"I Am..." an Olympic Table Tennis Player

Ask a professional table tennis player to serve eight balls towards the camera lens and guess what happens?

Eight out of eight shots soar into the lens hood at breakneck speed, blink and you'll miss it. This just goes to show why Andrew Baggaley will be representing Great Britain in this year's London Olympics.

With Andrew holding the title of Britain's leading Table Tennis medallist of all time at the Commonwealth games,  it didn't take long for him to showcase his talent. Precision, stamina and tactics all play an important part in the game he explains. Ranked as England number one in every age category (U10, 11, 12, 14, 17 and 21) and coached by his brother Stephen, the Baggaley brothers are a force to be reckoned with.

Having recently attended the kitting out session at Loughborough, Andrew arrived home to his training ground of Milton Keynes complete with various Team GB outfits. Unbeknown to me, Table Tennis is actually ranked as one of the most watched Olympic sports worldwide. Enjoying a quick game or two myself, it would of been rude not to knock up with Andrew, and as you can imagine I didn't stand a chance.

Sponsored by the Swedish brand Stiga, Andrew currently plays for SV Pluderhausen in the German Bundesliga and can often be found jet setting between various international venues. Highly regarded as a possible medal winner for the upcoming games, Andrew was selected as one of the London 2012 Olympic Bid ambassadors. I'm sure you will all join me in wishing Andrew the very best, hoping he can bring home another gold medal. If you are on twitter, follow Andrew's progress here and send him some support!

"I Am..." A Pilot

It's been a little while since the last instalment of the "I Am..." Series, but it's straight back into the action with another 'high-flying' career.

Panshanger Aerodrome was built during the second World War as a decoy location to divert German bombers away from the factories in Hatfield. Complete with a Bellman type hangar, dummy aircrafts and smoking chimneys, the diversion was so successful that even a few British Pilots proceeded to land there. Now home to the North London Flying school and teaching the general public to fly since 1993, it's a great feature with a brilliant story behind it.

Working at one of the busiest flight schools within the United Kingdom, Ivan has flown for 8 years, 4 of which as an instructor at Panshanger. With the original hanger still standing, it was a great opportunity in which to photograph Ivan and the type of plane he commonly flies.

Until recently, flying is something that has been quite 'alien' to me. It's strange to think that this method of transport is deemed 'normal' for those who work at Panshanger, as I never before saw flying as an everyday occurence. Panshanger and its 875m grass runway is regularly used as a commuter route, with more than 400 pilots joining in the last year alone.

Although I was offered the opportunity of a flying lesson, judging by the amount of controls in the picture below, I think it's best I stick to the controls of a camera for now...

Despite our short amount of time with Ivan, it was a fascinating insight into the world of flying and great fun to photograph. The "I Am..." Series has some great features lined up, be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter to stay updated. If you have a career that you think is worth featuring then please feel free to get in touch, I would love to hear from you!

Blancpain Endurance Series - Von Ryan Racing's McLaren MP4-12C GT3

Come rain or shine, the opportunity to involve myself with a professional motorsport outfit such as Von Ryan Racing is something I would grab with both hands. That said, the weekend just gone was very much filled with the earlier part of that statement....rain.

Some of you may recall last year when I photographed Stephen Jelley and his Porsche Carrera 911 GT3 Cup car. This year, Stephen is racing around the globe for Von Ryan Racing in one of their McLaren MP4-12C GT3 race cars, and I headed off to the only British round, Silverstone, to meet the team.

With only 20 race-prepped 12C GT3's being manufactured for 2012, Von Ryan Racing were announced as one of the first teams to get their hands on two marques for the Blancpain Endurance Series. CEO of McLaren Racing, Martin Whitmarsh said "Our clients are looking forward to receiving a GT car full of Formula 1 technology". It's thanks to this that you will find features such as a steering wheel design deployed by Lewis Hamilton in his MP4-24 Formula 1 car.

With the rain continuing to hammer down outside the pit lane door, it gave me the chance to get up close and personal with the 12C-GT3 race car. Ron Dennis (Executive Chairman of McLaren) is well known for his 'clinical' nature, with his factories having workshop floors so clean, you'd happily eat off them. With that in mind, for the next shot I created a minimalistic look, losing distracting elements and detail outside the door as a McLaren GT mechanic continued to work on the car.

