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As I have already mentioned in a previous blog, last weekend was an extremely busy one for me.

This is no problem at all when you are as lucky as I am. I love my job.

In the course of a working month my photographic work includes a surprising variety of shoots. The core work is for 'Commercial' clients and sees me capturing all aspects of Guernsey life including its people, properties and events. As well as that important category I also fill what spare time I have by pursuing things that interest me both as a spectator/audience and fan.

These 'personal projects' revolve around live performances, gigs and sports. The huge picture galleries on this web site are testament to how many of these occasions I photograph!

So I am now working through the third of the major events I photographed over the weekend. This was the highly successful Full Boar Motorcycle Club 'Lock-in Guernsey Round-2' at Beau Sejour. This was a repeat of last years event .... only BIGGER and BETTER! The Full Boar certainly have a crack team organising this spectacular and the whole evening ran smoothly with more Bouts than the first year and Champion fighters displaying their skills to an engrossed (and maybe a bit drunk) crowd :-)

Last year was my first encounter with this form of combative sport and I must say that I love trying to capture the action. There are many challenges including the speed, low light and of course the blasted cage... definitely better outside than inside though!

With 15 Bouts to edit it is taking some time so I have uploaded the first eight. This is to assure the guys who are chasing me for the uploads... I am on the case, promise:-)

Follow this link to view the first eight Galleries:
VIEW THE LOCK-IN GUERNSEY PICTURE GALLERIES

After completing two solid days of Charity Motorsport there were smiles all around the pits. It was agreed by everyone that this was the best fun ever!

Everyone was a winner as the whole weekend was about supporting three deserving Charities (Male Uprising Guernsey, Saumarez Park Playground & the Lions Club)... all this whilst having a great time. Win, win, win I think.

I have now spent a further two days editing my pictures of the racing and it dawned on me as I looked at the varied types of cars used during the two days that there was a very broad mix. In fact there was an amazing variety of cars. Certainly there was a bit of 'exotica', although not as many as I would have liked to see (come on guys bring out your 'treasures' next time).

Amongst the cars were a few AMG Mercs. I have a soft spot for these as that is what I drive.... mmmm, V8's :-)
There were also a few 'shopping' cars that had been 'borrowed' from the Mrs... I think they'll now be back on the driveways smelling of burning clutches. I hope you have your excuses ready lads!

But as I looked through my pics I began to wonder just who enjoyed the weekends racing the most?

There will definitely be passengers who have fantastic memories after donating cash to have a run up the hill with a local racer. But did they actually enjoy their run - or were they scared silly?

There will also be drivers of the faster (and expensive) cars who enjoyed 'giving it some' legally on local roads. But was their enjoyment tempered by the dread of stacking their pride and joy into one of the verges?

I think this photographer had a surprisingly good time too. As a Professionally Accredited Motorsport photographer I shoot a lot of racing.
I was expecting to find the days long, and to be honest a bit boring! After all these were road cars driven mainly by inexperienced racers. But I was completely wrong as there was some seriously good racing to be enjoyed and I had the added challenge, as a photog, of making the racers look as fast as they felt they were!

But, in the end I think my prize for the person who seemed to be having the most fun must go to Mathew Lesbirel who was driving a modified Transit van with a 3.5 litre V8 engine.

Not your average racing machine I hear you say. There is a lesson in there somewhere. I'll let you work it out for yourselves ;-)

My picture galleries are now featuring the Heritage Charity Hill Climb. Once again I will donate 25% of any sales to the chosen Charities.
VIEW PICS OF THE HERITAGE CHARITY HILL CLIMB 2013

Last weekend, once again, our little Island and its people have impressed me in many ways....

It is easy to forget just how small we are when judged by the amount of varied events that are on offer to anyone with an interest in taking the opportunities out there.

There is usually one overriding quality to all these Events and that is the standard at which things are organised and presented. Again it must be remembered just how small our population and resources are compared to much larger places.

So I have had a brilliant few days watching and photographing just a couple of the weekend's Events - and I even captured a few rays from the sun, as my face goes to prove ;-)

Of course, for me, it was a weekend 'at work' at the end of a camera lens... but how can it be called work when you are having so much fun?

