I had the pleasure recently of photographing this artist for her web site which showcases her debut work in particular the new single and upcoming EP from this Leeds based electronic solo artist.

Inspired by the possibilities of what happens next in music, it is from here where JAAYNS starts …

Alan Raw – BBC Introducing West Yorkshire – JAAYNS is ‘Cutting her own path through alternative, pop and electronica’

Mike Green – Radio Wigwam – The material of Leeds-based singer/songwriter JAAYNS is well-crafted electro with a moody, sometimes introspective, alternative edge to it.

Matt Barker – Matt Barker Radio – The whole EP is epic! Go get it!! You won’t be disappointed!!

Her debut Single GO will be released on the 24th February – Update: BUY NOW on Bandcamp: http://jaayns.bandcamp.com/track/go

Another shoot up and coming with this bunch of lads. Great guys!

Outside Asylum is a 4 piece hard rock band from Leeds. Fuelled by life threatening doses of Captain Morgan and the soundtrack of Snakepit, Sixx AM and Buckcherry, the band and their inimitable brand of sleaze pop launched onto the scene in April 2011 and can now be seen gigging around the UK with Britains finest unsigned hard rock acts.

The cover of the latest album for the Leeds band Coral Caves fronted by Christos here in the pic. Took this one cold evening near Christmas on the precint outside Harvey Nichols, Leeds.

Been a while since i used this blog, been real busy moving my work to self-hosted blogs and designing wordpress sites for others.

But enough techy talk. Did a shoot for Simon Hirst (Hirsty) – great guy – he of Capital FM fame. Simon is the main breakfast DJ there so you will have most likely heard his voice. No idea what shot to pick for this post so here’s a little strip I made.

Oh, what the heck, here’s another shot.

Fusing the most powerful genre’s of extreme metal, DREAMCATCHER form an earth-shattering amalgamation of melodic, progressive and symphonic metal unlike anything ever heard before.

Playing together since early 2008, this northern british metal band has kept and cultivated a dedicated and commited fan base, and this is reflected in both their awe-inspiring stage presence and the fan reaction to everything released by them. Melding face melting guitar, ably played by dual guitar masters Alexei Green and Ben Scott, with soaring, power house vocals from commanding frontman Lukas Jackson and balancing everything with awe-inspiring keyboards performed by one of the few female instrumentalists in metal; Adele Pease, and a stomach shaking rhythm section delivered flawlessly by Ross Lavery and bassist; Matt Hudson, this sextet of metal possess a sound which is completely unique.

Catch Dreamcatcher here

If I’m honest I would have thought that a band like Goldfrapp would have done a similar thing to other bands of this size and genre and just skipped Leeds, instead visiting Bristol, Birmingham, Milton Keynes,Sheffield and Manchester, so good on them. Leeds awaits the much needed arena so that the more succesful bands have no excuse but to visit this great city.

What was really surprising was that the O2 Academy was only half full when Goldfrapp, who I believe to be the most outstanding genre busting yet succesfull band in the land visted us.

Alison was really on form when she took to the stage with ‘Crystalline Green’ in a black metallic boa like outfit. her voice is truly outstanding, my wife who can be critical of voices (who isn’t these days with X-factor and all) was really impressed. Everyone in the band performed as if they were making a live CD, and it turns out this is what they did in Bristol and its available now in the Goldfrapp store.
Not all the favourites are there, the singles, ‘Happiness’ and ‘Rocket’ were fairly conspicuous by their absence but maybe this was something to do with the band not wanting too many singles on the live recording.

The crowd didn’t really get going till they played ‘Number 1’ – not really one of my faves, and of course ‘Ooh La La’ was there and about 6 tracks from ‘Head First’, their latest album which while a bit different from Seventh Tree (their best album), still see’s them stamp their mark and their songwriting has gone to a new level, especially with Alive and Head First. Only a pity they didn’t play ‘A&E’ and ‘Pilots’ but otherwise it was a blast of fresh air.

So thank you Goldfrapp for visiting Leeds for one night, even though you may have got a better audience in Bristol or Manchester, I for one had a fantastic night, as did everyone else, astute enough to come and see you.

Album number 5 - Head First

Got the pleasure of photographing Mark Pierce the other day, most of the time we seemed to be in a fit of giggles at the uncanny pieces of music blurting from my iPod playlist which seemed to either set the mood just right or highlight ironically some of the stuff we had been talking about earlier.

If you are a fan of James Blunt, James Morrison, or indeed any male solo artist with the name James then you are really missing something if you don’t have a listen to Mark’s latest tracks.
Pop on over here.

Large room wanted for photoshoot in Leeds area. Old victorian edwardian or georgian room with huge windows and bare floorboards. At least 25 foot square, bigger the better. Can be adorned or preferably a bare deserted shell. Wanted on august 24th in the evening. It doesnt have to be pretty, would even be happy with cobwebs, just need the light, space and atmosphere.

Now heres a photographer we should be watching out for, Rosie Hardy art/self portrait/fashion photographer from Derbyshire. She spoke most eloquently last night at Exposure Leeds to over 50 photographers from the Yorkshire region and she is just 19 having been doing photography for little over 2 years.

The amount of work she has already done is quite incredible but mostly in part to doing a 365 day self portraiture, she didn’t quite manage to doing a self portrait every day of the year without losing all of her hair. Each one is unique and conceptual. Perhaps dissecting herself in the art of self portraiture has not only made her extremely self aware but the examination of herself has made her an excellent photo retoucher and compositor even without using Photoshop but instead using the freely available Gimp software.

Her enthusiasm is really infectious and I don’t think she realises quite the impact she will make in the photographic world, but this is because so much of it is still new to her. She is inspiring of others but still inspired.

Check out Rosie hardy’s work here.

When I get asked to do gig photography, I think, great. No need to bring lights, I get to have fun and hopefully some animated photographs as well.

I did have fun at this gig and met some great people. It was at Salvos restaurant, well the Salumeria to be exact. Great food is to be had there. An intimate atmosphere but not really geared up for gig photography. When i get asked to do a gig shoot, I do expect to be cramped and jostled, and i do expect to also see huge 2KW gelled lights pointing at the artists.

Unfortunately, at Salvos, cramped, meant being surrounded by other people at tables trying to enjoy a fantastic meal while listening to the talented and broad of repertoir duo that is William and Naomi.

And as far as lighting goes, no large spots, fresnels etc but just low lighting ambience that you would get in a place like this. In fact I think i was lucky to avoid candles only. At least there was one 60watt bulb pointing at William at the keyboard. Unfortunately again, Naomi, singer, saxaphonist and flutist, all too often strayed out of this beam of light entirely.

So it was up to the ability of the D90 and my skills at capturing that magic moment. This was no occasion for an iPhone. Camera speed was set to 3200, avoided as much as possible the use of flash, therefore not disturbing people trying to eat their Neopolitan. Gratuitous use of Adobe Lightroom too which seemed to give the images the lift they needed.