Blog/News
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Jon Gibbs Photography Blog
March 25th
I know I am blogging away at a different location now but just want to put a couple of news items in.If possible I would really welcome your thoughts if you think the blog works better here rather than in a seperate location, do you see the notice above etc etc, it's really important for me to keep the site fresh and interesting with either new work or images.
Firstly, just wanted to mention I am the featured photographer in the latest issue of 'On Landscape', Issue 55, amongst other items in the issue is a piece on David Ward's new digital experiences and David Clapp stacks auroras for fun!
On Landscape - Jon Gibbs
Salmon Calendars will be shipping out my new North Norfolk 2014 Calendar soon, we are starting to get enquiries about them at the gallery so look out on here for news when they are available to purchase online.
Suffice to say they will be available at my first two craft fairs of the year.If you are about, please see come and say hello.Further details on the craft fair section and hopefully more news to come about further craft fairs for the year.
I was pleased to supply an image for a two metre wide acrylic for the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, I've only seen a pic of it at the mo but by all accounts it looks stunning so please keep me in mind if you ever need something really striking for your home or office, I shall nip down to take my own photo soon so I can put it up on site.
It's not been the most productive year so far for new images but it has been productive in terms of catching up with some of my large backlog of images.Never before have I had such a variety of images in the Latest Work/Newly Processed section.I am becoming a little bolder in what I put up there in terms of straying from the big vista type of image (of course that will always remain the main focus of my work), some work and some don't, but I appreciate you looking.
Amazing to see some blue skies out there over the last couple of days, lets hope those skies with the lovely puffy clouds you get at this time of year are here to stay for a while.
If you do get time please pop along to the blog or check me out on Facebook and Google plus, there are buttons on the bottom of every page of the site.Took a bit of a google rank hit the other day so your visiting and looking is much appreciated.
Jon
Feb 1st
I am going to be adding some new products to the Store page soon.Firstly I could no longer call the page Prints/Books as it was too wordy for the menu bar but for the life of me I cannot think of the right word to encompass all the things for sale, so the rather bland 'store' it is.
Anyway, soon to be apppearing will be a range of Greetings Cards which had been one of the few good points about the craft fairs in the latter part of last year.I will also be producing a small range of calendars, at present I am considering producing a Broads Calendar, an Isle of Skye calendar and a general calendar featuring some of my favourite images, these will all be available to purchase via this site fairly soon so please keep an eye on the 'Store' page.
At present I am also collating images for a book on Holkham Bay which I will probably produce via Blurb, I hope this will then become a springboard for me to approach companies or individuals and try to finance a more professional book (no offence Blurb) on this beautiful place which is a big part of my photography.
Thanks for those that have looked at the blog in it's new location (you may have noticed the link above!), I hope it's ok, comments most welcome.I will keep all the old postings in place below and I may even revert to this style if I find the new blog doesn't work for me, we shall see.
January 23rd
HAPPY NEW YEAR (very belatedly)
Glad to see the back of 2012 and look forward to 2013 and just getting out there and trying to think of new ideas.
When I wrote these blog entries in the past I always felt that at times I could do with a wee bit of interaction/feedback/abuse etc etc so I have put a blog up on a wordpress site.I can ramble and talk balls on there just as well as I can here, now you can tell me I am talking balls!
Jon Gibbs Photography Blog
I intend to keep news items on here as well as on the wordpress site.Thanks if you go and have a look and can I once again ask if you are so inclined, could you please like my photography facebook page, oh go on go on go on
Jon Gibbs Photography on Facebook
River Yare, Strumpshaw Fen
Sept 24th
Firstly thanks to those who have 'liked ' the Facebook page, much appreciated.
Been back a week or so now from a wonderful trip to the Outer Hebrides (Lewis and Harris), July and August at the gallery can be a long stint and you get a wee bit stir crazy from time to time so come the end of silly season it was time to escape to pastures (very) new.
The nearest I've been to the Outer Hebrides is gazing at their wonderful outline from Neist Point or Duntulm on Skye wondering what the weather is like there or what opportunities a visit would bring.
Well it certainly brought wind and rain and inbetween all that some (all too brief and rare) cracking light.
But hey, all you can do is turn up and hope for the best and that is and always what I do, so with a little bit of space and normal life between the visit and now, I can honestly say I can't wait to go back.I probably didn't really get into photographing Skye until after a couple of visits where I then started to produce images I deemed worthy of the islands landscapes, I'm sure it will take a couple of visits to do justice so to speak to the wonderful landscapes of Lewis and Harris.Blimey, what landscapes too, a real variation, Harris, the most perfect beaches you could hope for, a barren area similar to a moonscape and mountains providing a wonderful backdrop to the aforementioned beaches.Lewis, a rugged west coast, ancient monuments, a fascinating area of low hills in the centre of the island.Unfortunately I had only one day in Lewis where I managed to explore a wee bit of the West Coast before the weather really set in and I chose to leave for the mainland.
That act in itself was a bonus apart from the slightly choppy ferry journey to Ullapool from Stornoway (bleuch, sick bags placed on the tables before journey started, not a good sign!, can't believe I fell asleep) as I could then go and explore another part of Scotland that I had never seen, namely anywhere north of Loch Maree.The downside of that was that I had to miss a trip to the Skye Brewery at Uig to treat myself to a few bottles of Red and Black Cuillin.
Anyway back to the Outers quickly, highlights.... the incredible Luskentyre on Harris and it's wonderful sand dune, on Lewis,mmmm, loved the coast around Mangersta but didn't get the chance to photograph the famous stacks.
Stupid things done on trip;
Watched my Zeiss roll down towards the sea in its protective cover after leaving bag open and lifting it up, oops, got it though
Losing one and only spirit level into sea on first shoot
Parking west facing overnight and experiencing a kind of car tumble dryer effect on a very rough night near Mealista
Really bad focusing mistake at Calanais Standing Stones for a nice abstract thing I was setting up
Four times attempting the bull run of Harris trying in vain to photograph this beach that wasn't playing ball weather wise, he was a big fella
there's probably more
Ok back to the mainland
The weather wasn't much better, quite drab and windy but I got out and about to explore the area and saw some great places and probably like so many who come to photograph this area get caught under the spell of a certain wee mountain and a certain big mountain.Since I first saw pictures of it I have been fascinated by the great whaleback of Suilven though for any steam train buffs out there it always reminds me of an A4.What a shape, completely unique for the area and stunning to look at but like it's smaller neighbour, the wonderful Stac Pollaidh it was being a bit of a tease and showing itself only occasionally so no real images to speak of showing these two fabulous mountains but they are not going away and 'I'll be back' as me old mate Arnie S says.
So all in all a great trip, not quite as productive as I would have wished but i'll view it as one big recce with a few bonus images thrown in.
Just so i don't sound like my name is Jonny Mac Gibbs, re-acquainted myself with Holkham the other night on my only shoot since getting back, never get bored there.....
Me in a grump with Stac Polly , even Cul Mor was playing me up, cue Cleese esque rant, 'Look you Scottish bastards I've come all this way and you're hiding behind bloody clouds all day!!'
Can't wait to go back..
Sept 4th
Just a tiny wee post.If any of you are on facebook out there I would be grateful if you would like my new photography only page.I shall try and update it a bit more regularly than I am doing with this blog at the mo, gallery silly season nearly over.....please click link below, thank you very much
Jon Gibbs Photography on Facebook...
Aug 3rd
Website message to me from July 11th:
Dear Jon, It has come to my attention that you have recently fallen behind with updates on your blog. I was disappointed to see that the last entry written was in May. It is now July. You are two months behind. Please hurry up with your entry. Yours sincerely, Jasmine Gibbs
Even the kids are getting on to me about lack of blog activity!!!
Ok, here goes, in no particular order....
Big thanks to the girls and boys at Heacham DCC for a lovely afternoon out at Gooderstone Water Gardens near Swaaaaaaaaarrrffham (it's a norfolk thing).A real gem and a chance to play outside the comfort zone, thanks guys, hopefully some odd pics up from there soon.
In the middle of the silly season at the gallery, daft comments, daft questions..... do you sell napkins? (speechless), do you have religious pictures? (if you squint there's a church in the background of this one) and of course all the usual, 'you could do this dear', ' A HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS FOR THAT!!!', oh yes, fun and games, of course for every five or six of those comments there are some very kind, complimentary things said about the work and there are some genuinely lovely people who I am lucky enough to have a bit of a chinwag and a laugh with.I always like the comment 'oh, you're one of the photographers', I am not sure what peoples pre-conceived idea of what a photographer should look like is but apparently I'm not it.ho hum.
The last few months have been a bit of a photographic rollercoaster, the demon of low self confidence has reared it's ugly head but I am happy to say that I am back in love with this old photography lark again.I would imagine there are many many photographers out there in the same situation.I can only count myself very lucky to have the gallery, without it I would have to be working for someone in some part time capacity (OR WORSE) and I would desperately wish not to return there if I can help it.
It has become more and more difficult to be able to look at ones' own pictures and judge them accordingly, if you put up images on forum type websites you get comments such as 'great shot', 'nice work' etc etc, well woopy doo, how the hell is that going to help, influence, encourage anyone.
