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It was an early evening start at The Doghouse for the latest School of Popular Music event.

Junior students at SoPM had just completed four days of special tuition at their Easter School and a live gig at The Doghouse showcasing their developing talents was the highlight of the week.

I'm sure parents and friends were really proud to see the young musicians take to the stage and confidently 'own it'! Drummers, guitarists, keyboard players and singers had spent the few days learning songs and I was really impressed to see how 'at home' they looked performing in public.

I have no doubt that some of these youngsters will continue to perform... you could just see that they were buzzing after coming off stage!

I've added a few pics to a gallery which can be viewed by following this link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2022 SoPM EASTER SCHOOL GIG

A spot of Isthmian South Central league football photography on a mild spring evening under floodlights... what's not to like?

I was at Footes Lane for clash between the GFC and Chipstead. The night was notable for teenager Tim Ap Sion who scored on his debut for GFC. The goal meant that GFC held the visiting side to a 3-3 scoreline.

Maybe GFC could be disappointed with the result as they had given away a 2-1 lead.

But we can still look ahead knowing that GFC are nurturing new young talent for the future.

My pics under floodlights can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GFC v CHIPSTEAD

Well done to all those who organized the Guernsey Round of the 2022 CI Moto-X Championship.

Also our local riders who did us proud by leading from the front! Nice one guys and gals.

Another big thank you (ha, ha) goes to whoever filled me in with sticky mud on Saturday.... note to self: Stand further from the track next time 🙂

I was at the holeshot and probably didn't take my normal interest in the condition of the bend. I had a very short time available on the first day as I needed to get away to photograph two football games.

I made the rookie mistake of not allowing for the bigger than usual number of bikes heading into the holeshot. Inevitably some had to take a wide line hitting the puddle of very sticky mud on the outside of the track launching it in my direction!

The outcome of this splattering was a very muddy photographer including two cameras and lenses. I had to leave the racing early and make a quick return to home for a change of clothing and a hose-down of my kit!

But luckily I have a short memory and on Sunday I was back trackside for more pics. This time there was less mud too!

I've added a full Gallery of the pics I took on my website if you are interested. Click on this link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2022 CI MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

Duathlon's have a habit of starting early. This must sometimes be a challenge for competitors... it certainly is for this photographer!

However sometimes the effort to be at the start line is rewarded with a lovely crisp spring morning. And when the setting for the event is the reservoir I was a happy chappy!

The 2022 Duathlon/Triathon season kicked off with the Reservoir Duathlon on Sunday. I was there capturing some of the action.

I hope you enjoy my pics in this gallery....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE RESERVOIR DUATHLON

My Saturday proved to be a bit more hectic than I had planned.

I had started the day with a short list of to-do's.

Basically.... Motocross pics, Football pics and more Football pics... finally a few pics of a gig.

Things started off well. I had timed my visit to the Motocross track to coincide with the start of racing... I'd missed the warmup laps which don't offer much for a photographer.

This visit was always planned to be short as I had to get down to the Corbet Field for the Jeremie Cup football kick-off at twelve.

But sometime things don't go as planned. Maybe it was the lack of recent practice photographing MX or, more likely, a 'schoolboy error' by me, Who knows?

When I had checked in with the Clerk of the Course, he said to me 'you're going to get muddy today'. Little did I know how true that was!

The track was indeed very muddy after heavy overnight rain. However my clothing and boots were well up to the job and I settled into a spot that would, hopefully, be perfect to capture close action shots of the start of racing.

But it seems I miscalculated how safe I was as when the pack of bikes hit the holeshot for the start of the A Class race the group couldn't all fit around the tight line of the holeshot and they spread across the width of the track throwing vast quantities of sticky wet mud into the air... and yes you may have guessed... over me too!

I really should have anticipated this, but it is easier with hindsight.

The result was that I ended up leaving the track early as a change of clothing was needed and more importantly my cameras had to be washed down as they had taken the full force of the flying sticky mud!

So, after an early exit I quickly headed for home where clean clothes and a hose down for cameras and lenses awaited. After that was done I ran late for the rest of the day.

I'll added a pic of the mess later. For now you can see the two football galleries by following the links:
CLICK TO VIEW VALE REC v ST PETER JEREMIE CUP PICS
CLICK TO VIEW GFC v CHALFONT ST PETER PICS

One more update has seen an end of the weekends edits. Phew, job done!

The first couple of days of every week is normally busy with the edit of the shots taken on Saturday and Sunday.

This week started as normal. However last weekend was a particularly full couple of days featuring Sand Racing, GFC Football, Guernsey Raiders Rugby and two days of Trials bikes.

The chasing around between venues was great fun... helped by the bright sun and comfortable weather and I felt very lucky to call photography 'my job'!

Of course the edit is inevitable and the least enjoyable part of the work, especially when I have a list of to-do's on my desk. But by keeping my nose to the monitor I've cleared the backlog... at least for a couple of days!

The final update features National Two South Rugby at Footes Lane - Guernsey Raiders v Esher. This is a link to the Gallery:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY RAIDERS v ESHER

Our well supported GFC are finding the Isthmian South Central league a tough place to be.

