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It was a Saturday of fun and emotion for me...

My short-list of photoshoots included:

1: Photograph Round 5 of the Motocross Championship.
2: Photograph the Charybdis wreath laying service at sea.
3: Photograph Round 9 of the Sand Racing Championship.

I love photographing Motorsport and you will see that my box was ticked by the weekends Moto-X & Sandracing.

But my most rewarding shoot of the weekend only took around an hour but the memories will last me a lifetime.

I had the privilege of spending a few moments in the company of the five surviving seamen from HMS Charybdis and HMS Limbourne when they attended a 'Service at Sea' with a wreath laying from the RNLB Daniel L Gibson. These ninety year old gentlemen experienced the horror of being torpedoed then finding themselves clinging to life-rafts and debris not knowing if they would ever be rescued. Many of their comrades didn't survive.

None of us can imagine what this was like but these men have carried that trauma with them all their lives. The emotion was evident as they shared their moments of remembrance.

The survivors families who were aboard the Travel Trident were equaly touched by the heartfelt tribute. I find it impossible to put into words how I felt watching these ageing sailors recalling the memories from so long ago.

However one single short sentence that I was told after the ceremony sums up what happened that night - simply and with great honesty...

'There wasn't a single atheist amongst us on that night'

May we never forget that our opportunities to have fun and enjoy our lives are owed to the many who gave their lives and suffered hardship for our freedom.
VIEW A SMALL GALLERY FEATURING PICTURES OF THE SERVICE AT SEA

I've now added a new picture gallery with the first edit of the Moto-X Championship here:

VIEW THE LATEST MOTOCROSS GALLERY

That's Alderney sorted for another twelve months :-)

The long weekend of Motorsport and Social was, once again, one of my highlights of the year.

It's just a shame that the job is only half-done when I get back on 'Joey' the Aurigny Tri-islander and return to Guernsey.

I should know what to expect by now but it is always a bit of a flat spot when I have to lock myself away in a dark office to edit the weekends pics.

But I'm now seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.... The Alderney picture galleries are COMPLETE, hooray!

As always the gallery only displays a selection of all the pics taken. If you want to view all the weekends pics just contact me and I will arrange to pop around with my laptop database.

You will also benefit from seeing the full resolution versions of each pic... and without that HORRIBLE watermark.

Contact me by Email or call 07781 144525.

By the way, 2015 is the twenty-fifth year of the Alderney weekend. It will be extra special. I think you had better make a diary date now!

View the final gallery featuring the Alderney Hillclimb:
VIEW THE ALDERNEY HILLCLIMB GALLERY

The GK&MC Alderney Airport Speed Event was no Sprint (for me).

Friday dawned and I had a relaxed breakfast at Braye Beach Hotel (a very nice Hotel, by the way). Then it was time to hit the road to photograph the Speed (Sprint) Event up near Alderney Airport.

I packed my back-pack to include everything that I could possibly need and then started the long walk up Fort Tourgis hill. As I progressed the sun stated that it was going to make its presence known by blazing down onto the shade-less northern isle. Oh, I forgot to pack the sun-cream :-(

The trek up the endless hill sapped my energy and I was already fatigued when I reached the top. But then the action started and the adrenaline began to flow and Alderney did what it does so well. It offered its visitors the hospitality and access that make the GK&MC annual visit such good fun. The short 'track' heading away from the Airport towards Fort Tourgis Hill is fast and offers a critical heavy breaking point into a sharp right-hander. Get it right and the time is good. Get it wrong (and many did) and you will stand no chance of setting a fast time.

I have to say that this years visit was as good as any before it... maybe even better. I spoke to a couple of Alderney Motorsport 'virgins' and they were already promising to be back next year.

That should say it all. The effort and cost that we all have to make to visit our sister island are huge... but I promise you it is worth it :-)

I've now added another picture gallery of the weekends racing...
VIEW PICS OF THE GK&MC ALDERNEY AIRPORT SPEED EVENT

Alderney was as hectic as usual!

