News / Blog

If petrol runs in your veins.... or methanol if you are a Slider rider, you don't turn down a chance to race!

Guernsey's 'National Holiday' is always fixed on May 9th which was the day the Channel Islands were liberated from occupying forces at the end of World War II.

This year the tides seemed to offer the chance to get a few hours of Sand Racing on Vazon beach. So that's where I found myself and it turned out that it was the sunniest part of the day. Nice :-)

It would have been nice to see a few more sliders but the numbers were made up by the new Moto-X Class which is proving popular.

I enjoyed the bright light which helps make the colours more vibrant. There were also a few wet patches so it was fun trying to time a competitors splashes.... always adds a bit of drama!

I've already added picture galleries featuring the racing:
VIEW PICS OF THE LIBERATION DAY SAND RACING

Last Sunday Jamaica rocked!

OK, to be perfectly correct I should say The Jamaica Inn rocked :-)

Billed as 'Chaos at the Jam' the event returned to a newly painted Jamaica Inn as a warm-up to the bigger Chaos Festival in July.

The afternoon offered time to chill to acoustic sets out in the sunny car park. Then things kicked-off proper when we de-camped into the bar.

Brunt bought something heavier to the party and were followed by Guernsey's favourite good-time band, RentOClean.... the party was swinging.

Make space for Heave to take to the stage.

Two guys - guitar and drums - but what a sound. Breaking the laws of physics Heave can fill any space with sound... and it's heavy. Love it.

Thanks to the Greenman for bringing us another great one. See you in July, if not sooner.

Pics of a few of the bands are here:
VIEW PICS OF BRUNT
VIEW PICS OF RENTOCLEAN
VIEW PICS OF HEAVE

One thing is certain. Even on a Bank Holiday with several major events going on, Motor Sport can still command a good crowd of spectators.

Certainly the beautiful day would have helped - but this could be said of each of the events.

The loyal Motor Sport supporters were treated to a day of highly competitive racing with more than a handful of new records right across the Classes.

It is also a fact that amongst all the thrills an occasional spill is almost regarded as a requirement by some spectators.

The first concern is always for the safety of the driver or rider but after the event and with the knowledge that everyone is OK the talk gets around to how spectacular each crash was.

It is the unlucky competitor who has to nurse a few aches and pains (their ego also perhaps) and they are left with a 'project' to get back on the road.

I was saddened to see (and photgraph) Nigel Ozanne's crash at the top of the straight. Nige races on a budget and this was the last thing he needed. However this popular guy really loves his racing and he has bounced back from worse.
Next time he should make sure he bounces off the bank instead ;-)

We all had a reminder that our sport does have its dangers when Ian Le Messurier had a spectacular crash in the esses. His transport was more plane than car for a few seconds. Ian is not someone who looks for attention but he was certainly the centre of it for half an hour whilst Sarnia Rescue and two Fire engine crews worked to remove him safely from his car. The good news is that Ian has no serious injury.

Once again, like Nigel, Ian and his twin brother Paul are as keen as they come for their Motor Sport. It is highly likely that we will see the boys back on the start line quicker than you can say Bank Holiday Hill Climb!

I have just added new Galleries featuring the days racing:
VIEW PICS OF THE BANK HOLIDAY HILL CLIMB

Today I'm excited to say that this web site has broken through a new landmark figure.

We have now logged more than 4,000,000 viewings!

Yes, you read that correctly, that's FOUR MILLION VIEWINGS :-)

The latest MILLION has taken just over six months so we are well on target to match last year's figure of TWO MILLION in twelve months.

I posted a blog about six months ago when the THREE MILLION mark was smashed.
READ THE THREE MILLION BLOG HERE

At that time I tried to illustrate how the viewing figures could relate to time... how many views each hour or minute of every day. The results were quite surprising!

This time around I thought that maybe I would try to find how the numbers can be associated to something a bit closer to a photographer's heart. That is an actual paper print. But how thick is an average print?

The wonders of the Internet came to my rescue again and after a few minutes of research I had some figures to play with. It is difficult to find explicit references as there are certain variables - not least of which is the thickness of a sheet of photographic paper.

In the end I have been conservative and based my results on an 'average' that seems to be a fair and realistic number. From my searches I found the height calculated for a pile of ONE MILLION sheets of photographic paper varied between 350 ft and 480 ft.

So I am going to use a figure of 400 ft.

Now let's take things to the next stage and try to picture what this pile would look like.

