Northumberland Spirit

The last few months have seen me photographing the cities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh and whilst this may have given me something of a creative rush of blood to the head, I must admit to being somewhat pleased about the subject for my next two books to be released by Halsgrove in 2010.

It probably seems an obvious choice for someone based in Newcastle to be commissioned for a book (or two) on Northumberland but I seem to have only managed to work on books based on areas surrounding the county, so I am delighted to announce that the Spirit of Northumberland and Perfect Northumberland are the titles of my latest projects!

Work is well and truly underway with 'Spirit of Northumberland' and I am hoping to have it finished by the summer of this year - There is one advantage to having a large stock photography collection of the region! 'Perfect Northumberland' is slightly different as it is going to be very much based around the seasons and as such it will take me a year to capture the images. It really is a hard life!

I photographed this little fellow (or lass) today whilst visiting the National Trust owned Wallington. There were a few of these little red devils playing in the warmth of the spring sun (I suspect they may have had more than playing in mind... use your imagination) but this one squirrel continued to return to a small patch of land immediately in front of the wildlife hide. It took a couple of hours to capture this shot and whilst I doubt Andy Rouse will be quaking in his boots, I must admit that I like it!

Guest photo from North Tyneside

As you may have seen in a previous news entry, the weather for the North Tyneside Photography Workshop was less than ideal. However, I think that workshop participant Ritchie Coatsworth has produced some stunning images from the day including this image of Tynemouth Pier. But what did Ritchie have to say about the day?

"I had a great day and picked up some valuable advice and tips. I am really pleased with the images I ended up with even though the weather wasn't at it's best. It was good to be around others that enjoy trying to take a good photo, I'll certainly be doing some more workshops."

You can view some more of the images from the workshop by taking a look at the Flickr group or in particular Ritchies photostream.

We still have a few places remaining for the forthcoming Hadrian's Wall Photography Workshop on the 15th March. Click here if you fancy the opportunity to capture some great images like Ritchie!

Spirit of Cumbria teaser

Spirit of Cumbria has now been in the shops for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would wet your appetite with a slide show of images from this small book with big pictures!

If you are keen to get your hands on my latest book, it can be ordered online from Amazon. I also have a small number of signed copies available, so if you would like to order one directly from myself please contact me.

North Tyneside Photography Workshop

Even the weather could not discourage our workshop participants yesterday, with Jeff, Steve, Pam, Greg, Ritchie, David and myself spending a most enjoyable day photographing the North Tyneside Coast.

The image included here was one that I captured on St Mary's Island, and is a classic example of the kind of image that is possible to capture in even the worst of conditions.

If you would like to join me along the North Tyneside Coast in May during late spring, with hopefully better weather than yesterday, please click here.

The Spirit of Cumbria is here!

I have great pleasure in announcing that my 4th book, The Spirit of Cumbria, has now been released and can be purchased from Amazon.

Cumbria is home to the deepest and largest lakes as well as the highest peaks to be found in the country. These all fall within the boundaries of perhaps the most famous of all of the English National Parks – The Lake District.

However, there is much more than the Lake District National Park to explore here. The Howgills and the northern Pennines afford commanding views across the county to the visitor originating from the east, whilst the distant form of the fells and peaks, for any visitor heading from the north or south, offers a more subtle introduction to the region. The Irish Sea borders the west of the county with the nearest neighbours being the Isle of Man and Scotland, whose uplands can be viewed rising from across the peaceful Solway Firth.

Overall Cumbria offers some of the most stunning scenery in Britain. Jason Friend has travelled the length and breadth of the county to reveal in more than 60 classic images the true spirit of Cumbria.

But don't just take the publishers word for it! You can see it for yourself for only £4.99 - Click here to order it from Amazon!

Snow comes to Northumberland - Ingram Valley Workshop rescheduled

The last week has seen Northumberland receiving a few days of snow and whilst it has not been covered like some other areas in the country, I have decided to reschedule the forthcoming Ingram Workshop for the 22nd March.

This decision has been purely made due to safety issues regarding the access of the valley and also the terrain that we will be covering on the workshop.

If you would like to join me on the early spring photography working in the Ingram Valley, please click here.

North Tyneside Workshop nearly full!

I am pleased to announce that the North Tyneside Photography Workshop on the 20th February is nearly full and that there are currently only 2 places left. If you are considering joining me on my own home patch, I recommend that you book your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!

I am also thrilled to announce that fellow North East photographer David Taylor will be joining me on the day to share some of his photographic experience so this workshop really does look like it is going to be a enjoyable and memorable day!

If you simply can't wait that long for the North Tyneside Workshop, there are plenty of places left on the forthcoming Ingram Valley, Northumberland Photography Workshop on Sunday 8th February. It looks like it will be a small group so everyone will get plenty of '1 on 1' time with myself.

Fingers crossed and we will even get the chance to shoot some classic winter landscapes. Let me show you why most photographers just love photographing snow.

I know I do!