Google Profile

I have just created my own Google Profile

XtremeAdventuresUK - Web Site Photos

This summer I was commissioned by a local extreme adventures centre, Xtreme Adventures UK, to create some stunning action photos for their new web site. Xtreme Adventures UK are based near Thirsk in North Yorkshire and offer numerous activities, including 4X4, Flying, Various Buggies, Quad Bikes, Clay Pidgeon Shooting, and Segways.

I spent nearly a whole day at the centre and really enjoyed doing their pictures for them. They are a very enthusiastic and friendly team, and a very welcoming and helpful. Their web site is now live and was created by E & P Creative based in Stainton, near Middlesborough.

It's a fantastic location and a great day out. I am thinking of doing some of their activities myself.

See the Gallery areas for more of my images...

Gallery of my images
http://www.xtremeadventuresuk.com/ourvehicles_4x4.html
http://www.xtremeadventuresuk.com/ourvehicles_segway.html
http://www.xtremeadventuresuk.com/ourvehicles_quads.html
http://www.xtremeadventuresuk.com/ourvehicles_sidexside.html

Behance Network - Portfolio

Just created my first Portfolio Gallery on the Behance Network.

This is a Free web site and enables you to showcase portfolios of work to potential creative clients.

Projects can be built with text, image, video, and audio, using their intuitive and powerful Project Editor. You can also embed from Vimeo, Flickr, YouTube, and more.

My Blipfoto

I am really enjoying using my Blipfoto account (an on line photo-diary journal).

Blipfoto is a web site for people who have a passion for photography. You basically join up and add a Journal photo - 1 picture per day. Simple as that, it's so easy to use.

Until recently, and before I discovered Blipfoto, my camera didn't get to see the light unless I was on a paid job, it was packed away in my camera bag, only seeing the light of day when arriving at the location.

Now however I keep my camera out of my camera bag, (where it should be) and I am continually thinking about what my Blipfoto of the day could or will be. This has been very motivating for me, and has helped me create so many lovely images, I certainly wouldn't have created if I hadn't started using Blipfoto.

Please view my Blipfoto Journal and see my daily pictures for yourself. And please don't hesitate in joining and subscribing to my diary photos.

Picture above shows some of my images when doing a member search for Meatheringham.

Waitrose Donates Past their best Fruit & Veg to Zoo

I had a long drive to Colwyn Bay this week to shoot some press photos for Waitrose's press office.

Menai Bridge Waitrose has entered an agreement with Welsh Mountain Zoo to send them fruit and veg, which is past their best, to feed their animals.

I worked for Waitrose myself in the Warehouse Dept in Cirencester many years ago now, and I was always appalled at the amount of waste we threw away.

My Pictures were to be used to send out to the Regional & National papers.

Katie the Chimpanzee is pictured here tucking into some Bananas and a Pinapple.

The Zoo is a lovely place to visit and the staff are so friendly & fun, I would really recomend it to anyone.

See Links below to some of the places where my pictures have been used...

Waitrose Media Site
North Wales Chronicle

Meerkats

I was at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay, North Wales yesterday for one of my clients Waitrose.

The Menai Bridge store has entered an agreement with the Welsh Mountain Zoo to send them fruit and veg, which is past their best, to feed their animals.

We photographed many of the animals there, but I loved getting close to the Meerkats, one of my favourite animals. They behaved very well for us.

Thanks so much to Paul Mattock of PM Photography for the photo of me at work above.

Blipfoto of the day Uploaded - Leeds

Leeds: Took this photo of people walking past this interesting looking shop window in New Market St, Leeds, West Yorkshire earlier today.

The picture I wanted to take was of some people queuing for the Bus against the window, but as soon as I raised my trust Nikon to take the picture they all turned their backs and therefore ruined the shot.

Documenting street life is not like the old days.

My Blipfoto Journal

Microsoft Outlook Signature Problems

This week I wanted to create a neater and more professional signature for my emails, and in particular, I wanted to add the social networking Icons and links you see above.

I had many problems along the way trying to add the Icons and rather than elaborate on these issues, I would prefer to cut a long story short and explain how I managed to get to the final result above.

The first thing I did was use google images to find the Icons for Facebook, Flickr, Blogger, LinkedIn, Blipfoto, Skype and Twitter. I saved these all in one folder together. I also made a list of the URL to my home pages on each of these web sites.

For some reason when you use outlooks own signature editor due to ActiveX and other reasons, the images don't appear and it doesn't seem to work properly. My version of outlook is ancient (2002) and I am sure there must be better systems on the more modern versions.

