Burbage Carnival 2010

Well another year has come and gone. Yet again we managed to get by with spectacular weather which certainly ensured that we had the maximum turnout on the day. In fact I can't remember when it last rained on carnival day. It will have to happen one year but so far we've had luck on our side.

And with great weather comes great photos. I love nothing more than beautiful blue skies with wispy white clouds. It makes all the colours stand out and look wonderful and really makes my job a whole lot easier. I'm not looking forward to the day that I have nothing but bland, grey and overcast skies to work with.

I really think the carnival comittee, of which I am a member, have done a fantastic job this year if I do say so myself. We are growing from strength to strength each year and it looks like this year we will even be growing in numbers. With a few more set to join us for the 2011 carnival I reckon we can make Burbage Carnival the carnival to attend above all others in the area.

We went from 12 floats last year to a record 19 floats this year, all of which going all out in decorations along the theme of Fairy Tales, Myths and Magic. The effort and expense each participant went to this year was outstanding and once again proved that our village has spirit. The streets were lined with spectators like I've never seen before. It was truly a joy to be a part of this event.

I was very proud of our field events this year. Thanks very much to both Burbage Infant school for performing their annual Maypole dance and the Vicky-Anne Academy for performing various dances from their annual show. The field was full of spectators yet again. And I got to see my daughter and step daughter perform also which is always a bonus.

Performances on the field always gaurantee a large crowd and without them the event wouldn't be the same. We welcome other acts to participate as well so if you know of any group interested please get in touch to make arrangements for the 2011 carnival. Its never too early to start planning.

So thank you to everyone who either participated or simply just attended the event. The village and all who attended and participated made this event outstanding. It was a superb day and I look forward to seeing this event grow as the years go by.

If you want to see the rest of the photos from the day take a look at the Burbage Carnival album on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=186030&id=116278416331&l=4e245c1021.

Also, if you have any desire to help out either throughout the year or on the day itself please get in touch either through myself or through the contacts on the carnival website (http://www.burbagecarnival.co.uk/). We are always happy to accept assistance, however much or little you can spare. Every little helps so don't be afraid that too much will be expected of you. We're grateful for whatever is offered.

Comments

Portraits Even a Teenager Boy Loves

Finally I've had the opportunity to photograph a young man in my studio again. And funnily enough this was the second time that week which is absolutely superb. In both cases these young men were just as enthusiastic to be involved as I was, which is something I don't often get when I'm working with very young children, my usual subjects. With young children I find my energy in their cuteness. But with young adults I get energy from their excitement over how the portraits are working out. I get such a buzz from the experience and that can keep me going for hours, often editing the photos straight after the shoot for hours more. Shoots for teenagers is something I've been wanting to focus on for some time. Its not something that I often get asked for though unfortunately. It tends to be parents of very young children who want to capture moments that are slipping through their fingers at lightening speed. Maybe its teenage moodiness that means these moments don...

Happy New Year Everyone!

Well again it has been a while since I last updated the blog. It was just crazy busy in the lead up to Christmas, with completing all outstanding orders and completing work on the studio. It is yet another New Year's resolution that I maintain this blog on a more regular basis. It is my goal that this year there will be no need for apologies for any lengthy absences. Since the completion of the studio I can already feel my life turning around. I feel happier, less stressed and much more organised, both personally and professionally. Our home is becoming a home again, now that all the photography gear has been moved out. And now I am able to store all my photography gear in one place it is making my life much simpler. I now know exactly where everything is and it is at my finger tips. What a difference this is making to my life. As I read the Facebook statuses of friends moaning about Mondays and getting back to work I actually find myself looking forward to going to work. Especial...

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com...

My Work Experience Week by Hester Sharpe

A week in the life of a Photographers assistant, is not all about saying cheese! I’m Hester Sharpe, currently at JCC but took a week out of normal school life on work experience to be a photographer’s assistant and learn the bits behind the camera, photograph and the process to get to the end result. During my week of work experience in photography I have learnt that there is a lot more than just taking the pictures and printing them. The steps in between are the key to getting the perfect photo. For example the photos have to be cropped, tweaked, edited, colour corrected. That is just a taste I have had in the processing of the photos and there is a lot more than just those things. Those processes are the most time consuming part of the photograph and a tremendous amount of detail is put in to the picture but all the hours spent are paid off with the end result; a perfect picture. It isn’t just how the picture looks; presentation is a key to photography too. Selecting the best ...

Its a Dog's Life

When life gets tough I always look at dogs or my cats and think how lucky they are. I know not all are treated well but those lucky enough to be in a good home, like the ones who come into my studio, have a really great life. They look so happy and its a wonderful thing to see. I honestly love photographing dogs. They are a joy to work with and its almost impossible to produce a bad portrait of a dog which does of course make my life a little easier. I am someone who really needs to love the work I create. I can't help but love the portraits I've created of all the dogs I've photographed over the years. And this shoot was certainly no exception. I found it a real pleasure using a lighter background this time too. I do often gravitate towards darker looks but seeing as this dog had a light coloured coat I thought I'd produce lighter images. This gave me the chance to use a canvas I painted a couple of years ago but never really used and I absolutely love it...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog