Back in the Homeland, Big Fishes, Men in Bright Shirts, and a Trip Back In Time

Trips back to the Homeland are always something to look forward to.  Due to my schedule they tend not to happen often enough, so when they do come around, I like to make them as special as possible.  Spending time with my family and Yol's family, back in the area where we both grew up, you can't beat reconnecting with the old territory and seeing it through older eyes.

Yol and I took a trip to Louth, to have a look around and, as it turns out, do a little extra birthday shopping!  Passing by a 1950s themed dress shop, we both spotted a particular frock in the window, and so in we went.  Net result:  Yol has a new dress!

Whilst back by the water, we took the chance to visit a few places, see a few sights, and naturally take along the camera.  One of the places we went to is Barton Upon Humber, one of Yol's former homes, and had a lovely walk around the waterfront area with some of Yol's family.  The waterfront is home to all manner of plant and bird life, presenting several photo opportunities along the way:

The set of photos from our trip back home can be seen here: Visit to the Homeland on Flickr.

Whilst back in the East, we took a trip up to Hull to see Yol's sisters, and whilst there we took a trip to The Deep, an impressively large aquarium on the waterfront:

The Deep is home to an educational and entertaining collection of aquatic life in all shapes and forms, but the low light in there presents every photographer with a real challenge!

For visitors, the place is excellent, and I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone with even a vague interest in water!   The full set from the visit can be seen here: The Deep

Sunday night was the Manchester Phoenix Shirt Launch, and it was time for a new challenge.  I've assisted on shoots involving flash heads before, but I've never done one myself.  Ably assisted by fellow Phoenix photographer Nick Ogden and returnee Lauren Freeman, I was responsible for the task of getting the new range of hockey shirts photographed for publicity purposes, and we had a window of about half an hour to get the job done before the Shirt Launch event started.  Lauren had agreed to bring along a flash head kit, and supervised me in setting them up before starting the shoot:

All in all, I think it went pretty well for a first attempt!  The full set can be seen here: Phoenix Shirt Launch 2012

Last night, I travelled back in time.  Well, sort of.  After an invitation from my good friends Glyn and Claire Wade, I got in the car and went to Cheddleton, to the Churnet Valley Railway, where a photo club that Glyn and Claire are members of were having a shoot evening.  The shoot involved the trains at the station (which is an old-world station) and four models dressed in 1940s and 1950s themed costumes.  The members of the photo club (and myself) were given free run of the station, and the models were very receptive to pose ideas and suggestions.  One of the models turned out to be a former student of mine!

The shoot was a great experience, trying to get shots whilst working in amongst other photographers.  The atmosphere was very welcoming, the models very professional, and the end results very satisfying!  After about 80 minutes the heavens opened, and so we took refuge on one of the trains, where the shooting continued:

The set of photos can be seen on Flickr here:  Cheddleton Photo Shoot Set.

Thanks for reading!