Ellie Gibbons

I can't help falling in love with you...

2012-01-05T10:08:00.005Z

I defy you not be be completely captivated by this girl!

To blog or not to blog?

2011-12-29T20:22:00.022Z

I am feeling somewhat inspired to write a post so I thought I would make the most of it and get writing :)

Ironically this blog post is actually about not blogging and was born from a brief conversation I had with my friend yesterday about..you guessed it...blogging! (he also writes a blog) and the 2 things that I said and the 2 things that he said really helped me to see things a lot clearer when it comes to my own little bit of cyperspace:

What I said:
1. I only set up my blog in the first place as a marketing tool for my photography.
2. Nobody really reads it as I don't post regularly and I find it a chore to keep it updated.

What he said:
1. I don't care how many people read my blog.
2. My only hope is that what I write may resonate with someone else when they read it.

OK, so this was helpful on 2 levels..number 1: I was surprised how bluntly honest I was about my feelings about my blog at the moment (and honesty is always a good thing in the long run!) and number 2: I realised that I was getting too concerned making comparisons against other photographer's blogs and about how often I SHOULD be blogging and the impact this has on readerships etc etc when really I should just be blogging because I WANT TO and not when I think other people would want me to...and the people who do read might really enjoy the photos I post and the words I write even if it isn't every day.

I appreciate that this issue may seem a little trivial but my (lack of) blogging was starting to become something that I was starting to internally giving myself a hard time about. I wrote a while back about the anxieties I was having about finding a more specific path when it comes to my work. I can honestly say since then I have made massive steps in my heart and mind I feel a lot more liberated and secure (that may seem like an oxymoron but they are the words that come to mind!) about my approach to working and finally I am on a path thats feels...natural. I wrote the original post back in April with the full intention of documenting this little adventure and I've put out a few posts but actually held back somewhat from writing openly about my experiences and have instead been making very unhelpful demands on myself that I need to 'get my act together' when it comes to updating my blog.

My friend's rather more open approach to his writing has really helped me to see things for what they are..I've kept this blog now for coming onto 3 years which is actually something I should be proud of..no I don't post every day, but when I look back, the times I have posted it's been because I've felt inspired in some way and because I've wanted to write so why beat myself up because I'm getting caught up in some kind of mysterious industry standard that prescribes when and what I should be blogging?

So...in the spirit of the coming new year I aim to make one change to the way I think I about my blogging:

If I blog that's fine. If I don't blog, that's also fine.

I need to remember that sometimes all it takes is a small mind shift to reclaim the enjoyment in an activity that has somehow become a chore when we place unnecessary expectations and demands on ourselves to please others - when they would probably be pleased anyway :)

Here's a few photos from a recent fashion shoot modelled by the very beautiful and captivating Charlotte...

Fu-gee-la

2011-12-11T22:02:00.001Z

C.L.A.S.S.I.C Fugees

After Hours at International Campus Musica

2011-12-04T18:58:00.005Z

Just some fun photos from my trip to Italy earlier this year...

Ice Queen

2011-10-25T23:48:00.009+01:00

I shot this image during a creative studio lighting workshop that my colleague at work was running for his MA Photography class last week. The shoot involved lots of amazing body painting and costumes and although this model was technically meant to represent a moth (there was a tree aswell, long story!) I couldn't help but be reminded of the infamous Ice Queen from 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' which has inspired the mood and colour tone of this photo.

They say a picture paints a thousand words...

2011-10-16T21:50:00.002+01:00

...and they weren't wrong!

I do drive so I'm feeling kinda guilty right now...eek!

Wise words from a wise man...

2011-10-11T10:17:00.003+01:00

Ode to The Riots...

2011-10-01T11:57:00.004+01:00

Nicely put.

Billy Salisbury AKA The Undercover Hippy

Busy Busy...

2011-09-01T18:05:00.011+01:00

August and September were always going to be challenging months for me workwise and so far they are not disappointing!! I have photographed for the summer school in Italy, photographed a wedding for a friend in Birmingham, worked at a festival (admittedly only half a day but a girl's got to have some fun too right?), photographed a wedding in Glasgow last weekend, attended an amazing artists/photographers workshop in London on Wednesday, and I've been learning how to VJ and I have my first performance coming up on Thursday (gulp) ...I also need to edit all the photos from my many shoots (and theres a LOT)... this would all be fine except I have a full time day job too..so there's my word again..CHALLENGING! But you know what, I'm having a blast and loving everything that I am doing..I've seen some beautiful places, met some equally beautiful people, learned more than I ever could from reading blogs and looking at websites and so for that I am truly thankful for all these opportunities.

It's funny isn't it - when I am out there shooting and have lots of stuff to post on this blog it becomes the time when I have the LEAST amount of time to actually post any of the stuff! I had the most amazing time in Italy and I am DYING to post up all the photos I took on my trip, plus I have some beautiful photos from the last few weddings I have shot that I just want to get out there plus I cannot wait to blog about the workshop but I KNOW that I have to spend my time on the right tasks at the moment and, sadly, the blogging can wait but the photo editing cannot...soooo..this is just a little interim post to say hi (well my readership on this blog has reached 50 people on a good day you know LOL - source: Blogger stats!) and post a little photo of...me! I rarely feature in photos as I'm usually the one taking them but I quite like this one taken of me in Italy because of the incredible blue sky and sea behind me that truly were a sight to behold...so..."hello world!" `;)

BOHEMIA....!

2011-08-16T15:04:00.006+01:00

Another post from my recent 'to do' list!

In June this year the BA Stage Management students at Birmingham City University's School of Acting hosted their final year show 'Bohemia', transforming an old warehouse in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter into a veritable feast for the senses...

Credits
Production & Audio by Chris Williams and Steve Thornton at 470 Media
Photography by Ellie Gibbons
Made in Collaboration with the BCU School of Acting

Bohemia from Ellie Gibbons on Vimeo.

My Photography Bucket List

2011-08-05T12:30:00.004+01:00

Inspired by a recent blog post by portrait photographer Alex Beadon, I decided that that I would also write a post with my own 'photography bucket list' of all the things I would like to achieve with my photography in the short and long term....

(In no particular order, they are all just as important in their own way!)

1. Hone a distinctive style of photography

2. Be commissioned by the BBC to take photographs for a book publication to accompany an amazing TV series such as Tribe, Stephen Fry in America or Natural World...

3. Have an exhibition of my work

4. Start an ongoing project that will result in a large body of work created over time, on one particular topic

5. Host a workshop under my own name

6. Properly frame and print some of my own photos for the walls in my house (I am good at doing this for other people but rubbish at doing it for myself!)

7. Finish 2 photofilm projects that I have been working on

8. Conceptualise and shoot a new fashion project (its been too long!)

9. Direct a music video(s)

10. Publish a book of photos

11. Get a good portfolio of wedding photography so I can shoot more beautiful and interesting weddings for equally beautiful and interesting people! (I would particularly like to photograph my friend Jules getting married - if she decides to - cos I love her dearly and I know she will have the most chilled out wedding ever!)

12. If would be very nice if I could take a photo that people called ICONIC such as Dorotheas Lange's 'Migrant Mother'

13. Document the people and culture in as many countries as I can possibly visit in my lifetime!

14. Create meaningful images and display them in a creative way to raise awareness about a cause or issue

15. Learn how to become a VJ (visual jockey) and do a performance with music

16. Create my own original visuals for performance as a VJ - moving images and stills

17. Inspire somebody else to become a photographer through my work

18. Volunteer and take photos for a charity in Nepal

19. Shoot and deliver some amazing photos for International Campus Music in Italy next week

20. Photograph a charity bike rally in India

21. Photograph my friends Anthony and Gloria

So, there you go! I really enjoyed making this list, it really focussed my mind and made me think about what I want to achieve with my work. I always have so many ideas for projects buzzing around in my head so it was good to get them all down in one place although I'm sure there will be many more to add to the list as time goes on, but it's good enough for now :)

Thanks Alex!! :)

This is why I love photography...

