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One of the more enjoyable Press assignments of 2019 was being sent to photograph the Accent Language School singing Christmas carols in Market Square.

I was getting into seasonal good spirits whilst driving down to town but this was soon tempered when I saw that I literally had only torchlight to work with!

In the end I was quite pleased with the results.

Click the link to view the Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE ACCENT LANGUAGE SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CAROL SINGING

Christmas must be on the way as it's time for the School of Popular Music Christmas Gig. Once again the students were given a whole evening to fill at The Doghouse. The entertainment was none-stop with some real quality on show.

The familiar format started with the solo acts leading on to the bands. This was the sixth year that I have photographed the Xmas gig and as always it's great to see how each performer has developed over the years.

The opportunity to sing and play their chosen instrument at a live venue that offers professional sound techs, lighting and an audience is a special and memorable thing for the young talent. Some, I'm sure, will go on to make a life and living within the music business. Others will enjoy the moment and they'll have fond memories of this time forever.

So thank you SoPM. I'm now officially feeling the festive vibes... well just a bit!
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM 2019 CHRISTMAS GIG

It was a busy start to the Guernsey Velo Club's MTB 2019/20 Winter Downhill Championship.

The action took place at the Talbot Valley course and riders had a three chances to complete timed runs. The track was well prepared and seemed to stand up well to the abuse.

The twisty sections required riders (mostly) to avoid the trees... apart from Sam Clark who was up to his old tricks! A tree truck v a shoulder blade is never a fair fight!

After seeing him loose grip and hearing a huge thump followed by a groan I was worried. But seconds later Sam was announcing 'I'm all right, I'm all right, I think!'. The fella was soon on his feet and considering carrying on. Good sense prevailed (maybe a first) and he decided that he should sit this one out. He'll certainly feel sore today!

With a short course and a thirty second gap between riders they were able to pack in three runs. This equals lots of pics!

This gallery shows all the action....
CLICK TO VIEW THE MTB PICS

I confess that I've spent 'silly' money over the decades on HiFi systems.

I still have a set of Celestion Studio Monitors that stand at over half my own height! Sadly they are now relegated to stands for our lounge lights!

I'm now a firm convert to the Sonos system of speakers... in every room... and Spotify. My days of reading HiFi magazines are gone and I've 'sold out' to technology and a single system. Maybe my old HiFi mags would not be impressed with my investment but there are real benefits.

The streaming of music has enhanced my enjoyment of a wider range of music. I'm definitely the winner. Maybe I'll expand on the bonus I now enjoy from using this technology in another Blog.

But, and it's a BIG but. There is no system that can replicate a top live performance... and I was reminded of this last weekend.

I attended a gig at St James in Guernsey which had three very popular local bands on the bill. Indeed these bands would have been enough of a draw to entice a good turnout.

However there was a promise that the headliners would put on a rather special performance to top the night.

And that is what happened. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs were immense. Heavy, charismatic and memorable. Indeed they were the perfect example of how live music has to be enjoyed 'in the moment' and shared together as an unrepeatable (no two live performances are ever the same) experience.

Sure the musicians will often comment after a show that they weren't a tight as they wanted or some other error had crept into the show. But the crowd rarely even notice this.

The fidelity of the sound might not match my old Studio Monitors but that is quite irrelevant. The memory taken away is much more powerful and references a far more complete experience.

So I hope you have taken from this ramble that I remain a committed follower of live music and when I experience a powerful performance like the Pigs x7 at St James it can't get much better!

Their support was from Track Not Found, Brunt and Teaspoonriverneck. You can view pics of Pigs x7 and those bands here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF PIGS x7
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF TEASPOONRIVERNECK
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BRUNT
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF TRACK NOT FOUND

Following on from a recent Blog I'm once again considering how the seasons impact my photography.

Today I had to put down the paint brush (yes I still seem to have acres of wood and walls to decorate at Malander) to head out into the wilds of the Islands finest seasonal weather to take some pics.

On autumn days like this the conditions can change by the minute. Strong winds meant that the rolling heavy showers arrived and departed without warning and half of the fun was had from attempting to find some form of shelter when the heavens opened... or suffer the soggy consequences.

