tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32107492249003473982024-02-07T10:35:23.023+00:00Simon's stuffSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-29934260225683202462013-10-02T12:19:00.001+01:002013-10-02T12:19:46.961+01:00Do you believe in miracles?Probably not the most common title for a blog post. Actually if you google it the main story is the of the 1980 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_Ice" target="_blank">American Olympic ice hockey team</a> which I had never heard about as I was only born 4 days before it happened! America entered a team of amatures and college students and not only beat the Soviet team who had won almost everything since 1954 but actually won the gold medal. <br />
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Anyone who knows me or who regularly reads my blog may have picked up that I have a faith which is very important to me. I see that more today than ever people are all to keen to preach about their atheistic believes but dear help anyone who declares a faith in God or belief in creation. My faith is very real to me. Its not something I can easily describe or prove to people. Its something I experience and have no doubt about. Now I'm not saying that I hear God talking to me everyday or experience miraculous things on a regular basis but it does happen occasionally. I do believe in miracles. Recently my wife and I experienced what we can only describe as a miracle.<br />
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We are blessed with 3 fantastic children but as everyone will know there are times when children really test you. Our middle child Lucie seems to like to test us more than average. I think Kathryn and I have probably forgotten half of the mischief she has got up to and she is only 3 and half. A few weeks ago we sat down to have 1/57th of a particular brand. This 1/57th happened to be tomato soup. Kathryn and I were in the front room with our baby Arwen as the Finlay and Lucie were sitting at the table eating. I don't know exactly what happened but suddenly there was a loud crash and then a cry from Lucie. I went in to see what had happened as Lucie can often be a bit of a drama queen. I walked in to find Lucie picking herself up off the floor. She was feeling particularly sorry for herself even though there really was nothing wrong with her. I quickly noticed her bowl on the floor and as I reached down to pick it up I started to discover soup. Soup on the floor. Soup on the chair. Soup on the wall behind Lucie. Soup opposite her on the sofa. Soup up the window. Soup up the door. But the worst of all, soup on the curtains!<br />
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Obviously Kathryn and I remained very calm and didnt raise our voices at all! I quickly removed the curtains as Kathryn googled "how to remove tomato soup stains". Following the resulting advice we took the curtains to the bath and rinsed them. This did reduce the effect of the stain but only mildly. We then added some Oxi granules and soaked them for several hours. Again I think this did reduce the stains slightly but they were still very visable. It think it was about 3am that we were going to bed (busy as usual with cakey stuff) that we remembered about the curtains. I rather quickly ran down stairs and out the front door leaving a trail of drips everywhere. I fought with the rather heavy wet curtains to hang them on the line and then proceded to hose them to try and wash out the slimy soapy resedue that the Oxi solution leaves. I often wonder what our neighbours actually think about us and the mad things we do in the middle of the night but then I guess most of them are asleep when we do the most of them.<br />
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Now the big thing about these curtains is that it was actually 2 sets as they cover the french doors and window beside and of course typically one from each set was sprinkled liberaly with the offending soup. They actually cost us quite a bit of money and I had to ask my mum to take them up for us as we couldnt afford to pay someone to do it at the time. We knew that there was no way we would be able to replace the curtains for a good few months. They havent even been up for 9 months. We couldn't believe it. I think it actually took us around 4 years to eventually decide to get curtains and find something that we or to be honest that Kathryn was happy with.<br />
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During the next day it rained a bit but once they were almost dry Kathryn brought the curtains in and hung them over the chairs in the house. They were both still very clearly stained and the only thing we could think to do would be take them to the dry cleaners and see if that worked. I think it was the next day or maybe 2 days later that we went to look at them and at first glance I couldnt see any stains. I lifted the first curtain to hand and brought it to the light. I couldnt find any stains at all. I quickly shouted for Kathryn and we closely inspected both curtains. There wasn't a single stain. Not even a hint of a stain. I asked Kathyrn again about how they looked when she brought them in from the line and she repeated that they had been very clearly stained just like when I had hung them on the line the other night. A day or two later I decided to iron the curtains to rehang them. I was almost afraid to look at them encase I discovered a stain but even after ironing every inch of them there is not one hint of a stain to be seen. <br />
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The only thing we can put it down to is a miracle. What other explination is there? How can two heavy fabric curtains be stained one day and totally clean the next? I know plenty of people will try and try and come up with some explination other than a miracle but we know what happened and for us its easy to accept that it is plainly and simply an answer to prayer. As I mentioned I believe in God and creation. If He can make the world in 6 days then cleaning a couple of curtains isn't exactly a challenge!<br />
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"..but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26<br />
