News / Blog - Events News
The great gig in the sky..... OK, it was only at the top of Le Val des Terres!
11th August 2013
Come on Floyd fans, this one is for you.... take the challenge!
The occasion was 'The Great Gig in the Sky'..... OK, it was actually only at the top of Le Val des Terres!
Guernsey's masters of all things Pink Floyd recently played In the Flesh at The Fermain Tavern covering some of Pink Floyd's finest songs.
In fact this was several weeks ago now - but I had forgotten to edit my pictures. I must be suffering from Brain Damage :-)
There are always High Hopes at any Elysium gig. It isn't so much Young Lust but more Wish You Were Here. Each of their gigs has Echoes of The Happiest Days of our Life.
Elysium have a band of dedicated followers who, by now, might have now spotted A Saucerful of Secrets? Before each Elysium gig their fans Keep Talking about the latest Prelude and whether it will Eclipse the last.
So with The Hero's Return to the Tavern we were certain that the music wouldn't be Obscured by Clouds. When I arrived there were Signs of Life just Outside the Wall but I didn't see anyone Have a Cigar. Inside, having paid my Money I heard Vera say to Arnold Lane that it was Time and The Show Must Go On.
Outside, the gig-goers were Coming Back to Life after being Marooned with their roll-ups. I heard Seamus shout Not Now John I must Breathe in and Run Like Hell if I want those Empty Spaces at the front. Seamus went into Interstellar Drive, he didn't want to Remember a Day filled with Sorrow when he had to go Round and Round looking for The Narrow Way to the front. No more Biding My Time he thought to himself.
Lucifer Sam was looking like a Scarecrow and was Comfortably Numb. He had been in the Ibiza Bar and had only eaten Candy and a Current Bun since breakfast. He hadn't had a Proper Education and both his Mother and The Doctor had warned him that it was Absolutely Curtains for him if he didn't cut the Party Sequence from his life. The Doctor's Main Theme was that he should be eating more Apples and Oranges or he would really be Up the Khyber.
But for now Lucifer didn't want to hear that Crying Song. He didn't want any more Blues. The voice in his head was saying Come on you Crazy Diamond, park your Bike up against The Wall, forget Your Possible Past. Stop looking at the world through Paranoid Eyes and give up the idea of Learning to Fly under The Fat Old Sun... this was a desire he had got from Yet Another Movie.
Meanwhile I had spent the time waiting for the band by Calling Home. My wife had asked me if I wanted Octopus for dinner. Then the lights dimmed and Hey You, Is There Anybody Out There? I'm sure I can see Signs of Life came over the speakers. I think you could have heard the roar from The Dark Side of the Moon.
Elysium were playing The Greatest Gig in the Sky. It was Us and Them immersed in Floyd's finest. We were as happy as Pigs on the Wing. I absorbed the moment and thought Don't Leave me Now. I was having another One of my Turns. I cried out Let There be More Light.... the answer came from Mark Guillou, have Any Colour You Like. I shouted back Green is the Colour. I was in the best place ever. You can keep St Tropez and Grantchester Meadows, an Elysium gig of Pink Floyd's music does it for me!
All too soon The Great Gig in the Sky was over. It had been the greatest gig since The Grand Vizier's Garden Party and it had been wonderful to See Emily Play.
One of These Days Elysium will play another gig... but never two On the Run so I encourage you to make sure you make it to their next one.
.......... as you can tell I haven't been Lost for Words. But then I have been helped by the great PINK FLOYD :-)
On my way home driving down Le Val des Terres I was still Raving and Drooling about the gig to Corporal Clegg who had hitched a lift and I was just thinking to myself The Gold It's in the.... when I was interupted by the amazing sight of Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict.
Ha, ha.... couldn't resist it ;-)
How many Pink Floyd song titles did you spot?
VIEW THE GREATEST GIG IN THE SKY
11th August 2013
Come on Floyd fans, this one is for you.... take the challenge!
The occasion was 'The Great Gig in the Sky'..... OK, it was actually only at the top of Le Val des Terres!
Guernsey's masters of all things Pink Floyd recently played In the Flesh at The Fermain Tavern covering some of Pink Floyd's finest songs.
In fact this was several weeks ago now - but I had forgotten to edit my pictures. I must be suffering from Brain Damage :-)
There are always High Hopes at any Elysium gig. It isn't so much Young Lust but more Wish You Were Here. Each of their gigs has Echoes of The Happiest Days of our Life.
Elysium have a band of dedicated followers who, by now, might have now spotted A Saucerful of Secrets? Before each Elysium gig their fans Keep Talking about the latest Prelude and whether it will Eclipse the last.
So with The Hero's Return to the Tavern we were certain that the music wouldn't be Obscured by Clouds. When I arrived there were Signs of Life just Outside the Wall but I didn't see anyone Have a Cigar. Inside, having paid my Money I heard Vera say to Arnold Lane that it was Time and The Show Must Go On.
Outside, the gig-goers were Coming Back to Life after being Marooned with their roll-ups. I heard Seamus shout Not Now John I must Breathe in and Run Like Hell if I want those Empty Spaces at the front. Seamus went into Interstellar Drive, he didn't want to Remember a Day filled with Sorrow when he had to go Round and Round looking for The Narrow Way to the front. No more Biding My Time he thought to himself.
Lucifer Sam was looking like a Scarecrow and was Comfortably Numb. He had been in the Ibiza Bar and had only eaten Candy and a Current Bun since breakfast. He hadn't had a Proper Education and both his Mother and The Doctor had warned him that it was Absolutely Curtains for him if he didn't cut the Party Sequence from his life. The Doctor's Main Theme was that he should be eating more Apples and Oranges or he would really be Up the Khyber.
But for now Lucifer didn't want to hear that Crying Song. He didn't want any more Blues. The voice in his head was saying Come on you Crazy Diamond, park your Bike up against The Wall, forget Your Possible Past. Stop looking at the world through Paranoid Eyes and give up the idea of Learning to Fly under The Fat Old Sun... this was a desire he had got from Yet Another Movie.
Meanwhile I had spent the time waiting for the band by Calling Home. My wife had asked me if I wanted Octopus for dinner. Then the lights dimmed and Hey You, Is There Anybody Out There? I'm sure I can see Signs of Life came over the speakers. I think you could have heard the roar from The Dark Side of the Moon.
Elysium were playing The Greatest Gig in the Sky. It was Us and Them immersed in Floyd's finest. We were as happy as Pigs on the Wing. I absorbed the moment and thought Don't Leave me Now. I was having another One of my Turns. I cried out Let There be More Light.... the answer came from Mark Guillou, have Any Colour You Like. I shouted back Green is the Colour. I was in the best place ever. You can keep St Tropez and Grantchester Meadows, an Elysium gig of Pink Floyd's music does it for me!
All too soon The Great Gig in the Sky was over. It had been the greatest gig since The Grand Vizier's Garden Party and it had been wonderful to See Emily Play.
One of These Days Elysium will play another gig... but never two On the Run so I encourage you to make sure you make it to their next one.
.......... as you can tell I haven't been Lost for Words. But then I have been helped by the great PINK FLOYD :-)
On my way home driving down Le Val des Terres I was still Raving and Drooling about the gig to Corporal Clegg who had hitched a lift and I was just thinking to myself The Gold It's in the.... when I was interupted by the amazing sight of Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict.
Ha, ha.... couldn't resist it ;-)
How many Pink Floyd song titles did you spot?
VIEW THE GREATEST GIG IN THE SKY
Where did those 50 years go...?
09th August 2013
Where did those 50 years go...?
I think that was the question on more than a few lips at Beau Sejour yesterday evening.
The occasion was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 'real' Beatles playing in Guernsey (for first and only time) at Candie Gardens.
That original venue is long gone and the site is now occupied by a museum, and it made a bit of history when The 'Bootleg' Beatles re-created that Beatles gig... but this time it was at Beau Sejour, which is just around the corner.
I was asked at the last minute if I would pop along to take a few pics of the gig. I have to admit that I was in the 'other camp' when it came to following The Beatles - can't explain why, but I think you were either a mad fan or not...
So I looked at the job as just that... a job to be done.
