot Hillclimb and three more Motorsport events in Alderney just around the corner!

I've just returned from Jersey Live 2015. This was my eighth year of being invited over to photograph the friendly Festival. It's been great catching up with so many now familiar faces.

This year hit another high which, frankly, I hadn't expected. But more on that later as I update my Galleries.

For now I have just added my Press edit of pics... at least it gives a taste of what Jersey Live 2015 offered. Next year I recommend you make the effort to get along :-)
VIEW THE JERSEY LIVE 2015 GALLERIES AS THEY GO LIVE

I really shouldn't moan about it but WOW, things are busy at the moment!

Some of this is of my own making. Maybe I should discipline myself when the work starts to stack up by not taking on the photo-shoots that I do mostly for fun and my own portfolio.

But hey, I really enjoy the Gig and Motorsport photography... I can't just be doing the Commercial work... where's the fun in that?

So once again I have loaded myself with edits that need my time and to add to that I'm off to Jersey Live 2015 to capture all that action too!

I've started editing last weekends work with priority given to the Press and Magazine submissions however a small Gallery featuring the Vale Earth Fair 2015 Press edit is now on-line.

If you're patient I will (eventually) add full coverage of the 2015 Vale Earth Fair, the Motocross 2-Day Event and the Bank Holiday Hillclimb.

You have all that to look forward to!

Patience is a virtue :-)
VIEW THE FIRST PICS OF THE 2015 VALE EARTH FAIR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So that now brings me to the future.

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

This time it was the spectators and boxers who made use of the Bels football pitch....

D&C White Collar Warrior, Belgrave Wanderers FC & Power Constructions presented 15 Bouts of Open Air Boxing at The Track last Saturday.

For the second time I was invited down to The Track to capture some of the action and atmosphere.

This year the Boxing ring was set up closer to the stand which gave an option of buying a 'cheap seat' in the stands but the majority of spectators chose the comfy seats... together with a table for the mandatory beers!

Over a thousand people made the early evening stroll down Victoria Avenue whilst enjoying the mild August evening. The gates opened sharp at 5pm so there was a full evening to look forward to.

Their relaxed mood was soon turned around when the fast-paced action started in the ring. By the end of the night the punters had been entertained to 15 bouts of White Collar Boxing!

The evening had been organised in support of Charity with the Bels FC also earning a few bob towards the re-building of their stand.

So every-one was a winner... the Charities, the Bels, the bout winners and the punters enjoyed a night out with a difference.

I think we can look forward to more of the same another year.

I've added a few pics of each bout to my galleries:
VIEW PICS OF THE OPEN AIR BOXING

That's it. Sorted.

The 2015 Greenman Chaos Festival is already just a memory. We now have to wait until 2016 for the fun to continue.

But we do have the pictures to jog our memories and I've just completed the galleries for 2015 with the last of the Band pics.

Final updates are for Near Bliss, the ever popular The Recks and Sunday's headliners FlashMob.

So until we meet again in a field up at Pleinmont next year... keep it loud, keep live and keep it green, man :-)
VIEW THE FINAL GREENMAN CHAOS 2015 GALLERIES

Sunday afternoon at Chaos is the traditional time for fun and games... biker style!

Everyone is chilled and tired after two days of partying so there is no rush... just time to chill and have a bit of fun.

The trike is sure to make an appearance with its weird steering. Never an easy ride when your sober... add a few beers and its great entertainment :-)

The Tug of War proves that adults and kids are not so different after all :-)

Then the industrial grade Chilli eating contest separates the men from the boys...

Whilst the Greenman Chaos Festival 'headlines' that it is all about the bikes and the bands I think it is all about the general vibe and inclusive atmosphere. I haven't been on a motorbike since my teens (if I did get back in the saddle I think I would quickly become a statistic!) however the Greenman is always welcoming.

Next year you must pay it a visit...

My latest updates to the Chaos galleries are here:
TRIKES - CHILLI & TUG OF WAR... BIKER STYLE

It's what Summer-time was made for... the beach :-)

Every Guernseyman knows that we have amazing beaches over here. The best of them have white sand and clean water... and when the sun shines the sea takes on beautiful blue and green colours. Awesome.

However, now-days, when I find myself on one of our lovely beaches the peace is spoilt by the revving of engines! It's race-time.

But today was a very pleasant change. I received a late call from Peter Frankland, the Picture Editor at the Guernsey Press, saying that he was held up on another photoshoot and could I step in to photograph the Guernsey Surf Club's inaugural Junior Surf Series. Of course I can!

So my morning didn't go to the original plan but I enjoyed a couple of hours taking pics of the Swoffers and Yak Wax supported Junior Surf competition. I loved it.