2011-08-04T12:33:00.013+01:00

Because I get to TRAVEL! :)

Next week I'm flying to Italy to the beautiful little town of Polignano in Puglia for a week to photograph for an international summer school called the International Campus Musica, and I cannot wait - sun, sea, lots of photography and amazing FOOD..bliss... It really means a lot to me to be asked to do this assignment as travelling to awesome places with my camera has always been one of the main things that attracted me to photography in the first place. I love travelling and meeting new people so to do this for WORK is just incredible..in fact, it doesn't even feel like work at all..the phrase "do what you love, love what you do" springs to mind!!

Check out the ICM in this little video!

I'll miss you Birmingham! (maybe...)

Handmade Portraits: Molly Landreth

2011-08-03T10:20:00.007+01:00

"I love this idea of formal portraiture...that I kind of feel has been going by the wayside...this idea of sitting and presenting yourself, in a really conscious way."

- Molly Landreth (Photographer)

Handmade Portraits: Molly Landreth from Etsy on Vimeo.

Some great advice...

2011-07-29T16:07:00.018+01:00

I literally just came across this piece of advice for aspiring young photographers from Magnum on Ideas Tap from photographer Christopher Anderson:

"Forget about the profession of being a photographer. First be a photographer and maybe the profession will come after. Don’t be in a rush to pay your rent with your camera. Jimi Hendrix didn’t decide on the career of professional musician before he learned to play guitar. No, he loved music and created something beautiful and that THEN became a profession. Larry Towell, for instance, was not a “professional” photographer until he was already a “famous” photographer. Make the pictures you feel compelled to make and perhaps that will lead to a career. But if you try to make the career first, you will just make shitty pictures that you don’t care about."

You know when you read something and you have a bit an internal lightbulb moment? Well I just had one when I read that!! From an outside perspective, what Christopher said may seem quite obvious but if I am honest I have never actually sat down and thought explicitly about my own work in those terms before. I was trained as a commercial, media photographer rather than a fine art photographer, neither of which is better or worse than the other but I have however developed a terrible habit of always wondering how the work that I do could make me a living as I always strive to make money from doing something that I am passionate about. I have always considered this was a very good way of thinking, after all, we all need money to live, but after reading this I think that I am probably going about things the wrong way for the longterm. It's not that I don't take photos and make photofilms that I care about, in fact all the work on my website is of subject matters that I feel very passionately about. I think my point here is that I could work on MORE projects and take BETTER photos and make BETTER photofilms if it wasn't for the internal dialogue that goes on inside that on reflection is actually very stifling, thinking about the career before the photos have even been taken rather than taking the photos and letting the rest follow naturally...great food for thought.

As they say, 'a blog post is sweeter with a photo', so here is a portrait of Lady Gaga from Christopher Anderson himself, to who I owe a lot of thanks!

A night with...Martin Parr!

2011-07-28T10:11:00.041+01:00

NOT LIKE THAT! :)

Last night I was really lucky to attend a talk by the legendary British Magnum documentary photographer Martin Parr at Wolverhampton's Lighthouse Media Centre (an awesome venue by the way!). The talk was in collaboration with recent his exhibition 'Black Country Stories' for which he spent 1 year documenting life in the Black Country.

I have been a fan of MP's work for a long time and for anyone who doesn't know his story, he was born in Surrey in 1952 and studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic in the early 1970's. He went on to pioneer a seminal style of social documentary photography in the 1980's that is for me a breath of fresh air in a genre of photography that is quite often very serious - his photos are quirky, humorous, colourful with a wonderfully TACKY postcard feel to them (he told us that postcards are a big source of inspiration to him!). His subjects add to his appeal and he chooses to focus on areas that are neglected by other photographers and often subverting social ideals and norms, his images being a unique perspective on (more often than not) British life and it's culture.

(A photo from 'The Last Resort' documenting the seaside resort of New Brighton in Merseyside, 1984)

(A photo from 'British Food', 1995)

I really, really enjoyed hearing Martin Parr talk about his work and I loved hearing about the things he likes to collect - most often things with photos on - trays, commemorative plates and, er, his prized Saddam Hussain watch collection! I am always amazed at the sheer amount of tacky items that you see sold in shops and on the internet and to see photos of themed items brought together is his collections was brilliant - I LOVED them!

(A few of MP's prized Suddam Hussain watches!)

(Collection of plates commemorating the Miners' Strike (1984-1985). Photograph by Colin Davison)

The best thing about the talk for me was that is reminded me what is was that I Ioved about photography when I first started shooting. I too have always been drawn towards things that are colourful and quirky and I was surprised how excited and ALIVE I felt looking at Martin Parr's work and it reminded of some of the sets of photos that I shot a few years ago when I was still a student - 'TackyToyTastic', 'Grandaddy Cool' and 'Retro Bizarre' bring just a few, I think its about time I dug them out for an airing!

Here are a few photos of the talk and exhibition from last night taken on my compact:

(During the talk - thats Martin Parr's head on a beefcakes body if you didn't realise!)

(Magnets to hold the prints on the wall - Martin Parr is known for his unconventional style of exhibiting his work, and this is quite tame compared to some other exhibitions he's done!)

Photographers...Stand your Ground!!!

2011-07-25T12:57:00.011+01:00

I love this experiment organised by the London Street Photography Festival 2011!

There are currently no laws in place that prevent professional and amateur photographers alike from taking photos whilst in a public place which means that security officers and police officers have no right to stop them from doing so.

In this video, 6 photographers are filmed taking photos in 6 different public areas in London and the repercussions that result from their actions - it makes VERY interesting viewing for anyone interested in street photography!

I think it's really intriguing how this experiment demonstrates just how much paranoia there is around people taking photos in public spaces with particular attention for any photographer with a professional looking SLR - they must be trouble!! I was in London on Friday waiting for the tube and despite thinking how amazing the geometry of the tunnels and escalators would look in a photo I did seriously think twice about getting my camera out worrying that people might get suspicious and assume I had some sort of sordid ulterior motive. But then I thought what the hell, although yes, technically I wasn't on public land per ser, I shouldn't have to stifle my creativity just because the media has scared everyone into thinking that anyone taking photos beyond the typical 'happy snap' shots of friends messing around is a suspected terrorist, with male photographers arguably having an even harder time with further accusations attributed to their picture taking.

I hope that watching this video encourages any practising or aspiring street photographer to keep shooting by clarifying their rights and providing some inspiration for comebacks should they ever be cornered by an ill informed, power tripping security guard!!

I want to go..Around the World

2011-07-22T01:10:00.011+01:00

Just having a flick through YouTube and came across a music video that I love...

Michel Gondry is a French film director and I fell head over heels in love with his work when I watched a DVD of his music videos a few years ago. His ideas and concepts are just phenomenol and he has quite a childlike vision which he talk about more in the documentary accompanying the DVD called "I'll be 12 forever".

MG has directed music videos for a number of less well known French artists, particularly earlier on his career, but also for Kylie Minogue, Bjork, Daft Punk, The White Stripes and The Chemical Brothers. He has also directed the feature film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which you should definitely see if you haven't already and I totally recommend watching all the behind the scenes films in the special features bit of the DVD! This video here for Daft Punk's Around the World track is one of my favourites and mainly just because of his ideas behind the concept - basically each set of characters in the video personifies a different instrument and beat in the track..but you really need to hear the dialogue from the man himself, it's his idea so he explains much better than I ever could so you'll just have to watch the DVD yourself ;)

Village People

2011-07-18T10:36:00.003+01:00

My latest project...