I am finding myself looking at less and less of other peoples work as I need to seperate myself from outside influence or to avoid looking at over processed images that just look false.There are times when I have wanted to put comments like, 'where are the shadows', 'these colours are over the top', 'this is just too perfect looking@ (whatever that means) but hey, am I in the wrong here?, BUT these are the images that are getting loads of views and endless entries of 'great shot'.Jealous, yeah, annoyed, yeah, concerned where the landscape genre is going, you betcha.The 'great shot' commenters of this world are those that are possibly the next generation of landscapers and if that's the case then images are going to look more like cgi each passing year.
Sorry if this rambling nonsense but I never structure these things, it's usually a stream of consciousness.
Desperately in need of a trip away but will have to be patient.When the weather has allowed North Norfolk has been great to visit and photograph this year, what a real gem of an area, I must never forget how lucky I am to be able to photograph up there so often and there is still so much more to explore.
The summer of attending a few craft fairs has been interesting, there are a lot of disillusioned people out there who are having a very bad year which has not been helped by the awful wet weather.This is their sole income and I have nothing but admiration for those who travel the craft circuit, I wish all the best for the remainder of the season for those I have met and chatted to at the fairs.My wee taste of it has had mostly poor results and I am certainly not down about it, I am confident that my work is of a good standard( there you go, I can say it ) and I will try again later in the year and next year, in a sadistic way , kinda looking forward to it !
And now for a big grey lump of metal....
Blad the Impaler as he has been christened is the new (ish) addition to the Gibbo photographic arsenal and after a few teething months I love the great big grey lump of metal.
Been a real learning curve and whilst I do find many things frustrating with the camera the results are fantastic, one happy bunny.
I admit I have my eye on the new Nikon and have been very impressed with the files that have been very kindly sent to me by two photographers who I respect greatly so that may be a move for me in the future unless Mr Canon has anything up his sleeve BUT I really love the 5d2, what a superb camera, may not be able to let it go....
What else???
Wallander, another three great episodes and nice to see Kurt (my name is Ken!!!) at the Olympics too.
Olympics, superb opening ceremony and never ever thought I would find myself nail bitingly watching male gymnastics, bizarre.
Caught an hour or so of Amadeus the other night, forgot how brilliant it is, must get that on dvd.
Christina Hendricks and Scarlett Johansson have moved into my house.
That's enough for now
Proof that I do still take the odd pic of the Broads.
May 4th
Firstly, big thanks to Curt, computer wonder man for finding me some of my blog that I thought I had lost, cheers bud.
A poor mid week stint at the gallery with frankly awful weather and no new images to show, well I don't think so anyway.I ventured to Blickling woods to look at the bluebells but I struggled, I really do have a problem with shooting woodland and I couldn't seem to make a pleasing composition, it all looked too messy.I see so many lovely images of bluebells,they all look like the trees have been planted for photographers, maybe it was me, maybe I should come back to the images later and see if anything works, don't reach for the delete button yet then.
Taking a different route back home from Blickling I did make quite a few crosses on the map of some lovely areas of Norfolk that I can definitely revisit so it wasn't necessarily time wasted, just frustrating that I didn't have an image in the bag.
Looking forward to aimlessly driving around the backroads of North Norfolk looking out for beautiful flowers in the fields in the next few weeks.The beaches can be a little crowded up there come summertime and the the harbour villages and staithes become a little too busy for me and therefore the coast loses a little of its magic, unless I can force myself to get up for an early morning shoot and then the magic returns and you get to have these wonderful locations to yourself.
Suffering with a bit of a back problem at the mo, I am falling apart! Every gear change whilst driving is an absolute nightmare so may have to curtail plans to go too far next week and instead venture into sunny Suffolk.So many areas here I haven't covered and it will also be useful for the upcoming Suffolk show, maybe I'll drive aimlessly or get a good list together, probably a bit of both.
Ok better go on with stuff, take care and have a good bank hol weekend.
I love fruitcake but I've gone right off fruitcakes ;)
April 30th
Well, blast as we say in Norfolk, if I ain't gon'an wiped off most of me old blog entries.Not deliberate but nevermind(never try and correct website stuff on the phone), can't get too sentimental about these things.
Rain most definitely stopped play at my first show of the year at the East Anglian Game and Country Fair,it was like a mini Glastonbury or Donington Monsters of Rock 1985 (if my memory serves me correctly) but in tweed, there was even one drunken reveller lying in the mud being overwatched by confused St Johns Ambulancemen, any exhibitors will probably confirm he was in the right place!
Anyway, it was good practice for future events and of course as everyone was packing away, cue the Fab Four 'Here Comes the Sun, doo, doo , doo ,doo', yep glorious sunshine, bummer!
Gallery stint for most of this week with hopefully a bit of bluebell shooting at Blickling woods if time allows and wherever else that takes my fancy.Oh the carefree life I lead (satire).
Loving 'The Bridge' on BBC4, more classy Scandinavian crime stuff.Saga Noren, a completely cold/emotionless female detective (you want to love her and hate her at the same time...hmmm) along with her sidekick Rohde ( like a cuddlier version of Bradley Walsh ) make a great cop duo.Great stuff.
Just a quickie for tonight(oo er).I'm old, full of aches and tired.....
Morston
April 27th
Beautiful light last night but picked the wrong place to visit.Trundled down the meandering single track to St Benets Abbey, I thought, 'this is it!', the lights great, I'm finally going to get an image of this most distinctive of Broadland landscapes against the most wonderful clouds, erm no, scaffold city.Blimey!
Will I ever get a decent shot from there.I suppose a lot of landscapers have a local bogey location and St Benets is one of mine.I then thought, shall I go to Turf Fen Mill but I have done so much there including hiring the space shuttle to shoot it from space just to be different(part of that sentence is a lie).
So good old , reliable old Happisburgh it was, just as the light was fading, no point hurrying, it only brings half arsed efforts and leads to mistakes.Having resigned myself to not take any images I thought I'd go and look at the beach.A lovely couple who visited the gallery recently showed me a pic on their phone of the steps completely isolated from the crumbling cliffs, I couldn't believe it, I was probably only at happisburgh a couple of weeks beforehand but that is a long time at this bizarre location.
Suffice to say the beach was a complete mess,metal and parts of houses and some quite wonderful patterns at the base of the steps amidst the clay like shore but unfortunately a bit too late to get some images but amazing to look at.There has obviously been a fair bit spending on the new car park but that beach is going to have to be extensively cleared up if they want to attract visitors.If I had very wee ones I wouldn't want them anywhere near the place.I have attached a pic below of the old place, still an amazing location but remember folks (and I know I repeat myself saying this) it isn't the only coastal location in Norfolk worth shooting.
Well,it's craft fair duty over the weekend at the East Anglian Game and Country Fair and the forecast is shocking, ho hum.
April 17th
I wonder if there is a term for photographers that would mirror writers block.If there is or isn't , no matter, I have recently visited this place and subsequently fell a little out of love with the wonderful thing I count myself very privileged to be able to call my work and play.
That's a real pity but hey it was bound to happen somewhere along the way.In the last month I have found myself in two of the most beautiful and special locations I know and have come back with very few pictures I am happy with and that hurts.There was no excuse, it just didn't happen, photo mojo had gone away.
I imagine there are many pros out there who miss the day when they were shooting without pressure, unfortunately a pressure that they apply themselves, unwittingly, subconciously, who knows.Seems like only yesterday that I was strolling along Great Yarmouth beach with a Minolta Dynax 505 si in hand shooting images without a care in the world, experimenting, looking for shapes and forms,or things that amused/upset or even angered me (plenty of that in sunny GY).I do miss that kind of feeling and there should be no excuse not to feel it as digital has given photographers so much much more of a free reign to experiment but I suppose you have to be in the right mindset too to accept and see the possible images in front of you.
Luckily I felt things change over my gallery stint last week, I pushed myself to get up early and go for it, Christ! that's a good feeling when the morning light is good to you, didn't think it would take too much but I think the mojo or at least the desire to make images again is back.Did worry me for a while there but if I'm pleasing myself with the shots I take then thats the first big hurdle and it should always be the first hurdle.Sod the bloody obsession with those damn pixels, I wouldn't care if it was with the htc, the G9, the mark 2 or the blad, I just needed to feel like I was back where I was a month or two ago.
Had a nice evening with the lovely boys and girls at Heacham Digital Camera Club the other night.Gary Groucutt was giving a very good talk on his photography and I suddenly felt that this may be something I could perhaps have a go at.Wasn't always that keen on the idea, I'm no great public speaker but I can certainly talk about my own and others pictures so perhaps I'll have a go soon and pop down to HDCC.
A real plus point for me recently has been the encouraging interest in my work at 'The Red Lobster' Gallery in Sheringham.Alison has done such a bloody good job in there and she should be proud of herself as the place looks great and has such a wonderful variety of high quality gifts.If you are in town do pop in.
