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Monday 20 December 2010

Scarlett Sta Burlesque Show


















After organising a photo shoot with a model & burlesque dancer, Ruby Rubelle, I was desperate to see what they did at such a show. I went along to their latest performance in Portsmouth last night. The show was very good. Sadly some of the acts could not attend due to being snowed in, but the remaining acts did a super job at entertaining, as well as the compere singing some hysterical songs in-between dances.

Here are just a few of the nights images. Movement and lighting was a bit restrictive, but a few nice shots nevertheless.

Willow & Monty









A quick few shots i took yesterday of my dogs enjoying a play in the snow!

As with all animals, getting a good shot requires lots of patience. Luckily my dogs are very well trained and sit for me no problem. The hard bit is getting them to both look at you at the same time.

For anyone with pets out there, why not consider a nice portrait of your animal. Large prints or a canvas for home, or just a Cd of images? Get in touch for a bargain!

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Army Photographer of The Year - Runner Up 2010









ARMY PHOTOGRAPHIC WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Army today showcased winning images of soldiers at work and play, as prizes were given to winners of the Army Photographic Competition at the Imperial War Museum.
The competition shows Afghanistan as seen through the soldiers’ eyes, with amateur and professional categories for Best Operational Image. Other categories include Best Sporting Image, Best Non-Operational Image and for the first time this year also includes video/multimedia categories.
The Competition is run by the Army and is open to all Army and Territorial Personnel and Ministry of Defence Civilians who work directly for the Army.
General Sir Peter Wall, Head of the British Army, awarded the winners of the Army Photographic Competition at a special ceremony at the Imperial War Museum on 1 December 2010.
This year categories included:
• Best Operational Video / Multi-media package
• Best Operational Image
• Professional Photographer of the Year
• Amateur Photographer of the Year
• Best Sporting Image of the Year
The award for Professional Photographer of the Year was presented to Cpl Gary Kendall. This was his first photographic role after completing his qualification.
Presenting the awards to the winners, Gen Sir Peter Wall said:
“These photographs show the breadth of British Army activity, not only in Afghanistan but across the full range of operations, tasks and commitments. Today’s presentation recognises the work of our professional and amateur photographers and illustrates the many faces of Army life. There are some outstanding images that have taken skill and in some cases courage to capture and I congratulate them all. This is a splendid collection.”

Quid Pro Quo for Army Photographer Pictures



When Status Quo shot their music video for In The Army Now with the British Army, Corporal Steve Blake, a photographer with the Royal Logistic Corps, went along to capture the moment. Now his images have been immortalised in the Quo's own European tour brochure.

Whilst 4th Battalion The Rifles, based at Bulford Camp, performed their drills to the beat of the Quo classic, and Francis Rossi and his fellow bandsmen experienced the Army at its loudest on Bovington tank range in Dorset, Steve, 29, was busy recording the events on his digital camera.

And now the ‘Quo’ have chosen Steve’s pictures to use in their glossy A3 Quit Pro Quo tour brochure, which has been produced in support of the band’s European tour, which runs until September next year.

Steve, who is based at Headquarters Land Forces in Andover, was delighted to be tasked with the job of photographing the Quo at work alongside the British Army.

He said: “They wanted a photographer to cover the actual recording of the video to get a third person’s view on how the video was made, stuff behind the scenes on the band, how they interacted with the troops and to get a real homely feel on what Status Quo were doing for the charity Help for Heroes.”

Keepsake

During the two-day shoot Steve, who hails from Seaford, East Sussex, was able to capture the rock legends relaxing with the troops, between shoots, and operating some of the Army’s weapons. The band members saw demonstrations of heavy artillery and got to ride in a Sherman tank and some of the Army’s other armoured fighting vehicles.

“They’re an absolute blast to work with,” Steve said. “Considering they are reasonably mature gentlemen, it’s certainly not the case with their personalities, they’re very humorous. It was a good two days working with the Quo. Yeah, it was a really good experience.”

Having offered his photos to the Quo’s manager Simon Porter, Steve assumed they just wanted them as a keepsake of their two days with the Army. He said: “About a week after I sent the photos Simon contacted me to say the pictures were great and that he’d like to use them in the tour brochure, and would that be okay.

“I didn’t think much of it until I received the brochures in the post. To see one of my pictures filling the centre spread as well as my images on the three consecutive pages felt like a fantastic achievement, in my eyes.

“They say size doesn’t matter, but the picture size - one image on a centre spread of a big A3 booklet - and to be credited for those as well, is fantastic.

“From a photographer’s point of view, getting that much coverage in a publication which will be sold around Europe to people at every concert they perform at between now and September next year is something that will be a long-lasting memory for me.”

Over the last year, Steve has photographed numerous celebrities, both military and civilian, one of the highlights being Trooping the Colour, where he photographed the Queen. “I’ve been to the Help for Heroes concert at Twickenham, too,” he said, “which was full of celebrities like James Blunt and Robbie Williams.

“It was also a privilege to photograph the first reunion of Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow on stage in 15 years. It has been a really busy year so far.”

Steve’s work doesn’t end there, however, as he is about to deploy to Afghanistan, the day after his 29th birthday , to photograph operations. He said: “This month in Afghanistan is going to be something a bit different to what we normally cover and hopefully we’ll be back in time for Christmas.”

Army Photographers

It’s not just images of war being captured. The every-day life of the British Army at home and around the world is recorded by photographers like Steve, who are employed by the Royal Logistic Corps.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Exercise Wessex Warrior











Exercise Wessex Warrior is ran on the Salisbury Plain, within Imber Village. The Exercise was used as a training aid for 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers prior to deploying to Afghanistan. The Exercise is aimed at real life village entry and security procedures. The troops are put into the village, under certain scenarios, using interpreters from Afganistan, to deal with the local population. They are required to gain information and secure the village.

The exercise was also a bit of a challenge for me and my camera kit. Starting the attack at first light meant shooting at seriously high ISO's. Having said that, focussing was also very hard due to the major lack of light. Manually focussing fast moving objects is no easy task! Once the light came up we were away, changing exposure to go into the buildings only. 

After a quick edit, here are a small selection of the days images.

Rhythm Force 2010







The very best rock, pop and folk bands from Army Music perform some of the greatest anthems. Musicians from the Bands of the Coldstream Guards, Royal Artillery, Rifles, Kings, Scots and Parachute Regiment are joined by the Army Big Band at this, the fifth year of Rhythm Force.
Headlining the event is the iconic British rock band Status Quo, who are appearing for charity in support of the British Forces Foundation and Help For Heroes charities.
On 26 September 2010, Status Quo will release a brand new version of their classic hit "In The Army Now". All profits from this updated and lyrically-reworked version of a true fan favourite will be donated equally to the British Forces Foundation and Help For Heroes charities.
Other guests at Rhythm Force include Hayley Westenra, The Soldiers and Ray Quinn.