Ryan Giggs at East Cheshire Hospice

Manchester United star Ryan Giggs is an avid supporter of East Cheshire Hospice in Macclesfield. The hospice needs to raise a mind boggling £6,000 per day to keep running and somehow with lots of generous support the team there manage to do it. A very worthwhile cause to support.

Ryan was a perfect gent and chatted happily with patients and staff alike, signing loads of autographs.

25th Anniversary

Congratulations to Greater Manchester Chamber's Breakfast Club on its 25th Anniversary. A good event was had by all with the usual quality networking opportunity. A few photos I took for them - rather an early start though!

Small, Blonde & Prickly

The RSPCA had been looking after this rare blonde hedgehog and I was asked to photograph it when it was released in to its new habitat at Norton Priory. I lay low in the grass to capture it against the colourful spring flowers as it explored its new surroundings. BBC North West Tonight used the photo on its weather slot. Cute!

North West Professional Photography Awards

A good night for me at the recent North West Professional Photography Awards; 2 silvers, 3 bronzes and 3 merit awards, so all in all I'm quite chuffed. The North West is a hot bed of photographic talent, so to be recognised amongst the best photographers in the area is a big honour for me. Here are the photos:

An arty shot of some gaskets and car parts, brought to life by coloured gels...

A corporate portrait done as a silhouette:

A couple of King Charles spaniels, who were excluded as guests from a wedding I was photographing - worth the trip to the dry cleaners for my suit...

Blonde hedgehog - just cute...

Some paper shoes...

Fashion shot taken in a scrapyard...

Studio shot of young lad - what a character!..

Photo of Prague station, taken on a Holga toy camera...

Picture of the Week - Speed

Occasionally circumstances beyond your control come together to help you create a strong image. It was so windy near these chevrons that I could barely stand, so all my photos were blurred, accidentally but perfectly enhancing the effect of speed I wanted to capture. Two cars approaching each other on the road at just the right moment gave the image the extra element which it needed. The slight fog softened the lights and I tilted my camera to exaggerate the cornering effect. It was worth being buffeted by the wind because I sold the picture through my stock library.

Picture of the Week - Prague

I took this on a toy camera called a Holga. Its cheap plastic lens softens the image and distorts the edges. It uses film (wonderful) and is prone to light leaks, hence the slight magenta discolouration at the edges. I love this unpredictability that can bring an extra dimension to a photo. You don’t know quite what you’ve caught until the film is developed. This is the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn in Prague and the treatment perfectly suits the muted colours of this scene.

Picture of the Week - Evening Glow

It's a great time to take photos once the sun has set but there is still light in the sky. I took this picture of Thira in Santorini just as it was coming to life for the evening and it’s a mix of natural and artificial light. The stepped buildings lead your eye up to the church with its splash of green. The white walls of the buildings glow with a soft warm magenta that's reflected from the muted colours remaining in the sky.