Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod

WE are very privileged to be the official photographers for the internationally renowned Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. This feats of music, song and dance takes place in Llangollen, North Wales and brings together younger and older people from literally all over the world to celebrate peace and understanding through the mediums of music, song and dance.

This week long festival combines serious competition with entertainment and each evening is topped off by a 'celebrity' concert with world class performers which this year included, Lesley Garrett CBE, Alfie Boe, Karl Jenkins, Alison Balsom, Nicola Benedetti, John Owen-Jones and Wynne Evans - he of "Go Compare" fame (what a lovely man and such a fantastic voice).

As I say, the event lasts a whole week but this year was extra special with a special event on the very first day that took place at Westminster Hall within the Houses of Parliament in London. Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod joined forces with the Commonwealth Carnival to put on a special concert with performers and choirs from all over the Commonwealth to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

A selection of photographs depicting each of the day's activities will follow on this blog

Magnificent Chester Cathedral

We are very lucky in the UK that despite the best efforts of Henry VIII, many of our old religious buildings have remained largely intact, so we can still enjoy the magnificent architecture the likes of which could never be created today.

In Chester, we have the amazing Chester Cathedral and we have recently had the opportunity to photograph the interior when it was completely devoid of people

Here are a few photos from the set.

 

Boxall and Edmiston

One of the benefits of our profession is that we very often get to see places and meet people we would never otherwise meet. Sometimes this is getting to meet and chat to celebrities and other famous and interesting people and at other times, it's being granted access to facilities usually off limits to the general public.

The commission we had on the 10th August 2010 falls largely into the latter category.

We were commissioned by Sodick, the manufacturers of some highly specialised engineering equipment, to photograph their installation at Boxall and Edmiston, a firm in Shrewsbury in Shropshire. Even more interesting, this firm craft (I cannot say 'manufacture') the most exquisite shotguns. They are quite simply, works of art.

Here are just a couple of photos from the assignment

The Office (Episode 2)

Following on from our previous blog post, we travelled south for our friends at the Lifestyle Services Group (LSG) to their wholly owned subsidiary company called STAMS based in Hersham in Surrey.

As before, the requirement was to photograph the offices and the objects in them for a stock library of imagery they are building up. These will be images that can be used for the website, flyers, notices, press release in fact anywhere that images are required.

Here are a few of the photographs we took that day

Barrie Neil Photography

Packing up

Another regular client is Tetra Pak based near to Wrexham in North Wales.

Tetra Pak is the Scandinavian company that design and produce those incredibly packaging materials especially those for holding liquids of various kinds.

We've photographed many aspects of their process from printing to shaping and filling and I love watching the automated processes in action. This time we were there to photograph the management team with some of their currrent products.

Ho.. ho... Hoseasons

When you get a telephone call from a travel company, your head immediately fills with images of working on white sandy beaches under a blazing tropical sun.

This image was quickly dispelled when instead, Nick at this particular travel firm for whom we have undertaken a number of previous commissions, brought me down to Earth by asking us to photograph a presentation to a Travel Agent in Chester.

Such is life but as it happens, this job was at our favourite travel agent in Chester, Deva Travel, who had received an award.

Quite a straightforward job although when there is very little company branding in evidence, getting the 'right' shot is never THAT easy

Waitrose store opening

The opening of a new shop is quite exciting and when it's a new Waitrose supermarket, then you know you are in for something special.

The 25th March 2010 saw us heading along the North Wales coast and across the Menai Bridge onto Anglesey. The new Waitrose store is within sight of the iconic bridge in the town of Menai Bridge itself.

Our brief was to capture both the exterior and interior fittings and filled shelves before the shop officially opened and then to photograph the activities and general excitement of a new store opening.

The store entrance and main sign

Store Manager, Gareth Hinds, outside his new store

Cutting the ribbon to officially open the store

The Sea Bass is locally sourced on Anglesey

Knickers again!

Once more unto the breaches dear friend.. will the punning never end? (you can live in hope).

Yes - back to the ladies wear department of the John Lewis shop in Cheadle to photograph people and areas of the department we were not able to cover on our visit on the 5th March 2010.

I never knew so much fun could be had in Ladies Wear!

My new best friend - a bit quiet though!

Checking the plans of the new department

You wait for a bus then 3 come at once......

One of our regular clients are Arriva Buses Wales and they have kept us quite busy lately as they are undergoing a huge programme of improvements to their fleet including making sure all of their buses have low rise floors making it easier for the elderly or disabled to enter and exit.

Well done Arriva

This event was held to mark three new vehicles going into service on St David's Day

The Mayor of Wrexham, Jim Kelly with Arriva Buses Wales MD, Michael Morton

Holocaust Memorial Day

There have been few darker days in mankind's history than those during World War 2 and those who have not experienced it first hand cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like.

The Imperial War Museum North in Salford Quays marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a special exhibition of items, photographs, film and other materials associated witht the events of that period.

Our friends at the John Lewis Partnership sponsored a special exhibition featuring the luggage that refugees were allocated. Present during the opening of the exhibition were pupils from Radcliffe Riverside School and special guest was 'Jack', a survivor of the holocaust who was the only one of his family not to have been killed.

Part of the exhibition sponsored by John Lewis

Holocaust survivor 'Jack' with a pupil from Radcliffe Riverside school

Waitrose in Altrincham

Today (Thursday, 15th October 2009) saw the opening of a new Waitrose store at Broadheath near Altrincham in Cheshire and as usual, we were on hand to capture all of the exciting activities that took place during the day.