I was impressed by how good the young surfers were and they made capturing the action very easy. I have a fancy that I will be back on the beach at Vazon again soon... without the revving engines!

I've added a Gallery featuring the Surf action:
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY SURF CLUB'S JUNIOR SURF SERIES

If I ever get around to making a short-list of my favourite weekends then one event would be sure to feature very near the top.

The Condor Ferries British Sandace Championship is a Motorsport event that would take a high spot on the list and Saturday confirmed to me why.

Now in its tenth year, the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club were rewarded for the decade of hard work that they have put into the Condor Ferries British Sandace Championship by seeing the best quality entry so far.

I understand that several riders chose to compete in the Sandace instead of another prestigious UK event. We were also able to see some of the most promising youngsters riding on the Vazon sands for the first time... and they were awesome. The future of the sport looks very promising.

The Sandace weekend is always very hectic. I'm on the beach for all the racing... that's the fun part... then the work starts :-(

I immediately copied the days shoot unto my laptop computer and then set off to the Wicked Wolf for the evening social.

This year (with the change of venue) I was promised a big screen and projector to display the days work. I visited the pub the day before to check out the system but no-one could show me the set-up... I was concerned that I might have problems on the night. I was right!!

It would take far to long to tell you what went wrong (quicker to say what went right!) In the end my back-up plan of taking a TV along saved the day :-)

I was able to run an un-edited slide-show of the 395 pics that I took of the racing. This is a scary thing for a photographer to do when you haven't had a chance to delete the rubbish or do any form of edit, exposure correction or cropping! To my relief almost all of them looked fantastic.

Sunday morning it was time to make a very quick edit before the Guernsey Press deadline and a further edit for Speedway Star Magazine. Then a full edit of the whole weekends work for my web-site.

So now, with the job done and the Sandace meeting already behind us for another year we must congratulate the GMC&CC for the way they ran the event. It is now a firm favourite with many International riders. They only have to visit Vazon once to catch the 'bug'. Beach racing is so different to their normal race weekends and Guernsey does it brilliantly.

Things can only get bigger and better.
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 CONDOR FERRIES BRITISH SANDACE CHAMPIONSHIP

If you could charge a Bike & Music Festival with the Trade Descriptions Act then the Greenman MCC 'CHAOS BIKE & MUSIC FESTIVAL' would soon be having their day in court.

The problem is that the word 'CHAOS' in the title really fails to hit the spot.

Given the literal interpretation you would be forgiven to expect mayhem, trouble, bad attitude, intimidation... where would you stop? CHAOS in fact!

But as I have stated many times before, this Festival is everything opposite to the above. The only thing you need to worry about when you attend is that you will need to pace yourself... you wouldn't want to peak too soon as there is so much fun going on... so many bands to see... so much beer to drink.

I've photographed the event many times now and my Galleries should give you a great idea what goes on.

I've begun the updates for 2015... there's more to come yet too :-)

First updates are for bands Stormbringer, Robert J Hunter, Demise of Sanity, Buffalo Huddleston, Citizen-X and Fly Casual.

Click the link to see how the Greenman Chaos Festival doesn't do what it says on the tin :-)
VIEW PICS OF THE GREENMAN CHAOS... WITHOUT THE CHAOS

Mike Brehaut will always keep you entertained. He is great fun to meet for a natter over cups of strong coffee... never less than two cups! He's also very polite and always acknowledges his audience with a wave... see pic No.4 of the sequence ;-)

When fellow professional photographer and mate, Mike Brehaut (CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY ), took up the sport of Karting I joked with him that he was to make sure that if he crashed he must do it in front of me and I would guarantee to get the shot!

Well, as you see, we both kept our part of the deal :-)

Whats more, I'm relieved that I managed to nail the focus for the whole sequence of pics... my cred as a pro lives on till the next time ;-)

In fact, as I know Mike loves attention, I've given him his very own Gallery :-)

As I'm living onsite at the Chaos Festival this weekend this quick edit was done in my studio van (beer in hand) as peeps are chasing me to see the pics... the rest will follow.

I've just noticed that the viewings on my web-site are at: 9,472,666... could this be an omen Mike Brehaut?

Or is that 999, call me an ambulance?

Click here to view the whole sequence:
VIEW THE SEQUENCE OF MIKE BREHAUT'S CRASH

The next time I step onto a beach it will be for motorsport mayhem of the very best kind :-)

The Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club will be running their tenth British Sand Ace Championship meeting on the sands of Vazon Bay. I'm proud to say that I have photographed every single one.

The fact that I have been privileged to get so close to the action (and have the pics to prove it) I am certain that this National Championship only gets better and better... year after year.

