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Well I had hoped to start 2023 with a nice comfortable assignment.

But it seems that was a little too much to hope for. The 2023 New Years Day Handicap Cross Country was blessed with a damp start.

Luckily the rain didn't really turn out to be very heavy and the mild morning meant that being out in the fresh air was a good choice after New Years eve!

My return visit to L'Ancresse was for the Guernsey Athletics New Years Day Handicap Cross Country. The format of the race meant that there was no mass start so I concentrated on the finish and it turned out that the handicaps did their work leading to a packed finish of the mid-field.

I've added a new Gallery featuring my pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 NEW YEARS DAY CROSS COUNTRY

A bit of disk cleaning on a rainy day - well there isn't much more to do in this horrible weather!!

So I've just uploaded a few pics of the 2022 CI Table Tennis Qualifiers which failed to get ticked off the never ending 'To-Do' list! Well they ARE ticked off now ;-)

Here's the link to the Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2022 CI TABLE TENNIS QUALIFIERS

The weather Gods have been looking after me for the last few photo assignments.

Over the Christmas break I've had to photograph the Boxing Day Cross Country, a Junior Football Tournament and a Trials Bike event.

All of these happened in dry weather and were comfortable because of that. The fact that outside of those times it seems to have rained almost none stop makes me feel that I've been somewhat lucky!

So now the question is... 'How long will my good luck last?'

I'm hoping to hold on to the good fortune for a little longer into the New Year with my first job being another Cross Country on New Years Day.... watch this space for the answer!!

For now I've just uploaded a few pics of the Boxing Day XC here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2022 BOXING DAY CROSS COUNTRY

It was just what we all needed in the middle of the Festive Season.

After the over indulgences of Christmas and before doing it all again for the New Year the perfect remedy was fresh air, motorsport and a workout on the steep and slippery slopes of the Pleinmont headland.

There was a good entry of veterans and youth and all those in-between for the Guernsey Motorcycle & Car Club Trials meeting.

I popped down after my morning assignment to clamber around the slopes trying to find the best angle to show off the skills of the riders.

The Gallery of my pic is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GMC&CC PLEINMONT TRIALS EVENT

Guernsey Junior football was showcased during the 2022 John Brehaut Trophy Tournament at the KGV.

I spent a couple of hours photographing the games and I was impressed by the talent and enthusiasm shown by the youngsters. I covered the Under 13's games as teams progressed through to the finals.

The weather was nice and bright and dry so a good crowd of parents were there to support the Clubs. As each game lasted just fifteen minutes there was always some action to follow.

As the tournament progressed to the semi-finals there was even high drama as one of the finalists had to be decided by a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. I actually lost count of how many penalties needed to be taken to split the teams but when I noticed that players came up to take their THIRD penalty it was an amazing climax.

Congratulations to the Rovers team on winning the trophy and all the other Clubs for making the event so entertaining.

I've added a new Gallery featuring some of the action here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2022 U13 JOHN BREHAUT TOURNAMENT

The 2022 School of Popular Music Christmas Showcase was a busy night packed full of Live Music and young talent.

Once again SoPM treated their students to the opportunity to play at one of Guernsey's most famous live music venues on a stage that many music legends have stood. There have been a lot... but how about Elton John and Wilko Johnson for starters!

The SoPM team did an amazing job organising fourteen bands (I lost count of how many musicians!). That adds up to a LOT of change overs!

I was really impressed by the standard of talent on show. But also the 'professional' attitude that has been instilled into the youngsters. They were ready on time for the switches, they got straight on with the 'job', they worked through occasional issues with equipment and clearly loved their moment in the spotlight.

All together the resulting show was a great tribute to the work the tutors have done with their young proteges.

These Galleries showcase all the acts...
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM 2022 CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE

Christmas must be just around the corner again as the Guernsey School of Popular Music has just produced its annual Christmas Concert!

This event features some of the youngest students as they start their musical journeys. The 2022 concert was held in front of a packed audience of families and friends at Vale Church Hall.

There were smiles all around and the seasonal smell of Mince pies and mulled wine.

It usually takes a bit of an effort for me to get into the Christmas spirit (I know I'm a miserable old git) but seeing all the young beaming faces of the performers has started the magic working!

Enjoy this gallery which features some of the performances...
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2022 SoPM CHRISTMAS CONCERT

The weather turned up in all its wintry glory for the Guernsey Athletics Cross-Country Championships.