The weekends list included the Heritage Charity Sprint at Vazon coast road followed by the Full Boar Motorcycle Club Lock-in Guernsey - Round-2 at Beau Sejour in the evening. That was a busy day!
Sunday it was the racers turn at Hill Climbing up Le Val des Terres. The weather wasn't so nice but maybe it helped me avoid getting properly toasted!

Also slotted into the Sunday was a quick visit to the shoreline of Havelet bay to take a few pics of the Guernsey Powerboat Association's race. This offered a ringside seat to the Hill Climbers who saw how things can go wrong in any Motorsport when Resolution IT crashed out in spectacular fashion.
EDIT: I had forgotten that my weekend had started on Friday night with the first weigh-in for the Lock-in at Beau Sejour followed by a 'best ever?' gig and the Fermain Tavern by Elysium!

Both the Heritage Charity Events were superbly organised and showcased how things can work so well when different Clubs combine their resources. Well done everyone and I'm sure your target of raising £40,000 will be smashed.

The Full Boar Lock-in was another fantastic success with visiting fighters commenting on how much better the standards of organisation and presentation were compared to what they often get. That's one more tick for our small Island!

But, to return to my first comment on how I am always impressed by the standards of performance in Guernsey. After the Powerboat accident the rescue crews and divers were on-scene incredibly fast and the Resolution IT crew and their upturned race boat were quickly and safely removed.... and the race re-started.
Job well done guys!

My weekends work amounts to many, many more shots than usual and I now face a few days of editing (a bit of an anti-climax really). But it has to be done and I've made a start.
First pictures feature the Heritage Charity Sprint at Vazon. I am donating 25% of any picture sales to this years Charities.

Check-out the first of many Galleries here:
VIEW PICS OF THE HERITAGE CHARITY SPRINT

Is it a good sign when you can't really find the words to describe something?

Well I guess it must be as I have been left a bit lacking in the literary department when it comes to reporting on last weekends gig at the Fermain Tavern. Head-liners were a re-formed Sacred Hearts (maybe just for this 'one-off') with support coming from Party in Paris.

I arrived at 'the Tav' nearly at the end of Party in Paris's set. Just enough time for a few quick pics.

As I slipped through the crowd to the front I was welcomed by a chant of 'Andy, Andy, Andy'.... so much for trying to stay incognito! Thanks a lot Martin Mackintosh!

'PiP' have built up quite a good following and I look forward to watching their progress.

But it was the headlining Sacred Hearts that left me short of words as I consider their set as one of the best I have seen for quite some time. The musical talent is well shared amongst all the band and they were really up for it.

Mark Le Gallez was as energetic as ever, if not more so! Colin Leach led the psychedelic sounds with Colleen Irven taking the lead on some songs. Mark Guppy, Matt Hutchinson and Chris Denton all made vital input to the energetic sound-scape.

This was truly a gig to remember. Lets hope the the guys and gal can be persuaded to make a return, soon.

New pics have been added to my Galleries:
VIEW PICS OF SACRED HEARTS AT THE FERMAIN TAVERN
VIEW PICS OF PARTY IN PARIS AT THE FERMAIN TAVERN

Yesterday represented the biggest disappointment in my photographic year. At least so far!

This was due to the abandoning of the Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championships.

No blame can be made for this unfortunate fail, it was simply a case of this sort of thing being a part of Motor Sport... thankfully very rarely.

I suppose the signs were bad right from the start as the morning's weather wouldn't of been out of place in November. This was such a contrast to 2012's Sand Ace in 'flaming June'.

Whilst the conditions dampened the initial energy and anticipation in the pits, once the practice laps began to clock up there was little doubt that we were going to enjoy a few hours of high class racing by a large entry which included some of Europe's top 500cc Solo Riders and 1,000cc Sidecar Crews.

As the qualifying heats began (heats as in racing - certainly not from the sun!) we were all distracted from the cold, the high wind and occasional rain. Everything was going well... and I was in my element :-)

Then the racing had a couple of spanners chucked into its spokes after two of the Sliders had nasty accidents that required hospital runs. These things happen sometimes with any Motor Sport but when you are racing on a beach the disruptions take on quite a different importance as the tide turns and makes its unstoppable advance back up the sand.

