It was great to be back at the Landmark, if a little delayed by snow! (certainly better weather this time round).  Its always good to meet local businesses and this year we were able to learn from the great talks by Prab Chadha of the Google Garage and micro business guru Tony Robinson OBE

Thank you to Marsdens Devon Cottages for sponsoring the event and providing lunch for us all. Very much appreciated.

The Combe Business Awards are an important part of the event and this year won by the Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium.  Whats not to love? 

Good to see North Devon's MP supporting local business

It nice that I am so popular!

The flavour from the gin marmalade stayed for a long time...very yum.  Very well done by the Proper Marmalade Company

It was also fun to actually do some portraits using my mobile studio, thank you  Prab and Robert

And thank you to Robert Zarywacz and everyone at Combe Business for all the time and effort you put into to this event

After being snowed off we are back at the Landmark in Ilfracombe on Friday 20th April.  Fantastic head shot photo offers available on the day.  Images from as little as £5

Love to see you there

​Its amazing how quickly a year comes around, and it was great to be back at the Combe Business  Open4Biz event.

This one had a bit of a troubled time as the venue (The Landmark) closed unexpectedly!  The event organisers pulled off a bit of a blinder and The Carlton Hotel stepped in at the last minute to save the day.  Well done Robert Zarywacz and the Combe Business team.​

It was fun to set up my ever growing stall, a portable studio in a corner down stairs.  Everything worked really well, which is always a relief.

Thank you to Greg Schofield for being such a sport, helping test the set up :0)

​I had a show offer to do headshots on the day, and thank you to everyone who was brave enough to have their photo taken and great to see them being used on social media.

It was good to see our MP Peter Heaton-Jones meeting with local business owners and supporting local business.

And everyone had a smile, some more than others :0)

Whats great about the day for me as an event photographer is being able to meet everyone and take photos of the day, which I am pleased to see people using.  All in all a good day, with some great contacts made and commissions taken :0)

Robert talking with his hands.

Happy winners on the day.

Looking forward to next year :0)

I am always happy to come along and cover an event, if I can help at yours please just contact me and I am happy to to have a chat and give you a quote for the day

​30 May 2016

I had an amazing May Bank Holiday Monday photographing the Calvert Horse Shoe Ride near Exford on Exmoor.  The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the activities of the Calvert Trust Exmoor and to also raise money to support their horse riding activities (more about that later).

Monday was a beautiful day, fine but not too hot, which was good for the horse and riders (and me!).  
There were two courses, a 25 km long ride which went up to Dunkery Beacon and the 15 km short ride around Nethercote and Winsford Hill.
Both rides started at Comers Gate, with about 100 riders taking part and were welcomed and set off on their way by Lady Ann Mallalieu. 
​

​I love having the opportunity to photograph horses, so I was in a kind of seventh heaven!  

​I am not rider though and have not spent much time around horses, so I asked Robin for any advice he could offer me how to stay safe and not cause any trouble.  He told if they have a red ribbon on their tail, they might kick, and a green ribbon means an inexperienced horse...and might kick.   I decided that it might be best to stay clear of the hind legs of all of them all, just in case, which was quite a challenge with so many horses about.  I also learned that some are not that sure about cameras.  Apologies to those and their riders  I  inadvertently startled.  You were amazingly forgiving.

It was a gorgeous day, and with the route going through some of the most lovely parts of Exmoor, what could possibility go wrong.  This may sound totally obvious to all you horse riders out there, but wow, horses don't half go quick, so being in the right place at the right time meant some fairly swift moving on my part as well.  I missed some photos (hard not regret the ones that got away), but really pleased with the ones I did catch.  To see all of the photos of the day please have a look here at my gallery or have a look at the Cavlert Trust Facebook Gallery for an edited selection.  Please feel free to like and share to help spread the word.

​The reason for the event, apart from having fun (and there were a lot of smiles on the day :0 ), was to raise awareness about the work of the Calvert Trust Exmoor, based near Wistlandpound Reservoir .  Its aim is to enable people with physical, learning, behavioural and sensory disabilities to experience exciting, challenging and enjoyable outdoor activities.  It's an amazing charity that brings real joy to peoples live, but it's not cheap to run and many people with disabilities do not have deep pockets, so the Trust are always looking for ways to raise awareness and money so that as many people as possible can enjoy being on Exmoor.
 
The event  raised £1,760  all of which will go into supporting their horse riding activities. Not a bad effort I would say.

​If you would like to find out more about supporting their work please have a look at their Support Us page.
There are so many ways to help out, my way is to take photographs on days like these, So please, have a chat with them about volunteering , you don't have to just take my word for it when I say volunteering can be so much fun :0)

I hope you enjoyed this blog, remember to check out The Calvert Trust Exmoor and my gallery, (if people would like to buy prints, I will make a donation to Calvert Trust :0) and I would love to read your comments.

Thank you so much to Em Long, Wedding Coordinator at Clovelly Weddings and Suzi Lowther, Venue Stylist Ambience- North Devon for inviting me to such a lovely event.