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Thanks<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-4190590895354849502013-09-27T11:28:00.002+01:002013-09-27T11:30:08.399+01:00SS Nomadic and a jolly nice man!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So Kathryn and I at Candytuft HQ are going to be exhibiting aboard the <a href="http://www.nomadicbelfast.com/" target="_blank">SS Nomadic</a> this Sunday with <a href="http://www.oureventsni.com/" target="_blank">Our Events NI</a>. After the <a href="http://www.quirkyweddings.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quirky Weddings</a> show I think this should be a bit more relaxed. My good friend Gary Boal from <a href="http://www.boalphotography.com/" target="_blank">Boal Photography</a> will be exhibiting along with us and this will be his first ever show so if you are manage to make it please say hi to him. He asked me today if we were about sorted for the show and I was about to say yes but then I proceeded in listing what I still needed to do in my reply to his message and almost needed to sit down! I know we bring it on ourselves to a certain extent in not keeping our display simple, as if there isn't enough to do with sorting out the cake samples and promotional material!</div>
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We have been meaning for the past several months to start a regular newsletter for Candytuft Cakes and this took me fair bit of trial and error before I got it right. Little did I know that you cant just make up a mailing list and send out to all recipients at once using Outlook. So this week saw our first "campaign" and newsletter #1 got sent out. I will get round to adding a link for signing up onto the <a href="http://www.candytuftcakes.com/" target="_blank">Candytuft Cakes</a> website over the next week or two but in the meantime if you want added then just drop us an <a href="mailto:kathryn@candytuftcakes.com" target="_blank">email</a> to that effect. So my next plan was to send out a short bulletin about the show aboard the SS Nomadic and for Kathryn to put a post on her facebook page. With being a photographer I am totally against using other people's work. As I wanted to include photo of the SS Nomadic I needed to get a photograph. Anyone who has been down to see the SS Nomadic or <a href="http://www.titanicbelfast.com/" target="_blank">Titanic Belfast</a> will know that there are more double yellow lines painted in the area than the rest of Northern Ireland combined it would seem. After driving about for that seemed like an eternity I eventually spied a small section of pay and display parking by the road side. I parked up just as the parking attendant arrived to check the other cars for valid tickets. 0-1hrs = £1.50! what the flip! I only want to park for 10 mins not buy the space. Now my experience of these parking attendants is not good. I even had my motorbike clamped/chained once and had to pay a release fee! So as I walked past this guy I asked if there was any chance of a 30min rate as all I want is to take a photo. This guy has restored my faith in his kind. He very kindly told me to forget about the ticket and just do what I needed. Happy days as I actually only had £1 in my pocket so I couldn't have even bought a ticket if I wanted to. I quickly grabbed my gear and jogged over to the SS Nomadic and got my shots.</div>
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-53585942566998436252013-09-25T11:39:00.002+01:002013-09-25T11:40:07.072+01:00New website!I did it. I have launched my new website, got a logo designed and business cards printed! If you get a chance have a look at <a href="http://www.simonhodgephotography.com/">www.simonhodgephotography.com</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.simonhodgephotography.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw1uYXQtUZMCWowDMB2EXzpT_mtHnDmVv5bp_SfS-B5yoX9IWuKiKz13xhH_HiUd0WhQ84Gng0n8Exv3iiaTy8goCfRonpibVERVLkrYJi6xjVH_xIos94IsfA0HQIKQiC13U5Gh_xaCk/s1600/SHP-logo-blue-circle.png" /></a></div>
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The site is in essence a blog so feel free to leave comments. I'm not sure how it will work but thought it was worth a try. I haven't gone for anything too fancy. I really just wanted something simple. Something that would give people an idea of what I love to photography and a way to contact me.<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-941754104554006122013-08-23T10:46:00.001+01:002013-08-23T10:49:54.433+01:00I think it's about timeI think it's about time I started to take things more seriously. <br />
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I was reminded recently that the first wedding I shot was just 2 years past. It was a stressful day and looking back at it I do wonder did I really think about what I was doing. It does bring back wonderful memories though and the bride and groom are still talking to me so I guess I must have done something right! <br />
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Those that know me will know I don't do many photography jobs as my wife's 4th baby, <a href="http://www.candytuftcakes.com/" target="_blank">Candytuft Cakes</a> is constantly growing and requires a lot of work from both her and myself to keep it going. I just love my wife's work and to see how she is developing over the years. It actually gives me plenty of opportunities to get my camera gear out which is brilliant. We will hopefully have a few interesting projects coming up which will get to test both of our skills so I can't be happier.<br />
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As far as my own work goes though I think its time I tried to promote it a bit more as I love each photo job. Even though they bring a certain amount of stress I love the challenge and the sense of achievement when I get the results I wanted. I know I have a lot to learn but there is no better way of learning than actually doing.<br />
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Almost a year ago I got myself a domain name but never did anything with it so now I am in the process of getting a website made. I have had a logo designed and am about to get some business cards printed. I've also just recently joined the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers. I'm going to give a good go anyway and see what happens over the next year or two.<br />
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Watch this space!<br />