After much effort another Ambulance crew and Paramedic couldn't be arranged in time to allow the racing to continue.

So the British Sand Ace Championships failed to run to the promised climax. The end was as damp and limp as the weather.

Hopefully it will be judged as an unavoidable coincidence of bad luck. The Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club have decades of experience in running beach racing and can offer last years highly successful British Sand Ace Championship as proof that, given the chance, they can run a race meeting worthy of a National status.

We will all be keeping our fingers crossed for better luck in 2014.

I've now sorted my pictures of the Sand Ace... and I'm really pleased with some of them considering the low amount of opportunities offered by the limited runs and the fact that it was raining for many of them!

The Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championship picture galleries are now on-line:
VIEW PICTURES OF THE 2013 BRITISH SAND ACE CHAMPIONSHIP

I can't remember any previous local Motorsport event having such a strong reaction, and it all seems to be positive!

The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Reservoir Speed Event attracted a small amount of negative comments before the first runs last Saturday. I had heard some question safety due to anticipated high speeds. There were also questions about the lack of space for the pits.

In fact I was amazed when I arrived at the St Saviours event and walked down the hill past what seemed a never ending line of racing machinery. How on earth was this race meeting ever going to run through smoothly?

But things ran at a fantastic pace. The extensive planning allowed the competitors to all have their practice run and four timed runs resulting in a lot of happy chappies ;-)

The course also seemed to be fairly forgiving of the occasional mistakes and damage was limited to racers ego's and machinery... apart from Leigh Digard who now knows that he bounces quite well!

It was a relief when we had a visit from Leigh on Sunday at the Twisty Sprint after he was kicked out of hospital. I think he even fancied his chances on a bike... no-one would lend him one. I wonder why?

I have now finished the picture gallery for the Reservoir Speed Event which now features the Bikers and Karts.
Be warned, it's a big one:
VIEW PICS OF THE BIKERS & KARTS AT THE RESERVOIR SPRINT

I think that the air of excitement that surrounded the first ever Speed Event on the twisting road bordering the St Saviours reservoir must have rubbed off on me a bit too much.... read on!

There is no doubt that the competitors were barely able to hold in their eagerness to get started on this new event. The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club members really made every effort to support the Committee who had put so much work into making the 30 year wishes come true. There was great help with the set-up of the track and the very tight pits area.

As a Motorsport photographer I was really looking forward to having a new track to work on. I'd already walked the full length a few times eyeing-up the possible shooting opportunities. In the end, on the day, some of my planned shots didn't work out - but there were many more successes :-)

This is where I became a little over excited and I fired off a lot more shots than normal. It isn't only the racers who get an adrenaline rush it seems! The enhanced level of excitement and awareness is a good thing though as I certainly have to keep my wits about me when working so close to 'barely in control' racing cars, bikes and karts.

I've already spent over nine hours on the first edits from the weekends racing and have added the first pics to a new Gallery.

More Car pics will follow together with the Bikers & Karts....
The first to be featured are here:
VIEW THE FIRST RESERVOIR SPEED EVENT PICS

The updates are coming think and fast....

I've just added a new Gallery of pictures featuring the last Sand Racing at Vazon bay.

The next event is the British Sand Ace Championship featuring Sliders and Sidecars... this is going to be a fantastic event to watch. Be there, you won't be disappointed. It starts at 11am on 22nd of June on Vazon beach, Guernsey.

Last meetings racing van be viewed here:
VIEW THE LATEST SAND RACING PICS

There seemed to be a firearms theme at the Fermain Tavern for two recent gigs. At least that is the conclusion you good make from the bands names.

Jersey based band 'Bulletproof' was one, and Ray and the Guns were the other!

So I guess a full-on assault was to be expected and both bands delivered. It was a disappointment that the turn-out wasn't better but we are now into the months when there are lots of events (and the sun, if we're lucky) all claiming their own attention.

I usually manage to not be distracted too much by other things and find the time almost every weekend to catch at least one gig.