New Oscott Village is a retirement village located in North Birmingham. This photofilm was produced by as both a marketing tool for the village itself and also to accompany a four part radio documentary series "I'm Still Here" challenging preconceived ideas about growing older and giving a voice to those who are unfortunately often neglected members of the local community through personal stories and characters.

The film itself explains the concept of the village so I won't go into too much detail here but I have to say, I had such a fun day photographing for this film that I can only imagine what it is like to live there! Roll on retirement... ;)

Credits:
Production & Audio by Kat Harris & Charlotte Percival at Third Age Productions
Photography by Ellie Gibbons

Village People from Ellie Gibbons on Vimeo.

Try something new for 30 days....

2011-07-12T20:15:00.003+01:00

My friend Emily was Tweeting today about going veggie and when I asked her about it she linked me to this video on TED which she said had inspired her...

TRY SOMETHING NEW FOR 30 DAYS.

SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO.

IT CAN BE BIG OR SMALL.

Hmmmmm...think I'm gonna try it!!

Squatters in Birmingham, 318 Pershore Road

2011-06-25T15:39:00.009+01:00

Another forgotton project from about 2 years ago which seems crazy, feels like I was just there yesterday.

I've always found the idea of squats really intriguing..so often when I drive around in cities and towns all the houses seem to look the same so its like a little breath of fresh air in a way when I see one that despite looking pretty run down from the outside MUST have an interesting story to tell..

Now, I used to pass one particular house on the Pershore Road in Edgbaston in Birmingham on my way to work every day. It attracted my attention more than normal as I knew a lot of the homes along that stretch had been sold off to the council and were left empty with a view to knock them down to build a carpark for the Edgbaston Cricket Ground development taking place nearby. This particular house had a big hand painted banner outside saying 'Social Justice Centre' so I wondered what it was all about... curiosity eventually got the better of me and I persuaded my audio producer friend Sam Coley to come along with me to knock on the door one Saturday with a view to making a little photo/audio project about the place.

I don't really know what I expected really but I remember feeling really happy - albeit a little surprised - at how quickly we were welcomed in the house and introduced to all the people living there... it turns out that Justice not Crisis (JNC) is the name of a direct action pressure group, based in Birmingham, which focuses on social housing issues. This particular house being squatted was the central meeting place for the JNC group, hence 'Social Justice Centre'. According to JNC "There are 30,000 people on the waiting list for homes, and many people sleeping rough on the streets of Birmingham. We feel that it's criminal for property owners (who have no right to the land anyway) to leave buildings empty, just so that they can make more profit in the future."

Sam and I were invited back on the Monday to record and photograph the next JNC meeting that was taken place and we were given full access in the house which was pretty amazing as it was full of people involved in the cause. I just learned so much from being there, especially about the diversity of people living in squats - not only people with no money and made homeless through circumstance but also people actively making a choice to live in this way..one guy was asking me about my photography work and telling me all about the kit he had - expensive kit that I could actually only dream about at that time, even working in a full time job...I love having my preconceptions proved wrong, it always reminds me never to make assumptions about anybody or anything!

2 years on, 318 Pershore Road now stands empty once again, awaiting demolition at some point in the future no doubt.

There are only a couple of houses on that stretch still housing people, and although not squats, I still wonder what the situation with these residents are..are they resisting pressure from the council to sell their properties like the others? I wonder...
If you are interested in this issue further than I recommend you to have a look at the Streetfighters Project by Manchester based journalist Ciara Leeming about this very issue of urban regeneration and the impact it has on residents..well worth a look.

Credits:
Production by Sam Coley & Ellie Gibbons
Audio production by Sam Coley
Photography by Ellie Gibbons
Original Music by Joss Winks & Matt Baber from Tropers for Sound
With thanks to Birmingham School of Media, Moradio & Justice not Crisis

Justice Not Crisis: Squatters Rights in Birmingham from Sam Coley on Vimeo.

'Signing Off' - the 30th anniversary of UB40's debut album.

2011-06-23T09:49:00.012+01:00

Here's a little project that I worked on last summer that I had completely forgotten about blogging until now..

I wasn't aware until I was asked to take photographs for this project, but 2010 was actually the 30th anniversary of the release of UB40's first album Signing Off...pretty amazing when you think about it and especially poignant as UB40 are said by some to be one of the most successful reggae bands in the world and were formed in Moseley, a district about 5 minutes from where I live now in my home city of Birmingham! Here's a great bit of pop trivia for you: all the members of UB40 came from working class backgrounds and at a time of high unemployment in the UK, the name for the band was a reference to the form issued by the DHSS to people claiming employment benefit at that time, which included many members of the band, with 'Signing Off' being another reference to their current situation :)

This photofilm is an excerpt from the full length radio documentary, featured on the BBC, hosted by Ranking Roger from the British ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock band 'The Beat' and features an interview with UB40 band members Brian Travers, James Brown and Robin Campbell. The documentary was produced by Birmingham City University to celebrate UB40's landmark debut and their forthcoming nationwide tour to promote the re-release of Signing Off. The audio and photographs were recorded in one short session at The Hare & Hounds pub in Kings Heath, Birmingham (my favourite music venue!) where UB40 played their first ever gig on 9th February 1970.

Even better still, the full radio documentary was nominated for this year's Sony Radio Awards in London - how ace is that?!

Credits:
Produced by Sam Coley, Steve Thornton, Chris Williams
Photofilm edited by Chris Williams and Steve Thornton.
Original Photography by... me!

(Historical photos featured in this not-for-profit film are used in good faith of their owners)

UB40: The 30th Anniversary of "Signing Off" from fourseventy media on Vimeo.

Exhibit This ..2!

2011-06-20T13:24:00.016+01:00

Last week I was asked to photograph 'Exhibit This 2' the 3rd year exhibition for the BA Media & Communication course which runs at Birmingham City University's School of Media. This was great fun for 2 big reasons..... 1) I also graduated from this same course and so it was me exhibiting my work back in 2007 and 2) since I also work at the Birmingham School of Media I have actually worked personally with many of the students exhibiting and so I was very proud to see the results of 3 years of hard work and dedication.

On the Media & Communication course students can specialise in TV & Video production, Media Photography, Journalism, PR, Web & New Media, Radio & Music Industries, or go 'broad' and learn a wider range of skills. In their final year, students have to not only write their 13,000 word dissertation but also work on a production project in their chosen specialism(s) which must have a commercial focus and fill a current gap in the market. Students can work individually or as a group and I must say I was seriously impressed by all the projects which included the set up a new music label 'Brave and Invincible Records' and also the production of a beautiful short film called 'Abberance' which seriously blew my away!!

This years exhibition was held at The Zellig at the Custard Factory in Birmingham City Centre which was the perfect venue and a big thankyou to The Class One Dance Academy for providing the entertainment!

Oh..and if you're wondering why Exhibit This 2..'Exhibit This' was the name of the last year's exhibition :)

And here's a few for the benefits of any students looking ...... :)

My blogging 'to do' list....

2011-06-19T22:10:00.009+01:00

So..thinking back to my blog post from April, I've been sticking to my promise and working hard :) Not that I have ever been especially great at blogging regularly (something that I really want to get better at this year) but its been FAR too long since I last posted, even for me!!

Well, I feel like I've been shooting and editing non stop lately and I've been working on loads of different types of project which has been amazing and I have so much I want to post! I just feel like when I DO get a few hours when i'm not working (for anyone who doesn't already know I also work as a Photography Technician at BCU), shooting or editing, I don't want to spend them in front of the computer... my better judgement tells me that I also need to spend time with my family & friends, eat, SLEEP...that sort of thing! :) I do also realise though that its all well and good doing all this work but if I don't get it out there then its kind of pointless as photos are, after all, there to be looked at! AND, probably most importantly..noone ever reads a blog that doesn't get updated now do they?!!

