Road to London

Olympic tickets are now on sale: will you be applying? I recently photographed Great Britain swimmer hopeful Dan Sliwinski being presented with a car as part of a sponsorship deal. My brief was to create an eye-catching image that involved the sponsor’s logo. Appropriately for a swimmer the day was wet, so I accentuated the dark threatening sky to contrast with the white of the car.

Good luck Dan!

Pancake Race

The annual Macclesfield Pancake was run today. Held to support the hospital MAST appeal to raise funds for new digital breast scanners. Congrats to Cheshire East Council for the win and runner up the boys from Verve Brands.

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.