I didn't have much left in the my photography diary today as two of the booked assignments had been cancelled due to the week-long heavy rain.

This just left me with the GMC&CC bike Trials event. So it was to Bordeaux Harbour that I headed to take a few pics. I soon found the trials sections with the resilient observers dutifully on station awaiting competitors as they completed their four circuits.

The entry size had been depleted (probably due to the weather). Guernsey trials often include sections on coastal rocks. These are always challenging even in perfect conditions but they quicly become a slippery and unforgiving terrain when wet.

However it was worth the effort made by riders and photographers as the seasonal skies and moody light added a bit of added drama.

You can view my pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW TRIALS PICS FROM BORDEAUX HARBOUR

I'm still playing catch up with some of the backlog of photo edits and truth be told I wonder if some of the pics patiently waiting are destined to go no further than my hard drive.

The disruption of moving home and office then overseeing the extension and renovation of Malander has taken more of my time then I could ever have imagined but it has been worth it in the sense of sorting out our long term plans of an 'easy life'!

The lengths we have ended up going to at Malander to bring it right up to date and new are now paying dividends and Carol and I have not looked back once to our old cottage home of over 40 years!

Anyway, I've got distracted. I was talking about new edits and galleries. The latest new one features the GVC Reservoir Circuit Road Race from way back in May. I've made an effort to add this event as I really love some of the pics with their backdrop of Guernsey hedges full of springtime flowers. I hope you agree.

The pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC RESERVOIR CIRCUIT ROAD RACE

A nice Autumnal stroll in the rain, kicking piles of fallen leaves as we make our way well wrapped up against the elements can be enjoyable. It's what we kind of expect in November.

The key points are firstly you choose to be there. Secondly you have planned ahead and dressed accordingly. What is it they say? There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes! Or something like that?

Well I failed on both those counts this evening.

Firstly I was assigned (not my choice) to cover the Walking Football Home Internationals at KGV between Guernsey Ladies v England Ladies 40+ and Guernsey Men v England Mens 70+.

Secondly I made the mistake of not checking the weather App.

So I turned up wearing far less protection against the heavy, wind-driven rain than was sensible.

The teams that were taking part in this mini tournament were less bothered about the uncomfortable conditions and in the end even I (nearly) enjoyed being there too.

It was just a shame that I couldn't head straight for home and a warm shower when I left KGV. But I was booked to photograph a basketball game at Beau Sejour and had to put up with drenched trousers as I waited for the delayed game to start... Le Mont Saint v Mayside.

Perhaps the disappointment is that none of my pics give you any idea how I went 'the extra mile' to capture all the action. Oh the lonely life of a photographer, ha, ha!

The pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE WALKING FOOTBALL HOME INTERNATIONALS
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF LE MONT SAINT v MAYSIDE

The soon to be closed Guernsey Aquarium was the venue for a one-off pop-up gig organized by the Vale Earth Fair Collective.

The granite tunnel challenged the bands and sound techs as well as the photographers. Massive natural echo and near darkness means that this space would never work as a permanent live performance spot but it really ticked the box for wacky, weird and memorable.

I caught the performances by Kiya Ashton, Patrick Devaney aka. Citizen X and Brunt.

The act that seemed most at home in the cavernous tunnel was Citizen X who's electronic sounds some how seemed to benefit from the acoustics.

Thanks VEF, you gave us another 'should have been there' moment.

These pics show some of the atmosphere....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE AQUARIUM POP-UP GIG

As the Autumn/Winter weather approaches Sports photography enters its own season of change and challenges.

Most of the sports events that I photograph are held outdoors. That means, of course, that the timing and weather conditions play an important part in how comfortable my work is. Will I face heavy rain and water running down my back? Or will light levels be so low that freezing the action becomes a challenge?

So it is quite nice on a wet October evening to have an opportunity to work indoors. This eliminates my first problem... I should be able to stay dry. The illumination is also greatly helped as most sports halls are reasonably lit - with some notable exceptions.

On the evening I'm currently talking about I was shooting in the main hall at Beau Sejour. Here the light is bright enough to get a usable shutter speed however as I was photographing Basketball games I needed to ramp up the shutter speed as that sport is so fast moving.