The Blancpain Endurance Series competes across international circuits such as Monza, Spa Francorchamps and Silverstone featuring grand tourer race cars modified from production road vehicles. With the three-hour race drawing closer, the team of mechanics set about final preparations, one of which included bringing the engine up to temperature. The thunderous noise of the 3.8L McLaren V8 Twin Turbo echoed throughout pit garages as numerous sets of wet weather tyres were prepared...

Before the team made their way to the water-logged grid, the first of the Draper brothers strapped himself into the hot seat for the first stint, whilst other team members eagerly looked on at the timing screens...

These cars can exhaust all of their fuel in little over an hour, so pit stops are a chance to refuel, fit new tyres and swap drivers. Air jacks are fired from underneath the car, where single nut wheels are removed with airlines, meaning a tyre change takes only a matter of seconds. The tank is brimmed with 97 litres in less than 40 seconds and the new driver is strapped in. An exhilarating, adrenaline filled experience.

Unfortunately Von Ryan Racing's second car (pictured above) suffered a collision in the opening stage of the race, splitting the radiator and resulting in a loss of coolant. Undeterred, the team of mechanics set about fitting a new radiator during a pit stop and managed to get the car back out in the race with little time lost...

The 12C GT3 car features a new front splitter, door blade, rear wing, diffuser and louvres in the front fenders which make it look at home on any circuit.

It's only the second race meeting for these cars, but they have quickly earned the title of 'worlds most expensive flame-thrower'. Apparently, during a 24 hour race at Spa, it's not uncommon to see these cars produce blue-flames down the entire length of the back straight, something i'd love to see and capture!

The clatter of spanners and smell of race fuel brought back fond memories of when my brother and I used to compete many years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed being back in the pit lane and documenting the atmosphere of a high-brow race team, an absolute pleasure to work with such a fantastic crew. For a full gallery from the day, please feel free to click here.

Photoshoot - Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato In The Studio

With the car currently under auction at Monaco, this is one Aston Martin that James Bond won't be getting his hands on. After our photoshoot in the scrapyard, the last thing Evanta wanted me to cover was some studio style 'brochure' shots. These images would be used in the upcoming DB4 Zagato brochure and fact sheets.

Using the infinity white cove at Studio434 was a first for me, and a great chance to experiment with some different style shots. Not only that, it was a great chance to witness the impressive collection that resides in the very same building. I could have happily spent hours taking a look around the collection of fascinating cars.

The detailing and execution on this car is simply stunning. I briefly mentioned in my previous post that this DB4 GT Zagato had a customised Oxblood Red Hide interior, combining certain components from the original DB7 donor car. With it still retaining luxuries such as air-conditioning, airbags and heated seats, this Zagato is certainly a pleasant place to be. With these cars being built to order, measurements are taken for pedal and seat size to ensure a bespoke fit.

Working in this cove meant the use of constant lights, something i'm not overly familiar with (but soon grew to love) and can see myself working further in this way. CT Gels are necessary when mixing flash and constant light as there is always a big discrepancy between colour temperatures. With all of the necessary shots now captured, we turned off the house lights and started to get a little creative with the Elinchrom Quadra's day-light balanced modelling light.

Lightpainting, a technique whereby an external light source is 'painted' selectively over the car, illuminating or highlighting certain areas of your subject. Conditions were not ideal with some natural light entering the studio from nearby skylights, which hindered the shutter speeds somewhat. As such the above and below images were created from multiple (6-7) frames, having different sections of the car illuminated each time and composited later.

It creates a surreal effect and makes the car take on a whole new appearance, emphasising the curves of the car (ideally suited for the nature of this car). In my personal opinion these shots stand out above the rest and will no doubt be found printed onto metallic papers in my portfolio. Working in ways like this just goes to show how versatile one piece of equipment can be, and the Elinchrom Quadra system which I could no longer be without has come up trumps again!

Once again it was an absolute pleasure to work with Evanta on their DB4 Zagato. If you're interested in checking out the auction of their car, you can visit COYS website here. Thanks for reading and if you found this post interesting, don't forget to share it! :-)

Photoshoot - Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

For most, the thought of returning to work hours after landing back from holiday isn't appealing. That is, until you see whats booked in. At the London Motor Show in 1960, Aston Martin unveiled another masterpiece. Their DB4 GT had been placed in the capable hands of coachbuilders Zagato, where a smaller, lighter and more aerodynamic version was hand sculpted. With initial plans to build 25 cars, demand at the time was low and Zagato ceased production after their 20th unit. This makes the DB4 Zagato one of the most valuable sports car of all time, with opportunities to purchase one being extremely rare.

