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It was all about the Beards at the Metal 2 the Masses Final at the Fermain Tavern.

The final saw six Bands fight it out for the opportunity to play at the 2014 Bloodstock Open Air Festival. I think that Simon Hall, the visiting judge from Razorline Music, was impressed by the standard of the six Bands who competed.

The final line-up was chosen at separate heats in Guernsey & Jersey and comprised of:

From Guernsey:
Brunt
Stone Em All
Byzanthian Neckbeard

From Jersey:
Chaos Theory
Masticated
Whitechapel Murders

After a full night of Metal the judge's choice was Byzanthian Neckbeard who were certainly a popular winner. Indeed this photog had backed them for the win but they were closely challenged by Stone Em All who are an ever-improving Band.

I've added a new Gallery of pics featuring all the Bands...
VIEW PICS OF THE METAL 2 THE MASSES FINAL

Always entertaining... but maybe the 2014 Autocross Club Fun Meeting was the best ever? There was a fantastic turn-out of cars & spectators. The weather was a special bonus :-)

If I had one disappointment it had to be that the jump wasn't used very much. I'm guessing that a 'racer is always a racer', even when doing it for fun! Why risk losing a place when taking the jump?

Shame, it can make a great pic!

But there is no argument that Chouet Beach on a sunny Sunday surrounded by maniacs driving old Bangers is a pretty exhilarating place to be.... mind your back mister.... they come at you from all directions!

I've added a new gallery of pics. Don't forget you can get any pic from as little as £4 - bargain :-) The digital file is bigger than this web-site displays, you don't have that horrible watermark... and you can sleep at night knowing you haven't nicked your pic from this photog, win, win, win.

I also promise that all funds received will be invested in Real Ale ;-)
VIEW PICS OF THE 2014 AUTOCROSS FUN MEETING

It's about ten days since the Greenman Chaos - Star Wars Gig, but the memory remains.

There were some great fancy dress outfits. There was a great line-up of Bands.

With the summer ahead (we are promised) we can look forward to a storming (not literally) Greenman Chaos Festival. If this gig counts as a taster and warm-up for the biggie... it's going to be GREAT!

I've just added a few pics of some of the Bands (Static Alice will follow).

Pics uploaded feature The Doomsday Project, One Mind to Lose & Brunt. Find them here:
VIEW PICS OF THE DOOMSDAY PROJECT
VIEW PICS OF ONE MIND TO LOSE
VIEW PICS OF BRUNT

You can't beat a firework display to bring a celebration to a colourful and noisy end.

A picture can say much more than words..... :-)
VIEW A FEW COLOURFUL PICS OF THE LIBERATION DAY FIREWORKS

Music is always at the centre of any celebration.

So it was a fitting and expected part of Guernsey's celebration of the 69th year of Liberation from the occupying forces during World War 2.

May 9th has established itself as a special Bank Holiday for all true Guernseymen (and Ladies). All generations flock to St Peter Port and are entertained by a variety of attractions. These include novelty shows, various stalls and performers.

But as I stated before, music takes a major role. Without doubt the Military Bands endorse the authenticity of the day and they are loved by all ages.

However there is also a tradition that modern bands are given a stage to add a younger side to the entertainment.

LibFest took place on the Albert Pier and it was here that I captured pictures of few of the acts.

I've added Picture Galleries for Blakalaska, Jacques Evans, JoMaLi, The High Tides and the DJ Sessions. Take a look here:
VIEW PICS OF BLAKALASKA
VIEW PICS OF JACQUES EVANS
VIEW PICS OF JOMALI
VIEW PICS OF THE HIGH TIDES
VIEW PICS OF THE LIBFEST DJ SESSIONS

The last week has been quite a blur. I have chased around to give coverage to so many events.

It has been very enjoyable. However I guess that most people (including 'casual' photographers) have little concept of how long the full processes take from the actual 'capture' of an image to the end result of having it published in Magazines, Newspapers and this Web-site. When all aspects are taken into account it is easy to see where the time goes.

