Karena and Rankin...

Karena and Rankin..., a photo by Way Ahead Photography on Flickr.

There is something even better than realising your dreams. Watching your friends achieve those, and in some small way, being involved in that.

Last night I had the privilage and honour of attending the launch of the new Swatch range, designed by photography genius, Rankin. It was help at his Annroy Studio, London, and was quite simply, a fantastic party, and an amazing night out. I loved every single second of it.

But more importantly I got to see my friend pictured here with Rankin, at a point where she can definitely feel that all her hard work and dedication, in the face of all the hardship, critisism and downright rubbish that life throws at us all, has finally paid off. She is destined for greatness...

And I got a free watch :D

To quote Jar Jar Binks...How ROOD!

A brilliant gig Friday night at the O2 Indigo gave me an opportunity to flex my somewhat out-of-shape rock'n'roll photography muscles, and try and bag some shots of the fantastic Chasing Ora.

I first saw them live supporting Them Is Me at the Monto Water Rats a year or two ago, and I was more than a little impressed. When I got in touch with the band, mainly via Darren their bass player, I was even more impressed.

Not only do Chasing Ora produce some blistering tunes, such as the hauntingly memorable Jekyll & Hyde, and equally unforgettable Running Scared, not only are they a bunch of dedicated, hard-working, and exceptionally talented musicians, but - they are some of the nicest rock musicians I have ever had the privilege to meet. Which sets them poles apart from many bands on their rung of the ladder, and in my opinion, earns them a place much higher up.

Sadly the same could not be said for some of the "photographers" in the press pit...

Not content with machine-gunning the band at 10 fps for 30 minutes, hoping to snatch a couple of half-decent shots of "the pretty singer bird" so they can sell them to whoever will pay, they tried their hardest to ensure others in the pit didn't get any good shots, by whatever means necessary.

At one point one of the videographers, a really lovely young lady working for the band, was blocked from passing photographers in the pit, so she couldn't get into position. Upon noticing this, said photographers turned their back on her and ignored her, refusing to give up their vantage point.

I have had some great opportunities to shoot rock music from the press pit, and this really pained me. I have been privileged to work alongside some really talented and nice guys, eager to pass on advice to me, then a relative newbie, but the thing I think impacted me most was the friendliness of these guys.

They were clearly brilliant photographers and (I think this is the key) they had no insecurities about other photographers "getting better shots" - they were just there because they loved the music, and loved photography. Which is why I do it. And when I meet other likeminded photographers, that makes it all the more fun.

I loved the camaraderie in the pit, people watching out for each other, moving aside for other photographers to get their shots too, not hogging space in front of the microphone stand. In short, it was a place where good manners still existed.

Sadly it looks like "rock paparazzi" are now inhabiting the press pit, and have not brought their manners with them. There are few things that irritate me more than somebody being a bully, and that is pretty much all these morons are. All they want, is one good shot (not that they have the ability or the eye to get such a thing deliberately, despite owning a huge camera to compensate) and they don't care how they get it, or who else suffers.

Fortunately, I can't see this phenomenon lasting, as whilst they clearly excel at being downright rude, they really aren't very good at taking photos... and after all, that's quite important isn't it?

Being urban and chic. We does it.

last week I had a very exciting call from Abi, the amazing designer behind the Be Urban Chic range of clothes. She had, at the very last possible moment been offered an exhibition stand at the PURE London Exhibition, in the Olympia showground.

This highly prestigious event was nothing more than she deserves, as her clothes are simply amazing, her passion is unmatched and her talent is astounding. Drawing inspiration from the 60s and 70s British fashion scene, Abi manages to combine classic ideas with modern twists in a way that is totally devoid of pretence, she does not pander to either the past or the present, she takes the best of what has come before nd combines it perfectly and beautifully with things that work today.

Something I believe is important to my own passion, as a photographer, .

Oh and Abi is also one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet!

With the aid of three very beautiful (and tall) ladies, we staged an inpromptu fashion shoot, against one of the old white brick walls near the Be Urban stand. And amazing things started to happen. The photos, taken with a couple of cheap flash guns, were fantastic, the brickwork and the moody shadows combining with the moody attitude of the brilliant models, Claire and Victoria, to compliment the fantastic clothing perfectly, giving the resulting images an edgy urban quality.

In fact so pleased was I with the photos, I rather regret shelling out on my studio. all I need, it seems, is a nice wall somewhere...

The other thing that happened confirmed something I have believed for a while -

photography is a spectator sport. As soon as people noticed us, the Be Urban stall was awash with enquirers, curious to find out why there were photographers and noise and general activity in a hall full of people standing stock still in their stalls. And then once drawn over, the clothes did the talking and our job was done.

I always really appreciate any opportunity to work as part of a bigger team, and the fleeting visit to PURE London was a fantastic chance to do this, with some really brilliant ladies. I had a fantastic time working with some really great people, and I can't wait for the next time!

Top music, top blokes, top night out!

On Friday I had the privilege of attending the Stringer Bessant gig at The Forum in Tunbridge Wells.

Sitting well away from the road at the top of a hill like a misplaced tiny Roman fortress, at first glance, the forum is a very unusual venue, looking more like a restaurant (in fact it was originally a public toilet, apparently) but is very easily accessible, and it's small stature makes it very intimate, and gives it a relaxed atmosphere. Once inside it oozes rock'n'roll, and you can't help but feel you're somewhere special.

First band of the evening was Maker, and we were spoilt rotten by their rock'n'roll exuberance. Styled somewhere amidst Kings Of Leon, Small Faces, and the Mighty Boosh, they backed up their awesome 70's attire (I want the singer's jacket!) with some killer riffs, and blistering rawk tunes.

