The other day I was chatting to a friend about the TV programmes of our youth, and I mentioned that I photographed Maggie Philbin about a month ago — Multi-coloured Swap Shop and Tomorrows World fame (two of my favourite shows as a kid) and also Keith ‘Cheggers’ Chegwin’s ex-wife.

She and I talked surprisingly openly about her career and marriage to Keith and swapped stories about our take on our industries. She’s great, I really enjoyed speaking with her. And… it seems far from retired (I always think people die or retire if I can’t see them on the box), she is on BBC Berkshire radio’s morning show.

She’s funny and absolutely a pro, without doubt, and would you believe she even let my make up artist cut her hair (just a trim of the fringe though…) when I didn’t really like what we were getting. Really good meeting her. So in honour of my childhood and because I like her a lot… I put her on the Actor’s home page for a little while.

Anyway, if you are feeling the nostalgia after hearing about Maggie, take a look at the list and see if you can remember these programmes. It’s amazing how many we remembered and even small details of the shows and presenters. It was funny and frustrating that a mate remembers Johnny Morris but not Terry Nutkins… tragic!

Animal Magic,
Metal Mickey,
The Banana Splits,
Grange Hill,
Finger Mouse,
Hong Kong Phooey,
Jamie and the Magic Torch,
Cracker Jack,
Noggin the Nog,
Grizzly Adams,
Penelope Pitstop,
Swap Shop,
The Monkeys,
Rent A Ghost,
Catweazle,
Monkey Magic,
TisWas,
Secret Diary of Adrian Mole,
Why Don’t You?,
Take Hart,
We Are The Champions,
The Sooty Show,
Worzel Gummidge,
It’s a knockout,
Record Breakers,
Cheggers Plays Pop

!!! UPDATE ALERT !!! — I just received an email off another friend who read the new entry and sent me this list of crackers to add to the collection:

Bod
Ivor the Engines,
Littlest Hobo,
The Flumps,
Magic Roundabout,
Trumpton,
Larry the Lamb,
Captain Caveman, – How did I miss that one!
Camberwick Green,
Kick Start,
Mr.Ben,
Danger Mouse,
Dogtanion, – One of the all time greats
Battle of the Planets, – Another great one!
Chorton and the Wheelies,

This weekend was great. I was given the chance to go and take pictures of the mce British Superbike races at Brands Hatch in Kent.

If you know me, there is not much surprise in hearing I like motorbikes and bike racing — Watching rather than racing (although given a chance I could be great!)

I have been riding for many years and have a passion for bikes that whilst in conversation, is perhaps palpable to others. So much so that when I was chatting to a client of mine, he offered to get me a Media Pass for the BSB. Naturally I jumped at the chance to go in the Pit Lane. As it turned out, the pass allowed only Paddock access rather than the fuller Pit Lane and Paddock access that some photographers were wearing. The fact that we had a lesser pass seemed not to impede us much as we were right in the thick of it most of the time. Remember the saying; Act like you’re meant to be there and nobody will question you?

There were photographers from different papers who were shooting that day and in the Media room, where we (my friend Peter came on his bike to help out a bit) stored our kit and changed out of our leathers, there was much dissatisfaction at what was seen as the change in policy to not allow full pit lane access to some jobbing photographers and full access to others.

I don’t know much of the newspaper world but people spoke of arbitrarily choosing one over another. One photographer said his readership was 700,000 a fortnight — is that a lot? I’m not too sure it is but he was unhappy and inconsolable, although if truth be told, I didn’t really put too much effort into it — “cheer up”, I said, as if that were in some measure the right ointment to apply… It wasn’t, so I left him to it…

You must be accredited in order to gain access to these races regularly and use those images in a way that keeps you accredited. To gain accreditation is not easy if you don’t have the right kind of image published in the right publication. The example here is Bikes in Bike mags. It sounds like that could be quite straightforward and easy but I spoke with the editor of Superbike Magazine — I say spoke with but it felt a lot more like interrupted whilst he made a cup of tea in the Media Centre. He said that all of their images came from one source and that he would not be looking for anyone else to (I use the word again…) interrupt that flow. So when the editor of one of the mainstream bike magazines says bugger off, it doesn’t bode well, does it.

Have a look at the random images I shot — Promotional grid-girls seem as important to racing as the riders and are always happy to pose with fans of the teams the girls represent… It’s a little weird but horses for courses. I hope the images give you a feel for the race atmosphere… If they don’t keep looking until they do!   ;0)

I know that the image of Ellison is back to front but I like him that way… sort of.

Brookes looking at his bike after coming off and the crew thinking about sellotape…

Sykes in the hallway behind the Podium holding his trophy.

There were lots of us watching the podium. I had the shortest lens there but I’m happy.

Earlier this summer my assistant, Elena and I were on a photography assignment in Kensington before going on to another assignment in Greenwich Park. The client at the time said that we should go by river bus called the Natwest Thames Clipper as it’s the nicest way to go and you can use your Oyster card.

