Your New Local Shop. 4th January.

Across the UK in towns and suburbs the meaning of "The Local Shop" is changing.. a few years ago it would have been the butchers, corner shop or post office.. but now it's turning into your nearest Tescos, Asda or Morrisons. I'm not going to lie, I like the fact that Tescos is so low priced and open all hours.. but do I like the fact that Mr.Smith's Butchers is suffering because it can't be as convenient? 

I'm not sure.. what do you think?

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Orange streets filled with fog. 14th November.

I live in the fens and I admit that winter has started on the first night when I'm in the car and realise that it is so foggy I can only see a metre in front of my car! Fog brings a whole mystical feeling to the fens, it excludes you from the world around you, and it also makes anything that contains light glow in strange orbs. This street was filled with slightly apocalyptic orange light as I was driving home, it had been completely transformed from the street it was in the day time. It's slightly eerie but rather beautiful.

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7th day at Rankin, shooting and cleaning! 6th November.

Breaking the trend today as I didn't just take photos of the London transport system, I took a photo of a supermarket too, wahoo! 

Today at Rankin was very busy, we had a shoot in the morning-early afternoon, a shoot in the evening, and then we had to prep for an exhibition which opens on thursday. The morning shoot was amazing, we created a set which filled the whole of the studio, there were two great big backdrops with different coloured skies painted on and then a whole load of plants and props throughout the rest of the set (the props varied throughout the shoot depending on which type of scene we needed to create). It was one of my favourite shoots so far as the lighting set ups were very creative, and this meant that the photographs looked stunning. I was reunited with the reflector again, so I got the best seat in the house for watching Rankin and how he worked with the model and the camera. 

Rankin also has an exhibition that opens on thursday, so all hands were on deck today (well the walls actually), as we had to recover the walls from the last exhibition and then paint them... that may sound easy, but it really wasn't.. and my hands are a little bit sore! But weirdly enough I enjoyed it, I find it easy to enjoy things when I know they are going to create something amazing, having clean walls will create an amazing exhibition.

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Day 5 @ Rankin and London busses. 2nd November.

Hopped on the bus today instead of the DLR to get to the Studio, gave me a completely different perspective of east London to the one which I get from the DLR... might hop on/off the bus tomorrow and get some photos on the street as there were some interesting looking places!

Today was very busy in the Studio, Rankin had two shoots planned... both were female fashion-style shoots, one was in the morning/early afternoon and the other was early-evening. Both shoots required set building, so out came the paint tins (again!), and I became splattered in paint during and in between both shoots!  

The shoots were very different despite the similarity in genre (female fashion), it was interesting to see how Rankin approached each of the shoots in a very different way.. the way he approached the shoot was reflected in the style of the photographs he took. 

The two shoots made the studio an environment which was full of hustle and bustle, the team was really bought together throughout the day and every single member of staff had something to do! The vibe of the day was great!

(the simplest of lighting setups can be used to create amazing photos)

A quick little night photo of a London bus shelter (this photo made me miss my train!! I do like it though, so it's worth it!)

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Day 4 at Rankin & a few night shots! 1st November.

Started off today by being confronted with the rainbow of Colouramas in the cupboard as I had to chop off two pieces for an assistant making props. I then got my painting hands on and painted the large wooden walls which are part of a set for a shoot coming up... I find it amazing how some paint, wooden walls, and a few props can completely transform a white studio into a completely different place.

We had another evening shoot today so the day was spent on set design and preparation for shoots coming up. Late-afternoon was when the test-shoot started; for test shoots we experiment with different lighting situations and composition/poses so that everything is ready for when the shoot starts. 

(test shoot)

It was quite a small set for this evenings shoot, all the assistants/stylists/models packed in around Rankin.. this was a lot different to the other shoots I've been in where we have all been spread out... working so closely in the shoot made it easy to see how everyone has a different role to play and how each role is vital! Tonights shoot was great fun, and once again I was handed the reflector, which was great as I could really watch and listen to how Rankin went about composing the shots and the model. 

Can't believe my first week at Rankin ends tomorrow, it has flown by, I'm really loving it!

So I did go and re-shoot the Station which I snapped on my iPhone, much better now that I've used my Nikon, thinking about doing a short project incorporating these photos during my time in London/possible further.

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Rankin day 2 & a few more shots. 30th October.

Today was day 2 of my time at Rankin.. it was a completely different day to yesterday, a rare chilled day before the storm which is going to hit tomorrow afternoon as we have shoots planned non-stop for the rest of my time at Rankin.