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Thanks<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-65754965024243365102013-08-11T09:22:00.001+01:002013-08-11T09:22:49.159+01:00Mrs Candytuft: A letter to all cake decorators... what's it worth...<a href="http://mrscandytuft.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-letter-to-all-cake-decorators-whats.html?spref=bl">Mrs Candytuft: A letter to all cake decorators... what's it worth...</a>: "I just want to make cakes!" I can often be heard groaning this when I have so much to do and the admin side of business seems ins...Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-11505404879534658172013-06-23T23:13:00.001+01:002013-06-23T23:19:23.552+01:00I don't like photographs!That's about the first thing he said to me. And he said it again several times during the shoot. I'm the same though. When it comes to having to pose for photos I would rather not. I tried to tell him it would be as painless as possible. Probably didn't help that once he came off the phone after our initial conversation that he then told all of his family what I wanted to do. Think his nephew Matt gave him the most slagging, and during the shot his sister stuck her head in the door at least once and laughed. Mind you when I offered to photograph her too she quickly disappeared!<br />
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I love photographing people. Using shadows and light is something I really love. I have recently decided that from now on if I see someone interesting I am just going to offer to photograph them. A few weeks ago I discovered that my dad's cousin was home visiting from New Zealand where he moved to while I was a teenager to be a farmer. Andrew, or Hank as he's known, though I have never heard why, has what I would class as an interesting face. I saw a photo of him from a recent holiday and instantly I knew I had to photograph him. Hank has just turned 50 and between farming and sailing he has a "worn" look to him. Mind you being a "Hodge" brings with it its own features, though I think I have managed to avoid most of them.<br />
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For the shoot itself it was pretty simple really. I arrived at the house and was instantly offered a cup of tea and some cake. Anyone that knows me will know I never turn down a cuppa and as for cake, that's a no brainer. We had a bit if a chat and then got down to business.<br />
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I used a simple black back drop, my D300 and an SB-910 in a softbox triggered by CLS. I shot at about 1/4000 to kill any ambient.<br />
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For someone who hates having photos taken Hank was no problems at all. He was patient and did exactly as I asked. I kept it as quick as possible, once I was happy with the shots I just packed up and left.<br />
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Simon </div>
<br />Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-43710631324135267882013-06-22T00:22:00.001+01:002013-06-22T00:22:53.721+01:00KidsI just had a message from a relative who commented on the cuteness of my kids. Love it when people say that. It made me think about all the things they do that make me smile. Usually when I get home from work Kathryn will hold Arwen up to the window as I get out of my car and her wee face lights up as she sees me. Once I open the door I am greeted with Finlay and Lucie shouting out "hello daddy!" and then they come running and throw themselves against my legs. There is nothing better. It sure makes up for all those times that they drive you mad :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finlay, Arwen & Lucie.</td></tr>
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I thank my God for them and the blessing they are to me and Kathryn.<br />
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<i>"Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord." </i></div>
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Psalm 127 v 3</div>
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Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-69391484217732030362013-06-19T00:19:00.004+01:002013-06-19T00:22:09.153+01:00Fashion for freedomA few weeks ago my sister-in-law Becki Hodge asked me if I could help her out. What could I say, particularly once I heard I would need my camera! Becki is a very caring person who has a great passion for helping people. During the past year or so she has been involved with the charity <a href="http://www.freedomprojectireland.com/" target="_blank">Freedom Project Ireland</a>. On their website they state:<br />
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<i>"Our vision is to see men, women, and children freed from human
trafficking in Ireland and the UK, living life with hope and abundance."</i><br />
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They are trying to raise awareness to try and put an end to this horrible reality through organising a number of different events from abseils to truck pulling. This particular event was a fashion show arranged by Becki, where she arranged for local businesses to donate for an auction (including <a href="http://www.candytuftcakes.com/" target="_blank">Candytuft Cakes</a>) and supply clothes for the catwalk. Its so hard to know if events like this will be a success or not. Speaking to my brother beforehand I think they were expecting just over 100 people, oh how wrong they were. I think at final count there were around 300 people (about 99% women) packed into the room. The DJ played, the models strutted their stuff and the woman cheered!<br />
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Obviously I was delighted to be able to help out any way I could so when Becki asked me to come along and shoot the show I couldn't say no. I love photography jobs but I do take each one very seriously. I try to plan as much as I can and for this job it was no different. I think about what shots I want to get but also try and look for inspiration from other photographers.<br />
