December 2018 (Pt.2 Gymnastics)

Thankfully the last big booked event of the year was the following weekend. I obviously had no idea what was about to happen on a personal level, which I will cover in a separate post, so any additional bookings would have been a nightmare at the time. The event was the annual North West Championships, held over the entire weekend, some 600 competitors and one of our more lucrative bookings. To make things more fun this was the 50th anniversary of the event.

As with previous years the work was hard, the shutter counts into the tens of thousands, though the desk was kept busy from the end of flight one on the Saturday.

This event is one that almost celebrates the inclusion of all levels of competitor. From the basic level entrants, at all ages, to the elite competitors who we see at national events and finals the competition is intense whilst fun.

As always the downside to this type of huge event is editing and uploading the images afterwards. 10,000 images will take roughly 3-4 days of solid editing from 8am to 7pm to process and upload to the website. Things vary with upload speeds and indeed batch processing speeds. This brings on some mamoth headaches and can send your vision a bit funny at times. I have started to now take deliberate beaks where I leave the house for a good hour and visit a coffee shop. I don’t take my phone and simply enjoy an hour of relaxing away from all things digital.

With the images uploaded the emails arrive from parents wanting montages or other products which then takes up the final days and any remaining time of the week processing those. Before you know it you can be packing and driving to another event and not actually done anything other than stare at screens all week. Not great.

The event was a success, mostly due to the organisation and inclusion of so many clubs who have excellent experience of competing at this level. To keep things running smoothly, especially with hundreds of competitors, takes some doing. I have seen many similar events descend into chaos and its not fun for anyone.

The galleries for the day can be found within our main galleries – Click

Some of the winners.

 

November 2018 (Pt.7 Gymnastics)

As always the bread and butter work continued. Two weekends saw us cover both the North West BSGA and Yorkshire BSGA Trampoline qualifying events, with a third covering a local gymnastics Competition in Bridlington.

The British Schools Gymnastics Organisation (BSGA) hold regional qualifiers before zonal semi’s and ultimately the main GB finals. Regionals tend to be in the same venues with zonals and the finals being rotated, year on year, to keep things fair and equitable on the travelling front.

We again have the Northern Zonal to cover followed by the main finals. Quick reviews of these events will be posted here as always.

The link to all the photo galleries is here.

 

November 2018 (Pt.2 The Show Must Go On)

On the day and indeed the time of my father in laws death I was at work in Manchester covering a small club event at Salford Trampoline Club.

Whilst we knew Michael was gravely ill it was suggested that my son and I still covered this event, rather than letting the club down. There was no guarantee that this would be the day of Mike’s death and he had been hanging on for well over a week at this point. My son and I duly left and covered the event, receiving the news of Mike’s passing, from my wife around lunchtime.

My son and I had a little wobble and the club were great about it all. They were aware of what was going on and the fact we still turned up so when they saw us together, whilst I was on the phone to Lisa, things were stopped for a few minutes. This was a lovely gesture and fully appreciated, as were the teas & coffee’s supplied all day.

The event, for this club, was a first and ended up being a fabulous success for them and indeed us. On a business stance it proved, once more, that the grass roots eventing produced more than so called higher prestige events.

With the presentations over we were both quickly on our way home. Some days just don’t make sense and this is one of those days.

 

October 2018 (Pt.1 Horses)

October continued as August and September had, with a continuous and full diary for the whole month.

We had 5 equestrian events, of which one was the three day Petplan regional finals for the North of England. Yes three full days of covering two arenas from dawn til dusk and beyond. This is hard work when there are no combined arena breaks and so you have to literally whisk yourself out of the arenas just to perform a simple function like going to the toilet. Miss a test and that could be missed sales.