At the end of the two games that I was assigned to cover I had some nice shots... and I was warm and dry!

I've now added two new Basketball Galleries. Follow the links below to view pics of Le Mont Saint Storm Ladies v Ravenscroft and Le Mont Saint Mens v Giants.

CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF LE MONT SAINT v GIANTS
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF LE MONT SAINT STORM v RAVENSCROFT

Just a quick note to say that I've just added a gallery featuring my pics of the weekends Priaulx League football game at The Track - Belgrave Wanderers v Alderney.

Follow this link to view the picture gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE BELS v ALDERNEY FOOTBALL PICS

With a seasonal chill in the air it was still a very nice place to be down on Chouet beach for the Autocross racing.

It was Round-3 of the Guernsey Autocross Winter season and the race wins were shared around the pits a bit more than usual. This resulted in some entertaining races for the spectators who wrapped up against the cold breeze.

I've added pics of the racing here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND-3 OF THE AUTOCROSS WINTER SEASON

Dat Bass swapped London town for St James for a gig featuring their own brand of brass band hip-hop. This ten-piece outfit rocked the party with their energetic take of beats and rhymes.

This gig followed a successful run of events promoted by Guernsey's most stately venue. St James is beginning to establish itself as a versatile venue and the momentum is building.

Various tweaks have been made along the way with a bar now being a feature at the back of the hall. This reduces any vacant space and keeps the punters who want drink involved with the performances.

The one area that needs work is the acoustics of the large building. Balancing the sound must be a nightmare job for the techs. I've been told that there is a plan to try and sort out the sound... if that comes about I think we are going to be treated to many more memorable nights at St J.

My pics of Dat Brass can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF DAT BRASS PLAYING AT ST JAMES

The 2019 edition of the GK&MC Petit Bot Hillclimb was, as usual it seems, damp. Happily it wasn't as saturated as last year's hill but it was still a shame as it spoilt the chance of chasing the records.

The size of entry was disappointing... at one time it seemed that holding the event was at risk of cancellation.

In the end the Club went ahead with the long running hillclimb and the small entry meant that every racer had a chance to hit the hill multiple times. It is hoped that next year there is a bit more interest shown to race this quirky hill as if it gets dropped from the calender it may well be the end of this end of season tarmac event.

I only had a couple of hours down Petit Bot as I was booked on another job later in the afternoon however the short entry list and speed of turn-around meant I was able to cover most of the photographic vantage points.

My pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2019 PETIT BOT HILLCLIMB

Following the action photographers mantra of getting close enough... then taking one step closer I paid the price for doing this on Saturday at Vazon Bay, Guernsey.

The occasion was the 2019 Condor Ferries International Sand Ace ACU British Championships. The chosen venue for this prestigious event is the white sands of one of Guernsey's finest beaches.

The problem this year was the knock-on effect of the weather... the same weather that put a question mark over whether the competitors would even make it over for the racing.

Mother nature had brewed up strong gale force winds making the ferry an uncomfortable journey for the visiting racers. But once over here that was forgotten and they all seemed to enjoy the change of track surface from the more usual grass track or Speedway arena.

But I have digressed. What I was going to say was that the wind was still strong enough to be a nuisance - even to a photographer.

It was quite a challenge to capture great pics as when I got right in close the spray off the wet sand covered my camera and lens. And for the longer shots using my Nikon 180-400mm (reaching 560mm with the built in 1.4x converter) the buffeting wind made composing tight shots difficult.

Ultimately it's nice to be tested and I left the sands with a good set of action pics. You can view the galleries here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2019 SAND ACE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Where has this year gone? Already we have seen the last of the Val des Terres Hillclimbs leaving just the Petit Bot special on the Hillclimb calendar. Blimey that means it must be September already!!

The completion of the tarmac hill events doesn't mean my own diary is thinning out as all you local motorsport followers know that when one season ends another starts up to fill the gaps!

But the final hills of the year are a reminder that Autumn is on the way. In theory this should give me longer nights to catch up with the persistent backlog of editing. Time will tell if I can pull off that target by Christmas!

