Sunday, December 21, 2008

Cerys says "I just don't feel Christmassy"

Cerys is our 8 year-old Irish Wolfhound.

Rushing around yesterday to try to get ready to go out to The Mall for my wife's present and get home in time for the football (and the less said about the football at Ashton gate yesterday the better), the only family member totally unperturbed by the chaos was Cerys. When it comes to lifestyle choices, dogs have a headstart.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Girl with the Red Hat


Girl with the Red Hat, originally uploaded by Photoportunity.

A seasonal shot of our niece Maizie.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Convocation


The Convocation, originally uploaded by Photoportunity.

On Tuesday November 18th, our daughter Aime graduated with a B Sc in Applied Genetics from The University Of The West of England.

This was one of the proudest days of our lives. We count ourselves blessed that we have children who each are happy in their chosen path.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

ST_MARYS_RFC_1230

ST_MARYS_RFC_1230
Right now Flickr Uploader seems to be soo slow and is letting upload one image at a time. Given the rain and the amount of people on the touchline, I went back to the drawing board and tried to create lighting effects in post production

ST_MARYS_RFC_1280


ST_MARYS_RFC_1280
Originally uploaded by Photoportunity
Taken in the cold and rain on November 9th for a charity calendar.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

When you're strange, people remember your name...

Last night my niece and nephew, Archie and Maizie turned up trick or treating. Karen said get your camera so we dragged the kids outside for 15 minutes and shot this.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

the first cut is the deepest

Shot from today's meetup of the local strobist group today.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Conkers 0944


Conkers 0944
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
during the last week of our holiday, Karen decided that there being a horse chestnut tree in the garden dropping so many conkers onto the ground, a conker tournament was needed. She won. Even though our friend Glen tried to cheat by baking his in the oven the night before (did you know conkers explode if over heated? ... very impressive mess they made too).

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Descent and Dignity


Descent and Dignity
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Another grab shot taken whilst on holiday. Istria was beautiful and in September, quiet. A region at peace with itself. Highly recommended.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Message into space

Bebo users send messages into space, see http://www.bebo.com/amessagefromearth.
That has to be the largest ever friend request. I'm just worried that we'll get a response back that says "you're a minger and we're not speaking to you!"


Thursday, October 02, 2008

Waiting at Buje


Waiting at Buje
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Taken in Buje in Istria on a glorious Wednesday afternoon walking around the old town with my wife, Karen.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Friday, September 12, 2008

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Boots


Boots
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Boots after putting the Marquee up at the Fete this morning

Jesus Is My Friend

Never mind The Specials AKA, this is wonderful!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Cruella wants the puppy


Cruella wants the puppy
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Publicity shot for England's finest village Fete at Bitton Saturday 6th September 2008

Busy busy busy


Busy busy busy
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
All this effort for something so ephemeral that will not last until the next storm

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Red Balloon


Red Balloon
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Red Balloon

Shot just as evening is coming in today

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

My bootfair bargain

http://images.vnunet.com/v7_images/hardware/large/bg_casio08.jpgI bought this Casio CW-75 at a bootfair on Sunday. I saw a blog post last week about a new CD labeler and thought that it would be great to give people something more professional looking. When I saw this on the stall I was really eager but managed to walk around the bootfair again before buying it for a whole pound. Woohoo! My favourite price is free but a pound is close.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Tropicamera


Tropicamera
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Thought I'd design another camera

In my garden today


In my garden today
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Just playing

Monday, August 18, 2008

Big Dog Love 7426


Big Dog Love 7426
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
A grabshot at 6.30 tonight. Bria, my brother-in-law's Dobermann does not like to sit still but she can do 10 seconds if there is a treat in the hand above my head. Shot with 2nd hand Zeiss Ikon lens and an Opteka wide angle adaptor on my old Canon 20D.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

If I Read Her Letter Again, Maybe The Words Will Change

One of my first shots with the G9, shot on a recent business trip to San Francisco.

I came out of SFMOMA and was wandering around Yerba Buena Gardens getting back to the Lomo-style just shoot frame of mind when I saw this gentleman lost in thought reading a letter by the water-fall.

John Davis 0844


John Davis 0844
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
My father-in-law, John Davis. Who very kindly agreed to pose for me at a recent reshoot

James Cox's show reel

My son's show reel.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Stairway, MOMA, San Francisco

I love the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The angles and lines and curves of the building make it such a beautiful tranquil place but it seems not for everyone see Thomas Hawk's blog .

Some people are natural pillocks, others - like the officious official mentioned - abuse the privilege.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Abi 0790


Abi 0790
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Taken at Kingswood PS studio night.