That is, until now. Built to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the original Zagato, Evanta Motor Company have created a classic Gran Turismo fused with modern day technology. This blend, on what is often regarded by many as the most beautiful GT car of all time makes the culmination of over two years hard work time well spent.

With just five days between completion and shipping it off to Monaco for auction, we headed to a contrasting location to capture some publicity shots. Evanta's creation is simply flawless, with it's one piece body shell being hand crafted from modern day carbon fibre and kevlar materials.

There's more to this car than meets the eye, as some of you may have noticed that this DB4 Zagato in particular features widened arches and no door handles. That is because this 1960's based Aston Martin has well and truly been brought into the 21st century.

Life for this car started out as an Aston Martin DB7, before Evanta removed the heavy exterior bodywork and reduced the wheelbase from 102" to the Zagato's original 93". The exterior stays true to an original Zagato (bar a few touches here and there), but the similarities end there. Nearly every component on this car is bespoke, from the suspension and braking system to the Oxblood Red Hide interior.

Evanta certainly made this DB4 Zagato look the part, and they wanted to make sure it had the power to match. Shoehorned in under the bonnet is the V12 engine from the donor DB7. That means that this classic GT features a modern day ECU-Driven, Tiptronic fed, Aston Martin V12 Supercar engine.

Creature comforts such as air-conditioning, airbags and remote controlled door actuators are all features on this car whilst a race-spec roll cage is hidden beneath the interior. One can only imagine what it is like to drive this race-bred GT, but being the only car of its kind in existence I doubt I will ever get to find out. If the noise it makes is anything to go by, it will simply be phenomenal.

The car is currently making it's way to Monaco to be auctioned. If your interested in finding out more about this truly unique, one off creation, you can visit Evanta's website here for a photographic build diary.

With a keen passion for everything car related, I really enjoyed working with Evanta and the beautiful DB4 Zagato. Look forward to seeing what other creations roll out of their workshop in the future!

The "I Am..." Series

The first post of 2012 and the start of something new. Looking back over the past nine months, it's been an eventful time. Photography is like no other career, more of a journey and one which i'm thankful to be a part of. In my relatively-short time as a professional photographer (when compared to others) no day is ever the same, made unique by the people you meet along the way and the stories they have to tell.

Last year, after we finished a corporate shoot in Buxton, I had time to shoot an environmental portrait of a foundry worker. Thrilled by the experience of getting to know the person behind the job, it's inspired me to start a large scale personal project for 2012.

By creating themed and theatrical portraits in their working environments, the aim is to showcase different career paths and the individuals behind them. These will then be catalogued with background information regarding the career on a new website called:

Capturing a career in it's natural surroundings will allow me to convey the characters personality in a single photograph. I'm looking to photograph different careers, from the popular everyday jobs right through to the unique and courageous that keep the world turning.

There is no doubt that this will be an ongoing project, as I could run into several hiccups along the way, i.e. getting permission or the rights to photograph in certain areas can be troublesome.

Each individual that I photograph will receive a fine art print in return for the opportunity they have given me. The photoshoot will then be featured on a behind the scenes blog showing the buildup, with the final image being displayed on the "I Am..." website.

It's going to be a real labour of love, taking large amounts of time to organise these photoshoots, but the outcome will be special.

If you are interested in helping out with this project, or have a career path you want to share, please feel free to get in touch.

I've already shot a few individuals for the project, and have some fantastic opportunities lined up for the coming months. Below are a few shots which kick started the whole idea:

The first instalment of the "I Am..." series will be revealed shortly! Like my Facebook page, follow me on twitter or keep checking back here for further updates.

Photoshoot - RAF Donna Nook, Grey Seals

Who'd of thought that a salt marsh in Lincolnshire close to North Somercotes, regularly being used by the Royal Air Force as a bombing practice ground would be home to over 3,500 grey seals each year?

Between the months of November and December, the Donna Nook Nature Reserve becomes one of the largest breeding colonies of grey seals. Containing nearly 39% of the world's population of grey seals, over 1,000 pups are born annually. The seals are attracted to Donna Nook because of the food, space and safety it provides.

Unsurprisingly, this spectacle attracts visitors from all across the UK. Hannah and I embarked on the 7 hour return journey, covering nearly 300 miles in one day to enjoy this magnificent natural event.