The last couple of weeks have been very busy for me so these latest updates are a bit late... and I still have a pile to get through. Make this page a regular visit and you will be kept up-to-date with all the changes.
VIEW PICS OF BULLETPROOF

VIEW PICS OF RAY AND THE GUNS

Whoever is in charge of these things managed to keep the sun under cover until the Guernsey Powerboat Association's own race on Sunday ;-)

It would have been nice if they had shared a bit with the Venture Cup Ocean Powerboaters as this would have helped my pics look a lot more interesting!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, the conditions for the Venture Cup races were far from ideal in both light and closeness of access. If you wonder just how this affects a picture take a look in the two Galleries... the difference is HUGE!

Race five of the GPA's Championship was held over the Havelet Course... in sun as previously stated... and this offered much better, vibrant colours together with the ability to capture close crops of the action.

Let's have more of this please, especially when the Venture Cup returns in 2014!

Pics of the GPA's Powerboat race are now online:
VIEW PICS OF THE GPA's CHAMPIONSHIP - RACE-5

It must be about a decade since a race featuring Ocean going Powerboats was held in local waters so it was a pleasure to welcome them back last weekend.

The event was titled as 'The Venture Cup - Ocean Class Powerboat Racing - The Prologue' and the Guernsey Powerboat Association played a big part in helping the organisers arrange the logistics for their stay in St Peter Port and also had teams working in Race Control and up on Castle Cornet to ensure everything went smoothly.

This was just a 'warm-up' race to check on all the logistics ahead of the main race in 2014 when competitors will race from London all the way to the Med, a distance of 2,400 miles!

I was out and about for the various races in local waters and was impressed by the larger boats taking part. Actually, it was probably even more impressive that the smaller Ribs had completed the run across the English Channel... there wasn't much protection from the elements in those!

Unfortunately the weather really wasn't very helpful for us photographers as it was generally dull and grey. It was also a great shame that no dedicated Media boat was available as this greatly compromised the pics I could capture. I was actually out on a boat positioned at the finish line for the arrival of the racers but as the line was about three-quarters of a mile wide I was frustrated when nearly all of them crossed on the distant side :-(

Having said this, it was still nice to see this premier class of racing benefiting and enjoying our fantastic coastal waters... bring on 2014.
VIEW A GALLERY OF PICTURES FEATURING THE VENTURE CUP POWERBOATS

I'd like to ask you a question. If you don't go to gigs, theatre or any live stage performances this probably won't mean much to you ;-)

What I would like to know is, what do you think the most important aspects are that improve your enjoyment and memory of any show or performance?

I ask this as I have an opinion of my own.

If we were to make a list in the order of importance obviously the performers will have to be top the pile. After all, that is probably why you even bought a ticket in the first place.

Without trying to fill-in all the other ingredients that make a great show I will cut to my point.

My guess is that most of you don't really consider the lighting. The subtle changes. The not so subtle changes. The colour. The intensity and direction. I suppose if you were engrossed in the performance the lighting somehow 'disappeared' into the background. Maybe this is the success of great lighting?

My own enjoyment of any performance, however, is greatly affected by the lighting. This is because I am usually 'at work' trying to capture everything in pictures... and all I can capture is the light!

This blog was inspired whilst I developed my pictures of The Recks recent gig at the Fermain Tavern.

The gig was lit by Lloyd Hellyeah and he did a great job. This makes my job sooooo much easier and reduces the time I have to spend tweaking colours and tones. When the lighting is well controlled and responsive to a performance it raises it to a higher level.

But have you ever noticed this? Or is it something that only a photographer can see? I'd love to know what you think.

If you would like to make your own opinion about the lighting at The Recks gig my pics are now on-line:
TAKE A LOOK AT THE RECKS GIG... AND THE LIGHTING!

One of the hardest things about my job is the repetition.

OK, I'll concede that this is probably true of just about anybody's work. It is almost inevitable that 'an average week' will include quite any element of routine.

The difficulties presented to us photographers... who consider ourselves to be some of the 'creatives' in this world (NOTE TO SELF: Andrew, you're beginning to sound a bit pretentious!) is that we are always trying to find different and new ways of capturing whatever genre of photography we pursue.