But I have to concede that I found myself tapping along and singing most of the lyrics - and it I can't be argued that The Beatles wrote a LOT of great songs.
The age group of the audience for the Bootleg Beatles was 'as predicted', surprise, surprise! There were a few youngsters, maybe a hand-full, but you were in a select group if you were under 40!
The mature nature of the audience didn't stop the sing-along, however it seemed that the girls had out-grown the screaming phase! But the overall response to the band was one of a warm glow of nostalgia.
That's a nice place to be and it was enjoyed by many. Why not, eh? The kids can't be left to have all the fun :-)
I have added a gallery of pics featuring the Bootleg Beatles historic gig...
VIEW PICS OF THE BOOTLEG BEATLES HISTORIC GIG IN GUERNSEY
09th August 2013
Where did those 50 years go...?
I think that was the question on more than a few lips at Beau Sejour yesterday evening.
The occasion was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 'real' Beatles playing in Guernsey (for first and only time) at Candie Gardens.
That original venue is long gone and the site is now occupied by a museum, and it made a bit of history when The 'Bootleg' Beatles re-created that Beatles gig... but this time it was at Beau Sejour, which is just around the corner.
I was asked at the last minute if I would pop along to take a few pics of the gig. I have to admit that I was in the 'other camp' when it came to following The Beatles - can't explain why, but I think you were either a mad fan or not...
So I looked at the job as just that... a job to be done.
But I have to concede that I found myself tapping along and singing most of the lyrics - and it I can't be argued that The Beatles wrote a LOT of great songs.
The age group of the audience for the Bootleg Beatles was 'as predicted', surprise, surprise! There were a few youngsters, maybe a hand-full, but you were in a select group if you were under 40!
The mature nature of the audience didn't stop the sing-along, however it seemed that the girls had out-grown the screaming phase! But the overall response to the band was one of a warm glow of nostalgia.
That's a nice place to be and it was enjoyed by many. Why not, eh? The kids can't be left to have all the fun :-)
I have added a gallery of pics featuring the Bootleg Beatles historic gig...
VIEW PICS OF THE BOOTLEG BEATLES HISTORIC GIG IN GUERNSEY
Gimme, gimme, gimme.... speed
04th August 2013
If you want to keep me happy there is one easy way.
Let me bring my 'big guns' out and present me with a couple of days of fast Motor Sport action.
I'm not even too fussy what it is... as long as it is noisy, a bit dangerous - and fast.
So last weekend ticked all the boxes for me. Even the sun shone most of the time!
A couple of my 'big guns' made an appearance too. One of my most used lenses is the versatile Nikon 200-400mm f.4 zoom. This is a great lens for action photography as somehow you can never get close enough. This is especially the case when photographing Powerboat racing.
However it was the powerboat racing that gave me the excuse to mount my biggest gun - the amazing Nikon 400mm f2.8 - on to the Nikon D4. But even this didn't do the job when shooting full frame from the shore so I added a 1.7 times extender... 680mm, that'll do nicely ;-)
Using the bigger lenses has made my new years resolution of joining a gym well justified as it is quite a work-out swinging those monsters around. I reckon I can miss next weeks sessions after the last two days work-out :-)
Saturday saw a near perfect mix of Motor Sport with the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club running a Hill Climb at Le Val des Terres. Perfect conditions produced a hand-full of new records and my MSA Accreditation allowed me to get really close to the action... almost a bit too close when Ian Shorto clouted the bank on the last corner and headed my way... I got the shot though! I popped away from the hill for an hour or so to photograph the Powerboats and 'drink in' the beautiful drone of Dave Corbet's V8 Diablo's engine... mmmm.
I've been busy editing the two days pics and they are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE GK&MC HILL CLIMB
VIEW THE GUERNSEY POWERBOAT ASSOCIATION'S RACING
04th August 2013
If you want to keep me happy there is one easy way.
Let me bring my 'big guns' out and present me with a couple of days of fast Motor Sport action.
I'm not even too fussy what it is... as long as it is noisy, a bit dangerous - and fast.
So last weekend ticked all the boxes for me. Even the sun shone most of the time!
A couple of my 'big guns' made an appearance too. One of my most used lenses is the versatile Nikon 200-400mm f.4 zoom. This is a great lens for action photography as somehow you can never get close enough. This is especially the case when photographing Powerboat racing.
However it was the powerboat racing that gave me the excuse to mount my biggest gun - the amazing Nikon 400mm f2.8 - on to the Nikon D4. But even this didn't do the job when shooting full frame from the shore so I added a 1.7 times extender... 680mm, that'll do nicely ;-)
Using the bigger lenses has made my new years resolution of joining a gym well justified as it is quite a work-out swinging those monsters around. I reckon I can miss next weeks sessions after the last two days work-out :-)
Saturday saw a near perfect mix of Motor Sport with the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club running a Hill Climb at Le Val des Terres. Perfect conditions produced a hand-full of new records and my MSA Accreditation allowed me to get really close to the action... almost a bit too close when Ian Shorto clouted the bank on the last corner and headed my way... I got the shot though! I popped away from the hill for an hour or so to photograph the Powerboats and 'drink in' the beautiful drone of Dave Corbet's V8 Diablo's engine... mmmm.
I've been busy editing the two days pics and they are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE GK&MC HILL CLIMB
VIEW THE GUERNSEY POWERBOAT ASSOCIATION'S RACING
A good month for pics in the Nationals...
01st August 2013
I've just had a really good month when judged by the number of my pictures published in National Magazines.
It is always a nice accolade to have a major publication accept your work for print. It is also an encouragement when the genre of the pics are so varied. So last months distributions will keep me happy for a little while :-)
My National Hill Climb racing pics were reproduced in two of the leading Motor sport mags, Motor Sport News and also Autosport.
Then it was Powerboat & Rib Magazine that featured a double page spread of the Guernsey Powerboat Associations racing.
Evo Magazine also featured a pic of John Dunne racing at the Guernsey Hill Climb.
And to keep things nicely varied my Commercial photography featured in Country Life Magazine.
To add to that mix I have had numerous pictures published in the Channel Island Newspapers, Magazines and Business publications. My pics have also been used by a number of Bands both local and as far afield as New York... today Guernsey, tomorrow the world, ha,ha?
I am often pondering whether my chosen profession is a sensible one... at least as a means of making a decent living. It seems that every week there is a 'new kid on the block' who has bought a digital camera, created a web site (or simply a Facebook page) and decided to to call themselves a 'Pro' photographer... wedding day bookings made at your own risk ;-)
This new competition often has a 'proper' day job and can afford to play at fulfilling their ambitions to be a photog. Don't misunderstand me, I accept it is everyone's free choice to do this.
But what this does do is add pressure on to those of us who only have our photography as a means of buying the real ale (oh yes, and the food)! So when National publications consider your work as being worthy of printing you get a little boost and encouragement to keep the nose to the grindstone... or should that be the back of the camera?
The long hot summer of '13 is proving to be a successful one for me so far. This web site might even break the 3,000,000 views during this twelve months, so maybe I'll keep this up for a bit longer yet?
As I say, 'it definitely beats a proper job, eh'.
VIEW MY PICTURE GALLERIES
01st August 2013
I've just had a really good month when judged by the number of my pictures published in National Magazines.
It is always a nice accolade to have a major publication accept your work for print. It is also an encouragement when the genre of the pics are so varied. So last months distributions will keep me happy for a little while :-)
My National Hill Climb racing pics were reproduced in two of the leading Motor sport mags, Motor Sport News and also Autosport.
Then it was Powerboat & Rib Magazine that featured a double page spread of the Guernsey Powerboat Associations racing.
Evo Magazine also featured a pic of John Dunne racing at the Guernsey Hill Climb.
And to keep things nicely varied my Commercial photography featured in Country Life Magazine.
To add to that mix I have had numerous pictures published in the Channel Island Newspapers, Magazines and Business publications. My pics have also been used by a number of Bands both local and as far afield as New York... today Guernsey, tomorrow the world, ha,ha?
I am often pondering whether my chosen profession is a sensible one... at least as a means of making a decent living. It seems that every week there is a 'new kid on the block' who has bought a digital camera, created a web site (or simply a Facebook page) and decided to to call themselves a 'Pro' photographer... wedding day bookings made at your own risk ;-)
This new competition often has a 'proper' day job and can afford to play at fulfilling their ambitions to be a photog. Don't misunderstand me, I accept it is everyone's free choice to do this.