SO HERE I AM MAKING A BIG EFFORT!

It's going to take me a fair amount of time to post everything that I would like to so this first post is going to act as a blogging 'to do' list as well as a little teaser of all the lovely things you have to come.... you lucky things!

(In no particular order!)

Dario and Sunisa's wedding in Winchester....

Photofilm about a retirement village in North Birmingham...

London Bridal Fashion Shoot...

Photography for Birmingham City University's BA Media & Communication end of year exhibition 'Exhibit This 2'...

Photofilm project about Birmingham City University's BA Stage Management end of year show 'Bohemia'...

And there's actually more projects I am working on at the moment but I will save them for another time! :)

The soundtrack to my photo editing!!

2011-04-22T18:37:00.007+01:00

Have a listen to this house mix from by my very lovely friend and DJ Monsieur G for The Awaken Ibiza DJ Competition on Mixcloud- Mr G's mixes have seen me thorough many hours of editing photos and I never get bored... the deadline for this competition is next Monday 9th May so please listen and comment on his entry if you 'like' as much as I do!!

Awaken Ibiza 2011 Comp by Monsieurg on Mixcloud

Learning to Fly

2011-04-21T00:59:00.004+01:00

I LOVE the video for this track!!!!!!

Taking inspiration from Pagan art...

2011-04-13T13:13:00.020+01:00

I spent the day with 2 friends at the weekend and we got chatting about handfasting ceremonies, the traditional pagan ritual of marriage. Handfasting ceremonies can be legally binding or not depending on the couple and vows can be taken to unite the couple for a year and a day, a lifetime or for all of eternity...I personally find the idea of handfasting quite beautiful and opens the possibilities of recognising a love and union between two people (opposite or same sex) outside the conventional western concepts of marriage. I was having a look online for photographers who shoot handfasting ceremonies and this led me on to start looking at pagan inspired art and I came across some of the images below. For the last 4 years I have celebrated summer solstice at a beautiful little stone circle in Derbyshire which I always find so special and magical and these images take me back to those feelings...I love the connections to nature, love and spirituality and they seem to fill me with a sense of existence beyond our immediate reality, I hope you like them too...

Just to clarify, none of these images are my own and where possible I have credited and linked to the artist!

Image 1: Image curtosy of Keyword Pictures
Image 2: 'Self Love' Artist: Willow Arlenea
Image 3: 'Celtic Fairy Tree Magic' Artist: Willow Arlenea
Image 4: 'Love's Golden Wings' Artist: Willow Arlenea

Genius Street Art from Mark Jenkins

2011-04-11T14:49:00.005+01:00

I'm really loving these street installations by US street artist Mark Jenkins! He has travelled the world placing his very lifelike human sculptures in precarious positions in cities in towns and leaving them there to be observed by passers by. I thought it was a real person when I first saw the photos so I cant imagine what I would think if I saw one in real life - genius!!

Another Anna!

2011-04-10T22:58:00.007+01:00

My friend and fellow photographer Tim Berry was shooting some wedding dresses in the studio recently and he was kind enough to let me borrow his model, another lovely Anna, for a quick shoot so I could have a play with a medium format Hasselblad I'd managed to get my hands on (lucky me!). Both up for a bit of fun up I put up a bright blue background while Anna put on some bright red lipstick and I love the result! And my thoughts on the Hasselblad? Despite the size of files nearly killing my poor laptop, the detail in the shots is flipping amazing and it felt really special to be using such an amazing camera, just need a spare 13,000K and I can get my own - yeah right!

Tim, Anna and I are heading to London next month for part 2 of his wedding dress shoot, this time on location with a bit of added rock and roll for good measure!!!

Anna

2011-04-05T23:49:00.003+01:00

A while ago I posted a set of photos from a fashion portfolio shoot with model Anna Kalinowska. I have just been having a play around in Photoshop with one of the images from that shoot and thought I would post the result - I really love the mood of the shot and I think Anna is just beautiful...

A Creative Crisis.

2011-04-04T01:17:00.010+01:00

Well, this is not a normal blog post for me. I usually post links to music or photography that I like rather than anything that is particularly personal but tonight I am feeling somewhat inspired to share my thoughts when it comes to my own work. I have been taking photos for a few years now and to be honest I have never really felt like I have ever found my own 'style' of working. I have heard conflicting views when it comes to having a style as a photographer - some say you can never really have a style as you are always changing and evolving as an artist and others say that its really important to have style and ultimately, its this that people will recognise and commission you for projects for. I realise I am writing 'style' quite a lot! Personally, I do think its quite important to have recognisable quality to your work and this doesn't just come from the way that a photographer composes, lights and retouches their photos, it also comes largely from subject matter. When I think about some of my favoutite photographers, I am immediately attribute them to a particular genre of photogrphy - Ellen Von UnWerth for fashion, Emma Case for weddings and Zed Nelson for documentary...the list could go on. I was asked in a career advice session once whether I would be happier being a generalist or a specialist in my work and I didnt have to think about the answer for long - I want to be a specialist. I guess that being a specialist on your field (in my case photography) could be good enough but I want to really good in one area of photography. And here lies my problem.

I have been getting increasingly frustrated recently as I just cant seem to find my groove when it comes to my work. If I'm honest, I get quite envious of people who just seem to see what they want and just go for it, especially other photographers who produce amazing work and have become really well respected in their fields. I was recently lucky enough to secure a place on a course for new business start ups in Birmingham for my photofilms and this has been been amazing for helping my really think about my work as a business but I still just feel there is a little something missing in my heart. I don't feel fully sure of myself and my work enough to know exactly what direction I want to move in for my future - I have interests in so many areas that I feel a little bit confused by all the possibilities that I think I need a bit of time out to figure out what I want out of my work. I have a terrible habit of wanting everything 'now' but ultimitely there is no rush, life isn't a race and what I really want to reach a place where my work reflects who I am and what I do so I can really reach my full potential and be the best that I can possibly be. I recently set up another little business for my wedding and family photofilms and photography thinking this would be helpful for separating my work but this seems to be confusing me all the more - updating 2 blogs, maintaing 2 websites, 2 Twitter accounts, 2 Facebook pages -aaargh! So, I have decided as of today that I am going to press pause on my other business and concentrate for a while on finding a style of working that feels right - both in subject matter and everything that goes with it. I am going to continue making my photofilms, taking photos, and maybe even make a few videos of whatever comes my way both personally and professionally and post the results up right here on my blog and see where it takes me...

I mentioned Bristish wedding photographer Emma Case earlier as one of my favourite photographers and in a roundabout way I have her and fellow wedding and portarit photographer Alex Beadon to thank for making me realise the true value of openess and honesty in your work and the rewards that this can bring, not in money, but in friendship, respect and integrity. That both write beautiful blogs and if you haven't already I recommended anyone to have a read.

Ok, that's me done - hat's off to anyone who is still reading at this point!!

Goodnight xx

Bat for Lashes

2011-03-23T00:19:00.009Z

This is Natasha Khan aka Bat for Lashes...my friend introduced me to her music a couple of years ago and I just looked her up on Youtube again...wow...

He's French, he's a DJ, he's Monsieur G!

2011-03-16T18:44:00.005Z

He's also a good friend of mine and we did a promo shoot together recently in the studio - I love this shot!!

Love music? You can check out Mr G's site here

Naughty but nice for a Friday afternoon :)

2011-03-11T17:37:00.002Z

A bit naughty but I just love this photo by one of my favourite fashion photographer Ellen Von Unwerth!!

Disassembly photography - amazing

2011-03-10T18:29:00.003Z

I was asked to work on a special product photography project recently as was sent these images as an example - wow! It's called 'disassembly' for obvious reasons and photographed by the very talented Canadian photographer Tom McLellan. I think this work ventures into the realms of fine art - I love it for many reason, particularly the thought of just how much time and effort has gone into each shot!!