One of my memories of the day is seeing the fantastic floral displays. I absolutely love photographing flowers and the high quality of those on show (plus gorgeous light inside the Funky Tent and Summer House) meant that I just had to find some time to hopefully do them justice with  my camera.   Though I was a little rushed I am pleased with the results, and I could not resist showing you images that I ran out of room in the last blog to share with you dear reader.

​Thank you everyone

Ambience Venue Styling and Brompton Buds

Thank you for reading this and comments always welcome.

​24 April 2016

​I was excited to be invited as an exhibitor at such a beautiful venue on the Clovelly Great Court and for such a good cause, the Wishing Well Foundation.  The forecast a couple of days before was a little worrying, but the day turned out fine and bright, certainly showing off Clovelly to fine advantage, if just a little chilly out of the sun.

Brilliant marquee provided by Funky Tents

​This was only my second wedding fair and with the fair coming up fast I felt my stand needed a revamp.  I am now learning that there is a lot of work preparing for these events and, though it will continue to evolve, I am quietly pleased with the way the stand it is developing.  

​My theme for the fair was love, fun and the printed image.   Though we live in a digital age, there is something very special about a print that gives an extra dimension to an image. 

 I will let others, far more philosophical than I, discuss the merits of print verses  screen (because I am a fan of both).  A well looked after a print , however, will last a lifetime and, if you have the space, it gives an unmatched physical presence. 

It may simply be that a print gives more time to look, and is sometimes easier to see a print rather than image on a screen?  I took my 10inch tablet, which has a really good screen, but the day was so bright, it was impossible to see the images, so I turned it off,  put it away and went visually analogue for the day.

I now have a beautiful new sample photo album with a classic unfussy  look, that compliments  my photographic style, and has a tactile feel to the paper that makes it a joy to leaf through the pages.   The little block of wood that propped up my last album seemed so inadequate that I cut the word LOVE out of a plank of wood and used that as a book stand.  It's not a bad first attempt, but I suspect a mark 2 version will follow one day.

My signature 3" x 2" print of the day is of a lovely couple with a stunning car, in front of another wonderful venue.  It is on loan to the Hunters Inn on Exmoor, near Parracombe, if ever you are passing pop in and have a look.  It will be worth it for the fine food, beer and stunning scenery, if nothing else.

​Now, love of prints aside, digital images are an important part of my wedding collections.  Moving on from supplying DVD's  I now offer high quality USB's in lovely presentation boxes.  They can come in a variety of designs and materials (and some do include prints :0). It was nice to get a positive response from the  people who looked at them.

​Of course the day was all about meeting the brides and grooms planning their wonderful day (or let's be honest, mostly the brides :0).  it was great to chat about their day (some thinking up to two years in advance, which was very impressive) and how my photography might fit in with their ideas.  It was wonderful to hear about so many different plans.
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One of the many lovely conversations was with a Dad, commenting how wedding photography has changed over the years, from the very formal and stiff photographs in his day to the much more relaxed and fun images he was looking at in my album.  Mind you the best photographers back in the day were amazing and some of those traditional images have really stood the test of time.  With the low film speeds available back then people really did not have the freedom to move around in front of the camera as they can now.

​During the quiet moments, it was way too chilly to stand around, so out came the camera (absolutely digital ;0) and I took some quick pictures of my amazing fellow exhibitors work, I only had time to catch the ones close to me so here is a small selection of the wonderful cakes, flowers, hair dressers, jewellery, cars and fellow photographers that go together to help create fabulous weddings across North Devon and Cornwall.  They also happened to be  really nice people and helped make the day such fun.  

The lovely Jag from  South West Wedding Car Hire out side Clovelly Church 

Hair dressing demonstration by Colorseum in Bideford

Hey Jules! Bespoke jewellery 

Hannah's Cornish Cakes

Nick Pearce doing what comes naturally!

All profits for the day are going to The Wishing Well Foundation, an amazing charity that organises and funds weddings for terminally ill people and make their wedding dreams come true.  Formed by Naomi Thomas back in 2012 it now works across the country.  They have many fundraising activities including the donation of wedding  gowns like the one in the picture which they give to the bride or sell.  Please visit their web site to find out more.

​All in all a good day meeting lovely people. If you were there please remember the discount I offered has no time limit and you can always go to the weddings section of my website as a reminder of my offer to you. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch, I would live to hear from you.

All the very best wishes to everyone having, planning and supporting a wedding in 2016 and beyond.
 
Tim

​I love being married.
I have been married for over 30 years with two sons, one grandchild and an amazing family.  We are always there for each other in the good times and the bad.  Like everyone, we have had our fair share of both and I am so grateful that, all those years ago, she said yes.
I love weddings.
They are big days all about love and commitment.  We meet up with the important people in our lives, have a lot of fun and make  memories that last for years.  The weddings I  have been to have all been different: religious, civil,  big and small,  in church's, hotels, registry office, or the middle of a field.  The couples have spoken many different words all making one of the biggest promises there is.
I love photographing weddings.
I love taking photographs of people at the special moments of their lives and you don't get much more special than when people get married.  The range of emotions shown by the couple (and family ;0), nervousness, intense concentration to joy, sometimes all just moments apart, is a wonder to photograph.  It is also such a privilege to be a part of the planning that goes into making the day look and feel just so.  It feels good to be a part of, and I strive to take better photographs partly because of this emotional reward.