You start by planning ahead. I have contacts with business clients and picture editors. Their requirements are noted and the day is planned. Simples, eh!

Then it is a case of keeping to the timetable hoping that everything runs on time. Having completed the days shoot the edits can start. Priority has to go to the print deadline work. This means a dash back to the office and a quick edit through maybe hundreds of shots to select the required pics. These have to fit the brief. Maybe specific action or subjects, upright or landscape format, close crop or wide view. All pics then have to be tagged with relevant details.

Often the first edit allows you only twenty minutes or so. You learn to work fast. All the time avoiding getting too many sandwich crumbs in the keyboard as you as you multi-task. Not bad for a man, eh!

Once the immediate edits are complete and e-mailed to the picture desks/client I turn the attention to the web-site updates. Once again speed is of the essence and the efforts taken to capture the best image 'in camera' will pay off as this greatly reduces the edit and processing time.

Next there is more captioning of pics. Then the uploading. Followed by the vital backing up and detailed cataloguing of all the days work. Why bother taking a picture if you can't find it in a few clicks when required?

In the analysis of this work-flow it is clear that the actual capturing of an image probably only takes twenty-five percent of the total time.

All the above processes have been in action during last week's work and I'm relieved to say that another job 'bites the dust' (sand).....

The latest update is for the GMC&CC Sand Race Championship. Pictures are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF SAND RACING - RACE-2

VIEW PICS OF FRANKIE DAVIES & HER BAND
The second of the #triplestoked events had a tall mountain to climb if it was to top the first night when the line-up consisted of Buffalo Huddleston, The Recks and Yes Sir Boss.

So I was not surprised when that peak wasn't quite conquered second time around.

That isn't to say that the night failed to generate an atmosphere in The Fermain Tavern. In fact there was another good turn-out and those that attended certainly had their moneys worth.

Nothing in life maintains the ultimate high and perhaps that is a good thing as when they come along we appreciate them even more. It also keeps us 'hunting' for the next big one :-)

I photographed a couple of the line-up at #triplestoked-2. You can view pics of the beautiful Frankie Davies and her band and Brother & Bones here:

VIEW PICS OF BROTHER & BONES

A new music tuition service is now on offer in Guernsey.

Tyler Edmonds has selected a small team of experienced music tutors to offer a new music tuition service to Guernsey residents. A wide selection of instruments can be learnt with a bias towards modern music with an aim of bringing musicians together with encouragement to form bands sometime in the future.

With this form of support now available the local music scene looks like it will just get stronger and more diverse. Good news as far as I'm concerned :-)
VIEW PICS OF THE SCHOOL OF POPULAR MUSIC LAUNCH DAY

What is hard edged, shiny, strong and magnetic?

Maybe a bit of Metal?

Well the Metal to the Masses competition produced performances that were a credit to the genre of music on stage at The Fermain Tavern.

This was at the Guernsey round of a tournament which will eventually see the best Bands that Guernsey and Jersey can offer go head to head (again on the Tavern stage) sparring for a place to play at this years Bloodstock Festival.

The chance of winning such a great prize generated the energy within the Bands to produce some of their best ever performances.

I was there to take a few pictures of Byzanthian Neckbeard, Stone Em All & Brunt. Check 'em out here:
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY ROUND OF METAL TO THE MASSES

Last Sunday (yes that is unusual) I was at The Fermain Tavern for the first of three #Triplestoked nights. The hype around these three 'specials' had been running high. Could they live up to it?

The first #triplestoked certainly hit the stage at the max! Indeed it was one of the most memorable gigs I have ever experienced at 'The Tav'... and I have seen a few!

It prompted me to ask 'how can you top that?'

Well we are about to find out as this Friday sees #triplestoked No.2

The first line-up comprised three GREAT Bands. Buffalo Huddleston, The Recks and head-liners Yes Sir Boss.

I can now share with you some of the atmosphere and I recommend you get along to the next two nights.

Pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF #TRIPLESTOKED-1

A Bank Holiday weekend is looked forward to by most people as a time to relax, chill-out a bit and basically enjoy time away from work.

Well it couldn't be more different for me!

But don't feel too guilty about this. I love my job. It actually consists of what I would choose to do on my day off anyway! That makes me very lucky :-)

The only down-side is that I have to pack a huge amount into a very short time. There isn't much time to sleep when there are so many deadlines to meet.

To give you some idea how I've chased around for the last few days, here goes...

Good Friday:
Web site updates were first on the list. Then there were Guernsey Press photo jobs including the GIAAC 10km Road Run at Grande Rocque and a big Guernsey Basketball League game at Beau Sejour. All pics had to be edited, captioned and submitted to a short deadline.

Saturday:
First it was another update to this web site then off to the first GMC&CC Sand Race meeting of 2014 on Vazon beach. This was followed by another edit GP submissions and a web site update. Then it was time to head off to the The Fermain Tavern for the launch of Last of the Light Brigade's new album. There were three bands on the bill so that was more picture taking. The line-up was fantastic and consisted of Coastal Fire Department, Robert J Hunter and his Band and the boys from Last of the Light Brigade.
Home-time meant another quick edit and a 2am finish!

Sunday:
OK, I'll admit that I did take a little time out for Easter celebrations with my family... noisy bunch too. That comes from now having two grandchildren and a 'grand dog' (although I think my own three adult children were the loudest of the lot!) Next was an unusual Sunday photoshoot of a gig. Again it was at The Tav. This was the first of three #triplestoked weekends. If the remaining two can match the atmosphere and quality of last Sunday's line-up we are in for more treats!
The quality of performance, sound and lighting was 'top-notch' and a real pleasure to photograph. The line-up consisted of Buffalo Huddlestone, The Recks and visiting UK head liners YesSirBoss. Another late return home still allowed time for a quick edit and another 2am finish!

Easter Monday:
What felt like a very early start (9am... very rock 'n roll, eh!) for the first Hill Climb of 2014. Thankfully it stayed dry and it was great to be back 'track-side' capturing the action. There was no lunch break this year so I was tired and hungry by the time I got home ready to relax. But, hey, no chance! It was back to the editing as I had more Guernsey Press pics to submit and I then made a start on the edit for this web site. Needless to say it was another late finish :-(

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed your casual weekend?

The pay-off for me is that the picture orders are already flowing in. And the best part? When you are back at your desk in the week I'll be out walking with the missus, maybe having a lunch or two at the Fleur du Jardin.

Then I'm sure I'll find time for a few beers at my 'town office', The Cock & Bull :-)

Like I always say, I love my job!

So far I Have added new Galleries for the GIAAC 10km Road Run, the Panthers v Le Mont Saint Basketball, GMC&CC Sandracing and the GMC&CC Hill Climb.

Pics of all six Bands will follow shortly.
VIEW PICS OF THE GMC&CC HILL CLIMB
VIEW PICS OF THE GMC&CC SAND RACING
VIEW PICS OF THE GIAAC 10km ROAD RACE
VIEW PICS OF PANTHERS v LE MONT SAINT BASKETBALL

Last Sunday was another special milestone for this web site.

It has become a tradition that I post a short Blog to celebrate these milestones as they pass... so I will continue this practice:-)

The occasion worth marking is the passing of another 1,000,000 viewings. This takes the total views past the 6,000,000... yes SIX MILLION!

The latest million views took about six months. This seems to be the established average now the web site has settled down into a pattern. The next six months will probably show an increase of one and a half million if past behaviour is repeated. The summertime is busier for me.

The continued interest in my pics is really appreciated. I'm sure that few people will understand how much work goes on behind the scenes - that is the work after the short process of actually taking photographs - to make the regular Gallery updates that keep people coming back to look at my work.

The reward for me is way more than the small income from selling pics. I have enjoyed the appreciation given from the people I photograph. I also know that I am privileged to be able to commit so much time to what started out as just a hobby.

