Lumidogs. Dogs dressed up to the canines happened on Sunday. It arrived in St Johns Square with a visual bite. Here are the highlights.
LumiDogs. Dogs dressed up to the “canines” happened on Sunday.
The entrants strutted their stuff and posed in lit costumes, working their best look in feathers and glitter to be in with the chance of winning the coveted title of LumiDog 2016.
Here are the highlights.
The Entrants.
The Winner
A french Tango and fire engulfed St Johns Square on the second night of Blackpool’s LightPool Festival, part of the new network of Light Festivals across the UK.
Last night was pretty phenomenal. All I knew when I arrived was that it was moody and noir and there would be fire. It was a visual feast of showstopping performance. We are all so obsessed with staying in and watching XFactor? How would you know that if you just step into your local town centre you can experience some of this.
I have more images to show from this sumptuous show. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do photographing the performances.
Remember that if there is one thing you should do this half term is get to Blackpool, Lancashire to witness history in the making.
Friday the 28th October saw the launch of Blackpool’s very own Light Festival, Lightpool.
Over 30 installations including performances make up the Festival running from the 28th October to Wednesday.
I am super lucky to be able to photograph for the event which really is a photographers wonderland if you like photographing fast moving, low light objects, which luckily I do.
Last night saw Captain Kronos: Return to Plant Earth by Kazimer Productions who worked with Blackpool and Fylde College to create an amazing performance incorporating a space ship landing outside in St Johns Church in Blackpool’s Cedar Square. Followed up closely by On The Edge of a Rising Tide Sound Intervention with musicians from The Boom Bike Bourree.
I had spent much of my day watching the rehearsals and capturing “behind the scenes” moments.
Take a look at some of my images here:
Rehearsals at Alive Church Hall, Raikes Parade Blackpool. With Students from Blackpool and The Fylde College.
St Johns Square Blackpool. Technical Rehearsal.
Blackpool Comedy Carpet run through:
I popped in to hear Bob and Roberta Smith talk about his views on the art world and how visual language is important now more then ever.
The artist Bob and Roberta Smith – Has installed a specially commissioned lit installation for Blackpool. “Art Is Your Human Right”. Follow the specially formulated map of Blackpool to enjoy all the art installations in Lightpool.
Bob and Roberta Smith, instantly likable as a speaker – his message was that we can communicate sometimes difficult messages through art and even if it is not instantly easy to understand, perhaps art will make you question and sit up to what could be.
At dusk Captain Kronos and his journey into Blackpool began on The Comedy Carpet as we were toured through the winding streets by his gang of glittery minions of Blackpool, to witness his arrival from a bejeweled spaceship descending over St Johns Church in a flurry of glitter and fireworks to a bedazzled audience.
After the departure of Captain Kronos I caught up with Dan Fox and his mobile projection bikes as his band played brass instruments to families and children who followed the performance with great gusto and glee as the projections talked to the audience of fantastical creatures.
The Lightpool Festival runs until Wednesday with lots more in store. For more info check the link attached.
Final word from me is that I am in my absolute element “photography wise” and feel super blessed to be able to capture such amazing and fleeting happenings. Now is the time to embrace Blackpool’s amazing event and shout from the rooftops how amazing Blackpool really is.
‘This is nothing,’ cried she.
‘This is nothing,’ cried she: ‘I was only going to say that heaven did not seem to be my home; and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights; where I woke sobbing for joy.
That will do to explain my secret, as well as the other. I’ve no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn’t have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.’
Model: Aisling Serrant
Stylist: Caroline Brown
MUA: Lauren Rippin
As time stood still and we fed our model with ideas of heartbreak, lost love, a love regained, an idea of love.
As time stood still and we fed our model with ideas of heartbreak, lost love, a love regained, an idea of love.
I liked the idea of hopeful love coming back to our model, my counterpart felt lost love was more in line with the tone of the shoot.
Because the models were so different and of different ages, I feel they deserve a blog entry each.
Being playful in my children’s shoots is always key. Trying to make the subject forget themselves and have fun. Making up stories in my own head and feeding the playfulness back to the subject with as much energy as I can muster.
My mentor for the Photography Workshops suggested I slow down to really engage with what I am photographing.
Wandering on The Moors with Carolyn Mendelsohn and other inspiring female humans, or Compelling Portraiture hosted by award winning photographer Carolynn Mendelhson and accompanied by guest photographer: Miss Aniela. In attendance 5 other inspirational females:
Based in Haworth, Haworth the home of The Bronte Sisters and the setting for a photography workshop, Ponden Hall was our base and home for three days,the potential real life inspiration for Wuthering Heights and setting a romantic but dark tone for the photography workshops.
As a photographer, you are constantly aiming to achieve the connection between subject and camera, I attempt to portray narrative with or without figures within images, one of my first aspirations was to be an Author, I wonder if photography quenches some of that young “story telling” desire. If I am being honest I have never joined any photography workshops since becoming a full time photographer and considered this a huge step. But so many qualities of the workshop appealed to me: the location, the guest photographer (whose work I follow), Carolyn herself and the work she produces and her approach feels familiar and warm.
I keep looking a the images I have taken and tweaking ever so slightly in post processing and It is clear to say, I love them. Time will be spent over a few blog entries to enable reflection.
Bear with me as I take a little journey backwards.
I think I am now on my 4th or 5th year of photographing the very visually pleasing Showzam Circus festival.
Showzam in #Blackpool #UK hosts a variety of street and indoor performances across #TheWinterGardens, #TowerBallroom and #TowerCircus over a 5 day period.
If you were around this year you may have caught sight of wood wind playing chickens or a steam punk werewolf riding his bike through the streets of Blackpool.
Poor Blackpool tends to get a lot of stick (of rock), the poor mans Brighton, the “uncool” cousin of Manchester. I am here to “blow” the trumpet of Blackpool, christening it with it’s new name “Blackcool”.
#Showzam is a mostly free festival currently in its 9th year. See you in 2017.
Claire Griffiths Photography 