England

Aurora Borealis Photographed in the Middle of the UK

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Wall Art made from the Northern Lights in Hinckley and Barwell, Leicestershire

Early in May 2024 I was surprised by a message telling me of the incredible activity from the Aurora Borealis, displaying itself in the skies above Leicestershire.

A crazy idea in itself because I thought I was going to have to pay thousands of pounds to travel to Norway or Iceland to see them in the future but as it happens, they came to see me!

The Baby Dino Tree

The Baby Dino Tree

Here’s the story of how I made it…

On the Friday night of 10th May, I was on a late night phone call with my girlfriend in Nottingham, when a friend messaged my Facebook page asking if I could see the Northern Lights. I immediately thought it was unusual and proceeded to walk outside in to my garden and looked up in the to the night sky.
I didn’t have to look hard, the Aurora Borealis was dancing with bright pink lights above my house and I couldn’t believe it.
I said ‘Wow!’ and my girlfriend asked what I was saying that for. I simply said you need to go outside and look above your house now. She did and said ‘I have to go and wake my kids up’ and hung up the phone. Then she sent me a text saying I would regret if I didn’t go out and do something’
So I grabbed my camera and began trying to make a photograph but without a tripod and full frame DSLR, it was impossible.

I then grabbed my car keys and headed straight for my studio, collected my camera and tripod and then went to my favourite tree in the whole world… The Baby Dino Tree.

The rest is history!

I've automatically fallen in love with this photograph and have had it professionally printed and is now displayed in a V-Groove Mount and available for the general public to buy.

Hollycroft Space

I also made a unique photograph in Hollycroft Park and have called this one Hollycroft Space, featuring the planetary sculpture that can be found by the club house in the park.

Here’s your chance to own one of these magical prints…

The Baby Dino Tree Wall Art The Baby Dino Tree Wall Art The Baby Dino Tree Wall Art
The Baby Dino Tree Wall Art
from £40.00

Experience the Magic of "The Baby Dino Tree"

Own the enchanting beauty of a rare moment with "The Baby Dino Tree," a stunning professional print by acclaimed photographic artist Paul Hands. This mesmerising image was taken in Barwell, Leicestershire, during an extraordinary appearance of the Northern Lights, an event that transformed the night sky into a breathtaking canvas of vivid colours.

The composition features a lone tree silhouetted against the vibrant backdrop of the aurora borealis, evoking the timeless allure of nature's wonders. The ethereal glow of the lights, combined with the serene countryside setting, creates a scene of tranquil beauty and awe-inspiring majesty.

Paul Hands' meticulous eye for detail and profound connection with his subjects bring this magical moment to life, offering you a chance to own a piece of this unique event. Each print is mounted with a V-Groove mount card, enhancing its elegance and making it a perfect centrepiece for any space.

Explore more of Paul's work and discover the stories behind his art at www.paulhands.co.uk.

Bring the wonder of the Northern Lights into your home with "Baby Dino Tree" and let this exquisite piece of art illuminate your surroundings with its captivating beauty.

Available in two sizes:

30x20” Print (35x25” when mounted) = £100

12x8” Print (16x12” when mounted) = £40

Collection from my studio in Burbage preferred.

Delivery available, please contact for a price; email: paul@paulhands.co.uk

To avoid bank charges, it would be great if you could pay via bank transfer, please make contact with me to do this directly.

Hollycroft Space Wall Art Hollycroft Space Wall Art Hollycroft Space Wall Art
Hollycroft Space Wall Art
from £40.00

Discover the Enchantment of "Hollycroft Space"

Immerse yourself in the surreal beauty of "Hollycroft Space," a captivating professional print by acclaimed photographic artist Paul Hands. This unique image was taken in Hollycroft Park, Hinckley, during the same magical night as "Baby Dino Tree," with the Northern Lights providing a stunning backdrop.

The composition features intriguing planetary sculptures silhouetted against the vibrant aurora borealis, blending human creativity with nature's splendour. The ethereal glow of the lights and the serene park setting create a scene that is both otherworldly and mesmerising.

Paul Hands' keen eye for detail and deep connection with his surroundings bring this extraordinary moment to life, offering you a chance to own a piece of this rare event. Each print is mounted with a V-Groove mount card, adding an element of sophistication and making it an ideal centrepiece for any space in your home, office or workplace.

Bring the wonder of the Northern Lights into your home with "Hollycroft Space" and let this exquisite piece of art illuminate your surroundings with its captivating beauty.

Available in two sizes:

30x20” Print (35x25” when mounted) = £100

12x8” Print (16x12” when mounted) = £40

Collection from my studio in Burbage preferred.