Being in such close proximity to the seals, it's important to remember and respect that these are wild animals. It's enthralling to watch and capture the natural behaviour between Britain's biggest land mammal, as the bulls (males) fight for territory and cows (females) feed and protect their young.

Although a telephoto lens is desirable, it isn't necessary with the seals being very close by. A monopod comes in handy, and there are plenty of places to photograph from. A truly natural and wonderful sight to behold, Hannah and I are already looking forward to our next visit to these adorable creatures.

For more information on Donna Nook and the grey seals check out the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust website, or leave me a comment/question below :)

The above images are a brief selection of what Hannah and I took on the day, a full gallery will be available shortly.

The October '11 Round Up

Darting around the country on both personal and commissioned shoots it's difficult to blog about every photograph I take. I usually tweet/facebook about random goings on, aswell as trying to keep up with uploads to FlickR and 500PX, however for those who don't follow me there i'll be doing a monthly round up of what's happened recently... October saw the Canon Pro Solutions Show take place in Islington, which is a great way to get hands on with all the latest product launches. Racking up the mileage this month, 3 of the 4 weekends have been spent down in Dorset and Somerset covering two weddings and a school photography session. That session meant we shot 26 family portrait sessions, retouched over 1300 images and turned them around for client viewing all within 48 hours!

British Engineering and the glorious McLaren MP4-12C Supercar in Volcano Orange. Quite literally a dream car, and whilst i've not had the opportunity for a up-close and personal photoshoot I managed to grab a quick picture at Snetterton Race Circuit back in August whilst crowds gathered round. Naturally, shot inside a race paddock with peering eyes all around it was never going to be a standout shot resulting in quite possibly my heaviest photoshop to date. I absolutely love this car and thus wanted to make the best image possible out of what I had. A composite of different layers (one for the sky, the floor, reflections in the bodywork of the car etc) we have our final image. Perhaps one day i'll be lucky enough to shoot one of these cars:

I've been fortunate enough to travel to different destinations abroad this year, and my love of travel photography is ever increasing. Shortly i'll be looking to make a seperate section on my website and facebook fan page for various travel related antics. This shot is from Mallorca, and it's northern most peninsula. A view of Punta De La Nau taken from the Mirador Des Colomers, absolutely breathtaking!

Most people will have heard of Stourhead, and it's idyllic landscape gardens. As such this is a very popular shot, however after a hectic weekend covering a wedding in Dorset we headed to Stourhead in Wiltshire to relax in it's Autumnal bliss. Unfortunately a relatively overcast and grey day, although at least it didn't rain!

If you've enjoyed reading the latest round up, then be sure to subscribe to my blog or facebook fan page to keep updated. :)

Photoshoot - Team Parker Racing; Stephen Jelley

Team Parker Racing are a household name when it comes to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. With many trophies and records of championship wins under their belt, this Leicestershire based team currently run 6 cars across the various classes. One of their drivers, Stephen Jelley of previous BTCC fame is in clear contention for this year's title in the number 70 car. This weekend will see the BTCC and Porsche Carrera Cup GB make way to Rockingham, the only US-style ‘oval’ circuit in the UK. The amount of work and dedication that goes into these events behind the scenes is simply amazing. Yesterday we travelled to Rockingham near Corby for an 8am start, ready to spend the day with Team Parker Racing. Let me start by saying that we both Han and I were blown away by the hospitality that Stuart and the team showed us.

In just under 2 hours, 10 dedicated members of Team Parker Racing had built what you could only describe any racers dream. Everything is worked out with precision, each car has it's own position allowing engineers to work quickly and easily. Race lorries are like the tardis, relatively normal on the outside but each house 3 cars, work benches and a driver's lounge! With free reign about the cars to produce an editorial shoot on TPR we decided to first concentrate on some interior/detail shots before Stephen Jelley arrived.

Working around the cars, we felt like part of the team. It was great to chat to engineers about the team and the cars they run, lots of interesting stories to be told! Shortly after lunch time Stephen had arrived, and after a quick chat with him we knew what we wanted to achieve. I'm not sure everyone can say this, but our claim to fame can now be that we've been driven around a race circuit by Stephen Jelley, albeit in a golf buggy......slowly working on our chances in the Porsche ;-)

If anyone knows Rockingham, then you might know that to gain access to the circuit you need to pass through two rather large 'Exhaust Appreciation' tunnels. Before we had even arrived at Rockingham I had planned to use this for a shot. As a photographer it's crucial to have a plan mapped out enabling you to work quickly and efficiently, maximising your actual shooting time with the client. I attached a Speedlite 580EXII to a light stand and had Hannah hold it high over the nose of the Porsche. A second Speedlite 430EX had a full red gel behind the car, and using PocketWizards as my trigger we got the shot in a matter of a minutes before continuing onto the infield.

