Category Archives: Photography

Entering Las Vegas

Las Vegas Black and White

….as opposed to ‘leaving Las Vegas’.  This was taken the actual moment I entered Vegas - a strange and ridiculously hot venue for a town.  Nevertheless, a great place to go, even just to see the diversity of people.  This was one of the first places I visited on a road trip a few years back - eventually finishing in San Francisco.

The trip was made up of commercial commissions and ‘my photography’, and I remember getting literally thousands of transparencies back from the lab.  I guess I have the same problem now with digital photos.

This image is in the Crowded Gallery.

The last week or so has been spent photographing in Normandy - everything from the streets of small rural villages, to emotional visits at the American War Memorial there.  As yet, the photos are unsorted, but I will upload some shortly.

 

Grand Canyon Black & White

Grand Canyon in Black and White

 A few years ago I had a commission to photograph Las Vegas from the air for Virgin.  Usually I am terrified of flying in planes and helicopters, but Virgin actually operated a blimp (maybe still do) that flew at dusk over the city, and the main strip (I might post a photo soon).

For photography, the blimp was great, it moved very slowly, allowing me to get night shots while hand holding the camera.  Anyway, the day after the commission I took a trip out to the Grand Canyon, where I took this photo at sunset.

This photo can be purchased from the Crowded Gallery.

Crowded Gallery Pricing

DUMBO district New York

The Crowded Gallery has undergone a few changes in the last few days.  The main change being a reduction in prices, which came about due to a decision not to supply mounts with the photographs any more.

The mounts made the photographs more expensive, in that the packaging became a huge concern.  A lot of people were asking for the photos without mounts, as they had their own framing arranged, or simply didn’t want one.

Out of that decision comes a reduction in costs for me. So, it is only fair to pass that on.  Hence, the prices of the photographs have reduced to the following:

12 x 8″ inch (approx A4 size) is now £30 + postage (approx US $60)

16x 12″ inch (approx A3 size) is now £45 + postage (approx US $90)

22 x 17″ inch (approx A2 size) is now £65 + postage (approx US $130)

Postage costs will vary depending on where you are in the World.  Prints are still limited to editions of 50, signed, and posted within five days.

Go on…you know you need one for a birthday present…..

Lecturing

I was approached by a college today to help out on their lecturing course.  I would have loved to help out, but I just don’t have the time at the moment for a long term commitment.  Saying that, I did say I would do ‘one off’ talks with the students.  Now I am wondering what I could tell the students that would really help them….how honest should I be when a student asks me to review their portfolio?…. we’ll see I guess.

City Living Cover March’08

City Living cover

Here is a PDF of the City Living Fashion Spread from March 2008, that I took a short while ago.

The Russians are Coming…

Essaouira tyre change

The past few months have seen more and more enquiries for stock photography from the Russian Federation.  This week alone has included the subjects of Essaoira for a travel magazine, and London, for a newspaper.

Apart from having to negotiate ‘VAT’ with Customs & Excise (apparently, there is no VAT to be paid when sending digital images abroad - just in case you were wondering), supplying images abroad and being paid online is a whole new market, which every photographer should try and work with.  There seems to be a definite trend for picture buyers to source images from small ’boutique stock agencies’ and less so from the ’supermarket agencies’.  Saying that, I’m also going to stick with the large agencies for a while.

Don’t Arrest Me…again

Photo tshirts

If you are a photographer and want to avoid being arrested, have a look at these….as recommended by the British Press Photographers Association, probably as an ‘in joke’ considering how many photographers get arrested just for working with a camera. 

Perhaps I should have had one of these on to save me being arrested a few years back while photographing a riot (in my Newspaper days).  After two days solid photographing rioting football fans during the World Cup, whilst working for a newspaper in France, I went back to the hotel for some sleep - only to get a call from Newsdesk sending me straight back out.  Apparently, English football fans don’t sleep. 

I arrived in the City Centre, got the cameras out of the boot, and went off photographing.  When I got back to the car I had a brand of French shotgun placed in my face, while two members of the French riot police kicked my feet away, only then to pin me down and let an Alsatian bark at me.  To be honest, I was beginning to prefer the company of the rioting fans, to the protection of the police.

Police officers surrounded my car while two searched it.  It turns out that someone had seen me remove a long lens from the boot, and assumed it was a snipers rifle with scope.  After about an hour they let me go, and then passed me a note.  The note was from the reporter I was working with at the time, asking for me to confirm he was who he said he was (he forgot his Press Card).  It turns out he had been held as he was seen talking to me when I arrived three hours earlier.  He was an absolute slacker, so it was with great reluctance I admitted he was with me.  I went back to the hotel and processed the film in the bath, falling asleep on my laptop a few hours later, waking to a Picture Editor shouting abuse, and refusing to believe my story.

Lesson learned, nobody should mess with the Compagnies Republicaines de Securite (the French Riot Police).  In retrospect, a t-shirt probably wouldn’t have helped.

Rotterdam High Street

Rotterdam

I have a little known secret.  At the end of the nineties/start of naughties, I was the tour photographer for UB40.

I got the contract via a magazine I was working on at the time.  Apart from the fact I don’t like the music, it was a good job to get!  The bands management always treated me very fairly.  For example, I had to fly out to Rotterdam for an end of tour concert, and they arranged a limo to pick me up at the airport and transfer me.  But I felt ridiculous sitting in the back of an absolutely huge car, so I got the driver to stop so I could get in the front passenger seat.  This seemed to unnerve the driver who proceeded to tell me about the intricacies of the Dutch irrigation system.  It turns out they don’t hire limo drivers for their conversational English.  I should have stayed in the back.

Anyway, I was a few hours early for the concert and went for a stroll with my camera.  This photo is probably one I like more than you will - some photos are like that I guess.  It is simply a reflection of the hotel room lights looking out over the town.  I remember being quite nervous that day as it was the first time I had to do band portraits on the tour bus (not a great location to shoot) and some of the musicians weren’t keen on photography (understandable when you saw what other pleasures were available on the tour bus).

The concert went well - those Dutch do love UB40- we got on the tour bus, got back to the hotel, packed the cameras for an early transfer back to the UK (with a different limo driver!).  Arriving home just in time to photograph my cousins wedding (before anyone asks…I don’t do weddings..she was family!).

This photo is on the crowded site as a black and white print.

Birmingham Photography Book

A New Birmingham Book

 Last year we had a limited run of books produced on Birmingham photography.  They all sold out very fast, so if you missed those, you can now order direct from the publisher.

Essentially it is 142 pages of our best photographs from the Images of Birmingham Photo Library, covering all aspects of the city, from people to places.

There is also a PDF of the first 16 pages available to view, should you need persuading!

Another web site, and RIBA book details

Well, the new CraigHolmes.com website has now been launched.  I was a little unhappy with the old one - especially as it was partly a blog displaying a new photo every day - which kind of doubles the workload with this blog.  So the new one has now arrived, and pretty much has no words on it whatsoever.  I felt it best to stick to the photos.  In all honesty, it still needs a small amount of work, but that is behind the scenes.

Secondly, the Royal Institute of British Architects book on Birmingham - titled, Birmingham: Shaping the City - is now at the printers and will be launched at a party in early March.  I have been working on this book, with the editor Ben Flatman, for several years, so I can’t wait to physically hold it in my hands (having only seen the final proof pdf).  Anyone who slates Birmingham architecture, should find at least one modern project they approve of - even if its the small ’shell like’ cafe in the Bullring!