I've checked out the names on the entry list and the tenth running of the Sand Ace is lined up to be the best yet. I urge you to make a diary date on July 4th at 1.30pm to find yourself a space on the sea wall to enjoy the motorsport spectacle of 500cc 'Sliders' and 1000cc Right-Hand Sidecar outfits battling for the prestigious Trophies.

I was down on the beach for the last 'Club' meeting before the 'Big One'. Pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE LATEST SANDRACING MEETING

It was a case of Lights, Lasers, Music and Party when Hard Riddims and Cage & Stage Promotions presented a night of DJ's and MC's inside the walls of Guernsey's historic Castle Cornet.

The atmosphere came alive with the help of a fantastic Laser & Lighting show by Gareth 'G' Pennington's GLC Lighting & Laser's.

There is something mystical and magical when a modern event is held inside such an historic place as Castle Cornet. The thick, high stone walls might have thought they had seen everything before... including having its top blown off when the gunpowder store took a direct hit from a lightning strike!

But I fancy that the walls had never seen such an impressive Laser and Lighting show! The night was a great success with a great vibe running through the narrow passages and a good sized crowd enjoyed the unique setting.

I was able to pop along for a few minutes and I captured a few pics of the show...
VIEW PICS OF THE HARD RIDDIMS CASTLE CORNET NIGHT

Sometimes you can't help but be proud of our little Island and its inhabitants.

This weekend has been one of those occasions.

I have been chasing my own camera bodies around for the last two days whilst covering several big events. The mornings work wasn't that exciting or different but each afternoon it has been RYA National Offshore Powerboat time :-) And just to add variety, on Saturday evening I captured some pics at the Castle Cornet 'Rave'!

But to get back to my original comment. The Guernsey Powerboat Association were given the opportunity to run two races in the RYA National Offshore 3A & V24 Championship. This chance had already been earned by the high standard of organisation the GPA puts in place.

However, there was always going to be a chance of missing the mark this time around as there is so much that has to run smoothly behind the scenes. There is a mountain of paperwork that needs accurate completion and then every other fine detail from safety, marshalling, permissions and trophies has to be sorted before-hand.

The great thing is that now the last podium presentation has been made we can already say that the GPA and Guernsey has done us proud... what a fantastic event that showcased everything about Guernsey at its best. Thank you GPA. Thank you Guernsey sunshine ;-)

Final thanks must go to Stanley Gibbons Investment for their sponsorship of the GPA. Without that support nothing would happen.

I got to see the bustle in Race Control after each race as I worked with John Moore from the leading magazine 'Raceboat International'. John was in Guernsey as the magazine is going to give extensive coverage of the racing... helped along by my pictures. John was also making immediate updates to the
RACEBOAT INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE
and Facebook pages. Make sure you check them out.

I've already added a few pics of the two races to my Galleries... more will follow:
VIEW PICS OF THE RYA 3A AND V24 NATIONAL OFFSHORE POWERBOAT RACE-1
VIEW PICS OF THE RYA 3A AND V24 NATIONAL OFFSHORE POWERBOAT RACE-2

There was a buzz going around ahead of the fourth Full Boar 'Lock-In' Cage Fighting yesterday. It had been billed as 'Round-4, More Blood, Sweat and Beers'.

Could it live up to the hype and the three previous events?

I was certain that it would after I checked my web-site statistics and found that in the twenty-four hours between the fight weigh-ins and the start of the event there had been over 9,000 picture viewings of the fighters facing up to each other for the first time... its safe to say that the word was out!!
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 LOCK-IN WEIGH-IN

The fight night is always incredibly busy as I try to capture as much of the action as possible and this year was no different as the pace doesn't ease up for more than a minute.

But I'm privileged to be asked to, literally, take a cage-side seat (actually a ladder!) to give me the closest viewpoint in the building... that means I'm often closer to the combat than the Ref! :-)

I've started the gallery updates with pics of the Muay Thai British Middleweight Title fight between Josh Meadowcroft and Jake Brookfield. All other bouts will follow. Keep checking the gallery.
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 FULL BOAR LOCK-IN

The Full Boar Motorcycle Club is about to hold Round-4 of its Lock-In Cage Fighting at Beau Sejour.

This event is entering its fourth year and it has earnt a great reputation for the high standard of organisation, fighting and entertainment.

I reckon it is the largest indoor sports event held in Guernsey with up to 850 spectators. This guarantees that the atmosphere is electric!

But the night before always sees the weigh-in of the fighters and the first chance for them to stand toe-to-toe with their opponents. The tension can be felt!

I'll be featuring all the Bouts in my picture gallery... but for now, may I introduce you to the fighters who will enter the ring for the White Collar Boxing, Kick Boxing, Muay Thai and MMA Cage Fighting...
TAKE A LOOK AT THE LOCK-IN ROUND-4 FIGHTERS

I've been photographing the Autocross 'Banger' racing down on Chouet beach for quite a few years now but last weekend's Fun Meeting was a bit more personal.

