News / Blog

It was a tough hour's workout amongst the pine trees of the Guet.

A circuit had been laid out for the GVC MTB XC riders that twisted back and forth covering the whole area with every slope available included all adding to the torture.

It was clear from some of the groaning that completing the hour plus a lap race pushed riders to their limits.

From my point of view I was worn out just following the racing up and down the slopes!

The venue also challenged a photographer as the day was bright and sunny creating high contrast and many shadows from the multitude of tree trunks.

So rather than aiming to capture the 'peak' action I spent most of the race trying to time the pics for when the rider was in sunlight rather than shadow.

At the end of the morning I had enough keepers for a Gallery. View it here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GVC MTB XC PICS AT THE GUET

Sadly this time the GFC couldn't produce the late comeback that they achieved on their last outing.

Once again they had fallen behind the visiting team , Benfield on this occasion, and at 1-3 down it needed something of a special intervention to rescue a result.

But the Gods... or actually the Ref in this case was against such a rally as his yellow card made ten appearances slowing the flow of the game.

It also has to be said that some of the Benfield squad must have just finished their time playing drama queens in a Panto as they habitually 'went to ground' when GFC had possession.

But it seems this is a common feature in Isthmian League football and our GFC team are just going to have to accept it and ensure that it is them that take a lead and then they can enjoy the element of control that would bring.

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GFC v BINFIELD PICS

As the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club start their 2022 full calendar of events the hopes and spirits are high as racers look forward with spanners crossed for no more Covid disruptions.

Between this Club and the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club motorsport fans can compete locally in just about every genre of the sport... within the limitations of what a small Island can host.

If you look at the list I think you must agree....

Hillclimbs at four venues
Karting
Motocross
Rallying
Sand Racing
Trials
Sprints at several venues
Speed Events
Twisty Sprints
Autotests

....and there is also the Guernsey Autocross Club Banger Racing on the beach!

So it was great for me to return to The Track to photograph Round-1 of the 2022 Kart Championship on Sunday whilst looking forward to a busy year.

My pics of the karting can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND-1 OF THE 2022 KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP

After scoring the first goal GFC seemed to be making the perfect start to the game but just seconds later the visiting Basingstoke Town levelled the score after being given a penalty.

Guernsey Football Club then seemed to loose their way a bit. They were always on the back foot and the halftime score of 1-3 reflected the play.

But our local side dug deeper in the second half and returned to their familiar style of play by being more direct and chasing every ball. It still took all the minutes of play plus added time to pull back a draw... at four all!

Ultimately the result probably reflected the up and down nature of the play and I have to say well done to GFC for not giving up. This spirit was epitomised, as is often the case, by Ross Allen who turned things around with his two goals!

And I think there has to be a special mention for Glenn Le Tissier who came on from the bench with just minutes of play left and scored the Guernsey equaliser with his first touch! The final result 4-4, we'll call that a good result for the GFC>

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GFC v BASINGSTOKE TOWN PICS

What to do when you have a spare couple of hours before the next job?

How about catching up with our local rugby teams hosting visitors?

So I popped along to Footes Lane.

First up was a Raging Bull Shield Division 2 game - St Jacques Vikings v Bournmouth II.

Then there was just time to capture some first half action at the National League 2 South game between Guernsey Raiders and Barnstaple RFC.

Check out the pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE WEEKENDS RUGBY ACTION

Slippery under foot seems to have become my workplace of choice over the last couple of weekends!

Like last week I was trying to capture the two-wheeled action at a GVC MTB event.

This time it was Downhill racing at Pleinmont on a course set out on very slippery slopes near the old lighthouse keepers building.

The combination of muddy slopes and slippery roots made it hard for me to keep on my feet and it was observed that many of the riders were doing a much better job than me of staying upright!

Although it has to be said that several riders did come a cropper. I was relieved that every one of them remounted with only their ego taking a bruising! Of course getting out of bed on Monday morning they may feel their weekends spills!

I've added my pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MTB DOWNHILL PICS

So I popped my head out the front door and it looked quite pleasant. The weather forecast was good (no rain) so I reckoned that I was going to enjoy taking pics of the Priaulx League football down at Port Soif.

But I misjudged how a chill wind can whip through you when you are sitting pitch-side with no protection from an icy blast.

As we know the saying goes (something like) 'There is no such thing as bad weather.... just the wrong clothing'! This was certainly the case here.

Now I must remember to put my thermals in the boot ready for the next time. If I'd had them today I would have returned home nice and 'toasty' rather than chilled to the bone!

Lucky there was a fair bit of action to take my attention away from the discomfort with a final goal count of Rovers 2 - St Martins 6!

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW ROVERS v ST MARTINS PICS

This new Gallery completes my Sunday assignments in the mud.

