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If you judge things from the bands name (and how they look), you need a neck and you need a beard to be called a member of Byzanthian Neckbeard. But perhaps the most important part is that you have to be able to lay down some pretty heavy riffs...

The three guys in the band tick every box and and showcased their sound at Dazfest last weekend at The Fermain Tavern. I reckon I could do the 'beard bit' and I definitely have a neck. Shame I can't play any instrument. I'll have to stick with taking pics I think :-(

A few of my pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF BYZANTHIAN NECKBEARD

When it comes to putting on the best display of Metal moves and shapes Nemesis are the undisputed Channel Island Champions! They also play a mean tune too!

The followers were out last weekend to support one of the guys rare outings. The event was 'Dazfest' at The Fermain Tavern and all profits were being added to the charity fund that Daz Carre started in aid of the Specsavers Children's Charity and the GSPCA.

Daz was behind the drum kit... he managed to find the time away from training for his 155 mile run in April when he takes part in the Marathon des Sables through the Sahara Desert.

The way I see it, this tough and crazy plan of Daz's to conquer the gruelling desert conditions just confirms the 'folk-law' that drummers are the maddest member of most bands... but good luck to him in this challenge.

I captured a few of the bands Metal moves and shapes... they didn't disappoint me :-)
VIEW PICS OF METAL MOVERS NEMESIS At DAZ FEST 2014

Patience is or virtue... or something like that!

I guess that when you ask for a bit of patience from a group of petrol heads you are expecting a lot. But that was what the Motocross riders had been asked to show after a couple of meetings were cancelled due to the terrible weather over the last few weeks.

Surely the wait was worth it though when they were rewarded by such good conditions last weekend for Round-2 of the GK&MC Motocross Championship. A huge amount of remedial work has been carried out on the track layout, surface and drainage and the results were a credit to those who put in so much of their time. Even the sun made a showing so the Guernsey cliffs were a very nice place to spend a day.

I spent several hours moving around the track looking for new angles and there is no doubt in my mind that we will see some great competition in 2014. I hope the racers thanked those who enabled such a fantastic day of their favourite sport.

My pics are now on-line here:
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-2 OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

What's your favourite colour? Mine has to be Blue...

OK, so maybe I should qualify this. I asked what was your favourite colour?

Perhaps I should ask this with a musical bias.

When I ask the question in a musical context there is only one colour that comes to mind and it has to be BLUE.

Expand that to encapsulate the whole genre of Blues music and we have my favourite place... the colour Blue.

I promise you, honestly, that I am an optimist by nature, so why the soul-full Blues touches a nerve with me is a bit of an anomaly. However the Blues will perhaps be my first choice of music when I get the invite onto Desert Island Disc's...

This takes me to the point of this Blog. You now understand that I am a Blues follower. So what a treat I had at the Fermain Tavern when I watched our very own (local) Blues man Joe Corbin supporting the very special Bill Adlard and the Blues Kings. I did what I do, I felt the Blues... oh, and I took a few pics as well to help my memories...

You can share the moment too by checking the pictures (not as good as being there, though!)
VIEW PICS OF BILL ADLARD & THE BLUES KINGS
VIEW PICS OF JOE CORBIN

A sunny Sunday afternoon in February... well it would be rude not to spend it on the beaches of Guernsey :-)

You can tell that I didn't need much persuading to get down to Chouet beach and then Port Soif and Grande Rocque. Add a bit of Motorsport to the mix and everything was just perfect!

The first stop was for the Autocross Banger racing at Chouet. This always guarantees some action and the spectators weren't disappointed. Take a look at the picture galleries...

Then I popped along the coast to photograph the GMC&CC bike Trials over rocky sections in the Castel, perfect.

Home then for a Sunday roast with a few glasses of the red stuff. I love my work :-)


Take a look at my pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE BANGERS
VIEW PICS OF THE TRIALS

The Track in Guernsey is shared by a couple of different sports. Belgrave Wanderers Football Club call the ground their home but they share it with the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club who's track gives the venue its name.

There is always action to see from the side of the track. However the recent very wet weather has meant that the football pitch has been rendered unusable. This has left the GK&MC Kart racing as the only entertainment on offer and today saw Round-1 of the Winter Championship.