Perhaps if you are a resident of Guernsey (our small but beautiful Island in the English Channel, near France) you will be familiar with the dramatic cliffs on our southern coast. The highest of these are about 350 ft above sea level.... that is less than the height of a MILLION PRINTS in this example.

Try and picture that... are you impressed yet?

No, well a try at this!

As you have seen, this web site has now had FOUR MILLION HITS since first launching. Take this number and work out the height of that pile of prints and we are talking TALL... LIKE 1,600 FEET HIGH!

If you find it difficult to picture how that relates to the real world, take a look at the picture at the start of this blog which shows the heights of some of the tallest buildings in the world.

NOW YOU MUST BE IMPRESSED!!

The shame is that these numbers are only picture views. They aren't going to make me rich, although I think I would be Epson's biggest customer if I had to produce a print for every web image viewed!

My Epson Stylus 4900 would be working night and day :-)

So a big thank you for spending time viewing my pictures. I am now chasing the next big number.... Pop back again soon.
READ ABOUT THE FIRST MILLION
READ ABOUT THE SECOND MILLION
READ ABOUT THE THIRD MILLION

It's been a while since I have written anything about the equipment I use and the workflow that goes into making the final prints that drop through your letterbox a few days after you place an order.

Today I'm not going to go into much detail about all my kit. However it might be of interest to know some key items.

I'm lucky to have the opportunity to use 'top-of-the-range' equipment from start to finish of the capture process. I feel that when shooting as a Professional Photographer, a high standard needs to be maintained all the way through from capture to the digital darkroom and on to the final production of a print.

I am a NIKON camera user and love the quality and handling that this brand offers.
My current kit includes a Nikon D4, a NIKON D3s and a NIKON D3.
NIKON creates the finest photographic equipment in the world as far as I'm concerned. I await your responses :-)

UPDATE 10-03-2014: I've now added the new NIKON D4s to my kit bag. First impressions are good but it will take a few weeks to fully test. Drop me an e-mail if you want to discuss the latest NIKON body EMAIL ME

I also use NIKON lenses and have too many to list but can call on everything from a 400mm f2.8, a 200mm f2, 24mm Perspective Correction, 200mm & 105mm Macro, 50mm & 85mm f1.4's and many others in-between through to the brilliant wide angle 14-24mm f2.8.
So I hope you'll agreed that there is no excuse to not capture the highest quality of image :-)

The digital darkroom work is carried out using the latest versions of Professional software like Photoshop and Lightroom and this is all viewed on twin 30 inch colour calibrated reference monitors.
All images are then Catalogued and referenced using IMatch allowing quick and comprehensive searching.
Lots of back-ups are then made.... you do back-up your own work, don't you?

But all the work and cost of capturing the sharpest, colour corrected images would fall at the final hurdle if the quality of the prints wasn't to the same standards.

This is why all prints up to the A2 SIZED MONTAGES are individually hand-printed by me in my studio on an Epson Stylus Pro 4900 Professional Large Format Printer using the latest 11-Colour Ultrachrome HDR Pigment Inks. This offers me total quality control of the final output.

This printer is regarded as setting new standards in colour precision offering one of the widest colour gamuts on the market and exceptional longevity of prints.

So be assured that when you order a print from TALLPICTURES every effort has been made to make it as good as it can get :-)

Details of the various print options can be found by clicking this link:
VIEW DETAILS OF THE PRINT OPTIONS

Few things in life are as reliable as a gig by Guernsey's own Pete Frampton. Quality is assured!

It is sad to say that Pete no longer lives in Guernsey but he does make regular visits back home to see family and friends. And it is those friends who always take the opportunity to get some 'stage time' with Pete during the short stays.

Last weekend saw the guys on two stages and they dropped straight into gear and simply continued where they left off months ago. The quality of musicianship was as high as normal and the band rolled out all their classics leaving us looking ahead to the next visit.

I've added pics of Pete & friends playing on stage at the Fermain Tavern:
PETE FRAMPTON & FRIENDS PLAY THE FERMAIN TAVERN

Let's hope that someone has remembered to tell the weather this year as Summer has arrived in the form of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's Summer Karting Championship.

Round 1 hit The Track today and the weather was OK... so maybe the word did get out!

On the tarmac it was certainly a hot start to the racing with some very competitve heats which have already signalled the entertainment to come.