As I eluded to in the previous Blog I found myself 'tip-toeing' through muddy tracks and climbing slippery banks all day in an effort to get close to the two wheel action.

The latest pics are of the afternoon session at the GMC&CC All-Day Trials meeting. I concentrated on the sections set up at L'Ecluse in St Andrew.

For two of the sections the approach was along a very muddy track which the riders traversed with ease. I was less confident... but the worst didn't happen! I kept on my feet and both clothing and cameras returned home unsoiled!

So that was a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

The Trials pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GMC&CC TRIALS AT L'ECLUSE

It was inevitable that the two jobs today would involve some mud.... we did have a lot of rain yesterday, eh!

So my day was spent trying to avoid an embarrassing slip into the mess.

I'm pleased to say I succeeded.

Both the jobs involved two wheel transport - man powered and motorized. And each one demanded confidence and skill to be shown by the riders due to the already noted mud!

I've just added a gallery of pics featuring the morning job... the GVC MTB XC at the Underground Hospital. Click the link to view those pics.
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC MTB XC PICS

Today I checked the rain App before leaving home to photograph a round of the FA Cup at the KGV.

Just before setting off there had been a very heavy shower... the sort that would wet you through in a couple of minutes so when further heavy showers were predicted to arrive during the football game I got into my full wet weather kit! Why get soggy when simply dressing suitably saves the discomfort?

But I was only due to spend the first half at KGV before I had to dash off to submit pics before an early print deadline for the Guernsey Press. Thankfully, this time, the rain gods must have been looking after me today as the downfall didn't arrive.

Hopefully I haven't spent my good luck too early in the year!

Pics of the first half of the game are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE FA CUP CF INDEPENDENTS v SYLVANS PICS

Today, New Years Day, true to my word I found another Cross Country event to chase around after as part of my remedy to seasonal overindulgence.

This time the event had a twist to it. The format offered a bit of fun for the runners and, in theory, everyone of them had the chance to take a race win!

The Guernsey Athletics statisticians had been working late nights to calculate a handicap for each competitor. This meant a staggered start... but a prospect of a mass finish at the end.

Nothing like this is ever perfect and some of the runners clearly had a good day and achieved substantial improvements in form but there was defiantly a large block who battled for places a the finish line.

Here are my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE NEW YEARS DAY CROSS COUNTRY

The surf was up on New Year's Eve at Vazon Bay, Guernsey. The strong wind meant it was messy but the fact it was a day off for many people meant it was just too good a chance to miss!

I spent an hour or so trying to capture some of the action and I've added a new Gallery where they can be viewed.

Follow this link to see the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2021 NEW YEARS EVE SURFING PICS

The corrective measures needed to undo several days of seasonal overindulgence started today at Delancey Park.

However it's actually quite a stretch of imagination to think that the fine athletes who belong to the Guernsey Athletics Club threw discipline out the window at the Christmas dinner table. That task was well handled by this photographer.

So a 4km Cross Country was not much more than a stroll in Delancey Park for them and it was me who gained a (small) benefit as I chased around after them taking pics!!

Having now completed the edit I'm looking through the diary to see my next opportunity to return to my fighting weight.....

The pics of the Short Course Cross Country can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE CROSS COUNTRY PICS

I'm afraid that I'm an 'old school' photographer. I purchased my first camera whilst still at school using money saved from my Saturday job.

Of course as this was over 50 years ago that camera had to be loaded with film... 24 or 36 pics on a roll.

So I learnt that each press of the shutter had to be considered and not wasted. Also there was an additional cost to every shot as a film had to then be processed. That was more money out of my pocket!

I suppose that discipline got to be a habit and now that I take sports pics for a living I cannot break this habit of a lifetime of carefully firing off the shutter.

But modern day digital photography has brought many benefits and many advances that make our job so much easier. Think autofocus, fast and limit-less shutter rates and no film costs to name a couple.

I'd be silly not to take advantage of these improvements but I still can't get my finger into trigger happy mode. In fact I often dial down the maximum shutter rate as I get really annoyed if I take too many pics on a single press of the button, easy to do at fourteen frames a second! I like to try and capture just the peak moment and nothing more, however I'm sure that sometimes this means I do miss a shot!

Luckily those 50 years of taking pics sometimes helps with judging when maximum speed might be needed and Autocross racing is one of those times. It does mean that the number of shots I take during a meeting can run into a couple of hundred but that is the price to pay for being ready when something dramatic happens right in front of me.

That situation occured today at the Autocross racing on Chouet beach. Jade Ferbrache, who is well known for her skills riding large powerful bikes on tarmac, paid the price of pushing her car to the limit on a rutted sandy track. As she entered the pits corner her car launched into a massive double roll-over. Jade was wearing a neck brace and soon emerged from her slightly crumpled car unhurt.