Having a tarmac surface to race on was appreciated by the racers but they still had to fit the 'wets' due to the wet areas. This was never going to dilute the action and, sure enough, there was a full morning of close action. The next meeting is on Feb 23rd so put the date in your diary and pop along to follow the action.

I have added a new Gallery of pics:
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-1 OF THE WINTER KART CHAMPIONSHIP

Whilst most photogs grabbed their cameras and headed to the coast for a bit of 'wave action' I pointed my camera at a bit of 'Autocross Action'.

I don't think I've ever seen so many pics of waves crashing over Guernsey's coastal defences! There were many spectacular shots on Facebook and if I'm honest I was tempted to add a few of mine to the pile. But in the end I left that work to the landscape specialists.

So it was to Chouet beach for me and Round 7 of the Guernsey Autocross Championship... and there was no lack of action there too :-)

A quick edit later and my alternative coastal shots are on-line. Thank goodness there is room for all types of photog!

View my new pics here:
VIEW ROUND 7 OF THE AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

I think it's now safe to reveal some of the Montages that were ordered for Christmas presents. Surely all the gifts have been opened by now :-)

Once again the Framed Montages proved to be the most popular choice for the big day with Canvases also making a show. Both options solve that difficult problem of 'what do you buy someone who has everything?'

I have sample Framed Montages & Canvases available for anyone who is maybe considering one. Don't forget that they make a perfect gift even when it isn't Christmas.... there's always a birthday or you could even treat yourself.

The best advice I can give you is to look at some of my previous designs. Every one is individually designed with your own choice of pics. Take a look here:
VIEW PICS OF SOME OF THE CHRISTMAS GIFT MONTAGES & CANVASES

The final update for Free Saturday at The Fermain Tavern is now online.

This was possibly just a one-off appearance for Emperor Kerosene and the guys played the music that they love and know. The heavy mob at the front seemed to like it too so maybe we will see another outing!

There was no need for a Jerry Can, you could fuel up on the dance floor. How many miles per gallon did you get?

That's enough of that I think :-) Pics can be seen here:
VIEW PICS OF EMPEROR KEROSENE

Bobby Battle fronted The Deadbeats at Free Saturday on stage at the Fermain Tavern.

He is a well known and loved character who has the charisma to hold an audiences attention.

The Deadbeats represent a lot of what I enjoy most about the live music scene. It should be fun. It should be a shared experience. And you should leave with a realisation that for a couple of hours you had forgotten any of your worldly worries... not that I have too many. But how do I sell enough pics to buy the latest kit? ha, ha ;-)

Pics are now online:
VIEW THE LATEST PICS OF THE DEADBEATS

Mark Guillou has started 2014 in much the same way as he finished 2013. Hard at it!

Mark is the busiest amongst our local promoters and sound technicians. He has a long record of supporting the new up-and-coming bands and he offers them a chance to perform with the full support of his Crew. These are usually young guys who want to learn the other skills of lighting and sound that are required to make a performance to remember.

Last Saturday saw Marks new project which was headlined as Free Saturday at the Fermain Tavern. True to form Mark had set up an impressive line-up of lighting kit and the standard was set high for all the bands who will find the corner stage of some pub venues very dark and ordinary in the future :-(

I arrived early enough to photograph three of the five bands who lined up and was very impressed by Francisco who I had not seen on their first outing. I think this band is one to look out for in 2014. They were well received by a good sized crowd.

I think that qualifies as a job well done, Mark.

Putting on my grumpy photographers hat I was much happier with the lighting at this gig.... for taking pics. Marks Crew always do a great job of presenting the best lighting show for the band and audience but I sometimes struggle when it comes to taking pics... not this time though. The lighting was great!

I can say with certainty that everyone went home after having a great night out. Big thanks to all involved :-)

I've added pics of the first band. Others will follow. Click the link to view pictures of Francisco:
VIEW PICS OF HOT NEW BAND FRANCISCO

With my time being taken up by the production of photos, canvases and montages for Christmas I have not been shooting as many events this month.

It's sometimes nice to have a little break as it is so easy to find yourself completely - and exclusively - absorbed in your photography. This can be at the expense of the rest of your life interests.