Each time I sit down and consider what to write to mark the extra Million I think back over the last few months. This made me recall a small order for a few digital pics, just last week. There was nothing particularly significant with this order. It certainly only paid for a couple of beers! But, the interesting thing was that the order was for a few pics that I took way back in 2009. That's five years ago!

I've always wondered how someone can wait for so long to order a picture. How do they even remember (or find) the pic after such a long time?

I tell myself that maybe the pictures captured a special moment in the subjects life. The purchaser might have seen the image when it was first added to the Galleries and it made enough impression to be remembered.

Maybe buying a copy of the picture, after all this time, will help them recall and share that moment with others for many years to come?

If I'm right that a picture can mean so much to a person, maybe I really do have the best job in the world?

Check the links below to read previous Milestone Blogs:
CLICK HERE TO READ PREVIOUS MILESTONE BLOGS

Fermain Fest 2014 was held on Saturday at The Fermain Tavern - where else?

Basically the format is music, music and more music spread over an eight hour working day :-) To expand on that a little, the music genre is pretty eclectic - in other words something for almost everyone's tastes.

This varied line-up attracts a great mix of punters who arrive to support their favourites and then hang around to enjoy other artists. I think that is what justifies the 'Fest' in Fermain Fest!

I was on site for most of the eight hours but missed a couple of acts as I had to pop out for other photog work.

I think my favourite act were The Glazzies. They had been heralded with this quote: "Influenced by 90's groups such as Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. and Queens of the Stone Age, The Glazzies have brought back tense verses and explosive choruses." - AlternativeNation.net

I think that was encouragement enough for me to make sure I didn't miss them. I was not disappointed!

I've now added a full Gallery of pics featuring Jonny Lives!, Sugar Slam, Robert J Hunter, The Glazzies, To the Woods, Brunt, Lydia Pugh and The Doomsday Project. That's quite a full line-up, you'll agree!
VIEW PICS OF FERMAIN FEST 2014

Contrary to what some may be thinking, I haven't been on holiday. In fact I can't remember the last time I went on one! Perhaps the need for a holiday is reduced when every day (of work) seems a bit like fun. Lucky me!

You might have thought I was on a break if you have tried to view this web-site in the last few days... it had disappeared :-(

I won't begin to try and understand, let alone try to explain, what happened but it seems that some web 'DNS stuff' went haywire. By the way, the 'DNS stuff' was the technical term used by my professional web-site designing son. He knew he had to keep it simple if I was to understand anything.

One thing that an untimely breakdown like this does is remind me of how many viewings the Galleries have each day. The daily figure varies between 5,000 and the best ever of over 40,000!!

It also makes me feel 'wanted' (ah, sweet) because I received quite a number of e-mails from people complaining that they couldn't see their pics.

Now everything seems to be getting back to normal (hopefully) I have added a new Gallery with pics of the weekends Sprint racing at Vazon, enjoy:
VIEW THE NEW SPRINT RACING GALLERIES

We know that nothing can or will ever replace the experience that fans of Nirvana had if they were lucky enough to see the Band play live.

BUT, what we are able to do is keep the Band's music alive... and the best way is... LIVE!

Nirvazon were formed to do just that as a mark of respect and as a celebration of the great songs that Nirvana and Kurt Cobain recorded before his untimely death 20 years ago.

When such an amazing talent such as Kurt's is lost you may feel that his importance and influence passes too. How wrong that is. Saturday night at The Fermain Tavern was a perfect example of the continued influence a musician can have on a whole generation and beyond. There were many people in the audience (like me) who bought the Nirvana records when they were first issued... but there were as many young people who were only just born in 1994.

Each of us gloried in the songs knowing that many, many of our favourite artists of today carry the 'DNA' of Nirvana into today's and tomorrow's classics. What a legacy to leave behind.

These pics document a fantastic night of LIVE music which was received and appreciated by an enthusiastic crowd at the legendary 'Tav'.