But what this does do is add pressure on to those of us who only have our photography as a means of buying the real ale (oh yes, and the food)! So when National publications consider your work as being worthy of printing you get a little boost and encouragement to keep the nose to the grindstone... or should that be the back of the camera?
The long hot summer of '13 is proving to be a successful one for me so far. This web site might even break the 3,000,000 views during this twelve months, so maybe I'll keep this up for a bit longer yet?
As I say, 'it definitely beats a proper job, eh'.
VIEW MY PICTURE GALLERIES
Chaos 2013 was MASSIVE... so are my picture Galleries...
30th July 2013
MASSIVE isn't a big enough word to describe the size of my Greenman Chaos Festival 2013 picture Galleries!!
Never before, and probably never again, have I posted such a large gallery of pictures for one event.
So was it worth it? Well maybe I'll know if you post a comment or two.
But, as far as I'm concerned I found this years Chaos Festival topped all previous ones. There was a great line-up of Bands in the main tent and also the popular Peace tent.
The main stage was bigger and better than before with a fantastic light-show... always a good way to get a photographer on your side ;-)
The edit of three days shooting has taken a serious amount of time but has the benefit of allowing me to 're-live' the Festival. In fact the odd thing is that quite often I will look at a pic and 'see' it for the first time, even though it was me who pressed the shutter! I guess that when taking pics you are in a kind of 'zone' with all the senses focused on the work.
If you were one of the hundreds who visited the Greenman Chaos you can also re-live the days by checking my Galleries...
If you were in a Band and like a few of the pics maybe you will think about buying a few :-)
I know it is a bit bad making a shameless plug to sell pics but it has taken MANY days of work to bring the pics to my web site... and selling a few pics is how I make a living (exaggeration)!
Full coverage of the Greenman Chaos Festival is here:
VIEW A MASSIVE PICTURE GALLERY OF THE GREENMAN CHAOS FESTIVAL 2013
30th July 2013
MASSIVE isn't a big enough word to describe the size of my Greenman Chaos Festival 2013 picture Galleries!!
Never before, and probably never again, have I posted such a large gallery of pictures for one event.
So was it worth it? Well maybe I'll know if you post a comment or two.
But, as far as I'm concerned I found this years Chaos Festival topped all previous ones. There was a great line-up of Bands in the main tent and also the popular Peace tent.
The main stage was bigger and better than before with a fantastic light-show... always a good way to get a photographer on your side ;-)
The edit of three days shooting has taken a serious amount of time but has the benefit of allowing me to 're-live' the Festival. In fact the odd thing is that quite often I will look at a pic and 'see' it for the first time, even though it was me who pressed the shutter! I guess that when taking pics you are in a kind of 'zone' with all the senses focused on the work.
If you were one of the hundreds who visited the Greenman Chaos you can also re-live the days by checking my Galleries...
If you were in a Band and like a few of the pics maybe you will think about buying a few :-)
I know it is a bit bad making a shameless plug to sell pics but it has taken MANY days of work to bring the pics to my web site... and selling a few pics is how I make a living (exaggeration)!
Full coverage of the Greenman Chaos Festival is here:
VIEW A MASSIVE PICTURE GALLERY OF THE GREENMAN CHAOS FESTIVAL 2013
How much lower can they go?
23rd July 2013
Guernsey entertained the British Hill Climb racers at Le Val des Terres on Saturday. The conditions were near perfect and after seeing the quality of the racing in Jersey a couple of days before I was expecting some serious action.... and that is what we got.
Records dropped in several Classes with special mention needed for Sarah Gaudion's all-time women's record. However it was the battle of the big boys which resulted in the outright hill record being lowered by Scott Moran during the first Championship run-off. His time of 27.19 looked impressive enough to stay as a long term record for Le Val des Terres.
But that was soon proved wrong.
It was during the first dramatic and tense run-off that every local motor sport fan had their fingers crossed as Darren Warwick's time placed him in the top spot with only Scott Moran to run.
The real possibility that a local driver could win a round of the National Championship had the crowd ready to release their emotions... but had we forgotten that Scott was a previous outright record holder for the hill?
Maybe we were all a bit too hopeful because as Scott finished his run the clock stopped at a quite amazing 27.19 beating Darren by seven tenths. He had re-taken the all-time record for the 'Terres'.
In qualifying for the second round of Championship run-offs Darren clocked almost exactly the same time as his earlier runs, perhaps suggesting he was at the limit.
So it was the second of the National Championship run-offs that provided a fitting climax to the day as Scott Moran produced a time that took him to the top with only Jos Goodyear to run. Jos raised his game by re-taking his outright hill record by the smallest margin of two hundreths and at the same time he asked the question - is a 26 second run going to be seen sometime in the future?
The brilliant time that Jos returned mustn't overshadow the standard of Darren Warwick's racing. He really stood toe-to-toe with the big boys with their powerful high-tech kit and got very close to beating them all... bar one.
There should also be a mention in despatches for the notable inclusion of two other locals in the run-offs. As a regular qualifier, Nick Saunders qualified for both run-offs and was joined by Paul Le Messurier for one of the runs. Once again they pushed their underpowered and lower tech cars as hard as was possible and split the visitors for run-off places.
The Championship provided a memorable days racing. We now have to wait twelve months to find out if that 26 second time really is possible.
The 40th time that the Championship has been run at Le Val des Terres was celebrated by the unveiling of an impressive Banner Hoarding at the bottom of the hill. This has been sponsored by Comprop who are about to re-develop the old brewery site.
Comprop have become major sponsors of the GMC&CC and together with Dowding Signs produced the superb display. Of course I might be a bit biased as the hoarding features many of my pictures ;-) Make sure you stop and take a close look next time you are in the area.
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY ROUNDS OF THE NATIONAL HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP
23rd July 2013
Guernsey entertained the British Hill Climb racers at Le Val des Terres on Saturday. The conditions were near perfect and after seeing the quality of the racing in Jersey a couple of days before I was expecting some serious action.... and that is what we got.
Records dropped in several Classes with special mention needed for Sarah Gaudion's all-time women's record. However it was the battle of the big boys which resulted in the outright hill record being lowered by Scott Moran during the first Championship run-off. His time of 27.19 looked impressive enough to stay as a long term record for Le Val des Terres.
But that was soon proved wrong.
It was during the first dramatic and tense run-off that every local motor sport fan had their fingers crossed as Darren Warwick's time placed him in the top spot with only Scott Moran to run.
The real possibility that a local driver could win a round of the National Championship had the crowd ready to release their emotions... but had we forgotten that Scott was a previous outright record holder for the hill?
Maybe we were all a bit too hopeful because as Scott finished his run the clock stopped at a quite amazing 27.19 beating Darren by seven tenths. He had re-taken the all-time record for the 'Terres'.
In qualifying for the second round of Championship run-offs Darren clocked almost exactly the same time as his earlier runs, perhaps suggesting he was at the limit.
So it was the second of the National Championship run-offs that provided a fitting climax to the day as Scott Moran produced a time that took him to the top with only Jos Goodyear to run. Jos raised his game by re-taking his outright hill record by the smallest margin of two hundreths and at the same time he asked the question - is a 26 second run going to be seen sometime in the future?
The brilliant time that Jos returned mustn't overshadow the standard of Darren Warwick's racing. He really stood toe-to-toe with the big boys with their powerful high-tech kit and got very close to beating them all... bar one.
There should also be a mention in despatches for the notable inclusion of two other locals in the run-offs. As a regular qualifier, Nick Saunders qualified for both run-offs and was joined by Paul Le Messurier for one of the runs. Once again they pushed their underpowered and lower tech cars as hard as was possible and split the visitors for run-off places.
The Championship provided a memorable days racing. We now have to wait twelve months to find out if that 26 second time really is possible.
The 40th time that the Championship has been run at Le Val des Terres was celebrated by the unveiling of an impressive Banner Hoarding at the bottom of the hill. This has been sponsored by Comprop who are about to re-develop the old brewery site.
