Summer's End...

So the kids are back to school, and I'm back to some sort of normality. I've done a lot over the past few weeks, 2 holidays with the family, both fantastic, lots of photo shoots, I've bought a new camera and quit from a photography degree course before even commencing it. I feel older, wiser, a bit more wrinkly in places, but ready to take on the world.

Photo is from a recent shoot with a lovely young lass called Caroline - I really enjoyed the natter we had, as well as a really good time taking photos.

Strings To The Bow

I'm a freelance photographer. So by my reckoning I need to be doing "a bit of everything". Which suits me just fine - my character is such that my wife believes strongly that I have ADHD...

This last week I've been flexing my "fashion shoot" muscles. I advertised for some models, pointing out my style, which I think is quite individual, and has been brought about by the rock photography I do so much of.

The response was very pleasing - 30 applications to work with me. So far I've worked with a couple of lovely models - really nice people as well as having a great look. And I had a blast.

One thing I'm learning fast is that ability can only get so you far. Personality is really important if you want to stand out from the crowd. The models I am choosing to work with are the ones who are funny, friendly, and pleasant people. Looks aren't everything, even in photography and fashion!

One of my heroes, David Bailey, was known for his huge charm and personality, backed up by a tremendous talent behind the camera. He was, I imagine, amazing to work with - which is why people flocked to use him.

In this game, I really believe nice guys can win....!!!

All Fested Out!

IMG_9556
Originally uploaded by Way Ahead Photography

What a stonking fortnight I've had!

First of all I got to experience the brilliant Sellindge Festival, culmination in a blinding performance by the amazing Supergrass. And I got to meet them backstage...!!!

Then it was on to the Beach Break Live event in Lympne; 10,000 students shipped in from Cornwall at the last minute, to watch bands like Red Light Company, Mystery Jets, The Zutons and Dizzee Rascal

And I've just returned from the Hop Farm Festival, where I met Ash, and experienced the legend that is Paul Weller.

I've shot thousands of photos, learnt loads, and most importantly, met some absolutely great people. It's been a blast! Now I need a lie down!

Second Chance...

Thus far my online shops have not done brilliantly. Ebay was a disaster; despite several early sales, I was barely clearing my costs. Etsy was better in that I didn't waste as much on selling fees, and I met some really lovely people - not to mention having sold some cards to a nice lady in Australia!

I've decided to give it another go, encorporating my cunning Twitter usage to bump up the visits to my pages. I'm now selling cards, not giant framed photos, which brings down the production costs, the selling costs and the postage costs - which all means a cheaper price for my customers.

Let's see what happens...

Problems with Outlook email links and Firefox? Read on...

I had a problem on my Vista laptop with Windows Live Mail where, because I prefer to use Firefox to do my web browsing, I found I couldn't click on hyperlinks in emails. When I did, I got a "general fault" and the offending link refused to open in Firefox.

Being a full-blooded IT guy, I can never be bothered to fix things on MY computer - so I left it.

Today I was called by a customer who, amongst other issues, was having the very same problem on a Vista laptop - this time, between Outlook 2007 and Firefox! As money was involved, I actually took the time to solve it :) If you have the same sort of issue - read on dear reader!...

The solution calls for a registy fix so you will need to run REGEDIT. Go to Start - Run - and type REGEDIT and press enter. (In Vista you can click Start and type REGEDIT in the search textbox at the bottom of the Start menu.)

In regedit you will need to navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxURL\shell\open\ddeexec

Once there you will see a name on the right hand side of "(default)" - double click this item.

You will then see a value of ""%1?,,0,0,,,,. " in a text box - delete this value (so the box is cleared) then click ok. Close the registry editor, and reboot your computer (just to be sure!) - next time you click on a link in an email it SHOULD open in Firefox just fine!!!

Laugh or Cry?

Currently reading up on Harold "The Doc" Edgerton - amazing scientist and
photographer. Took the original "droplet" photos of milk, shot apples with
bullets and photographed sportsmen and hummingbirds at high shutter speeds.

Found this page with his "bullet through apple" image and marveled at it
again - then I made the mistake of reading the comments beneath...

Coincidentally, I saw Idiocracy last night - interesting little film where Luke Wilson finds
himself in a future where everyone else is ridiculously stupid and he's
considered a genius. Trouble is - and as this posting proves, idiocy seldom
appreciates genius...

Ok I can accept that some people won't understand how this was done - it is quite amazing after all. But when people start thinking that they "stopped the bullet" or that the US government has found a way to stop time, I start to worry a bit...

New Shop on Etsy

My shop on Etsy is now open. Lots of photos on sale, and other items coming soon, including greetings cards! Go and have a look!