So, naturally, there haven't been as many regular posts for a couple of weeks. This is about to be rectified as all the 'Chrimbo' work is complete and I'm now going to tidy up 2013 ahead of another busy year to come.

I have been sorting through a few photoshoots that somehow missed the edit. These are being processed and will start appearing soon. Follow this Blog to be kept up-to-date.

The other massive job ahead is cataloguing a few thousand pics. How did I allow myself to get this far behind!!??

This slow process of sorting out pictures is the most boring (by far) part of being a photographer but I think it is also the most important part if you sell your work as it is vital that you can lay your hands on any picture - even from ten years ago - within three or four clicks of the mouse. I will keep reciting the above line to myself during the wee small hours whilst toiling away :-)

One of the first updates is from the Halloween gig at the Fermain Tavern wich featured Brutus Stonefist. Find them here:
HALLOWEEN PICS OF BRUTUS STONEFIST AT THE TAV

It's catch-up time again.

After a busy month fulfilling orders for Prints, Montages & Canvases it is time to catch-up with a few old photo-shoots.

Well, the first one isn't that old... that is if you don't take the band members into account ;-)

I've just updated the Spangles picture gallery featuring last weekends gig at The Fermain Tavern. There was no doubting that Christmas is just around the corner... there was more sparkle on the stage than I have on my Christmas tree!

The next update actually is from an old shoot that somehow missed the edit.

We have to go way back to June for this one. Unfortunately it wasn't 'flaming June' as the weather was dull and overcast. But that didn't stop me taking a few pics of the Guernsey Powerboat Association's Race-7.

Check all the new pics here:
PICS OF THE SPANGLES IN THEIR SPANDEX
PICS OF GUERNSEY POWERBOAT ASSOCIATION RACE-7

This is all a bit of a rushed job...

I'm stacked with orders at the moment. I thought that when I retired and left the retail trade that the 'Christmas rush' would just become a memory.

I was wrong, bah, humbug ;-)

So I have made a quick edit of the weekends pics and added a couple of picture galleries featuring the latest Autocross and Trials action.

Now where is Santa's little helper who promised to give me a hand?

Knowing my missus she's probably on the Sherry again ;-)

Take a look here:
PICS OF THE PETIT BOT TRIALS
PICS OF THE AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

In my previous Blog I was commenting on the difficulties that photographers face when capturing stage-lit performances.

There is often a strange incongruity with the way an audience will see stage lighting to the way a photographer will see the same scene.

The contrast and colours combined with the timing of changes will add dynamics to an audience's experience. Last weeks lighting was great - from an audience's viewpoint.

However these very same factors can really challenge the work of a photographer.

As I previously Blogged, last week at the Fermain Tavern was one of those nights which favoured the audience... There were a lot of strong, single colour fills and rapid cycles. That's OK - after all it is the audience who pay to get in and they deserve to be entertained :-)

However 'The Get Down' at the 'Tav' on Saturday favoured the 'togs a bit more. My thanks go to Lloyd Hellyeah who was pushing the buttons, you make my job so much easier ;-)

Lloyd's style is to 'layer' the lighting more. He offers a wider range of colour contrasts which enhance the 3D depth of the scene. From a photographers point of view its FANTASTIC.

I make no secret of the fact that, offered the choice, I will always take the easy option particularly if I like the results better ;-)

If you fancy taking a look at my pics of The Get Down please click on the link and see if you can observe the difference I talk about...
VIEW PICS OF THE GET DOWN

You have to be a patient sole if you are a photographer.

On so many occasions whilst pursuing the variety of photography that each of us enjoy we have to wait for the light to be 'just right'.

This is inevitable. After all, we can only record an image using the light that is present, whether this is natural or artificial.

In some situations the photographer can be in total control. This is quite a luxury but a great deal of knowledge and experience has to be amassed to make best use of this control of the light.

The other times a photographer has to go with what is given... whether it is offered by nature or man.

This is when patience is a very useful gift for a photog.

Sometimes the available light makes you feel that you will never achieve anything that is worth keeping. This was how I felt at The Fermain Tavern when I tried to capture pics of UK Band, Evarane.

It wasn't that Mark Guillou's light show was bad. Indeed for the watching audience it was fantastic! But for a photog it was about as hard as it gets. The modern use of 'pure' spectrum LED lighting, particularly when it 'floods' a stage in a single colour, can almost make me give up and go home! This form of single colour immersive lighting means it is VERY hard to create a 3D feel on a 2D printed page or screen.