Three days of Motorsport is always going to be fun... and it was :-)

I find the weekend turns out to be quite a 'work-out' due to the mileage that I walk - always carrying a hefty kit bag. I must weigh it properly next year as I don't know the fully packed weight. What I do know is Aurigny refused to let me take the back-pack on board as hand luggage with a comment that it was 'WAY over weight!' Added to the back-pack is a Peli case full of additional lenses... oh, and a change of underwear! I don't travel light :-)

When this heavy kit is combined with walking to the events... up Fort Tourgis hill (twice)... the visit to Alderney is my best work-out of the year! And I haven't included the evening trips (again up the steep hills) into the town for a bite to eat and a few beers at 'mission head-quarters' The 'Campania'.

So it is no wonder that I need a few days rest after the annual visit to Alderney (if only that was possible).

No, it is straight to work when I return to the office. I have to edit a few hundred pics.

I'm working through them in the order that they were taken. So it is the Fort Corblet Sprint that is first online. Check the pics out here:
VIEW PICS OF THE FORT CORBLETS SPRINT

The Powerboat teams were not only competing for the title of 'World Champion' in Guernsey last week. They also had one of the most prestigious Trophies up to grab too.

The Guernsey Gold Cup is only offered to the highest level of competition and it is to the credit of the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Championship that it was considered 'worthy' of this rare honour.

It was only after the action began that we could gauge if the level of racing was good enough to award this Golden Trophy.

By the end of Race-3 the question had been answered and we were in no doubt that the standard of competition was properly World Class.

The exclusive Guernsey Gold Cup was presented at a Gala evening at the OGH Hotel. The winning team was 'YKNOT' driven by Jeremy Gibson with navigator Rob Dyke.

Take a look at the pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE UIM WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP GALA EVENING

You might have noticed that my Blogs are getting shorter.

Some may think this is a good thing!

It's not that I don't have anything to say... it's just that I don't have the time!

I've just finished photographing three amazing UIM World Powerboat Championship races together with the associated Decorated Boat Parade and the Gala Trophy evening at the OGH Hotel.

These photo-shoots were intense and busy. The number of pics taken amount to hundreds. The time to select and edit them takes hours.

That leaves little time to talk. Normal service will return soon?

But maybe not! I'm off to Alderney for four days to shoot three full-on Motorsport Events and yet more pictures. The days simply aren't long enough... but it's great fun :-)

Pictures of the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Powerboat Championship and the Decorated Boat Parade are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF UIM WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP & BOAT PARADE

I've enjoyed another fantastic morning photographing the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Offshore Powerboat Championship.

Having been spoilt yesterday by having a helicopter at my disposal it was no step-down to have a 39 foot cruiser to speed me around the course for Race-2.

Next week is going to be one MASSIVE come-down I think. So I had better enjoy it whilst it is so good :-)

I've made another quick edit of todays pics and the Race-2 gallery is now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE SECOND UIM WORLD OFFSHORE POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP

The last few days have felt like I've been holding onto the tail of a Rocket and being dragged along at an unstoppable pace! Hence my choice of this pic for the blog. Do you think it looks a bit like a rocket taking off?

I have logged only about twelve hours sleep in the last seventy-two as I juggle my photographic work between the Commercial and Elevated shoots and the fun that is photographing the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Offshore Championship 2014 being organised by the Guernsey Powerboat Association.

The Rocket ship feeling isn't too far from the truth as I spent the first race of the championship actually airborne! I was asked to capture the Powerboat action from a helicopter and it was a fantastic experience... I think the shots are pretty good too (thank goodness)!

Of course the capture of the pics is just the start to the job. The edit has to follow. You do need to shoot more pics than normal when photographing Powerboat racing (especially when using long lenses - 400mm to 600mm) as it is sometimes hard to time the shot when the boat (or helicopter) you are on is rocking wildly.

The shooting goes something like this.... sky, sea, sea, sky, boat, sky, sea, half a boat, sea... etc, etc.

So the challenge for me after the helicopter shoot was to do a very quick edit of around a thousand pics down to four hundred all in time to get to the Royal Guernsey Yacht Club to run a slide show for the racers during their evening Hog-roast.

