WWII Bomb - Detonation

Spent today photographing a story, for the Daily Express and other Papers, about a 500lb WWII Bomb which was discovered while someone digging up a second world war bomber which crashed in the village of Ebberston near Scarborough.

We had a Press briefing this morning at 10am and we were told their was a 1,600 meter exclusion area - which was not going to be perfect for photography. I decided to set up a video camera at the edge of the field just in case. I was glad to find that the camera was still in perfect condition on my return, so too were the ITV & BBC Cameramen's more expensive Cameras.

Unfortunately I have a problem with my old manual Tamron 300mm f2.8 and so I had to rely on my Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 without a 2x convertor! So I had to crop it quite considerably. If only I could warrant buying a £7500 400mm f2.8. In my dreams.

Interested in the Story see below...

Yorkshire Post - I'm in this video.
DAILY MAIL
Newstin
BBC

Press & PR Photographers Throughout the UK - Editorial Photography
Yorkshire Press & PR Photographer

Seaham Hall for our Wedding Anniversary

Our wonderful stay at Seaham Hall, Serenity Spa Hotel in Co Durham.

Last week I booked a surprise Hotel & Spa for my wife and I for our 11th wedding anniversary, we had a fantastic time, and we enjoyed every minute. It's not very often I stay in a 5* hotel, and I was very impressed.

First impressions are that the hotels exterior needs a good lick of paint. Unfortunately the Water Vortex Sculpture 'Charybdis' in front the building could also do with cleaning up too, such a pity you don't get to see the best of the great work of art by William Pye.

Once inside the Hotel, we were made to feel very welcome and special and the porter was really helpful. The Hotel interior is fantastic, there are a few places here and there which need touching up, but unless you are looking for faults you really don't notice them.

We had room 11, which was a lovely large room and the bathroom is equipped with Double free-standing Bath, Shower and his & hers basins. The room was lovely and had a view out over the beautiful gardens. The Bed was the most comfortable bed we had ever slept in. The room felt like a suit not a bedroom.

We had an a la carte meal in the White Room for dinner (Michelin Star Restaurant). The Chef is Kenny Atkinson from the TV series the Great British Menu. It was a 3 course meal with canapes in the lounge, and extra dishes thrown in between courses, and special treats with your coffee too. We even took our own bottle of wine and they didn't charge us corkage. They also wrote Happy Anniversary on our desert plate in chocolate, which was a lovely touch. The meal and service was truly exquisite and the only small thing that let it down was the Pan fried Confit of Pork Belly was very fatty all the way through even for belly pork, and we were not keen on the Pigs Ears in batter canapes. Pushing the boundaries a little too far I thoink. ;-)

The Spa was great too, and so relaxing. We made full use of the Spa on the day of our arrival and on the day of departure. I think it's so nice of the Hotel to let you use the Spa facilities, before you have checked in and even after you have checked out, for the whole day if you like. I also think the 12pm check out time is perfect too, this really lets you relax and unwind before you vacate your room.

All in all I think there are a few things they need to address, but overall it is a fantastic Hotel, and I would love to stay there again, and I would really recommend it to anyone who is not over critical.

Thanks Seaham Hall - My wife loved it.

Dog wins Gold Award

I was up in Cumbria this week shooting pictured for a national story on behalf of PDSA for a press release. See story below...

Labrador wins Gold Award

Bosnich (Bos), a devoted black Labrador-cross from Brampton in Cumbria, has today been awarded a PDSA Gold Medal - the animals’ George Cross - for saving the life of 73-year-old Mark Corrie, who was missing for two days on the Cumbrian fells.

Links...

BBC CUMBRIA - You might even be able to see me taking pics ;-)
PDSA
Press & PR Photographers Throughout the UK - Editorial Photography
Yorkshire Press & PR Photographer

Great time in Northumberland

I had a job for the PDSA in Brampton in Cumbria this week. I decided to do the job myself and take my wife and children too for a couple of days away.

Had a great couple of days in the neighbouring county of Northumberland staying at the lovely Wydon Farmhouse B&B in Haltwhistle.

Linda made us very welcome and our children really enjoyed their stay. Linda even left a couple of glasses in the room while we were out as we had brought our own bottle of wine. Nothing was too much bother and we will definitely be staying there again.

We stayed in family room called the Bluebell room one of three en-suit bedrooms seperate to the farm house, which look like they have been converted from an old barn. The rooms were clean and well equipped, with ours even having a wet room. The cooked breakfast was really tasty and the local sausages were to die for. The location was lovely. I popped out at midnight to get something from my car and because it was a clear night and there is no light pollution in the area - the view of the stars was breath-taking.

Hadrians Wall

We visited a few Roman sites in the area like Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum at Carvoran, but we found Housesteads Roman Fort to be the best of all of them. We visited it in the evening when the place was officially closed, but it was fantastic, and the views were amazing. We bought a joint family ticket for the Roman Army Museum and Vindolanda which saves you about £6. It's certainly a beautiful area, and worth staying a few days to see everything.

