This will be the last post for quite a while, i’m writing this post from my hospital bed, and i need to concentrate on getting better and i’ve lost the drive to update this blog.

I am lucky enough to call Carl Frampton a friend, he’s a real good guy, and even better, he really gets involved in the photoshoot, has ideas and trusts the photographer to get the best out of him.

A special thank you goes to Angus, my best friend, and someone whose always there when i need / use or abuse him. He’s never stuck for an answer, or technical query ( as you can see below )

But, i know what i’m getting him for Christmas…………… A pair of jeans that cover his rear better…..

Snapseed from Nik Software has just appeared in the App Store for FREE.

I get asked a lot “what photo editing program do you use for ipad ?” well i have to say this is an excellent app that i would use a lot, it’s for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, so go download this app now, and i guarantee you wont regret it.

App Store Link: Snapseed; Sale Price: FREE

How to use Snapseed: To use Snapseed, simply load or take a photo, then select one or more of the following 11 options, like…

• Auto Correct – Automatically analyzes your photo and adjusts color and exposure to perfection.
• Selective Adjust – Make precise selections and enhancements to specific areas of your photos in seconds with Nik Software’s revolutionary U Point technology.
• Tune Image – Use Ambience to create depth and vibrancy that uniquely adapts to colors and textures. Adjust White Balance, Saturation, Contrast, more.
• Straighten & Rotate – Rotate 90° and/or straighten photos with simple gesture controls.
• Crop – Easily crop photos to remove distracting parts of your photo.
• Black & White – Give that classic Black and White look to your photos with this darkroom-inspired filter.
• Vintage Films – Make any photo look like a vintage color film photo from the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s. Includes nine different color casts, plus tons of controls.
• Drama – Add breathless style with a custom effect specifically tailored to your photos, ranging from subtle enhancements of textures to wildly creative and artistic effects.
• Grunge – Give your photos a totally unique, hip, and dingy look with the Grunge filter.
• Center Focus – Draw attention to the subject of your photo blurring the surrounding background with a few simple gestures.
• Organic Frames – Add stylized borders to your photos for the perfect finishing touch.

Heavyweight competitions are always good to photograph, although sometimes a bit brutal, last nights was no different. I found the undercard good, although the Kid Gallahad fight ended in a minute and a half ! as you can see below

Can anyone say Health and Safety ?

When i went to East Belfast it was to Morgans Removals in Island Street, again, this was an old building and he had no signage or company names inside the building.

On my way to use the toilet i spotted his warehouse, and although it was very dark, i simply daisychained a few Nikon SB800 flasguns together, bungee corded them to the roof of the store, then changed the WB in camera to make it slightly warmer, this then looked like the storeroom lights were lighting the scene.

Camerabits has released Version 4.6.8

nitially available as a trio of public betas, Camera Bits has now posted the final version of Photo Mechanic 4.6.8 for Mac and Windows. The latest release of the speedy pro photo browser and longtime anchor in our own workflow corrects incompatibilities introduced by Mac OS X Lion, while both Mac and Windows versions add support for RAW files captured with the Olympus E-PL2, Panasonic DMC-GF2 and DMC-GH2 and fix a handful of minor bugs.

you can download it HERE

Nik Software announces Color Efex Pro

I was sent to take some pictures of Ballymena Athletics Club a few days ago, at The Antrim Forum. Not every job you get is a world champion boxer or a glamour job, but these girls are going to represent their country and it’s an honour, the fact that so many girls are from the same athletics club is just unbelievable. So it was a dull day in Antrim ( Hard to Believe ) but yes it was a typically wet dull afternoon, on top of that these girls are training, so i had to wait until each girl had a break in their training, shoot the pic then move away, wait for another girl to have a break in their training then shoot the next girl.

I really enjoyed the night, as the girls were pleased to do something different, and not have them with one foot forward pretending to run.

Anyone who knows me, knows i have a real soft spot for Carl, I just think he’s one of the best fighters i have ever seen !

He’s the nicest guy you will ever meet, nothing is a bother to this guy. He will be world champion, i’m sure of it. Tonight he got another step closer to that by winning the vacant Super Bantamweight Title.