Red Lobster Gallery
And if you are photographing Sheringham seafront on a bloody freezing, windy, can't keep the camera still type of morning, sod all that and pop into the Submarine Cafe at the top of the slipway near 'The MO' (Sheringham Museum).Blimey, my bacon bap intake has been pretty hefty recently with all the workshops but that was the best bacon bap I've had in a cafe.Superb stuff.
You may have noticed a new craft fair page on the site.It's been fantastic watching amazing amounts of money disappear in the hope that all this will be worthwhile.If you are at one of these events come along and say hello and better still buy a nice pic, I'll have a nice variation of my work from both local and farther afield so it would be nice to see you.If you mention this blog nonsense you may even get a discount!
Craft Fairs Page
Non photographic section
Phantom - Jo Nesbo-superb stuff, hurry up and make a Harry Hole film someone but who would play Harry
Haven't seen the Headhunters movie but hope to soon
Mad Men Series 5, great start,have watched the first four, really strange to see a rather plump looking January Jones, as for Christina......I'll leave it there...sorry Stef x
New Mark Lanegan album, love it and for the life of me cannot work out why I passed over Deus when younger, superb songs
Now where can this be!
March 26th
Been a busy few weeks....
Workshops in Scotland and North Yorkshire have dominated the month of March and I have had a great time, it was knackering and I missed the guys at home but I have also made some great new friends.
As you well know visiting Localsh and Skye is always a pleasure for me, hand on heart I didn't get any great images that I'm truly pleased with but that may be more to do with my photographic state of mind at the mo.I do know some people who did get some good images...
What I do know and I sincerely hope so anyway is that the guys who joined us in Localsh/Skye and Yorkshire had a good time, some of the guys after putting up with myself and Den in Scotland found that they simply couldn't live without us and joined up for a few days in North Yorks too, I take that as a big compliment.
Skye provided us with some memorable weather as usual and also moments of sheer beauty, I will never forget this quite amazing lace like cloud filled with rain (no shit Gibbo) that swept towards us across Loch Slapin or the amazing afternoon spent at Elgol watching wave after wave of weather systems.I will also not forget impromptu group photographs and general mucking about and being daft,plus beer, wine, drambuie and cake and the great food served up by Den, cheers bud, you really are a legend.
A special note here for Louise, my good friend who put up with a bunch of idiots invading her lovely home for a few days, I really appreciate everything you did for us.Get well soon.x
To cap it off we were awarded with a dazzling view of the Northern Lights above Eilean Donan Castle on our final night, ok, I lied but wouldn't that of been lovely Eva?
We were not always awarded the best light(gorgeous weather but a bit bland at times) on the North Yorks workshop but I do so love that stretch of coastline and we even managed to get into the moors and view the iconic Roseberry Topping from Gribdale Gate, a simply beautiful view.Highlight for me was a quite wonderful sky forming on a lovely morning at Sandsend, you would never of guessed it would of happened.
More beer, wine, whisky, drambuie and cake flowed(not sure how cake flows!) and I think we all managed to get some stuff from the week.I had a mad moment of shooting under Whitby Pier on the coldest day ever recorded (felt like it) and took some nice abstracts, heaven knows I got bugger all else on a personal level but hey ho!
So a big thanks to:
'it's alright, it's not bad' walliams, yorkshire son and his big days out and hilarious presentations, crraaapp and faaakh girl, nutmeg girl..grrr..sb, mikey 'what bypass, bah, I'm off up the Cuillins', keith 'have some of this 50% whisky in your drambuie',Toni 'stop scaring the pheasants!' and last but not least Keith 'is it breakfast time'.Great memories.
All seems a bit boring after that intense time!
This week now sees a gallery stint, a trip to the doctor to finally do something about my bad knee which has basically seized up and the initial preparations for craft fair reality.
I must just show this, this is a very lovely piece that the guys of Heacham Camera club wrote about our day workshop, thanks guys, the chocolates on you
http://www.heachamdigitalcameraclub.co.uk/section594267_216798.html
On a final couple of notes, the new Salmon North Norfolk Calendar featuring my images is out so please look out for that.
Red Lobster Gallery is up and running in Sheringham, well done Alison, thanks ever so for choosing me.
Four just men at Whitby.
February 9th
Twitcher Me Not!
'Have you seen it?' , 'Have you seen the Shorelark?'
Great workshop day out Friday with Clive, Viv and Alan on what was probably the best day for light of the year so far, pity about the bloody twitchers.Rude buggers and that's putting it mildly (as the kids read this,hi cherubs),firstly they come up to you and assume you are interested in a bloody sherlock and not once did the words excuse me, pardon me, by the way, have you seen the Shirehorse?, just an abrupt question.
To make matters worse we were all positioned on the beautiful curved bank of dunes at Holkham and these rude buggers walk into the shots or position themselves in the dunes 50 feet away, in other words not far enough away to be able to be dealt with succesfully with the dreaded clone tool.Now I believe in live and let live and we all have our hobbies and interests but they could see we were all set up with cameras, but how about asking, do you mind if we watch from here?, is it ok to pass by?,just a simple bit of courtesy but no, walk straight into the shots as if we didn't exist.
I admit I was getting quite pissed off with them, anyway I shall be getting my I am not a bird watcher t-shirt printed or maybe stitched onto the back of my paramo, and also a big badge like the ones you get on your early birthdays.
A bit of news, I will giving a landscape photography talk at Cley Marshes Reserve in July, not really!!
Anyway back to Clive, Viv and 'Cool hand Alan', great day, cheers guys, still got the chocs in the car though the biccies didn't last long!.If only we would have shouted Viv, big regret.
I received a copy of my Skye book that I produced with Blurb this morning, I am really rather pleased with it.Details below.Do have a wee look if you can.
Skye book link
I can wholeheartedly recommend producing one of these books if you have a worthy photographic or art project, very satisfying and it does help you look at your work in a different way.
At present it's quite a busy time getting stock together for the Sheringham and Skye galleries, lots to do and lots to think about.
The tentative first year of craft fairs is starting to take shape so I shall put some dates on in a couple of days.As Sir Alex would say ' squeaky bum time '.
Like Pink Floyd said 'Thought I'd somethimg more to say' but damned if I can remember it at the mo so will leave it there for now.
January 26th
Bloody hell, that Chocolate Orange didn't last long, but it was so soft and melty, it just had to go.
Enough of my problems with chocolate.
Winter still not arrived here, I crave those crispy white mornings, frost, clear air and just a few clouds and I'm happy.Bit grey at the mo but gives me time to put other things in order and that's a lifetimes work in itself.
Winter did happen last week and I spent a great couple of hours walking along the River Ant at Ludham Bridge and then a flying visit to St Benet's 'one day you'll get a decent pic here' Abbey.
I confess (be seated-one for the pythonites out there) that the Broads is not my favourite landscape to shoot in but on mornings when there are beautiful frosts like last week it transforms into something quite magical, I hope there are few more mornings like that to come but time marches on.Last years wonderful frosty day saw me shooting in my local park, making Great Yarmouth look like Narnia, it can be done! Perhaps we just get one good frosty day a year here in Norfolk.Pity.
Couple of news items.
I am pleased to announce that I have two new gallery projects to get my teeth into.I was recently contacted by Alison (Parriss) who is opening a new gallery in the lovely seaside town of Sheringham.Won't give much away as not sure how much Alison wants to say about it at the mo but knowing Alison this will be a great new gallery and they'll be some great work on sale from photography(little old me) to painting to sculpture to furniture.Keep an eye out here for details in the next couple of weeks.
Above all it's nice to be asked and recognised, it does make me proud, I mean i am constantly turning down commission offers and I'm contacted left right and centre to work on new projects, the phone is constantly ringing....erm,well..... no it isn't really, I lied!!!!!
The other project involves my beloved Skye.Reini is a dutch lady who owns a holiday cottage on the Glenelg peninsula at Arnisdale, she lives in her native Holland most of the time where she runs her own business.
Recently she has required a small unit(compact and bijou is the word for it) on the roadside just outside Kyleakin, a couple of hundred metres along the Broadford Road after the Skye Bridge(near to Magpie jewellers).She has very kindly asked me to display my work here alongside her craftwork and I am really pleased to be able to show my work of a place that I adore.It is a small beginning and it's going to be a challenge to get people to call by but hopefully from little acorns etc etc.
Now I'm going to say this and then it's out there in black and white.I am looking at doing craft fairs this year, dum dum dum(incidental dramatic music).There are things to go over and check(note to self, rob barclays bank sat morning) but seeing as that phone never rings I better get off my arse and do something about it so I hope I will be able to put up some dates in the near future.
As I write this it's a clear sky out there (no northern lights), maybe I'll get that frost in the morning.
Ollie D...pink smarties!!!!
January 2nd
Happy New Year
Just to let you know that the site is a little sparse in places at the moment as I have begun my removing of over saturated looking images, this came about when I changed computer recently and some of the images looked quite bizarrely colourful so I'm just in the process of changing them.Some galleries will totally disappear for a while.
Such fun, as much fun as working on a blurb book on my beloved Isle of Skye recently and then starting the computer this morning to find it has disappeared, I was quite restrained, a thump on the table(I just love to hit an inanimate object at these times) and a wifey hug got me through, that was quite restrained for me.Being a huge Father Ted fan means that I can say feck lots and lots at home in times of stress, the feckometer has been in overdrive of late!