There will be regular racing at The Track during the next few months and I recommend a visit on one of the Sunday mornings. You will be guaranteed plenty action to watch. The race dates can be found on the new Club web site:
VIEW THE NEW GUERNSEY KART & MOTOR CLUB WEB SITE

I have added pictures from todays racing to my Gallery.
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-1 OF THE SUMMER KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP

As promised, I returned to the sands of Vazon bay when the sun shone!

After Round 1 of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club's Sand Racing Championship two weeks ago when the conditions were truly dreadful I'm pleased to say that things were much improved for Round 2.

OK, the wind was still a bit on the chilly side but at least it was dry :-)

Perhaps the improving conditions were the incentive for a couple more Moto-X riders to give beach racing a try and there was a good sized field for the Cadet Class as well. In fact the youngest of the racers produced some of the closest racing of the afternoon.

The sliders Class was dominated by Martyn Guilbert who found ample time to entertain the crowd with his wheelies.

If you want to make a diary date the next meeting is on May 9th at 11.30am. Fingers crossed for another dry and sunny one!

Pictures of the Sand Racing are now online:
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-2 OF THE GMC&CC SAND RACING

VIEW PICS OF MT. WOLF
The Carlton Hotel opened its doors to two visiting bands on Friday night and I'm pleased to say that there was great support from us Guern's.

I suppose that there was always a good chance that ticket sales would be OK as the headlining band had two locals in the line-up.
So perhaps Mt. Wolf can be thanked for attracting the punters but I have a feeling that the other two bands on the bill also played their parts by bringing their own following.

First on stage were Bright_Lights. I am really enjoying this Electro-Pop band and they were a great choice to open the night with a sound that easily filled the room and is surely crying out for a chance to feature on one of this summer's Festival stages... watch this space!

Next up was Lloyd Yates and again they could certainly claim a following amongst the 'gig goers'... even though their visits to our shores are rare. This shows that they have made a real impression on previous visits.

And so the night was completed by the appearance of Mt. Wolf. They were well received and their set showed that they already have songs that offer opportunity to make it on a bigger stage.
Looking at the gigs they have lined up around the UK during coming months the band clearly have ambition and are prepared to work for a break into the big time. Keep a ear to the ground to see if they can pull it off!

I've added new Galleries featuring the three bands:
VIEW PICS OF MT. WOLF

VIEW PICS OF LLOYD YATES

VIEW PICS OF BRIGHT_LIGHTS

So there we have it... another great night of LIVE MUSIC.
There really is NO excuse to spend your weekends sitting on the couch when there is such a great choice of live music just waiting for your support... See you next time?

Last of the Light Brigade have been in action at the Fermain Tavern to launch their new single 'The Door'.

The guys had put in a lot of work to promote the event and I was was one of many who lined the trenches ready to receive the best that the band could fire in our direction.

I've been a long term champion of the band and have enjoyed seeing them grow in confidence when on stage and at the Saturday night gig they achieved new heights. The line-up had been re-enforced with extra troops and featured Andy Coleman on keys and John McCarthy on guitar. But it was The Cavalry Choir that turned the campaign into something really special.

Even this platoon of troopers wasn't enough for their Commander and Tyler Edmonds had conscripted Mark Le Gallez and Colin Leach of The Risk and Chris Dean from... oh, too many... to join LOTLB on stage for the final push.

The result was a great showcase for a Band that is clearly ready for the next call to arms.

Support to LOTLB was in the form of Guernsey's own foot-tapping skiffle-country proponants. Their performance would have justified the couple of quid entry on its own. That is more than enough to prove that - if you missed it - you missed a great night when local music was called to 'action stations'.

Pics are now online:
LAST OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE LAUNCH THEIR SINGLE - THE DOOR

Pics of The John Wesley Stone can be found here:
PICS OF THE BARN-STORMING JOHN WESLEY STONE

Today the Guernsey FC Green Lions showed that they will fight till the end as they achieved a win over Raynes Park Vale in the last minutes of a very competitive game.

The lead was swapped during the game as each team pressed forward but in the end it was the Guernsey sides persistence that paid off when they forced an own goal right on the full time whistle which gave them a 4 - 3 win.

Local legend Matt 'Le God' Tissier was in attendance and warmed up on the pitch before the game but didn't sit on the bench on this occasion. Matt's appearance in the Green Lions kit hasn't been ruled out for some time in the season.

Perhaps the only disappointment was the cancellation of another game when the fixture against Farnham Town had to be postponed on Saturday due to the waterlogged pitch. Whilst this gave the players a days rest they will now have to find a space in their already packed backlog of games.

But that concern is for another day. Today the Green Lions can relax and enjoy a great win.

