News / Blog

The Guernsey Rounds of the 2023 Motorsport UK Avon Tyres National Hillclimb Championship included several memorable highlights.

It was certainly special because of the impressive performances of our top local drivers. Nick Saunders led the way by qualifying for both Rounds with his best performance in Round 20 when he stood in third place on the podium. Tim Tulie and Andy Bougourd also showed the visitors how it is done on the 'Terres by qualifying for the Run-offs.

Another highlight was Wallace Menzies lowering of the Outright Hill Record previously held by Alex Summers. But this didn't come without a cost as Wallace crashed into the back just after crossing the finish line!

Nobody can say he wasn't trying hard enough!

My photos are now online. When you click this link your browser will open a new page to display the Guernsey National Hillclimb pics.

The Gallery is on my new website which is where ALL NEW PHOTOS WILL BE UPLOADED:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 GUERNSEY NATIONAL HILLCLIMB PHOTOS ON THE NEW WEBSITE

The Motorsport UK Avon Tyres British National Hillclimb Championship returned to Jersey's Bouley Bay Hill for Rounds 17 & 18 of the 2023 season.

Tradition (and it's a long one) is that the roadshow starts the Channel Island 'double header' in the 'other isle' before all the kit is loaded on to a Condor Ferries ferry to arrive in Guernsey for the Saturday Rounds at Le Val des Terres.

Myself, well I decided that it would be just as easy for me fly between the Islands and so I was on station at the start-line in Jersey for the first competitors run.... and then it was non-stop action all the way - except for the lunch break. Oh they are so cultured in Jersey, ha, ha!

My pics of the Jersey National Hillclimb are now online.

When you click the link your browser will open a new window to view all the Jersey National pics which are on my NEW WEBSITE.

Please note that ALL NEW PHOTOS WILL ONLY BE FOUND ON THE NEW WEBSITE:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE JERSEY 2023 MOTORSPORT UK NATIONAL HILLCLIMB

We all know that time flies. Certainly as I get older whole decades seem to pass with the blink of an eyelid!

And it is the passage of time and the continued progress with technology that has made me think that I needed a new project.

The Internet has become the dominant resource for a photographer to present his work to interested people. Tagged on the back of that is the opportunity to sell a few pics. Even a photographer needs to eat and buy beer!

So I'm announcing here that this website won't be where my new work is uploaded in the future. I have a new website under development... more on that later.

But the good news is all the Photos, Blogs and Information that features here will remain just as it is. I have built this massive record of Guernsey life... Sports, Motorsports, Gigs, Bands and Social Life and I'm keen for it to still be available. This 'old' website is now thirteen years old and has accrued nearly 50 MILLION picture views!

However with the improvement of mobile phone screens, faster download speeds and expectations of how photos display I will be uploading all new work to a new website. It still carries a title that regulars will be familiar with... TALLPICTURES.com

This is a major project for me as I hope to carry some of the old Galleries across too, but that all depends on time. Yes time gets a mention again!

I wonder what the next blink of the eye brings?

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW WEBSITE HERE:
CLICK TO VIEW THE NEW TALLPICTURES WEBSITE

The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club returned to the popular Reservoir Speed Event with a full entry after having a break in 2022.

This event offers something different for the racers with high speeds and tricky, technical corners and attracts Cars, Bikes and Karts.

I think it is quite amazing how each split of the program and the return to pits is achieved so quickly when you see how tight the space is in the pit area.

It proves what can be done when the competitors do their bit and listen to the briefing, oh, and want as much track-time as possible!

Take a look at these galleries to see all the action....
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 GK&MC RESERVOIR SPEED EVENT

The highly talented and polished Sleeper headlined an evening of live music at St James on Saturday night.

This gig was a master class in how to captivate an audience with quality, personality and great songs.

Well done Sleeper, we loved you. And thank you St James for bringing them over for us to enjoy.

I took a few pics of the gig and they are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW SLEEPER PLAYING AT ST JAMES

Well that's sorted. The full edit of all the Boxfit 'King of the North' action and atmosphere is now online.

This was a great event. We were blessed with nice weather and the crowd of supporters really enjoyed a relaxed afternoon of beer, sport and sun.... not a difficult sell really!!

With twelve bouts on the bill I was kept busy following the fast moving action and there were some real highlights.

This Boxfit event is all about taking a fighter out of the gym environment and allowing them the chance to 'tick that box' by stepping into a ring in front of a rowdy crowd of supporters.

Without question, even though some of the fights are clearly not 'full on', every person who slipped between the ropes to face up their opponent showed real bravery... and maybe they have now ticked something off their 'bucket list?

Amongst the twelve bouts, however, were a few that could have been in the lineup of our local Dinner Boxing evenings. Those boxers showed enough talent to take the sport a bit more seriously. Maybe I'll be photographing them again sometime soon?