Big thanks to the band, Pete 'Plumb' Bretel, James Le Huray, Tom Bradshaw and Matt Smart. You nailed it!

Special thanks also go to Lloyd Hellyeah for the superb stage lighting. A photographer is nothing without light:-)
VIEW PICS OF NIRVAZON AT THE FERMAIN TAVERN

Once again the Guernsey music scene provided too many choices of Bands and Venues this weekend.

It was a difficult choice, but somebody had to make it! Sorry to the guys & gals that I missed. Maybe next time?

So I decided to share the performances of three Bands... and the nominations were...

First up it was Thee Jenerators (with their new line-up) at The White Hart on Friday. The latest incarnation seems to have lost very little of their unique energy!

Then on Saturday I managed to catch two Bands at the Chaos Peace Tent Christmas Party at The Fermain Tavern. (I know, it's MARCH!).

It was great to see the talented Buffalo Huddleston followed by The Space Pirates of Rocquaine.

That list amounted to a varied weekend of lively entertainment. Just how I like it :-)

Pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THEE JENERATORS

VIEW PICS OF BUFFALO HUDDLESTON

VIEW PICS OF THE SPACE PIRATES OF ROCQUAINE

Now nobody can ever accuse me on not getting enough variety in my life. I'm not talking about ladies by the way (my missus will be pleased to know!) :-)

No, what I am referring to is variety of music. The live kind.

If you look at my previous Blog and check-out the pics you should get the impression that the Stan Smith gig was just a bit heavy... and it was!

And then you look at this latest Blog and it is all about Motown and the sixties and a gig by the Blondettes which perhaps can only be described as 'girlie' (in comparison, that is).

I found that the Blondettes set of close harmony classics from the 60's and beyond was really enjoyable (and I'm a man!) so I can recommend them if you have a function that needs a fun and party atmosphere.

Take a look at the pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE BLONDETTES AT THE FERMAIN TAVERN

If you judge things from the bands name (and how they look), you need a neck and you need a beard to be called a member of Byzanthian Neckbeard. But perhaps the most important part is that you have to be able to lay down some pretty heavy riffs...

The three guys in the band tick every box and and showcased their sound at Dazfest last weekend at The Fermain Tavern. I reckon I could do the 'beard bit' and I definitely have a neck. Shame I can't play any instrument. I'll have to stick with taking pics I think :-(

A few of my pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF BYZANTHIAN NECKBEARD

When it comes to putting on the best display of Metal moves and shapes Nemesis are the undisputed Channel Island Champions! They also play a mean tune too!

The followers were out last weekend to support one of the guys rare outings. The event was 'Dazfest' at The Fermain Tavern and all profits were being added to the charity fund that Daz Carre started in aid of the Specsavers Children's Charity and the GSPCA.

Daz was behind the drum kit... he managed to find the time away from training for his 155 mile run in April when he takes part in the Marathon des Sables through the Sahara Desert.

The way I see it, this tough and crazy plan of Daz's to conquer the gruelling desert conditions just confirms the 'folk-law' that drummers are the maddest member of most bands... but good luck to him in this challenge.

I captured a few of the bands Metal moves and shapes... they didn't disappoint me :-)
VIEW PICS OF METAL MOVERS NEMESIS At DAZ FEST 2014

I think it's now safe to reveal some of the Montages that were ordered for Christmas presents. Surely all the gifts have been opened by now :-)

Once again the Framed Montages proved to be the most popular choice for the big day with Canvases also making a show. Both options solve that difficult problem of 'what do you buy someone who has everything?'

I have sample Framed Montages & Canvases available for anyone who is maybe considering one. Don't forget that they make a perfect gift even when it isn't Christmas.... there's always a birthday or you could even treat yourself.

The best advice I can give you is to look at some of my previous designs. Every one is individually designed with your own choice of pics. Take a look here:
VIEW PICS OF SOME OF THE CHRISTMAS GIFT MONTAGES & CANVASES