This is one of my favourite shots from the day showing the store just after we arrived at the crack of dawn this morning. Who would have thought a supermarket could look so attractive

What a hoot!

Oh good, the corny blog titles are back.

A few posts ago, I mentioned that some of our library of Owl photographs are being used by a Calendar company. Now they have decided the ones they want to use, I can post a few others as I promised I would.

I first became interested in photography as a very small lad because of my interest in Natural History.

It was a way of me showing the creatures I discovered to my father who was unable to accompany me on my nature rambles because of a severe disability.

My love of nature has never left me and when I get the time, I like nothing better than to get out and about and photographs the natural world.

More of our Natural History photographs can be seen on our main website by clicking HERE

Tawny Owl chick

Barn Owl on fence post

Barn Owl on fence post

Barn Owl in the snow

British designer Nick Munro

As I mentioned yesterday, we had an assignment to photograph one of the world's top designers, Nick Munro, as he visited the factory in Preston making furniture he has designed for the John Lewis Partnership.

We had fantastic day and all the craftsmen and other staff at the factory were really pleasant and helpful.

Nick Munro is a fantastic guy. So friendly and so talented and passionate about his work. It was a great honour and a real pleasure to have had the opportunity to meet and talk with him and to see some of his designs both complete and in production (fascinating to watch the furniture being made).

Here are just a couple of photos from yesterday

Nick Munro relaxes in one of his chairs

One of Nick's chair designs

Designs on furniture

Well I thought the title was clever!

On Monday (24th August 2009) we are photography internationally famous, British designer Nick Munro.

Nick has designed a unique range of furnishing items for John Lewis and we are meeting up at the John Lewis furniture factory in Preston for the shoot.

We are really looking forward to meeting and working with this talented man.

Later in the week we are off to Oxford for some tourists board publicity photography (if the weather behaves itself) and then on Sunday (30th August 2009), we are going to be at the wonderful Inglewood Manor at Ledsham on the Wirral for the wedding of Rebecca and Dave.

This week's diary

A bit different this week.

We have a wedding on Saturday in Prestbury (see the blog entry at barrieneilweddings.blogspot.com) but most of the week is going to be spent putting together some images from our collection for a forthcoming series of calendars.

We have been commissioned to provide images for a couple of calendars in preparation for publication at the end of 2010 (i.e. for 2011). You really do have to look ahead when it comes to publishing.

I'll put up some more details as the week progresses.

Other than that, we have a couple of client meetings and hopefully, we'll be able to squeeze in some time just for us as I fancy spending some money so I feel a shopping trip to Liverpool coming on

This week's diary

One of the greatest differences in the business side of wedding photography when compared to commercial photography is the fact that the vast majority of wedding photography bookings take place at least 6 months ahead of the wedding itself (and frequently a year ahead). The wedding photographer is usually the next booking made after the church/venue for ceremony.

Commercial photography however, is very often short notice work and PR photography can even be same day. Altogether it makes for an exciting life and quite often, you never know quite what will turn up.

Today is Monday 10th August 2009 and once again, we have 2 weddings this week. One on Friday 14th August at the magnificent Hillbark Hotel on the Wirral and the other on Saturday 11th August at St Marcell's Church in Denbigh followed by a reception at nearby Brookhouse Mill in Denbigh (North Wales).

On the commercial front, we are working in Shrewsbury on Wednesday for a well known retailer and another commission has come our way from our good friends at the John Lewis Partnership. We will be spending Thursday at their Waitrose shop in Sandbach Cheshire.

Before that, we have got to finish off the editing from our two wonderful weddings from the past weekend.

Never a dull moment.

A bridge not too far

Today, we spent some time working in Ironbridge in sunny Shropshire (very hot and sunny as it turned out) followed by the afternoon at leisure at the Blists Hill Victorian Town (a living museum for those of you not familiar with it).

We do love Ironbridge. It has so much to offer both the casual visitor and the working photographer. From a work perspective, I needed to get some shots of the bridge with a blue sky and without tourists. On previous visits I've either had no tourists but a drab sky or a beautiful blue sky but loads of people! Today, perseverance paid off and we got the shots we have been after.

Blists Hill is a fascinating place and a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon and I can recommend it to anyone looking for something to do with the family.

If it's Monday, it must be Crewe

Isn't it funny how things work out. Some days you travel all over the place and on another (like today) we have 2 jobs that have come in and both of them are in Crewe (very convenient).

We are photographing a young lady who has just received a national award recognising her voluntary work with the Victim's Support Organisation.

The second finds us photographing some trucks belonging to those good people at Rymans the Stationers at their Crewe Depot.

Two completely different types of work but it's what makes this job so very interesting

Waitrose in Sandbach (yet more cakes)

Our friends at the John Lewis Partnership asked us to pop down to their Waitrose shop in Sandbach, Cheshire to photograph the partners who are trialling a new style business dress.

We've been to this particular branch many times and the staff there are brilliant. It really must be so much fun working there (we get that feeling whenever we go to any of the John Lewis Partnership shops, all the partners as the staff are know, really do seem to enjoy being there).

The new business dress, with different styles depending upon the job the partner does, really does look very stylish. The only niggle for us was that we did the shoot very near to the counter where the home made cakes were being displayed. Get thee behind me Satan.. oh it was so tempting but we managed to resist (but only just!)