I've just added my Gallery of pics of the GK&MC Hillclimb here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE LAST GK&MC HILLCLIMB

On Saturday night family, friends, fellow musicians and live music followers through the years supported an amazing evening of music held at L'Eree Aerodrome in tribute and fond memory of Guernsey's popular drummer Colin Hewlett.

The gig was an immediate sell-out which was no suprise as Colin was dearly loved by so many. He had been a part of the local music scene for decades and had played in many local bands. He was the 'go-to' drummer when Guernsey hosted big stars and he even backed Elton John!

His musical friends were out in force to put on a fitting tribute to Colin and I was there to try and record the atmosphere.

All money raised during the night was given to Male Uprising Guernsey (MUG) and I'm also donating any picture sales to MUG.

The evening took us all back quite a few years and some of the audience must have been feeling those 'years' when rising from their bed on Sunday! None of us have the same recovery rate as time rolls on!

There were so many fantastic performances during the evening with a couple being my most memorable.

Pete Frampton once again showed what an amazing performer he (still) is... great singer, wonderful vocalist and front man.

The other thrill and special treat was to see Alan Palzeaird on stage for a very rare (but all too brief) performance. This man truly makes his guitar weep... and truth be told he has that effect on me too!

It is a wonder that the finest guitarists like Alan are able to tease such emotion out of their instrument whilst 'just' playing the same notes as all others. I do hope Alan makes more appearances again... please don't keep us waiting too long!

I've added my Gallery of pics, there is a link below, and as I mentioned before I am donating any sales I make to MUG in memory of Colin Hewlett.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE GIG FOR COLIN

After laying low - from the photographic side of things - for what seems like most of the year I'm getting back into the full swing of things.

It's been a combination of factors that have distracted me from my usually full photographic diary since January.

Firstly the biggest disruption has come from Carol and myself deciding to move from our family cottage home of over 40 years into a modern bungalow. At least that is what it is now after spending nine months ripping it apart then re-building it again!

The end result... not that it is complete yet, is going to be fantastic and worthy of a few pics! It will be a novelty to photograph my own property for a change!

Things also went off plan after I was diagnosed with blood clots on the brain... yes I do have one!

But like I mentioned above I'm returning to full speed and there was plenty of that needed during the last week as I chased the action around the Island. This Blog gives you links to some of the photo-shoots.

There is also a link below to a Priaulx League football game that I covered at The Track on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon which made the colours in my pics radiate and put a smile on my face. There are still a few edits to complete. Pop back again to view those.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BELS v ROVERS

The 2019 Bowman of Guernsey 2-Day event was held at the Port Soif range in near perfect conditions. I popped along for a short period on both days to cover the competition for the Guernsey Press.

There was a good size entry with archers traveling over for the Guernsey Club's main event of the year from Jersey and the UK. There was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with local archers making a good showing.

This gallery displays some of the atmosphere...
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2-DAY ARCHERY COMPETITION

I enjoyed my visit on Sunday morning to the home of Sylvans in St Peters. I was assigned to cover an Under 13's football game for the Guernsey Press 'Halftime' supplement.

It was bright and sunny (always a good start to a day) and there was a good crowd of parents, grandparents and friends lining the touchline enjoying the commitment and enthusiasm being shown by the next generation of players.

My youngest grandson is football mad so I have personal experience of the hard work being put in by the GFA and local Clubs to encourage the young players to develop their skills.

It struck me that one or two of the youngsters already had mature heads on their shoulders and there was real talent on show.

I've added a gallery of pics featuring some of the action:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF SYLVANS v VALE REC U13 FOOTBALL

The 2019 GK&MC 2-Day Inter-Island Motocross Event took place in (mostly) fine and dry conditions. The track had been well prepared and probably benefited from the heavy shower on the second day which damped down the dust. We all needed a soak in the bath after the several hours spent in the dust storm!

It was great to see a good sized entry which included many riders who had made the trip over from Jersey. There were also several locals who had been missing from recent events. Hopefully that wasn't just a 'one-off', it would be nice to see them back competing in the Club's regular championship.

Racing was very competitive across all Classes and a good sized crowd enjoyed two days of excitement. There was plenty to look at in the pits between races and even a bar to take a well earned pint once competition had finished.

This gallery features some of my action pics....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2-DAY MOTOCROSS EVENT