Resolutions
Go out much more
Take a lot less images
Remember why I first started taking pics
Fave new locations visited this year
St Abbs (stunning coastal scenery, tonnes of stinky guano)
Ardnamurchan, particularly Sanna Bay(a wee bit of heaven on earth)
Canadian Rockies (just one big WOW)
Location wishlist
Outer Hebrides
Sutherland
Arran (with better weather)
All Scotland - che sorpressa
If you've read my stuff before on here you will know that my fave photography magazine is Professional Photographer and it's nice to see that Adam Scorey is doing a good job on the latest incarnation.I am not a tech head, I find articles regarding how people got where they are career wise and the decisions they make along the way the most interesting.
Someone who has made a huge decision is Martin Middlebrook who has chosen to live in Afghanistan for a year to pursue his dream, that's a huge decision for a family man.I recently read Martins latest piece in PP and it's opening few paragraphs struck a chord with me.
I contacted Martin and wished him Happy New year and was really pleased to receive an email on New Years Day saying that he had visited the gallery in Wells in September last year, small world.
If you have time please have a look at Martins website:
link
Ok, bet get some more of these over saturated images off here pronto
Once again all the best for 2012
Dec 14th
Charley did say amazing a few times!
Had a few visits recently to the Winterton and Horsey area.Beautiful dunes and beaches with the added bonus of the very large seal colony on the shores here at this time of year.I think seals are absolutely gorgeous creatures and they are fascinating to watch.The pups are especially beautiful and I even encountered one on top of the dunes at Horsey the other morning, quite a surprise.Well worth a look if you can head down there, the beach at Horsey is off limits but plenty to see from the dunes.
The mornings have been a bit predictable of late as mentioned in my blog from two days ago, nice bit of cloud first thing and then it all disappears.Same this morning but today is designated a manic processing day and I've stuck with it.Backlogged images are the norm with me, there is so much to catch up on and so many images to weed out and delete, it would be lovely to be up to date, dead jealous of those who can afford to have someone to sort out the cleaning, keywording side of things.I barely have money to run the car let alone pay someone, put them hankies and violins away.
As it seems very unlikely that there will be any more book projects in the near future for me I am looking at producing one or two via Blurb just to give me something to work towards, I miss the focus that that kind of project can give you.I hope to complete the first one in January, so please look out for it though I do understand the Blurb books can be a little pricey to say the least.
Winter days and processing mean a bigger biccie and cake consumption.Have just finished off one of my daughter's homemade mince pies with clotted cream.Gorgeous.
I noticed the other day that David Ward has returned to blogging after a wee absence.I am very big fan(bet he'd hate that word!) of David's work and it's nice to read his thoughts on all things photographic.This poor Norfolk boy needs a dictionary sometimes for some of the words used but it's well worth visiting his site, hopefully he'll put some new images up regularly too.
We have a few copies of the old Hasselblad Forum magazines at the gallery and I was reading them the other evening after a long cold day in the gallery.I spotted a very youthful Hans Strand in an article and some fine work by another Scandinavian landscaper, Tore Hagman, great stuff, well worth checking out.These Scandinavian boys certainly are an inspiration.
Ok, think I'll round things off here.Will probably be moving the blog to a place on site that allows comments etc, feedback next time so look out for that, most probably in the New Year.
To those who look at my images, thanks,I'm trying to keep it real in a genre that has become over saturated(literally) with over processed images devoid of shadows.Such a pity.It's not what it used to be.I never claim to be original but I hope you see honesty and integrity in my work.
Have a nice Christmas break and all the best for 2012.
Jon
ps don't forget the January sale.
Dec 12th
It's been a while...forgotten how to do these, so 'bare with' as they say on Miranda.
Firstly, a news item.
January SaleFrom Jan 1st- Jan 31st 2012 all photographic prints/canvasses will be reduced by 25%.Why not treat yourself to a nice photographic print with that Christmas Gift money.
Hopefully some of you will have seen some of my new work on site, thanks to those that have looked, it is much appreciated.
Early November was my annual pilgrimage to TT up in Dornie.This time I had Bromage and Duckett(sounds like a Victorian stage act) in tow.Unfortunately the boys couldn't stay as long as perhaps they wanted to but it was lovely to see them.No rained off days, if you are ever going to the Highlands or Skye, find out when I'm going up there and go at the same time, must be lucky I guess.
The weather was a bit mild though, unfortunately, no frosts and too many clear skies meant some days photography was limited to just the extremes of the day but always a pleasure, never a chore to be up there, a spiritual home.After my usual period of ignoring the images(except for putting some hastily processed examples on here) for a good couple of weeks it was nice to visit the files and see some shots I was quite pleased with, considering my state of mind at the time I was pleased to get anything(but that's another story not worthy of these ramblings).I hope the boys got some good stuff too, looking at their lcds it certainly seemed that way.I even had a mini photo paddy with Mr Duckett at Tarskavaig Bay, I just couldn't see a picture and John was finding all these lovely compositions.I didn't get one in the end, I'm sure JD did.
Gallery bit.
Just come off the back of four weekends in Wells.It never ceases to amaze me how many people visit this lovely wee town and pop in to see the pics we have on show.In terms of a calendar year it's been a good 'un.I must say we try and cater to all pockets, and I believe that is very important.We do not have limited edition works, we may in the future but we will always have affordable work on display, an overpriced gallery may be lovely to look at but 'ooh that's lovely but a bit out of my price range' never filled the kids stomachs and in all honesty there's too many overpriced works out there, add another zero for location, so to speak.Anyway, just to let you know we have taken on a new photographer, Andreas Gursky, we'll only charge him 50% commission(photo satire).
If I don't write any more of this crap before the C word is upon us, many thanks, hugs and kisses etc to customers both old and new and to those who come back for more.
Random Roads Bit, (nothing at all to do with photography)
Why can't bus drivers parallel park anymore, always sticking their back ends out into the traffic lane.
Why do vans always park at junctions so you can't see if there's anything coming when you are trying to pull out.
80% of cars today don't have indicators, discuss.
I'm getting old!!!
More of this stuff in the morning, unless I am out and about, 'please not another clear sky, I really bloody mean it, I am going to swing for you, Mr Deity, Supreme Being, whatever you are, if you are etc etc, we need bloody clouds in Norfolk, we do big skies the best but we need something in them'
ps ' Hoar Frosts gratefully accepted'
Off to watch Charley Boorman say 'that's amazing' four hundred times in an hour!
Oct 21st
Anyway, Ardnamurchan and the area around it.I had only briefly gone on to the road to Ardnamurchan a few years ago when I visited Castle Tioram with Stef on hols.
For some reason it couldn't have left much of an impression on me but it is a superb area for photography.The autumnal colours were stunning, especially around areas such as Salen and Loch Mudle.
I decided to stay for a couple of days and visited Ardnamurchan point, Sanna Bay and the area close by, wonderful coastal scenery, great views toward the small isles with those wonderfully distinctive shapes of Muck, Eigg and Rum looming in the distance, and my beloved Skye too if it decided to show itself.
Sanna Bay and it's environs wins the gibbo award, I had walked from Portuairk and positioned myself on a hill overlooking the bay, nice view but slightly gloomy weather for a big vista type of shot.30 mins later the sky was hinting at something special, I trundled as quick as the old legs would carry me down to the lovely dunes overlooking the beautiful sands, there was a family on the beach watching the beautifully clear turqoise waves rolling in.The sky just suddenly burst into life, as if someone had switched magenta saturation in the sky to a spinal tappish 11.
I talked to the chappie on the beach, we couldn't believe how a gloomy sky could change into something spectacular so quickly, suffice to say the next hour was spent taking images in the most gorgeous light, the joys of the everlasting western scotland sunset.Marvellous.
Unfortunately the old heavy ,misty rain set in for the next couple of days and knowing that I will be trundling up further north soon I thought best to head home with loads of x's on my map for places to re-visit another day, blimey, another part of Scotland under my skin.
It was fantastic to hear the deer in rut and to witness stags on the hills but I must remember never to overnight in a car park close to woodland, holy shit, thought I was going to have a heart attack when a stags call interupted my snooze, he must of been pretty close!
Thanks to the lovely lady at Sanna Bay who allowed me to charge my other camera battery up whilst I was off taking pictures around the bay, she wouldn't accept a penny, she'll get a piccie though.
Oct 19th
Another hurried entry I'm afraid before gallery duty.Firstly, I have noticed since changing computer that some of my earlier work on here looks very ott in the saturation department(like a North American landscaper on mind bending drugs!), I will try and rectify that as soon as possible.
Just returned from a brief trip to the highlands, I tried to turn off at the lakes but yoda the skoda said 'does not compute' so the highlands it was, the car wouldn't let me stay in the Trossachs either, though it was awful misty rain so the highlands it was, which was awful misty rain.
Therefore after a little deliberation and a soggy walk down the King's Road in Glencoe I thought I'd visit the Ardnamurchan Peninsula.Continue this later, gotta go...
Oct 6th
Oh yes...chilly, windy, puffy clouds, happy wee baldy chappie
Jon Gibbs Photography Blog
March 25th
I know I am blogging away at a different location now but just want to put a couple of news items in.If possible I would really welcome your thoughts if you think the blog works better here rather than in a seperate location, do you see the notice above etc etc, it's really important for me to keep the site fresh and interesting with either new work or images.
Firstly, just wanted to mention I am the featured photographer in the latest issue of 'On Landscape', Issue 55, amongst other items in the issue is a piece on David Ward's new digital experiences and David Clapp stacks auroras for fun!
On Landscape - Jon Gibbs
Salmon Calendars will be shipping out my new North Norfolk 2014 Calendar soon, we are starting to get enquiries about them at the gallery so look out on here for news when they are available to purchase online.
Suffice to say they will be available at my first two craft fairs of the year.If you are about, please see come and say hello.Further details on the craft fair section and hopefully more news to come about further craft fairs for the year.
I was pleased to supply an image for a two metre wide acrylic for the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, I've only seen a pic of it at the mo but by all accounts it looks stunning so please keep me in mind if you ever need something really striking for your home or office, I shall nip down to take my own photo soon so I can put it up on site.
It's not been the most productive year so far for new images but it has been productive in terms of catching up with some of my large backlog of images.Never before have I had such a variety of images in the Latest Work/Newly Processed section.I am becoming a little bolder in what I put up there in terms of straying from the big vista type of image (of course that will always remain the main focus of my work), some work and some don't, but I appreciate you looking.
Amazing to see some blue skies out there over the last couple of days, lets hope those skies with the lovely puffy clouds you get at this time of year are here to stay for a while.
If you do get time please pop along to the blog or check me out on Facebook and Google plus, there are buttons on the bottom of every page of the site.Took a bit of a google rank hit the other day so your visiting and looking is much appreciated.
Jon
Feb 1st
I am going to be adding some new products to the Store page soon.Firstly I could no longer call the page Prints/Books as it was too wordy for the menu bar but for the life of me I cannot think of the right word to encompass all the things for sale, so the rather bland 'store' it is.
Anyway, soon to be apppearing will be a range of Greetings Cards which had been one of the few good points about the craft fairs in the latter part of last year.I will also be producing a small range of calendars, at present I am considering producing a Broads Calendar, an Isle of Skye calendar and a general calendar featuring some of my favourite images, these will all be available to purchase via this site fairly soon so please keep an eye on the 'Store' page.
At present I am also collating images for a book on Holkham Bay which I will probably produce via Blurb, I hope this will then become a springboard for me to approach companies or individuals and try to finance a more professional book (no offence Blurb) on this beautiful place which is a big part of my photography.
Thanks for those that have looked at the blog in it's new location (you may have noticed the link above!), I hope it's ok, comments most welcome.I will keep all the old postings in place below and I may even revert to this style if I find the new blog doesn't work for me, we shall see.
January 23rd
HAPPY NEW YEAR (very belatedly)
Glad to see the back of 2012 and look forward to 2013 and just getting out there and trying to think of new ideas.
When I wrote these blog entries in the past I always felt that at times I could do with a wee bit of interaction/feedback/abuse etc etc so I have put a blog up on a wordpress site.I can ramble and talk balls on there just as well as I can here, now you can tell me I am talking balls!
Jon Gibbs Photography Blog
I intend to keep news items on here as well as on the wordpress site.Thanks if you go and have a look and can I once again ask if you are so inclined, could you please like my photography facebook page, oh go on go on go on
Jon Gibbs Photography on Facebook
River Yare, Strumpshaw Fen
Sept 24th
Firstly thanks to those who have 'liked ' the Facebook page, much appreciated.
Been back a week or so now from a wonderful trip to the Outer Hebrides (Lewis and Harris), July and August at the gallery can be a long stint and you get a wee bit stir crazy from time to time so come the end of silly season it was time to escape to pastures (very) new.
The nearest I've been to the Outer Hebrides is gazing at their wonderful outline from Neist Point or Duntulm on Skye wondering what the weather is like there or what opportunities a visit would bring.
Well it certainly brought wind and rain and inbetween all that some (all too brief and rare) cracking light.
But hey, all you can do is turn up and hope for the best and that is and always what I do, so with a little bit of space and normal life between the visit and now, I can honestly say I can't wait to go back.I probably didn't really get into photographing Skye until after a couple of visits where I then started to produce images I deemed worthy of the islands landscapes, I'm sure it will take a couple of visits to do justice so to speak to the wonderful landscapes of Lewis and Harris.Blimey, what landscapes too, a real variation, Harris, the most perfect beaches you could hope for, a barren area similar to a moonscape and mountains providing a wonderful backdrop to the aforementioned beaches.Lewis, a rugged west coast, ancient monuments, a fascinating area of low hills in the centre of the island.Unfortunately I had only one day in Lewis where I managed to explore a wee bit of the West Coast before the weather really set in and I chose to leave for the mainland.
That act in itself was a bonus apart from the slightly choppy ferry journey to Ullapool from Stornoway (bleuch, sick bags placed on the tables before journey started, not a good sign!, can't believe I fell asleep) as I could then go and explore another part of Scotland that I had never seen, namely anywhere north of Loch Maree.The downside of that was that I had to miss a trip to the Skye Brewery at Uig to treat myself to a few bottles of Red and Black Cuillin.
Anyway back to the Outers quickly, highlights.... the incredible Luskentyre on Harris and it's wonderful sand dune, on Lewis,mmmm, loved the coast around Mangersta but didn't get the chance to photograph the famous stacks.
Stupid things done on trip;
Watched my Zeiss roll down towards the sea in its protective cover after leaving bag open and lifting it up, oops, got it though
Losing one and only spirit level into sea on first shoot
Parking west facing overnight and experiencing a kind of car tumble dryer effect on a very rough night near Mealista
Really bad focusing mistake at Calanais Standing Stones for a nice abstract thing I was setting up
Four times attempting the bull run of Harris trying in vain to photograph this beach that wasn't playing ball weather wise, he was a big fella
there's probably more
Ok back to the mainland
The weather wasn't much better, quite drab and windy but I got out and about to explore the area and saw some great places and probably like so many who come to photograph this area get caught under the spell of a certain wee mountain and a certain big mountain.Since I first saw pictures of it I have been fascinated by the great whaleback of Suilven though for any steam train buffs out there it always reminds me of an A4.What a shape, completely unique for the area and stunning to look at but like it's smaller neighbour, the wonderful Stac Pollaidh it was being a bit of a tease and showing itself only occasionally so no real images to speak of showing these two fabulous mountains but they are not going away and 'I'll be back' as me old mate Arnie S says.
So all in all a great trip, not quite as productive as I would have wished but i'll view it as one big recce with a few bonus images thrown in.
Just so i don't sound like my name is Jonny Mac Gibbs, re-acquainted myself with Holkham the other night on my only shoot since getting back, never get bored there.....
Me in a grump with Stac Polly , even Cul Mor was playing me up, cue Cleese esque rant, 'Look you Scottish bastards I've come all this way and you're hiding behind bloody clouds all day!!'
Can't wait to go back..
Sept 4th
Just a tiny wee post.If any of you are on facebook out there I would be grateful if you would like my new photography only page.I shall try and update it a bit more regularly than I am doing with this blog at the mo, gallery silly season nearly over.....please click link below, thank you very much
Jon Gibbs Photography on Facebook...
Aug 3rd
Website message to me from July 11th:
Dear Jon, It has come to my attention that you have recently fallen behind with updates on your blog. I was disappointed to see that the last entry written was in May. It is now July. You are two months behind. Please hurry up with your entry. Yours sincerely, Jasmine Gibbs
Even the kids are getting on to me about lack of blog activity!!!
Ok, here goes, in no particular order....
Big thanks to the girls and boys at Heacham DCC for a lovely afternoon out at Gooderstone Water Gardens near Swaaaaaaaaarrrffham (it's a norfolk thing).A real gem and a chance to play outside the comfort zone, thanks guys, hopefully some odd pics up from there soon.
In the middle of the silly season at the gallery, daft comments, daft questions..... do you sell napkins? (speechless), do you have religious pictures? (if you squint there's a church in the background of this one) and of course all the usual, 'you could do this dear', ' A HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS FOR THAT!!!', oh yes, fun and games, of course for every five or six of those comments there are some very kind, complimentary things said about the work and there are some genuinely lovely people who I am lucky enough to have a bit of a chinwag and a laugh with.I always like the comment 'oh, you're one of the photographers', I am not sure what peoples pre-conceived idea of what a photographer should look like is but apparently I'm not it.ho hum.
The last few months have been a bit of a photographic rollercoaster, the demon of low self confidence has reared it's ugly head but I am happy to say that I am back in love with this old photography lark again.I would imagine there are many many photographers out there in the same situation.I can only count myself very lucky to have the gallery, without it I would have to be working for someone in some part time capacity (OR WORSE) and I would desperately wish not to return there if I can help it.
It has become more and more difficult to be able to look at ones' own pictures and judge them accordingly, if you put up images on forum type websites you get comments such as 'great shot', 'nice work' etc etc, well woopy doo, how the hell is that going to help, influence, encourage anyone.