I worked out in the end that the only way to do it was to create a html page and add the images to this from the same folder as the index file. I downloaded Kompozer, a free html editor. It's very simple to use, as long as you have a basic knowledge of html.

I typed in all the contact information and then added the icons one by one, adding their link at the same time when inserting the logo. I also re-sized them all so they looked the same size, and Kompozer has a neat way of doing this, giving you the size as you re-scale.

Once I was happy with the layout I the html file in the same folder as the Icons. I then went into Outlook and went to Tools/Options/Mail Format/Signatures. I then chose New signature and gave the signature a name and making sure the 'Use this file as a template' was ticked I browsed for the file I just saved. And that is it - all done!

I hope this helps. I just hope now my emails don't start getting sent to my clients Spam bins, I will have to wait and see.

Cheers Keith

Blipfoto - First Entry

Blipfoto Virgin no longer! - Just created my first journal photo for today, I will add a new photo every day. Enjoy....

I am hoping that creating a Blipfoto journal will help me become a little more motivated.

See my Blipfoto entry here - And please add it to your favourites.

GMC Shoots - Report Published

Back in January this year I was commissioned by the General Medical Council (GMC) to shoot a number of features on 6 different subjects in Medical education jobs across the UK. See original Blog

The pictures were used in a report called 'The State of Basic Medical Education' Reviewing quality assurance and regulation (pdf Link below).

The shoots were in Norwich (above), Edinburgh, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Manchester and Leeds and my pictures were used on pages13,14,15,27,31,37,38,39,41 and 57.

See Link to the report PDF below...

'The State of Basic Medical Education' GMC
GMC Web Site

Staples Back to School Swapsies campaign - Bolton

I was commissioned to take some photographs, at the Bolton branch of Staples, that the PR Company can use for local press to help reinforce the Staples Back to School Swapsies campaign.

It’s a great idea whereby children can bring in their old pens, pencils, calculators and pencil cases which will be sent to Africa to children in needy schools. They get £1 back to spend on stationery themselves.

Staples – Swapsies

Lindhurst Wind Farm - Mansfield

Head for Heights.

We were recently asked by RWE npower renewables to photograph the first of five wind turbines to be errected at Lindhurst Wind Farm near Mansfield.

The Farm will start to take shape over the month of August with the five turbines being erected. They hope to be erected at a rate of two a week. The erection of the turbines follows eight months of preparatory work on site.

The work already completed includes upgrading the site entrance and access roads, constructing the turbine foundations and a substation/control building, installation of cables and a connection to the local electricity network. All turbines are expected to be assembled by early September with the wind farm fully operational by October.

Photos Published in.....

RWE Link
RWE Link II
Newark and Sherwood District Council

New Energy Focus
This is Nottingham

Lindhurst Wind Farm

This is me on site in readiness for the first of 5 wind turbines to go up - Linhurst near Mansfield, Notts.

Been Commissioned by RWE npower renewables. First turbine will take two days to errect and I will be spending the next 2 days in a corn field.

Seafront Nurses

26 July 2010
Scarborough’s seafront nurses on hand for holidaymakers


People visiting Scarborough this summer will be able to get medical attention from nurses stationed on the seafront should they need it.

A team of seven nurses drawn from local NHS services will be taking it in turns to man a station at Scarborough’s West Pier from 10am until 5pm, seven days a week during the school summer holiday period (26 July to 3 September 2010).

They will be on hand to examine and treat people for minor injuries (such as cuts, sprains, sunburn etc.) or refer them onto more appropriate services, such as Scarborough’s GP drop in service Castle Health Centre, or Scarborough Hospital for more serious problems.

Note: For this one we were commissioned by Nursing Times.

Our pictures were used for PR uses, for NHS North Yorkshire and York, in the following publications....

Yorkshire Gazette & Herald

Yorkshire Post

Northern Echo

Scarborough Evening News

BBC

More Opera Photos

More pics from the Gala Opening night at the new Open Air Theatre Scarborough.

Opera Stars at Open Air Theatre - Scarborough

Scarborough's new Open Air Theatre Opening Gala Performance by JOSE CARRERAS AND DAME KIRI TE KANAWA.

Yorkshire Opera fans were truly honoured to be able to see these two world famous acts, and the night was something I will never forget.

I am not an opera fan per se, but they are simply fantastic singers and with a great orchestra behind them and the most beautiful of locations and great weather the night was simply unforgettable.

Links..

Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Amputee loses benefit

EXCLUSIVE: by Judith Broadbent. Daily Mirror 23rd July 2010.

