The Gumball Rally/Hard Rock Cafe
I was recently hired to cover The Hard Rock Cafe sponsorship of The Gumball Rally (Photo and Video). A road trip of some of the most prestigious and awesome cars on the planet from Edinburgh to Montenegro. Thirteen countries in thirteen days. I had a complete blast!!
London Calling
A conference in London gave me the opportunity to roam the streets in the evening and take advantage of the long summer nights and the the long summer shadows. I used to live in London when I started my career and it was great to spend some time in the place I used to call home.
A random request from the other side of the world sends me on an adventure
I recently caught up with a young lady called Tiffany. I had not seen her for about 25 years and she was a child when she left for Australia. Her grandfather was an artist and so is her Mother and she is following in their footsteps (https://www.tiffanyrysdale.com/)
After she returned home she found a painting by her late grandfather and could not work out what a section of the painting represented. I recognised the location and went out on a mission to uncover the mystery. With the help and permission of the land owner I gained access to the spot and although there was some real sadness around doing this I felt glad that I had in some way helped. I took this photo while I was there...
The Album Cover is complete
I have been working with local musician Stuart Lees. One of the wonderful acquaintances that have come about as a direct consequence of lock-down and the indomitable nature of the human race to keep creating, no matter what.
The album may be released on vinyl and we have a wealth of graphics to adorn the cover when that does happen. Meanwhile you can only have one image per Spotify album...so here's the link...
...and here's the image...
The variety of photography and why it is so healthy
If you ever feel that there is not enough time in the day, I would urge you to take up photography. Time will slow down and focusing (no pun intended) on the beautiful and unique qualities that are forever present in the world around us is a gift. The camera is not important. Decoding our 3/4/5...dimensional world into a 2 D format can become an addictive and amazing therapy.
The disappointment and motivation of not succeeding
I had entered a competition recently and in my head, I had already received a "Highly Commended" award only to find out that it had not even been short-listed.
Within a minute I had changed my attitude and given myself a wee slap. Looking at the image I realised the judges were right. It was technically fine and had a pleasant aesthetic but was it outstanding? Nope.
Cheers! Best thing that could've happened.
I love the image, it was one of a set of promo images for The Dukes of Uke. Here it is...
I'm right behind you Harry Styles!
I did a photoshoot for my lovely missus recently to promote her amazing music. Anne posted the photo on Instagram to promote an upcoming Joni Mitchell show in Biggar later in the year. One of the hashtags she used was #bigyellowtaxi. Harry styles had also just done a cover of the track at the BBC Maida Vale Studio and was also promoting that on Instagram.
Here is the image and here is a screenshot of the trending stats for the hashtag. Look who is on the hashtag profile image and look how close that image got to the number one spot!
Anne will be on the top spot one day and it will be nothing to do with the photo. Check her out https://www.instagram.com/annegairmusic/
Street Photography
One of my major passions. Many people do not get it and give me a bit of a sideways look when I talk about it. "You do what?"
I travel hundreds of miles a month just to walk among complete strangers with a camera and very often I come home with nothing, but again, the process is key. Keep doing the work, accept failure...in fact...expect failure. At the end of the day it doesn't matter but I just love doing it. Here are a couple of my favourites from Glasgow recently. Oh, and the 3 Legged man featured on an International Street Photography video recently....which was nice :-)
In closing
I'm delighted to be able to immerse myself in this art and am getting the opportunity to work with some very talented and inspirational people along the way.
There are some images that I have worked on over the last month that I am not at liberty to share at the moment for various reasons. From a 2 year old superstar to a female racing driver to a beautiful horse with only days left to live and many more. Each one very special and completely unforgettable in their own unique way.
Take care all and hope to bump into you on a street sometime soon!
I'd like to dedicate this one to my Dad. An award winning photographer, artist and expert in many fields who, in his own way, taught me to always put family first.
