A few years ago a couple of good friends of mine had a tough time of it when both their Mums developed cancer. After a year or so, my life was also affected by cancer. My Father developed prostate cancer. Since then, one friend’s Mum passed away and although she had a good and long life, it begs the question… How can we do all the things we can do as humans but cannot conquer this problem.

So, to cut a long story short, I was asked by Macmillan Cancer Support to get involved and help raise money at their Enchanted Ball — We are offering for auction a £460 shoot for two people and are hoping that the guests will bid big… much bigger and make our contribution one to be proud of. Sometimes you only need to dedicate some time to helping others and I for one are proud of our teams contribution and hope to do more in the coming year.

If you need to speak to Macmillan to help you or a loved one, for cancer support every step of the way call the Macmillan team free (Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm) 0808 808 0000

The next camera you see is not the HD DSLR camera that we are getting — Nikon D7000, but the achingly beautiful Fujifilm X100. Its a camera which is really a nice toy for photographers rather than the man on the street. At around £1000 with a classic-looking case, it’s not for everyone.

I recently travelled to Russia on holiday with it and it proved high quality but sadly harder to use than even I had expected. The focus is slow and difficult to master and the shutter lag can be a real problem if you are on the fly and grabbing for the shot. Still, I’m getting better at using it and everyone keeps telling me how wonderful it looks… and it does.

The lenses we use cover most situations and are: f1.4, f1.8, f2, f2.8

Nikon ED 70 – 200mm 1:2.8 D

Nikon 85mm 1:1.8 D

Nikon 50mm 1:1.4 G

Nikon 35mm 1:2 D

Arax 80mm 1:2.8 T&S

Nikon TC 20E III Teleconverter

Canon EF 24 – 70mm 1:2.8 USM

Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 II

I’m sure the list will grow as and when we need something bought in for a job but I cannot really imagine any other lenses that we could have in the types of photography we do. But… you never know. I hope you guys find this useful. The Nikon D7000 camera body and Video rig will be next on the list. I wouldn’t mind updating the 70-200mm with a VR version. It’s so rarely used now… maybe once or twice a month at best, so I’m not sure there is even the need to. The X100 really needs a Teleconverter on it. I have unscrewed the cover of the lens housing and screwed on a filter body without the glass to make the clearance further and then added a Skylight on the end and so there is a thread to screw onto if I need it. I’ll keep you posted on the X100′s progress.

Our main daily kit bags are a couple of Peli 1510 cases which are military spec and virtually indestructable. Convenient for planes, trains and busses… but mainly cabs! They are about £200 or so when you get the internal fittings you want. It manages to hold far more than seems possible.

Watch the great little video about the cases being pushed to the limits.

The next most used bags are modifier bags which come with the modifiers and are not on here as there are loads of them. The cases in the image above are all Peli (highly recommended) and we also use lowepro and billingham for a little nostalgia. I have had too many bags to mention over the years and finally I have it down to a fine art with the cases I have… I’ll also be buying another 1510 and another large lighting case and one for the DSLR video kit, when I get a chance. I’ll get the camera kit and lenses on here next.

We have recently undergone a new addition to our services at Headshot London. Those of you budding photographers out there will be pleased to hear that we are now offering training to all DSLR users as well as Bridge (Cameras which “bridged the gap” between point and shoot cameras and SLRs) users. The classes started in August of 2011 with an offer on groupon (Bulk buying website) which offered it’s customers the chance to kick off our training at a discount price.

The first 300+ London based enthusiasts signed up and are continuing to take part on the Friday and Saturday classes.

We also give away a course booklet, which covers the class curriculum — Narrative, Composition, Depth of field and Dial modes. The aim of our DSLR for beginners class is to get photographers working on producing creative images with a story or focal point rather than snapping away in the hope of something brilliant emerging from their cards.

If you are interested in participating, our classes will run throughout the summer and end in October. The fee is £60 for the three hour class and you are expected to leave the class with an insight into how to compose and think about your shots with the eye of a professional photographer.

Contact us through our Contact Page if you would like to join us.

Our crew was made up of the Russian charter company owner — Alex, English Operations Director for the charter comapny — Frank, Austrian Literary Publisher — Volker (see image above), Hungarian Graphic Designer — Endre, our Croatian Olympic Skipper — Rajko and finally me… we did have an English Photographer with us who was shooting the brochure material too but he was there as a jobbing Photographer rather than as part of the crew.