It's certainly not due to lack of effort by our local team but the challenge of playing against visitors who are often full-time sportsmen is hard.

Guernsey Football Club has to travel off island for half their fixtures and this certainly puts a strain on all the team... players and staff. It must be hard to keep up momentum and high spirits when you also have a full-time job and family to support.

I believe that GFC are doing well to hold a place near the middle of their league and we all need to remember and occasionally look back to the times when local football stars had very little opportunity to play at a higher level.

It can't be doubted that the local game has benefited from widening the experience of our best players.

The latest home game against Ashford Town ended with the visitors going home with a 2-1 win. That is a frustrating result for the GFC but they should enjoy and be proud of the continuing support of the crowd at Footes Lane.

I was pitch-side for the game and my pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GFC v ASHFORD TOWN

All sports photography makes special demands on a photographer.

The challenges may take different forms with so many sports available but there is always a similar thread running through the photographic work.

Unlike filming sports action (digital video nowadays) a photographer has to rely on capturing a 'peak' moment of action telling the story of the activity in a single frame.

What isn't perhaps obvious to those who don't spend their days photographing sport is that to capture the pics that a photog wants there is often a lot of work beforehand to create the 'luck' to reliably come home with the pics!

Getting the shot needs the photographer to be in the right place at the right time and to be ready with a camera all set... exposure settings, correct lens, positioned to give the most dynamic angle for what is about to happen... then to maintain attention during the boring moments to be poised and ready when the action kicks off as it is usually over in fractions of a second!

Luckily, like most skills, practice really does help.


This ramble comes after I've just photographed a two day Trials Bike event. I only had limited time to spend at the event so I really needed to work hard to get the pics that I planned.

I like to make use of the setting that trials bike sections are laid out in as realistically many of the riders will not offer me the dynamic action that I know they think they perform. My job is to make the competitors look amazing and a bit of help from the background can help!

However there are always a few elite riders who really provide an opportunity to get great shots. But even capturing those is a problem as Trials sections are spread over a wide area (miles apart) and it is all too easy to miss them completely whilst moving around.

I'd studied the various sections (you make your own luck) and I had earmarked one steep granite rock climb as the most promising for the 'shot of the day'. I now had to hope that I would be in place when the elite riders came to the obstacle.

Luck was with me (just) as with just minutes left before I needed to get to the next assignment the top guns turned up. All the planning came together, I was in the right place, the lens was correct, the settings all dialed in, I just needed the action to happen as I hoped.

And it did! I got the planned shot and there wasn't really any luck involved! I love it when a plan comes together!

I've added a gallery featuring all my 2-Day trials pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2022 GMC&CC 2-DAY TRIALS PICS

Here comes the summer.....

Well I might be a bit premature with this comment as it's is only April the second but when an assignment is on the beach and it is sunny it's easy to get a bit excited!

I'd found myself down on the white sands of Vazon Bay to photograph race one of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club 2022 Sand Racing Championship and this was a great start to the year.

Whilst I'm sure there will be some pretty horrible and mucky meetings before the championship reaches the end I'll enjoy things whilst the going is good!

I've uploaded a few pics to a new Gallery here:
CLICK TO VIEW RACE 1 OF THE 2022 SAND RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2022 Petit Bot Hill Climb was held in March this year. Perhaps the aim was to achieve a dry event for a change. If that was the plan it all worked out well. The contrast to the previous year couldn't have been greater!

It was nice to be able to photograph this event without waterproofs on. However I did miss the dramatic shots from last years torrential rain.

You just can't keep some people happy, eh!!

The pics from this year are now online. Take a look at them here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2022 PETIT BOT HILL CLIMB

To check out what a wet (normal) Petit Bot hill climb looks like click on this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW A WET PETIT BOT HILL CLIMB

Whilst St Martin were securing the FNB Priaulx League at St Peter's GFC managed to earn themselves a worthy draw against Uxbridge.

The visitors took a leaf out of GFC's book by starting at a fast pace. They looked dangerous a couple of times before they scored after just seven minutes.

The GFC now had a battle on their hands. Whilst keeping up their spirits the local side struggled to dominate the game and none of the pressure could break down the Uxbridge defense.

It was the bench that was able to influence the result by substitutions made with about twenty minutes to go and GFC scored a deserving goal to end the game at 1-1.

I was at Footes Lane capturing the action and my Gallery can be viewed here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW GFC v UXBRIDGE

You'd think that a Downhill MTB race would be a bit of a doddle, wouldn't you?

Basically you sit on a mountain bike at the top of a hill, let go of the brake and before you know it you're at the bottom... easy peasy!

Well maybe I have that wrong? I think today's GVC MTB Downhill race held on the slopes at Pleinmont did a good job of proving that I know nothing about the effort needed to descend the slopes at speed... it is a race after all!

All this became clear as I listened to the moans and groans of the riders as they passed me whilst I took pics of their grimacing faces, ha ha.