I photographed the plight of Bridlington War veteran Aron Shelton who was lost his benefits just because he was honest and confirmed on a form that he could walk 400 meters.

Private Aron Shelton, 26, from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, had his left leg amputated in December 2008 after he was injured in an explosion in Helmand province, Afghanistan only just one year earlier.

Links...

Daily Mirror
Daily Mail

Wine Feature - Yorkshire

One of my tasks this week was to do some feature pictures for Waverley TBS of The Galphay Inn near Ripon, in North Yorkshire. The pictures were used in The Morning Advertiser (above).

The pub has been shut for 2 years and Waverley TBS have been helping Landlady Sue Robinson to choose the right Wine list for her pub.

Queen Visit - Scarborough

The Queen visited Scarborough today I was there to photograph the event for the National Newspapers.

E-Training Feature - Liverpool

I was in Liverpool this week to do some photos for a feature which was published in The Publican Magazine (above).

I was commissioned by Lisa Harlow and the pictures were taken in Liverpool's Revolution Bar of a new on-line training method called e-learning by CPL.

Links...

CPL Training NEWS
CPL Training NEWS II
CPL Training BLOG
Morning Advertiser

Red Kite - East Yorkshire

Also stopped on way back from Pocklington, East Yorkshire when I noticed a lone Red Kite feasting on some fresh road kill in the middle of a quiet country road.

I slowed the car down and watched as this beautiful bird of prey settled in a near by wood. I parked the car and slowly made my way to where it was perched, it didn't take long for it to be alerted to my presence again and off it went again into the distance, but not before circling me once - almost giving me permission to get just one shot.

I haven't got the longest of lenses but this was done on my trusty Nikon 70-200 f2.8 AF-S VR Lens. (D300 magnification making it 300mm).

Out and About

This scene caught my eye while driving back from a job.

I felt impelled to stop the car and take some picture of some sheep who were being reflected in a flooded field in East Yorkshire whilst on my way back from a magazine job near Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Not very often us press photographer get time to stop due to deadlines etc, so was nice to have a bit of time to spare.

The Boathouse Tewkesbury for Waverley TBS

Published Feature with my photos from my recent Waverley Feature in Tewkesbury, Glos.

The Boathouse Feature - Tewkesbury

We were commissioned to do some pictures for a feature to be published in 'The Wineseller' section of the Morning Advertiser.

Link...

The Boathouse
Wavereley TBS

Waverely TBS - New Financial Director Portraits

We were asked to photograph Waverley TBS's new Financial Director in their Edinburgh offices.

GMC Shoots x 6

I have been commissioned by the GMC to photograph six different subjects across the UK for featurs in there annual report.

The shoots were in Norwich (above), Edinburgh, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Manchester and Leeds.

SNOW JOKE

One thing the Papers Love is Weather Reports.

Been busy this week doing Snow scenes around the North & East Yorkshire areas.

Above is one picture I did in Stamford Bridge.

Rowers set sail in bid to break Atlantic record

ROWERS set sail in bid to break Atlantic record

TWO Yorkshire rowers have finally set off on a 3,000-mile challenge to cross the Atlantic Ocean after months of practice off the Whitby coast.

Alex Macdonald (23) and Luke Grose (24) from Settle, have raised more than £50,000 in sponsorship to buy and equip their handmade 23ft wooden rowing boat, JCT600 Yorkshire Challenger, and have trained for over two years in preparation for the epic Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race.

Known as the world’s toughest rowing race, the race has been completed by fewer people than have climbed Mount Everest and Alex and Luke are hoping to break the world record of 40 days for the crossing. “The lads have prepared well and these delays to the race start have been hugely frustrating, but we are delighted that Alex and Luke are finally under way in their bid to win the race and record for Yorkshire,” said Team JCT600 sponsor John Tordoff.

The rowers are equipped with state of the art satellite phones and data devices and have hundreds of followers on their Facebook pages on the social networking site.

They are planning to send blogs via their Team JCT600 website directly from their boat during their challenge.

PHOTOS: I was commissioned by their PR Company who wanted us to do some action photo's of the pair in the Sea off Whitby. They Wanted a selection of pictures, some showing them in rough seas, and some showing Whitby in the background to for a more local angle.

Here are some links where the story has been used...

TeamJCT600
Their BLOG
JCT600 Photo Gallery (My Pictures)
Whitby Gazette
Craven Herald
Craven Herald
Just Giving
Woodvale Challenge
The Wharfedale Observer
BBC
FACEBOOK