To cut a long story short… We came in best in class and 9th overall out of 28 race teams and the whole team was asked to stay on as the permanent crew of the AYC team. So, twice a year we will be racing in the Adriatic off the coast of Croatia and I hope here and there, I will get a chance to join some other teams in France and the UK… Well, the world is my oyster, so anywhere that will have me!

I shot a few images for the cover of the brochure and also a few shots for the internal pages. You can see them in the Portrait/Editorial Gallery.

I have just come back to my blog after an absence due to a couple of heavy work filled months of photo shoots. It’s harder than I thought to dedicate enough time to keeping the blog up-to-date but I am keen to get back to it for the rest of the year of blogging.

I have finally managed to do something other than just work, this year. I have been trying for a long time now to find the right time and supply company to do my yacht training. It’s now reached it’s third year of planning but I have had trouble finding time to get away in reasonable weather. Finally in January of this year, I had enough of planning without results and so went to Excel’s London International Boat Show with the idea of booking my course. I saw a few companies there but the one that impressed me the most was Ondeck Sailing, based in Gosport (It really is Little Britain…) and the Isle of Wight.

I spent a total of 9 days doing my RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Day Skipper combined; Theory and Practical training and exams. I even roped my friend Martin in on the action as a Competent Crew trainee (Above image – Martin & I on the Main and Halyard lines) I’m sad to say I look like a dirty sea dog after a few days at sea. My wife, Yana also joined to do her Competent Crew along with Martin. She was very cold going into our windy night sailing practical as Helmswoman on our Jeanneau yacht. (Below image) I’m glad it didn’t put her off sailing.

The three of us spent five wonderful days sailing around the Solent and navigating around the different rivers that it serves. I was in my element and although there were a total of six of us onboard, I found the voyage, comfortable and fun. I can recommend it whole heartedly. I really can’t wait to get out to the sea again.

Yana and I were invited to join one of the other tutors and his wife on their X-yachts, sailing a cross-channel trip, which I am looking forward to doing when the weather warms a little. Yesterday, I booked tickets for Yana and I to fly to Croatia to join the Adriatic Sailing Week in mid May and join a friend I met on the course who happens to run a yacht charter company in Croatia called AYC (Adria Yacht Center) based in Vodice. So he is putting Yana and I up on one of their 60 yachts for the Regatta. I can’t wait! Between now and May, I have a few other plans that I will blog about soon.

December saw me join the ranks of those people who have been abused by HRH Prince Philip. I won’t say what he said but I’m just happy he didn’t call me a Stripper or one of those Colonial types… which of course I am… Colonial, not a Stripper. I’m happy with how his pictures came out. He gives you a few seconds to do your thing but happily it was enough.

I have enjoyed almost every minute of the passing year. We entered 2010 with a bang at a great party — Il Bottaccio surrounded by friends and it hasn’t really stopped since. This year saw me marry my wife, Yana and then honeymoon in Barcelona. Her wedding present to me was to go and watch one of the Spanish Moto GP races at the Circuit de Catalunya, near to Barcelona, again attended by friends who live there.

2010 also saw the loss of my beloved CBR 1000 RR Fireblade, through theft. I no longer look back and lament it’s disappearance but forward with hope for replacing it with something altogether new and improved. I may even look at buying a race bike and leave the street riding out for a while… London is a difficult place to ride and bike theft is just ridiculous.

Anyway, I have produced a little list of films on my shelf or what I managed to see at the cinema (not many). A few firm favourites that reminded me that I loved them – Malèna, Angel A, Il Postino. Dinner for Schmucks is based on Le Diner du Cons. I loved that film. I saw it years ago and was great to watch again. I haven’t seen the remake yet but they rarely better the originals.