All images courtesy of Todd McLellan

JR - what a guy!

2011-03-07T18:20:00.019Z

I was watching The Culture Show last week on the BBC and it was bloody brilliant! Not only was there a feature where Rankin was talking about 3 iconic photographers David Bailey, Richard Avedon and Don McCullin of the 20th century but then came a feature about French street artist JR. I hadn't heard of him before but his work left me a bit gob-smaked actually and I just loved the way he spoke about his work - and he's not to be underestimated, JR has worked on some major projects!! (if you fancy watching this episode of The Culture Show then it will be available on BBC iPlayer until 7.59pm on Thursday 10th March!)

He is in a big part a photographer (in fact I have just read that he describes himself as a "photograffeur" I love that!) and has transformed cityscapes all over the world with larger than life black and white portraits of local people - often misrepresented, misjudged or unheard in society. What I love about his work is that there is a big element of humour in his portraits, the subjects making charactures of themselves in the way they have neen misrepresented by the media. JR says that he isn't trying to change the world, just to raise questions and to basically bring people together as human beings and blur the invisible lines often bought about by economics and politics. This is demonstrated most notably in 'Face2Face', a major project across 8 cities in Israel and Palestine where his signature portraits of local Palestinian and Israeli people were pasted opposite each other (literally face to face!) across the cities, raising questions about prejudice and identity - and in the process rasing smiles and laughs as locals were asked to point out who were the Israelis and who were the Palestinians amoungst the portraits. In all cases, noone could tell the difference.

JR still assumes a degree of anonymity due to the nature of his work (street art is still illegal after all) but having just won the TED prize, winning major funding towards a global interactive art project I think its fair to say that he's pretty much established himself as credible artist to a much wider audience. What a guy - a true inspiration.

All images courtesy www.jr-art.net

Hocus Pocus

2011-02-14T08:45:00.006Z

I've always been a fan of French Hip Hop artist MC Solaar and whilst just having a listen on YouTube I came across Hocus Pocus, a French Hip Hop crew... If this post had a 'like' button I would press it a hundred times!!

Nomadic Massive - my new band crush!

2011-02-11T09:13:00.010Z

I was introduced to Nomadic Massive, a Montreal based Hip Hop group, by my friend Jez Collins, founder of the Birmingham Music Archive the other day and I just can't stop listening to this track on You Tube! These guys are pretty special as the group is made up of artists of all nationalities - Senegalise, Haitian, Spanish to name a few - who all perform in their mother language, and you know what? It really works. I'm hooked!

hmmm..I'm a sucker for a beautiful sunset..

2010-12-06T21:36:00.002Z

...especially this one, and I had a great view aswell - from my seat on the plane back from Amsterdam :)

DAM...what an awesome weekend in Holland!

2010-11-29T23:02:00.004Z

I spent this weekend in Amsterdam with my boyf visiting our friends Jules and Gerry and had a awesome time...I absolutely LOVE European cities and the best bit is always wandering around exploring the windy backstreets, browing in all the interesting little shops and eating tasty food and drinking hot teas in cute cafes. Amsterdam was no different and I ate fondue for the first time (we bought a massive block of cheese to bring back to make our own - ha!), apple studel and the best apple and raisen pancake I have ever tasted :)

I have to confess though that I did not make it to visit Anne Franks house, it was just tooooo cold to stand in the queues for hours, however I was absolutley captivated when I read her diary a couple of years ago - her stength, intelligence and humility in the face of such adversity is mind blowing- and so I would definitely like to visit next time I go, I hear you can buy tickets online to fast track when you get there..mental note made!!

I'll post a few photos from the trip over the next couple of days, but here are a few for starters... all shot on my amazing little Canon Powershot with the aid of my trusty brown tinted sunglasses.. a winning combination :)

DJ Derek

2010-11-14T22:01:00.014Z

Reggae/dancehall/rocksteady DJ Derek is yet another amazing artist to grace the stage at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath, Birmingham and I had the pleasure of photographing him during his gig last weekend - I was pretty happy when I got to meet him outside too! The photo should tell you something about him (i.e. not your stereotypical DJ!!) but since it's Sunday evening I can't quite muster up the brain power to articulate everything that makes DJ Derek so wonderful, so I have added a brilliant 2 part documentary about the man himself from Vimeo..I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

Film Credit: Grand Final Production (www.grandfinale.tv)

DJ Derek pt. 1 from Grand Finale on Vimeo.

DJ Derek pt. 2 from Grand Finale on Vimeo.

Anything for the weekend, sir?

2010-11-09T18:43:00.007Z

I haven't posted in a wee while but I've been hard at work and come with nice things to show you!

I have recently been working on a short documentary photofilm about Di Matteo's, an Italian barber shop close to my flat in South Birmingham. The owner, Vincenzo Di Matteo, has run the shop for 55 years and is where my dad used to get his hair cut when I was a little girl. Di Matteos is quirky and unique and a blessed relief from the conformity of the shops in the city centre. I loved working on this project, and in particular enjoyed capturing the audio as well as the photographs...

Anything for the weekend, sir? from Ellie Gibbons on Vimeo.

Amaaaaazing tune!!

2010-08-10T16:12:00.010+01:00

Ok, this has absolutely nothing to do with photography but it's just such a great tune that I had to post (just work past the first 40 seconds!)- turn the volume up and enjoy...

Mr Vegas 'Heads High' Jungle Remix

Chillum smoking Baba..

2010-07-30T00:10:00.005+01:00

This guy was just sitting on the side of the road in the town of Rishikesh in India..he looked great so I just had to take his photo and I appreciated the fact he took a drag on his chillum just for the shot!

Jenna G, I'm still in love with your music!

2010-07-18T02:47:00.066+01:00

Like every drum and bass fan, every now and again I need my fix so last night I went to photograph one of my favourite D&B vocalists, Jenna G, at a gig at the Hare and Hounds pub in my home town of Birmingham. I love this lady's style and her beautiful soulful voice over the rolling beats from D&B DJ's Utah Jazz and Nu:Tone, ROCKED the place! Jenna G (and if I am to believe what Wikipedia tells me then we have the same surname!) has a serious talent and she commands the stage with such an amazing energy that makes her utterly captivating and an absolute pleasure to photograph. She seems a really lovely person too - not a hint of pretense and lots of smiles, I liked it when she got down in the crowd to sing and then had a dance with us..!

Here are my favourite shots of the night - I'm enjoying experimenting so a bit of a mix with some bold colour and some more black and white shots - I love the raw quality of these.

Oh, and apologies to anyone I accidentally knocked on the head with my lens last night :) If anybody is reading this who asked me to take their photo and I gave you a card then just email me at info@elliegibbons.co.uk and I will send you the shot - just give me a brief description of what you look like and who was in your group you as I photographed about 4 groups and couples!!

The Wall

2010-07-17T19:40:00.008+01:00

When I was in India I was getting a little worn out by all the attention my camera was bringing from the kids but I still wanted to photograph all the wonderful people around me. One day I just went out with my camera and a long lens, kept myself to myself, stood discretely in a corner and photographed people walking past a wall I really liked on the other side of the road, with some interesting results! These shots were taken on the road outside our apartment in New Friends Colony, New Delhi.

Dhobi Wallis

2010-07-17T18:20:00.013+01:00

'Dhobi Walli' in Hindi means 'washer woman' ('walli' being a very useful suffix meaning 'woman who does' and can be added to many words!) and these photos were shot on the upper Ramganga River in Northern India. The ladies and children lived in the local village and their nearby spring had dried up meaning they had to come and do all their washing in the river instead.