I imagine that they were rewarded with muscle burn and a sense of achievement once their two runs were over. I have to say well done to all of them. I hope my pics of their racing remind them of the pain. Only joking!!

Follow this link if you want to view my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MTB DOWNHILL PICS

As the F1 cars take to the track at the start of their 2022 season the Guernsey Motorsport racing community have also dusted off their machinery to get back to racing.

The opening event of the Guernsey tarmac season started today with the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Vazon Sprint.

I made two visits to photograph some of the action. Between the two I popped off to Footes Lane to cover the GFC v Uxbridge football. More about that later.

Click on this link to see my first edit featuring the Vazon Sprint which is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GK&MC VAZON SPRINT

I decided to pop along to the National Two South rugby at Footes Lane last night.

This was going to offer a rare opportunity to photograph the game under flood lights.

I love taking pics of Rugby as the game is quite predictable and slow compared to some other sports and it can be really rewarding to photograph.

Add into the mix the floodlights... which are acceptably bright for photography at Footes Lane... and it was really good fun.

I've added a new gallery featuring my pics including a few processed in Black and White which always produces great rugby prints.

The Gallery is online here if you fancy a look:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY RAIDERS v BURY ST EDMONDS

Sunday offered a mix of sports to capture. The first on the list meant a visit to the sands on Vazon beach.

The conditions were perfect for Surfing photography. It was just a shame that I only had a short time between other jobs to capture a few pics.

However I did manage to cover the Guernsey Surf Club's 2022 Women's Cold Water competition. Cooper Brouard sponsored the event.

I've added two new galleries. One featuring the women's comp and another featuring some of the other surfers.

Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST SURFING PICS

Being on the sideline of a football pitch seems to have become my natural habitat for the last week!

The latest game to be added to the football gallery is Sunday's GFC clash with the visiting team from Hanwell Town. Sadly GFC were beaten 4-1. That scoreline doesn't really tell the full story as GFC were in the game more than you could read into the result.

But ultimately two late goals for Hanwell Town put an end to any hope of a local comeback. On the day one thing stood out and that was the great support given by GFC fans to their team, even when they were beaten.

So my pics of the GFC game are now online. There is a link below.

And just in case you think I'm becoming a 'one sport photog' I'll be posting another gallery of pics from the weekend... this time from a beach. Any guesses what the sport was?
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GFC v HANWELL TOWN

What's the saying? 'You have to take the rough with the smooth'

These old proverbs (I’m not actually sure it’s a proverb…. I must ask the missus as she’s the know-it-all on these matters!) usually have a basis in truth. However on this occasion I'd like to twist it around to say that 'it's nice to take the smooth after the rough!'

My previous Blog was about the challenge of working in low light trying to capture football action. But thankfully sports photography isn't always that way.

Today was the payoff for the previous pain and my assignment was as easy as it gets. The football game was played in bright sunlight and even the teams kits were bright and contrasting. That ticks all my boxes!

I was at The Track to photograph a Jeremie Cup game between Belgrave Wanderers and Jersey's St Clements.

I won't talk about the final score as it wasn't what a Guernseyman wants to hear and I don't want to spoil what was an enjoyable and near perfect shoot!

Follow this link to view the Gallery of my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BELS v ST CLEMENTS

I've been shooting sports for long enough to know what to expect when I'm sent along to photograph a night game in our local Priaulx League.

The absolute certainty is that the level of floodlight illumination will be well below the needs of a photographer!

Even using the best of the Nikon range of professional cameras I still have to push settings to the limits. The saving grace is that most of the pics will only be seen on newsprint paper and at low resolution on the Internet.

But that fact shouldn't be a reason not to capture the highest quality that is possible and there is no doubt that an advantage comes from the many hours of practice!!

Whilst I enjoy the opportunity to capture the colorful and vibrant low-light shots the latest digital cameras enable us to do there is still something 'pure' about developing a few of the pics in a classic black and white format.

I did this with the edit of the recent Priaulx League game between Saints and Vale Rec and I must say that I really should find the time to do it more often.

You have to love a black and white print. Do you agree?

Follow this link to view the latest gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SAINTS v VALE REC PICS

Guernsey Football Club hosted Marlow FC at Footes Lane on Saturday.

Marlow are fancying their chance at achieving promotion this season and had thrashed GFC 6-0 in a previous game.

But our local team have been enjoying a recent good run and they showed impressive form against the visiting team taking a 2-0 win as a reward for their hard and consistant work.

GFC have now removed the immediate pressure to get clear of the relegation zone and on their current form it's probably not too big an ambition for them to climb well into the top half of the Isthmian South Central League.

Well done GFC... keep up the good work!

My pics of the game are here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GFC v MARLOW

It was a chilly morning on the Pleinmont clifftop but it was worth wrapping up.

I was at the Motocross track to photograph the GVC MTB XC racing. This is a familiar work place for me but it's usually a noisy one!

But this time the bikes were pedal powered!

The setting is really great and I thing the riders enjoyed the varied slopes and track layout.

I've added a new gallery featuring some of the action:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 7 OF THE GVC MTB XC