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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

VIEW PICS OF THE BRITISH SHOWJUMPING GUERNSEY DERBY
I am quite amazed how busy this photography 'one man band' actually is!

I'm not sure why this should be as there are more than enough photographers competing for the same business. But the fact is that I am continually booked and trying to keep up with my work. The photography I am commissioned for is amazing in its variety and I have a couple of really exciting new projects on the go... more about them later.

It is the Commercial 'Tallpictures' business that is the main side (read income) of my photography. However I don't often add pictures of this work due to the private nature of photographing property. A taster for that side of my work can be viewed here:
VIEW THE TALLPICTURES GALLERIES

This web-site mostly presents the other sides of my work - mainly all forms of Sports Photography and Festival/Gig photography.

It is these areas of work that I have been catching up with and a few more picture galleries have been added.

These small galleries feature a few pics of the recent Channel Islands Golf Championship Finals, the Full Boar Rifle Inter-insula and the British Showjumping Guernsey Derby at Chemin le Roi.

Follow the links to view the pics:

VIEW PICS OF THE FULL BOAR RIFLE INTER-INSULA

VIEW PICS OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

Spectators were treated to a Grandstand view of the spectacular Avon Tyres - TTC Group National Hillclimb Championship when it arrived in Guernsey for the weekend.

Rounds nineteen and twenty were completed in the most extraordinary, changeable weather conditions. Luckily the worst was thrown at us in the morning which allowed time for the summer sun to go to work on drying out the track.

Perhaps the perfect tarmac surface never had time to dry under the mid-hill corners but that was no dampener on the racing and by the top corners the competitors were able to push as hard as ever.

This was where the specially built raised seating area near the finish line offered a fantastic view for the lucky ones who could find a spare seat.

The added benefit was that the packed crowd played off each other to raise the level of excitement making the applause louder than I can remember for any previous Hillclimb.

Lets hope the 'stadium' returns....

I've now completed the edit for both National Hillclimbs with the final updates showing the action from Le Val des Terres in Guernsey now online.

Check-out the pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY ROUNDS OF THE NATIONAL HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP

WOW.... those were two amazing days of Motorsport!

When the MSA Avon Tyres - TTC Group National Hillclimb roadshow visits the two Channel Island hills we know we will be treated to top-level action... but this year had added drama that was worthy of a Hollywood film. You couldn't write it better!

We had loads of track action and excitement and also experienced all the seasons of weather.... everything from a heatwave to hail!

Of course it was Jersey who had the heatwave leaving Guernsey to supply the torrential rain and hail. However by the end of Saturday's racing we did prove that the sun does shine on the righteous Guernsey 'Donkeys'.... eventually!

We also came away from the two events with something special that the Crappo's couldn't match... not even close :-)

I have been sat down in front of my screens catching up with the two days of shooting as I have pics to select, edit, caption and submit to two National Motorsport Magazines - Autosport Magazine and Motorsport News.

Each of the publications are running Eddie Walder's race reports supported by my pics. Eddie reports and commentates on National Hillclimbs all around the UK but he certainly faces a big challenge to fit in all these meetings drama!

I've also had to submit pics to the Jersey Evening Post and the Guernsey Press.... but they are now sorted so the next priority is the website updates.

Pics of the Jersey MSA National Hillclimb are now online.....

Oh, by the way, did I forget to mention that it was a Guernseyman who won a Round of the National Hillclimb Championship in Jersey. Guernsey Donkeys are obviously fast as well as stubborn.

That's a local joke if you're not from the Channel Islands... our local arch rivals, the slower Jersey 'Crappo's' will get it ;-)

Well done to 'Guernsey's own' Darren Warwick for winning a Jersey round of the National Hillclimb Championship.

Pics from Jersey are now online. Guernsey to follow shortly:
VIEW PICS OF THE JERSEY ROUND OF THE NATIONAL HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP

I spent a short time on Sunday in the very pleasant surroundings of the Talbot Valley whilst photographing the first stage of the Velo Club's annual Mountain Bike 'Tour of Guernsey'.

I had been asked to cover this stage by the Guernsey Press and found that the competition was just as competitive as I remember!

There was a good field of over fifty riders who started what would be a week of varied courses around the island. By the final day the riders will have faced a variety of challenges and their stamina will have been well tested.

A small gallery of pictures has been added to this web-site. Take a look here:
VIEW PICS OF THE 2014 TOUR OF GUERNSEY

After a week of beautiful blue skies the sun was reluctant to show its face today. What a shame as I had an afternoon on the beach pencilled in my diary.

In the end it wasn't quite the disappointment it could have been as a couple of other jobs came in and my time on the beach was cut short.

I did hang around for a couple of races so I do have a few pics to add to the Galleries.

Here we go.... take a look here:
PICS FROM A SHORT VISIT TO THE SAND RACING

No-one can accuse the Greenman of skimping on the entertainment when it comes to their Chaos Festival.

I've only just added the last of the Bands to my Galleries and that makes this the end of a pretty long list.

