a botanically themed photo collection

Rain-soaked rose arch walkway 

Last weekend I visited Kew Gardens in London for the first time since I was about two years old. The weather varied from glorious sunshine to thundery downpours so I took photos with plenty of light and contrast but also with the detail of raindrops settled on petals. My mum recently asked if I could make some cards for her so I'm getting these designs printed off for a botanical themed pack of home-made cards. Let me know if you'd like some too!

This is "Mandela's Gold", originally from South Africa- I love it's spiky shape!

Trumpet Vine

I took this photo before I started logging names of plants but it's very pretty!

Jade Vine

Red Lily just after the storm

Allium, also known as 'flowering onion'!

A collection of cactus roses

officially unofficial...

This is a rather belated post seeing as this wedding took place about a month ago but with video work I hadn't had the time to think about photography blogs! So...

My friends Ed and Jeanna got married last month :-) They got loads of friends involved in doing various different jobs from playing in the band to arranging the flowers which meant the whole day had a really nice feel to it as everyone chipped in to help them celebrate. The job I was asked to do was to be the unofficial photographer which suited me well.

Mr and Mrs Spencer

A simple but very beautiful cake

Flowers by Robyn at Floral Footsteps

As I've said before, I don't enjoy function photography. But this job I loved. I enjoyed the luxury of being able to take lots and lots of photos coupled with the challenge of making sure there were some fairly decent ones in there, but at the same time I didn't have to get the official shots that the bride and groom had specifically requested. So if a shot didn't turn out well, it didn't matter.

I enjoyed getting the 'behind the scenes' photos as I got to the church early so had lots of time to photograph the band, ushers and groom before the service started. Some people seemed to take their roles more seriously than others...

And then there were lots of photos of guests having a good time...

   

I love this photo of my friend Abi, she's definitely a glowing mum-to-be. It's a nice place to finish, with another type of new beginning.

Vane Tempest sessions on a boat!

This Monday we're holding our most exclusive Vane tempest Sessions on the Prince Bishop, a boat that sails up and down the River Wear. During the day the boat normally transports tourists to see the sights of the city from the river but at night it is hired out for birthdays, barbecues and this time round for a gig!

As this is the last Vane Tempests Sessions of the year, it required a nice new set of publicity. I decided to embrace fully the predictable nautical theme but put my own stamp onto it by hand drawing rope and a life belt in the same style as previous flyers and posters. I especially like the coiled up rope, it was simple to do yet effective I think.

I originally only had colour on the blue and white stripes (incidentally, they're from a top of mine that I scanned!) but it looked a bit dull. I tried to make the life belt red in sections but it didn't look good so it ended up being font that was highlighted.

This poster was rather hastily put together this evening because we decided it would be good to have something bigger to catch peoples eye. I think it does the job okay.

I'm looking forward to this event on Monday night. The music is promising to be of a really high standard. Sir Paul McCartney is a fan of Thomas J. Speight which is a promising start and Rams' Pocket Radio is currently on tour with Foy Vance. If you've never made it along to Vane Tempest Sessions before and you don't have plans yet for next week than this isn't one to miss! Even if you have been before, this is looking like an evening on a par with Dry the River and Flight Brigade.

See you on Monday!

the June Project report video: a creative collaboration

A couple of months I was asked if I was interested in getting involved in making the June Project report video 2011. (If you don't know what the June Project is then check out the Kings Church Durham website.) Chris, who oversees art and media at the church, had seen the video I made for Durham University a little while back and wanted me on board. So of course I said yes!

Getting behind the camera. A first for me but so much fun!

Early morning filming. Free coffee for commuters.

I worked with another guy (confusingly also named Chris!) on this project and it was really fun to bounce different creative ideas off each other. I came up with the idea of using a map that we'd pan over during the video so that people could see where events were going on and Chris then suggested dropping polaroids onto the map that videos could spring up out of.

Original hand drawn map of Durham

We did the majority of the filming between the two of us although we did rope in some helpers when our timetable got too crammed! And we edited the footage together along with the very talented Andy Dykes who did all the effects on the map. 

As the June Project ran until Saturday and we needed the video to show in church on the Sunday morning, we had to do an all-nighter, working from about 11pm until 8am but it was worth it and we were very happy with the end result.

You can also see it on YouTube which may be a bit better quality.

Hope you like it. I'll keep you posted on the next Kings Church Durham video project: the June Project documentary!