2009 / 2010

I really can't believe that 2009 is pretty much done and dusted.

It's pretty much a year since I started taking photos again after a while off and making the leap to upgrade my camera. I stoped taking photos because I just wasn't enjoying it and was stressing way too much. It started to become a burden and I hated the photos I was taking.

Getting a new camera felt like a fresh start and was just what I needed, I stopped worrying about making it as a pro photographer and was doing it for myself because I enjoyed it. I'm happy with the photos i'm taking again and feel like i've improved (not by a massive amount) which means a lot to me.

There's been some quite interesting oppertunities open up and but the problem i'm having at the moment is I feel like i'm back to where I was a year. I'm feeling pressured and stale with what i'm doing.

I need to take some time to think things through and think about what i'm doing.

I know that i'll never do photography for a living, it's not in my make up to do some but I have ideas of things that i'd like to do and work on.

I'd like to do more documentary style photography. There are people I find intriguing and intresting and i'd like to do very candid photographs of them and their life.

One of my dream projects/ideas is i'd like to work with 'To Write Love On Her Arms', if you don't know who or what they are you should check them out. Having struggled quite badly with depression this year i'd like to do something to help the out and highlight/raise awareness for depression, suicide and self harming. I'd love to photograph the work they do and their talks, events, bands that endorse the charity as well as doing a series of portraits of people suffering with depression.

I don't know how much of this is possible or what next year holds but I like to hold onto these ideas and if I work towards anything it will be those.



(me taken almost exactly a year ago).

Every Time I Die - Borderline

The shows that always mean the most to me are the ones that are out of the ordinary, different or rare. Seeing ETID in the Borderline was definitely that. I was a bit anxious about shouting the show because I wasn't sure if it would be too busy to be close enough or whether i'd be allowed my camera in. Thankfully because of the snow there was pretty much know queue so I could grab a spot at the front.

The Borderline is a weird venue for shooting in, it's too dull to shoot without flash most of the time but it's almost too dull to do anything interesting with flash so it's a real catch 22.

Maylene and the sons of disaster supported and they were superb. It wasn't till a song or two in that I realised the singer was Schuylar from He Is Legend so that added a little extra to make this band great.

More Maylene photos can be seen here.

Taking photos at a show like this is what I imagine being on the front lines in a war to be like (but obviously not as extreme). Having to take photos while bodys are coming at you from all angles, being kicked, whacked and fallen on is not easy. I split my lip open thanks to a stage diver but it was so worth it. The photos aren't great but any photos of this band mean a lot to me. Despite being battered and bruised coming out it reminded me of why I enjoy taking pictures and how much recently i'd stopped enjoying it again which really needs to change. Without a doubt music and photography have helped keep me alive this year and that's not an understatement.

More ETID photos can be seen here.

Tassel Club & Glitter Room

Feels like it's been ages since I updated this. Been a very strange month and a very strange end to the year. some ups and some downs. My laptop hard drive died so I lost even more of the few photos I have left since the death of my external hard drive, Gallows postponed the dates I was going to due to illness and blessthefall was just too crazy and busy to shoot.

This will probably be the first of 3 blogs over the next dayish.

I got to shoot another show which is part of the Tassel Club at a venue called Pigalle. Lighting in venues is something that is really starting to frustrate me, the place was lit with nothing but orange light on the stage which just looked horrible and because of how the venue is laid out there's not really a decent point for me to duck down and get my shots.

More photos from the night can be seen here.

I also shot Decembers Glitter Room which had a really packed line up. Some of my friends/favourite performers were there and I took my parents along to see their first burlesque show. After shooting in places like the Proud and Pigalle venue's I was so glad to be somewhere that had better lighting. It's gotten so much better in the black sheep bar from when I started and I would like to think it shows in the photos.

More photos from the Glitter Room here.

I know I don't shoot all that regularly but I'm glad for a bit of a break. Need to have a bit of a think about what i'm doing (some of which I want to write about soon).

What a year.

Tassel Club

I've been a bit quiet on here and flickr, I have been doing stuff but some of it is stuff I can't post photos of yet. I got to shoot Poison the well / Thursday / Rise against at Brixton Academy and Escape the fate / Hollywood undead at Shepards bush empire. Will update about those when I can put stuff online.

I got the chance to go down and shoot a burlesque show called The Tassle Club at a relatively new venue (Proud Cabaret). The venue is stunning and it had some really good performers. Missy Polly Rae and Banbury cross were just superb and Scales of the unexpected were really fun.

The lighting was a bit hit and miss at times but I like how some of the shots came out.

Considering how much I struggle with approaching people for photos I managed to take a few and hopefully if I shoot it again i'll get a bit more confident and shoot more.

Please check out The Tassel Club here!

More photos from the night can be seen here.

I've got some bits coming up which should be good. Should hopefully be shooting Blessthefall on Thursday, Gallows 3 times in a week (starting Saturday) and maybe (if i'm a very lucky boy and am on Santa's nice list) shooting Every time i die at the Borderline, which may just be the show of the year.