Coffee, Buses, Plans and Photographs

Just about sums up the last couple of weeks. I simply haven't had a chance to update this blog as I've been working on location for the last 2 or 3 weeks solid and I can never seem to connect to a wireless in old factories or weird old houses.
But I'm finally back at home and enjoying some time to recoup and edit before launching our new project next week. It's already been plastered around the new website etc but we're launching "Shoot It Loud" very soon which is a new music blog and shop. More about that later.
So since the last blog I've been shooting weddings, bands and the occasional glamour model. I even went from shooting with monkeys at Dudley Zoo to shooting one of birminghams most promising glamour models within the space of an hour - although let me insist that the two shoots were completely seperate...
We're very near to completion with the calendar with just one more girl left to shoot. It's taken us everywhere from monkey enclosures to the not-so-cobbled streets of Black Country Museum and should be ready for purchase sometime next month.
Also working on a few more calendars up in Derby over the next few weeks for a magazine and a few fashion outlets, which i'm looking forward to.
Working everyday for the last two weeks has finally taken it's physical toll on me, I've had some severe Man-Flu the last few days - although it's not really flu, just a tad under the weather, I've been advised by Dani to take it easy for abit so I'm just kicking back for the next few days to regain some energy and eat some proper food. Rustlers 60 second burgers are nice once - but living off 60 second food for two weeks is not fun.
So back to Shoot It Loud - our new online music publication. It'll work as a blog system and can be accessed at shootitloud.com (when it's ready) - it'll link between the new Chris Barber Media website so you can purchase prints from the gig online. The reason I've set this up is for two reasons.
First of all, when I'm at gigs, I always have someone ask for more information about where they can view the photos from the set. Usually I work as part of other publications which is great, I can just refer to the publications website and they can view them there. But I want somewhere to host my music portfolio seperate from Chris Barber Media, which is currently in a fairly awkward hybrid of Music, Lifestyle, Wedding and Model Portfolios....lol. So hopefully the launch of Shoot It Loud will help to seperate my varied portfolio. Also - I've had alot of people contact me after the gig requesting prints from the night. Most of the time this is of the band, however, I've had requests to purchase photos of themselves at a gig (I try and get a few shots of the crowd at each gig) so Shoot It Loud will take a similar stance to succesful nightlife photography website - Tilllate, with emphasis on photos of the crowd as well as the band playing.
Below is the current planned gigs for the next year or so. As I said, most of my work is done for other publications, but this work will still be uploaded to Shoot It Live.

Spinto Band
Last Shadow Puppets
Towers of London
Foals
the Courteeners
The Hoosiers
The Fillers
Weatus/Frontline
Katie Melua
McFly
Ida Maria
Pigeon Detectives
The Script
The Fratellis
Stereophonics
The Enemy
Jason Donavon
Boyzone (Yep..)
The Killers

All the above are scheduled to go ahead within the next year, some of which starting from this Friday, so keep your eyes peeled and if you see me at a show - give me a wave. I'm usually eating Smarties Cookies or something :)

Chris!