We decided to take the river bus there and come back the faster way into Central London, assuming that would be the tube. It was great. The sun was shining and the water looks good when you look out rather than down — it’s a bit brown when you see it close up. It was so much fun and a great way to sightsee cheaply. We enjoyed it so much we went back on the river bus whilst I used my GPS speed-o-metre to see how fast we were travelling. According to the iphone we were moving at a rate of 45 miles per hour. That’s pretty fast on water and you can see that when you look at our wake in the pictures.

We have since taken the Clipper a few times more and I thought I would share our 10 minute trip from Canary Wharf into London Bridge from yesterday after our assignment at the top of One Canada Square. Great views from up there. Anyway, the pictures are all from my crappy camera on the iphone. If you fancy giving the Thames Clipper a go, you can get more information from. www.thamesclippers.com

When people speak to me about being on camera, I cringe. It’s not something that comes naturally to some of us, but to others it’s like a drug, deep in their vains. I understand this notion well as at school I enjoyed the elixir of popular fame and often capitalised on it.

The rare video below is a little of that drug in my own vains from a few years ago…

http://www.wyldstallyons.com/client/dropbox/BushidoMainCompWIP11_512x288_H264.mov

I was chatting recently to a friend who reminded me that three or four years ago I was on the intro to a TV programme called Bushido — The way of the warrior which aired on Nuts TV (no doubt the reason I forgot this video ever existed).

It was something that was organised by a friend of mine who asked if I might dig out some of my Chinese heritage for a martial arts programme as he was in need of someone pretty sharpish. Now when most people hear that I’m part Chinese, they are taken aback with confusion. To many people, I could not be more English. My manner, my accent, my love of our history all add to the notion that I am English through and through… Well don’t believe a word of it. I’m a Eurasian (European & Asian). I’m half Chinese/Malaysian and Irish/English… What a cocktail of Empire I am.

I consider it fortuitous that on this occasion my part Chinese mix had me on the cards for this part, as I got the job — Paid too. I was told it would be great fun to do and I would be helping them out enormously, plus it would not be embarrassing at all. It was, I did and was one of the most fun afternoons I had for ages…

I was asked to shout and scream and punch and I feel sure I actually punched myself in the face by accident but cannot quite remember as I knock a strong punch at a crunch.

I remember filming this in an office where the production company — Wyld Stallyons, who made the intro, were based. They said shout something… “F*@k!!!!!!!!!!”, I screamed, to which everyone rolled around laughting. I couldn’t think of anything more angry to help get across the passion and terror I was asked to act-out. After the first F*@k, heads started appearing from around a corner, one on top of the other like a slap-stick comedy film, all trying to find out why some madman was screaming F*@k at the top of his lungs, in their office whilst others rolled around in fits of laughter at the sight of me.

It must be said I had a great time making it and to all the actors out there… I do understand. I’m also shocked that the link to the film still works after all these years, but whilst it does, you get to enjoy the fun too.

David

Well it’s finally happened. About a year ago I was photographing a director of Bixi, the Canadian version of the bicycle hire scheme that Boris Johnson has adopted. It’s not identical but similar and the system is supplied by the Montreal company, who have successfully exported the scheme to a number of other cities too. London’s version is called Barclays cycle hire and has 6000 bicycles for free if your journey is under 30 minutes! Amazing!

When I spoke to the client about the system and how many of our youth will it take to destroy a great idea, he seemed to both understand what I say and reassure that it will take time for people to stop destroying once they see the benefit. Oh yea of too much faith… have you never met the tenacious teenagers of Tooting or Tottenham?!

The scheme seems simple enough to understand. Take a look at the video below…

In theory, it could do a few things to London:

1. Potentially get people cycling and therefore create awareness for other road users as more and more cyclists are on the streets, thus making it a safer experience. (Or be the cause of a lot of road-rage making it highly unsafe!)
2. Lower the rate of bicycle theft — the unprepossessing nature of the bicycles were surely intentional as a deterrent.
3. Maybe lower the odd bike shop profits.

I bought a bike last year in an attempt to reduce the chances of weight-gain during the transition from being a smoker of 22 years to a non-smoker. It worked, I did become a non-smoker and I put on 10kg which seems to be a little unfair but expected.

It’s now a year on and I have lost 5kg — not a lot, but I cycle to most locations in London and I play tennis too, so you would expect better results, really… It’s the damn crisps! Arrrrrggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I have a bike but on those occasions when I am without it, I will be using the Barclays cycle hire scheme for sure… where do I sign:

<https://web.barclayscyclehire.tfl.gov.uk/member

It has taken seven months to finally launch the new website and it’s not only a long time overdue, it’s late on top of that. It was meant to be monday 19th July 2010 but sadly it has taken to the 22nd to iron out all the bugs. If you spot one, let me know.

For those of you who have heard of Headshot London but don’t know our new logo… It’s NEW and so you won’t have seen it. We had it designed along with the site to have a new look and as the business grows so too must our image.