I have added a Gallery of pics featuring some of the action:
VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY FC v RAYNES PARK VALE

No offence meant to the riders and drivers who took part in Round-1 of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club 2013 Sand Racing Championship, but that was a dreadful start to the season!

When you visit the beach you somehow expect that the water will be in the sea, not falling from above - driven by strong winds :-(

If you combine the awful weather with a pair of boots that have decided to leak and a waterproof jacket that no longer conforms to the Trade Description Act I admit that the overall result is something that I don't wish to repeat for a long time.

It is a fact that some forms of motorsport photography are rewarded by sticking around when it is wet.
For example it is possible to capture great pics at the Hill Climbs and Kart track when the heavens open. The 'roosters' can add something to a picture.

However on an exposed beach with the camera wrapped up in its steamed-up protective gear which greatly reduces your ability to even see any of the settings and then being restricted to the direction you can point the camera because of the driving rain, well, there is only one answer.

So I grabbed a few pics then did the obvious, I went home :-)

I'll be back when the sun shines :-)

My 'part-time' work is now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF SAND RACING ROUND-1

Guernsey FC's Green Lions created an impressive 4-1 win over visiting Horley Town when they played the first of three home games which make up a very busy weekend.

There has been a lot of media talk about the possible appearance at some point during the weekend of Matt Le Tissier in the Guernsey FC squad but this shouldn't overshadow another strong performance by the hard-working Green Lions.

We know that the unfortunate back-log of games will put great pressure on the squad as they try to climb to to the top of their league. Every motivation and help to keep the spirits and energy levels high will be harnessed and maybe a couple of appearances by 'Le God' on his home turf will just help The Lions pull it off!

Keep up the good work guys... the Island is behind you :-)

I have a few pics from the Guernsey FC v Horley Town game online:
VIEW GURNSEY FC v HORLEY TOWN

The weekend saw the Greenman MCC change their home venue of the open cliff tops at Pleinmont for the confines of the Fermain Tavern.

The Tavern had no problem offering a perfect venue for this warm-up gig that heralded the 2013 Chaos Festival. The word is that the Greenman MCC have chosen this year to tweak and improve on the popular formula and they are promising that this years Festival will be the best ever :-)

So with this word going out before the Tavern gig we were all expecting a pretty good night. The line-up included a few of our known reprobates in the form of Sugar Slam and Of Empires. This was a good start and the boys played storming sets.

But the band I was looking forward to seeing was Jersey's Harlequin Knights. I knew very little about them other than I had seen and photographed some of the band members before - in different bands.

Their performance was a highlight of the night as far as I'm concerned. They have great energy and charisma on stage. The songs are very well written and the vocal harmonies were superb... all this from a band that has only been together for seven months!

I understand that they will return to our isle to play at Chaos 2013. So there is your first reason to book in the weekend of 12th - 14th July for the Greenman MCC Chaos Festival. Don't miss it!
Take a look at the Greenman MCC web site for more details: http://www.chaosevents.com/

I have uploaded pics of the bands here:
VIEW PICS OF HARLEQUIN KNIGHTS
VIEW PICS OF SUGAR SLAM
VIEW PICS OF OF EMPIRES

Thanks for noticing my pics....

I'm quite amazed at today's response to the latest pics that I have added to my Galleries (but it could have been even better - read on).
The site analytics show that well over 16,000 picture viewings have been made in the last nine hours. I find this amazing and I have been humbled by the kind comments that have been posted by many people.

***UPDATE*** Viewings actually topped 26,000 in a 24 Hour period!!!

Whilst the interest in my work is all very nice - we all have an ego you know ;-) I very nearly left the Hill Climb early when it became clear that I had missed the very spectacular crash at the top of Le Val des Terres when Michael Beausire double rolled his beautiful Fiat 500 Abarth.
The good news is that Mike is sore but fine... the Abarth less so :-(
I wouldn't of wanted to make that phone call to my father telling him what I had just done to his pride and joy!!!

As a photographer those are the shots you just hope and wait for (we don't mean harm to anybody, honest). But of course you have to 'be there' to get the shot and I was at the opposite end of the hill. Bummer. Catch you next time Mike, promise!

In the end I stayed around and continued to try to capture some of the peak action moments from around the hill. I was even quite pleased with some of the pics... but still disappointed.

So thanks again for looking at my days work and for finding them hours before I posted this blog saying that they were online!

