NEW WEBSITE

I'm pleased to announce that my new website is now up and running, check it out at...

www.ianforsythphotography.co.uk


Many thanks to Matt Kirwan ( www.mattkirwan.co.uk ) for building the site and providing technical guidance and giving answers to my endless questions, if your looking to start a website or upgrade your current site you should give him a call and check out what he can provide.

A 'projects' tab will also be coming online soon within the new site to showcase some of my multi-media work so keep checking back for updates.

NEW surf blog

To keep my surfing photography seperate from my other work, and allow me to post new images and comment I have started a new blog specifically on surf photography.

The address is: http://surftog.blogspot.com/

Alternatively, you can follow the tab from my main website: http://ianforsythphotography.co.uk
and go and check it out.

My top 20 list

I don't really follow the trend of giving myself a New Year resolution to try and keep, you can never maintain them anyway, but this year I have given myself some 'aims' of what I want to have achieved with my photography before the end of the year. Some might be relatively easy to achieve others might be a little harder, some will need a little more time than others and some will be virtually impossible, but hey, never say never!

Below is my list of things I need to try and achieve this year...in no particular order...

1. Continue to develop my print portfolio and keep it current.
2. Get my new website up and running (...cheers Matt it's looking good so far).
3. Keep working on my lighting set-ups and technique with my 'Strobist' lighting gear.
4. Start buying necessary camera equipment and stop buying unneccesary camera equipment.
5. Keep working on my personal projects and then keep the momentum going.
6. Keep working on multimedia projects to keep the standard rising.
7. Arrange meetings to discuss my portfolio with the picture editors of at least two major newspapers or news agencies. (The Guardian and Reuters!?)
8. Have one of my photos used in the Guardian's 'In Pictures' double page spread in the centre of the newspaper.
9. Keep taking plenty of photographs.
10. Look for the different and unusual and then photograph it.
11. Keep networking and building my business for when I get out the Army in 3 years (yey!) so I can start doing the projects I want to do.
12. Keep on top of my business accounts and my record keeping.
13. Stop carrying more kit than I need when I go on jobs, my shoulder is knackered!
14. Pursue more shifts with the newspapers in my area.
15. Be more proactive with story ideas that may be of interest to the papers.
16. Plan ahead more for possible stories.
17. Make more effort to keep supplying the picture libraries with my surfing photographs.
18. Enjoy my photography more and remember why taking pictures is such an incredible thing to do and force myself not to get stressed when the crappy work jobs piss me off!
19. Keep on top of my blog posts!
20. Stop making lists!

So there it is, my top 20 things to be getting on with, I will post on here as things are achieved and I will try and remember to recap on what I have actually managed as we go through the year.

Plain Crazy

Saltburn Animal Rescue Association looks after abandoned animals from the East Cleveland area with the hope of getting many of the animals, mainly dogs, together with new owners. As many charities find, funding is always an ongoing concern, the Association supports the traditional New Year's Day Dip at Saltburn beach as a way of raising some much needed funds...

At the stroke of 11am those individuals willing (crazy enough) to run into the freezing cold waters of the North Sea all line up and prepare for the rush to the waters edge...

The inevitable cold rush that follows their brief dash into the cold water begins as soon as they leave the water...

Despite the low temperatures and cold water most remain in good spirits...

Although sometimes, and even though it's all in aid of a good cause, it's just plain wrong!

Happy New Year!