Links
Wydon Farmhouse B&B
Vindolanda
Housesteads
Roman Army Museum

Happy Guests Lodge - Warrington

I had to stay over in Lancashire recently after getting a job in the same area the next morning. I found it very hard to find somewhere for under £60 for the night. It would have been cheaper for me to drive all the way back to Yorkshire and back the next morning. So I really needed somewhere for around £40 to make it worth while. Eventually the office found me some accommodation for under £50 at the Happy Guests Lodge near Warrington.

The Lodge is run by a Chinese lady and her husband who are very friendly.

They were really nice on the phone when booking and on arrival the location was a little off putting at first, but once inside the reception staff made me feel really welcome and the service was very good. It's an unusual set up with a kitchen just behind the reception where they offer chinese meals - I had a chicken curry & rice which was lovely, and they even brought it to my room for me at no extra charge. They even have a fridge behind reception with cold cans of beer and other refreshments.

The rooms and facilities were VERY spacious and clean with modern design and furniture. They had wireless internet too which is a must for me. But unfortunately this is only available in reception and the lounge area upstairs.

Links
Happy Guests Lodge
Happy Guests Lodge BLOG

Lawnmower Collector

Lawnmower Collector has one for every day of the year

I did some pictures recently with Caters News which made the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph.

Stan Hardwick from Scarborough has collected over 365 antique lawnmowers over the years and stores them in his house garden and sheds.

Press & PR Photographers Throughout the UK - Editorial Photography
Yorkshire Press & PR Photographer

Tyne Tunnel Photography Commission

Tyne Tunnel Wall - Jarrow

One of our Clients has commissioned us to do some progress photography of a wall they are building in Jarrow, Newcastle.

Tensar are supplying materials for a long wall that will be used to retain earth behind it, alongside the slip road entrance of the South Entrance to the new Tyne Tunnel being built.

The wall is constructed by putting in a thin concrete foundation (Phase 1 photo) then laying geogrid into the earth behind the wall, fastening the wall blocks to the geogrid, then filling earth over the geogrid.

This is done in successive layers – Phase 2 is a mid-construction photo stage showing the wall half way up with all the construction detail, and Phase 3 is the finished wall, with shots showing each of the 2 different colours of wall block used.

Press & PR Photographers Throughout the UK - Editorial Photography
Yorkshire Press & PR Photographer

Trip to Parliament

My Trip to Parliament.

I was commissioned this week to cover the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's trip to Parliament.

Disabled commuters are forced to pay more for an inconsistent and inaccessible public transport system across the UK, as revealed by a three month undercover investigation published by the MDC Trailblazers team.

The investigative report End of the Line which was presented to Parliament on the 5th May, includes over 200 mystery commuter journeys. The trips were undertaken by young disabled campaigners in order to assess the state of our nation's public transport system.

Read the evidence from you region here.

For more information - See the MDC Web site below...
Muscular Dystrophy Campaigne - Trailblazers

More about the 'End of the Line' Report HERE

Watch the London Tonight Video HERE

Dog Swallows Homer Simpson

Doh - Silly Dog!!!!

We did some photography this week in Aberdeen for one of our clients 'PDSA' about a Dog called Dixie who swallowed a whole Kinder Egg and ended up having a Homer Simpson Toy in his stomach.

Our photographs made the National Newspapers and lots of other on-line news & media outlets.

If you have a similar story please get in touch, or want us to handle a good Press story - Please contact us.

Just some of the links where our photos were used below....

• Sun
• Daily Telegraph
• Sky News
• BBC
• The London Paper
• Metro
• Virgin Media
• Aberdeen Evening Express
• Anorak
• Press Association
  

Recession be Damned Beer

‘RECESSION BE DAMNED’ BEER LAUNCHED IN RESPONSE TO DARLING’S ECONOMIC STRATEGY

Entrepreneurial licensee, Paul Boggia, from the award winning Kingston Arms in Cambridge, today launches a tongue in cheek attack on Alastair Darling’s budget and plans for our economic recovery.

The Kingston Arms, renowned for consistently serving a wide range of outstanding real ales, has joined forces with industry drinks supplier – Waverley TBS and The Publican newspaper’s Proud of Pubs campaign – on their Local Hero cask ale programme.

We were asked to do some pr photography for the above story for a PR company to coincide with the budget.

The story went as an exclusive in the Sun. See Link below...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/money/city/article2393117.ece

Photographed Absolute Radio's Breakfast Show Live from Whitby

I was commissioned by Absolute Radio this week to photograph Christian O'Connell's Breakfast Show live on board a boat, The Chieftain, in Whitby Harbour.

The radio station, formerly Virgin Radio, are celebrating the release of the new film The Boat that Rocked, by making their way down the the east coast of England in true pirate radio fashion - on a boat!

Join the team from 6AM to 10AM each day as they broadcast the show live from five different locations. See Link.

It was a lot of fun, and they were a great team to work with, especially with the lovely Vicky Butler-Henderson doing the traffic.

Links...

East Coast Tour
The Breakfast Team
On Board in Whitby
Boat Leaves for Grimsby
Brian's Jump for the RNLI

Whitby Gazette request my Photography services

Photographer for 2 days on the Whitby Gazette.