I am finding myself looking at less and less of other peoples work as I need to seperate myself from outside influence or to avoid looking at over processed images that just look false.There are times when I have wanted to put comments like, 'where are the shadows', 'these colours are over the top', 'this is just too perfect looking@ (whatever that means) but hey, am I in the wrong here?, BUT these are the images that are getting loads of views and endless entries of 'great shot'.Jealous, yeah, annoyed, yeah, concerned where the landscape genre is going, you betcha.The 'great shot' commenters of this world are those that are possibly the next generation of landscapers and if that's the case then images are going to look more like cgi each passing year.
Sorry if this rambling nonsense but I never structure these things, it's usually a stream of consciousness.
Desperately in need of a trip away but will have to be patient.When the weather has allowed North Norfolk has been great to visit and photograph this year, what a real gem of an area, I must never forget how lucky I am to be able to photograph up there so often and there is still so much more to explore.
The summer of attending a few craft fairs has been interesting, there are a lot of disillusioned people out there who are having a very bad year which has not been helped by the awful wet weather.This is their sole income and I have nothing but admiration for those who travel the craft circuit, I wish all the best for the remainder of the season for those I have met and chatted to at the fairs.My wee taste of it has had mostly poor results and I am certainly not down about it, I am confident that my work is of a good standard( there you go, I can say it ) and I will try again later in the year and next year, in a sadistic way , kinda looking forward to it !
And now for a big grey lump of metal....
Blad the Impaler as he has been christened is the new (ish) addition to the Gibbo photographic arsenal and after a few teething months I love the great big grey lump of metal.
Been a real learning curve and whilst I do find many things frustrating with the camera the results are fantastic, one happy bunny.
I admit I have my eye on the new Nikon and have been very impressed with the files that have been very kindly sent to me by two photographers who I respect greatly so that may be a move for me in the future unless Mr Canon has anything up his sleeve BUT I really love the 5d2, what a superb camera, may not be able to let it go....
What else???
Wallander, another three great episodes and nice to see Kurt (my name is Ken!!!) at the Olympics too.
Olympics, superb opening ceremony and never ever thought I would find myself nail bitingly watching male gymnastics, bizarre.
Caught an hour or so of Amadeus the other night, forgot how brilliant it is, must get that on dvd.
Christina Hendricks and Scarlett Johansson have moved into my house.
That's enough for now
Proof that I do still take the odd pic of the Broads.
May 4th
Firstly, big thanks to Curt, computer wonder man for finding me some of my blog that I thought I had lost, cheers bud.
A poor mid week stint at the gallery with frankly awful weather and no new images to show, well I don't think so anyway.I ventured to Blickling woods to look at the bluebells but I struggled, I really do have a problem with shooting woodland and I couldn't seem to make a pleasing composition, it all looked too messy.I see so many lovely images of bluebells,they all look like the trees have been planted for photographers, maybe it was me, maybe I should come back to the images later and see if anything works, don't reach for the delete button yet then.
Taking a different route back home from Blickling I did make quite a few crosses on the map of some lovely areas of Norfolk that I can definitely revisit so it wasn't necessarily time wasted, just frustrating that I didn't have an image in the bag.
Looking forward to aimlessly driving around the backroads of North Norfolk looking out for beautiful flowers in the fields in the next few weeks.The beaches can be a little crowded up there come summertime and the the harbour villages and staithes become a little too busy for me and therefore the coast loses a little of its magic, unless I can force myself to get up for an early morning shoot and then the magic returns and you get to have these wonderful locations to yourself.
Suffering with a bit of a back problem at the mo, I am falling apart! Every gear change whilst driving is an absolute nightmare so may have to curtail plans to go too far next week and instead venture into sunny Suffolk.So many areas here I haven't covered and it will also be useful for the upcoming Suffolk show, maybe I'll drive aimlessly or get a good list together, probably a bit of both.
Ok better go on with stuff, take care and have a good bank hol weekend.
I love fruitcake but I've gone right off fruitcakes ;)
April 30th
Well, blast as we say in Norfolk, if I ain't gon'an wiped off most of me old blog entries.Not deliberate but nevermind(never try and correct website stuff on the phone), can't get too sentimental about these things.
Rain most definitely stopped play at my first show of the year at the East Anglian Game and Country Fair,it was like a mini Glastonbury or Donington Monsters of Rock 1985 (if my memory serves me correctly) but in tweed, there was even one drunken reveller lying in the mud being overwatched by confused St Johns Ambulancemen, any exhibitors will probably confirm he was in the right place!
Anyway, it was good practice for future events and of course as everyone was packing away, cue the Fab Four 'Here Comes the Sun, doo, doo , doo ,doo', yep glorious sunshine, bummer!
Gallery stint for most of this week with hopefully a bit of bluebell shooting at Blickling woods if time allows and wherever else that takes my fancy.Oh the carefree life I lead (satire).
Loving 'The Bridge' on BBC4, more classy Scandinavian crime stuff.Saga Noren, a completely cold/emotionless female detective (you want to love her and hate her at the same time...hmmm) along with her sidekick Rohde ( like a cuddlier version of Bradley Walsh ) make a great cop duo.Great stuff.
Just a quickie for tonight(oo er).I'm old, full of aches and tired.....
Morston
April 27th
Beautiful light last night but picked the wrong place to visit.Trundled down the meandering single track to St Benets Abbey, I thought, 'this is it!', the lights great, I'm finally going to get an image of this most distinctive of Broadland landscapes against the most wonderful clouds, erm no, scaffold city.Blimey!
Will I ever get a decent shot from there.I suppose a lot of landscapers have a local bogey location and St Benets is one of mine.I then thought, shall I go to Turf Fen Mill but I have done so much there including hiring the space shuttle to shoot it from space just to be different(part of that sentence is a lie).
So good old , reliable old Happisburgh it was, just as the light was fading, no point hurrying, it only brings half arsed efforts and leads to mistakes.Having resigned myself to not take any images I thought I'd go and look at the beach.A lovely couple who visited the gallery recently showed me a pic on their phone of the steps completely isolated from the crumbling cliffs, I couldn't believe it, I was probably only at happisburgh a couple of weeks beforehand but that is a long time at this bizarre location.
Suffice to say the beach was a complete mess,metal and parts of houses and some quite wonderful patterns at the base of the steps amidst the clay like shore but unfortunately a bit too late to get some images but amazing to look at.There has obviously been a fair bit spending on the new car park but that beach is going to have to be extensively cleared up if they want to attract visitors.If I had very wee ones I wouldn't want them anywhere near the place.I have attached a pic below of the old place, still an amazing location but remember folks (and I know I repeat myself saying this) it isn't the only coastal location in Norfolk worth shooting.
Well,it's craft fair duty over the weekend at the East Anglian Game and Country Fair and the forecast is shocking, ho hum.
April 17th
I wonder if there is a term for photographers that would mirror writers block.If there is or isn't , no matter, I have recently visited this place and subsequently fell a little out of love with the wonderful thing I count myself very privileged to be able to call my work and play.
That's a real pity but hey it was bound to happen somewhere along the way.In the last month I have found myself in two of the most beautiful and special locations I know and have come back with very few pictures I am happy with and that hurts.There was no excuse, it just didn't happen, photo mojo had gone away.
I imagine there are many pros out there who miss the day when they were shooting without pressure, unfortunately a pressure that they apply themselves, unwittingly, subconciously, who knows.Seems like only yesterday that I was strolling along Great Yarmouth beach with a Minolta Dynax 505 si in hand shooting images without a care in the world, experimenting, looking for shapes and forms,or things that amused/upset or even angered me (plenty of that in sunny GY).I do miss that kind of feeling and there should be no excuse not to feel it as digital has given photographers so much much more of a free reign to experiment but I suppose you have to be in the right mindset too to accept and see the possible images in front of you.
Luckily I felt things change over my gallery stint last week, I pushed myself to get up early and go for it, Christ! that's a good feeling when the morning light is good to you, didn't think it would take too much but I think the mojo or at least the desire to make images again is back.Did worry me for a while there but if I'm pleasing myself with the shots I take then thats the first big hurdle and it should always be the first hurdle.Sod the bloody obsession with those damn pixels, I wouldn't care if it was with the htc, the G9, the mark 2 or the blad, I just needed to feel like I was back where I was a month or two ago.
Had a nice evening with the lovely boys and girls at Heacham Digital Camera Club the other night.Gary Groucutt was giving a very good talk on his photography and I suddenly felt that this may be something I could perhaps have a go at.Wasn't always that keen on the idea, I'm no great public speaker but I can certainly talk about my own and others pictures so perhaps I'll have a go soon and pop down to HDCC.
A real plus point for me recently has been the encouraging interest in my work at 'The Red Lobster' Gallery in Sheringham.Alison has done such a bloody good job in there and she should be proud of herself as the place looks great and has such a wonderful variety of high quality gifts.If you are in town do pop in.
Red Lobster Gallery
And if you are photographing Sheringham seafront on a bloody freezing, windy, can't keep the camera still type of morning, sod all that and pop into the Submarine Cafe at the top of the slipway near 'The MO' (Sheringham Museum).Blimey, my bacon bap intake has been pretty hefty recently with all the workshops but that was the best bacon bap I've had in a cafe.Superb stuff.