Click the link to view the full Gallery and please like, share and put the word out:
CLICK TO VIEW THE KING OF THE NORTH 2023 GALLERIES

The Guernsey MTB XC riders were out in force today racing on an energy sapping course at L'Ancresse.

This was the final test of the 2023 Island Games course.

It is important that every aspect is tested ahead of the main event and with the eyes of all the visiting teams looking at us the GVC wants things to run perfectly and smoothly. I have a feeling that everything is coming into place due to this meticulous preparation.

I was out doing my bit today. Even if it was only chasing around the common looking for the best vantage points!

The results of my efforts are now online. Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MTB XC PICS

What does summer mean for you?

Well one of the favourite things for me is that with the sun comes the Festival season 🍺🎪🥁

Sadly my diary doesn't include Download Festival like my grandson's ( lucky *****) but there are still the 2023 Chaos and Vale Earth Fairs for me!

We've also already enjoyed the 2023 Guernsey Together Festival.

The weather stayed dry for the GTF and whilst it wasn't 'blazing hot' the festival field was buzzing with relaxed and happy folk. There is something special about a festival as most people seem to chill and have more time to chat. Great therapy away from the weekday rush and pressures!

I've just uploaded my pics from day 2 of GTF 2023. Check them out and remember to book Chaos and VEF for your own dose of Festival therapy!

This is a link to the 2023 GTF Galleries:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GUERNSEY TOGETHER GALLERIES

Just a quick note and a link to the latest uploads.

I've added a new Gallery featuring Round 6 of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club Sand Racing Championship.

This race meeting was back on the normal track position as the tides had returned the beach to its normal levels. Unlike most Motorsports that are raced on a track that maintains a reliable surface from one meeting to the next, with beach racing you don't know what you are racing on until the tide recedes.

Sometimes a gale and rough weather will lift and move the sands revealing stones and ruts.

But you can also rely on the tides to make good the damage. So after a previous meeting the sands were perfect for Round 6. My pics of the racing are now online:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 6 OF THE SAND RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

The GVC held another Round of their 2023 MTB XC Summer Crit Series yesterday evening at Delancey Park.

Their was a good entry across the classes with riders enjoying a lovely sunny eve.

The track followed the Island Games circuit so our local competitors were pushing hard ahead of the growing excitement before the big one!

I've uploaded a new Gallery of pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC MTB XC AT DELANCEY PARK

The Guernsey Together Festival in 2023 took the bold step to add a second day to what was a successful formula. Did it work?

Well I have to say that my own opinion is that it did. Many aspects of the running of the Festival had been tweaked and improved using the experience gained from the first two events and the size of the crowd for both days seemed to echo my feelings.

It's great that Guernsey now has another established popular music Festival. It sits next to and compliments the Chaos Festival and of course the Vale Earth Fair.

Let's hope that the planning for the 2024 Festival will begin soon... but we'll allow the organizers a few moments to get their breath back first!

I've just completed the edit of Day-1 and the pics can be viewed by clicking the link.

Now the edit of Day-2 begins....
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 GUERNSEY TOGETHER FESTIVAL

Mike Ogier is a very nice guy but I hope he doesn't make a habit of coming to visit me at the Hillclimbs!

Because at the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club Bank Holiday Hillclimb he gave us both a bit of a shock! I was photographing the action at the first corner when Mike came into view... at quite a pace!

Unfortunately for his wallet he couldn't find enough grip and his Anderson 250 Kart under-steered straight towards my position. Definitely not a good idea for Mike as I was protected behind a thick Guernsey Granite and Block wall!

I spoke to Mike after he came to a sudden stop and he said he had to make the choice between the Granite wall and a solid (but not as hard) bank. He chose the bank... a good choice. But he was still left with a cracked front nose cone.

The whole thing was quite dramatic however whilst I kept my finger on the trigger until the moment I retreated behind the wall the sequence of pics really aren't that striking.... at least to you and me.

Maybe they will be for Mike?!!

I was able to photograph plenty of the other racing and three new Galleries are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST GMC&CC HILLCLIMB

Around and around they go.....

If you were to propose a Motorsport speed event that simply involved racing around a football pitch sized narrow, square, tarmac track you might struggle to generate interest amongst motorbike riders.

But if you were to add a couple of technical chicanes, tricky cambers on the corners and a format that only offers a single flying lap to bring all the elements together then it becomes a much more interesting challenge!

The bonus is that a rider gets many chances to get back out on the tarmac.

So what I've just described is the format of the GMC&CC Twisty Sprint at The Track and the latest running of the event was yesterday.