NSFW Don't F*** with Love

Wonderful. Listen and Watch (without Mother)

Thursday, July 31, 2008

On sustainability

Evening Standard today says that Spain aims to have 1 million electric cars on the road by 2014, why don't we remove road tax and VAT immediately from sales of electric cars to stimulate buyer behaviour ?
-- Steve

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

ecphoto 0753


ecphoto 0753
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Whilst in SFO on business I was able to get along to the bay area strobist mini-meetup in Alameda. Evan Cate, pictured here, is a lighting genius who kindly brought his kit along and posed for a photo.

IBYP? More anti-photographer behaviour

Quizzed over terrorism... and all for taking this photograph - Portsmouth Today.
This is silly. When did we adopt the Napoleonic Code for Photographers: again it seems, we are guilty until proven innocent.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Got your tickets yet?

If you don't and you are a photographer, you'll regret it.

One Day photographic convention with International World class photographic speakers, Print exhibition of all the KPS members work, a six week photographic exhibition of a variety of work, coffee table books of KPS through the 60 years, and audio visual displays. Also stands for our sponsors with the latest in photographic products and services.

Sunday 19th October 2008 from 10.15 am to 4.45 pm
The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 9HX, Click for map
Click here for the Pound Center website

Tom Stoddart
 blog it

Friday, July 18, 2008

Photoportunity on Technorati

Photoportunity on Technorati Fame at last. I am ranked 4,447,622th on Technorati.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Ideas for the next shoot

Just read an article on Clockwork Orange and am considering something entitled 'Pardon me, brother'
-- Steve

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Ten Songs about Photographs - Shoot The Blog

Ten Songs about Photographs - Shoot The Blog
apt but I can think of others:
Ringo Starr - Photograph
The Who - Pictures of Lily
Flock Of Seagulls - Photograph of you

Sunday, July 13, 2008

This Is The Modern World 0734

One of set of images from which I've picked one for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait competition. It's not the shot that I went for but one that I came back to after waking up with the image in my head.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Pete Sheppard 0719


Pete Sheppard 0719
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Audition shot for a reshoot of a duty well done

Friday, July 11, 2008

Ovation TV | CloseUp: Photographers at work

Another great vid thanks to that man at strobist.com

A Duty Well Done


A Duty Well Done
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
This is the final version of the shot below. The background was overlayed with a texture ( a section of an 11th C stone plinth) and some dodging and burning done to age the subject.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

A Duty Well Done 0647


A Duty Well Done 0647
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Shot for CD cover art for A Duty Well Done (c) Richard Whitehouse and Des Henly, Release August/September 2008

I was working to a tight brief to create an image based on the song which talks of a fighting's man's loss of dignity. The rage a hero feels when his country apparently abandons him to fate and what little care there is. When sometimes so much is owed to so few, how do the few receive it?

Saturday, July 05, 2008

English Children: Life in the City (1949)

I was born in 1955 but my childhood life was similar. It's strange that change accelerated during the period post-1965. Who put their foot on the gas?

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Home Secretary green lights restrictions on photography

British Journal of Photography - Home Secretary green lights restrictions on photography

Is she absolutely stark staring bonkers? For heaven's sake

Ovation TV | Close Up: Gregory Crewdson

Thanks to strobist (http://strobist.blogspot.com) for highlighting this one. Gregory Crewdson has always been a favourite photographer. His work is striking yet subtle, evocative and laden with mystery. Not all of us have the budget for a soundset but the art of telling a story within a single image should be a goal.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Hannah Cain, Daughter Of The South

I think that's it for this series. Now on to a shoot tomorrow for a CD cover.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Royal Corps De Ballet De Warmley 0601

The Royal Corps De Ballet De Warmley and their performance of Swan Lake
Inimitable, formidable! If only Brian Sewell had been there to review the tribute to terpsichore. A the delicate footsteps as they trip across the stage conjuring images of elegance and grace for all to appreciate.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Laci and Bori's Stunt BMX Act


Laci & Bori 0171
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Yesterday afternoon we were privileged enough to get a behind the scenes view at John Lawson's Circus during their 2008 30th Anniversary Tour.

The greatest show on earth has nothing on these guys. This is a phenomenal performance.

Dear reader, please go along and take your family. It's absolutely wonderful entertainment.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Hope And Virgil Cain


Hope And Virgil Cain
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Getting to the end of the frames from this series but this one has been on my mind. And that's not the sky as a backdrop, it's one of our best white bedsheets.

