Best of 2010
Once again, I've gone through all my images shot during 2010 and selected what I feel to be my best images. Thanks to my revised Lightroom workflow and organisation it was a significantly less painful task than last year, and when I compare the final selection to last year's post (see here) I definitely feel that I have made quite significant progress these last 12 months both from a point of view of composition and technique. A very rewarding exercise. I've appended a little blurb below each image. If you want to skip that, then there's a slideshow here.
Shot on Hale Golf course after a brief flurry of snow. Processed in Silver Efex Pro. Wasn't quite the composition I'd pre-visualised but as I retreated under the tree behind me I saw the overhanging branches and felt that these improved it quite a bit.
This was a TF shoot I did with Frankie on Alderley Edge. We got completely lost and I couldn't find the location I had originally planned on using. She was really into her kick-boxing so brought her gloves with her to try something a little different. Shot this from an embankment looking down on her with two SB-900s on either side of her.
On a family holiday to Cyprus in March I took a dawn wander along the beach and saw these rather odd-looking umbrellas without their covering and built into the rock somehow. It all looked a little surreal.
Whilst going over old ground along the Bollin Valley one misty spring morning I stumbled onto this woodland scene and instantly knew it would make a great photograph.
In May I was fortunate enough to be able to get into John Ryland's Library in Manchester for one of their occasional photographic tours. The place is quite amazing and the architecture equally so. The rest of the group seemed to race round the place snapping away whilst I slowed right down and took as much time as I could trying to soak up the ambience of the place. Shot this with a Lensbaby Composer. (Original post)
Hooked up with the delightful Amy in June for a sunset shoot on top of the NCP car park by G-Mex in Manchester. We managed to draw a bit of an audience but had fun nonetheless. (Original post)
In July I went down to London for Kelby Training's "On location lighting workshop" with the legendary National Geographic and Life photographer, Joe McNally. Whilst I was there I arranged to shoot with a bunch of models, and this one with the lovely Azzi was definitely the most creative of the lot.
August saw me in Walberswick in Suffolk where I made this HDR image of the river estuary at dawn. It was quite a spectacular sight with the cloud rolling in from the East producing a defining line in the sky.
This image was made in Salford Quays in Manchester one sunny September morning.
In October I joined MM Photo Tours and Adam Barker for a trip round Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and had the most amazing time. From the 6,000 or so frames I shot I feel that this image stands out the most. For the whole series of posts, go here.
In November I arranged with local make-up artist, Natalie and model Alex to do an Autumn themed shoot. Conditions were far from ideal, and we ended up shooting several hours later than planned missing the sunset completely! (Original post)
December brought snow, and quite a lot of it. I've been up to Shining Tor in the Peak District quite a few times over the last 12 months or so, but longed to see it in the snow. So when my wish finally came true I could barely contain myself!