It's July and we are back in action ... and back in Hospital

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Covid-19 is far from over, but the powers that be seem to think its okay to go out a bit … so I did.

It was good to be doing something for a change, although it was hard work. Still kicking off the month we had a visit by Divya Ram, an Indian Beauty Queen on a location shoot along with a new makeup artist Ka’Vour Beauty. Later in the month we kick started to flowers shoots off again after a visit to Brambles Florist. You can see all the results here on this site and blog

Unfortunately it also came along with a trip to the hospital because I now have ‘Unstable Angina.’ to add to the list of medical problems. It hurt and I sweated buckets. It has made life a bit harder, but the show goes on and it won’t stop me.

Not today anyway ….

So thanks to all in our brilliant NHS and to the love and support of my wife Amy.

The Indian Beauty Queen (First) Shoot

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My first shoot back after the Covid-19 lockdown and I am pleased to welcome lovely model, Divya Ram who won an Indian Beauty Queen contests a year or so a go. This was also the first shoot with new makeup artist Shadrine from Ka’Vour Beauty. Both ladies were brilliant and we got some great pictures. It was a bad weather day for July and I wasn’t that well on the day - but we got it done. So thank you to them and to Amy for her help

Hello to Brambles Florist

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Sadly the shop I was using to provide my flowers closed down with the Covid-19 pandemic. So many people and businesses did not make it through so thanks to Blossoms for all they did for me. You were great.

But life moves on … and I am happy to welcome Brambles Florist who are a great shop providing a wide arrange of flowers to the public.

Check out their business and great service here at www.bramblesflowers.com

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Flowers To Yours (F To Y)

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I would love to bring your attention to a brilliant Eco friendly option in Flower delivery called Flowers To Yours. Everything in the process of the growth, preparation and delivery to the composting is eco friendly and does not contain plastics in anyway. On top of this every delivery comes with a free package of bee and butterfly friendly seeds for you to grow in your gardens. Its unique … you get a bigger delivery so more for your money and its good for our world. In short its worth giving them a go.

Visit their website here at www.flowerstoyours.com

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July Flower Update

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Well here it is after the long lock down, the flowers are back with a great thank you to Brambles Florist. I have been testing out some new backgrounds and less photoshop with these, and colouring by Capture One …. So here they are please enjoy.

Welcome To June Covid-19 Special

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Its looking like the dreaded Covid-19 is waning … or at least thats the reason our beloved leaders are giving reason to open up again. Only time will tell if this is a wise move, but its nice to be able to go out and feel the air on your skin again. I have been busy creating new projects and lots of photography. I might add I could not have done any of it without the help of my lovely wife Amy. Thank you x Remember to come back next month to see a fresh new model shoot.

June Digital Art

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Just a small offering from this month on Digital Art. I took all the images (including the Dalek) and with Amy’s help she styled the Barbie Doll hair and her smoking something illegal !!!, Amy very helpfully made the ‘Just Married’ sign and held the chalk. So starting with that chalk image on a serious current subject. Black Lives Matter. More next month.

*NEW* Still Life / Fine Art Gallery

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So this month i thought I would start a Still Life / Fine Art gallery all of its own. Putting into it some images that did not look right or belong in the digital art gallery. I started with taking some pictures of dry flowers my wife collected and placed in vases we have. I then digitally cyanotoped them (like in the good old days when we used dark rooms and chemicals!) I like the results, so a big thanks to Amy here. There are also some pictures of hands (again Amy’s) holding cotton in a pictures called ‘Hands that sew’ There is another image where those same hands hold a pair of chopsticks and a moth is resting close by. The images are both a bit blurred as they were taken using a Lensbaby Velvet 56 Lens.

*NEW* Project - 'STEEL'

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This is the first of two new projects this month. This one is titled ‘Steel’ and features small details of household itens like tea strainer, garlic crusher and spud masher. Here it is …

*NEW* Project - 'RUST'

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Second of two new projects i started this month, again with Amys help. This one is titled ‘Rust.’ I have a lot of rusty tools and cutlery that has seen there best years. I have photographed these objects during the golden hour and distressed.

BANNED from Purpleport

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There is a website called Purpleport it is a site where photographers, models, make-up artist and studios can show their images and arrange shoots. For the most part its an okay site, but I have found myself banned from it.

So Why?

Well in my spare time I create images I called digital art. Its correct term is 'Compositing.' Its where you take elements from several pictures and make something new out of it. This technique is quite normal and all legal To this end I, like a lot of other people, buy the images through a subscription to Adobe Stock Images rather than steal them from Google. For example this is how I created the woman dancing with a tiger picture this month. I could go down to my local woods and wait around until a Tiger comes my way, or go to a Zoo, or fly to India and photograph one there in the wild. … or I could cut out all the fuss and simply buy one from Adobe Stock Images for a few dollars. Each image comes with a licence so I am allowed to use it. Which as I am disabled is the easiest option. This is where the powers that be in Purpleport don't like it. They claim I stole the original images and claim them as my own. - An infringement of copyright act – which is all untrue. Sadly they are so inflexible as to not even give me the chance to explain. They just BANNED me. So I shall have my say here on my blog.

Never mind, I did not get a great deal out of the site anyway, but managed to work with a few great models over the three years of being there. So for that I am thankful. Purpleport should bare in mind that like many other model / photographer sites they could well be there but for a season. I have been around long enough to see them come and go. They start, the grow, they have their day in the Sun, they fade and then they die (Remember Purestorm and Web Models anyone?). Someone else will eventually come along with a newer site and a fresh look effectively to challenge Purplports near monopoly away

Only time will tell.

Portraits

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We kick of this month with some portraits in black and white of my wife. there is no photoshop other than to turn the picture grey and crop it. I love the results. Thank you darling x

Try something New .... Fine Art Fruits

Thanks to the help of my wife we set up the small studio space we have in the house that we normally do flowers in and photographed some fruit she purchased from the market. Pears, Apples, plums and blueberries were on the menu and I think for the most part it worked. All images were taken using a Lensbaby Velvet 56 lens.

May Digital Art

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A mixed blag of stuff in here this month. A mixture of weird, romantic, horror and pop art.

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Welcome To April Covid-19 Special

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As we all know we are living in a strange world at present where everything has been put on hold. No flowers, no models, no photoshoots as I would normally do. But I did manage to do a few random things in my velvet prison.

Enjoy this months meagre offerings folks?