I'm supposed to be going to Donegal at the weekend and am not really feeling like it but have been being bullied mercilessly by my friends to go, regardless of how I'm feeling. Damien and Colin, my two closest friends have been very good with me over the last month and I guess I feel that I owe them something. Still not looking forward to it.
On a different note, I've added a button on the page (lower down and on the right hand side) that allows anyone reading this to share the blog via Facebook. If you like what you see, please share it - you'll be making an old man very happy.
11/06/12
More by luck than design I had booked a place on a workshop at Townhouse Gallery in Belfast - my first time shooting with a "real" model. Met some really nice people at the session and it was pretty good fun although I'm still not convinced that I can't get the same lighting effects with two speedlights, wireless triggers, stands and umbrellas all within the confines of my back bedroom. Anyway, Sandra was a fantastic model and George was an excellent host. This is my favourite shot of the evening; mainly because I did a sneaky bit of homework beforehand on the model and on different poses.
12/06/12
So, Sister Mary Agnes - is the hereafter what you'd imagined it to be?
No, Sister Assumpta, I hadn't thought it would be so feckin' dull
Ok - it was late (10pm by the time I got round to taking a shot today). I have just come into possession of an ex-hospital lightbox (Ta, Coly - you're a star) and started playing with it tonight. A box of miniature nuns was at hand - it's complicated - and voila. Sister Mary Agnes and Sr Assumpta in the afterlife. Again, apologies to any of my religious readers, but it's not as bad as the wee nuns entering a beach volleyball tournament.
13/06/12
This my daughter Ellen doing the same pose as my picture from Monday. The only difference was that this was taken in my spare bedroom. I set up a pop-up studio in exactly 15 minutes. The gear was as follows:
Backdrop: 1 Tesco double bed sheet, white - £4.97
Lights: 2 cheap flashguns with manual settings (total cost £100)
2 light stands and umbrellas - £20 from Amazon
1 set of Yongnuo wireless triggers - £45 from Amazon
Total = £169.97
14/06/12
This is one of the pair of cucumber plants I've grown from seed in the greenhouse. It looks like they're starting to flower, so I'm hopeful we might get to see some cucumbers in a month or two. Having never grown cucumbers, I'm not sure what I should or shouldn't be doing with them.
15/06/12
Friday night, the Lobster Bar in Burtonport. Alex attempts to lift my spirits by strangling Colin. Having spent four hours travelling with Colin, I wasn't sure if I wanted to kill myself or just give him a hug. This is turning out to be the wettest gentlemen's weekend ever. I have to return to Belfast tomorrow for what can best be described as "personal reasons" and the guys were very understanding. Even to the point of two of them offering to break my legs if I didn't go.
16/06/12
9.30 on a very rainy Donegal morning. Packed and ready to head back to Belfast, stomach in knots and nerves jangling. Three hours in the car like that isn't going to be fun. Colin surfaced just as I was getting ready to leave. There's some thing quite surreal about your best friend hugging you while he's wearing blue stripy pyjamas as the rain pours down.
17/06/12
Woke this morning (4.30am) feeling wasted and drained. Getting out of bed was an achievement and even a fag and cup of coffee didn't perk me up. After wandering round the house aimlessly, I went back to the lightbox. I bought a bag of fruit yesterday and got stuck in this morning. I found that it was tricky getting sharp shots, but the colours are really nice. I also forgot to set my white balance for the fluorescent lights but was able to correct it later in Lightroom. Might play some more with this later. There's a watermelon and a grapefruit that might be pressed into service.
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