So there we have it. Jade has added another roll-over 'notch' to her seatbelt and she now has a few pics to show the grandchildren one day!

In case you are wondering, I missed the very first moment of the roll but thanks to my modern Nikon digital camera I still got a sequence of 28 pics... that's more than I'd have got on a new roll of film! Maybe it's about time that this 'old school' photographer embraced everything that Digital photography brings to the kit bag... including the huge amount of pics it offers?

Follow this link to view the gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST AUTOCROSS PICS

So after last weekends sports shoot featuring tennis racquets at the Inter-insular tennis championships there was a swap of racquets for this weeks shoot at the Guernsey Island Closed Badminton Finals!

Badminton offers similar challenges to photographing indoor tennis. Firstly the lighting is never bright enough to satisfy a photographer who is trying to freeze the action. Also there is quite a restriction on access. It is hard to achieve the angles of view that would be ideal and of course a photographer must not interfere with the play... that includes getting in the eye-line of the players.

But professional sports photographers will always enjoy that challenge!

The last time I photographed these finals was in 2018 (before the world changed) and it was great to see a mix of familiar faces and new ones contending the various titles.

I've now added a Gallery featuring my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2021 GUERNSEY CLOSED BADMINTON FINALS

I was a little limited on time to photograph the Tennis Inter-insular against Jersey but it was great to see some of the great performances by the local squad.

The resulting 9-3 win was pretty decisive and the reward was for the Guernsey squad to pick up the Bucktrout Trophy for the first time since 2007!

Well done Guernsey. We are proud of you.

I've now added a small Gallery of pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE TENNIS INTER-INSULAR GALLERY

It was a busy and varied weekend of work.... just how I like it!

This time most of it revolved around sport photography and it was a reminder of how broad the whole 'sports scene' is in Guernsey. Also it showcased how the Islands sports stars can hold their own against visitors from afar... and not so far!

I've already added Galleries featuring the latest GFC game against Chertsey Town. This high ranking side in the Isthmian South Central league had to work hard for their narrow win against our side.

Another enjoyable assignment was at the Velo Club MTB XC in a fantastic setting. Those pics are also already online. See the News item below.

The latest Gallery update features seven Bouts of boxing from the Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club night at St Pierre Park Hotel. This was another chance for local competitors to go head to head against a visiting team and they produced some impressive performances against the Stevenage ABC team.

And just to add to the variety I also covered the 2021 Tennis Inter-insular at the Indoor Tennis Courts where the Guernsey squad really showed their class by beating Jersey 9-3. What a great finish to the weekend.

What will next weekend bring?
CLICK TO VIEW THE GUERNSEY v STEVENAGE ABC BOXING GALLERIES

It's great when a regular sort of assignment is turned into something a bit special.

Today one of my photoshoots was of an MTB Cross Country race. Nothing special about that really. I must have photographed a few dozen MTB races.

But for a photographer, once you've taken pics of a few of these events, you start looking for something to keep yourself interested. One of the best incentives is when you are offered a new or different venue as a backdrop to your pics.

That was what happened at the GVC XC. The race circuit was laid out within the grounds of an impressive local property and it offered a real mix of features. But for me it was the chance to use a vineyard as the setting for my photographs.

Also can I just remind you that there is an option when ordering pics for you to select a BLACK & WHITE version. Most of the website galleries consist of a coloured version but I do love a BLACK & WHITE print. There is something classic and timeless with a monochrome image.

If you want to see the results follow this link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE MTB RACE THROUGH A VINEYARD

Conditions were pretty extreme down a Footes Lane for the clash between GFC and Chertsey Town.

A very strong and gusty wind blowing straight down the pitch meant that both sides were going to have to face that onslaught for one half of the game.

GFC were first to battle the head wind and it certainly impacted their game but they did well to return to the calm of the dressing room at half time with the score at 0-0.

The local side started the second half with new vigor, energy and speed and they created several good chances but sadly, against the run of play, Chertsey Town scored after making an unexpected break from the back.

That one goal was enough to give the visitors the win.

My pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GFC v CHERTSEY TOWN FOOTBALL

My backlog of pics keeps me busy whenever I have a few spare minutes.

Back in 2019 there was quite a bit going on around here. We were completely renovating our bungalow. My office was a monitor balanced on a small table in a corner amongst piles of boxes.

So whilst I still managed to get out to capture some pics the edits were often sidelined.

When I now look through those folders it only seems right that I make an effort to complete the edits. So today I've added a gallery of pics featuring T20 Cricket, Guernsey v Jersey at the College Field in May 2019!

It looked a beautiful day... perfect for cricket!
CLICK TO VIEW T20 CRICKET - GUERNSEY v JERSEY