I managed to get this sorted as I've done this type of quick edit on many occasions. For several years I have provided a slide show of the days best action for the British Sand Ace Championship and the British National Hillclimbs. Submitting work for publication has also helped me to learn how to work under the pressure of time.

However, it is always the day after that the fatigue sets in as the adrenaline is no longer running high.

But it is worth all the effort. The response to my Powerboat slide show was amazing and it is rewarding enough to be able to support the huge effort that the Guernsey Powerboat Association has put in to bring World Championship Powerboat racing back to Guernsey.

I am now looking ahead to Race two and the whole thing starting again... but this time I wont be in a helicopter... shame, I could definitely get used to that!

My action pics of Race-1 of the UIM Class3A &3B World Powerboat Offshore Championship 2014 are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF RACE-1 OF THE UIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POWERBOATS

I have a feeling that the latest update to my picture Galleries will be the first of many over the next few days!

Why? You might ask. Well the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Powerboat Championships 2014 are being held in Guernsey this week.

The Championship consists of three races and with a World Class entry the action is going to be amazing. Needless to say I will be giving full coverage.... hence my earlier comment.

If you enjoy Powerboat racing and Powerboat racing pics you will have plenty to check-out on this web-site. But, better yet, try and find time to catch at least one of the races which can be watched from the Castle breakwater. You really can't beat being there!

To start the ball rolling (and the weeks action) the Guernsey Powerboat Association held a support race for local boats not taking part in the Worlds.

I was on the water in Richard 'Turk' Vaudin's boat (thanks Turk) and captured the race which enjoyed warm low early evening light which added to the atmosphere of the shots.

Keep an eye on the site for more updates but for now here are the support race pics:
VIEW PICS OF THE UIM WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP SUPPORT RACE

I'm beginning to feel a bit like a Lumberjack.... but it's not OK!

I am currently trying to handle a serious log-jam of work!

This shouldn't be a problem really. I suppose it suggests that I have established a solid client base for my photography as the Elevated and Commercial work rolls in. Then there is the Motorsport & Gig photography as well.

However, I have always been some-one who likes to keep ahead of the game... or at least in touch!

So when I sat at my office desk this morning I wondered if things are going wrong?

A less than complete list of 'To-do's' reads something like this:

Edit eight Elevated Tallpictures shoots taken in Jersey & Guernsey during the last two weeks
Send out the Monthly Accounts
Update Galleries for:
The last two Hillclimbs
The North Beach Twisty Sprint
The Vale Earth Fair
Two Days of Jersey Live Music Festival
The West Show
Gig pics of Top Buzzer
Gig pics of Static Alice
The Tri-Ultimate Challenge

... and that list goes on!

Then add in this weeks big commitment to the World Championship Powerboat Racing Class 3A and 3B.

I think I will be unavailable for a while :-(

I have managed to tick off one from the list. Pics of the first ever North Beach Twisty Sprint are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE FIRST NORTH BEACH TWISTY SPRINT

I've just returned from the eleventh Jersey Live Festival of Music. This was the seventh that I have photographed.

This must qualify me as a 'regular' I reckon!

With that being the case it also permits me to make a few comments and comparisons.

So how did 2014 stack up against the last six years?

Well I think it was the busiest yet. The crowd in front of the main stage for the head-liners was packed solid with numbers for Ellie Goulding and John Newman topping the lot.

I guess that means that Jersey Live continues to hit the mark. This is quite a feat when the music scene moves so quickly and must help to secure the festival for years to come.

For me I don't think it hit the high of some previous years. This is more a reflection of my age... I'm definitely 'old school' and favour a rock band over a contemporary chart singer almost any time.... Biffy Clyro, that'll do me nicely!

That isn't to say that there weren't highlights though. The Graveltones, Klaxons, The Selector & Bombay Bicycle Club managed to hit the right spot for me. There was also the new 'PAR 4' area that featured activities and entertainment for youngsters and then bands in the evening. I only heard praise for PAR 4 so it should be back next year.