Today included creating some props; I have been working with a lot of lightbulbs for one interesting prop... I also did a tiny bit of plug re-wiring... felt like an electrician for a short while. I also helped paint a whole load of stuff white, the studio is white at the moment, but depending on the shoot the studio/equipment can be painted completely different colours... but today has been relatively easy as the studio is fine in white!! 

It is really great as I have been able to do so many different things in the space of just two days; it shows how working as a photographer or assistant is such a varied job where you need to use so many skills in a wide range of areas. Looking forward to see what the next few days bring.

My journey to the studio takes quite a while, so I have decided to pick up my camera on the way so that I can make the most of this time! I really enjoy my route as it is almost all overground, beats the dark tunnels in central London!

I also love the emptiness that night can bring:

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Night Flowers. 4th August.

I am still very much in holiday mode! After spending a week camping and working with children aged 5-6 I am having a quick weekend at home before I go away again for a couple of days. Holiday-mode doesn't mean that I've stopped taking photos, it just means that I relax a little bit and let my creative brain recharge. 

I intend on getting stuck into some projects when I get back, so look out for them when I get back.. but for now I shall continue to post my daily photos and small snippets of inspiration.

Self Portrait. 5th May.

For most people who know me as a photographer, they will know that I am not the kind of photographer who enjoys self-portraiture... So today was a bit of an exception to my rule of no self-portraits... It was about dusk and I thought that I could experiment with some surreal long-exposure portraiture techniques, I'm a little bit happy with this shot, but I know that I can do much better, so I may be doing a little bit more self-portraiture in the future..... watch out!

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Polluted Darkness. 17th March.

Recently I've been realising how much of our night skies are polluted. It is immensely hard to see the stars or constellations as the sky is lit up, I miss the darkness sometimes, even though sometimes it may feel eerie, darkness is beautiful and peaceful most of the time. I would love light pollution to become a thing of the past, it is now hard to appreciate the beautiful wonder of a full night sky or a moment of pure darkness.

The Night Tree. 26th February.

I saw this tree tonight, this tree and other similar trees are lined down the drive of my church. I thought it's silver branches stood out from the dark sky, hence the photograph of it. I am off to Emmaus Cambridge tomorrow to shoot more for the documentary, this is quite exciting, so expect new work on it soon!

Pizza Place. 26th January.

When most shops close there are a group of shops that open, takeaways. They represent the night time in Britain. Their customer range is wide, from families who want an easy dinner, to teenagers after their nights out. Takeaways make the UK what it is today.

Facebook. Twitter.

A2Z - The multicultural shop. 5th January.

My nearest city is Peterborough, some people may not like it, it's not that big and the shopping's not that great... but I quite like it! It's a hub of multiculturalism, on my way out of the city today I saw this shop and I thought it perfectly captured the diversity of the city. People of different nationalities may tend to stay in separate groups and communities, but as a city we are starting to tear down all the barriers but we are embracing the diverse range nationalities. This shop is a perfect example of that.

Through A Window. 4th January.

I took this photograph this morning, I decided that it would be an interesting experiment to take a long exposure photograph out of my window whist  I was busy having my breakfast. The sky was clear and there was a beautiful sunrise this morning, but I captured the sky as it was starting to prepare for the sunrise. I might experiment with this again during the night to capture some star trails. 

The Chippy. 10th December.

I was just walking to the local supermarket this evening to buy some chocolates for christmas presents... and I walked past the local chippy. Chip shops are so English, but I don't think I would miss them unless I went abroad. Everyone takes chip shops for granted, you get people just grabbing a snack on the way home, people who have decided to treat themselves for tea, people who going out for the evening..... all kinds of people who use these shops. This chip shop (friar tucks) has been open for as long as I can remember, I might go back and visit them again to use in my portrait documentary on local shops (the forgotten shops).

In other news, I have started shooting a little bit more for my "Electric Landscapes" project, I am really happy with where I am taking it by using a digital camera. I do love film and it's qualities, but I think that digital will work really well with the topic of this project. 

Light Orb attempt 1. 9th of November.

I have recently been inspired by some photographs of light orbs which I found online, so I decided to give it a go with my little LED torch tied onto some string. It is a lot harder than I thought it was! I think I am going to have another go tomorrow night, but once I have mastered the art of light orbs I think that I could develop a project around them... so watch this space...

Here's a photograph of what successful light orbs look like:

Star Trails! 08/10/11.

I went out last night to photograph star trails, I love the result! I'm going to definitely do more in the future!