I am surprised that I am choosing to show these images in black and white because the very thing that made me pick up my camera was the vivid and beautiful colours of the fabrics they were washing against the relative muted colours of the surrounding landscape! Ultimately though, what I love about these images are sculpting of the late afternoon sun and the expressions on the children's faces who were enjoying playing in the water while I took their pictures.

The charm of black and white photography

2010-07-16T19:10:00.022+01:00

There has always been something I find very beautiful in old black and white photographs. Perhaps it is the history that goes with them but it's also the technical and creative aspects such as soft focus, blown out highlights, deep shadows, motion blur, visual composition and sometimes staunch expressions in the images that for me give them their wonderful charm, and the art of photography can sometimes just be in capturing a moment.

I realised lately that when I'm taking photos I always get a little obsessed with achieving technical and creative 'perfection', and those shots that don't fit my usual style often get forgotten, sitting idle somewhere on a harddrive. This seems a shame as for me true beauty has never been about someones idea of visual perfection so I don't know why I should always translate this onto my photographs. I thought that my blog would be the perfect place to showcase some of these lost shots and I have deliberately done minimal retouching on the images except to convert them to black and white..just because this is something I don't normally do.

I'll start with one of my favourites - father and son. More sets to follow!

The best dogs are camp dogs...

2010-05-12T05:05:00.011+01:00

I couldn't leave India without posting a little photo homage to 3 of the coolest dogs in the Himalayas - Chilli, Golden and Foxy. The family of 3 (mom, dad and son) all live in the local village but spent most of their time with us at the fishing camp next to the river while we were staying there. Obviously they realised they were on to a good thing as they got endless fuss from me and Chris as well as at least 3 good meals a day from Sharma, the best cook ever - plus chai and biscuits in between! Considering they are pretty much wild mountain dogs (they really did have free reign over the whole area, not the pampered domestic dogs we are used to at home) they had the most wonderful temperament and just relaxed next to the food tent most of the time and never once begged at the table. Every evening they would bark at any little sound, obviously warning off any wild boars or leopards potentially lurking in the fields (yes they really were around) and Foxy, despite being the lady of the pack, was always the instigator of the barking and set the other 2 off - Chris nicknamed her 'leopard killer' just for ironies sake because most of her barking was done from the relative safety of being under the table next to our feet!!

I really miss the dogs as they just made me smile every time I saw them trotting down the hill in the morning from the village of after they had been for a walk/swin together and I'm sure they were starting to understand English by the time I left! I have no idea what their real names are but we just named them by their looks/personality - Chilli because, being the dad and oldest of the group, is super chilled and relaxed; Golden, the youngest and the son of the family, named because he has some golden fur on him (oh yes, the originality juices were flowing that day) and he is quite energetic and sprightly despite taking a knock back when someone from the village poured boiling water over him and he had a massive sore all over one side of his body (it's healed now don't worry); and Foxy just because she looks a bit like a furry fox!

FAMILY PORTRAIT

CHILLI LIVING UP TO HIS NAME

FAVORITE SPOT

FOXY EXERCISING GREAT SELF CONTROL DESPITE WANTING NOTHING MORE THAN TO BE IN THAT FOOD TENT WITH THE CHICKEN CURRY!!

BISCUIT TIME WITH ME....COCONUT COOKIES WERE A HIT, BUT I GUESS ANY BISCUIT IS GOOD WHEN YOU'RE USED TO EATING SCRAPS OFF THE FLOOR!

DINNER TIME - CHILLI'S TONGUE SAYS IT ALL REALLY!

GOLDEN DOG - POLITE ENOUGH TO SIT UP FOR HIS PORTRAIT!

SKULKING AROUND

The largest religious gathering in the world - Kumbh Mela

2010-04-17T18:39:00.041+01:00

Since we were spending a week or so relaxing in a lovely little town called Rishikesh which is only 24km from Haridwar, and host to the 2010 Kumbh Mela we thought we better take a visit and see what all the fuss was about since it is after all the biggest gathering of people for a religious purpose in the world!!!

I think I better give little more background info here before I go any further then the photos might make more sense! You may or may not know but India is a predominantly Hindu country with Hinduism practiced by approx 82% of the population, and with a population of over 1 billion people (and that figure was from the last census 10 years ago so who knows what the figure will at the next census in 2011) that's a feck load of people! For Hindus, the mighty 'Mother' Ganges river is sacred with a spiritual significance dating back thousands of years as a life giving force of nature. Hindu mythology says that he or she who bathes in the Ganges will be rid of all sin and good Karma (as it is called) will be restored. There are 7 sacred cities in India, the first being Varanasi located on the banks of the Ganges where, if cremated at death, you will liberated from the cycle of rebirth. Haridwar is the second most sacred city in India due to the fact it is the first city that the Ganges meets after its decent from the Himalayan mountains. Every evening at sunset, thousands of Hindus can be seen on the the ghats, or steps, on the banks of the Ganges preparing to take a dip in the river and also saying pooja (prayers) or giving offering of flowers, incense and atta balls.

Kumbh Mela's history dates back thousands of years, entwined in Hindu legend and mythology and celebrates a mythical battle between the gods and the demons for a pot (kumbh) of the nectar of immortality. The festival (mela) takes place every 4 years in a different sacred city in India and attracts literally millions of Hindu pilgrims from all over India to bathe in the River Ganges on specific dates during Kumbh Mela when the alignments of the planets are said to charge the river with enhanced electromagnetic radiations and thus special healing effects. Not only do Hindua come to bathe in the Ganges during Kumbh Mela, but many also come to visit and get blessed by their Guru (spiritual leader) who are waiting in special tented village located around the Kumbh site. I'd noticed when I arrived in Haridwar that the outskirts near the train station was literally covered with massive billboard posters of various Gurus and although the text on the majority of them were written in Hindi script I got the gist that they were basically marketing posters to advertise the presence of particular Gurus at the festival and some looked not disimilar to election posters for politicians. One poster that was written in English that made me chuckle said "Plant trees! Save the forest!" (all very well and good but your plan to do that is...?). I have seen little bits on TV about Guru's in India and basically there are so many different religious sects of Hinduism that different groups have slightly different belief systems so there are many hundreds if not thousands of spiritual Gurus that promise to steer followers on the right spiritual 'path' whilst offering blessings at time of hardship and strife. Now some of these Guru's are multi-millionaires due to the fact that their followers give them many donations of money if exchange for blessings and advise. If I am honest, I cannot help feeling slightly skeptical about this because there are more people living below the poverty line than anywhere else in the world so I would hate to think of certain dishonest people claiming themselves to be some sort of saint and thus taking advantage of people's vulnerability for their own financial gain. Religion, in my opinion, should not be a product that can be bought and sold for the gain of one person, but a belief system that has love and humanity at it's central core.

So with all that in mind we thought that we couldn't be staying just 1 hour from the site of the festival without paying a visit during the penultimate bathing day. Leading up the day, Rishikesh was already starting get busier and busier with literally endless streams of pilgrims walking up and own the hill towards Riskikesh presumably to pray in the many temples within the local Lakshman Jhula and Swarg Ashram areas of town and also to find a place to sleep. When I say sleeping I don't just mean staying in guesthouses, we saw many people sleeping and eating on the street, which was at the point I realised just how tough and hardcore the Indian people really are by putting themselves through physical hardships in name of their faith without one word of complaint, and just getting on with it - very inspiring.