Delivery available, please contact for a price; email: paul@paulhands.co.uk

To avoid bank charges, it would be great if you could pay via bank transfer, please make contact with me to do this directly.

If you need to organise delivery of your print, please hit the contact button or email me: paul@paulhands.co.uk

Contact me

Type One Diabetes UK Commercial Film

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Diabetes UK Type One Events Film

Earlier on in the Summer of this year, I was commissioned to make a series of documentary photographs for Diabetes UK and their Type One Events which if you ask me, are flippin' amazing!

The nationwide charity Diabetes UK put on a series of events all over the Country for children that live with Type One Diabetes.  At these events, they get them doing lots of fun activities, ran by a large group of volunteers and also teach them how to manage their diabetes through shared learning experiences.

They're all such an inspiration and made me feel so lucky to be able to stand there all day, making the film and photographs.  My feet began to hurt towards the end of the day and my legs wouldn't carry me up the steep hill but I had to carry on and felt awful that I considered resting.  When you see how inspiring these children are, it puts your life back in to perspective.

Anyway, I'm very proud of this work.  This is the film I shot for Diabetes UK...

Tha national charity Diabetes UK arrange for these type one events throughout the year all around the UK, so that children who live with type one diabetes can attend at the hired out PGL sites, have fun for a week doing lots of exciting activities with other children that also live with type one Diabetes and learn to manage it themselves and in a shared environment.

Type One Events Documentary Photography

Click to enlarge.

This assignment brings my year to a close.  I've been very happy with this year because all the time I've been building my business, I have also been studying Photography & Video at University and recently graduated in June 2017.  So I've only been working in my business full time for 6 months and it's gone very well.  Here's to an even better 2018, and I've already got a few very large scale projects being lined up.

Don't forget, you can receive prompts each time I post a blog by simply subscribing to my posts. You don't get spammed, just en email telling you that I've written another blog, giving you an opportunity to follow a link to come here and read my blogs.

Contact Me

Alternatively, you can contact me here to just ask about my work or commissions etc.

Low Light Urban Photography Workshop

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Night, Low Light Urban Photography Workshop

I'm running a rare and unique low light urban photography workshop in the hours of darkness.

This is one of the very few workshops of this kind in the UK.

I've been making these types of photographs for a long time and have also been running workshops for a long time and never have I wanted to teach this type of photography because it's my specialism and I always wanted to keep it close to my heart but my profession is going in a variety of directions at the moment.  

So I'm offering this opportunity to just four people!

Now only two spaces left! 

Examples of some of my low light urban photography:

More detailed information and booking information below:

Art Work For Sale

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Photography Art For Sale

I'm having a go at selling some of my art work.  If you're an art collector, buyer or perhaps just want to have some great wall art for your home or work, please feel free to have a look at the microsite I use with the Print Space Hub to host the sales of my art work.

Artwork

Here are some examples of my work that can be printed.

There are plenty of other choices to look through and with a good mixture of colour prints as well as black and white.

If you'd like to have a closer look at my artwork for sale, then please click this button to visit my microsite.

Artwork

Sublunary 15

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This is it!  I've been working on this body of work since July 2016.

Sublunary 15 is a series of futuristic, metaphorical landscape photographs that follow the narrative of an imaginary alien invasion of the planet Earth.

I've created all of these pictures in single exposures and no photoshop manipulation using a Nikon D610 and a tripod.  In some of the pictures, I've added my own light from a speed light covered in a red gel as well as the occasional car brake lights.

Please enjoy the photographs, they've taken me a long time to produce.

Some of these pictures will be exhibited at De Montfort University and Freerange, Old Truman Brewery (London) during June.  Keep an eye out for information relating to a private view invitation, or subscribe using the box below.

If you would like to see the slideshow that I've created as part of this project, it comes with my own narration against my own sound track in the background.

This short stills film has been created from a series of photographs that have been created as part of a body of work spanning 9 months. The work is a series of futuristic landscapes that have a metaphorical context themed around an imaginary alien invasion of the planet Earth.

To follow my work and keep up to date with news of exhibitions etc, please subscribe using this box below.

UBL 17 Fight Photographs from The Athena

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Welcome to the home of the boxing photographs from UBL 17 at The Athena in Leicester.

This page on my website has been specifically dedicated to the huge collection of photographs, from the unlicensed fighting that goes on between some of the hardest men in Britain.

To view the pictures, simply click on the photograph, then choose the fight collection that you wish to look through.  You will even have the option to buy and have a bespoke book designed for you as well prints and a dvd slideshow with music.  You can do this directly through my website.  Payments are secured and guaranteed through Stripe.