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Anyone that knows me will know that I like to work on my own as sometimes when you have help you end up spending as much time trying to explain to your help what they need to do as it would take you to do it yourself. However I decided for this job it would be best to bring in some help. Over the past year I have got to know Gary Boal of <a href="http://www.boalphotography.com/" target="_blank">Boal Photography</a>. Instantly Gary and I hit it off. The great thing about Gary is that I know when we work together that I don't need to worry about him. Once we plan what we are doing on a job we just get on with it. This fashion show was no different. We got there early, set up and then just got the job done.<br />
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Shooting the show itself was hard work. I never realised how fast models walk done the catwalk. I was constantly having to change setting on my camera so as not to either over or under expose the models with the speedlights. I did have a brilliant night though and got the shots I wanted. I was so delighted for Becki and her team for the wonderful success they made of the night. Becki was fantastic and an absolute natural on stage hosting the show. Roll on the next event!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our host, the wonderful Becki!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A full house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the fantastic entertainment!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auction time. Going, going, gone!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The donations for the auction.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food, glorious food!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FPI Director Gayle Bunting and Becki Hodge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The auction winner Mary Button with her cake from Kathryn of <a href="http://www.candytuftcakes.com/home" target="_blank">Candytuft Cakes</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary Boal, don't worry he's not as strange as he looks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-fqDR6AXoUx5y0j4IqAz6glSesYdXYydENiJCR2l1Y_jKbZZxqjduCSqMULCGwQ0h5pmBO7V7XqGY6glCIa8-3ud2i1R1npzNy_8OpHw9YmlA2YsEOxgF0fVoVRJUswoK1gokFTce5Ls/s1600/_SJH1214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-fqDR6AXoUx5y0j4IqAz6glSesYdXYydENiJCR2l1Y_jKbZZxqjduCSqMULCGwQ0h5pmBO7V7XqGY6glCIa8-3ud2i1R1npzNy_8OpHw9YmlA2YsEOxgF0fVoVRJUswoK1gokFTce5Ls/s400/_SJH1214.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Team!</td></tr>
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Simon <br />
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<br />Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-73839848479593669922013-05-08T23:12:00.000+01:002013-05-08T23:12:17.289+01:00Light it up.Well the speedlight class is now been and gone. What a brilliant time I had. I will be honest I was a bit nervous beforehand and particularly due to my friend Laura (the lecturer) also planning to sit in on the class. There was no set format for the class as it is a rather informal class so I started by looking at basic non-TTL triggers and optical slaves. I then went onto wireless TTL, looking at both Nikon and Canon systems. <br />
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As I am a Nikon user I am obviously very familiar with Nikon CLS (Creative lighting system) but knowing that half the class are Canon users I spent a bit of time trying to familiarize myself with the Canon system. The two systems are very different and trying not to be bias I feel the Nikon system is much simpler to use. One other thing I discovered is that none of the Canon speedlights can be used as optical slaves where as the Nikon speedlights can.<br />
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The next thing was to have go. We all got up and started of with the basic non-TTL wireless triggers. The guys picked it up very quickly. We had a look at several different light modifiers and I also showed them what effect gels have.<br />
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I did take time during the class to mention different techniques that due to the student's own camera they could not try out. However I did try to demonstrate as much as I could as the D300 allowed me to do most things I spoke about. One area I covered was killing the ambient which led onto high speed sync. I explained to them how even without a studio you can produce low-key photographs. During the class we didn't have access to the studio. The class room had normal florescent lighting and windows.</div>
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For this shot I used a snoot to significantly cut down the spill from the speedlight. I used an SB-910 on the stand with a 1/4 CTO gel with CLS using the popup flash as the commander. The camera I set at 1/3200th, F5 and ISO 200. The final shot of the class with this setup was of Laura and I think demonstrated what can be done without a studio using the right settings.<br />
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Thanks<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-63676299906767321842013-04-12T17:15:00.000+01:002013-04-12T17:17:43.959+01:00Cutting it!I love photographing people. I love being able to capture people's character within the photo.<br />
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I mentioned in my last entry about a photoshoot coming up, well its been and gone now. I was asked my by really good friend Tristan if I could do some profile shots for him and his business partner. Tris and Ben both started their own tree surgery business a the end of 2012 and have been going from strength to strength. They are planning a website and wanted the shots for that. Me not being one to pass an opportunity got them into the studio and told them to bring all their gear too. Tris mentioned Ben's reservations toward standing in front of the camera but we went ahead anyway. I had never met Ben before and wasn't sure what to expect but the first thing I noticed was his flat cap and beard. Brilliant. I instantly leant into their van and said, "Ben, that cap is coming with you!"<br />
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We started the shoot taking the "business" shots.<br />
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Next I got to start playing! I really wanted to capture the guys in their gear but to capture their character.<br />
