Festivities, fun and fireworks

Well, it only seems like about a year ago (give or take a few days) since I last wrote about the 'C' word. Yup, that's right - Christmas is just around the corner once again!

Am I more prepared this year? Um... well, I'd have to go with an optimistic "It's too early to say right now." Certainly there are a few things which have been discussed and which have got my brain moving in the right direction. One major achievement, though, is that I have a date set in the diary for getting the decorations out and put up. Hey, it's progress!

On a larger, more public scale, you would expect commercial organisations to be in full flow on this front. And from what I can see on a local level, they are. Christmas lights, street entertainers, hot chestnut vendors, kiddies meeting Santa's reindeer... all these things were set up and ready to be captured through my lens on a recent shoot for one of the local city councils.

In terms of photography, this was pretty typical stuff for me - but as regular readers know, I love getting involved with events as they present so much subject matter to indulge in! Doesn't matter what the theme is - everything from local themed Birthday parties to internationally-recognised multiple-day events.

Thankfully, I was given a pretty loose brief on this day, with only two main technical considerations. One was to keep an eye on timings, as various highlights were happening in specific places at specific times (such as a choir singing and the turning-on of Christmas lights).

Secondly, I had to be aware of the inclusion of young children (sub-18yrs) in my pictures. Such is our current climate of fear/paranoia/mistrust that I will typically make a point of introducing myself to any kids' parents, explain why I am photographing, and for whom, and then request permission to take photographs.

On this latter point, a standard official minor-/model release form often needs to be completed; something of an inconvenience at times, but at least it does offer some reassurance to all those involved about one's legitimacy and professionalism. In simple terms, it is an official 'permission slip', and is standard practice in our industry. It's sad to have to take these steps, but an unfortunate necessity.

But back to the event...

All was going well up to about 4:45pm when, with light almost completely faded, the area was treated to a not-altogether-festive downpour of rain which, quite typically, decided to fall in biblical fashion just around the time that the firework display was set in motion, moments after the blessing of the Christmas tre and turning on of lights.

Having researched and arranged my shooting position earlier in the day, all plans quickly evaporated as I only had a 7-minute window and needed to get some - any - shots showing the display acting out behind the cathedral. In spite of the conditions, I managed to get the tripod set up just in time (to avoid camera shake during long exposures).

So relentless was the weather that I could not very well keep the lens free from rain as the camera was tilted skywards and (due to logistical reasons) I did not have an umbrella to hand. Without exaggeration, the water was literally flowing off my camera and yet the Nikon still performed (another fitting testament to the pro- versus amateur-build quality debate).

You can clearly see the water droplets recorded as out-of-focus highlights in the picture on the left here. Yes, I could have wiped the glass, but this would only have smeared the water around - and with so little time available, I would most likely have missed my chance to record a decent number of frames.

Now, admittedly these were not the greatest fireworks pictures I have ever produced (they wouldn't be, under such conditions) - but you know what, I kind of like happy accidents. Call it 'artistic license' if you like. Whatever. But at the end of the day, I am a creative who is brought onboard a project for that very reason - to put my angle on recording the subjects I am presented with.

All said and done, everyone seemed to be having a great time and were not put off by this soggy end to the day. The resulting imagery will now be used immediately and throughout the coming year (and beyond) for all manner of promotional purposes. Think in terms of websites, flyers, festivities brochures in the run-up to Christmas, annual reports etc and you won't be far wrong.

You know what? It almost feels like Christmas... :)

In spite of the rain...

Whilst up in Manchester, Manda and I decided to take a trip out into the countryside of Bowland - a lovely area of rivers, sheep and rolling hills crossing rural Lancashire and North Yorkshire in the North West of England. I'm sure there's probably more to the place than that, but these were just my initial observations!

Having been treated in Blackpool, the day before, to a relatively mild afternoon with dry weather and a fantastic sunset, we were all fired up to have another day out walking around and taking pictures 'just because we can'. As I said in a previous post, creating more personal work is very much on my 'to do regularly' list this year.

In theory then, the idea of another day out was a good one... Seeing that the light was pretty good and conditions were almost rain-free, we packed the car with everything we'd need to create simple lighting on location - 2 flash guns (Nikon SB-800s), 2 lightweight stands and a set of Pocket Wizard remotes (for reliable wireless flash triggering). Between us, we were using both Nikon and Canon camera/lens kit. Oh, and just for a bit of comfort, a flask of coffee came along too (pity we forgot the milk!).

I say the idea was a good one 'in theory', because nature had other plans for us.

With every mile we drove, the wet stuff got worse. Specks of rain turned into a fine drizzle, before passing through a state of what can at best be described as 'lazy droplets', before threatening to become a downpour. Add to this the increasing cold and we were getting further and further away from what would be considered 'favorable' conditions.

But of course, in true British spirit (that is to say a stubborn and determined fashion), we refused to be beaten by this. I always carry a bunch of clear freezer and zip-lock bags with me, to keep all the electronic stuff dry in such scenarios - and thankfully, as ever, this simple, cost-effective solution proved perfect for the job.

Modern pro kit is pretty resilient these days - it has to be - but even so, it makes sense to give it a helping hand from time to time.

We managed to get a good few pictures in the can between us before the decision was made to head off to a different location further up the road. In the event, the weather really set in and so 'Plan B' came into force - head for the nearest pub on the way back and have a late lunch before settling down to a warm evening and review our day's efforts.

All in all, we had a great time in Bowland. And despite the weather, the experience only served to fuel what drives us as photographers, and what it's all about - a passion for photography, and a desire to make images. Pure and simple. And with the thought of long summer evenings on the not-so-distant horizon, we can't wait to get out and about and do more of the same!

All at sea

I am tired this evening - and understandably so, I think. Why? Well, it may have something to do with the 5:45am start, the 7am meeting or the 10am shoot. But most likely it is due to all of these, combined with the shoot that then followed at 12pm.

You see, this second job was on the water - and as we all know, spending any amount of time down by the sea can leave you somewhat worn out by the end of the day! I cannot reveal the details surrounding this assignment, I'm afraid, as it is part of a new project due to be launched in the coming months - but rest assured it is all very exciting stuff, and I will be explaining more when the time comes.

The weather was not completely ideal, but at least we were done before the clouds really set in and the spots of rain began to fall. The pictures you see here (view larger) are just three examples of those taken within a matter of a few hours - and with typical GBP flexibility.

In total, we shot somewhere in the region of 500 pictures, giving a wide visual selection across the subject matter - including everything from the smaller details right the way up to wide all-encompassing vistas.