All timeless, memorable, foot-tapping asnd head-nodding classics, all worth searching out on Myspace etc. I can only see great things happening for this band!

Next up were Origami Dinosaur. Kinda wacky. Kinda be-boppy. Kind of Scissor Sisters, but with hats. They clearly had a large following present that evening, and the crowd loved them.

And then changing the tone completely came Stringer Bessant - the stage was reduced from mini-arena to two chairs, a couple of microphones and a mysterious flask. Gary and Jack leaving the room spellbound as they played tunes from the Yard album, plus a couple of bonuses - one being "Mellow" - a Reef tune, which the crowd were very much blessed by.

As you listened to the two of them, you couldn't help but be impressed by their musicianship, but also found yourself spellbound by the feel of the songs, and the atmosphere in the club - a previously heaving rock gig had become a quiet, reflective and relaxing evening's entertainment. It is testimony to Stringer Bessant that they were able to compliment such an evening despite a totally different style to the rest of the acts.

After the gig, it was heartwarming to note just how long Gary and Jack spent chatting to fans, some clearly a little worse-for-wear on the sauce - but at all times they are friendly, genuine and courteous to all. And you get the impression they're not so much doing it for "marketing" or "customer care" - they are doing it because they are happy, comfortable in their own skins and genuinely like and appreciate people.

I had a fantastic few minutes after the gig, backstage having a good old natter to the two of them, hopefully more of this will be published soon in one of the magazines I write and shoot for.

Big thanks to Gary and Jack for a fantastic evening and for making time to talk to me and my mate Andy - possibly the biggest Reef fan on the planet :)

A Grand Night Out...

Last week I was asked to shoot at a fashion show being run at the Grand Hotel in Folkestone, organised by Folkestone and Hythe Conservatives.

The outfits and models in the show were provided by several local boutiques, and there were some really stunning ensembles on display.

I had a fantastic evening chatting to some lovely folk, and managed to shoot plenty of photos of the lovely models dressed up in their finest.

In between catwalk shows, several local business demonstrated beauty products and displayed jewellery, whilst a young lady played the piano (and if she happens to read this, I noticed that she played "The Spy Who Loved Me" and the theme from The Incredible Hulk amongst more classical pieces!)

MP Damian Collins was there as well, and he and his wife seemed to really enjoy the evening. All in all, a very enjoyable and entertaining evening, and a great excuse to take the camera!

Way Ahead goes to London baby!

A week or so ago I had the privilage of being asked along for a styling and photoshoot arranged by the uber-talented stylist, Karena Sedgewick from MyNewBestFriend. Karena works for individual clients and also boutiques, giving advice on fashion, arranging events and shoots, and sharing her wealth of knowledge and amazing contacts!

On this occasion she was working with the extremely stylish and lovely Sarah Robotham, who when she isn't being a psychologist runs FashionOnTheCouch. The shoot took place in the luxurious Amika club, on Kensington High Street, so for the first time in a while, I found myself jumping on the high speed train, armed with a bag and a half full of camera and lighting equipment. It felt REALLY good :)

Arriving (eventually) at the club was a daunting experience, lots of well-dressed people, all sitting around looking confident and efficient, and then me, a slightly scruffy photography, feeling a few butterflies and wondering if I could really pull this off.

But the folks Karena had assembled were not only a collective of some of the best talent around, they were really friendly, supportive and fun to be with. She really does know things about people!

With the aid of my lovely photography assistant, we set to work arranging lighting and finding electrical sockets, whilst the brilliant makeup and hair stylists went to work on the lovely Sarah. It was fascinating to see them all at work, so passionate and so clear on what was required. Sarah turned up on the set looking even more stunning than usual!

The shooting couldn't have gone better - as soon as I started clicking, I was in my element and the minutes and hours flew by. Sarah was a natural model, throwing some fantastic poses, culminating in the included shot, which is in every single way "Style On The Couch!"

And it was a wonderful feeling afterwards that despite a few hiccups with the venue, a few challenges along the way, we had all worked a a team, and pulled off something rather fantastic, whilst having an absolute blast at the same time!

Heartfelt thanks and respect to all involved, especially Karena and Sarah for allowing me such a brilliant opportunity. I can't wait for the next one!

Why I love shooting festivals...

Hevy 2010
Originally uploaded by Way Ahead Photography

This year I had the privilage of attending both the Hop Farm Festival, and the Hevy Festival in Lympne - 2 paradoxically different events.

Whilst Hop Farm tended towards big and well celebrated acts, Hevy was very much about the new and the now, and where Hop Farm verged on a Folky sound, Hevy was, as the name suggests, very much about Heavy music - be it rock, metal, or whatever those kids are calling it this week...

But having got over the initial "oh dear, I'm getting old" feeling that often accompanies this sort of assignment, I started to really enjoy it, and it came to me again that the best thing about shooting music festivals is NOT that I get to see the bands I know and love.

It's getting to discover new bands, and new music.

This year I was blessed with the discovery of The Subways. A trio of energetic British rockers, who haven't yet received the huge success they deserve, but nonetheless have a large and loyal following.

They rocked the Hevy festival with their blistering riffs, powerful vocal harmonies and frantic stage capers. I don't often stand around to watch a band after I've had my 3 song shoot in the press pit - but for The Subways I was willing to make an exception. And then buy their latest album "All Or Nothing" on Itunes as soon I got home!

It's a given fact that trying new things keeps you feeling young.

And my heartfelt gratitude goes to bands like The Subways who make it less like taking cod liver oil, and more like trying a new flavour of Haribo.