You may have noticed a new craft fair page on the site.It's been fantastic watching amazing amounts of money disappear in the hope that all this will be worthwhile.If you are at one of these events come along and say hello and better still buy a nice pic, I'll have a nice variation of my work from both local and farther afield so it would be nice to see you.If you mention this blog nonsense you may even get a discount!
Craft Fairs Page
Non photographic section
Phantom - Jo Nesbo-superb stuff, hurry up and make a Harry Hole film someone but who would play Harry
Haven't seen the Headhunters movie but hope to soon
Mad Men Series 5, great start,have watched the first four, really strange to see a rather plump looking January Jones, as for Christina......I'll leave it there...sorry Stef x
New Mark Lanegan album, love it and for the life of me cannot work out why I passed over Deus when younger, superb songs
Now where can this be!
March 26th
Been a busy few weeks....
Workshops in Scotland and North Yorkshire have dominated the month of March and I have had a great time, it was knackering and I missed the guys at home but I have also made some great new friends.
As you well know visiting Localsh and Skye is always a pleasure for me, hand on heart I didn't get any great images that I'm truly pleased with but that may be more to do with my photographic state of mind at the mo.I do know some people who did get some good images...
What I do know and I sincerely hope so anyway is that the guys who joined us in Localsh/Skye and Yorkshire had a good time, some of the guys after putting up with myself and Den in Scotland found that they simply couldn't live without us and joined up for a few days in North Yorks too, I take that as a big compliment.
Skye provided us with some memorable weather as usual and also moments of sheer beauty, I will never forget this quite amazing lace like cloud filled with rain (no shit Gibbo) that swept towards us across Loch Slapin or the amazing afternoon spent at Elgol watching wave after wave of weather systems.I will also not forget impromptu group photographs and general mucking about and being daft,plus beer, wine, drambuie and cake and the great food served up by Den, cheers bud, you really are a legend.
A special note here for Louise, my good friend who put up with a bunch of idiots invading her lovely home for a few days, I really appreciate everything you did for us.Get well soon.x
To cap it off we were awarded with a dazzling view of the Northern Lights above Eilean Donan Castle on our final night, ok, I lied but wouldn't that of been lovely Eva?
We were not always awarded the best light(gorgeous weather but a bit bland at times) on the North Yorks workshop but I do so love that stretch of coastline and we even managed to get into the moors and view the iconic Roseberry Topping from Gribdale Gate, a simply beautiful view.Highlight for me was a quite wonderful sky forming on a lovely morning at Sandsend, you would never of guessed it would of happened.
More beer, wine, whisky, drambuie and cake flowed(not sure how cake flows!) and I think we all managed to get some stuff from the week.I had a mad moment of shooting under Whitby Pier on the coldest day ever recorded (felt like it) and took some nice abstracts, heaven knows I got bugger all else on a personal level but hey ho!
So a big thanks to:
'it's alright, it's not bad' walliams, yorkshire son and his big days out and hilarious presentations, crraaapp and faaakh girl, nutmeg girl..grrr..sb, mikey 'what bypass, bah, I'm off up the Cuillins', keith 'have some of this 50% whisky in your drambuie',Toni 'stop scaring the pheasants!' and last but not least Keith 'is it breakfast time'.Great memories.
All seems a bit boring after that intense time!
This week now sees a gallery stint, a trip to the doctor to finally do something about my bad knee which has basically seized up and the initial preparations for craft fair reality.
I must just show this, this is a very lovely piece that the guys of Heacham Camera club wrote about our day workshop, thanks guys, the chocolates on you
http://www.heachamdigitalcameraclub.co.uk/section594267_216798.html
On a final couple of notes, the new Salmon North Norfolk Calendar featuring my images is out so please look out for that.
Red Lobster Gallery is up and running in Sheringham, well done Alison, thanks ever so for choosing me.
Four just men at Whitby.
February 9th
Twitcher Me Not!
'Have you seen it?' , 'Have you seen the Shorelark?'
Great workshop day out Friday with Clive, Viv and Alan on what was probably the best day for light of the year so far, pity about the bloody twitchers.Rude buggers and that's putting it mildly (as the kids read this,hi cherubs),firstly they come up to you and assume you are interested in a bloody sherlock and not once did the words excuse me, pardon me, by the way, have you seen the Shirehorse?, just an abrupt question.
To make matters worse we were all positioned on the beautiful curved bank of dunes at Holkham and these rude buggers walk into the shots or position themselves in the dunes 50 feet away, in other words not far enough away to be able to be dealt with succesfully with the dreaded clone tool.Now I believe in live and let live and we all have our hobbies and interests but they could see we were all set up with cameras, but how about asking, do you mind if we watch from here?, is it ok to pass by?,just a simple bit of courtesy but no, walk straight into the shots as if we didn't exist.
I admit I was getting quite pissed off with them, anyway I shall be getting my I am not a bird watcher t-shirt printed or maybe stitched onto the back of my paramo, and also a big badge like the ones you get on your early birthdays.
A bit of news, I will giving a landscape photography talk at Cley Marshes Reserve in July, not really!!
Anyway back to Clive, Viv and 'Cool hand Alan', great day, cheers guys, still got the chocs in the car though the biccies didn't last long!.If only we would have shouted Viv, big regret.
I received a copy of my Skye book that I produced with Blurb this morning, I am really rather pleased with it.Details below.Do have a wee look if you can.
Skye book link
I can wholeheartedly recommend producing one of these books if you have a worthy photographic or art project, very satisfying and it does help you look at your work in a different way.
At present it's quite a busy time getting stock together for the Sheringham and Skye galleries, lots to do and lots to think about.
The tentative first year of craft fairs is starting to take shape so I shall put some dates on in a couple of days.As Sir Alex would say ' squeaky bum time '.
Like Pink Floyd said 'Thought I'd somethimg more to say' but damned if I can remember it at the mo so will leave it there for now.
January 26th
Bloody hell, that Chocolate Orange didn't last long, but it was so soft and melty, it just had to go.
Enough of my problems with chocolate.
Winter still not arrived here, I crave those crispy white mornings, frost, clear air and just a few clouds and I'm happy.Bit grey at the mo but gives me time to put other things in order and that's a lifetimes work in itself.
Winter did happen last week and I spent a great couple of hours walking along the River Ant at Ludham Bridge and then a flying visit to St Benet's 'one day you'll get a decent pic here' Abbey.
I confess (be seated-one for the pythonites out there) that the Broads is not my favourite landscape to shoot in but on mornings when there are beautiful frosts like last week it transforms into something quite magical, I hope there are few more mornings like that to come but time marches on.Last years wonderful frosty day saw me shooting in my local park, making Great Yarmouth look like Narnia, it can be done! Perhaps we just get one good frosty day a year here in Norfolk.Pity.
Couple of news items.
I am pleased to announce that I have two new gallery projects to get my teeth into.I was recently contacted by Alison (Parriss) who is opening a new gallery in the lovely seaside town of Sheringham.Won't give much away as not sure how much Alison wants to say about it at the mo but knowing Alison this will be a great new gallery and they'll be some great work on sale from photography(little old me) to painting to sculpture to furniture.Keep an eye out here for details in the next couple of weeks.
Above all it's nice to be asked and recognised, it does make me proud, I mean i am constantly turning down commission offers and I'm contacted left right and centre to work on new projects, the phone is constantly ringing....erm,well..... no it isn't really, I lied!!!!!
The other project involves my beloved Skye.Reini is a dutch lady who owns a holiday cottage on the Glenelg peninsula at Arnisdale, she lives in her native Holland most of the time where she runs her own business.
Recently she has required a small unit(compact and bijou is the word for it) on the roadside just outside Kyleakin, a couple of hundred metres along the Broadford Road after the Skye Bridge(near to Magpie jewellers).She has very kindly asked me to display my work here alongside her craftwork and I am really pleased to be able to show my work of a place that I adore.It is a small beginning and it's going to be a challenge to get people to call by but hopefully from little acorns etc etc.
Now I'm going to say this and then it's out there in black and white.I am looking at doing craft fairs this year, dum dum dum(incidental dramatic music).There are things to go over and check(note to self, rob barclays bank sat morning) but seeing as that phone never rings I better get off my arse and do something about it so I hope I will be able to put up some dates in the near future.
As I write this it's a clear sky out there (no northern lights), maybe I'll get that frost in the morning.
Ollie D...pink smarties!!!!
January 2nd
Happy New Year
Just to let you know that the site is a little sparse in places at the moment as I have begun my removing of over saturated looking images, this came about when I changed computer recently and some of the images looked quite bizarrely colourful so I'm just in the process of changing them.Some galleries will totally disappear for a while.
Such fun, as much fun as working on a blurb book on my beloved Isle of Skye recently and then starting the computer this morning to find it has disappeared, I was quite restrained, a thump on the table(I just love to hit an inanimate object at these times) and a wifey hug got me through, that was quite restrained for me.Being a huge Father Ted fan means that I can say feck lots and lots at home in times of stress, the feckometer has been in overdrive of late!
