Here’s a picture I took of a bike in Soho. It’s not the bike we’re interested in though, oh no… Look behind it. Check out that wall! How cool is that? What a great colour. And so much of it.

A beautiful, pristine, green wall, right in the centre of London.

I’ve been wandering through Soho recently, looking at this wall, and I thought it would make a fantastic background for a portrait, or a promo shoot for a band. I’d even visualised how all the shots would look in my head, maybe even throwing a ringflash into the mix for some close-up headshots, picking out the colour and getting a nice glow to the green. I saw a random girl in the street with red hair and green eyes, she would’ve looked amazing against that background.

OK, so I’ll definitely have to make some arrangements, and add it to my list of locations, and do a shoot or two there. Yeh, I’ll definitely get around to doing that.

Except… I walked past my lovely green wall today, and it’s covered in posters. WHAT?! How could they? There’s still enough green to work some headshots, but all the rest of my visualisations have gone out the window. FAIL! I wasn’t fast enough.

The point, then, is this - you rarely get any second chances in photography, so make the most of the moment when it arises. When you see that green wall, get the red haired girl and do the photoshoot, because tomorrow it might be covered in posters.

I took this photo during a trip to Glastonbury, when we had a little day out to Wookey Cave in Somerset. So, why is it so popular? Has it been blogged and linked somewhere? Are there just a lot of underground lake, waterfall and cave aficionados out there? If so, Hello underground lake, waterfall and cave aficionados! I’d love for you to tell me why it’s so popular.

Hmmm… Maybe I should offer it for sale as a print?

http://www.wookey.co.uk/

The Kills ©Sophie Jarry

Inspired by photojournalists such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, French born Jarry first picked up a camera 10 years ago. What began as a hobby quickly progressed into a profession as Jarry married her love of photographic documentation with her passion for live music.

Jarry’s shots express a desire to capture a moment and make it last. Each of her images tells the story of the leading lights of today’s music scene, and each is an example of her unwavering dedication to artistic expression.

Featuring artists such as Jack White, MGMT, The Kills, The Last Shadow Puppets, Pete Doherty and many more, this exhibition is a must see for any music fan.

Address:
Proud Camden
The Horse Hospital
The Stables Market
Chalk Farm Road
London NW1 8AH

Website: www.proud.co.uk

So, inspired by Milla Jovovich and the Fifth Element, I present my futuristic kick-ass chick fashion look. You’ll all be wearing it next season.

Here’s a couple of mine own efforts. Whether I can cut it as a stylist or not I’ll leave for you to decide.

But…

I’ll try to make the time to post new stuff, and keep it on topic, not just baby pictures!

Thanks for sticking with it, I’ll be writing something soon.

Andy Adams over at Flak Photo is launching a promotion in conjunction with Blurb - you can win a free pass to one of their photobook workshops next week. They’ll teach you about the principles of book design, editing your images in Lightroom for optimum results, and how to use Blurb books to promote your work.

To enter, check out the full details on Flak Photo’s Facebook page

I’d gone out to meet a client for coffee to discuss some ideas for her portfolio shoot, and we ended up sitting overlooking the river outside the Royal Festival Hall. We were talking about possible locations for the shoot, and I told her how I’d been wanting to do something on the foreshore of the Thames down by the Oxo Tower.  We walked over to take a look, and as we got closer we approached what looked like a crime scene - the whole area was cordoned off, there were police everywhere and a gruesome looking corpse in a car that had been dredged out of the river, not what you expect after a nice coffee! Then I started to notice all the lighting gear, the tv cameras and the crew, and then when I spotted David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel the penny dropped…

I’d heard rumours that the opening episodes of Bones season 4 were going to be filmed in London, and it turned out to be true! I haven’t read the books by Kathy Reichs, but I’m a fan of the TV show, so I got a real kick out of seeing this happening in a location that I’m really familiar with. I really enjoy seeing London on screen, and it’s not something you see often on American tv shows.

I watched them setting up and filming for a while, and I was amazed at how close the public were allowed to get to the action. I managed to get some pretty decent photos, so much the better for being able to crop in nice and tight.

One of the other actors I recognised was Michael Brandon, who was in the 80s cop show Dempsey and Makepeace, and more recently played the title role in Jerry Springer: The Opera.

Links:
http://www.fox.com/bones/

Londonist Presents: Slow Exposure. The March Of Progress by Jamie Gladden

Londonist Presents: Slow Exposure is an exhibition of winning images from the first photography competition run by Londonist, a website that celebrates the culture, history and daily events of the capital. The photographs capture familiar London haunts in an unusual fashion, showcasing this hectic city at its most relaxed. The exhibition will be hanging in the laid-back ambiance of Ray’s Jazz Cafe (Foyles, Charing Cross Road) from 24 April.

The winners were chosen from over 200 entries by a panel of expert judges:

* Mike Ramsden, Presenter, BBC London.
* Amanda Stone, Director, Slow Down London
* Brett Jefferson Stott, Founder & CEO of Shoot Experience.

The exhibition forms part of Slow Down London, a festival to inspire Londoners to challenge the cult of speed and “live life in real time”.

Join us for a private view on 1 May, 6-8.30pm to find out who has won special prizes courtesy of Shoot Experience, meet judges, photographers and Londonist contributors and chill out to suitably ambient music. The cafe will be open, serving a selection of snacks and drinks. The party will continue later at a local bar. RSVP to londonist@gmail.com

If you can’t make it on the night, pop into Foyles at your leisure - this is a celebration of slowness, after all.

Londonist presents: Slow Exposure runs at Ray’s Jazz Cafe, Foyles, Charing Cross Road from 24 April to 24 May. Entrance is free.

Links:

• Londonist is a leading websites about London, and forms part of the Gothamist LLC network of city web sites. Written and compiled by a team of London enthusiasts, the site covers daily news and events, and celebrates the capital’s cultures and subcultures. Londonist was founded in 2004 and now attracts over 10,000 readers every day: www.londonist.com

• Slow Down London is a new project to inspire Londoners to improve their lives by slowing down to do things well. Slow Down London will hold a campaign and festival (24 April - 4 May 09), offering ideas and opportunities to help challenge the cult of speed and appreciate the world around us: www.slowdownlondon.co.uk

• Ray’s Jazz Cafe is at Foyles’ flagship store at 113-119 Charing Cross Road: www.foyles.co.uk