Comprop have become major sponsors of the GMC&CC and together with Dowding Signs produced the superb display. Of course I might be a bit biased as the hoarding features many of my pictures ;-) Make sure you stop and take a close look next time you are in the area.
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY ROUNDS OF THE NATIONAL HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP
Two days of incredible Motor Sport.... read on
21st July 2013
The local rounds of the British National Hill Climb Championship were always going to be a highlight in the Channel Islands Motor Sport calendar..... but we didn't anticipate just how special things were going to be in 2013!
For Rounds 19 and 20 the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club had planned a special celebration of the 40 years that they have hosted British Championship rounds. A well attended, lively and interesting gathering and barbecue was held at the Marina restaurant after the Saturdays racing and this was the perfect end to the two days racing.
But it was on the hills that the spectacular was so special!
The soon to be legendary 'summer of 2013' produced the hottest conditions for years, particularly in Jersey on thursday where there was no breeze. The sun always raises people's spirits and they were running on turbo boost as the racing started. We knew we were in for a treat!
Guernseymen ruled the hill when it came to top performances in Jersey with Darren Warwick being the only Channel Islander to feature in both Top twelve National Championship Run-offs. This was a stunning performance when you consider the far higher power and technological specifications of the visiting National drivers cars. Well done Darren on an astounding result.
Other records were also taken by the small contingent of Guernsey drivers. We showed the Crapo's, eh ;-)
Then we moved on to the Guernsey rounds which were even more special for Guernsey fans... more on this to follow.
For now though, I have added a new picture gallery featuring the 2013 Jersey rounds of the British National Hill Climb Championships at Bouley Bay. Enjoy.
VIEW PICTURES OF THE JERSEY ROUNDS OF THE BRITISH NATIONAL HILL CLIMB
21st July 2013
The local rounds of the British National Hill Climb Championship were always going to be a highlight in the Channel Islands Motor Sport calendar..... but we didn't anticipate just how special things were going to be in 2013!
For Rounds 19 and 20 the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club had planned a special celebration of the 40 years that they have hosted British Championship rounds. A well attended, lively and interesting gathering and barbecue was held at the Marina restaurant after the Saturdays racing and this was the perfect end to the two days racing.
But it was on the hills that the spectacular was so special!
The soon to be legendary 'summer of 2013' produced the hottest conditions for years, particularly in Jersey on thursday where there was no breeze. The sun always raises people's spirits and they were running on turbo boost as the racing started. We knew we were in for a treat!
Guernseymen ruled the hill when it came to top performances in Jersey with Darren Warwick being the only Channel Islander to feature in both Top twelve National Championship Run-offs. This was a stunning performance when you consider the far higher power and technological specifications of the visiting National drivers cars. Well done Darren on an astounding result.
Other records were also taken by the small contingent of Guernsey drivers. We showed the Crapo's, eh ;-)
Then we moved on to the Guernsey rounds which were even more special for Guernsey fans... more on this to follow.
For now though, I have added a new picture gallery featuring the 2013 Jersey rounds of the British National Hill Climb Championships at Bouley Bay. Enjoy.
VIEW PICTURES OF THE JERSEY ROUNDS OF THE BRITISH NATIONAL HILL CLIMB
Chaos 2013.... if you didn't stay to the end you missed something special...
16th July 2013
If you visited the Greenman Chaos Music & Bike Festival last weekend and didn't pace yourself I'll call that a big FAIL :-)
Why? I hear you ask.
Well if you enjoyed a few too many beers and a few too many of the sun's rays and if you took the early bus home you are sure to regret it when you hear what you missed! The 'hard-core' festival go-ers were rewarded and left drained and exhausted by Sunday's head-liners, Spunge.
The party/festival really kicked-off when Spunge returned to the Chaos stage for 2013 and by the end of their set the party had hit the stage itself after the audience joined the band in a massive send-off to the 2013 Chaos.
Words can't describe the atmosphere. My pictures might help you to see what you missed... but in the end you really had to be there!
Those of us who had the stamina got the prize... happy days!
I have just added a small picture Gallery giving a taster of what will follow, eventually. But for now I need to catch up with some sleep...
GREENMAN 2013... VIEW A LITTLE TASTER GALLERY
16th July 2013
If you visited the Greenman Chaos Music & Bike Festival last weekend and didn't pace yourself I'll call that a big FAIL :-)
Why? I hear you ask.
Well if you enjoyed a few too many beers and a few too many of the sun's rays and if you took the early bus home you are sure to regret it when you hear what you missed! The 'hard-core' festival go-ers were rewarded and left drained and exhausted by Sunday's head-liners, Spunge.
The party/festival really kicked-off when Spunge returned to the Chaos stage for 2013 and by the end of their set the party had hit the stage itself after the audience joined the band in a massive send-off to the 2013 Chaos.
Words can't describe the atmosphere. My pictures might help you to see what you missed... but in the end you really had to be there!
Those of us who had the stamina got the prize... happy days!
I have just added a small picture Gallery giving a taster of what will follow, eventually. But for now I need to catch up with some sleep...
GREENMAN 2013... VIEW A LITTLE TASTER GALLERY
Guernsey's only three day Festival..... be there, or regret it!
12th July 2013
Sorry, no time to stop and chat....
I'm on the way to Guernsey's only three day Bike & Music Festival!
The 2013 Greenman Chaos Festival is promising to be the best ever. There is a fantastic line-up of Bands .... and all this takes place in one of the most spectacular settings on the cliffs at Pleinmont, Guernsey.
See you there...
VIEW PICS OF PREVIOUS CHAOS FESTIVALS
12th July 2013
Sorry, no time to stop and chat....
I'm on the way to Guernsey's only three day Bike & Music Festival!
The 2013 Greenman Chaos Festival is promising to be the best ever. There is a fantastic line-up of Bands .... and all this takes place in one of the most spectacular settings on the cliffs at Pleinmont, Guernsey.
See you there...
VIEW PICS OF PREVIOUS CHAOS FESTIVALS
An old record takes a tumble.....
04th July 2013
Yesterday this web site busted through its previous record of picture viewings in a 24 hour period when over 40,000 views were logged! This is an incredible number! But it has been worked for...
My time has been totally absorbed since the weekend by trying to catch up with three very busy days of shooting. I'm afraid I pushed the normal limits that control my photography... that is I shoot as few pictures as I possibly can!
This is usually a great plan. Why take three pics when you know that only one will be needed. This 'rule' of mine is always in the back of my mind and it works for me. I have often stood alongside other photographers, both professional sport and performance 'togs and keen hobbyists who fire off tens of pics to my one. That's not for me.... usually!
But I tripped up last weekend when photographing the Charity Hill Climb and Sprint. I seem to have miscalculated just how many runs each driver would get. The result was a lot of photos to sort through :-(
The Lock-in fights also produced a few more pics than I intended. For a start there were fifteen bouts and when combined with the weigh-in and atmosphere shots I had another pile to sort through!
Burning the midnight oil is the only answer in this situation and I have now managed to finish those Galleries.
Time for some sleep? Oh no. There is the Powerboat racing and the Elysium gig to get on with next!
I'm definitely going to keep my trigger happy finger under better control next time!
The completed Gallery is here:
VIEW THE COMPLETED LOCK-IN GALLERIES
04th July 2013
Yesterday this web site busted through its previous record of picture viewings in a 24 hour period when over 40,000 views were logged! This is an incredible number! But it has been worked for...
My time has been totally absorbed since the weekend by trying to catch up with three very busy days of shooting. I'm afraid I pushed the normal limits that control my photography... that is I shoot as few pictures as I possibly can!
This is usually a great plan. Why take three pics when you know that only one will be needed. This 'rule' of mine is always in the back of my mind and it works for me. I have often stood alongside other photographers, both professional sport and performance 'togs and keen hobbyists who fire off tens of pics to my one. That's not for me.... usually!
But I tripped up last weekend when photographing the Charity Hill Climb and Sprint. I seem to have miscalculated just how many runs each driver would get. The result was a lot of photos to sort through :-(
The Lock-in fights also produced a few more pics than I intended. For a start there were fifteen bouts and when combined with the weigh-in and atmosphere shots I had another pile to sort through!