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As you can see Ben loves his saw. I just love these shots. They are just exactly Ben. They sum up my first impressions of him.<br />
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Tris loves his saw too but he loves his climbing gear a bit more I think! </div>
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The final shoot is an idea I had right at the start when Tris asked me and I love it.<br />
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I had a brilliant time as I always to in the studio and can't wait for the next studio session!Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-73435163832749524792013-03-19T22:24:00.001+00:002013-03-19T22:24:33.924+00:00You want me to do what? No problem!Things in our house are busy at the best of time but with the recent addition of our new baby daughter Arwen it's just a wee bit busier! Not that I am complaining though as our kids are the best thing ever. Though my photography is really important to me it does take a bit of a back seat as <a href="http://candytuftcakes.com/home" target="_blank">Candytuft Cakes</a> is our priority at the moment. Even though Kathryn is on maternity leave there are still wedding shows to do along with the emails and the admin side. I don't actively look for photography jobs and so just love it when they just appear out of the blue. Over the past few days I have been offered 3 jobs and I am just off the phone planning a studio shoot for next week. My mind has been in overdrive. <br />
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The first two jobs are to do with a charity and I will have blog entries to follow but I am very excited about these. The third job just came to me this afternoon. A friend who teaches portraits within photography has asked me to come along and take her class one week to teach on speedlights. Admittedly she called me a nerd at the same time as asking me. To be honest I was really flattered by being asked. My friend has been into photography for years and has a degree and a masters in photography so o be asked my her is a great honor. <br />
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I love having projects to plan and dream about. I know that over the next few weeks leading up to the class I will be constantly thinking about it, thinking of how I can pass on my passion for speedlights and what will be the best things to teach.<br />
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I'm away now to dream some more.<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-7530988177549927112013-03-18T00:25:00.000+00:002013-03-18T00:25:37.476+00:00Point of focus.Any photographers out there may be aware of "tilt-shift photography". This method can be added using a special tilt-shift lens or in post processing. The method allows you to focus on a specific point or to simulate a miniature scene. I have recently been asked to take some photographs during our church services to be used on our new website. I was able to use the method in post processing to "blur" out the faces of any children in the photos for child protection purposes. <br />
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Today I was in Portavogie harbor with my camera and took a photo of my brother-in-law's trawler. I then was able to add the tilt-shift effect using the graduated filter function in Lightroom 4. Where the graduated filter is often used with exposure it can also be used with many other settings including sharpness. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The image before any editing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The image after editing</td></tr>
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Applying the method post processing in LR4 is obviously not as good as using an actual tilt-shift lens but it does still help to highlight a specific point in the photo.<br />
<br />Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-80785135847232672232013-02-09T12:02:00.000+00:002013-02-09T12:02:46.419+00:00Be the best you can be.Do you want to be the best you can be? Surely everyone wants to be the best they can be? Mind you there are a few of my students who I wonder if they want to achieve much more than getting out of bed in the morning and to be honest most of them struggle to even do that. <br />
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I think most of us have secret ambitions and dreams and over the past few years I have come to believe that you can pretty much do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Obviously within reason, as I'm pretty sure I could never beat Usain Bolt in a race no matter how much I trained! I've mentioned taking part in the <a href="http://www.mourne2day.com/" target="_blank">Mourne Mountain Marathon</a> in 2011 and 2012. They proved to be the hardest thing and the best thing I have ever done. I know I could have trained more but I was happy with what training I did achieve and even more so with the final results. I learnt from those two events that I can push myself further than I think.<br />
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For <a href="http://www.candytuftcakes.com/" target="_blank">Candytuft Cakes</a>, I love seeing the business growing but even more I love seeing Kathryn grow and becoming the best she can be. She works extremely hard and is so critical of her own work. She spends hours on each of her creation to ensure that once she is finished it is the best she can do. I really do believe she is one of the best cake designers in Northern Ireland and will be the best if she keeps pushing herself the way she does. This year is exciting for us as we are currently creating a studio for Kathryn but obviously in the middle of it all we have Arwen who will I am sure demand a lot of our time. Check out progress on the studio at Kathryn's blog, <a href="http://mrscandytuft.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mrs Candytuft</a>.<br />
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I know with our 3 beautiful children we both want what is best for them, all we can ask for is that they do the best they can do. I would guess though that both Kathryn and I may give them a wee push or two to make sure they achieve their potential :)<br />
