Monthly Archives: June 2007

West End, London (2003)

West End, London (2003)

This particular photo was taken in the summer of 2003.  I took my heavily pregnant wife to London for a break just before the birth of our first child that autumn.  It was an extremely hot summer and the air conditioning in the hotel had packed up, which combined with a faulty fire alarm, meant we didn’t have the greatest start to the break.

 Walking the streets of the West End I spotted a reflection in a corner cafe window - hence you can see four layers of people on top of each other (the first a reflection, the second inside the cafe, the third sitting outside the cafe, and the fourth is passers by in the background).  It was just the one frame before moving on.

Since then the photograph has been selected for usage in a book - Five Thousand Days, Press Photography in a Changing World - about contemporary press photography.

Restaurant Viewing

Went along to a restaurant in the centre of Birmingham today, and I spotted one of my large prints framed in the private dining area.  No matter how long I do this for, it still feels nice to see a print on display.

Sunday treat, Rome (2001)

 

Sunday treat, Rome (2001)

This photograph, taken in Rome in 2001, was the very first image I took after arriving in the city.  At the cafe next to the hotel I was staying in, a little girl was being looked after by her grandfather who had just bought her a pastry.

Wet weekend in Wales

Planned a visit to Wales for a few days to photograph anything and everything, but the weather seems to have prevented that plan - looks like a weekend at home……ended up going anyway, but as expected, the weather wasn’t really being cooperative so it just turned in to a nice break instead.

Taxi passing Radio City Music Hall, NY (2004)

Taxi passing Radio City Music Hall, NYC (2004)

This is another of my favourite prints.  It was obviously taken in New York, on Sixth Avenue outside the Radio City Music Hall.  After a while in New York I was really missing my family, and the pressure was on to get some good photos before the flight home - so I was working about 18 hours a day.

I stumbled accross Radio City Music Hall, and it made a lovely backdrop for one of the hundreds of speeding yellow taxi cabs in the city.

I am fairly sure that a large 22×17″ print of this photograph is going to be the winning prize in a competition in City Living magazine next month.

Saatchi Gallery listing

The Saatchi Gallery website listed us today…which is nice.

Parc du Champ de Mars, Paris (2001)

16ch01060002b.jpg

This particular photograph is one of the best selling prints from the gallery.  Taken in 2001, I think about May time, I was on my third photographic visit to Paris.  After walking the city since about 7.30am, I came accross this couple during lunch.  I was quite close to them so only managed one frame.

Not only has it been used for my own limited edition prints, but also in various magazines that try to show the romance of Paris.

Flashing

A whole load of new flash equipment arrives today, in order to continue the black and white flower series, and also for a new series on portraits which I’ll be starting next month.

Crowded Blog

Craig Holmes (me, the photographer) has been selling black and white, and colour, prints since 1999, but has brought these sales ‘in house’ and away from traditional galleries during the last year.

So far the online Crowded Gallery seems to be making good progress in terms of sales (mainly thanks to Lucy putting stamps on envelopes and letting the art world and press know about it).

I will keep this site updated with comings and goings, as well as some of the stories behind the photographs.