Got to love the Internet haven't you :-)
TAKE A LOOK AT THE LATEST HILL CLIMB PICTURE GALLERIES

Just a quickie this time as I'm preparing my kit for the final Motor Sport extravaganza of the busy weekend... the Bank Holiday Hill Climb.
So whilst the last of the batteries are being charged I have managed to prepare and upload pics of todays Autocross racing at Chouet.

My guess is that Peter Jory will be nursing a stiff neck at the Hill Climb tomorrow after making a complete roll-over - wheels to wheels (take a look at my pics). Pete even seemed keen to continue in the race but the regs insist on car and driver having a check-over first.

Not like the old days, eh!

Check-out all the action here:
TAKE A LOOK AT THE LATEST AUTOCROSS ACTION

Well I'm not complaining you understand, but having waited for the 2013 Guernsey Motor Sport season to start for proper, this weekend sees non-stop racing. Nice!

First on the list was the GK&MC Sprint meeting at Vazon coast road. It was cold.... very cold. Maybe it was even a bit too cold as there was a real lack of new records. I think we might have been spoilt by the last couple of seasons racing when so many new lows have been achieved.
It is far to early though to label the new season as ordinary yet!!!

With an Autocross race lined up for Sunday and the first Hill Climb of 2013 on Monday we are all going to be kept busy and entertained.

Talking about entertaining. Special thanks have to go to two competitors at the Sprint. Firstly to Richard Turk Vaudin who lit-up the rear tyre on his Hayabusa whilst warming it before a run. A mega burn-out would be good enough for most people... but Richard went one or two better than that by doing it one handed whilst creeping forward in total control. Stylish!
I got the pics.... job done :-)

But the prize has to go to Lee(three wheels on my wagon)Corbet who managed to lose a rear wheel half way down his run. The other one was also about to come adrift!
As no-one was hurt we can all have a laugh about it and I guess Lee is going to receive 'pay back' for his many years of 'taking the micky' out of other racers. Enjoy!
Full marks for style though as the tyre went though the finish and recorded a time, ha, ha.

It must have been my lucky day as I was also in the right place to capture pics of Lee's little mishap.
Sprint pics are now online:
VIEW PICS OF BURN-OUTS AND LONESOME WHEELS AT THE VAZON SPRINT

VIEW THE LATEST MOTOCROSS RACING
Last weekend seemed to herald the start to the Guernsey Motor Sport season for 2013.

Both the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club and the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club held events. We are also looking ahead to next weekend when the first Sprint and Hill Climb are booked in. It is non-stop Motor Racing from then on... just like the racers like it :-)

I have already posted pics of the GMC&CC 2-day Trials meeting so today's additions feature two of the GK&MC championships.

On Sunday the winter Kart Championship was wrapped-up at The Track with race three of the short series. The track conditions were pretty good for the karters. That is more than can be said for the Moto-X riders as they were welcomed once again by very muddy conditions.
It must be said though that the track did improve as the day went on and there is little that anyone can do about a dirt track that has suffered from record levels of rainfall and snow.

I don't think you will find a single competitor in any of the formulas that are raced in Guernsey who doesn't hope for a drier twelve months ahead! Fingers crossed, eh?

I'll be out and about (rain or shine) at just about every race of 2013. Make sure you look back regularly for the Gallery Updates.
VIEW ROUND 3 OF THE WINTER KART CHAMPIONSHIP

The Annual 2-Day Trials meeting organised by the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club is usually an excuse for an Island tour. This year was no different!

I don't know if a Trials bike has a mileometer but if they do the digits would have rolled around over the last couple of days.

There was a good entry for the 2013 2-day event and each day the sections were spread around cliff tops, beaches and valleys. I did my best to follow the competitors and was rewarded by the quality of riding. Once again the Expert riders impressed me with their skill and nerves. It was just a shame that the weather on Sunday was so bitterly cold on the beach sections as this must have put off some spectators.

The GMC&CC make every effort to provide a weekend of entertainment for the visiting riders from the Mainland and France. The formula certainly works as there were plenty of smiles... even on the exposed headlands.

See you all again in twelve months guys?

Pics of the 2-Day Trials are now online:
VIEW PICS OF THE GMC&CC 2-DAY TRIALS

I can't say it better than to quote Colin Leach (Guernsey Press 28-03-2013).

'It was a send-off in style. In what must count as one of the best gigs ever to be staged at Fermain Tavern, last weekend's appearance by Wilko Johnson and his band was a fitting end locally for a musician who has struck a chord with many - in more ways than one.'