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As far as my photography goes I want to be the best I can be. Thinking back to my last blog entry, <a href="http://simonhodge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/learn-through-doing.html" target="_blank">learn through doing</a>, I have been thinking about projects I can do to become a better photographer. Hopefully during 2013 you get to see the results of these projects and get to see me grow as a photographer.<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-53790367397628111862013-01-31T21:35:00.002+00:002013-01-31T21:42:11.993+00:00Learn through doing.I guess I'm like many people in that I love reading and learning new things. I think as we get older we and get deep into the world of work we start to realise how good our years of learning at school, college and university actually were. We miss learning. We miss discovering new things. If we are fortunate we get to learn new things in our day to day jobs or we take up hobbies. I am fortunate enough to learn a lot in my job but I also have a number of hobbies, photography being one of my main hobbies.<br />
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Over the past couple of years I have developed a ravenous hunger for all things photography and lately in particular lighting and specifically speedlghts. Nowadays the wealth of information available on everything is vast with thanks to the digital revolution and I guess mostly the internet. Through the internet I have discovered people like <a href="http://zackarias.com/blog/" target="_blank">Zak Arias</a>,<a href="http://froknowsphoto.com/" target="_blank"> Jared Polin (Fro Knows Photo)</a>, <a href="http://www.joeyl.com/" target="_blank">Joey L</a> and <a href="http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">David Hobby (Strobist)</a>. These guys have freely posted endless amounts of information on the internet in both written and video media. Another person and one of my favorites is <a href="http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/" target="_blank">Joe McNally</a>. He is a freelance photographer who does a lot of work for National Geographic and Nikon. I mentioned in a previous entry about a Nikon video I had been watching, <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/DVD/11484/A-Hands-on-Guide-to-Creative-Lighting-DVD.html" target="_blank"><span class="st">A Hands-on Guide to <i>Creative Lighting</i></span></a> and Joe features heavily in it. The video looks at Nikon's wireless lighting system. This is one area where these guys have a lot in common. I have read and watched a lot of what they have on offer but I know that to truly learn you must practice. With my students I could tell them how to do something until I was blue in the face but until they actually get hands on there is little chance of them actually being able to do it.<br />
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Recently I have been visualising setting up big shoots with lots of lights, where I can use specific lights to highlight features and people and bring in colours using gels and light modifiers. Practice makes perfect as they say so I started to think about my workshop at work and how I could photograph some of the equipment using the opportunity to use the wireless system, gels and light modifiers.<br />
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The above is a Bridgeport CNC milling machine. Firstly I placed a speedlight in the background with a red gel on it. I then fitted a snoot to a second speedlight and directed the light from it onto the tool. I set the shutter speed to 1/250 to kill the ambient and closed down the aperture to F14 which gives the nice star-burst effect on the gelled speedlight.<br />
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I finally added a third speedlight with a blue gel to add some colour to the body of the machine.<br />
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I was really rather pleased with the outcome, being able to try out several different techniques I have been watching and reading about from the guys I previously mentioned.<br />
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One thing I did learn at my cost, don't place gels directly onto the lens of the speedlight as my red gel now has a large whole in it!<br />
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Thanks<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-34445234749428765132013-01-29T22:12:00.002+00:002013-01-29T23:31:08.409+00:00Lance is pants!I have actually not spoken to anyone about this except a passing comment to my wife. Even as I and type this I still don't really know how to put into words what I really think about it.<br />
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I read Lance Armstrong's book, "It's not about the bike" a few years after it was first published. As you will know from some of my previous blog entries I enjoy sport and I guess I love pushing myself. Reading Lance's book which covered his fight with cancer and then his come back to cycling and resultant 7 Tour De France wins really inspired me. I love cycling and mountain biking and road cyclists have always inspired me due to their amazing endurance and stamina. I loved the book and recommended it to other friends of mine. I think I even gave my copy to my brother. I know Lance didn't have a brilliant reputation as far as women went but for his sporting ability and achievements I was in complete awe. I ignored all of the accusations in the press of his drug taking and doping, I guess I just put it down to jealousy. People are never happy when other people do well and love to find ways to bring them down. We can easily put people on pedestals and not want to listen when we hear stories about them that are not good. Its like when you were a child and putting your fingers in your ears and shouting "I'm not listening!".<br />
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I guess if I'm honest when the truth came out I was upset and even more so when I saw some of the interview he gave and how he showed little or no remorse, basically just justified it because "everyone else was doing it".<br />
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For flip sake, what age are you Lance!<br />
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Simon<br />
