I’m having a small photography exhibition at the wonderful Nostro coffee shop in Streatham during September, this is my first solo exhibition. I wanted the centre piece to be one of my favourite photographs taken in Dorset, the photo is taken early in the morning and captures the shards of sunlight coming through the trees as the mist starts to clear. As this is an Italian coffee shop I included two of my favourite images from Italy. The first is the Umbrella Tree overlooking Lake Como and the second is from the colourful Bellagio. I chose the black and white picture of Streatham rooftops in the snow as this is the view above the coffee shop. The final image is from the Bournemouth Air Festival of the Fireflies dusk display (see my blog post below on the Festival).
Bournemouth Air Festival 2021
The Bournemouth Air Festival made a fantastic return to the town after an absence last year due to Covid. The Red Arrows were back following their tour of the US and Canada in 2019 and they shared top billing with the RAF Typhoon. Bournemouth is a great place for aircraft to display as you can stand on the clifftops and watch as the planes fly over the sea. I have posted a few of the many photos I took below:
The RAF Red Arrows:
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging, I wanted to capture the planes as they passed the memorial to Jon on the clifftop overlooking the sea.
The RAF Typhoon is my favourite aircraft, it flew displays during the day and at dusk. I love the noise and power of this great machine, the UK’s first line of defence.
The Blades, a civilian team made up of former Red Arrows pilots fly low-wing, high performance Extra EA-300S aircraft:
Super Pitts Muscle Plane - Pitts S2S:
Royal Navy Wildcat - Wildcat HMA2
The Blades, P-47, P-51, Spitfire and Buchon
The above include the Rolls Royce Spitfire XIX, Chinook HC6A, AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers - Boeing Stearman, Tigers FFT Parachute Team and the dusk display from the Fireflies - two Van’s RV4s.
After one of their displays a Wingwalker plane suffered engine trouble, the pilot managed to avoid rocks, boats and people and put the plane down in the water at the entrance to Poole harbour. The two crew only suffered minor injuries.
Below is one of my favourite images of the Fireflies taken a few years ago:
London Laser Show
Samsung have put on a laser show from the Cheesegrater in London to promote their new phone. The lasers looked great shining across the River Thames!
Snow in London
When "The Beast from the East" arrived it brought icy cold temperatures, but it also brought snow to the capital which meant photographers everywhere were out in force. We had snow overnight followed by a sunny morning which was great for taking pictures. I have added a couple to the London gallery and posted a few below.
Eye4Change: Photowalks
I recently attended an Eye4Change Photowalk in Hamstead. This was not an area of London I had visited before so it was a great opportunity to explore and take some photos on a guided walk with a professional photographer. The walks help to raise funds for Eye4Change and help to fund essential projects that stimulate social change and positive social inclusion. The next walk will take place in Soho on March 18th. If you would like to join future walks click here for details.
Eye4Change: Out of Sight Exhibition
The Eye4Change Out of Sight Exhibition is taking place between Wednesday 26th July and Wednesday 9th August 2017 at the Heritage Gallery in the University of Greenwich. The exhibition is the result of digital photography workshops with young people aged 12-17 in Greenwich. The workshops provided the opportunity to learn and apply a range of creative and technical photography skills. I have been supporting this project by volunteering and assisting with the workshops which began in late 2016.
It has been great to work with the young people and to see them grow as photographers. The resulting exhibition is full of very strong images and I can recommend a visit when the exhibition opens later this month.
Lake Como
I have added a few photos to the Italy Gallery from one of the most beautiful locations in the world - Lake Como. I was lucky enough to visit earlier in the year and it was amazing to take pictures there.
Southwark Cathedral Candlelight Evening
I recently had the chance to visit a candlelit photography evening at Southwark Cathedral. These are quite rare events and offered the chance to bring a tripod into the Cathedral and explore the darkness and the light. Here are a couple of photographs I took during the event:
Sleeklens Presets for Lightroom Review
I have been asked to write a short review of Sleeklens Presets for Lightroom in return for trying out the workflow. The collection I was using is called Through the Woods and has been specifically designed for Landscape Photography. There are 51 Landscape presets and 30 Landscape brushes included in the workflow and they were easy to setup with YouTube videos provided to give step by step instructions on how to install and use the workflow to its full potential. The presets work by providing a selection of "all in one" presets which can be used as a base (these are fully adjustable) with the option of building on this by stacking other presets on top. The presets are labeled clearly which makes them easy to work with and the brushes are also stackable. This workflow has really enhanced my editing and I am very happy and impressed with the results.
I have edited the following two photos using the Through the Woods workflow:
New Forest
This is a short video of four ponies in The New Forest, Hampshire. They were enjoying the evening sunshine next to the river.
Her Majesty the Queen
A picture I took earlier this year of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. This picture was taken after Trooping the Colour and was Princess Charlotte's first appearance on the balcony.
The Shard
The Shard is one of my favourite buildings in London. I love the dramatic sky in this picture taken from The View from the Shard.
Lunar Total Eclipse
This picture was taken in Dorset during a Supermoon Total Eclipse. The Moon was close to the Earth and the weather was clear which made for a spectacular display. The Moon is a red colour as the only light falling on the surface has passed through the Earth's atmosphere where the higher energy blue photons have scattered leaving the red to light up the Moon.
France and Italy
I have updated the Italian part of the Gallery with a couple of new pictures from Venice and some pictures from the beautiful city of Verona. I have also added some photos from Paris and Versailles :-)
Morocco
A few pictures from Marrakech are on display in the gallery following my first trip to this wonderful city. We stayed at the amazing La Sultana hotel inside the Medina. This hotel is made up of 5 different Riads each with their own distinct character. La Sultana provided an oasis of calm from the colourful vibrant souks and the mayhem on the bustling streets outside. Marrakech is a place that will stay with me for a long time :-)
Christmas Lights
Christmas lights are shining brightly all over town. One of my favourite displays this year are the lights in Sloane Square.
Aeroplanes and Tall ships
Over the past two weeks I was lucky enough to visit the Bournemouth International Air Festival and the Greenwich Tall Ships Festival. Click below to see some of my photographs from these events:
Read MoreCabbages & Frocks Market
Yesterday I had my very own stall at the 'Cabbages & Frocks' Saturday market. This is a market at the top of Marylebone High Street in north London. Set in the grounds of St Marylebone Parish Church amongst the trees and cobbled paths it's a beautiful location.
This was the first time I had printed and framed a group of my photographs together and I was really pleased with the results. A photograph takes on another life when you bring it from the digital into the physical world. It was a fun day and I met lots of interesting people, I'm sure I will return to Marylebone soon.
Venezia
Pictures of Venice are now available in the gallery following my first visit to this wonderful city. It is one of those places where there is a photo around every corner. Really enjoyed exploring the canals, campos and piazza. One of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre
Today see's the launch of a new photography exhibition at the Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre in the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich. The Centre has recently been refurbished and welcomes thousands of visitors to the Royal Borough of Greenwich each summer. The exhibition (entitled "The River") is a collection of film and digital photographs taken by students of Greenwich Community College who have attended a part-time advanced photography course. The exhibition runs until Sunday 18th May. This is one of my entries on display in the exhibition:
