Picture of the Week - A Valentine's Day Deception

I've used a touch of artifice to create this Valentine's Day picture. I placed the flowers on a highly reflective surface to give the illusion of a full symmetrical bouquet. The vibrant red works perfectly against the black background. But don't buy your beloved half a bunch!

Cuba Revisited

I'd love to go back to Cuba, it's a wonderful characterful place teeming with life and old American gas guzzler cars. The next best thing was going through my photos again. I've been updating my commercial website with some personal work. Here's a selection of those which made the cut:

Picture of the Week - Carlisle Cathedral

Every so often you work at a venue to die for, which you know will produce a striking image. I was asked to photograph a wedding at Carlisle Cathedral and knew I just had to include its stunning 14th century painted ceiling. I've made this principally an architectural shot, but there are splashes of human colour in the choir's green cassocks and, far away, the bride's white dress. It's critical that this type of photo is symmetrical so I made sure I placed my tripod exactly at the centre axis of this beautiful building.

Picture of the Week - Corkscrew

Less is often more in product photography, so sometimes I like to hint at a subject rather than show all of it. I lit the rim of this corkscrew to accentuate its interesting shape and leave the viewer questioning what it is. And I reflected it as well, to give the image an extra dimension.

Who's Got the X Factor?

Well, did your favourite win? It's all over for another year, to much regret (or relief). This is Ruth Lorenzo, a 2008 contender, performing at a rather different location from a TV studio - an annual awards dinner of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, which I was asked to photograph last month. I like the colours in this image, particularly in the shafts of light. This type of shot is quite tricky, balancing the light on the set with my flash in order to retain those vibrant colours. I managed to catch Ruth in a pose that makes it clear that she has a powerful voice.

Picture of the Week - Autumn Frost

It's a bit on the cold side at the moment and everyone, me included, is complaining about the unseasonal weather. Well we've had it before at this time of year. Driving gingerly down this icy November lane towards Ashford in the Water in the Peak District five years ago, I had to stop to take this scene. The warm autumn colours contrast against the steely blue of the lane and frost laden trees. I like photos that you can travel through: this one invites you to look down the lane towards the centre of the image, then meander up through the trees to the large house and out to the faraway hills. Nevertheless, let’s hope warmer weather returns soon.

A Month of Seconds

November has been a good month awards wise. I won second place in the Towergate Fine Art competition, a prestigious international event in the photographic art world, with my Holga picture of Prague. This is actually taken on a toy camera, famed for its soft low contrast images. I love using it and the unpredictability of the results. A trip to London was had and opportunity taken for some more Holga pictures which I still need to get to the lab - the downside of film!

And here's me (on the left) receiving my award from Paul Dyer of Towergate.

The North West region of the British Institute of Professional Photography held its annual print competition where I picked up second place in the commercial section. It's been a month of second places but I'm more than happy. It's an industrial picture this time, on a site where I've been taking demolition progress photos. I saw these twisted and rusted steel beams and instantly knew there was a picture to be had.