So well done to Jersey Live 2014. You have kept things up-to-date and innovated to ensure the future. That has to be good for every follower of live music :-)

I've started uploading my pics. First on-line are Ellie Goulding, John Newman and the Earth Wind & Fire Experience:
VIEW PICS OF JERSEY LIVE 2014

The annual Vale Earth Fair music festival is one of my favourite events of the year. It holds the deserved honour of being the longest running festival in the Channel Islands.

That sort of record isn't achieved by luck. Many things have to come together to keep up the momentum. A HUGE amount of hard work has to be put in way before the Vale Castle gates open for the traditional Sunday in August.

I'm pleased to say that the Vale Earth Fair Collective are continuing to find the energy, incentive and enough new helpers to enable the show to go on :-)

As a committed and regular Earth Fair attendee I truly love the ethos behind this genuinely eco-friendly festival and its commitment to support several charities including Bridge 2 Haiti and the long term supported Burma Campaign UK and Free Tibet.

So you will see that I cannot give greater praise for the Vale Earth Fair Collective.

All this would be enough even if the music line-up was just average.

But no, you can always be assured that the hand-picked line-up is high class and often features a band or two that are real 'finds'.

This leads me to my real point of this blog. One of the pleasures of visiting a festival is when you discover a band that wasn't known to you before.

I found just such a band this year and they are called Dead Sea Skulls. I have had their music on replay for more than a day and I love their sound. I've also had the opportunity, thanks to the Vale Earth Fair, to see the band play live which gives a much better idea of the energy they project.

So there we have it. This is why music lovers love festivals... When you see a band live you start to really get what they are about. Check out the Dead Sea Skulls and see if they do it for you.

I'm now off to photograph Jersey Live. This is a regular visit for me and I know that I will return with a few new finds. Love it.

Keep music live, support your local festivals :-)

I've only managed to add a few galleries so far which feature Vale Earth Fair headliners Freestylers, The Mouse Outfit, Attila the Stockbrocker's Barnstormers and of course Dead Sea Skulls:
VIEW PICS OF THE 2014 VALE EARTH FAIR

How to sum up my weekend in just a few words...?

Busy, boozy, bikey and bandy.... yeh, I know that's bad English but hey, it's late and I'm tired!!

I been running around like the proverbial mad photographer for three days and nights solid. My fifty-nine and a half year old body is now feeling the strain.... but it was great fun whilst it lasted :-)

First up it was the first day of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club 2-day Motocross event at Pleinmont. There was a really good turn-out for the racing and some fantastic action to capture. We also had every season of weather in one day... definitely could've done without the heavy rain!

Next it was a twelve hour stint at the 2014 Vale Earth Fair. This time the rain held off - although it did threaten to visit us on a couple of occasions. I spent my time between the several stages and the real ale bar (that's where the boozy bit comes). A night tucked up in my sleeping bag after so much beer was never promising a good nights sleep :-(

Then Bank Holiday Monday I was off to the GMC&CC Hill Climb.

The day began with heavy, heavy rain! I was rather pleased that I had to spend a few hours in the morning submitting pictures for the Guernsey Press.... I missed the worst rain!

All this photography has left a back-log of editing to do (no change there then).

I've made a start but the next couple of days are also going to be pretty busy as I attempt to add my pics to the Gallery before going off to photograph Jersey Live again! More busy, boozy and bandy then!

First additions to hit the web are the 2-day Motocross pics...
VIEW PICS OF THE 2-DAY MOTOCROSS MEETING

• A4 Standard Print
  
• Digital 7" x 5"
  
• A5 Standard Print
  
• Digital 1024 Pixel for Internet
  
• A4 Bevel Mounted Print
  
• A4 Bevel Mounted & Framed Print
  
• A3 Bevel Mounted & Framed Print
  
• A2 Framed Custom Designed Montage
  
• 16" x 24" Canvas Print
  
• A2 Standard Print
  

I've spent a little time analysing my picture sales and the list shows the top ten by number of sales.

This sort of in-depth look at where a business is succeeding or failing in its provision of services is an important part of running any company, big or small.... and I definitely qualify as the later!

