THE OLD ROCK FACTORY

First I have to apologies for the lengthy photo post but I really couldn't cut any from the series as they all bought the story of The Old Rock Factory to life!
Some of you may or may not know the studio space but here it is. A place for creatives to be..well creative! As you can see Robin Ross the owner has his own printing studio located on the first floor and it is filled with lots of interesting things from the actual screen prints, paint pots, work areas and all with the back drop of a beautiful old factory setting.
Robin holds many printing sessions here for people of all ages and on a daily basis is there to make his own art work in which he exhibits all over the world.
The annual event 'Sand, Sea and Spray' that features Robin (and who has also curated it!) will be held in Blackpool on the 16th June this year. Over three days the town will be 'sprayed' by various artists in various urban locations. Want to know more? Click here.

I think its great that Blackpool finally has studio spaces for creatives to work in and I urge anyone who is passing to pop into the factory!

BONKERS CLUTTERBUCKS

I am currently an 'apprentice' on Project Object where we will meet weekly to develop a card model based around the templates designed by Bonkers Clutterbucks. We are sourcing images and inspiration from the archives at Blackpool Library and as you can see from the second image down I have focused on the Blackpool Tower Circus acts from before the war.
Working with Peter and Kate we gain an insight into the world of taking a product to market. So far we have heard from the buyers at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and learnt how Bonkers Clutterbucks started their business with modelling kits for children. Its just all so much fun!
For more information and where you can buy some of the lovely models seen above check out Bonkers Clutterbucks site here - http://bonkersclutterbucks.com/

GRANDAD'S SHED

Over the past few weeks I have been spending time at my grandparents house and this usually means helping with odd jobs about the house. While in and out of the shed I noticed a few things that really meant something to me. The top image is of my Grandad's skipping ropes, hung up and showing signs of the how much they have been used over the years he trained as a boxer.
The second image is of the family scooter that has been used by my aunt, uncle, mum, me, my brother and my cousin. Its now hung up ready for the next arrival and still looks in good shape!
What treasures have you found recently? I'd love to know!

INSTAGRAM BLACKPOOL

This week I decided that while walking to work each day I would try to get a shot of a part of Blackpool that I have never seen or photographed before.
My journey usually takes me along the back streets and near the back of the Winter Gardens. I soon realised that there are lots of old signs that I have no idea what they mean but are faded or painted onto the walls.
The Instagram app and my iphone make it so easy to snap these up and as you can see the effects are quite 'urban decay' looking and bring out the colours brilliantly.
If your looking for an app for your phone I would highly recommend Instagram!

CULTURE SHOPS FINAL ROUND

The Culture Shops programme is supported by Blackpool Council and enables artists to exhibit their work in an empty shop in the centre of Blackpool. During this time of recession the project aims to make otherwise empty and dull spaces vibrant and interesting.
Friday 13th saw the final round of this programme and included artists such as Garth Gratrix, Michael Cassidy, John Mark Allen and the Langdale photography group. After a brief introduction at FYCreatives we all walked down to the space located at the old Bar Red site to listen to the artists talk about the theory behind the artwork.

Click here to find out more about the artists and the Culture Shops programme.

INSTAGRAM

Most people have a mobile phone. Most mobile phones have a camera. Most mobile phones have photo editing apps on them...Instagram is one of the most popular of these.
It has so many options to change a simple photo into a vintage, modern, vibrant, muted beautiful photograph, not to mention the frames or blurring techniques. These images are some of my favourite taken over the past few weeks using the 'Sierra' filter that is similar to a medium format polaroid.
The app is so attractive that I am now finding myself thinking about photography more than ever before. Eating, drinking, walking, reading and even at work, I am always snapping away and looking at how it can be enhanced.
I know that most professional photographers may argue that its taking the creative technique out of photography as its all ready made and takes two seconds to transform the dullest of photos. I would have to disagree... it encourages anyone with an interest in photograph to get involved and shoot on the go which is  hard to do if you are working (even as a photographer!).

Pedestrian Exit

Like many of my posts, this one includes some pigeons!
I thought that it was quite comical with the exit sign pointing to them, especially the one walking away on the right side.
A tip when shooting is to look for signs and wait for that moment when something interesting happens that either contradict or compliments what the sign says.

Seascape

After a short trip to see the new Blackpool Comedy Carpet I decided to take a walk on the beach. The tide was out and it revealed the new stairs and water front that has been regenerated over the last year.
Looking back on Blackpool I could see a big change in its landscape and with new art work appearing it was a good chance to get a landscape.
Using the stairs as a guide to the shapes I decided it was best to keep the water stream in the foreground.
The sky was another part that was very busy with movement, shapes and shadows. I bought these out with the use of the HDR tool. I am no expert with this and don't really like to use anything on my images but what I took at the time but this combination was quite dramatic and so I kept it.
Let me know what you think and to this effect?

Exhibition 2011

This is a selection of images from my current exhibition in the Culture Shops Project.
They are quite different from my last exhibition that included a lot of well polished images taken for Blackpool Council. They were themed around entertainment in Blackpool.
These images are taken around the same time as the work I did for Blackpool Council but are totally different in subject matter and meaning.
I wanted to capture a totally different view point to the one I was building up for Blackpool Council.
I consider these to be a more honest view of

Blackpool, of what is here but never publicised. Such as the beauty in the construction of the Tower headland or the humour of a typical seaside visitor.
This is contrasted with the tragic event of people who loose their lives out at sea every year here. Which in turn is a contrast to the great events that happen once and then never again.
I wanted to say that there is more to Blackpool than people make out and it doesn't always have to be doom and gloom. There is beauty everywhere if you just look at it from another point of view.