The PetPlan event was a reasonable success on the sales front, though as always the grass roots competitions do better. Those who purchased tended to be riders who had not qualified for the national finals and wanted a moment of qualifying to this level of competition. I don’t think we sold one picture to any podium finisher as they clearly would want one from the finals. We took almost 3700 images over the three days, which doesn’t sound many in the context of gymnastics finals, though standing still outside for 8hrs at a time causes issues with your legs, back and neck. Sitting and editing for a few days, straight after this event, was no fun whatsoever. Add to this another 2000+ pics from the other equestrian events and we haven’t even started with the other work we had covered this month.

One thing that the Petplan event did bring was a request for a basic video of someones horse. To cut a long story short the owner had been involved in an accident so her horse was up for sale. We spoke about ideas and kept things simple. The date for filming was agreed and everything was easily completed, edited and the link shared 100’s of times around horse sites around the region. Planning was everything with this as horses don’t take kindly to being positioned and refilmed numerous times. Everything turned out well and potential buyers were numerous, thus one very happy customer.

The completed video is viewable here – Noah

And one of the last images taken at the end of the three days. I needed sleep.

April 2018

After covering the superb wedding at Loch Lomond in March it was back to the regular bread and butter work. The equestrian competitions were now up and running across the region though we did have two gymnastics events to cover also.

First up was the North West Disability Championships in Wigan. This was our second year of coverage, having been booked at the close of the 2017 event. We have also been booked to cover the 2019 event too. We love them, they love us and the work is most engaging and grounding.

Disabilities come in all shapes and forms so it would take me an age to describe all of the categories we saw over the two days. I can however say that the competitors are fabulous, with no bickering or snide comments that we hear at other events. Lots of encouragement from both fellow competitors and public alike makes a wonderful gymnastics competition. With floor, beam, bars, vault, horse & trampoline disciplines we certainly have our work cut out providing a balanced coverage, though the organisers do help us with staggered starts etc.

Our second main event of the month also saw us covering gymnastics, though this time it was able bodied gymnasts and at Bridlington. A four piece competition, which we have covered for the last few years, saw some excellent routines on the floor, beam, bars and vault by a large cross section of competitors. The morning session was all of the juniors which are usually year 6 and below, with the afternoon being year 7 and above.

We are looked after at both of the mentioned locations with tea, coffee, meals & even cake.Whilst this doesn’t sway our choice to cover its always a plus point when we are driving there early on a weekend morning.

Some of the medallists from both events.

 

 

March 2018

March was one of those months that just flew by, was solid with bookings and when you get to the end of the month you sit back and think, yeah we did it.

The month kicked off with us covering the UK BSGA Trampoline Finals in Belfast. We had been booked for this since our coverage of the previous 2017 event. The organiser had approached us, asked us if we were prepared to travel and after some brief discussions we were booked again.

The journey and ferry was simply a repeat of the January travelling I had done for the Steel Panther & Wayward Sons tour, though this time there was no issue with snow. I’m pleased that this event was just outside the normal poor winter weather possibility as when the van is full of gear, I wouldn’t want to be driving in snow. We set off late on the Friday and arrived at Cairnryan around 2am on the Saturday morning. Into the ferry queue and heads down for a couple of hours before waking to embark on the ferry. Once on it was find a comfy seat and fall asleep again for the two hour crossing. Arriving in Belfast at the crack of dawn, already tired, was not the best start yet the only way we could do this. A quick stop for coffee’s and breakfast still saw us arrive nice and early at the venue.

Once in we got the desk set up, the camera settings agreed and then the show started. It was absolute mayhem from start to finish, as had been the previous years finals. Several hundred school kids vying for their places on the rostrum. Parents & teachers screaming instructions at them whilst judges & helpers tried to maintain some kind of semblance and organisation to it all. To be fair the day could have been a lot worse, the PA kept failing and so communication was sporadic and at times confusing for some, yet everyone in authority just pulled together and shoved the whole machine to the finish line, just over an hour or so late.