Our new logo is grown-up, austere and commanding yet stylish and friendly… ish. We love it and we hope you will too. If you see advertising from the old logo, contact us and we’ll update it but within a couple of months all traces of the old logo would have vanished.

David

When I am in my garden in Primrose Hill, looking around at the gulls and pigeons, squirrels and foxes, I think… How lucky am I to have all this in Central London. I must admit, late at night when I happen to be in the garden, I am struck with a sense of terror… thinking that a skulk of foxes will jump out of the bushes and kill me before I am found at first light with my legs sticking out of the undergrowth! Actually, I sort of have a similar feeling towards the gulls too… (Brrrrrrhhhh… Shivers!!!)

Anyway, when I look around at the fat Wood pigeons that seem to love being in my garden (I say mine but it’s communal) I wonder why they are so very different to the more common pigeons with wooden legs and a limp. It sounds crazy now but when I was a bit younger, someone told me that the reason the pigeons have no feet was because their feet were a little like a Welly. They come off…’POP!’ But are harder to go back on because of joints and such like. Anyway, the reason so many pigeon had no feet was because of all the chewing gum on the pavement. A pigeon would walk into the sticky gum and pull as hard as he could, he could not get free. He would pull and pull, flap and try to fly until… Well… POP! Off comes the foot which is still stuck on the gum and poor little pigeon looks down and says to himself, I’m disabled because of this gum. They don’t have hands so they cannot pull the foot off the sticky gum and no human is going to help… we just aren’t like that, so they are left limping. I have since learned that this is actually not true and that humanising a living creature is ‘Anthropomorphism’ and speaks more about us than them.

Anyway, back to my pigeons.I find it a tantalisingly tasty thought that I might one day get a shot gun… No, not a shot gun… A catapult… yes, a good one! (narrowing of eyes) Like the black widow catapult when I was a boy. Shoot! and one fat, tasty wood pigeon is on the menu tonight. Now would that be a dish worth eating?

I had dinner with friends at The River Cafe a couple of days ago and I had pigeon. Whenever I see pigeon on the menu I order it. It tasted good and was less tough than most pigeons I’ve had (It was a bit tough though… but when the waitress came over I said… Mmmmm, delishh…) but frankly still a little tough. Cost saving on pigeons sounds like a great idea but even if it were free, I feel sure that a pigeon is just not worth the effort of eating it.

Oh, if you are in Barcelona and think… Snails are traditional are they? I could have 6 or 7… think again. Try 46 snails in a hot pan and a needle to dig them out with… It was horrific! (Arrrrrggggghhhh)

On a recent trip to Barcelona, I attended the Moto GP in Circuit de Catalunya. I am a big Moto GP fan and come from a motorcycling family. My father used to ride as a younger man, my brother used to ride and most of the men on my father’s side ride or used to ride… uncle’s, cousins and in-laws. I myself have ridden for 12 or 13 years and I have owned everything from a Classic Vespa, Honda VFR, two Suzuki GSX-Rs and currently riding a Honda Fireblade… V4′s, V Twins and inline fours and even a horizontallly-opposed boxer ? BMW R71 classic bike, I had them all and love every minute of time spent on them.

So below are a few shots of the race in a nutshell. As I have never shot a race before, I quickly came to realise that I was woefully under equipped for the track and should have packed much more (The photographer in the fourth picture has the right idea!). Anyway, see what you think. OH, the first two guys are friends who live in Barcelona. If you are in Barcelona and need a Chiropractor or English Professor, let me know! ;0)

I don’t think I ever saw a race go from start to finish so quickly, did you?!

I was hoping for a June Blog-launch so that I could share a few shots from a great experience of mine. Sadly it has taken a month to get this blog going but I think I shall share it with you anyway, even if it is a little late.

Last month on the 12th of June I was asked to be a part of Trooping the colour with The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) and part of the household cavalry. Trooping the colour is the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, marked each year by a military parade and march-past, known as Trooping the Colour (Carrying of the Flag). The official name is ?the Queen?s Birthday Parade?.

It started early in the barracks in Knightsbridge with me being shown around. I was introduced to some of the soldier who were preparing for the parade. Shining boots, swords and breast plates is only part of the spit and polish that goes into getting ready for the day.

Regardless of the red brick and concrete of the relatively new barracks, it’s an environment that makes you feel the history of our country. Trooping the colour has been paraded on the sovereign’s birthday for more than 260 years and I really got into the spirit of it.

It’s interesting that I look at the pomp of military parades as something for kids. In fact, I worked out that the last time I went to Trooping the colour was as a small child. What a shame we the younger generation (OK, so I’m not that young) don’t take more pride in our traditions and go without kids or tourists in tow. Take a look at a few of the shots below and I hope to see you there next year as I can recommend it to all. I absolutely intend on going… officially or unofficially. Thanks again to all the Blues and Royals, especially CoH Frampton, at Knightsbridge barracks for making it a great day for me too.