This is, in a nutshell, exactly what makes my continued coverage of Motor Sport sometimes difficult to keep enthusiastic about.

Whilst there is an amazing amount of Motor Sport organised in the Channel Islands, after many years of shooting mainly the same competitors at the same venues - usually in the same racing cars/karts/bikes... you get the idea. It often feels like I have already 'got that shot' in my database of pics!

However, whilst sometimes I struggle to motivate myself out of the door for another event I still do get a real buzz from being close to the action and also being part of the Motor Sport scene.

The other challenge to keeping me interested in returning to another event is the knowledge that sales of my pics will be minimal :-(

It would be great if you racers helped me to justify the time and money spent on photographing your racing. It is quite a frustration knowing how many pics are simply copied off my web site - horrible watermark and all - when for just a couple of quid you can get a properly optimised version, without the watermark and at a bigger size than my web site displays.

I apologise for the lecture but it's of my chest..... for now :-)

Getting back to the challenge of keeping interested in taking action pics.

I was really pleased with last weekends Karting shots. The Track has a very small number of successful shooting positions so I really enjoyed using a new position that has only just become available since some conifers had to be felled after getting damaged in the heavy snowfall.

This new spot allows an angle of view that offers a chance to capture what I call a 'stacked' shot of Karts in line. I like the results. Please take a look and see what you think:
VIEW KARTING PICS AT THE TRACK FROM A NEW ANGLE

I love it when I can tick the box that says 'Job done'.

And I have just marked the 'update Hill Climb Galleries' box after finishing my uploads featuring the Guernsey Kart & Motor Clubs Bank Holiday event.

As I mentioned in the last Blog, the weather was fantastic and quite a number of new records were made.

I also made a little sales pitch to try and encourage you to buy a picture or two. What about it, eh?

Go on, you know you wanna ;-)

So the new picture Galleries give coverage to the Bikers and Karters. Check the action here:
VIEW THE HILL CLIMB BIKER & KART GALLERIES

Wow, that was a special Hill Climb at the Val des Terres....

Our local competitors continued to lower the records on a hill that was presented in perfect weather. We keep our fingers crossed that all the other events this summer have the same dry days.

I have had a quick check through the results and I think this is the list of record-breakers. Please let me know if I have missed someone or made an error.

The names taking their place in the Club records are: Lee Corbet, Zef Eisenberg, Angus Torode, Scott Rayson, Paul Priaulx, Brin Harrison and Jack Le Tissier. That is quite a list for one meeting.

There were also many notable performances with competitors getting within fractions of a second of the old times.

I have been continuing the task of editing the latest pics. As I mentioned in my last blog, there has been a lot going on over the last few days. Combine this with such a big entry for the Hill Climb and I have more work than normal :-(

But it is nose to the grindstone and I've just been able to make a few updates.

Keeping this web site up to date and offering such a full coverage of local Motor Sport takes a huge amount of time. There is also quite a large cost to run the web site and keep my equipment serviced etc. My photography is my only income.

Perhaps I can drop a little 'sales pitch' into this blog and remind you that you can buy a favourite pic (or two!) from as little as £4.00! Of course (I think) a print is always the best way to see any picture.

I know that loads of my pics are copied from the web site... maybe you will consider purchasing a few - and you get rid of that horrible WATERMARK then, yippee!

The latest Gallery features the Cars from yesterdays Hill Climb including a sequence that shows the moment that the rear wing failed on Steve Brehaut's car which launched him into the bank at the top of the straight...
VIEW PICS OF THE CAR CLASSES AT THE HILL CLIMB

It's been all go this Bank Holiday weekend...

The Motor Sport racers have been out to play and we have all enjoyed some fabulous weather.

So I have had little time for much else for three days. But the varied race formats has kept things interesting.

Saturday set the scene with Sand Racing on the beach at Vazon. This was a nice 'taster' for the British Sand Ace Championship in a few weeks time. The beach was in perfect condition. Let's hope we can repeat this for the big one!

The Sand Racing pics are the first added to my Galleries.

The others that will follow are the Karting Championship and a very busy Hill Climb. Keep checking for updates during the next few days....