Resolutions
Go out much more
Take a lot less images
Remember why I first started taking pics
Fave new locations visited this year
St Abbs (stunning coastal scenery, tonnes of stinky guano)
Ardnamurchan, particularly Sanna Bay(a wee bit of heaven on earth)
Canadian Rockies (just one big WOW)
Location wishlist
Outer Hebrides
Sutherland
Arran (with better weather)
All Scotland - che sorpressa
If you've read my stuff before on here you will know that my fave photography magazine is Professional Photographer and it's nice to see that Adam Scorey is doing a good job on the latest incarnation.I am not a tech head, I find articles regarding how people got where they are career wise and the decisions they make along the way the most interesting.
Someone who has made a huge decision is Martin Middlebrook who has chosen to live in Afghanistan for a year to pursue his dream, that's a huge decision for a family man.I recently read Martins latest piece in PP and it's opening few paragraphs struck a chord with me.
I contacted Martin and wished him Happy New year and was really pleased to receive an email on New Years Day saying that he had visited the gallery in Wells in September last year, small world.
If you have time please have a look at Martins website:
link
Ok, bet get some more of these over saturated images off here pronto
Once again all the best for 2012
Dec 14th
Charley did say amazing a few times!
Had a few visits recently to the Winterton and Horsey area.Beautiful dunes and beaches with the added bonus of the very large seal colony on the shores here at this time of year.I think seals are absolutely gorgeous creatures and they are fascinating to watch.The pups are especially beautiful and I even encountered one on top of the dunes at Horsey the other morning, quite a surprise.Well worth a look if you can head down there, the beach at Horsey is off limits but plenty to see from the dunes.
The mornings have been a bit predictable of late as mentioned in my blog from two days ago, nice bit of cloud first thing and then it all disappears.Same this morning but today is designated a manic processing day and I've stuck with it.Backlogged images are the norm with me, there is so much to catch up on and so many images to weed out and delete, it would be lovely to be up to date, dead jealous of those who can afford to have someone to sort out the cleaning, keywording side of things.I barely have money to run the car let alone pay someone, put them hankies and violins away.
As it seems very unlikely that there will be any more book projects in the near future for me I am looking at producing one or two via Blurb just to give me something to work towards, I miss the focus that that kind of project can give you.I hope to complete the first one in January, so please look out for it though I do understand the Blurb books can be a little pricey to say the least.
Winter days and processing mean a bigger biccie and cake consumption.Have just finished off one of my daughter's homemade mince pies with clotted cream.Gorgeous.
I noticed the other day that David Ward has returned to blogging after a wee absence.I am very big fan(bet he'd hate that word!) of David's work and it's nice to read his thoughts on all things photographic.This poor Norfolk boy needs a dictionary sometimes for some of the words used but it's well worth visiting his site, hopefully he'll put some new images up regularly too.
We have a few copies of the old Hasselblad Forum magazines at the gallery and I was reading them the other evening after a long cold day in the gallery.I spotted a very youthful Hans Strand in an article and some fine work by another Scandinavian landscaper, Tore Hagman, great stuff, well worth checking out.These Scandinavian boys certainly are an inspiration.
Ok, think I'll round things off here.Will probably be moving the blog to a place on site that allows comments etc, feedback next time so look out for that, most probably in the New Year.
To those who look at my images, thanks,I'm trying to keep it real in a genre that has become over saturated(literally) with over processed images devoid of shadows.Such a pity.It's not what it used to be.I never claim to be original but I hope you see honesty and integrity in my work.
Have a nice Christmas break and all the best for 2012.
Jon
ps don't forget the January sale.
Dec 12th
It's been a while...forgotten how to do these, so 'bare with' as they say on Miranda.
Firstly, a news item.
January SaleFrom Jan 1st- Jan 31st 2012 all photographic prints/canvasses will be reduced by 25%.Why not treat yourself to a nice photographic print with that Christmas Gift money.
Hopefully some of you will have seen some of my new work on site, thanks to those that have looked, it is much appreciated.
Early November was my annual pilgrimage to TT up in Dornie.This time I had Bromage and Duckett(sounds like a Victorian stage act) in tow.Unfortunately the boys couldn't stay as long as perhaps they wanted to but it was lovely to see them.No rained off days, if you are ever going to the Highlands or Skye, find out when I'm going up there and go at the same time, must be lucky I guess.
The weather was a bit mild though, unfortunately, no frosts and too many clear skies meant some days photography was limited to just the extremes of the day but always a pleasure, never a chore to be up there, a spiritual home.After my usual period of ignoring the images(except for putting some hastily processed examples on here) for a good couple of weeks it was nice to visit the files and see some shots I was quite pleased with, considering my state of mind at the time I was pleased to get anything(but that's another story not worthy of these ramblings).I hope the boys got some good stuff too, looking at their lcds it certainly seemed that way.I even had a mini photo paddy with Mr Duckett at Tarskavaig Bay, I just couldn't see a picture and John was finding all these lovely compositions.I didn't get one in the end, I'm sure JD did.
Gallery bit.
Just come off the back of four weekends in Wells.It never ceases to amaze me how many people visit this lovely wee town and pop in to see the pics we have on show.In terms of a calendar year it's been a good 'un.I must say we try and cater to all pockets, and I believe that is very important.We do not have limited edition works, we may in the future but we will always have affordable work on display, an overpriced gallery may be lovely to look at but 'ooh that's lovely but a bit out of my price range' never filled the kids stomachs and in all honesty there's too many overpriced works out there, add another zero for location, so to speak.Anyway, just to let you know we have taken on a new photographer, Andreas Gursky, we'll only charge him 50% commission(photo satire).
If I don't write any more of this crap before the C word is upon us, many thanks, hugs and kisses etc to customers both old and new and to those who come back for more.
Random Roads Bit, (nothing at all to do with photography)
Why can't bus drivers parallel park anymore, always sticking their back ends out into the traffic lane.
Why do vans always park at junctions so you can't see if there's anything coming when you are trying to pull out.
80% of cars today don't have indicators, discuss.
I'm getting old!!!
More of this stuff in the morning, unless I am out and about, 'please not another clear sky, I really bloody mean it, I am going to swing for you, Mr Deity, Supreme Being, whatever you are, if you are etc etc, we need bloody clouds in Norfolk, we do big skies the best but we need something in them'
ps ' Hoar Frosts gratefully accepted'
Off to watch Charley Boorman say 'that's amazing' four hundred times in an hour!
Oct 21st
Anyway, Ardnamurchan and the area around it.I had only briefly gone on to the road to Ardnamurchan a few years ago when I visited Castle Tioram with Stef on hols.
For some reason it couldn't have left much of an impression on me but it is a superb area for photography.The autumnal colours were stunning, especially around areas such as Salen and Loch Mudle.
I decided to stay for a couple of days and visited Ardnamurchan point, Sanna Bay and the area close by, wonderful coastal scenery, great views toward the small isles with those wonderfully distinctive shapes of Muck, Eigg and Rum looming in the distance, and my beloved Skye too if it decided to show itself.
Sanna Bay and it's environs wins the gibbo award, I had walked from Portuairk and positioned myself on a hill overlooking the bay, nice view but slightly gloomy weather for a big vista type of shot.30 mins later the sky was hinting at something special, I trundled as quick as the old legs would carry me down to the lovely dunes overlooking the beautiful sands, there was a family on the beach watching the beautifully clear turqoise waves rolling in.The sky just suddenly burst into life, as if someone had switched magenta saturation in the sky to a spinal tappish 11.
I talked to the chappie on the beach, we couldn't believe how a gloomy sky could change into something spectacular so quickly, suffice to say the next hour was spent taking images in the most gorgeous light, the joys of the everlasting western scotland sunset.Marvellous.
Unfortunately the old heavy ,misty rain set in for the next couple of days and knowing that I will be trundling up further north soon I thought best to head home with loads of x's on my map for places to re-visit another day, blimey, another part of Scotland under my skin.
It was fantastic to hear the deer in rut and to witness stags on the hills but I must remember never to overnight in a car park close to woodland, holy shit, thought I was going to have a heart attack when a stags call interupted my snooze, he must of been pretty close!
Thanks to the lovely lady at Sanna Bay who allowed me to charge my other camera battery up whilst I was off taking pictures around the bay, she wouldn't accept a penny, she'll get a piccie though.
Oct 19th
Another hurried entry I'm afraid before gallery duty.Firstly, I have noticed since changing computer that some of my earlier work on here looks very ott in the saturation department(like a North American landscaper on mind bending drugs!), I will try and rectify that as soon as possible.
Just returned from a brief trip to the highlands, I tried to turn off at the lakes but yoda the skoda said 'does not compute' so the highlands it was, the car wouldn't let me stay in the Trossachs either, though it was awful misty rain so the highlands it was, which was awful misty rain.
Therefore after a little deliberation and a soggy walk down the King's Road in Glencoe I thought I'd visit the Ardnamurchan Peninsula.Continue this later, gotta go...
Oct 6th
Oh yes...chilly, windy, puffy clouds, happy wee baldy chappie