We booked our Rickshaw for 5am (a time of day that seems to be existing more and more for me as I travel in India!) to take us the short journey to Haridwar and had already stocked up on mineral water as we were expecting it to be a loooooong day and we were not even sure that we would be able to find a taxi to take us the 24km back to our guesthouse so we thought we might even have to walk back! Rather than taking a dip in the Ganges (I would have felt a bit of a fraud as after all I am not a Hindu) my primary aim of the day was to document the day and particularly to witness and photograph the Naga Sadhus who come out of their spiritual centres and caves onto the road as they head to the river to bath. The Naga Sadhus are very holy men who have renounced all their worldly possessions to embark on their path to spiritual enlightenment (that is liberation from the cycle of rebirth)and wear no clothes, have long matted, often dreadlocked hair, and smear themselves with ash and can be seen doing, by any average persons estimation, some pretty crazy things. I have heard stories of Naga Sadhus eating the flesh from a dead body in Varanasi prior to cremation and also seen video clips of one Sadhu wrapping his penis around a stick and then yanking it through his legs and pulling the stick up his legs...eek!!!! So from a photographers perspective I was pretty excited about seeing this so I was keen to get to Haridwar in time to see the Sadhus walking on the road as we would not be able to get near the river itself. Basically, we had no clue what was happening and where and what time and we had been told about 6 different times as to when we may see the Naga Sadhu's on the road on their way to bathe. We waited around for 5 hours in total but in the end didn't get a chance to see the Sadhu's as apparently there was a fight between them which held things up and I think in hindsight we were waiting in the wrong place anyway! It was definitely an unforgettable experience just being at Kumbh Mela and seeing so many people in one place for the same reason and there was without a doubt a sense of faith and excitement in the air. I think for me the most eye opening thing from the day was seeing an elderly pilgrim who had died on the road on his way to bathe - I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it and his body was covered in money that passers by had left and the police were ushering people on. I had my camera in my hand at the time and at first thought that it was insensitive to take a photo but then the photographer in me took over and I took a couple of shots as a document to this very interesting and unique event - apparently it is very special to die at a Kumbh Mela due to it's spiritual significance, evident from the offerings of money around his body. This aside, I still felt (still feel actually) very different from witnessing the death of the old man, and even more so as I found out the day after that 7 more pilgrim died in a crush on a bridge on their way to bathe.

I think I would write about Kumbh all day but I will let the photos speak for themselves now as I have to go and catch a train!

All images © 2010 by Ellie Gibbons

SUNRISE AT KUMBH MELA

FECK LOADS OF PEOPLE!!

THAT'S ONE HUGE SHIVA STATUE!

PILGRIM - LOVING THE SUPER NOODLE BLANKET!!

MORNING DIP IN THE GANGES

BATHING GHAT

A YOUNG ENTREPRENUER SELLING BOTTLES FOR TAKING A LIL' TASTE OF HOLY GANGES WATER HOME

INDIA'S MOST 'FAMOUS' GURU AND YOGA MASTER: BABA RAMDEV

A MOMENT OF CONTEMPLATION AMOUNGST THE MILLIONS - I ESPECIALLY LOVE HIS RAJASTHANI STYLE 'SAFA'

SOUL SISTERS

GURU MARKETING ON A BALLOON - GENIUS!!

OMG - THIS GUY LOOKS SO COOL!!!!!

Painting with (temple) light..so much fun!

2010-04-01T21:01:00.007+01:00

Making full use of the WiFi connection in my hotel roomin Jaipur, I thought I'd post these images I shot while my boyf and his mate were busy fishing. Using the light from a nearby temple next to the riverbank which is lit up after dark, I set a long shutter speed on my camera and played around with zoom and movement. I really like the trippy, futuristic effect of the shots...I even think a couple of them look like jelly fish, which turned out to be the only fish that was caught that evening!!

"Me Photo!" Photography Indian style

2010-03-29T20:03:00.020+01:00

I can't believe that I have been in India nearly two months already - this is quite significant for me as my longest stay here so far is 6 weeks so now that I have exceeded that it feels quite special and I am starting to see new sides to India everyday that I am here. There is so much to say on the trip so far so I think I will keep these entries mainly photography focused so as to keep me on track! The main thing I have to say on taking photographs in India is this: PEOPLE. Lots of them. 1,139,964,932 to be exact. This is great because for me people are the best subject for photographs because I just love trying to capture an expression that says more about a person's character rather than recreating the horrible, cheesy posed shots we see all to often. Also, the people are a massive part of what makes India such an inspiring and unique country. But, photographing people here does hold other challenges for the active travel photographer such as myself, namely that it attracts far too much attention! I stand out on the streets anyway, being relatively quite tall and white skinned but once I get that camera out I'm hard pressed to blend in with the crowd at all. I've made the mistake more than once now of shooting portraits too early on when I take the camera for a walk, and then showing the person their image on the back of the camera..GAME OVER!! Seemingly from nowhere about 20 other people (children and more surprisingly, adults) appear and they all want their photo taken in various group combinations, and with shouts of "me photo!" repeating in my ear, I end with with very few of the images I set out to get in the first place.

I am wisening up now though and realise you have to be pretty hardnosed and tough at times to be a successful travel photographer, especially as some of men here have a unnerving habit of just shouting or whistling at me. My technique is now basically click and move. I've been making good use of a usually quite redundant telephoto lens (I have a lightweight 90-300mm Canon Ultrasonic) to stand back and keep as much to myself as possible at first to watch and observe while I take a few sneaky snots - obviously being rude is never on my agenda so if someone sees me with the camera pointing at them then I just generally point at my camera, make the OK sign and waggle my head Indian style (I picked this up very quickly, it's very useful for communicating!_ and they seem happy enough to have their photo taken. I then move on quickly and try not to stay in one place too long. I love the effect of these observed shots, almost like a window onto a new world. I do like to think of myself as a social young thing and interacting with my surrounding and the people is one of the great things about photography but I must say there is something very peaceful about just trying to blend in, watch, and take photos, especially in Indian cities when things are just plain crazy! When I have some shots that I'm happy with I then click on a shorter focal length lens and get closer to the action. I'm loving my Tamron 28-75mm f.2.8 for portraits at the moments as the images are near on pin sharp and the wide aperture gives a great shallow depth of field that I just can't achieve with my wide lens, a Canon 17-85mm f4 - 5.6 (which is pretty useful as a general walkaround lens though when I cant carry much kit with me). As I know I already have some great shots and made use of the 'good light' (super important, as any photographer will tell you) then it doesn't matter so much if I spend a little bit of time clicking a few token kid/adult group shots while I try and get some portfolio worthy images along the way.

So far I have photographed in a few places in India, mainly Almora in the Himalayan foothills and Jaipur, Rajasthan so far and all the best photos from my trip this year are displayed in the portfolio section of my website in a new gallery called (believe it or not) 'Travels 2010'. Any 'not necessarily for portfolio but still worthy of a look' photos I will post here on my blog like the photo of a poster my boyfriend spotted today in a textiles shop in Jaipur which made me smile and I think sums India up completely - traditional meets the modern world! Plus it reminds me of the humourous angle I sometimes like to take in my own photographs :)

Sensory photography - a photo is more than just seeing...

2010-01-20T19:26:00.010Z

"Photography is more than the creation of something visual. It's the communication of a moment, of an experience, of a thought process. If that moment is experienced with senses other than sight it can still be captured in a photograph."

Photography by people with visual impairment..amazing

With thanks to BBC News Online

Big Brother and Little Sister are watching you..

2010-01-09T23:03:00.006Z

Shots from a recent portrait shoot with my big brother Rich and little sister Kate - unfortunately I did not inherit the 'commitment to the gym gene' like my brother!!

Anna Kalinowska - who would have thought she was new to modelling??!!

2010-01-07T16:15:00.012Z

Photos from a recent studio shoot with a the lovely Polish model Anna Kalinowska - an absolutely FANTASTIC model and a pleasure to work with and I must say had the most amazing long legs!!!

Ellie Gibbons...by RANKIN!