<br />Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-5503005893311388382013-01-21T22:32:00.001+00:002013-01-21T22:37:00.226+00:00A little bit of baby.Like I need an excuse to use my camera! I am afraid Arwen is going to be in front of my camera a lot. I've been looking to get a baby shoot done for my portfolio for a while so who better than my own daughter :) Guess I must get onto pinterest and do some planning.<br />
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<br />Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-42332605340319172372013-01-15T23:40:00.000+00:002013-01-15T23:40:01.709+00:00Winter has arrived!How your life can change in the blink of an eye. My wife and I arrived at hospital at 01:29 on Sunday 13th and at 02:23 our beautiful wee daughter arrived, Arwen Winter Hodge!<br />
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Lack of sleep is just wonderful! Thankfully I get 2 weeks off from work at such times like these so there was no question of me going into work.<br />
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Talking about sleep, that sounds like a great idea so I'm out of here for now.<br />
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Oh and I'm sure you already guessed, the name Arwen is from Lord of the Rings :)<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-62663043340112291462013-01-08T23:42:00.001+00:002013-01-08T23:42:35.763+00:00The Lord of The RingsI had a lovely surprise when I came home today. Finlay came running up to me with a DVD in his hand. He quickly informed me, "mummy bought that for you and me and Lucie to watch." Well it happened to be the old animation of Lord of the Rings. Happy days.<br />
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It was lovely to light the stove and sit down on the sofa with the kids and watch some of this before their bath. Not too sure that Lucie was too keen of the Dark Riders so I gave her an extra tight cuddle.<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-72144086756971354042013-01-06T23:18:00.000+00:002013-01-08T23:43:20.624+00:00Nikon CLSAnyone familiar with Nikon camera systems will probably also know of its Creative Lighting System (<a href="https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9327/kw/cls" target="_blank">CLS</a>). This is a fantastic system. In simple terms its a wireless lighting system. The camera takes a light reading (metering) through the lens (ittl) and then sends information to the wireless portable speedlights. This information sets the output of the speedlights giving a perfectly lit photo. In theory anyway. I have recently been playing about with this as my D300 acts as a commander unit and I have an SB-910 and SB-900 flash units. I recently watched Nikon's DVD, A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting.<br />
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In this they introduce and demonstrate their CLS and all the compadable units and then join the fantastic <a href="http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/" target="_blank">Joe McNally</a> on a number of location shots where he explains what he is doing throughout. A number of the examples are included in his equally fantastic book,<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hot-Shoe-Diaries-Creative-Applications/dp/0321580141" target="_blank"> The Hot Shoe Diaries</a>. The DVD is brilliant. It is both helpful and imformative. I have recently been talking to my good friend <a href="http://www.boalphotography.com/" target="_blank">Gary Boal</a> about setting up a big shot using lots of speedlights and this DVD has done nothing but inspire me even more. <br />
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Watch this space!Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-2663642023847045302013-01-01T21:00:00.004+00:002013-01-06T23:28:48.060+00:00Good bye 2012, hello 2013!Happy new year! If I am honest I dont really do too much to see in the new. I think for the past 8 or 9 years the most I have done is sit in front of the fire with my wife :) I was having a think about all the photos I took last year. I'm sure over 4000. I was thinking about what are my favorite and I have narrowed it down to two. <br />
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The first is of my son. I say son but as my wife is due our third child anytime now I may need to change this to my eldest child. I took this photo without much planning. I changed it into black and white in lightroom and the more I look at it the closer I get to crying as I realise just how much I love him and unconditionally!<br />
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The second image is one from a family day out. We were walking through the trees and the kids were just playing about, throwing leaves up in the air and picking up branches to use as walking sticks when I spotted this dead tree. I love the colours. I love that though the tree is dead there is still life in it. Hope you enjoy it.<br />
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Thanks for your support over the past year. I hope 2013 is a great one for you.<br />
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God bless.<br />
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SimonSimon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-49527554406063753572012-11-23T22:53:00.003+00:002013-01-06T23:29:04.830+00:00Toni and RobWell my last wedding of the year. I had a great day and even managed to shoot is a couple of different locations. The low light did challenge me a bit but again Nikon CLS came to the rescue. It really is a brilliant system. The main issues I had was with being outside I had to ensure I had direct line of site. Other problem was the wind. Thankfully the bride's brother/driver was with us and helps holding my light stands or I would have had my umbrella and SB-910 going for a swim in Belfast Lough!<br />
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Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-69240052299916859012012-11-16T12:41:00.001+00:002012-11-16T12:41:16.318+00:00The HobbitI guess its all part of our DNA. Its the way we are created that we end up being like our parents in out mannerisms and interests. I guess as you get older you or maybe more others, start seeing the similarities and you get told, "you are just like your father....." I know I have spoken previously of my love of the outdoors and that I have got that from my father. I guess thats where my love of photography also came from and my strange music taste (Madame Butterfly to Led Zeppelin). Another interest is my love of reading. I am very fortunate to be brought up with C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien. I have been waiting impatiently for The Hobbit to be made into film. Excitement is growing as I am now only a few weeks away from its cinema release.<br />