I'm a one-man-band and proud of this with no ambition to change things. I've clearly lost my youthful drive and ambition :-(

In a 'previous life' I was a director of a fairly large (by Guernsey standards) retail business. I was responsible for the development of extra retail areas which offered the opportunity to extend product ranges. I also spent many, many hours a week analysing the sales performance and stock control.

I guess that when you develop a 'habit' over a period of 35 years it is a little difficult to break it. So this is how I found myself with a couple of hours to spare and a thirst for analysing my current source of income.

My business model is built around the desire to offer the very highest quality of service and output... from capture to the supply of the final print. You will note that I say 'print', not digital file! I'm a bit old fashioned about this and, whilst I do sell thousands of digital files, I firmly believe a quality print takes a lot of beating

It was this desire to supply the very best prints that led me to purchase the Epson 4800 printer. All my prints are produced 'in house' where I have total control of the processing and I love the quality that this pigment printer produces.

I also hand cut the board mounts that have proved to be incredibly popular. They really protect and display a print so much better than a basic un-mounted one.

Of course, having the mounted print framed as well really does the 'proper job'. I encourage you to consider just one framed and mounted print instead of perhaps buying three basic prints. The result is so much more special! Again the framing is done 'in house'.

So, as I said at the start, the intention of my analysis was to give me actual figures of my picture sales... and the results were almost exactly what I expected. So was it a waste of time then? No, not at all. As I mentioned it is always important to keep on top of new developments and then make changes in your business model.

And I have come to one conclusion after studying the figures and I will be responding to it during the next few months.

Basically it is the observation that most sales are for the cheaper options. Of course they are. I'm hardly surprised - neither are you, I guess!

But as a photographer it is a little disappointing. I really enjoy seeing my pictures displayed in the best way. An old creased and tattered print at the bottom of a draw isn't how I intended my work to end up.

So my aim for the future is to encourage, at every opportunity, the sales of the larger prints and particularly the mounted prints... or better yet the framed prints. I'm certain that my customers will have far greater satisfaction with their purchase... and the 'feel good' factor of their purchase will last for a lot longer. That has to make good business sense.

This doesn't herald a signal that I'm getting greedy or trying to make my fortune (some chance!).

No, I want to see that my customers are satisfied and enjoying my work in the most presentable way.

You have been warned.... The hard-sell starts here!
TAKE A LOOK AT THE VARIOUS PRINT OPTIONS AVAILABLE... BUY BIG, BUY FRAMED!

On a glorious sunny August afternoon there was a really good turn-out of supporters for the latest Guernsey Football Club game in the Isthmian League Division One South Football Championship.

Whitstable Town were the visiting team at Footes Lane and were positioned a few places above Guernsey in the league. A tight match was to be expected and that is what the crowd was treated to!

In fact it might be argued that the crowd played a part in the 2-2 draw after Guernsey dropped behind after a first half penalty and then a second goal.

The spectators had given up on the chance to spend the afternoon on the beach or at any one of several other events that were taking place on this summers day so they didn't intend to watch their side loose a game.

The GFC team kept up their efforts to pull back the couple of goals but seemed to lack a little momentum until Glyn Dyer scored with a spectacular long range shot with ten minutes to go. This raised the noise level from the crowd and seemed to spur on the team to a quick second goal - another long-range effort, this time by Craig Young. The resulting draw at 2-2 was judged about right on the run of play.

There was a still a buzz going through the crowd as they left Footes Lane as if in the knowledge that they had played their part in the result!

Guernsey FC is certainly well supported... let's hope the fans are rewarded by another successful season.

I've added a Gallery of pictures featuring some of the action:
VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY FC v WHITSTABLE TOWN FOOTBALL

Please can someone help me with this arithmetic?

'Sums' was never a good subject for me at school.

When you factor in how many years ago I was attending Capelles school wearing itchy grey woollen shorts and actually practising 'adding up' it may be understandable why I now consider it something of a taboo subject!

So this is how you can help me.

I am wondering how on earth I managed to take so many pictures at the weekends first Vale Castle Sprint?

This is how you can make the calculation.....