2009-12-09T14:41:00.014Z

I couldn't believe my luck earlier this year when I was breezing around The Big Chill festival in Herefordshire and I realised that one of my favourite British photographers, Rankin, was shooting portraits of festival goers for his 2009 exhibition, RankinLive!! Obviously, I jumped at the chance to get involved and for a mere £50 (which all went to charity anyway) I not only got my hair and make up done, which I was very happy about considering I had been festering in a tent for the last 3 nights, but I also had the chance to meet and be photographed by one of the most iconic photographers of my generation.

Given Rankin's god like status in the photography world (I think people underestimate just how much hard work it takes to get where he is!) he was such a warm, down to earth guy and he didn't mind too much when I hugged him hello AND goodbye (I was excited, OK?!). His wife, model Tuuli Shipster, also popped in to see her husband while I was waiting to be photographed which was also pretty exciting given that at that very moment I was leafing through Rankin's book 'Tuulitastic', a photographic homage to his beautiful wife..... then there she was in the flesh!

I had my lovely friend Marie on hand during the shoot taking a few shaps of the shoot itself so I've posted them them here along with the finished photo in his iconic style which I LOVE! The shoot itself was beyond amazing and I felt like a kid at christmas afterwards!!

GLAMMING IT UP

OUTSIDE THE RANKINLIVE! TENT

OUTSIDE THE RANKINLIVE! TENT

INSIDE THE TENT

SHOOT!

CHECK OUT THE FAN MAN!!!

LOOKING BACK AT THE SHOTS

Love music? Check out The Undercover Hippy...

2009-09-04T15:15:00.010+01:00

I just got back from Shambala festival (think great music, great people, a chilled out vibe and more dreadlocks than I could count and you should get the jist!) where I was helping out a local Birmingham artist with 2D stop motion animation workshops that she was running in the kids area. When I wasn't helping out with the workshops I was wandering around listening to great music and watching random things happen when I came across the Wandering Word tent and sat down to watch an acoustic singer/songwriter called The Undercover Hippy and so pleased that I did because his music was definately one of the highlights of the whole festival! I found it a little difficult to describe his style at first because he is so unique but after a little investigation I can safely say that he describes his music as a fusion of reggae, soul and folk with his guitar providing background rhythms to his clever, witty and intelligent lyrics which have a very thought provoking social and political edge. He has a beautiful raw tone to his voice which he combines with verses of rap from his former days as a drum and bass MC - and boy can this hippy rap!! I think his music is fantastic and the best singer songwriter I've heard in along time! I particularly admire his mission to spread a positive vibe and bring to our attention issues in the world that we really should all be aware of and I highly recommend taking a listen to some of his tracks, one listen and I guarantee you'll be hooked!

www.undercoverhippy.com

Loving HDR Photography!!

2009-05-18T12:53:00.007+01:00

This is my first go at shooting an image in High Dynamic Range (HDR) and I'm over the moon with the results as the shot evokes the eerie, gritty mood that wanted to portray, emphasised by the detail in the dramatic clouds overhead. I shot this image as an establishing shot for an audio slideshow I have been working on with a colleague based on the story of a group of protesters who were squatting at this disused house on the Pershore Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham. The cause, Justice not Crisis (www.justicenotcrisis.wordpress.com), believes that there is not enough socially funded housing available to those in need, especially when there are so many houses standing empty in Birmingham. The squatters have now moved on and the house once again lies empty so I'm happy that I managed to capture this image while I could to record a little slice of local history.....

Isn't she cute?

2009-03-20T13:47:00.006Z

Introducing the very cute Lile-ann! I captured this image whilst photographing a friends wedding a few weeks ago and little Lile made a very good model and didn't at all mind me taking photos. I think the black and white tones compliment the image beautifully giving a natural and timeless feel.

Fashion Victim?

2009-03-13T15:23:00.006Z

This is one of my favourite shots from a series of fashion shots for 'Cow', the vintage clothing store in Digbeth in Birmingham - I ended up calling the set 'Retro Bizarre' as all the shots ended up looking very, well..bizarre! Miz, the amazingly wonderful model in this shot, responded very well to my artistic direction - "look dead!!"

Yes..even more Joss!!

2009-03-09T18:08:00.004Z

The last few of my favorites from the Joss Stone shoot...I tried to take a few shots alternative shots of Joss, and I think the shot of her feet and the shot of her mic pack do the trick nicely!! And I love the cheeky look on her face in the third shot..

Joss Stone

2009-02-25T17:24:00.007Z

The first of probably a few shots of soul singer Joss Stone and her band photographed at an intimate gig at The Rainbow pub in Digbeth, Birmingham...so intimate I was even able to chat to her after the gig and show her the shots..bonus!

I love the beautiful blue colours and the patterns of the lights in the background of the first shot plus the way her arm is framing her face makes for an interesting composition. In the second shot, the yellow lights and facial expression of the saxophonist, Jeff, make the shot for me!

Er...did you know there was a pigeon on your head??

2009-02-12T14:27:00.010Z

This just made me laugh - these were by far the most confident group of pigeons I have ever met in my entire life!!

Manhatten Skyline

2009-02-10T17:24:00.009Z

The Manhattan skyline shot from Liberty Island - although I think I like the seagull more!!

Statue of Liberty

2009-02-10T13:01:00.005Z

At the risk of sounding like a guide book, I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about one of New York's most iconic monuments as I thought all the info was quite interesting! Her official title is actually 'Liberty Enlightening the World' and was a gift from France to celebrate America's 200th birthday in back in 1876, although she wasn't officially inaugurated until 10 years later in 1886 due to problems in funding from France and the US. Designed by the French sculpture Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (don't ask how I remember that!), the statue itself stands a massive 151 ft tall and the pedestal adding another 305 ft to its overall height - so pretty damn tall!

The statue represents the friendship formed between American and France during the American Revolution and is a monument to freedom and liberty for all immigrants entering the United States. Her torch represents enlightenment and the seven spikes on her crown represent the worlds seven continents and seven oceans. I captured this image at sunset on the ferry on the way back from visiting the statue on Liberty Island and the colours of the sky were just awesome (I like skies!!) while the silhouette of the statue in the background and the photographer in the foreground added a different perspective to this already very photographed monument. In hindsight I think maybe the shot would be better with the focus on the Statue of Liberty rather than the photographer..what do you think?

Homage to Martin Parr

2009-02-09T17:36:00.001Z

Inspired by Martin Parr's fantastic 'Bored Couples' set, this image was captured in Birmingham City Centre and is one of my favorite shots.

Did I ever mention I love the sky?

2009-01-30T17:42:00.005Z

I think this is the most amazing sky that I have ever seen and I shot it right outside my old house in Kings Heath!

Remembering 9/11

2009-01-27T16:44:00.002Z

Wondering around Central Park yesterday I came across a plaque on a bench shown in the first image, dedicated to the memory of a victim of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centres. Actually being in New York and visiting 'Ground Zero' has really made me think a lot about all those affected by the events of that day and to me this plaque expresses sentiment for the loss of one person, but in turn represents the loss of everyone who died..every person is loved by someone, somewhere.

The second image shows the view of the former site of the World Trade Centres through the tombstones of St Paul's Chapel, which is situated right next to Ground Zero. By some miracle, St Paul's was left completely unharmed during the 9/11 attacks and was used as a place of solace and comfort by New Yorkers in the proceeding days, weeks and months. The chapel now houses lasting memorials for 9/11 and is visited frequently by visitors to NYC. Although the tombstones in the foreground of this photo are not those of victims of the attacks but do represent the 1000's who died that day, while American flag in the midground and the view of Ground Zero in the background add context and meaning to the image.

New York, New York, so good they named it twice!

2009-01-19T14:40:00.003Z

Well, it's been confirmed, I'm officially going to New York on Saturday to visit a good friend of mine who is living and working in The Big City for the next 3 months. Although she'll be working during the day the week I am visiting, I'm going to use the time on my own to take the camera around and about and snap some really cool shots.