Of course I have a job to do, and I always get nervous before a wedding.  The nerves keep me honest and reminds me that I am there to make good on my promise to take the very best images I can to capture the spirit of the day.   

"We love the venue, we have booked this wonderful car, and by the way we hate having our photo's taken."

"Take pictures as it happens, make us laugh."

"I love Bideford and really want pictures that reflect this."

"It would be great if, on the day of the wedding, we could have a picture with the cattle"

"Did I tell you we hate our photos being taken?"

"Please, nothing formal"

"And please don't forget my vicar"

I do love a good wedding.  If you think I might be the one to tell the story of yours, I would love to hear from you.
All the very best

Tim

As always, comments welcomed

​A fine gig at the Chill Bar in Ilfracombe, made all the better because technical problems meant the band were playing with some kit borrowed at the last minute and they still pulled off a great show. Their use of a projected backdrop plus very low and constantly changing lighting made for challenging photography. Hard work,  great fun, but with a brutal cull rate!

Fair to say I nearly ran out of ISO, so low shutter speed blur in all honesty made most of the images unusable.  I had to sit on the floor to reduce camera shake,  which gave me a different creative perspective. And then it was just a case of relaxing into the moment and waiting for good shapes.
​Thank you Harry Munk :0)

A huge thank you also to the gods of Lightroom for helping me reduce the noise down to acceptable levels, but not too much as sometimes that it is just how it is.

To find out more about Harry Munk look them up on Facebook

To have a  listen to Shut Your Mouth (rough) it is also on Facebook

​To find out more about the Chill Bar look them up on Facebook

 My good friend and fellow photographer Tim Pryor set me a photo nature challenge on facebook.

Having  never done anything like this before, it was a good optotunity to go through my back catalogue and see what  l could find. 

Now I am the first to admit that, though I love nature and spent 20 years as a National Trust Warden on Dartmoor and Exmoor looking after it in all its wonderful glory,  I am not a nature photographer.  I never seem to have the time you need to really develop the craft. Nature has to get up front and personal shouting  "Look at me!"

Luckily I carry a camera all the time and I have become good at catching the moment.  Hopefully I create images that stand on their own merits and give pleasure to others.  Then there is  the other reason I take pictures, which is to help trigger memories that will last me a lifetime (survival of back ups and  prints permitting :0).  

I look at these images and I remember brilliant holidays, good food I have eaten from the allotment (and my sons face when he finds the only boiled slug in our Sunday veg), walks with friends, the kindness of people, a wonderful nine years walking to work in between having to commute and laughing at a donkey with my granddaughter. 

In short I take pictures to remind how wonderful life can be (maybe not the boiled slug, but it is funny how its always him that finds one).

This is why I really carry a camera.

I hope you enjoy the ​results.

​Tim

​A young Robin helping me on the allotment.  Time to stop weeding and get the camera I thought.

​"Horny" toads just being common, and not looking very happy about it.  Just outside the back door at home!

​Seal pup washed up in Ilfracombe harbour.  Rescued, looked after and successfully released. 

​Exmoor pony, very close and very gentle.

On holiday at Symonds Yat and this late summer,much embattled, Robin just could not be bothered to move.  

​On a grey Autumn day, walking by a grey canal, I made eye contact with a grey cygnet.

​Walking to work past these glorious creatures.

​

​And finally 

​Dogcilla, spotted running wild in Ilfracombe.  Part of the microchip your dog campaign run by the Dogs Trust.

After a day at Open for Business I went up to the North Devon Arena to photograph Falling Apart, and as promised here are some images of a very fine night.

Falling Apart are a local Ilfracombe band who play punk and new wave classics (including a fine cover of a personal favourite, the Undertone's, Teenage Kicks :0), original material and even a disco classic or two. No kidding, a punked up "I will Survive" works really well!

Always good for getting people up and dancing, they were playing at a party celebrating 100 years of Woolacombe School.

Now I love music and live music even more, but I have no talent for it. My primary school report read “Tim sings enthusiastically out of key” and years later nothing has changed.  This makes my admiration for musicians even greater and encourages me to take the best pictures of them that I can. 

The arena is great for this, with plenty of room for me to move around, without getting in the way of the audience, with a huge plus that the backdrop and screen set up by S & H Technical Support Ltd is very cool and a lot of fun.  The guys at S&H were even searching for appropriate images and displaying them behind the band... classic.

I have been taking pictures of Falling Apart for a few years now, so I will sort out a selection for a future blog.

Hope you like the images, I would love to hear what you think :0)

If you are in or know of a band who would like photographs please give me a call on 07792 105984 or contact me I would love to hear from you.