A few of you will be aware that I spent some time in Tallinn recently. Well I today I am launching a mini project of photography from that trip. It is my take on the architecture of Tallin, some old some new a bit of a mix really.

You can view the images by clicking on the image below.

Any comment would be very welcome.

Anyway my main interest as you can probably gather was taking in some of the old and new architecture. There was the medieval old town which is beautiful and very easy to walk around, also there where a few other buildings I wanted to see, not least the Tallinn TV tower built for the Moscow Olympics in 1980 to provide better communication for the regatta. So I dragged my group off to the tower. A new visitors centre had opened just two weeks before. I will not bore you with a review of the the visit, but if you are in Tallinn, go and see it it is certainly worth it. Anyway I got some photographs of the tower which you can see a couple  below together with images of the old town and one of the Kumu art gallery in Kadriorg park.

Here are some of the images, any comments more than welcome

I arrived an hour and half before the shoot to scout for various locations that could be used. I had eight people to photograph so I decided on four locations, photographing two people in each. It took a bit of organising because some of the locations would be better suited to certain people and we had to get the timings right as the subjects had appointments booked.

After I had decided the locations I set up lighting in each of the four and waited for my subjects.

Everyone was great, as is usually the case nobody likes to be photographed but I got them to relax and soon enough they began to enjoy it. I probably spent around 10 minutes per person

From start to finish it took a good four hours but I have to say the results are worth it and more importantly the client was happy. You just cannot rush these things.

Here are some of the results

So the brief was an open one, I had free reign and a day with Ian and his team. They where working on a class 37 diesel locomotive. I decided to shoot in black and white, for artistic and practical reasons (mixed light sources, cramped environment, dust, volatile materials etc.). I kept it as simple as possible, I used three lenses and kept a wide open aperture to pick up as much available light as possible.

By the end of the day I was filthy, the camera was filthy, the lenses where filthy, but it was a great day. I even got the chance to paint one of the snow ploughs at the front of the engine (geeky fun you understand!!).

Here are w few of the shots and the comments form Ian

“Just had chance to have a look at the images you sent across.All I can say is that they’re bloody fantastic!!

I love the fact that it shows us in our normal enviroment yet captures
how we do the work”

I am going back next week to get more work in progress photographs  of the class 37

Well a couple of weeks ago I decided to take myself off to the Lancashire coast, it was a stunning day, one of those cold winter days where the light is low and weak, with incredible blue skies. I knew that the sun would be setting around 4pm, so off I went.

I arrived quite early and decided to do some beach and promenade shots. You might be interested to know that Cleveleys has a wonderful new concrete sea front.
Anyway, the sun started to set over the Irish sea and the light was changing every second, it was a very calming experience almost like meditation. I usually spend my day tearing up and down motorways and generally rushing around, so this was very strange indeed. I sat and for well over an hour watching the changing light occasionally shooting a few frames.

Here are some shots from that day, I personally feel the images are very calm and as you can tell I still did not actually photograph the sunset!!

Any thoughts and comments are more than welcome.

Time for a project methinks, so I have made a start. I am not sure where I am going to take this but here are three images from my first visit to the church.

Thanks to everyone at the church who where very helpful indeed.

It is dedicated to photography for business. It has examples of my photography that has been used in a business context (Marketing, Web, PR etc.).

If you would like to see it in the flesh why not get in touch or  if you can read an ePUB file you can download it here http://bit.ly/Ab6g7Z

Here are a few images of the book

A few days late I know but I had a day of catching up on emails etc yesterday,so had no chance to blog. Anyway looking back on 2011 it was a good year, better than 2010 and 2010 was better than 2009 so things are looking up. Lets hope that 2012 brings the same level of increase. Plenty of naysayers around but I do find if you remain positive good things happen.

So heres to 2012!!