50:50:50

You turn around for 5 minutes and its 4 months since you last posted. Well, I suppose that was the Summer.

There's been the Canaries, Ireland, a friend over from Australia, tons of hill-walking and a long-haul trip to India. Ooh and a wedding on a very wet day.

Weddings.

When you are working to be your technical best and to capture the emotional story and when it is sometimes best when you throw away the rule book, hand hold your camera when the light isn't good enough and light the scene with a torch because that is the thing that is working at that point.

Technically crap, but this picture makes me well up every time I open it :-) Sorry, I appear to have something in my eye.

India was all about contrast: sharp, clear, cool mountain air in Shimla

- to hot, heavy, treacle-aired Amritsar

Just terrific.

But the consuming piece across the period was taking part in the 50:50:50 Challenge: an image a day across 50 consecutive days using a 50mm lens. The challenge was set, administered and steered by Terry McNamara of TerryMc Photography. If I have my photograph taken, it is Terry who takes it. Go and have a look at his stuff.

So, 50 images over 50 days - not much to it. That was a serious underestimation The biggest challenge that all the photographers taking part talked about was actually finding subjects against the background of normally busy days.

I threw a note out to the twiterrati and fb-ers to ask if there were any portrait requests......... the challenge finished 5 weeks ago and I am still working through the willing victims!

What was the process? Well, collaboration really. The people came with open-minds and some ideas and we had a bit of exploration and some fun. Personally, it helped me move my understanding and use of artificial light along in leaps and bounds (and a few trips.....)

It gave me the opportunity to work with Chris Marsh on the branding images for his new entity, Agents of.

We took over Manc for a day.... or maybe we got up earlier before most people on a Sunday....