Burning the midnight oil is the only answer in this situation and I have now managed to finish those Galleries.
Time for some sleep? Oh no. There is the Powerboat racing and the Elysium gig to get on with next!
I'm definitely going to keep my trigger happy finger under better control next time!
The completed Gallery is here:
VIEW THE COMPLETED LOCK-IN GALLERIES
More pics from a very busy weekends work......
03rd July 2013
As I have already mentioned in a previous blog, last weekend was an extremely busy one for me.
This is no problem at all when you are as lucky as I am. I love my job.
In the course of a working month my photographic work includes a surprising variety of shoots. The core work is for 'Commercial' clients and sees me capturing all aspects of Guernsey life including its people, properties and events. As well as that important category I also fill what spare time I have by pursuing things that interest me both as a spectator/audience and fan.
These 'personal projects' revolve around live performances, gigs and sports. The huge picture galleries on this web site are testament to how many of these occasions I photograph!
So I am now working through the third of the major events I photographed over the weekend. This was the highly successful Full Boar Motorcycle Club 'Lock-in Guernsey Round-2' at Beau Sejour. This was a repeat of last years event .... only BIGGER and BETTER! The Full Boar certainly have a crack team organising this spectacular and the whole evening ran smoothly with more Bouts than the first year and Champion fighters displaying their skills to an engrossed (and maybe a bit drunk) crowd :-)
Last year was my first encounter with this form of combative sport and I must say that I love trying to capture the action. There are many challenges including the speed, low light and of course the blasted cage... definitely better outside than inside though!
With 15 Bouts to edit it is taking some time so I have uploaded the first eight. This is to assure the guys who are chasing me for the uploads... I am on the case, promise:-)
Follow this link to view the first eight Galleries:
VIEW THE LOCK-IN GUERNSEY PICTURE GALLERIES
03rd July 2013
In: Events News, Sports News
As I have already mentioned in a previous blog, last weekend was an extremely busy one for me.
This is no problem at all when you are as lucky as I am. I love my job.
In the course of a working month my photographic work includes a surprising variety of shoots. The core work is for 'Commercial' clients and sees me capturing all aspects of Guernsey life including its people, properties and events. As well as that important category I also fill what spare time I have by pursuing things that interest me both as a spectator/audience and fan.
These 'personal projects' revolve around live performances, gigs and sports. The huge picture galleries on this web site are testament to how many of these occasions I photograph!
So I am now working through the third of the major events I photographed over the weekend. This was the highly successful Full Boar Motorcycle Club 'Lock-in Guernsey Round-2' at Beau Sejour. This was a repeat of last years event .... only BIGGER and BETTER! The Full Boar certainly have a crack team organising this spectacular and the whole evening ran smoothly with more Bouts than the first year and Champion fighters displaying their skills to an engrossed (and maybe a bit drunk) crowd :-)
Last year was my first encounter with this form of combative sport and I must say that I love trying to capture the action. There are many challenges including the speed, low light and of course the blasted cage... definitely better outside than inside though!
With 15 Bouts to edit it is taking some time so I have uploaded the first eight. This is to assure the guys who are chasing me for the uploads... I am on the case, promise:-)
Follow this link to view the first eight Galleries:
VIEW THE LOCK-IN GUERNSEY PICTURE GALLERIES
There were smiles all round....... but who had the best fun?
02nd July 2013
After completing two solid days of Charity Motorsport there were smiles all around the pits. It was agreed by everyone that this was the best fun ever!
Everyone was a winner as the whole weekend was about supporting three deserving Charities (Male Uprising Guernsey, Saumarez Park Playground & the Lions Club)... all this whilst having a great time. Win, win, win I think.
I have now spent a further two days editing my pictures of the racing and it dawned on me as I looked at the varied types of cars used during the two days that there was a very broad mix. In fact there was an amazing variety of cars. Certainly there was a bit of 'exotica', although not as many as I would have liked to see (come on guys bring out your 'treasures' next time).
Amongst the cars were a few AMG Mercs. I have a soft spot for these as that is what I drive.... mmmm, V8's :-)
There were also a few 'shopping' cars that had been 'borrowed' from the Mrs... I think they'll now be back on the driveways smelling of burning clutches. I hope you have your excuses ready lads!
But as I looked through my pics I began to wonder just who enjoyed the weekends racing the most?
There will definitely be passengers who have fantastic memories after donating cash to have a run up the hill with a local racer. But did they actually enjoy their run - or were they scared silly?
There will also be drivers of the faster (and expensive) cars who enjoyed 'giving it some' legally on local roads. But was their enjoyment tempered by the dread of stacking their pride and joy into one of the verges?
I think this photographer had a surprisingly good time too. As a Professionally Accredited Motorsport photographer I shoot a lot of racing.
I was expecting to find the days long, and to be honest a bit boring! After all these were road cars driven mainly by inexperienced racers. But I was completely wrong as there was some seriously good racing to be enjoyed and I had the added challenge, as a photog, of making the racers look as fast as they felt they were!
But, in the end I think my prize for the person who seemed to be having the most fun must go to Mathew Lesbirel who was driving a modified Transit van with a 3.5 litre V8 engine.
Not your average racing machine I hear you say. There is a lesson in there somewhere. I'll let you work it out for yourselves ;-)
My picture galleries are now featuring the Heritage Charity Hill Climb. Once again I will donate 25% of any sales to the chosen Charities.
VIEW PICS OF THE HERITAGE CHARITY HILL CLIMB 2013
02nd July 2013
After completing two solid days of Charity Motorsport there were smiles all around the pits. It was agreed by everyone that this was the best fun ever!
Everyone was a winner as the whole weekend was about supporting three deserving Charities (Male Uprising Guernsey, Saumarez Park Playground & the Lions Club)... all this whilst having a great time. Win, win, win I think.
I have now spent a further two days editing my pictures of the racing and it dawned on me as I looked at the varied types of cars used during the two days that there was a very broad mix. In fact there was an amazing variety of cars. Certainly there was a bit of 'exotica', although not as many as I would have liked to see (come on guys bring out your 'treasures' next time).
Amongst the cars were a few AMG Mercs. I have a soft spot for these as that is what I drive.... mmmm, V8's :-)
There were also a few 'shopping' cars that had been 'borrowed' from the Mrs... I think they'll now be back on the driveways smelling of burning clutches. I hope you have your excuses ready lads!
But as I looked through my pics I began to wonder just who enjoyed the weekends racing the most?
There will definitely be passengers who have fantastic memories after donating cash to have a run up the hill with a local racer. But did they actually enjoy their run - or were they scared silly?
There will also be drivers of the faster (and expensive) cars who enjoyed 'giving it some' legally on local roads. But was their enjoyment tempered by the dread of stacking their pride and joy into one of the verges?
I think this photographer had a surprisingly good time too. As a Professionally Accredited Motorsport photographer I shoot a lot of racing.
I was expecting to find the days long, and to be honest a bit boring! After all these were road cars driven mainly by inexperienced racers. But I was completely wrong as there was some seriously good racing to be enjoyed and I had the added challenge, as a photog, of making the racers look as fast as they felt they were!
But, in the end I think my prize for the person who seemed to be having the most fun must go to Mathew Lesbirel who was driving a modified Transit van with a 3.5 litre V8 engine.
Not your average racing machine I hear you say. There is a lesson in there somewhere. I'll let you work it out for yourselves ;-)
My picture galleries are now featuring the Heritage Charity Hill Climb. Once again I will donate 25% of any sales to the chosen Charities.
VIEW PICS OF THE HERITAGE CHARITY HILL CLIMB 2013
A weekend showcasing the best Guernsey can offer.....
30th June 2013
Last weekend, once again, our little Island and its people have impressed me in many ways....
It is easy to forget just how small we are when judged by the amount of varied events that are on offer to anyone with an interest in taking the opportunities out there.
There is usually one overriding quality to all these Events and that is the standard at which things are organised and presented. Again it must be remembered just how small our population and resources are compared to much larger places.
So I have had a brilliant few days watching and photographing just a couple of the weekend's Events - and I even captured a few rays from the sun, as my face goes to prove ;-)
Of course, for me, it was a weekend 'at work' at the end of a camera lens... but how can it be called work when you are having so much fun?