Try this for a line-up... and I missed several Bands!

The pictures of Bands that I captured over the three days of Chaos were:

Therapy?, Nemesis, [spunge], Sugar Slam, Blakalaska, Demise of Sanity, FlashMob, Tantale, Crazy Babies, Coastal Fire Dept, Byzanthian Neckbeard, The Recks, Brunt, Bulletproof, Stone Em All, Static Alice, To the Woods, Rick Jones, Buffalo Huddleston, Fly Casual, Blue Mountains, The Cryptics, Whose Shoes, Skid Rue and Rat Salad.

So, like I said, no-one can complain about the lack of entertainment!

I think I can also say that no-one can accuse me of not putting in a full weekend of work... and all of this was achieved with a pint in my hand!

Nice work when you can get it :-)
VIEW THE COMPLETED GREENMAN CHAOS FESTIVAL PICS

'Motorsport Sunday 2014' was a great success, we must hope it becomes an annual event.

The St Peter Port seafront and Salerie car-park were closed for the day to allow the many Guernsey Motorsport, Car, Bike, Historic Vehicle and Model Car Clubs to showcase themselves.

The three Emergency Services also put on an impressive showcase of their vehicles and kit.

After a wet start to the day the sun came out and so did the crowds making this new event a great success.

I'm sure many of the visitors to Motorsport Sunday would have been suprised how much racing machinery is owned and raced by local enthusiasts... and what was on show was just a tiny proportion of the whole lot!

It was great to see the many different Clubs come together to promote the scene as a whole. The usual thing is for the Clubs to operate on their own. Fostering a community spirit must be good for everyone involved.

Let's hope this first effort will grow over the next few years...
VIEW PICS OF MOTORSPORT SUNDAY 2014

What's better than the roar of a loud, racing V8 engine?

Well, TWO of course!

...and the many fans of the Guernsey Powerboat Association's Powerboat racing championship were treated to exactly that over the weekend when Martyn Robert joined Dave Corbet with another V24 Class boat:-)

The second race of the weekend offered more favourable conditions for photography... at least it was sunny! The brighter conditions have a massive impact on the vibrancy we can capture.

For a start the sea actually looks blue, rather than grey, and the race boats colours really come alive. Just compare the picture in my previous Blog to see what I mean.

I chose a different viewpoint for the Sunday as I like to vary the shots. I also had to photograph the 'Motorsport Sunday' on the seafront.

There will be another mention of this brilliant showcase of the Guernsey Motorsport scene in my next Blog.

For now though, you can check-out pics of the two days of water-based racing here:
VIEW PICS OF THE POWERBOAT RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

After a week of editing Chaos Festival pics it was a nice change to get some fresh air out on Richard Turk Vaudin's boat.

Thanks again for the ride :-)

The occasion wasn't a holiday, honest. No it was strictly business, honest!

I was grateful for the chance to get out to one of the distant corners of the Guernsey Powerboat Association's race-course in what weren't perfect conditions for photography.

The boat was a perfect stable platform, however as is often the case we couldn't really get close enough to the action. Also the light was grey and dull.

But the show has to go on and I captured around one hundred and fifty action pics.

It was also interesting to share the boat with three other photographers. The fact that we were all confined to the same three metre square area and we all saw the same action it will offer an interesting opportunity to compare our results... we all have our own style of shooting.

I've uploaded my edit of the race. Check the pics here:
VIEW PICS OF POWERBOAT RACE-5

A Master Class in Festival stage lighting and performance...

That about sums it up!

When all the necessary ingredients come together you have to have high hopes that the finished dish will be tasty!

The Greenman Chaos main stage dished up a culinary delight when Saturday's head-liners took to the main stage.

Now I am on record as saying that I'm not the greatest Metal fan (sorry guys). However, when I manage to keep my tongue out of my cheek for long enough to take a few pics, I have never been disappointed by my shots of the local self appointed heroes of Metal.... Nemesis.

These guys know how to command a stage. Some may consider them a 'Marmite Band'.... but you cannot challenge that they offer generous portions of entertainment.

Too many Bands don't understand that a performance is just that. Entertain me please.

I'm pretty sure your most memorable gigs included great stage presence... as well as the music.

So that was the main course served up. But every satisfying meal includes a bit more than that.

This is where the dishes come together.

I have been guilty of stating my disappointment (on occasions) with the lighting style and balance that some light techies use. In fact I know that I have niggled some egos. However there has never been criticism of the overall job these guys do. I know they are lighting the stage for the audience - not the nerdy Photog!

My comments, however, are bound to be from my own viewpoint. I know what lighting works for good pics - and what makes it almost impossible to get good results from.

So, to make my point, the stage lighting at Chaos was incredible (for me). Of course it built as the day darkened and all the bells & whistles where in operation for Saturday's head-liners, Nemesis.

For an hour or so I was in photographic culinary heaven. I'll give the performance five Michelin Stars!!

Satisfy your own appetite by checking my pics...
FEAST ON A FEW PICS OF NEMESIS AT CHAOS 10