This time I decided not to turn around and go home but to be patient. Over the course of Evarane's set I did capture a couple of worthwhile pics (I think)... but that was too much like hard work for one lazy photog ;-)
VIEW THE PATIENTLY CAPTURED PICS OF EVARANE

This is a busy time of year for me. There is a growing list of Christmas orders to process in addition to the day-to-day photographic work.

Also the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club will be holding their Annual Dinner Dance and Presentation evening at the end of the month. For several years I have been asked to project a slide-show of racing pics during the meal and also illustrate the Trophy presentations with action shots of all the winners. This also eats into my spare time but I am honoured that my Slide-show has become an expected part of the evening.

With all this background of work filling the days and nights I am having to squeeze in the updates to my Galleries into the few spare moments.

Yesterday I was able to add a couple of Motor Sport events. First there were Motocross pics of Round-8 held on Saturday on the cliffs at Pleinmont. Then a Gallery of Trials pics from Sundays event at the D'Os D'Ane.

There will be more to come... Autocross racing from Chouet.

Then I have updates to make to the Music Gallery with pics of Evarane and BRIGHT_LIGHTS.

Plenty to keep me at my desk whilst being entertained by my new Sonos Wireless Sound System.

This is quite an awesome piece of technology... but that's a story for another day ;-)
VIEW PICTURES OF ROUND-8 OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
VIEW PICTURES OF TRIALS AT D'Os D'Ane

Each year that I spend photographing Motor Sport I seem to have a story or two about crashes that happen near to where I am standing.

In fact it was Marc Cox's 'biggie' at Le Val des Terres earlier in the year that reminded me that when it goes wrong it can go wrong 'big time'.
Marc crashed whilst laying his bike down as low as it would go. Rider and bike slid into a bank - only after being launched several metres through the air. The bike ended in several pieces.

On this occasion I can only recall the details that I was told. I wasn't there! The point though is that on Marc's previous run I was EXACTLY there! You will be pleased to note that both rider and photographer are fine.

I suppose that at a Speed event like a Hill Climb the dangers are obvious. After all it is all about pushing the limits of how fast you can go.

What is perhaps a bit more surprising is that even the 'gentleman's' sport of Trial Biking can occasionally bring a close encounter.

It was today, whilst photographing the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club Trials meeting in Petit Bot that I guess I had a lucky moment.

The conditions where wet and very muddy. I had taken a vantage point on the edge of a stream and after taking pics of several riders I decided on changing my position. It was then that Rod Smith approached up the slippery route. He seemed to loose grip for a moment and his bike leapt forward, rotated over and landed upside-down precisely where I had been standing... ouch.

Rider and photographer where unhurt and I'll be buying a lottery ticket tomorrow ;-)
VIEW PICS OF THE PETIT BOT TRIALS

It takes more than a few inches of mud to put off a Moto-X rider.

In fact they positively love a bit of slippery action. So that made today's track conditions just about perfect for most of the competitors. There is no doubt that a few puddles can help liven up a photograph too. This echo's what I was saying in my previous blog about the Karting Championship.

So it made for an enjoyable morning on the cliffs photographing the latest round of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's Motocross Championship.

The strong wind and low light levels made for a few challenges - but I did manage keep to my feet and I avoided any embarrassing slides into the grime :-)

So the riders seemed to relish their mud-bath however I definately wouldn't want the job of cleaning their bikes and race kit!

Pics are already on-line. Please take a look...
MOTO-X RIDERS LIKE IT SLIPPERY

The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Summer Kart Championship was completed in challenging conditions.

With Classes where the new Champions were still to be decided it was a tense morning at The Track with supporters braving the rain to watch the outcome.

They were treated to some skilful racing that saw the drivers looking for the fastest line in the wet. It was noticeable that they preferred a different approach into the corners than the normal dry line as smooth seemed to reward with a faster pace.

I always find that it is well worth suffering the discomfort of rain dripping down my back and wetting my kit when I get back to my studio and process the pics. The results always offer something a bit different. See what you think.

Pics are now on-line.
VIEW PICS OF THE WET FINAL KART RACE