This week I was commissioned by the Whitby Gazette to provide two days photography cover for the local by-weekly newspaper.

I love Whitby in North Yorkshire and really enjoyed working for the newspaper.

It's a beautifully preserved traditional seaside resort with a fantastic history.

See Links of my published Photography on the Whitby Gazette web site here...

Celebrations for centenarian Joy
Make souvenir badge at museum
Absolute Radio broadcasts live from Whitby

Don’t Cut your PR Budgets in a Recession: “If I were down to my last $1, I would spend it on PR. Bill Gates, Microsoft.

Importance of Maintaining PR through a Recession

Don’t Cut your PR Budgets in a Recession: “If I were down to my last $1, I would spend it on PR. Bill Gates, Microsoft founder.

It’s common knowledge that during a recession, businesses that succeed are the ones who don’t cut their PR, advertising & marketing budgets. Therefore this is the perfect time to rise above your competitors.

The danger, in a PR context, for businesses in a recession is that most tend to withdraw, and stop communicating with the outside world. All that happens then is that the outside world stops talking about you.

All dialogue can be then lost with the specific markets and communities in which the business operates and the company’s brand and status is therefore weakened. Unfortunately cutting PR budgets, is a natural response. And unfortunately most of our clients seem to be doing just this.

In better times businesses know that PR is no longer a luxury item but it’s a necessity. This doesn’t change when times are bad. In actual fact PR becomes much more important than ever before. If you start reducing your PR spend, you begin to create a problem that will come back to haunt you for months and years ahead. This problem can usually be very hard & expensive to rectify.

On a positive note during this current economical climate, most PR / Communications Companies and also PR photography companies like ourselves are more than willing to negotiate discounted rates with our clients. It’s also worth bearing in mind that you will also find Web Site Design & SEO companies willing to reduce their prices, giving you the opportunity to promote your web presence more cost effectively. I recently paid a company around £250 for some work on my web site recently is already reaping rewards. It’s also the best time to negotiate Advertising fees with Newspapers, Magazines & Television companies.

Just remember that when we do start turning the corner and heading out of these bad economical times, which we will, it’s the businesses that have spent more on PR that people will be going to first because of their ongoing PR & communications strategies.

Another point worth thinking about is that most of the news we see & read is so depressing. Contrary to what most people believe people are always interested in more positive stories. Every Company has plenty of these so use this to your advantage. Most companies don’t realise they could be getting press coverage almost once a week if they have a good relationship with a good PR company.

Never underestimate the power of PR.

Dobson Agency now has it's own FACEBOOK group

We have recently created our own Dobson Agency Facebook group which you are welcome to join and find out more about us and our photography services. We look forward to getting to know you better. See you soon. Join us Keith

Photographing Neil Morrissey at his new pub, in North Yorkshire

I recently had the pleasure of photographing actor Neil Morrissey & celebrity chef & fellow business partner Richard Fox at their pub Ye Olde Punchbowl in Marton-Cum-Grafton, in North Yorkshire.

I was commissioned by The Publican Newspaper to do some photography for a feature on Neil and Richard’s micro brewery, where they produce their own MorrisseyFox brands of beers.

It’s a really lovely pub they have, with a very stylish mixture of old and contemporary design. I didn’t have chance to eat this time, but, the food looks fantastic. So I’m looking forward to booking a table in the near future and sampling their menu.

I was impressed with their beer too. While I was there I had a glass of MorriseyFox Blonde which I found to be a very refreshing pint. It’s a hybrid of Larger and Ale, and if only I wasn’t driving I would have quite happily sunk a few more.

Before I left I asked if Neil if he could right a little message to my son, as he is struggling with his English work at school. One of his favourite TV programs is BBC’s Waterloo Road, in which Neil stars as Dept Head of School Eddie Lawson. Neil very kindly agreed, and my son was over the moon. I must say we have noticed him trying harder since.

Link to the feature & photographs in the Publican… CLICK HERE

Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Tesco Charity of the Year 2009.

We were recently commissioned by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to photograph 32 of their Tesco Charity of the Year photo-shoots throughout the UK. All of these were completed within 5 days.

All the images from the 32 locations were uploaded by our photographers directly to each individual assignment created on our web site’s secure client area for the charity to view & download when they please. Making life much easier for them, and saving them a lot of time and hassle.

More information below on Muscular Dystrophy and the COTY, please see below…
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has been selected as Tesco Charity of the Year 2009 as the staff and customers of Britain’s biggest retailer aim to raise £3 million for the Giving children equipment to be independent campaign. Tesco staff and customers can help us buy vital specialist equipment for children with muscular dystrophy, allowing them to lead happier, more independent lives.

http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/tesco

FREE Bottle of wine & Chocolates - For any Client who commissiones THREE or more jobs in the same calendar month.

We are offering all current or future clients a FREE bottle of wine & box of Chocolates to any individual client who commissioned THREE or more jobs within the same calendar month.

Each gift will be delicately wrapped and delivered to the address of your choice (UK only).

Starts 1st March 2009 Offer is limited to one gift per client per month, and does not include multiple clients within one company.

Note: This does not apply either to any discounted work.