Houston, we have a problem….
I have been adding content to this website since 2003, there are litterally thousands of posts. Over the years the site has been redisigned and migrated. It has been reformatted and rebuilt. Some of that work has caused blog posts, POTDs, Sales Posts etc to break. With so many posts it is a mamoth task to solve all the problems. Instead of either deleting all the affected posts or having pages with broken links, I have gathered them all here in a graveyard of old posts where they can still be searched and I can occasionally edit them, solve the problems and restore them to where they belong.
SALE 13 NOV 2017: A courtyard of a traditional Syrian family in Damascus – SECOND Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 When people think of Syria, bombed out buildings and ruins are what come to mind these days. It wasn’t always like that. When I visited Syria in 2008 we were taken to a traditional Syrian house. Houses in the middle east are often very different to the UK. From the outside, they have very unattractive plaster walls with big iron doors. But step through the doors and they lead to wonderfully decorated courtyards. Bright, fresh air and private.
Cruise to Canada: Day 4, 10th September – At Sea
Day 4, 10th September - At Sea It's day 4 of our virtual cruise, and we are at sea, beginning our [...]
BLOG 6 Aug 2016 – Embracing Failure
Have you ever come back from a shoot and looked at the images and not been happy with what you had [...]
BLOG 13 July 2017 – The Dunes of Maspalomas
This blog is also available in video format on YouTube In last week's blog I spoke about how I was using [...]
BLOG 29 Jun 2017 : The pen (and the lens) is mightier than the sword
About a week ago I posted this photograph to Facebook. With it I made a few comments which had been inspired [...]
BLOG 20 Jun 2017 : Writing Lightroom changes out to XMP
This blog is an updated version on a blog I first published in August 2011. It concerns the single most important [...]
BLOG 13 Jun 2017 : Ethics of Street Photography
This week I wanted to take a look at the ethics of doing street photography. The question has come up twice [...]
BLOG 5 May 2017 : What is a mentored studio hire?
You may be aware that I offer ‘mentored studio hires’, but do you know what that means? Well, to be totally [...]
Blog 27 Apr 2017 – Bette and Joan
For this week’s blog/newsletter, I thought I’d do something a little different. I wanted to share with you a little bit [...]
Blog 09 Apr 2017 – Boxing in Havana
For this week’s blog post I thought I’d walk you through an unusual shoot I had while visiting Havana in Cuba. [...]
BLOG 23 Mar 2017: Learning from Learning
As you may remember I set myself the task of improving my wildlife photography throughout 2017. Although I know all the [...]
BLOG: 4 Mar 2017 : What’s in the bag?
As you know I am off on a five-week epic voyage to the Caribbean, Mexico and Cuba. I am actually writing [...]
Blog 23 Feb 2017: Pros and Cons of DNG
Two weeks ago, I posted about my naming conventions on the blog. One eagle-eyed reader, Conor Molloy, noticed that the file [...]
BLOG 17 Feb 2017: What is hyperfocal distance?
This week I thought it was time to think about one of the technical aspects of photography. We are going to [...]
BLOG 10 Feb 2017: What’s in a name?
What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; - Shakespeare The meaning [...]
BLOG 26 Jan 2017: Exposure Error and Back Button Focusing
This week's blog post is a repeat. I originally wrote and posted this in August 2013. I make no apologies [...]
BLOG 20 Jan 2017: In Camera vs In Post-Production Debate
There was an interesting discussion on Facebook this week. A photographer posted a comment about a YouTube video which was giving [...]
BLOG 12 Jan 2017: Developing your own style
I have been thinking recently about what it means to have 'your own photographic style'. The concept is nothing new to [...]
BLOG 29 Dec 2016: New Year Goals
What are your photography goals for 2017 the question I have been asking Academy Members and it is a question I [...]
SALE 23 DEC 2016: Stained Glass Window detail, Stainforth – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 - While photographing the stained glass window at this church in Stainforth, I made sure that I not only photographed the whole window - but also a few of the details from including this image of a farmer shearing his sheep. As it turned out that was a good move as I never sold an image of the whole window but I have now had two sales of two different details.
SALE 23 Dec 2016: Temple of Baal Shamin – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 - One of several images of the temples at Palmyra in Syria. Although this is the first time this image has sold I have had several sales from my images of Palmyra. Of course, I am pleased that I am getting sales of these images. However, in many ways, I wish I wasn't as I am pretty sure that had ISIS not destroyed the temples these sales wouldn't have been happening. I'd much rather the temples were still standing.
BLOG 22 Dec 2016: Luck and Preparation
Have you ever had anyone look at one of your images and say: "you were lucky to get that shot" ? [...]
SALE 20 Dec 2016: Woman twenties asleep on a bed – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 - This was one of my early model shoots - the aim was to shoot images that might be useful for stock. Although the title says the woman is on a bed, actually she is just on duvet on a white background. (Who said the camera never lies). It took over 8 years for the images to sell for the first time.
SALE 4 Aug 2016: Christmas in Manchester Albert Square outside the Town Hall – SECOND Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 2 - This is one of several images of Christmas in Albert Square in Manchester that I created in 2003. Fortunately, I was able to make the images appear timeless so they continue to sell.
SALE 12 Aug 2016: Rugby School where the game of Rugby football was started – THIRD Sale
Rugby School where the game of Rugby football was started Image Reference: EW0919B-D04984 NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 3 - $114.39 [...]
BLOG 15 Dec 2016: Lightroom – Reference Images
If you subscribe to Lightroom CC you may have noticed a new version was released in the last week. This is [...]
