Paris Photo

We're already making plans for this years trip to Paris Photo in November.  We're going to be staying in a different hotel this year too, so no more late night Belushi's binge drinking!  I'll be going all out to make an awesome body of work in the streets of Paris and this time with better knowledge of the City and a real eye for details but with an even better camera.  I simply can't fail to produce some great street photography this time round.  I didn't do a bad job last time either.  I created 'The Parisian Grid' last year.  A series of seven photographs that box individuals inside a virtual grid in the centre of one of the busiest Cities in Europe.  City dwellers seem to fashion a life of solitude and only break out of their box occasionally so they can socialise or work.  This series represents a metaphor for unachievable isolation.  Here it is for those that haven't seen it before.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Coventry City's First Game Back At The Ricoh

Well it's been a while since I was at The Ricoh.  Tonight I'll be there with my family but this time I'm watching the match.  No camera's involved!  It's been over a year since the Sky Blues played a game at the Ricoh but now they're back.  This is it!  There's a full house and I'm probably going to lose my voice tonight.  There will be a nice farewell tribute to ex-captain Carl Baker on the 8 minute mark.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Anyway, I'd best get in my car and go because there will be big queues for this one!

Click on the image to enlarge...

You don't want none of that crap meat from the Supermarket! →

I had a great chat with this chap who runs the oldest Butchers shop in Coventry City Centre.  I was working on a commercial photography shoot for Coventry City Council when I came across this shop and the bloke really wanted to talk.  My job as a professional photographer leads me in to all kinds of places and talking to all manner of different people from all walks of life.  It's such a rich job in terms of the social aspect.  I don't know where I'd be without my camera!   To think I actually worked in an office for 12 years selling stuff for someone else to someone else.  You know I've never worked as hard as I do now I work for myself!  It's my business and I'm gonna do everything in my power to make it work for my family.  Anyway, back on track... This bloke let me photograph him, I love the depth of field in the image and would consider entering this in to an International competition I've got my eye on! 

Click on the image to enlarge it...

www.paulhands.co.uk

Commercial Photography →

I've just completed my first Public Relations new media assignment with Coventry City Council.  

I was tasked with providing the best quality imagery for their new website which will be going live on September the 9th 2014.  I'm very proud that I was chosen as the professional photographer and will be even more proud when I see my images used to represent the City Centre and entice new visitors.  The work was carried out through Coventry BID and what's more exciting is that they've booked me to go back and create more images for them this year.  This could hopefully mean that I will become their photographer of choice and lead on to many other assignments with them and other authorities throughout the United Kingdom.  Here's an example of some of the work that I created for the Council and other commercial projects that I've completed since picking up a camera.

Click on each image to enlarge...

Hinckley Photographed

I stayed up until 4am this morning creating this movie of Hinckley Photographed.  It has taken me 2 years up until now to document Hinckley and I continue to do so.  Here is a short film highlighting the highs and lows of Hinckley.  Some of the images can be found on my website and on Facebook here.

Click on the short film to start watching.

Strawberry Fields Festival 2014

Does this need explaining?  Well, I managed to blag a press pass for this awesome and upcoming music festival and saw some amazing bands.  I was very happily surprised by the level of quality.  The festival itself is nicely laid out, not too huge but big enough to have no sound interference between tents.  Main stage is fantastic and the arena as a whole is well worth a visit.  Here's some of the images I created in the few hours I was there.  Oh, I'm going back again today but it's gonna be pretty hard to make photos in this rain!

Click on each image to enlarge.

UBL 11 Boxing Photography

So I've just completed the post processing of over 1600 images.  During a boxing match I don't have time to see if I have got the shot or not.  I just have to click for the next photograph.  I hope and pray that this will be the shot of the match.  The one that's perfectly in focus and no lens refraction.  I've covered several boxing matches now and I think I'm getting better each time.  My last few projects have been shot in black and white but this time I wanted to shoot colour.  Boy was this the show to shoot colour!   There was a series of strange lights in the ceiling that changed colour every few minutes.  It gave off a weird cast that effected my imagery, sometimes in a good way but also in a bad way, forcing me to delete several hundred images.  Paul Hands Photography in Hinckley and Burbage has now been on the road shooting several boxing matches in Leicester and the West Midlands.  This latest show was at the Maher Centre in Leicester.  I've picked out my favourites from the whole night.  Have a look through and let me know what you think.

Click on each image to enlarge...

I've restructured my website.

There's not really much to say on this and it's probably pretty damn boring for most of you but I've updated my website.  I've been tinkering with the page layouts, added more text to explain my projects and removed the images that I don't think serve me as a photographer any more.  I do still have plenty more images to add to my site but at the moment, I feel it's looking in a much better shape.  Feel free to have a browse around and I welcome any comments and feedback.

Cheers Big Ears!

Nightside

The countryside is not somewhere that many city and town dwellers go after dark unless they're driving through or camping.  Those that live there, are familiar with the creepy noises that come with not being able to see well.  I created a small night photography project that sent me in to the sticks to photograph some beautiful landscapes at night. Originally I went out to shoot for Paul Hands Photography and was just going to post the images on my website, but I felt that the locations of the shoots fell within the boundaries of my social networking community group Hinckley Photographed.  As much as I'm trying to build my reputation for being a good 'Photographer in Hinckley', I love to shoot landscapes and always strive to create something that I would have on the wall in my own home.  Here's a few of my favourites...