My father, as he approaches ninety years of age, has recently given up driving himself around. I hope I am still 'on the road' at a similar age... time will tell.

Having made that decision, we were left with a fairly worn-out Hyundai Getz in Seaside Blue to dispose of.

Maybe it was the name of its colour that triggered the idea that the Getz deserved one last swan-song before going to the crusher. So the car was offered to the Guernsey Autocross Club to be used in any way they chose.

That brings us to last weekend's Fun Meeting and the Inter-Insular championship... Guernsey v Jersey.

When I walked around the pits looking for the old car I needed to take a clue from the colour because once all the trimmings have been removed I find many modern cars seem to loose their identity.

But, of course, I soon found it and I met the driver who would be giving it one last burn-out... or maybe its first ever burn-out?!!

I then waited eagerly, camera at the ready, to capture the Getz's last hurrah... and it went out in style, even managing a jump off the ramp which I think was the fatal blow :-(

So it only enjoyed a short time on track but what a way to send an old lady to the crusher. I now have a few pics to show my father and they are sure to bring a smile to his face :-)

I've added a picture gallery for the Fun Meeting. Why not take a look how many times you can spot the Seaside Blue Hyundai Getz? Answers on a Postcard please.
VIEW PICS OF THE FINAL BURN-OUT OF THE HYUNDAI GETZ

Let me ask you to think about this for a moment... that's all the time it should take :-)

What concatenation is there between almost all celebrations and ceremony? (I'll let you look up the word if you need to)!

Or maybe I can make things easier. I'm asking what element links special events by, almost always, playing a part in the occasion.

You shouldn't struggle to come up with the answer... which is Music.

This can take the form of live or recorded, but as you should know if you read this Blog that LIVE is my preference.

There was plenty of the 'live' stuff around town for Guernsey's Liberation Day's celebrations. The music was in many, many forms.

The marching bands were out... no military event could manage without them. Then the Home Front Marquee offered a day of 40's music and song. It was so popular that it was hard to find a spare seat.

But no seating was offered for the final event of Guernsey Liberation 2015 at LibRockLive. This 'mini-festival' showcased six live bands that were intended to keep every-one on their feet and it worked all the way until midnight.

So my day finished with me capturing a few pics of the bands on an impressive stage. I've now added a picture gallery featuring Static Alice, The Recks, Buffalo Huddleston, Asylum Seekas, Fade 2 Grey and King Rat and the Soul Cats.

Check-out the pics here that prove us 'Guerns' know how to party:
VIEW PICS OF LIBROCKLIVE 2015

That was a day to remember... Liberation Guernsey 2015, fantastic!

The day was promoted as a day to celebrate and remember 70 years of freedom and it is likely to be the last one in the current form... but what a way to go out!

With fewer and fewer guernsey residents having personal memories of the liberation of the Island after the occupation during WW2 our national holiday on May 9th will probably be 're-invented' in future years. So this, perhaps, is why the 'Guerns' were out in such huge numbers and with such party spirits all around St Peter Port on Saturday.

The atmosphere was infectious which is just as well because I had a VERY long day working all around the event. The energy and enthusiasm of the crowd kept me going :-)

I was commissioned by the States of Guernsey (together with Chris George) to capture the days colour and atmosphere. I also worked for the Guernsey Press.

This meant me putting in a 21 hour day and my iPhone App recorded a total mileage walked of 14.9 miles... not bad to say that was all done between Market Square and North Beach car-park!! My aching bones and blisters didn't need an App to remind me of the mileage covered!

Now is the time to take a seat to work on the edit of the long days work. I've made a start and the first gallery is now online. This features some of the day-time spectacle. I will be adding another gallery featuring the night-time bands shortly.

Follow the link to view the Liberation Guernsey pics:
VIEW PICS OF THE LIBERATION DAY 2015 CELEBRATIONS

I missed adding a Blog on the day it actually happened but tradition has it that I try and mark each time the viewing counter for this web-site breaks through another MILLION recorded views.

The NINE MILLION figure was smassshed a couple of days ago when I was stacked with the Bank Holiday work. Hence the late Blog.

So here we have the latest landmark and it seems to confirm that when the TEN MILLION mark is passed that will herald a new 'twelve month' best of THREE MILLION views in one year! Nice.

You may have noticed that I quite like the word 'MILLION' as I have used it (in Internet swearing CAPITALS) so many times already in this Blog!

Thanks a MILLION (just one more for luck!) for the continued interest in my work and I hope you find the time to visit again soon.

Here is a link to some of the previous MILLION marking Blogs:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MARKING BLOGS