Oh, nearly forgot... there was also a fantastic gig by The Recks at the Fermain Tavern... pics will follow.
VIEW PICS OF THE SAND RACING

It was hard to believe that only one day had passed...

After spending a couple of very enjoyable hours in the sun yesterday photographing the Guernsey Powerboat Association's Championship racing... everything went wrong today!

The contrast couldn't have been greater. It rained all through the race, there was a strong breeze and it was dull and grey. The unavoidable result was dull and grey colours in my pics :-(

But that is what was on offer so that is what had to be worked with.

I think the biggest disappointment for me (even more than the persistent rain) was that I couldn't get into the shooting position that I had planned.

My intention was to find a vantage point on the sea-side rocks below Castle Cornet. However I soon found out the the rocks were incredibly slippery after the rain and there was every chance that I would end up smashing seventeen grand of cameras and lenses.
Not a good idea.

So I took the high view and shot from the castle's ramparts. I also turned the poor light into an opportunity and tried to capture a few slow shutter panning pics... now that is a challenge hand-holding a 600mm lens whilst exposed to all that the weather can throw at you!

I recommend not giving up when you think things are far from ideal. Try and turn conditions into an advantage. In this case I dialed the shutter down to about 125th second and used my 600mm lens. The resulting 'pans' give a feel of the racers speed. Sure its a difficult technique to master but it's rewarding to come away with a few successful, pin sharp shots.... Especially after all the discomfort :-)

See what you think of the days work that is now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF POWERBOAT RACE-4

We live on a beautiful Island. However it couldn't be described as large!

Inevitably this can lead to pressure on the available open spaces as the other notable charm of our residence is the huge and varied amount of sports and hobbies that the population pursue in their spare time.

Today was a good example of how we share our spaces so well.... whilst enjoying a sunny day.

Leisure activities included, for some, supporting Guernsey winning the Muratti for the first time in quite a few years, others were in Herm for a beer festival (I was VERY close to joining them)!

Instead I was on the water half way to Herm.... so close yet soooo far ;-)

But that wasn't too much of a hardship as I was offered a ring-side view on Goldie's Rib for Race-3 of the Guernsey Powerboat Association's 2013 Championship. The spirit of sharing our spaces was evident as we headed to our allocated marker whilst the Rowing Club completed a race. Everything had been timed perfectly as you wouldn't want to mix Powerboats with the oarsmen!

To make my day a near perfect one the sun showed its face and I was offered a large visiting cruise liner as a backdrop to make some of the shots a little more interesting.

So well done to our little Sarnia Cherie (If you don't live in Guernsey, that's the term of endearment we use for our little Island) , you did us proud again.
VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP RACE-3

Pete Bretel, front man of Sugar Slam, is known to love his music.

He also likes his beer (a man true to my heart!) and it seems that he has found the perfect solution to the problem that all men have... how do you multi-task?

So at Sugar Slam's recent gig at the Thomas de la Rue Pete instigated the master-plan and I can see it catching on!

With the help of a member of the audience it seems that it is perfectly feasible to front the band, play guitar and drink beer all at the same time.

When he has mastered singing at the same time I reckon he will have a long line of fellow front men looking to learn the trick :-)

I'm not kidding you and I've got the picture to prove it. You can always trust anything that you see in a picture, can't you, eh?

A few pics from the Thomas de la Rue are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF SUGAR SLAM AT THE THOMAS DE LA RUE

VIEW AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP PICS
How about that for a quick turn-around..... Karting in the morning followed by Autocross racing in the afternoon... and the pics are already on-line!

There is a reason though, I've made a rash promise to my missus that I will get out into the garden next week to re-discover the lawn.

I was caught off-guard obviously. But now the damage is done there is NO way out :-(

So it has been full speed ahead on the picture editing and now Monday is free for chain saws and mowers.

What I really need now to keep me out of the garden are a few 'urgent' orders for prints. Maybe even a request for a Tallpicture :-)

I'm sitting next to the phone and checking my web-site orders page in anticipation, hint, hint!

VIEW PICS ROUND-2 OF THE KART CHAMPIONSHIP