Coronation Street Star at East Cheshire Hospice

I've been working at East Cheshire Hospice again and had the pleasure of meeting Corrie star Samia Smith who plays Maria. She's a patron of the hospice and was also being filmed by Granada TV to help promote the hospice's upcoming Midnight Walk. She spoke openly about her father who was cared for by the hospice in his last days and describes the hospice as a happy place. I couldn't agree more; I enjoy meeting the staff and nurses and there is always a very calm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere about the place. Samia was a joy to photograph, so easy to talk to and really cared about the patients there. Do support the hospice through the walk if you can - take a look at their website. They need to raise a phenomenal £6000 per day to keep running. I've decided to do the Midnight Walk myself, so if you'd like to donate to the hospice please do so by following this link.

Picture of the Week - Lindos

I love the beautiful deep blue of the sky just before it gets dark. This is Lindos, on the island of Rhodes, switching on for the evening. The eye meanders through the maze of houses, past the lights in the centre and out towards the Acropolis that so dominates that magical Greek skyline.

MAST Appeal

I have been supporting Macclesfield Hospital's MAST appeal as they aim to raise £150,000 for a new digital breast scanner by December. This is John Jones who supports the appeal by playing his accordion in the hospital corridors - great to have a musical accompaniment whilst I took his photo. Please take a look at the MAST website to learn more about this worthy cause.
And a Fun Day was held at Macclesfield Town F.C. and a great time was had by all.
Life size table footie too and Verve Brands took on the Macc pros and won! Come on you whites...



And Verve Brands blew up my photos life size too, they looked great - thanks guys.

Picture of the Week - Havana

Havana, Cuba is a wonderful place if, like me, you're drawn to faded architectural glories and old motors. This picture takes your eye through the speeding rickshaw to the iconic black car and grand hotel facade. I had two choices: get the exposure right first time to capture enough movement without losing the rickshaw itself, or wait for the next rickshaw.

Picture of the Week - What about us?

These two beautiful King Charles spaniels had been excluded from a wedding I was photographing and looked somewhat forlorn as they poked their noses under the gate to see what was going on. Lying on the ground to get to their level, I got the shot which also won me an award in the pets category at the North West British Institute of Professional Photography Awards, an unusual category for a commercial photographer. Worth the trip to the dry cleaners with my suit as well!

Picture of the Week - Jodrell Bank

I wanted to contrast Jodrell Bank’s space age radio telescope, one of Cheshire’s best known landmarks, with its rural setting. So I framed the huge dish with the trees while the wind enabled me to capture the movement in the long grass in the foreground. And with such a stunning sunset, I reckon all the elements came together perfectly.

World Cup

Well it's all kicked of and the usual agony of supporting England has begun. East Cheshire Hospice were holding a World Cup party and asked me along to record the evening.

The first goal:

The one against:

And the general agony:

At least the band The Screaming Beavers were worth a watch!