The weekends list included the Heritage Charity Sprint at Vazon coast road followed by the Full Boar Motorcycle Club Lock-in Guernsey - Round-2 at Beau Sejour in the evening. That was a busy day!
Sunday it was the racers turn at Hill Climbing up Le Val des Terres. The weather wasn't so nice but maybe it helped me avoid getting properly toasted!
Also slotted into the Sunday was a quick visit to the shoreline of Havelet bay to take a few pics of the Guernsey Powerboat Association's race. This offered a ringside seat to the Hill Climbers who saw how things can go wrong in any Motorsport when Resolution IT crashed out in spectacular fashion.
EDIT: I had forgotten that my weekend had started on Friday night with the first weigh-in for the Lock-in at Beau Sejour followed by a 'best ever?' gig and the Fermain Tavern by Elysium!
Both the Heritage Charity Events were superbly organised and showcased how things can work so well when different Clubs combine their resources. Well done everyone and I'm sure your target of raising £40,000 will be smashed.
The Full Boar Lock-in was another fantastic success with visiting fighters commenting on how much better the standards of organisation and presentation were compared to what they often get. That's one more tick for our small Island!
But, to return to my first comment on how I am always impressed by the standards of performance in Guernsey. After the Powerboat accident the rescue crews and divers were on-scene incredibly fast and the Resolution IT crew and their upturned race boat were quickly and safely removed.... and the race re-started.
Job well done guys!
My weekends work amounts to many, many more shots than usual and I now face a few days of editing (a bit of an anti-climax really). But it has to be done and I've made a start.
First pictures feature the Heritage Charity Sprint at Vazon. I am donating 25% of any picture sales to this years Charities.
Check-out the first of many Galleries here:
VIEW PICS OF THE HERITAGE CHARITY SPRINT
30th June 2013
Last weekend, once again, our little Island and its people have impressed me in many ways....
It is easy to forget just how small we are when judged by the amount of varied events that are on offer to anyone with an interest in taking the opportunities out there.
There is usually one overriding quality to all these Events and that is the standard at which things are organised and presented. Again it must be remembered just how small our population and resources are compared to much larger places.
So I have had a brilliant few days watching and photographing just a couple of the weekend's Events - and I even captured a few rays from the sun, as my face goes to prove ;-)
Of course, for me, it was a weekend 'at work' at the end of a camera lens... but how can it be called work when you are having so much fun?
The weekends list included the Heritage Charity Sprint at Vazon coast road followed by the Full Boar Motorcycle Club Lock-in Guernsey - Round-2 at Beau Sejour in the evening. That was a busy day!
Sunday it was the racers turn at Hill Climbing up Le Val des Terres. The weather wasn't so nice but maybe it helped me avoid getting properly toasted!
Also slotted into the Sunday was a quick visit to the shoreline of Havelet bay to take a few pics of the Guernsey Powerboat Association's race. This offered a ringside seat to the Hill Climbers who saw how things can go wrong in any Motorsport when Resolution IT crashed out in spectacular fashion.
EDIT: I had forgotten that my weekend had started on Friday night with the first weigh-in for the Lock-in at Beau Sejour followed by a 'best ever?' gig and the Fermain Tavern by Elysium!
Both the Heritage Charity Events were superbly organised and showcased how things can work so well when different Clubs combine their resources. Well done everyone and I'm sure your target of raising £40,000 will be smashed.
The Full Boar Lock-in was another fantastic success with visiting fighters commenting on how much better the standards of organisation and presentation were compared to what they often get. That's one more tick for our small Island!
But, to return to my first comment on how I am always impressed by the standards of performance in Guernsey. After the Powerboat accident the rescue crews and divers were on-scene incredibly fast and the Resolution IT crew and their upturned race boat were quickly and safely removed.... and the race re-started.
Job well done guys!
My weekends work amounts to many, many more shots than usual and I now face a few days of editing (a bit of an anti-climax really). But it has to be done and I've made a start.
First pictures feature the Heritage Charity Sprint at Vazon. I am donating 25% of any picture sales to this years Charities.
Check-out the first of many Galleries here:
VIEW PICS OF THE HERITAGE CHARITY SPRINT
It could have been another great one... better luck in 2014?
23rd June 2013
Yesterday represented the biggest disappointment in my photographic year. At least so far!
This was due to the abandoning of the Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championships.
No blame can be made for this unfortunate fail, it was simply a case of this sort of thing being a part of Motor Sport... thankfully very rarely.
I suppose the signs were bad right from the start as the morning's weather wouldn't of been out of place in November. This was such a contrast to 2012's Sand Ace in 'flaming June'.
Whilst the conditions dampened the initial energy and anticipation in the pits, once the practice laps began to clock up there was little doubt that we were going to enjoy a few hours of high class racing by a large entry which included some of Europe's top 500cc Solo Riders and 1,000cc Sidecar Crews.
As the qualifying heats began (heats as in racing - certainly not from the sun!) we were all distracted from the cold, the high wind and occasional rain. Everything was going well... and I was in my element :-)
Then the racing had a couple of spanners chucked into its spokes after two of the Sliders had nasty accidents that required hospital runs. These things happen sometimes with any Motor Sport but when you are racing on a beach the disruptions take on quite a different importance as the tide turns and makes its unstoppable advance back up the sand.
After much effort another Ambulance crew and Paramedic couldn't be arranged in time to allow the racing to continue.
So the British Sand Ace Championships failed to run to the promised climax. The end was as damp and limp as the weather.
Hopefully it will be judged as an unavoidable coincidence of bad luck. The Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club have decades of experience in running beach racing and can offer last years highly successful British Sand Ace Championship as proof that, given the chance, they can run a race meeting worthy of a National status.
We will all be keeping our fingers crossed for better luck in 2014.
I've now sorted my pictures of the Sand Ace... and I'm really pleased with some of them considering the low amount of opportunities offered by the limited runs and the fact that it was raining for many of them!
The Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championship picture galleries are now on-line:
VIEW PICTURES OF THE 2013 BRITISH SAND ACE CHAMPIONSHIP
23rd June 2013
Yesterday represented the biggest disappointment in my photographic year. At least so far!
This was due to the abandoning of the Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championships.
No blame can be made for this unfortunate fail, it was simply a case of this sort of thing being a part of Motor Sport... thankfully very rarely.
I suppose the signs were bad right from the start as the morning's weather wouldn't of been out of place in November. This was such a contrast to 2012's Sand Ace in 'flaming June'.
Whilst the conditions dampened the initial energy and anticipation in the pits, once the practice laps began to clock up there was little doubt that we were going to enjoy a few hours of high class racing by a large entry which included some of Europe's top 500cc Solo Riders and 1,000cc Sidecar Crews.
As the qualifying heats began (heats as in racing - certainly not from the sun!) we were all distracted from the cold, the high wind and occasional rain. Everything was going well... and I was in my element :-)
Then the racing had a couple of spanners chucked into its spokes after two of the Sliders had nasty accidents that required hospital runs. These things happen sometimes with any Motor Sport but when you are racing on a beach the disruptions take on quite a different importance as the tide turns and makes its unstoppable advance back up the sand.
After much effort another Ambulance crew and Paramedic couldn't be arranged in time to allow the racing to continue.
So the British Sand Ace Championships failed to run to the promised climax. The end was as damp and limp as the weather.
Hopefully it will be judged as an unavoidable coincidence of bad luck. The Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club have decades of experience in running beach racing and can offer last years highly successful British Sand Ace Championship as proof that, given the chance, they can run a race meeting worthy of a National status.
We will all be keeping our fingers crossed for better luck in 2014.
I've now sorted my pictures of the Sand Ace... and I'm really pleased with some of them considering the low amount of opportunities offered by the limited runs and the fact that it was raining for many of them!
The Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championship picture galleries are now on-line:
VIEW PICTURES OF THE 2013 BRITISH SAND ACE CHAMPIONSHIP
Reservoir updates.... the story continues
17th June 2013
I can't remember any previous local Motorsport event having such a strong reaction, and it all seems to be positive!
The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Reservoir Speed Event attracted a small amount of negative comments before the first runs last Saturday. I had heard some question safety due to anticipated high speeds. There were also questions about the lack of space for the pits.
