Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 April 2025

Venues, Glasgow Music



Glasgow Hydro audience

Glasgow named as City of Music

 

Glasgow is a vibrant and exciting city of music, with the diversity and range of music venues. It has a slightly wild, irreverent and challenging side. Many musicians also say Glasgow audiences are the best!

 

From the concert hall to the modern 14K seater Hydro; iconic mid-size venues and the large number of small venues. World renowned venues include – the Barrowlands, King Tuts, Oran Mor and the Old Fruitmarket. These venues offer a close up and intimate live music experience.

 

There is also the unusual and historic venues – the Tall Ship, on the Clyde, the Macintosh church, Nice n Sleazys, St Lukes, Brel. All this matters in terms of building a healthy and active grassroots music scene for the future. Plus a number of busy folk clubs, jazz bars and more.

 

The Arts and music is a huge industry for the UK and for Scotland. 

 

Glasgow boasts lively Trad sessions, decades of history, iconic venues, intimate gigs,

 

 Outstanding festivals, passionate audiences, record shops, 

 

 

Mary Chapman Carpenter and Friends


Del Imitri Hydro





MY MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY


Over the past years I’ve been to many memorable concerts and taken photos of my musical heroes. I saw my music and lyrics hero Bob Dylan on the Braehead arena - I have to assume he found the large SECC arena impersonal and remote for his previous gig here. I went with my teenage son and his audience is certainly a broad church – from the dedicated disciples who go every concert to the curious. At 70 Dylan is a proliferate as ever with a new album release in 2020, with his stunning, immersive songs.

 

Another icon was Paul Simon, Clyde Auditorium, which was uplifting and joyous. Plus Fleetwood Mac, Elton john, Neil Young. Paul McCartney.

 

On the smaller stages – Arcade Fire, Barrowlands, Admiral Fallow, King Tuts, Hiam, swg6, 

Oran Mor, Emeli Sande. Karine Polwart, Tall ship.

 

I’ve seen other folk heroes at both Celtic Connections and Milngavie folk club - notably the legends Dick Gaughan. Dougie Maclean, Rab Noakes, Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis. And Blue Rose Code (Ross Wilson) was another favourite.

 

Plus the excitement of taking photos at the Royal Albert hall London for Emeli Sande!  2012. I’ve taken photos at many top class gigs – its often been a thrill and an honour with the buzz of the pit and the adrenalin rush to try to capture the right image, that not only tells the story but the artist expressing their innermost reflections..

Music photography expresses my passion of both art and music.




King Tuts famous steps!



Monday, 31 May 2021

Rewilding Scotland: How can we recover


Empty & Haunting Glencoe

Our hills are bare

How can we  restore, recover our wetlands, our forests,

Our hedgehogs, our eagles , our bears

Our winding rivers to the seas..

The silence… 

- Only 2% of Scotland has trees, it’s the least wooded country in Europe. 37% is Europe’s average. 

- 25% of Scotland’s land is for grouse shooting and open hill deer stalking with little revenue. There is an urgent need for talks with all involved. 


Our hills are bare, with burnt heathers, triangles of unnatural pines with no undergrowth, wild salmon under threat by lice-infected farmed salmon. Victorians tamed our hills to empty glens for grouse shooting. 

Our forests were cut down for the trenches in world war one and sent over to Belgium and France and our land depleted by clearances of people, to prioritise sheep and grouse shooting exploitation. Scotland needs the powers to protect our natural resources and a greener future. Scotland has unnatural, empty landscapes, devoid of people or trees – 

 

I remember my first visit to Glencoe and Rannoch moor, as a young student and I was so struck by the vast emptiness amid the towering, imposing, snow capped mountains. The winds seemed to howl of the past tragedies and violence ..the Glencoe massacre of the MacDonalds.

 In America there are wondrous natural forests, that are multi-coloured, from soft yellows, dark greens, blue greens, in the Fall are such a glorious show of reds, oranges and browns. 

