Letting things slide

Alright, so we started with the best of intentions to blog regularly but the day-to-day grind of earning a living has to take precedence. The work in fairness has been far from dull and we've been pretty much flat out since the begining of the year. For a cold and dark January when  commissions can be a bit thin on the ground we've kept on photographing.

 At the beginning of this month I was busy helping promote Drew Pritchard @ Liberty for his new concession in the famous London department store. The images have not only been used on the Liberty website but have appeared  in The Sunday Times supplement and World of Interiors Magazine. I take the photographs for Drew Pritchard's website and work as a stills photographer for Cineflix Media & Discovery Channel who make the popular TV series Salvage Hunter starring Drew which airs on the Quest Chanel. 

In addition to this Paddy and I have worked together for Caroline Young Hairdressing in Penrhyn Bay. Caroline has been encouraging her young stylist to enter the L'Oreal Colour Trophy competition and so we had the pleasure of working with Meg who modeled her rather stylish "do" for us. 

A Different Portfolio

As a commercial photographer I am often asked to work in different parts of the country. Two weeks ago I was working in the beautiful Meldon Park in Northumberland as a location photographer for the Discovery Channel and this week I've been in Liverpool photographing interiors for a new boutique B&B at N0. 2 Blackburn Terrace with interiors designed by Kirsty Hull. It's a very different aspect to the tranquil contemplative environment of the studio.

I know many artists and photographers who lead double-lives. The commercial work is the bread and butter and facilitates our creative ambitions. Ideally we would all love a rich patron to support us in our artistic endeavours, but in my case, as no-one has stepped up to the plate, I shall soldier on. It's not such a hard life, exploring ancestral homes set in beautifully landscaped gardens and rolling countryside; or visiting a georgian townhouse in one of Liverpool's more elegant postcodes; besides you never know what it might lead to next or what inspiration you will find. 

Number 2 Blackburn Terrace, Liverpool. A beautiful soon to open B&B in the heart of Liverpool, upholstered chairs by Kirsty Hull.

Still Life

We have both been photographing in the shop/studio/gallery and just thought we should show you how we have started. This is one of my sets using crates and an iPhone and Instagram as a test. The anthotype in the crate is one that Eleri made on a gesso panel with onions skins as the emulsion. You can see on the desk some of the other bits and pieces that we have been playing with. Notice the figs: you will definitely be seeing more of those!

Large format pinhole

Well, my beloved partner Eleri and I have been walking the dogs, Ari and Floss, but this time with a new agenda. We went down to the old, derelict pier at Rhos-on-Sea - shame to see it it in such a condition. The beach gives a lovely view of the wind turbines out to sea.  We have Just purchased some Harman 10x8 Direct positive paper so we can make some simple pictures without the expense of 10x8 film. Here i am in action(?) with our Bob Rigby camera. Testing the paper at 6 ISO with no pre-flash so we expect the results to be way too harsh in the highlights with not enough shadow detail. (Clothes by Poundshop. Hair by Vidal Baboon. Camera bag by Billingham)

Death Mask Cyanotype

Here's is the final result (still in the wash tray) from the digital neg produced the other day. The image is made on Buxton Platinotype paper from Ruscombe Mill. The cyanotype is mixed in-house with chemicals from Silverprint in London. The paper is 11"x8" approximately with the image itself around 9"x6.5" in a signed edition of 10 and cost £75.00.

Cyanotypes

Well, we have both been busy printing stuff and generally trying to be creative in our new studio space. Been testing our new cyanotype mix with the gorgeous Buxton Platinotype paper and digital negs made on Pictorico. Test of a digital neg from one of Lel's images of a set of Death Masks is shown below. Will have to wait until tomorrow to see how the prints dry down.

Darkroom Practice

One of the best things about Albert House, is the cellar. In fact it was the reason for choosing number 18 Denbigh Street as our base. Years ago I had a darkroom in a shed. it was baking hot in the summer, freezing cold in the winter, infested with spiders and really not that light tight. 

Since then, things have improved considerably. Firstly, we now have a darkroom with not one, not two, but three enlargers.  One is my old enlarger from days of yor! The others were donated by a very good friend of Paddy's, Dave Noble, who is Programme Leader of Photography at Staffordshire University. Now, if that generous donation of two enlargers and a ton of other darkroom equipment wasn't enough, it just so happens that Mr Noble purchased the 5x4 enlarger from a certain Mr Paul Graham! Here's a link to the archive of his work if you don't know him. http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com 

And here we are,  proof if proof were needed, a photograph of the enlarger in situ, with its chum. (Paul Graham's is the 5x4 on the left)   

Fun with Instagram

Really we should be ashamed to admit it, as hard nosed darkroom practitioners, but just recently we've discovered the joys of printing Instagram, or mobile phone pictures. I mean big prints! We've only just tuned into the mobile phone picture apps, I'm not sure why its taken so long but its brilliant. I carry my phone almost everywhere, and am frequently drawn to take a snap. I must have had over a hundred images on my phone, and I know by some peoples standards this is a drop in the ocean, but how many of you actually take the time to drop the photographs onto your computer and then press print. 

Anyway, heres a photographs of the shop front with sone mobile phone images, sitting next to traditional Silver Gelatin prints.

Pop in and see us for a closer look.

6 Day's and counting

We've decided to open on the 29th of November, this will coincide with the switching on on the Christmas lights in LLanrwst.  We hope this will allow people to visit us during the extended opening hours. The new Vintage shop Ma Larkin's will be open and Bys a Bawd the bookshop will be holding a book signing too. Now if that's not worth a stroll along Denbigh Street on the evening of the 29th then I don't know what is. In the mean time, here's a photograph of the gallery at dusk to give you an idea of how things are shaping up for the opening.  

Albert House

We've only just realised that No 18 Denbigh Street also has a name; it's called Albert House. We like this because not only was Paddy's dear old dad called Albert, but it's also one of Paddy's middle names. (He won't thank me for telling you that!)

It's also the name of one of my favourite photographers William Albert Allard, and lets not forget the legend that is Einstein.

If you can think of any others let us know we'd love to add them to the role call. 

Meanwhile her's a photograph of Albert Einstein looking a little tousles, which is just how we like him.