

Santa has come early!
I just couldn't hold out any longer. I have ordered a new Nikon D850 plus battery grip from those great people at Wex Photographic. They are Nikon Pro dealers so as I am part of the Nikon Professional Service (NPS), I get priority service which means it should be in my hot sticky hands before too long.
I doubt I'll have it before the conference I am covering next week (but you never know), but I've a rather special event at the end of the month it would be perfect for. Come


Bring on the clowns!
It's Political Conference time in the UK when those who would be our political 'masters' preach to the converted (their party faithful) and try to convince the rest of us that their promises and pledges are more plausible than those made by the other party leaders. I have to admit that when I attended my first party conference a long way back (too far to comfortably think about), I was expecting several hours of listening to dry as dust speeches from rather grey personalities


Chuffed!
Cards on the table: I know next to nothing about steam locomotives (other than I know NOT to call them steam trains or else face the wrath of the steam enthusiasts), but undoubtedly there is a fascination about them that draws me back time and time again.
I'm not sure if it's the noise, the size, the recreation of a bygone age but whatever it is, there is something truly magnificent and even a little scary, about these magnificent beasts. My thoughts have been drawn to this


Decisions, decisions!
Normally I am not one to be seduced by the lure of shiny new kit. Let's face it, the major manufacturers change models more often than many people change underwear and for many, new kit becomes nothing more than jewellery. They must have it just because it's the "latest thing". However, every now and then a new model comes along that really is a game-changer. I felt this when Nikon brought out the D3 model (the first dSLR that was capable of producing very low noise images at


Up close and personal
I first became interested in photography as a spin off from my first love as a kid which was butterflies, moths and all manner of other creepy crawlies. I still find the 'macro world' fascinating. When you stop and look closely at the flowers and insects around us, you realise there is an awful lot more to them than we notice from a quick glance. It was a lovely day here in Blackpool today but sadly I had to stay indoors doing chores, waiting for a parcel and also waiting for


Shooting famous people
I was chatting to a friend yesterday and mentioned how for me, one of the really enjoyable aspects of being a photographer, is getting to meet such a variety of people from all walks of life in all manner of situations.
Naturally the conversation turned to famous people I have met. I have to say, I have completely lost count of the household names I have met and also have to admit there have been many occasions where I have been sent by an agency or PR company to photograph


Come what May
I never thought I'd be in the position of thanking our beleaguered Prime Minister, Theresa May, for making me some money but that's exactly what's happened, (albeit indirectly).
My picture library has reported the sale of this image to a British national newspaper which is obviously very pleasing. Unfortunately as is the custom, it has been reported some weeks after it was actually utilised so I have no idea where or exactly when but hey ho, it's all money. I have about 10,


Rain doesn't have to stop play.
You look out of the window and it's pouring down. Very frustrating and particularly so if you're a keen photographer with an itchy shutter finger. Don't despair, there are plenty of options. One miserable day earlier this year, I couldn't venture out so decided to experiment with some table top photography. I already had a continuous lighting system bought cheaply on a well known auction site but daylight or table lamps works just as well (colour casts are easily corrected).


The dSLR Oscar Wilde would have bought
When Oscar Wilde famously said "I can resist everything but temptation" it's a safe bet he didn't have the Nikon D810 in mind but I like to think in a different time, he might have done so.
A while ago, I had one of these beautiful cameras with its massive 36 megapixel resolution on a full frame sensor but in a rash moment, sold it to finance a Nikon D750 and more glass. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Nikon D750 but I sorely miss the D810 and the ability to crop the imag


The most wonderful time of the year
Perry Como was referring to Christmas when he sang that immortal line, but for most photographers, it's Autumn or as John Keats more poetically put it, "the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness".
Spring might be more joyful with new plant growth and young birds, animals and general hope for the future whereas Autumn symbolises decay and death but with that comes this explosion of colour and vibrancy that just begs to be photographed. No matter where you live whether in th