 

Professional Photographer Leicester, Leicestershire, Hinckley, Nuneaton, Coventry, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Midlands, England, UK, United Kingdom, Great Britain.

Commercial, Business, PR, Public Relations, Landscape, Street Photography and Documentary photographer available for commissions.

Simon Workers Motor

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Here's a short promo video that I put together in my spare time to help save Simon's awesome motor from being to sold to an unloving home.

A short promo video about R tech Performance and to help Simon Worker make his mind up to keep his car.

DMU Student's photo chosen as one of the best pics of the year

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This is a nice accolade to start 2017 with.  If you're not aware, I'm studying a photography & video Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree at De Montfort University while running my photography and video business, which is now in to its successful fifth year.

I entered a national student photography competition last year and missed out on £12K worth of prizes by a Gnat's nut.  However, my work was highlighted as highly commendable.

You can read more about my success with this nationwide competition here... 

This was my entry chosen by the judges as significantly good in their opinion.

 

I also have some even more amazing news to share with you.  My wife Lisa and I had a little too much Paella and Red Wine at one of Lisa's exhibitions last year.  This ended with the most incredible experience of my life.

Emma Leigh Hands was born 31/12/2106 @ 17:29 weighing 4lb 15oz.

My world has just turned upside down and my outlook on life is so very different to that of a couple of weeks ago.  It will be interesting to see if this moment in my life has an impact on my photography style and outlook.

So, 2017 promises to bring around a completely different lifestyle for myself.  I'm sure I'll be working even harder this year.  I'm hoping to get some more work creating films like the last two with R-Tech Performance and Gorman's Fight Club.  I'm happy to make commercial styled films that have a backline story and add a commercial context to be different to the typical advertising style.  I like to create documentary styled films that have high impact and hook the viewers straight away.

A documentary style commercial film about R-Tech Performance and the way in which they do business and interact with their customers. The owner of R-Tech (Niki Gower) tunes cars to perform out of their skin. R-Tech increases the power output of the cars that come to their unit in Hinckley, Leicestershire in the midlands.
© Paul Hands This is the final edit of Gorman's Fight Club. Small parts have been modified to run smoother and not work as a clunky edit. This documentary is about a local Gypsy Traveler, Jerry Gorman and the unlicensed boxing club that he runs in the middle of England.

I'll also be looking for new clients regarding my still photography side of the business.  I'm hoping to be working with many more (PR) Public Relations Agencies, Commercial and Corporate clients as well as potentially get involved with more charities like SSAFA (The Armed Forces Charity).

What is important to note is that I will be graduating from my degree course and will then be applying myself to my business completely on a full time basis.  This can only mean that my clients are truly going to get the best of me from here onwards.

Happy New Year

If you'd like to get in touch with me, please click on this link.

R-Tech Performance The Movie

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A documentary style commercial film, 

about R-Tech Performance and the way in which they do business and interact with their customers.  The owner of R-Tech (Niki Gower) tunes cars to perform out of their skin.  R-Tech increases the power output of the cars that come to their unit in Hinckley, Leicestershire in the midlands.
The modified car scene is still prevalent and especially within the VAG scene (Volkswagen and Audi Group) and Paul Hulme's VAG Tuning and the VAG Gang.
Quite often, Niki from R-Tech will go to the meets at places like Santa Pod Raceway to socialise with customers that have also become friends.
This film tells the story of a typical day at R-Tech, the things that go on at Santa Pod in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire and includes the famous rolling road days at R-Tech's unit.
The style in which this short film has been created is a witty documentary with a commercial and promotional purpose.

A documentary style commercial film about R-Tech Performance and the way in which they do business and interact with their customers. The owner of R-Tech (Niki Gower) tunes cars to perform out of their skin. R-Tech increases the power output of the cars that come to their unit in Hinckley, Leicestershire in the midlands.

Click on the logo for Paul Hands to contact him about professional photography and filmmaking.

Click on the logo for R-Tech Performance to contact them about tuning or performance parts.

Modern, Deep, Distraction

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This is a a triptych of images concentrating on how the light trails from aeroplanes zip through the night sky like meteors from outer space.  

My intention was to create an abstract series using these light trails to add drama to what would normally be perceived as a boring picture.  

Gazing deep in to the night sky, considering all things universal and with the interruption of human progress and the modern technology of today's transportation, as a distraction.  

These pictures serve as a metaphor for how modern humanity has become obsessed with science and technology. 

 

This link below will take you to the website of my long running social documentary of Hinckley & Bosworth District.