Avatar – US, Angel A – French (I saw it a few years ago and still love it), A Single Man – US, Atonement – British, A-Team – US (terrible film), Alice in Wonderland – US, Astro Boy – US, The Book of Eli – US, Bigga than Ben – British, Bright Star – British, Bronson – British, Les Chansons d’amour - French, Choke – US, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky - French, Le Concert – French/Russian, Date Night - US, Le Diner Du Cons – French, District 13 Ultimatum – French, Dorian Gray – British, The Duchess – British, Eastern Promises – British, L’Enquete Corse – French, Four Lions – British, From Paris with Love – US, Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) – French, Get Him to the Greek - US, Gomorrah – Italian, Hallam foe – British, Happy Go Lucky – British, Harry Brown – British, Heartbreaker - French, The Hangover - US, The History Boys – British, Il Postino – Italian, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - British, Inception – US, The Infidel – British, Iron Man 2 – US, Knight and Day – US , Kick-Ass – British/US, Lars and the Real Girl – US, Mary And Max – Australian, Malèna - Italian, Mr. Nobody – Belgium, 9 – US, Nothing Personal - Dutch/Irish, Precious – US, Prince of Persia - US, Resident Evil Afterlife – German/French/UK, The Reader – US/Germany, Revanche – Austria, Robin hood - British/US, Salt - US, Scott Pilgrim – US, Sex and the City 2 - US, Spread – US, Sherlock Holmes - British, She’s Out of My League – US, The Social Network – US, Tell No One – French, The Bank Job – British, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas – British, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – French, The Girl Who Played With Fire – Swedish, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Swedish, The Good The Bad The Weird – South Korea, The Ugly Truth – US, Waltz With Bashir – Israel, Where the Wild Things Are - US/Germany, Youth in Revolt – US, 44 Inch Chest – British,

I will say that there are some really bad ones in the list. 44 inch chest being one of them. Dross, dross and more dross. A-Team was another, Alice in Wonderland was another, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was so bad I barely made it through without subconsciously sawing away at my wrist with a blunt knife. This is nothing though, compared to the insult that Sex and the City 2 offered the world. Naturally I watched under much duress.

Favourite films were, in no particular order; Le Concert, Heartbreaker, Four Lions, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Kick-Ass, The Reader, Choke, Youth in Revolt, Hallam foe, Atonement, Waltz With Bashir, Revanche.

It’s interesting that when you write down the countries of origin, there are many more US films than most others. 28 US films, 19 British films, 12 French films, 3 Italian films, 2 Swedish film, 1 Romanian film, 1 South Korean film, 1 Israeli film. 1 Australian film, 1 German film 1 French/Russian.

There are many countries who are producing great films and mostly we don’t get to watch them. Sweden has produced some great films in the past. The latest trilogy of ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ is not their only produce. I remember a touching film called Lilya 4-ever from years ago. So sad to watch.

I challenge you all and myself too. See if you can watch as many foreign language films as you do English language films. There must be thousands. Good Luck!

Ever thought that you could go to a ski resort in Russia? No, me neither. It turns out there is an old ski resort that’s only about 600 metres in length with a number of runs down the hills… not mountains. It’s not much but it seems popular with the locals. It’s also the first place I have ever tried skiing. I have been snowboarding for 15 years but have never liked the idea of skiing till now.

My wife Yana and I went to Russia to go to her best friend’s 30th birthday party and also to have a break from London and work for a week. It was only my second time visiting St. Petersburg but I meet my in-laws in London all the time, when they visit. It feel like home when I see them.

I really like St. petersburg, I like the buildings and the people I know from there. I’m not too keen on the food that I had this trip, I much prefer the food at my local Russian restaurant in Primrose Hill — Trojka. The quality seems better. I guess you could argue that I have only eaten in a small number of restaurants and in fact I may have missed some great stuff… well, you could I suppose but I went to places with good reputations but didn’t deliver.

Getting there was a little harder than I thought and in fact our flight was cancelled when we first arrived to Heathrow. The staff said that it was because they didn’t have planes and staff to hand because they were stuck in airports badly affected by snow. So one day lost but still enjoyed a day where everyone thought we were away and so we snuck off home and hid with treats and old films on the box. It was great turning off the phones.

When someone says it’s a nice day today… only minus -6 degrees, you know you’re in a cold country. The night before was about minus -16 or so and I could not stop coughing. Not through a cold or virus but the temperature of the air was so cold I could not take deep breaths. It’s the first time I ever felt that. Very strange. What is also strange is that I was told in summer St. Petersburg can now hit nearly 40 degrees and has hit last year — minus -40 degrees. That’s a huge 80 degrees difference in temperature. It’s crazy.

Another thing is the HUGE icicles hanging from the buildings. The day we arrived Yana heard on the radio that people have already been killed by falling icicles. I saw some which must have been 10′ long hanging from buildings. Some of them so high the would be travelling at speed when falling. Some buildings cordon off the pavement in front but most seem not to do that. It makes you cringe to watch people walking along without a care in the world, even though they know it could drop and literally split them in half. Yana and I would come out of buildings with a quick run to get away from the building, just in case. The locals must have thought we were weird running from each building.

I can highly recommend travelling to Russia but it was so cold at times, think about doing it in Summer.