Take:
The number of competitors
Multiply by
The number of runs
add
The fact that it was a new track for me to shoot
add
The amount of new corners and angles for me to try out
add
The great weather (after a wet start)
add
The fantastic and entertaining full day of motorsport action
add
The brilliant Nikon D4s cameras - which will shoot at 11 frames per second if you get trigger happy

...and the answer is:
WAY TOO MANY PICTURES!
Oh, I seem to have worked that out all by myself :-)

In the final analysis I'm actually beginning to wonder how I took so few!!!

Big thanks must go to the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club for organising another great new event which I reckon deserves to become a regular feature on the Guernsey Motorsport calender. What do you think?

My pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE FIRST EVER VALE CASTLE SPRINT

Welcome to my office.... well technically maybe this wasn't my office but it sure was my workplace for a few hours!

How good is that! The only air-con was the natural kind and the only glass that I was looking through was a 200 - 400mm Nikon lens, nice.

Cue the envy and loathing... I can handle that :-)

If it makes it any easier for you, I can promise that I know how lucky I am to be able to call this sort of photography my full-time (nearly proper) job.

Of course you only get to see the end results of my work. You don't see how long I actually spend in a tiny office staring at two screens.

But I'm not going to show you that side of the job. It'll spoil the illusion!!

However it's quite safe to say that (unfortunately) my job doesn't consist of endless sun, sea and natural air-conditioning :-(

Just to get back to the illusion though... pics from my office are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF POWERBOAT RACE_8

The weekend was a busy one....

With three major motorsport races to cover over the weekend it meant there was little time for anything else but clicking the shutter and editing the pics!

As always, it is only whilst sorting through the captures that I can recall some of the moments... somehow you loose a sense of 'being there' when looking through a lens!

I'm pleased to say that all the racing must have been to a great standard... I can say this with certainty. I've now seen the pics that prove it!

Take a look at the latest updates of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Hillclimb pictures by following the link.

I'm suprised that they came out OK as I was taking the pics just after getting off the small boat that was my wobbly platform for a few hours whilst photgraphing the first of the weekends Powerboat races.... all through a 400mm lens!

Sky, sea, sky, sea, boat, sea, sky, that more or less sums up what I was seeing!!

When I got to Le Val des Terres (late) it was straight to work and the world was still 'wobbly'... this was not helped as it was 4pm before I remembered that I really should have something to eat. But I survived!

I'm pretty sure that in the case of the pic that illustrates this blog it was Dale Crowsley who was having a wobble, not me :-)

Here are the Hillclimb pics......
VIEW THE LATEST HILLCLIMB PICS

Two Guernsey Powerboat Association races and a Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Hillclimb all packed into two busy days... that's just how I like it!

There was no time to stop for lunch and my first beer of the day had to wait until the end of the Hillclimb... that's not so good!

But, hey, you can't have everything, shame.

These two days are still lined up to be pretty special if you like your Motorsport and the first gallery updates are now online as I have added pictures of the Powerboat Race-7.

The Hillclimb will have to wait until tomorrow - I wouldn't want to spoil you with too much action all in one go! Oh, I have to get some sleep as well, eh.

Follow this link to view the latest updates:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF RACE-7 OF THE POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP

More Chaos@the Jam!.... that's how it was billed and it did what it said on the tin!

The Greenman MCC where suitably relaxed and chilled after their three day headline festival a few weeks ago and this lower key affair enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the sun outside The Jamaica Inn with a line-up of acoustic sets. Perfect for a summers day.

But the evening saw things ramp up a bit as the stage moved indoors and the amps were turned to MAX... so was the temperature!! It was STEAMING HOT!!

Entry was free but true to tradition the Greenman MCC asked for a small donation for charity and the collection buckets raised a total of £314.42!

This has been split between Les Bourgs Hospice and Headway Guernsey with a donation also to Laura who works at the Jam towards her Kilimanjaro trek in aid of the Laura Groves foundation.

So, having made my donation I went on to enjoy a steaming (literally) night of music with head-liners Static Alice playing a fantastic set... I'm becoming a fan of this young band. Make sure you catch one of their outings soon.

I've added a few pics to my Galleries:
VIEW THE STATIC ALICE GALLERIES
VIEW THE DOOMSDAY PROJECT GALLERIES