In fact I was amazed when I arrived at the St Saviours event and walked down the hill past what seemed a never ending line of racing machinery. How on earth was this race meeting ever going to run through smoothly?
But things ran at a fantastic pace. The extensive planning allowed the competitors to all have their practice run and four timed runs resulting in a lot of happy chappies ;-)
The course also seemed to be fairly forgiving of the occasional mistakes and damage was limited to racers ego's and machinery... apart from Leigh Digard who now knows that he bounces quite well!
It was a relief when we had a visit from Leigh on Sunday at the Twisty Sprint after he was kicked out of hospital. I think he even fancied his chances on a bike... no-one would lend him one. I wonder why?
I have now finished the picture gallery for the Reservoir Speed Event which now features the Bikers and Karts.
Be warned, it's a big one:
VIEW PICS OF THE BIKERS & KARTS AT THE RESERVOIR SPRINT
17th June 2013
I can't remember any previous local Motorsport event having such a strong reaction, and it all seems to be positive!
The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Reservoir Speed Event attracted a small amount of negative comments before the first runs last Saturday. I had heard some question safety due to anticipated high speeds. There were also questions about the lack of space for the pits.
In fact I was amazed when I arrived at the St Saviours event and walked down the hill past what seemed a never ending line of racing machinery. How on earth was this race meeting ever going to run through smoothly?
But things ran at a fantastic pace. The extensive planning allowed the competitors to all have their practice run and four timed runs resulting in a lot of happy chappies ;-)
The course also seemed to be fairly forgiving of the occasional mistakes and damage was limited to racers ego's and machinery... apart from Leigh Digard who now knows that he bounces quite well!
It was a relief when we had a visit from Leigh on Sunday at the Twisty Sprint after he was kicked out of hospital. I think he even fancied his chances on a bike... no-one would lend him one. I wonder why?
I have now finished the picture gallery for the Reservoir Speed Event which now features the Bikers and Karts.
Be warned, it's a big one:
VIEW PICS OF THE BIKERS & KARTS AT THE RESERVOIR SPRINT
Even a photographer can have an adrenaline rush it seems.....
16th June 2013
I think that the air of excitement that surrounded the first ever Speed Event on the twisting road bordering the St Saviours reservoir must have rubbed off on me a bit too much.... read on!
There is no doubt that the competitors were barely able to hold in their eagerness to get started on this new event. The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club members really made every effort to support the Committee who had put so much work into making the 30 year wishes come true. There was great help with the set-up of the track and the very tight pits area.
As a Motorsport photographer I was really looking forward to having a new track to work on. I'd already walked the full length a few times eyeing-up the possible shooting opportunities. In the end, on the day, some of my planned shots didn't work out - but there were many more successes :-)
This is where I became a little over excited and I fired off a lot more shots than normal. It isn't only the racers who get an adrenaline rush it seems! The enhanced level of excitement and awareness is a good thing though as I certainly have to keep my wits about me when working so close to 'barely in control' racing cars, bikes and karts.
I've already spent over nine hours on the first edits from the weekends racing and have added the first pics to a new Gallery.
More Car pics will follow together with the Bikers & Karts....
The first to be featured are here:
VIEW THE FIRST RESERVOIR SPEED EVENT PICS
16th June 2013
I think that the air of excitement that surrounded the first ever Speed Event on the twisting road bordering the St Saviours reservoir must have rubbed off on me a bit too much.... read on!
There is no doubt that the competitors were barely able to hold in their eagerness to get started on this new event. The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club members really made every effort to support the Committee who had put so much work into making the 30 year wishes come true. There was great help with the set-up of the track and the very tight pits area.
As a Motorsport photographer I was really looking forward to having a new track to work on. I'd already walked the full length a few times eyeing-up the possible shooting opportunities. In the end, on the day, some of my planned shots didn't work out - but there were many more successes :-)
This is where I became a little over excited and I fired off a lot more shots than normal. It isn't only the racers who get an adrenaline rush it seems! The enhanced level of excitement and awareness is a good thing though as I certainly have to keep my wits about me when working so close to 'barely in control' racing cars, bikes and karts.
I've already spent over nine hours on the first edits from the weekends racing and have added the first pics to a new Gallery.
More Car pics will follow together with the Bikers & Karts....
The first to be featured are here:
VIEW THE FIRST RESERVOIR SPEED EVENT PICS
The big boys make a return to St Peter Port......
10th June 2013
It must be about a decade since a race featuring Ocean going Powerboats was held in local waters so it was a pleasure to welcome them back last weekend.
The event was titled as 'The Venture Cup - Ocean Class Powerboat Racing - The Prologue' and the Guernsey Powerboat Association played a big part in helping the organisers arrange the logistics for their stay in St Peter Port and also had teams working in Race Control and up on Castle Cornet to ensure everything went smoothly.
This was just a 'warm-up' race to check on all the logistics ahead of the main race in 2014 when competitors will race from London all the way to the Med, a distance of 2,400 miles!
I was out and about for the various races in local waters and was impressed by the larger boats taking part. Actually, it was probably even more impressive that the smaller Ribs had completed the run across the English Channel... there wasn't much protection from the elements in those!
Unfortunately the weather really wasn't very helpful for us photographers as it was generally dull and grey. It was also a great shame that no dedicated Media boat was available as this greatly compromised the pics I could capture. I was actually out on a boat positioned at the finish line for the arrival of the racers but as the line was about three-quarters of a mile wide I was frustrated when nearly all of them crossed on the distant side :-(
Having said this, it was still nice to see this premier class of racing benefiting and enjoying our fantastic coastal waters... bring on 2014.
VIEW A GALLERY OF PICTURES FEATURING THE VENTURE CUP POWERBOATS
10th June 2013
It must be about a decade since a race featuring Ocean going Powerboats was held in local waters so it was a pleasure to welcome them back last weekend.
The event was titled as 'The Venture Cup - Ocean Class Powerboat Racing - The Prologue' and the Guernsey Powerboat Association played a big part in helping the organisers arrange the logistics for their stay in St Peter Port and also had teams working in Race Control and up on Castle Cornet to ensure everything went smoothly.
This was just a 'warm-up' race to check on all the logistics ahead of the main race in 2014 when competitors will race from London all the way to the Med, a distance of 2,400 miles!
I was out and about for the various races in local waters and was impressed by the larger boats taking part. Actually, it was probably even more impressive that the smaller Ribs had completed the run across the English Channel... there wasn't much protection from the elements in those!
Unfortunately the weather really wasn't very helpful for us photographers as it was generally dull and grey. It was also a great shame that no dedicated Media boat was available as this greatly compromised the pics I could capture. I was actually out on a boat positioned at the finish line for the arrival of the racers but as the line was about three-quarters of a mile wide I was frustrated when nearly all of them crossed on the distant side :-(
Having said this, it was still nice to see this premier class of racing benefiting and enjoying our fantastic coastal waters... bring on 2014.
VIEW A GALLERY OF PICTURES FEATURING THE VENTURE CUP POWERBOATS
Hail to the lighting....... thanks Lloyd
31st May 2013
I'd like to ask you a question. If you don't go to gigs, theatre or any live stage performances this probably won't mean much to you ;-)
What I would like to know is, what do you think the most important aspects are that improve your enjoyment and memory of any show or performance?
I ask this as I have an opinion of my own.
If we were to make a list in the order of importance obviously the performers will have to be top the pile. After all, that is probably why you even bought a ticket in the first place.
Without trying to fill-in all the other ingredients that make a great show I will cut to my point.
My guess is that most of you don't really consider the lighting. The subtle changes. The not so subtle changes. The colour. The intensity and direction. I suppose if you were engrossed in the performance the lighting somehow 'disappeared' into the background. Maybe this is the success of great lighting?
My own enjoyment of any performance, however, is greatly affected by the lighting. This is because I am usually 'at work' trying to capture everything in pictures... and all I can capture is the light!
This blog was inspired whilst I developed my pictures of The Recks recent gig at the Fermain Tavern.
The gig was lit by Lloyd Hellyeah and he did a great job. This makes my job sooooo much easier and reduces the time I have to spend tweaking colours and tones. When the lighting is well controlled and responsive to a performance it raises it to a higher level.