We knew things would overrun so booking a ferry back on he same day would be almost impossible to predict and I would be seriously sleep deprived. We had therefore booked a lovely B&B just outside Belfast and, it transpired, from where we could see Stormont on the hill too. I had barely sat down and I was nodding off so an early night was had by all, to which our slumber was only disturbed by our alarm the following morning. Up, showered, breakfast and then back in the van for the ferry, the crossing & the subsequent five hour drive back to home. We arrived home mid afternoon after a no rush, plenty of coffee stop, journey.

Photography wise this was quite simple other than the open glass ceiling lights. The sun was bright and so large sun spots moved slowly accross the trampoline beds throughout the day. Altering your exposure is easy enough, though when you have just done so and the sun pops behind a cloud things can go dark. Thankfully Lisa, on our desk, was up to the job of getting these images onto our screens in a suitable state and as always did an excellent job of selling them too.

Flag bearers from the final awards ceremony.

March also saw us cover, for the third year, the Yorkshire Gymnastics Regional Finals at Haltemprice Sports Centre. This is an absolute gem for us as its so local we can literally leave home 15 minutes before our access time. As it was our third year we knew exactly what was involved, what was expected and how we would deliver it all.

The day went smoothly and actually finished on time, which is a massive bonus for us, allowing us to have an evening meal at a most sensible time for once. Photography wise this location does not have the best of lighting and so the ISO’s are rather high. As this doesn’t bode well for cropping the pressure to capture things in an almost printable version is high. Not the easiest thing to do though once you work out what sells, where the gymnasts are doing those moves, you simply position yourself and hope things fall into place along with some good general imagery.

Its also great that they all have such a sense of fun too.

The remainder of March was mopped up with equestrian work and another superb, one off, job which will be getting its own entry on the blog. Loch Lomond anyone?

February 2018

February saw us have an almost complete calendar filled with equestrian competitions other than one weekend of gymnastics in Wigan for the NDP 3 qualifying.

The equestrian work continues to grow and our images have been used in both the Equestrian Life and Horse & Hound Publications since we began. As I have mentioned before the work is not particularly difficult other than standing outside for several hours at a time. When the weather is kind, the job is great though if the weather is not so good then it can be a real headache. With persistent rain I usually start shooting and see how things go. Sadly if the images are being spoilt by the intensity of the rain and its affect on the images then I pack up and go home. I did stick it out in the early months of 2017 though quickly realised that we had not, and still have not, sold a single image when it is either raining or misty.

Thankfully all of the dates that I covered in February all stayed dry and so I captured full days of competition.

The NDP 3 Qualifying event at Wigan was almost a repeat of the NDP 2 event, the previous month. More fierce competition with competitors trying to grab the all important points to take them into the national rounds. Again the day was a success for us on both the image and sales fronts, though thats now it at Wigan until the Autumn when the NW Championship series returns.

Some equestrian images including jumps.

 

January 2018

January is usually a quiet month for us. Gymnastic competitions are few and far between and most outdoor events, including our equestrian work, have yet to start. 2018 however started with two large events for us.

Firstly there was a re scheduled North West NDP Qualifier weekend in Wigan followed by a weekend at Huddersfield for the BSGA Northern Qualifying Event. The Wigan event is one of three qualifying events which can see competitors continue onward to national event qualification. The competition is fierce, qualification places are limited and the entire weekend is absolutely superb to watch and indeed cover. The weekend as a whole, for us personally, was a success and we left having fulfilled what we set out to do as always in deliver the best coverage possible. Starting as we meant to continue throughout 2018 we captured a rather modest 6000 images.

Secondly we covered the BSGA Northern trampoline competition qualifier for the finals which are to be held Northern Ireland during March this year. We are booked to cover the Finals too so it was interesting to see who, as in individuals and indeed schools, qualified. At this stage a large amount of the competitors are known to us from other competitions, with mostly the school groups having individuals we have not seen before. Having not been able to cover the North East qualification event in November this also let us see what they had on offer to challenge at the finals. Again the weekend went well, some 7500 images were taken and profit conversion was excellent. February was fast approaching and we had big smiles on our faces already.