Runners were given the full challenge of the elements combined with a course that ticked most of the 'off-road' boxes.

The track was laid out using all the slopes and terrain that Rocquettes Cider Farm could offer. Even a dip into a steam at the bottom of the valley!

The rain, thunder and lightening made things a bit more interesting and the dark cloud cover challenged this photographer too.

But ultimately I really enjoyed photographing the event and surprisingly there were even smiles on the athletes faces!

I've added a Senior and Junior gallery featuring some of the competitors:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2022 CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

To-do list:

Get up
Have breakfast
Dress according to the weather... it's raining!
Drive to the Forest
Photograph Round 2 of the GVC Winter XC Series
Drive home
Dry cameras
Hot cup of coffee to warm up
Upload pics to computer
Wash mud off boots
Dry clothes
Another coffee to warm up
Edit MTB XC pics
Upload pics to website
Eat Sunday Roast, very nice
Write this Blog

A Sunday (workday) for a Sports photographer!

The latest pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 2 OF THE GVC WINTER XC SERIES

When you commit to follow your favorite team in any sport you leave your emotions open to all the highs and lows that go with being a supporter.

You suffer when they lose, get frustrated when they get a draw and you think they should have won! Then there are the moments of elation when your team achieves a notable win!

This was the case at Footes Lane on Saturday when Guernsey Raiders notched up a deserved win, 34-17, against the visiting Canterbury RFC.

It was great to see an on form Raiders do their thing. We will enjoy that moment and hope the next one is just around the corner!

I captured some of the action and you can view the pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW GUERNSEY RAIDERS v CANTERBURY

Another busy weekend of photography combined with processing a backlog of Christmas orders means less time to 'talk'!

So this is it:

Yesterday's Motocross racing pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MOTOCROSS PICS

Two consecutive nights of Sports photography alongside indoor courts highlighted the differences between Netball and Basketball.

If you strip all the rules and details (I know you can't) out of the games of Netball and Basketball then you may convince yourself that if you have developed the technique and timing to photograph one of them then it will be simple to photograph the other.

As I said above, surely the stripped out version of each of these sports leaves us with a similar court with teams throwing a ball around and scoring in a basket... so what could be so different?

But as I photographed both sports on following evenings it highlighted to me that I needed to time my shots differently. Also I needed to follow different aspects of the games.

With Basketball you succeed mostly by following the player with the ball. They will likely attack the defense and contact will be made. There you have the 'peak' action captured.

However as Netball is a non contact sport and players mustn't move with the ball the focus becomes the 'catching' of a pass when a player may leap and stretch or have a pass blocked.

Because Netball isn't played with the same contact I find it much more challenging to get great shots. Also I have photographed Netball a lot less. So maybe I simply have to practice on this sport a bit more?

There are two new Galleries featuring these latest photo-shoots here:
CLICK TO VIEW NETBALL_BLAZE v SPECSAVERS LIGHTNING A
CLICK TO VIEW BASKETBALL_SKIPTON v LE MONT SAINT

Friday night was when the weekend started for many people... but unlike many of you it was the START of the 'working week' for me!

When you are a sports photographer it is the weekend when you get your kit out!

So to kick off my working week(end) I was assigned to photograph the Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club event at St Pierre Park Hotel where Guernsey faced a team billed as St Paul's Hull.

In fact when I looked at the program it showed a couple of the 'locals' on our team were actually our Jersey cousins. It also seemed that - looking at the vest logos - a couple of the St Paul's Hull team were also guest boxers.

Of course this had no effect on the quality of the bouts and several of them were very well matched and very good fights indeed. On the final count the visitors were judged to have more winners... but it was close!

I've been sorting out the edit of all eleven bouts. They can all be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW BOXING - GUERNSEY v ST PAULS HULL

OK, a simple question, but one that would take a week to try and answer.... and I certainly don’t have the time to do that!

And the question is... ‘What makes a great photo?’

I said it was a simple question. Just five words!

Of course if you are thinking about trying to answer you will soon realize that there are endless variations/situations/subjects/intentions/preferences etc. etc. etc. that make capturing every photo different from the next.

So, did I say a ‘simple’ question? You now see that it is far from that.

But perhaps I should explain why I was faced with this quandary. Today it was reported that the legendary rock guitarist Wilko Johnson has died.

I have been fortunate to photograph Wilko on several occasions so I thought I would look through my pics of his performances to post a couple as a tribute. As I looked at the gallery I kept finding pics that I really liked. I began to pat myself on the back for doing such a great job... until it dawned on me why so many of the pics had a bit of extra ‘magic’ when compared to my other gig photography.