 

Scotland is one of the most nature ruined countries – exploited by polices of grouse shooting, heather burning moors, culling hares, wildlife, removing natural predators and people in favour of sheep and deer herds. Images of Norway show diverse, natural forests and people living on the land – unlike Scotland’s empty glens. 

 

The okra whales of our western waters, are now perhaps infertile. They can live 90 years and only 8 adults now remain. Are those awful nuclear subs that patrol the western seas, confusing  these magnificent animals with their sonar sounds? Most Scots want the removal of these ugly, monstrous subs. 

 

The silence…

 

“….absence of birdsong or wolf howl,. We were persuaded to let the soils wash into the sea, the few remaining predators to be trapped or shot, the land tamed, and the life drained away. 

the taming of the Scottish highlands has not tamed wildlife. “


Wetlands & marsh
***How can we Restore?

Restoration is supported by 75% of Scots

Positives moves – UN Decade of Habitat restoration; re-introduction of natural ecosystems and natural biodiversity; beavers brought back to build dams which restore wetlands and temperate rainforests; osprey and white-tailed eagles brought back. Restoring nature to our quiet glens. 


Re-wilding projects Scotland a re-wilding; mountain hare culls have stopped. And Wildlife bridges for animals rather than small pockets – Perth to Inverness, wetlands, natural forest, habitat re-connectivity. 

Huge costs. Scotland has many alien species, rural economy development, greener habitat, plus money to remove the awful scourge of Rhododendrons.  

Bio-diversity of the future.  

 

‘young forests are on the march for the first time in generations,  peat lands are being restored, natural processes are being allowed to shape and govern our landscapes. “

River restoration systems were allowed burns straightened out a century ago, to meander again,  reconnecting to their floodplains and leading to more trees, more flowers, more insects, more fish, cleaner waters, less flooding. 

 

Scotland’s beautiful landscapes, some of the best in the world, have been exploited, ruined and laid bare by foreigners intent on fast money. Indy Scotland needs the powers to protect our resources – now a theme park for global elites. 


@Peter Cairns

**Scottish Rewilding Alliance

 

**I attended an online 

Talk by wildlife photographer Peter Cairns

Cairns spoke of his motivations with his photography. 

Conservation works, we need more of it. Wanderlust, always looking over the horizon or beyond doorways: asking questions about myself and why I’m motivated to do something. He considered Wildlife management, conservation and ecology. He spoke of our relationship with animals and with predators such as wolves, to reintroduced them and to bring back the natural environment.  

 

Cairns spoke of photography as a language and the power of the visceral image. Its power as a visual communicator, storytelling, informs, inspires and influences change. The human world view – hunters, ranchers, our set of values.  

 https://www.petercairnsphotography.com


Loch Ardinny &Campsies


 **ISSUES we must urgently address

Economic growth vs well being?

Green bridge Aberdeen. 

Grouse moors are legal, moor burns are a problem, but we must work together to find solutions.

 

**BOOKS

*Tooth and Claw with Mark Hamblin: changing our relationship with wildlife. We have complex, contradictory values. Endangered species. The wildcat – highland tiger.

 

*Wild Wonders of Europe: top 70 nature photographers, explore sustainability. 

*2020 Vision (20 British photographers) he feels more at home in Scotland and to tell the story properly, it needs to be under your skin. Protecting species and nature reserves. Think bigger and longer term.  

 

BOOK Regeneration, Andrew Panting.  

https://www.petercairnsphotography.com

 

Wednesday, 26 December 2018

Photography & Journeys 2018



2018 has been a constructively rewarding year.

I was delighted that one of Scotland’s top singer song writers Rab Noakes has used my photos from his Celtic Connections gig 2017 - on his new album Anniversarywille. Back in the 60s and 70s, Rab played with greats such as Gerry Rafferty and Lindisfarne. When I hung out in the folk scene then, I remember well the harmony singing of Noakes songs, such as Branch, Clear Day,To each and Everyone, Somebody Counts on Me. In 2007, I saw Noakes still going strong at an Oran Mor gig. He often includes a fifties classic, and this time a song my husband remembered his mother singing. He is also a dedicated Bob Dylan follower – check out his interpretation of Dylan’s Mississippi
Rab Noakes Old Fruitmarket Celtic Connections

I also had my first front page in the Scotsman of Chelsea Clinton, in Edinburgh to promote her book, She Persisted. Also photos used by major media (the BBC, Albert hall, Celtic Connections and more) and by press outlets. I have exhibited at Celtic Connections music festival.

