The Space Between Rain

When people ask me how I get the kinds of landscape shot that have become my trademark, I always tell them two things; Firstly, you have to enjoying being out there for it own sake, if you get a good shot it's a bonus. Secondly, you always have to carry a camera. Bad weather days often make for the best shooting days.

Last week, in a slight lull between the storms that have been battering us, I was able to get out for a whole days' walking in the mountains. I set out in drizzle, heading up hill into heavier rain, drifting blankets of fog and near zero visibility. I shot nothing for most of the day, struggled to find the path in places and thoroughly enjoyed getting very wet and muddy. It's what the Lake District is all about. And when the clouds broke apart for a few minutes, I was right there, in the middle of it all, with my camera. I ended up with a few fairly interested shots, but just two that really stood out. I probably more excited about these two than any landscapes I've shot in a while. Definitely both contenders for big prints in this years' New Work Show in September.

"Fleeting II" Fleetwith Pike, Buttermere  ©Tommy Martin

"Fleeting I" Fleetwith Pike, Buttermere  ©Tommy Martin

New Workshop Dates

Finally, I've got around to booking some days to teach more workshops... And the first of those dates are Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th of May.

Tiny Things

You'll have to excuse the lack of new posts here in recent weeks... Just over a week ago my wife, Katharine, gave birth to our first baby. His name is Edward Charles.

It turns out that babies are actually quite time-consuming little things.. Who knew..?

Normal service will be resumed as soon as we have worked out normal is.

Karl Bowman Runway Show 2012

I was asked to shoot Karl Bowman's 2012 runway show at the weekend. Karl's passion and enthusiasm for his art is infectious and shooting with him is always great fun and it was a shoot that I've been looking forward to.

Karl and his team put a staggering amount of work into the show, not just in creating a collection of more than 57 truly outstanding couture dresses, but also in the whole production and organisation of the night. With so much time and energy going into a single, one-night-only event, there's a lot of pressure on the people documenting it to do a good job. Which is as it should be, and I do get a massive kick from playing some small part in this kind of event.

Fell Day

Last week was the first time I've been able to get out onto the fell for a proper walk in quite a while. No clients, no models, no brief. Just me me and the dogs. And a camera, obviously.

We had fantastic views over Ullswater and some amazing skies over the Helvellyn Range that I spent a happy hour shooting.

Making of.. Sprayway Autumn/Winter 2012 location shoots

I do regular commissioned shoots for outdoor clothing manufacturer Sprayway. Most of what I do for them is pretty simple; we take some models, dressed in the waterproofs, fleeces and baselayers that they'll be selling next year, we take them out into the Lake District and we shoot some pictures of them having some fun. Almost all of which is easier than it sounds.

Photo: ©Tommy Martin 2012  all rights reserved

Karl Bowman Green Screen Shoot

Just before Christmas I had another opportunity to collaborate with the fantastically talented Couture designer Karl Bowman.