But have you ever noticed this? Or is it something that only a photographer can see? I'd love to know what you think.
If you would like to make your own opinion about the lighting at The Recks gig my pics are now on-line:
TAKE A LOOK AT THE RECKS GIG... AND THE LIGHTING!
31st May 2013
I'd like to ask you a question. If you don't go to gigs, theatre or any live stage performances this probably won't mean much to you ;-)
What I would like to know is, what do you think the most important aspects are that improve your enjoyment and memory of any show or performance?
I ask this as I have an opinion of my own.
If we were to make a list in the order of importance obviously the performers will have to be top the pile. After all, that is probably why you even bought a ticket in the first place.
Without trying to fill-in all the other ingredients that make a great show I will cut to my point.
My guess is that most of you don't really consider the lighting. The subtle changes. The not so subtle changes. The colour. The intensity and direction. I suppose if you were engrossed in the performance the lighting somehow 'disappeared' into the background. Maybe this is the success of great lighting?
My own enjoyment of any performance, however, is greatly affected by the lighting. This is because I am usually 'at work' trying to capture everything in pictures... and all I can capture is the light!
This blog was inspired whilst I developed my pictures of The Recks recent gig at the Fermain Tavern.
The gig was lit by Lloyd Hellyeah and he did a great job. This makes my job sooooo much easier and reduces the time I have to spend tweaking colours and tones. When the lighting is well controlled and responsive to a performance it raises it to a higher level.
But have you ever noticed this? Or is it something that only a photographer can see? I'd love to know what you think.
If you would like to make your own opinion about the lighting at The Recks gig my pics are now on-line:
TAKE A LOOK AT THE RECKS GIG... AND THE LIGHTING!
Not what you expect in Jamaica...........
08th May 2013
Last Sunday Jamaica rocked!
OK, to be perfectly correct I should say The Jamaica Inn rocked :-)
Billed as 'Chaos at the Jam' the event returned to a newly painted Jamaica Inn as a warm-up to the bigger Chaos Festival in July.
The afternoon offered time to chill to acoustic sets out in the sunny car park. Then things kicked-off proper when we de-camped into the bar.
Brunt bought something heavier to the party and were followed by Guernsey's favourite good-time band, RentOClean.... the party was swinging.
Make space for Heave to take to the stage.
Two guys - guitar and drums - but what a sound. Breaking the laws of physics Heave can fill any space with sound... and it's heavy. Love it.
Thanks to the Greenman for bringing us another great one. See you in July, if not sooner.
Pics of a few of the bands are here:
VIEW PICS OF BRUNT
VIEW PICS OF RENTOCLEAN
VIEW PICS OF HEAVE
08th May 2013
Last Sunday Jamaica rocked!
OK, to be perfectly correct I should say The Jamaica Inn rocked :-)
Billed as 'Chaos at the Jam' the event returned to a newly painted Jamaica Inn as a warm-up to the bigger Chaos Festival in July.
The afternoon offered time to chill to acoustic sets out in the sunny car park. Then things kicked-off proper when we de-camped into the bar.
Brunt bought something heavier to the party and were followed by Guernsey's favourite good-time band, RentOClean.... the party was swinging.
Make space for Heave to take to the stage.
Two guys - guitar and drums - but what a sound. Breaking the laws of physics Heave can fill any space with sound... and it's heavy. Love it.
Thanks to the Greenman for bringing us another great one. See you in July, if not sooner.
Pics of a few of the bands are here:
VIEW PICS OF BRUNT
VIEW PICS OF RENTOCLEAN
VIEW PICS OF HEAVE
Tallpictures.com hits a new landmark... but how do we visualise it?
05th May 2013
Today I'm excited to say that this web site has broken through a new landmark figure.
We have now logged more than 4,000,000 viewings!
Yes, you read that correctly, that's FOUR MILLION VIEWINGS :-)
The latest MILLION has taken just over six months so we are well on target to match last year's figure of TWO MILLION in twelve months.
I posted a blog about six months ago when the THREE MILLION mark was smashed.
READ THE THREE MILLION BLOG HERE
At that time I tried to illustrate how the viewing figures could relate to time... how many views each hour or minute of every day. The results were quite surprising!
This time around I thought that maybe I would try to find how the numbers can be associated to something a bit closer to a photographer's heart. That is an actual paper print. But how thick is an average print?
The wonders of the Internet came to my rescue again and after a few minutes of research I had some figures to play with. It is difficult to find explicit references as there are certain variables - not least of which is the thickness of a sheet of photographic paper.
In the end I have been conservative and based my results on an 'average' that seems to be a fair and realistic number. From my searches I found the height calculated for a pile of ONE MILLION sheets of photographic paper varied between 350 ft and 480 ft.
So I am going to use a figure of 400 ft.
Now let's take things to the next stage and try to picture what this pile would look like.
Perhaps if you are a resident of Guernsey (our small but beautiful Island in the English Channel, near France) you will be familiar with the dramatic cliffs on our southern coast. The highest of these are about 350 ft above sea level.... that is less than the height of a MILLION PRINTS in this example.
Try and picture that... are you impressed yet?
No, well a try at this!
As you have seen, this web site has now had FOUR MILLION HITS since first launching. Take this number and work out the height of that pile of prints and we are talking TALL... LIKE 1,600 FEET HIGH!
If you find it difficult to picture how that relates to the real world, take a look at the picture at the start of this blog which shows the heights of some of the tallest buildings in the world.
NOW YOU MUST BE IMPRESSED!!
The shame is that these numbers are only picture views. They aren't going to make me rich, although I think I would be Epson's biggest customer if I had to produce a print for every web image viewed!
My Epson Stylus 4900 would be working night and day :-)
So a big thank you for spending time viewing my pictures. I am now chasing the next big number.... Pop back again soon.
READ ABOUT THE FIRST MILLION
READ ABOUT THE SECOND MILLION
READ ABOUT THE THIRD MILLION
05th May 2013
Today I'm excited to say that this web site has broken through a new landmark figure.
We have now logged more than 4,000,000 viewings!
Yes, you read that correctly, that's FOUR MILLION VIEWINGS :-)
The latest MILLION has taken just over six months so we are well on target to match last year's figure of TWO MILLION in twelve months.
I posted a blog about six months ago when the THREE MILLION mark was smashed.
READ THE THREE MILLION BLOG HERE
At that time I tried to illustrate how the viewing figures could relate to time... how many views each hour or minute of every day. The results were quite surprising!
This time around I thought that maybe I would try to find how the numbers can be associated to something a bit closer to a photographer's heart. That is an actual paper print. But how thick is an average print?
The wonders of the Internet came to my rescue again and after a few minutes of research I had some figures to play with. It is difficult to find explicit references as there are certain variables - not least of which is the thickness of a sheet of photographic paper.
In the end I have been conservative and based my results on an 'average' that seems to be a fair and realistic number. From my searches I found the height calculated for a pile of ONE MILLION sheets of photographic paper varied between 350 ft and 480 ft.
So I am going to use a figure of 400 ft.
Now let's take things to the next stage and try to picture what this pile would look like.
Perhaps if you are a resident of Guernsey (our small but beautiful Island in the English Channel, near France) you will be familiar with the dramatic cliffs on our southern coast. The highest of these are about 350 ft above sea level.... that is less than the height of a MILLION PRINTS in this example.
Try and picture that... are you impressed yet?
No, well a try at this!
As you have seen, this web site has now had FOUR MILLION HITS since first launching. Take this number and work out the height of that pile of prints and we are talking TALL... LIKE 1,600 FEET HIGH!
If you find it difficult to picture how that relates to the real world, take a look at the picture at the start of this blog which shows the heights of some of the tallest buildings in the world.
NOW YOU MUST BE IMPRESSED!!
The shame is that these numbers are only picture views. They aren't going to make me rich, although I think I would be Epson's biggest customer if I had to produce a print for every web image viewed!
My Epson Stylus 4900 would be working night and day :-)
So a big thank you for spending time viewing my pictures. I am now chasing the next big number.... Pop back again soon.
READ ABOUT THE FIRST MILLION
READ ABOUT THE SECOND MILLION
READ ABOUT THE THIRD MILLION