Friday, June 13, 2008

London Salon Medal Winner 2008

That's me!
http://www.londonsalon.org/medal_winner_2008_s_cox.htm

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Hannah Cain is My Name


Hannah Cain is My Name
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Really proud of this one. It sums up the whole feel of the day. I wanted to convey the sense of loss, confusion and defiance that might have existed at the end of the civil war in the US. The song refers to the Danville Line so the yard at Bitton Railway station as my backdrop was really a good fit.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Classic Photoshots in Lego

Classics in Lego - a set on Flickr
Funniest and most original thing I have seen in years!
Great work


[Caption]

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Virgil Cain is My Name


Virgil Cain is My Name
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
First shot from a shoot today with Ian, Julie and Sally Coombs themed around the period shortly after the end of the Civil War.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Larry Herman Touring Exhibition

Larry Herman .NET: Home
Larry Herman has a touring exhibition in the UK this year. No dates/locations yet it seems.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Aime 20point989, Scientist


Aime 20point989, Scientist
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
My daughter at her fake birthday party bbq

Thursday, June 05, 2008

On Photographers Rights

MyFox Washington DC | Union Station Photo Flap

Interesting story. The same "no photography" policy applies at Bristol Temple Meads, one of the world's more beautiful railway stations. And at The Mall Bristol and, I'm sure it will apply at the monstrous lump of concrete that is Cabot shopping mall.

It seems that where photography is concerned we have now adopted the Napoleonic code where the onus is to prove innocence rather than guilt.

Should we look back in 10 years and bemoan the lack of a first decade Cartier-Bresson or Arbus or even Parr, here will lie our explanation "you can't take photographs here".

Sunday, June 01, 2008

My life lies below deck


My life lies below deck
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Almost the last of the images from the living history day at Gloucester City Docks on April 20th. This gentleman, immensely congenial, agreed patiently to pose whilst I got my lights ready. A member of the bluejackets reenactors

Thursday, May 29, 2008

On Cough Mixture

Having had a lousy cough for the whole weekend, I finally took some cough mixture to try to move it on.
Bad idea.
I only took 3 doses over 8 hours but by the end of the day, my short term memory had gone and I was in a haze.
And I was still trying to work.
Fool.
And I still have a cough.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

We Will Return, We Still Believe

Just as a follow up to yesterday evening's post. Today I'm a little deflated but defiant. Football is mostly about disappointment interrupted by brief bouts of sheer elation.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Losing

Well that's it. 1-0. Hull City are now in the prem and we are in the Championship for another season. Ah well. It was a good day. The camaraderie was exactly what football should be. And if we have to lose then what a goal to lose to.
-- Steve

Friday, May 23, 2008

Top 10 whoopee! spiffing


Top 10 whoopee! spiffing
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
made the portrait category Top Ten in Canon's The Assignment. having a great week.
Now a Lee Trundle hat-trick would be a great finish.

Big Dog Love 7392


Big Dog Love 7392
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Dylan, Our Deerhound-Wolfhound Cross
3 years old, a loving loopy food-monster

No sense of personal space. This is how close he gets when he wants attention

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Bristol City V Palace

One of the reasons I woke at 5.30 a.m. this morning was this game. Funny. 53 years old. All the wisdom accrued but still I get excited over a football match.

I know it means nothing in the scheme of things but this is special. Entertainment: yes. Stress-relief: yes (I can shout for 90 minutes). But sometimes football transcends the human condition.

There are times when everything focuses on one man and a ball and what he can do. This is one of those times.

Whatever happens, and being a City fan prepares you for disappointment, this has been a great and memorable season. On with the motley!

Friday, May 09, 2008

IBYP? #1

The Bristol Evening Post Thursday May 8, 2006. Page 82, the Family Announcements page (for births, deaths and marriages or more commonly "hatches, matches and despatches".

Highlighted are the births of Korky Shay Blu and Laurda D'Arcy Romany Hughes. IBYP??

Campaign to make WTF? extinct

WTF? is ubiqitous. Used on TV, newspapers, radio but it's just not nice. It's coarse, rude and useless. This is the launch of the campaign for its removal from common use.

Instead I shall use IBYP (I beg your pardon?), a little heard phrase from an earlier, more gentle, mannered and courteous age.

I urge you, dear reader, to join me.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

"Rather One Tyrant 3,000 miles away

.. than 3,000 tyrants one mile away!"

Loyalist Motto from the Revolutionary War

not a composite image. Just a lucky choice of ISO 800 and f16

Saturday, May 03, 2008

I Celti - The Trader


I Celti - The Trader
Originally uploaded by steve.wannabe
Another shot from the Historic Re-enactment Day at Gloucester Docks on April 20th