Dirt Jumpers

A set of images from a recent Photo Shoot with Dirt Jumping and Mountain Bike stunt star Jimmy Pratt.

              

             

 

It was amazing to see these guys jump so high and with such speed and skill..very impressive. 


More shots can been seen on my Flickr page.


all images © Filskifoto

The Arch of Durdle Door, Dorset Coast

After a short visit to the Dorset Coast I have uploaded a few new Landscape and Feature photographs.  This stunning location is called Durdle Door, along what is known as the Jurassic Coast, a natural arch carved away in the soft Limestone by years of waves and weather erosion. One day the arch will collapse, leaving a single stack out at sea. All along the coast there are small coves and beaches to discover and enjoy... when/if the summer ever properly arrives.

Some people braved the cold sea and used the arch for a bit of cliff jumping..

Corporate Images for Business

Here are recent Corporate and Conference photo shoots I have worked on in June and July. On these sorts of assignments mastering the available lighting is the key, and timing, composition and anticipation are your greatest tools to create interesting shots from what can be formal, bland, structured and un-exciting environments.

Most clients have a list of the shots they need, and often I try to not only deliver those, but also seek out interesting views, angles and moments that I have learnt to find and anticipate after several years of working as a professional.

 

And occasionally I do get to work with some great locations and venues, such as this one

The Williams Formula 1 Conference Centre

L'Aquila: Two Years On - An Abandoned City

On the 6th April 2009, at 3:32 am, an earthquake rated 5.8 hit the medieval city of L'Aquila, capital of the Abruzzo region of Italy. 308 people died, with thousands more losing their homes, shops and businesses. Around 40,000 people made instantly homeless set up temporary, tented camps, with a further 10,000 re-housed in hotels and hostels in the region. Italy's Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, caused controversy with his remarks to the international media likening the victims' experiences to a 'camping holiday'.

Medieval buildings and churches were badly effected, but modern buildings were also badly affected, as banks, shops and cinemas all suffered huge cracks and severe damage.  A dormitory of the L'Aquila University collapsed, trapping many students as they slept. Inadequate construction and poor materials were blamed for the high level of damage to the buildings.  An eye witnesses said as the buildings collapsed you could see how the concrete had been poorly mixed with sand.  In May 2011, seven experts were under charge for failing to give adequate warning before the disaster, as early tremors and quake predictions were ignored.

Two years on, a large part of the town is still lying abandoned, crumbling and untouched. Whole districts and streets are barricaded off behind fences, creating a ghost town. The army still stand guard at street corners to prevent looters and stop people entering the boarded up shops and apartment blocks. Collapsing windows and whole buildings have been bandaged and braced by temporary structures, like external skeletons, awaiting the small team of engineers to survey and begin their restoration.  The frustrations of thousands of local people at this situation manifests itself through their staging of demonstrations with wheelbarrows - a symbol of their desire to clear the city of its rubble and bring it back to life.

"The city is still stuck, emptied of its inhabitants," one local campaigner, Anna Colasanto, told the AFP news agency.

What is left standing tell's the story so far...

The complete set of photos can be seen here - L'Aquila on Flickr

Conference Photography at the Emirates Stadium

A few photos from a recent commission for the Coface Annual Conference 2011 held at Arsenal's  impressive Emirates Stadium in North London.

New Photo Sales site and profile on Redbubble

                

Bamboo Secrets

Bamboo Secrets, a set on Flickr.

A colourful study of the massive bamboo trees in the forests of southern India, in the Piraya Reserve, Kerala

Filskifoto's biker photostream

Filskifoto's photostream on Flickr.

A reportage photo shoot on location at Ryka's Cafe, Box Hill, looking at the Bikers n their Bikes who attand the meet up every weekend to one of the UK's most popular biker spots.