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My dads birthday treat is getting taken to the cinema by his sons (aged 35, 32 and 28) to see this. I have been eagerly watching any trailers I can find and even bought a recent issue of Empire magazine which contained about 62 pages on The Hobbit films. Was delighted the other day when I happened upon a copy of the original BBC audio version of The Hobbit from 1968.<br />
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Roll on 14/12/2012!Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-85795223000482529422012-11-09T12:07:00.000+00:002013-01-06T23:29:20.638+00:00Just wee tease....Well Toni and Rob's wedding went really well. I had a lovely day and the weather stayed really good if a little cold. We managed to get some outdoor shots in Crawfordsburn Country Park and down by the shore. I used the Nikon CLS extensively and am just realising how fantanstic is actually is. I'm still running the photos through Lightroom but thought I would share one...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toni and Rob</td></tr>
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And sure while I'm at it I might as well throw in one from Mary and Eamonn's wedding from a few weeks ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary and Eamonn</td></tr>
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Will hopefully get full posts for both wedding soon.<br />
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Simon :)Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-69364199054804954142012-11-05T10:11:00.001+00:002013-01-06T23:28:10.466+00:00Last wedding of 2012Well today will be my last wedding of 2012. This year has is not over but its been a very busy one and with our third child due at the end of the year or start of 2013 its set to get even busier! My wife's business <a href="http://www.candytuftcakes.com/" target="_blank">Candytuft Cakes</a> is going really well but my wife is going to close the doors for a few months to have the baby. We are using the break as a chance to convert our garage into a studio, as if we dont have enough to do! You know it is all happening at the right time. I think the business has just got the stage where we needed to do something as we could escape it anywhere in the house. I know it will allow Kathryn a chance for a break both physically and emottionally and that she will look forward to getting stuck back in knowing she will have her own wee studio to work in. I am looking forward to having somewhere interesting to do photoshoots for her as to try and set up shoots in our home at the moment is a mamoth effort. I will be documenting the studio creation throughout so keep watching!<br />
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Over the past few weeks we have taken part in a couple of wedding shows which went really well. I always enjoy networking with out people in the wedding business and meeting new clients. I also love to see my wife's displays as she puts so much thought in them as i'm sure you agree!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wedding show at the <a href="http://www.theoldinn.com/" target="_blank">Old Inn Crawfordsburn</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favourite photos from the Old Inn show.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4CXIzSXWjcOpP_eYz8P25qXRgmUukaFbwcumuM-EDxnrmvkrQ85dkqirkTpq-wysw71p3SY33xrIigQQWRsIj6lNmeaoFEiFzOiZSoyuBr4yKPQq4qnEJAk5Edluh1yPWgPZzi-lTsHo/s1600/DSC02100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4CXIzSXWjcOpP_eYz8P25qXRgmUukaFbwcumuM-EDxnrmvkrQ85dkqirkTpq-wysw71p3SY33xrIigQQWRsIj6lNmeaoFEiFzOiZSoyuBr4yKPQq4qnEJAk5Edluh1yPWgPZzi-lTsHo/s400/DSC02100.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wedding show at<a href="http://www.lamon.co.uk/" target="_blank"> La Mon Hotel</a>.</td></tr>
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Well as I mentioned, this will be my last wedding of 2012. I remember back to the first wedding i shot and how nervous I was. I really didnt enjoy the day but was really happy with the results. Today's wedding I am really looking forward to. I have a few ideas for location shots in a forest we are going to after the service. I just hope the rain stays away!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpX5ySC2SyVZ4IzZfsmYR0eKs2qCzhU88kyWf743t2lPZt9zJ6Gx5Mhtoy7ri53hcvSgD0EeQ8xyREUFLx0GkvEDQLpTzI15xoMZHPVDeCDT4RGfXYLuZKjX7b6_M8Y049yIfvGbnd3tN/s1600/DSC_5215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpX5ySC2SyVZ4IzZfsmYR0eKs2qCzhU88kyWf743t2lPZt9zJ6Gx5Mhtoy7ri53hcvSgD0EeQ8xyREUFLx0GkvEDQLpTzI15xoMZHPVDeCDT4RGfXYLuZKjX7b6_M8Y049yIfvGbnd3tN/s400/DSC_5215.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope you have a lovely day Toni!</td></tr>
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Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210749224900347398.post-62480873779796436282012-09-22T23:33:00.001+01:002013-01-06T23:29:38.971+00:00White RocksI have many memories from growing up and holidays here in Northern Ireland. So many of those memories are of the north Antirm coast. I love the ruggedness of it. The history of it. I am proud of living here as when the weather is right its hard to find a nicer spot. One of my favourite spots is White Rocks beach. It gets thrashed by the atlantic ocean giving great surfing waves. Has a brilliant big sand dune that i love running down, usually so fast that i loose control and tumble the last bit of it. It has views of Dunluce Castle and beyond. I have been itching to do a photo shot at it and had the pleasure of taking my kids there for the first time today. Just happened to have my new D300 with me so had to take a few photos!<br />
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Simon Hodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419811496759593423noreply@blogger.com0