I spoke to quite a few of the competitors and the general response was that the technical event should keep its place in the calendar. Variety is the spice of life... even in Motorsport it seems.

I only had a short time to grab a few pics as there was a Music Festival - and many beers - awaiting my attention! My Twisty Sprint pics are now online here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2023 TWISTY SPRINT

It was all downhill for the GVC MTB riders on Sunday at the Dos d'Ane.

The site almost seems to hide how much steep gradient there is on the slopes.

A narrow twisting track had been hacked through the bracken and bushes all the way to the top. The riders needed careful commitment as there was little space to recover from any errors.

There was also a need to send riders up to the start-line in small groups due to the limited space up there. It was also impossible for me to work along most of the upper section due to space.

All this talk of restricted space had no effect on the enjoyment for the racers who seemed to love the challenge.

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MTB DOWNHILL RACING

One of the assignments for me over the weekend was to visit the Athletics track at Footes Lane to capture some of the Guernsey Athletics Track & Field event.

With the 2023 Island Games just weeks away the excitement and anticipation could be felt around the newly cleaned and marked all-weather track.

The conditions on Sunday were excellent for competition and we must hope for something similar for the Games. All things are crossed!

There was a small gremlin in the timing gear which made a delay and reduced what I could cover before moving on to the next job. It was perhaps fortuitous that the problem showed up now rather than on the big day! Once fixed everything ran very well.

My pics are now online in a new Gallery here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GUERNSEY ATHLETICS TRACK & FIELD EVENT

The Guernsey Autocross Club Banger racers always end their season with a special event that is headlined as the 'Fun Meeting'.

That title should be enough for you to imagine the theme! It's all about Bangers, racing, bashing, noise, speed, roll-overs... oh and lots of FUN.

The 2023 edition offered all of the above with the added bonus of SUN!

This encouraged a crowd of hundreds who lined the vantage points and they were thoroughly entertained. Everywhere I looked there were smiles on faces.

This Gallery features some of the action.... enjoy and smile :-)
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 AUTO-X FUN MEETING

On Friday evening I photographed a Sport that I have somehow failed to give proper coverage to over the years.

And this Sport is actually one of the 'obvious' choices for a small Island. The sea is always just a short hop away wherever you might be in Guernsey.

Perhaps it's the fact that to achieve the best results a photographer needs to be on the water chasing the action. This demands some forward planning. I used to get out on the sea when Powerboat Racing was a big Sport and I really enjoyed that challenge. Maybe it's time to make the effort again?

Sadly I was assigned to cover the Guernsey Rowing Club's Havelet Bay race very late in the day and most of my shots are taken from dry land and at considerable distance. Even an 800mm lens was left wanting!

But it was still a pleasure to be out on a nice evening. My pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE HAVELET ROWING RACE

The 2023 football Muratti's were sad affairs from the Guernsey perspective.

Both the Guernsey Ladies and Men's squads left Footes Lane without a trophy to share between them.

In sport we have to face up to the reality that sometimes we simply aren't good enough on the day.

But there is also another reality and that is that if a team can 'bank' the experience that comes with losing and invest the pain into coming back stronger the next time then they will reap the reward. I'm sure Guernsey will dig deeper and train harder motivated by the ambition to win again.

It is a fact in every sport that over the years the team taking the glory changes. With that thought in mind the journey along the road to Guernsey holding the Muratti Trophys high again starts today!

Due to other assignments I only had time available to photograph the Ladies Muratti and my pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 LADIES MURATTI

With Guernsey hosting the Island Games this year and the countdown running fast every aspect of the games is coming together.

Meetings and training sessions are filling the calendar as so much has to be organized to make the games run smoothly. The target of all involved is to showcase what Guernsey can do. We've done it before and this time will be even better!

Part of the prep is for the different sports to test out how their events will run and this is what happened at Delancey Park on Sunday.

The GVC ran one of their Summer MTB XC championship races on the circuit that will be part of the Island Games MTB XC series.

Things looked good and I think the track offered a great mix of challenges. I worked at finding good spots to photograph from. Some worked, others less so.

It looks like I'm going to have to put more effort into my own performance too!

The countdown is running fast... and we all can't wait to get going!

My pics of the MTB racing are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW RACE 2 OF THE SUMMER MTB XC SERIES

Sadly this can't be said about every (many) Sports that meet our old Jersey rivals in an Inter-insular..

But that makes it even sweeter when we knock them out of the park... four times!

Well done to all four Guernsey Basketball teams for your wins over the visiting Crapos.

Every team played with full commitment and proved their dominance over the Jersey opposition!

OK maybe I should stop the crowing about the success.... if I really have to!!

I've added new galleries featuring some of the action and atmosphere here:
CLICK TO VIEW SOME OF THE 2023 BASKETBALL INTER-INSULARS