Long Time

It's been a long time since I last updated the blog - despite my best intentions, there always seems to be something more pressing to do!
I had a couple of great trips to France last year, working on landscape photography in the Gers region, and on Ile de Re, then to the Camargue. I had a great time there photographing the white horses and the bulls in the wild, as well as the bull-running at Aigues-Mortes.
It's quite a spectacle, with the bulls being driven through the streets by a tight group of expert horsemen and women, at great speed, to a small arena outside the medieval town walls. There, the young men of the town demonstrate their macho credentials by attracting the attention of these powerful beasts, then running for safety with the bull charging behind - sometimes even following the runner into the stands of spectators! The bulls have leather 'caps' on the end of their horns, to prevent serious damage to both bulls and people, and in most cases it was the bulls who claimed the highest scores in their encounters with the Camargue guys. I saw several young men being hit by the bulls, and frightening though it was, they all walked away, sometimes with their shirts and their pride in tatters, but I guess ready to return next year!
Take a look at some of the images from the bull running and capture some of the excitement of the event. I was so close to the action that on one occasion the bull's horn grazed the lens hood on my camera as it galloped by! Certainly makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck!

Since then, I've had safer but spectacular work covering Northumberland Lights. In it's 3rd year, this major North East project runs throughout November and December, beginning at Blyth with a magnificent fireworks display (http://www.theworldfamous.co.uk/ ) then lighting up many sites and landscapes of Northumberland. Major attractions this year included a night time cycle ride through a dramatically lit Kielder Forest, and at Craster, the waves crashing into a beautifully lit harbour. You can see my images from these and previous years' events on my website, and also at http://www.northumberlandlights.com/ . Not as dangerous as the bull running in the Camargue - but the photography is nevertheless very testing - always in the dark, very often raining, and in sub zero temperatures!

I'll be uploading lots more new images to my site over the next few weeks, so watch out for them, and more updates to the blog.