Got the Jan 2012 covershot for The Plymouth Magazine

Ongoing progress...

Roland Levinski building

I got another photo used as a cover-shot, same mag as the last one... The Plymouth Magazine, Jan 2012 issue - great credit given on p3.

Plymouth University, Roland Levinsky building
[click the image for a postcard or see various other products]

They want to use another one of mine for the March issue - negotiations ongoing, so watch this space.

Post by: +Mark Highton Ridley
comments / feedback / tweets / Likes / +1s always welcome :)

Quietly Flows The River

To make up for sneaking one past you, this one is sill wet from the digital darkroom

The Jewel Called Spitchwick

I do like visiting Spitchwick, which is on the margins of Dartmoor National Park. On this occasion it was back in September on a photoshoot with a friend. It's not a widely known spot but it is typical of those undeveloped, natural beauty spots that are hidden from the hoi polloi that you find all over the UK.

Quietly Flows The River

You'll find cows wandering around from time to time and there's also the occasional family group of Dartmoor Ponies that comes visiting. This really is the River Dart in one of its most beautiful aspects and I hope you thouroughly enjoy my portrayal.

In a little while I'll be using it for a postcard and a wide range of greetings cards for my English Scenes series in my Zazzle store. Of course, the cards will be in addition to my gallery-style poster prints and stretch-frame canvases.

Do you know of any little-known spots like this?

Post by: +Mark Highton Ridley
comments / feedback / tweets / Likes / +1s always welcome :)

Sneaked this out without showing you

Here's one I processed a few weeks ago...

Naughty, naughty

I know, I should have posted about it here - I'm admitting nothing about any more such oversights -- yet!

Beyond the Pale

I loved the fences that are used to separate and encourage areas of wil grass growth on the sand dunes, I've used them in a number of shots and this is one of my favourites.

I'm very happy with the way the title turned out. It can take me a few hours to settle on a title but this one sought me out. I won't spoil it by explaining, but feel free to say what you think in the comments, if you like :)

(More confessions to come!)

Post by: +Mark Highton Ridley
comments / feedback / tweets / Likes / +1s always welcome :)

Life has been getting in the way of photography... but the worst of the redecorating that needed to be done is over. Hooray! A few touch-up jobs remain and that's it for downstairs.

Another from Lyme Regis

I still managed to squeeze in some time for the digital darkroom and this is one of the results. I noticed this family scene and it struck me as so typical of a British day out at the seaside.

It's just one of those little vignettes that plays itself out - has done for centuries, will do until we poison it all.

Typical British Family Day Out at the Seaside, April 24th 2011

Hmm... I didn't quite mean to sound so depressing in that last sentence but I'm sure you know what I mean :)

PS My dear readers, wouldn't it be just great if the family bumped into this and got in touch so I could send them a signed print?  Well, I think so :) If you do, please share!

Post by: +Mark Highton Ridley
comments / feedback / tweets / Likes / +1s always welcome :)

I've been fulfilling a Gallery order

And it came out of the blue...

Colour from Black and White

I got a call from Norman, owner of Kaya Gallery on Plymouth's Barbican. He'd had a customer call in asking after a print of my Barbican Steps shot, actually one of Norman's favourites from my b&w collection.

I called in to talk about it face to face and to catch up with any news. While I was there, I took the opportunity to show Norman some of my recent colour work and he chose four there and then! He was really, really taken by the shot used for the cover of Plymouth Magazine (see previous post) and returned to it a few times to look again.

Barbican By Night

Norman was also really taken with this one of the surfers and was another he kept returning to:

Last Surf of the Day

While looking through some others, at one point he peered at Burgh Island, which was in the background to the main subject, and said something about the hotel. I didn't say anything at the time but I knew I had a photo of it waiting in the digital darkroom. So I resolved to process it as soon as I could, and then show him when I delivered the others - to try for another sale, of course ;)

Before I left, I gave Norman one of my 2012 calendars as a portfolio of some of my work. Even though it's for the American market (i.e. with major American holidays and events marked on it) he was really pleased with it.

I went home and ordered the mounts etc and got on with the printing. I'm really, really impressed with the quality of the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 - every time I fire it up after a not having used it for a while, I bless the time spent on profiling etc. The prints are true to what I see on screen and it really does my photos justice.

Anyway, once that lot was done, I got on with the one of Burgh Island Hotel. I was pleased with what I thought would be its appeal to Norman and his customers, so duly printed it as well.
:
:
Time passed and some more redecorating took place (I'm working on bits of the kitchen and front room right now) and then....

..the mounts arrived.

I got to work right away, getting them signed, mounted and bagged. A quick call to Norman to confirm he was at the gallery and, 20mins later, I handed them over.

I waited until after he'd had a good look, going back and forward mostly between the surfers and the view of the Barbican, drinking them in. He mentioned a couple of times that he'd get the surfers one framed to show it off to its very best. So I guessed he was pleased :) so it was then that I whipped out my Burgh Island Hotel...

Burgh Island Hotel

He took a while to acclimatize to it, looking at the others and then coming back to it. It only took a couple of minutes to make up his mind and then he said he'd take that one as well. Mission accomplished!

..From 1 b&w came 5 colour sales so, all in all, I'm a very happy bunny - 6 prints in total and a nice little Christmas present :)

Thank you, Norman!

Post by: +Mark Highton Ridley
comments / feedback / tweets / likes / +1s always welcome :)

Got the front cover on a print mag!

I mentioned a while ago that one of my images was being used by a local publication...

Front Cover!

I was a bit hesitant at first as no fee was involved, but the fact it was a print magazine and the extra local exposure I'd gain, made it worth some consideration. The space given to the cover credit I was promised on the inside tipped the balance, so I went ahead with it.

So here's the magazine - and there's a link to my website from this electronic version in the credit (page 3, bottom left):


Read The Plymouth Magazine issue 89
Online Publishing from YUDU

The original image is a landscape orientation and they chose a great crop for the mag. Here's the original:

Barbican At Night

Click the image to see a gallery-style poster print in my Zazzle store - and from there you can see lots more gifts, posters and greetings cards of my Plymouth Series.

I know some of my fellow photographer-blogger friends also occasionally let their local publications use their work. Its got me wondering just how prevalent this is.

If you're a bit of a photog and have been approached for use of your work without a fee, share your experience with us in the comments. Who knows, we might learn something interesting!

Post by: +Mark Highton Ridley
comments / feedback / tweets / likes / +1s always welcome :)