So the social media image for the NDP 2.

And the social media image for the Northern BSGA Regional Qualifier.

Hard Rock Hell 2017

I had the privilege of being at this event, in the capacity of photographer, to capture the Wayward Sons Set. It also allowed me to capture some of the other bands on stage too. This is not only good for the portfolio yet, as I found out, also good for networking with other photographers and indeed bands too.

The drive to North Wales was uneventful and as smooth as I could have hoped, arriving around lunch time on the Friday. Booking in and getting laminates was pleasantly easy and the staff were absolutely superb. Odd events have a big “I Am” around who likes you to know it & its really not necessary at all when I’ve found 99% of the bands to be fully approachable and chatty.

The event as a whole went superbly and I met some really nice individuals, some of whom I will be staying in contact with. Photography wise it was a doddle. I had unprecedented access to the band, the entire pit to myself after the first three songs had been completed, and with proper stage lighting I was able to shoot at decent resolutions too.

The Wayward Sons set was superb and they are really starting to gel as a band. The sound was tight and had the entire audience bouncing along with them for the duration. One minor blip was an amp giving up, though that was replaced in just a couple of minutes allowing them to continue. This band can and should go places in the coming year. They certainly deserve to on the album and performances to date.

Not too much on the side of images, as those of you who read this blog will know I have a gentleman’s agreement over images for Wayward Sons. I am however popping a couple from Friday’s headline set on here. Dee Snider, of Twisted Sister, played with his solo band which was a big moment for me. Absolutely loved him in TS all those years ago in my teens yet never managed to see them live. Access to the photography pit and he’s on, see’s me standing there for that first three song opportunity.

Things rounded off drinking a few beers with WS at the after show, kipping on a settee in the bands chalet, followed by an early rising and the long drive back home.

As an experience of work this was fantastic, as an experience of a small festival it was superb and for interaction with other gig photographers it was also fabulous. I just love this side of work and though it pays peanuts I’ll be continuing to slot the gigs in where I can.

Can’t show a Wayward Sons pic so how about an artistically focussed image? I’ve started doing this so I can at least pop something on here rather than repeating the small montage.

The legend that is Dee Snider

And you just have to love it when a band member poses for you.

November 2017

November is an odd month for us in that we have been booked to cover the Yorkshire, North West and North East Schools BSGA Trampoline Competitions for the last four years. This leaves us with little room to squeeze anything else in. This year however saw the North East committee leave things so late that the only weekend they could secure a venue we were already booked (covering the NW event) so we had to decline the booking. Whilst we were saddened not to be covering it, and indeed it wasn’t covered by any photographer, we did have the backup of the equestrian work and a late gymnastics event booking too.

The Yorkshire weekend was first, followed by the North West with the gymnastics event being on the third weekend of the month. The equestrian events fell nicely into the gaps and so yet again we had a full month of events to work at. With only the League Finals in December this is the time when some good sales carries us nicely into the new year when things begin to happen again.

Again this was our fourth year of covering these BSGA events and so we knew exactly what was coming. The entire set of weekends went as planned and we came out of November in a very buoyant place. The gymnastics event was also a success as they had not previously booked a photography company to cover the event. Lots of first time purchasers there then.

Finally and yet again the equestrian work filled in the gaps. Yes its getting cold and the purchases are slowing, due to the drop in competitors, though any business is better than no business. To be honest its not much fun standing outside, for several hours, in November. I’m wrapped up like an eskimo and should the sun decide to make an appearance I will face it, absorbing its brief moments of warmth, until it becomes obscured by clouds again. The wind chill is the absolute killer now and so if there’s no wind at all I’m a happy Chappy standing beside the competition rings.

BSGA Yorkshires

BSGA North West

Gymnastics

Equestrian competition in November, with sunlight.

And just to prove that gymnastics can be fun too …..