With Rockingham granting us access to the infield and start line it made a great setting for any race car and quickly the shots started to flow. Huge admiration for Stephen, as he was more than up for doing anything I had in mind. A true gentleman, both a pleasure to meet and photograph. The first shot below is lit with two speedlites, 580EXII camera right as key and 430EX camera left with a red gel for rim. The second shot below is taken using a 70-200 F2.8 at 130mm. Wanting to keep the aperture wide open this is a composite of two shots. The first of all was taken of the car, lit with a single 580EXII Speedlite camera right. All strapped down on a tripod, the focus point was then changed to Stephen. 430EX Camera left in a softbox my VAL (Voice Activated Lightstand, thanks Han! ;-) ) walked parallel to Stephen. All triggered via PocketWizards I made the most of their fantastic 'Hypersync' functionality by using a shutter speed of 1/3200th of a second to kill ambient and still keep recharge times to a minimum:

Unlike other circuits, at Rockingham you have the ability to ascend on top of the pit garages and obtain a higher view point. What better way than to put my new wide angle to the test with this next shot. The lens really excelled it self in every aspect and will always have a home in my kit bag:

What's a race car without speed? In between towing the car around the track with a quad I jumped on the back to try and capture some motion. Some cloning in photoshop to remove the strap and again my wide angle came to the rescue. I love this shot, taken at 1/13th of a second handheld!

Just before the British Touring Car Teams started to setup their garages ahead of race weekend, we quickly borrowed one for a few dramatic shots. Most striking of which has to be this one, lit with two speedlites camera left and right.

All of the lighting setups were simplistic in the fact every photograph has a maximum of two speedlites, triggered via PocketWizard Flex's. The wide angle lens has seriously impressed me and I would recommend it to anyone, hopefully the above photographs speak for themselves! You'll be able to check out higher resolution images over on my website at www.richardpardon.co.uk. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below, the day was a huge success and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. A huge thank you to Stephen Jelley and all at Team Parker Racing, best of luck for the weekend. We'll be there cheering you on! :)

Hitchin Lavender - Purple Haze

Every year Hitchin Lavender open up their field to visitors from all around the country. Hitchin, once known for being one of the major Lavender growing areas in the Country grows five varieties of Lavender; Hidcote, Blue Ice, Rosea, Sawyers and Edelweiss. The fragrant shrub provides a mass of vibrant colour in the landscape and is a dream to photograph for anyone.   Although spontaneity and the ability to adapt to your surroundings is crucial in photography, I can often visualise a photograph before I've taken it. It's for this reason that I dragged my better half out of bed to accompany me on this 4:30am sunrise shoot. The thought of a low lying mist through the lavender lit by a golden sun had me excited (much to Hannah's dismay :))

I've mentioned in previous posts that planning is crucial, and numerous checks to the Met Office were carried out to ensure we wouldn't be met by torrential rain (can't leave anything to chance in England). Conditions were looking good with clear skies and 89% humidity forecasted. Mist should begin to form at 90% so I had my fingers crossed for the photograph I wanted to create. The Photographers Ephemeris iPhone app allowed us to pinpoint the exact direction of the sunrise leaving nothing to chance. Now, onto the result....

As you can see, that's alot of mist and not much of a sunrise. Overnight changes in the forecast meant it was now 97% humidity and at 5:19am when the sun should of bathed us in a golden glow we were left with a cold misty scene. Not to be deterred, we carried on photographing the gorgeous view that we were left with. Turns out, the mist produced a stunning landscape shot as the colour of the lavender was reflected in the sky.

Here's a picture of myself in the Lavender Field, picture courtesy of the wonderful Hannah Couzens. We have plans to return shortly and have another go at the sunrise, but for now i'll be catching up on my sleep! If your interested in visiting or reading more about Hitchin Lavender, please feel free to visit their website by clicking this link. We'd both like to say a huge thank you to Hitchin Lavender for their hospitality and giving us the chance to photograph the landscape.