SALE 25 Aug 2016: A woman wearing a G-String – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 - This comes from one of my very first model shoots. The aim was to create images that might sell as stock photos. I sent as many as I could to Alamy, not know what would sell and what wouldn't. This sale 8 years later is still a surprising one.
POTD 8 Dec 2016: Kes
One of the images from the dress rehearsal of Kes at Stockport Garrick Theatre. I really like the use of back [...]
SALE 8 Dec 2016: A chess set with the black king on its side – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 - It's a cliched image - a chess set with the king on it's side. But the thing about cliches is they become cliches because they are popular and are used. So I shot it. It might have taken 11 years to sell but it finally did. And any sale is a good sale, right?
BLOG 8 Dec 2016: Whatever Happened to Courses at Ian’s Studio?
For the last couple of week's my blog has been about photography techniques - protecting your camera in the rain and [...]
BLOG 1 Dec 2016: Three Common Studio Mistakes
Over the last few months, I have been talking about The Academy and general photography. For this weeks blog/newsletter I wanted [...]
POTD 25 Nov 2016: A Happy Accident!
The Detective This image was something on a happy accident, caused when one of the flashes failed to go off at [...]
SALE 24 Nov 2016: Bramall Hall. Bramhall, Stockport – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 Not really much to say about this image. It was a quick shot of Bramall hall taken during a photography session I ran in the park. It's not a brilliant shot, I think these days I would spend the time to correct the converging verticals. What is reassuring is the fee for the sale.
BLOG: Protecting your camera from the elements
In The Academy this week I have been encouraging members to go out and photograph statues. As luck would have it [...]
BLOG: The Academy is open!
Phew! That took longer than I had hoped! But the wait is over, it is finally time to swing wide the [...]
SALE 16 Nov 2016: A statue of Akhenaten at Cairo Museum – FOURTH Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 4 This one of the image I created at the Cairo Museum when I visited it as part of a tour. I discovered that at that time the museum was not only permitting photography, but for a very small fee I could also use my tripod. I spent a very frantic 90mins photographing as many of the exhibits as I could. Sadly for others, there is now no photography permitted. That's actually good news for me as the images I created that day now sell without much competition.
POTD 14 Nov 2016: The Effect
This image is from the set of production photographs I took for Stockport Garrick's Production of "The Effect" by Lucy Prebble [...]
Strong Diagonals and The Unforeseen Problem….
Just a quick update today to keep you all informed. Last Week I said, that barring any unforeseen problems, I was going [...]
SALE 7 Nov 2016 : Packing the removal van – SEVENTH Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 7 This photo was taken years ago while Mum and Dad were moving house. An interesting fact about this photo is that it shows, probably the country’s least useful cycle lane. The lane starts where I was standing to take the photo and ends with the traffic light that you can see right in the middle of it!
SALE 3 Nov 2016: Christmas in Albert Square Manchester – SECOND Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 2 I have been reasonably successful with the sale of images from the Christmas market in Manchester. 14 different stock sales covering 8 different images, all created on the same visit to the markets in 2003.
BLOG 3 Nov 2016: Autumn Colours
Welcome to the first of my Thursday newsletters. As announced Last week, the general newsletter will now be on Thursdays not [...]
SALE 2 Nov 2016: Woman tries to seduce her partner – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 This is one of my early stock photo shoots with models. It wasn't the shoot I had intended. I had booked the female model based on a photograph which, it later transpired was several years old and her appearance had changed - a lot.
SALE 26 Oct 2016: A courtyard of a traditional Syrian family in Damascus – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 When people think of Syria, bombed out buildings and ruins are what come to mind these days. It wasn’t always like that. When I visited Syria in 2008 we were taken to a traditional Syrian house. Houses in the middle east are often very different to the UK. From the outside, they have very unattractive plaster walls with big iron doors. But step through the doors and they lead to wonderfully decorated courtyards. Bright, fresh air and private.
BLOG 24 Oct 2016: The Art of Marketing!
Last week I made two promises. The first was that this week I was going to explain what the "deliberate" mistake [...]
SALE 17 Oct 2016: A statue of Akhenaten at Cairo Museum – THIRD Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 4 This one of the image I created at the Cairo Museum when I visited it as part of a tour. I discovered that at that time the museum was not only permitting photography, but for a very small fee I could also use my tripod. I spent a very frantic 90mins photographing as many of the exhibits as I could. Sadly for others, there is now no photography permitted. That's actually good news for me as the images I created that day now sell without much competition.
BLOG 17 Sep 2016: Inspiration!
In the previous two newsletters, I talked about Academy Events at the studio. (If you haven't read those newsletters you can [...]
BLOG 10 Oct 2016 : Academy Events (Part 2)
Last week I talked about how Academy Events would replace the existing courses and workshops that we run at the [...]
SALE 7 Oct 2016: The Playhouse Theatre Derry County Londonderry – FIRST Sale
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 - One of a number of views of Derry/Londonderry that I created 2005 while walking round the city walls. Much of the city has changed now and many of the last vestiges of the conflict that I photographed that day are gone. The playhouse theatre is still there and from looking online - it appears to have expanded into the building next door too!
SALE 5 Oct 2016: Liver bird carving – FIRST SALE
NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1 - Taken during a day out in Liverpool, I was particularly looking for things that were iconic of Liverpool. I spotted this carving on the side for the former Martin's Bank building. Nice to know that I was not the only person to think it was iconic.