It was nothing to do with me. It was ALL to do with Wilko Johnson!

My part in taking the pics was simply to ‘record’ what was in front of me. It is proof that if a photographer is ‘assisted’ by having a distinctive and dynamic character as a subject the job is half done before it starts!

I have amazing memories of Wilko’s performances. He dominated the stage and entranced the audience to the extent that you didn’t want to blink in case you missed something!

What a legend. One of the true greats. RIP Wilko. Thanks for the memories.

If you fancy looking at some of the Wilko magic this is a link to a Gallery:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF WILKO JOHNSON

This was a return visit to Beau Sejour to photograph a re-match between the Edmondson Electrical Chargers and the Le Mont Saint Storm.

The Division One Basketball game showed how competitive this league is. All Basketball games are fast and physical and great fun to photograph.

However this visit I was limited on time as at half time I had to leave to photograph a football game... in the cold and dark! You don't need to ask where I would prefer to be (stay)!

At the final horn Le Mont Saint took the win, well done guys.

A gallery is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW EDMUNDSON ELECTRICAL CHARGERS v LE MONT SAINT STORM

GFC entered Footes Lane knowing they had to face the side who were six points clear at the top of the Isthmian South Central football league.

But our local team were not phased by this prospect. In fact they seemed to elevate their performance to a higher level. They were eager to start and quickly forged a lead.

Sometimes an early goal can reap trouble later in a game as the opponent finds their rhythm but I have to say that GFC kept themselves strong and ultimately were unlucky to not be rewarded with an elusive home win.

The strong performance was recognized and appreciated by the GFC supporters as the team headed to the changing room. Surely it can't be long before GFC get the win?

I've uploaded a gallery featuring the action:
CLICK TO VIEW GFC v NORTHWOOD

Due to a full diary of events to photograph on Saturday my visit to the Motocross track had to be a short one. This was a shame as it was rather pleasant up on the cliffs at Pleinmont.

So I wasted no time in trying to capture some of the action and I had time to photograph each of the different classes. The edit is now complete and I've added a new Gallery if you want to check out the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MOTOCROSS PICS

The weather was mild and sunny in St Andrew on Sunday for Race 1 of the GVC Winter 2022 Cross Country Series sponsored by Ian Brown's Cycle shop.

So I was looking forward to a pleasant morning capturing the action... and it certainly was.

What I didn't enjoy quite so much was the trekking around the track that I had to do to vary my selection of pics. The track was laid out in fields above the Underground Hospital and the area features many slopes. When the gradients are combined with slippery grass and mud the going was tough - for riders and photographers!

Of course I never help myself at these times. In planning the photoshoot I new there was a particular shot/viewpoint that I wanted to capture. Those pics would have best effect if they were captured with a long telephoto lens. So you guessed it... I ended carrying my Nikon 180-400 lens up hill and down dale. But it was worth it as I did get the shots!

Follow this link to view the massive gallery of MTB Winter XC pics:
CLICK TO VIEW RACE 1 OF THE 2022 WINTER XC SERIES

So I was back in Beau Sejour crouched in a corner of the Sir John Loveridge Hall trying to keep up with the high speed sport action.

This is becoming my natural habitat!

The occasion was a Guernsey Basketball Woman's League game between Ravenscroft and Praxis Pumas.

There was a benefit in returning so soon after the last game as I could remember the optimal settings for my Nikon cameras!

Indoor sports photography requires a lot more 'tweeking' of the exposure parameters and colour balance compared to working the sideline outdoors on a sunny day. But it is rewarding when it all comes together.

The edit of the women's basketball is now complete and the Gallery can be viewed here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW RAVENSCROFT v PRAXIS PUMAS

The Track has been the home for Kart racing in Guernsey for decades.

It may be constrained and limited from having a football pitch in its center and site boundaries that are all too close to allow scope for extra corners and straights but this doesn't quell the enthusiasm to race!

The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's Karting section is fairly small but there is always a dedicated bunch who want to go racing and keep the tradition going.

So when I arrived at The Track on Sunday the action had already started with drivers enjoying the bright autumn sun and dry track. It was pretty good for pics too!

I was able to capture the racing in each Class which was, true to form, very close.

Follow this link to view the latest pics:
CLICK TO VIEW RACE 10 OF THE 2022 KART CHAMPIONSHIP