I need to allow space, movement, escapism, movement and time for dreams in my images. There have been times when I was so in the moment. I’ve had shoots with hours of time when the artists, the musicians, the dancers who have put their hearts on the line over their commitment to hours of hard graft.  
Journeys
I have been travelling the Scottish islands – first to Orkney, which was awesome, and all its history. Orkney gently tells many stories – ancient sagas from its rich past. Second the outer Hebrides and the beauty of the shimmering soft blues of these landscapes is breathtaking, and its expanse of sands and surging seas....
 
V & A Dundee
Other Projects
I’ve been pursing many projects - too many perhaps! - and I’m often inspired. Hopefully.
My interest and love of history continues apace – this began as a child and with visits to Edina’s historic castle and the Holyrood palace, where I purchased a small blue book on the Stewart kings. At school though, I only learnt of the Tudors and European history.

We learn invaluable lessons by following those who walked before us. I’ve been searching for Scotia – in Edina’s ancient streets and reading Robert Crawford’s The Bard, a very well researched Robert Burns biography that focuses on his poetry and songs. Writing requires a great deal of research, time, commitment, editing, resources and mostly patience too – as do all the arts. We need many skills. 

In these strange times, the arts matters more than ever. 

Culture matters. Our stories matter.


Tuesday, 31 July 2018

Music and Portrait photography


One of my main focuses with photography is making music images.

And the importance of good photos. I believe that a great image has great significance - then again perhaps great artists make great images? Here are a few of the images that have inspired me. I was inspired by great images in Life magazines and by jazz images. I love the stories in great images... 



Frank Sinatra Albert hall London
When I arrived at the the Royal Albert hall London in November 2012 - I thought wow, to take an image like this of Frank Sinatra on stage....I read of a photographer just happening to be at the right place, at the right time and was taken on a Paul McCartney’s photographer for his tour. And I thought maybe one day I would take images of some of my all time musical heroes....
Hurts

I continue to cover concerts, festivals and events, while I focus on several other projects. Music has always been a life long passion since I played piano songs at the age o seven and art too.
It has been great being able to combine the two. 

My other focus is portraiture, which is no easy task and a patient challenge to capture something a bit different and the character and moods. 
Ian Rankin
Alexander McCall Smith
I needed to allow space, movement, escapism, movement and time for dreams in my images. Time to escape in the moment.
I’ve had shoots with hours of time when the artists, the musicians, the dancers who have put their hearts on the line, after their commitment to gruelling hard graft, and that's usually when I take my best images.  

Culture matters. Our stories matter. 
TESTIMONIALS: 'you use the light exceptionally well, full of life.’ 'You have a wonderfully observing & imaginative eye.' ''you're really very talented & have a great eye - it's a rare skill!' 'they are fab as always, you're truly amazing at your art'  - https://pkimage.co.uk

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

Milngavie folk club PHOTOS

Banny Gallagher

MY PHOTOS at the very popular local Milngavie folk club, run by Jason Smith . I’ve taken some of my favourite images here at some wonderful intimate concerts from some of the cream of Scottish folk talent – Dick Gaughan, Michael Marra Kris Drever, Karine Polwart, Rab Noakes, Benny Gallagher, Cara Dillon, Dougie MacLean,  Donovan, Rose Code Blue. 

MILNGAVIE FOLK CLUB - http://tickets.jmsconcerts.co.uk

DICK GAUGHAN
Kris Drever
John McCusker
Rab Noakes
Michael Marra
Karine Polwart
Dougie MacLean

Michael Marra
Rab Noakes & Barbara Dickson
Blue Rose Code