The "Glastonbury Vibe" Coming to an iPad Near You

There are several reasons to be cheerful. Our Glastonbury book has gone to the distributor.  When I say our, I mean this is a photographic documentary of the Glastonbury Festival and contains images from both Alasdair and myself.  250 images to be precise.  So it has been a serious undertaking and covers 3 Glasto festivals.

I find writing a cathartic experience.  Also I enjoy the challenge of doing a photo book.  It is a historical record of my photography at this time.  This time around I have used Apple's iBook Author.  This was not an easy decision as it restricts the book to those that have an iPad.  Nevertheless I am using iBook Author because it allows me much greater flexibility in how I present the book.  I have been able to include YouTube clips from some of my favourite Glastonbury sets which help to bring the book alive.  Also I very much appreciate the ease with which you can produce what is a very slick presentation format.  Like much of what Apple does - it just works.  And effortlessly.  Following on the challenges and tribulations of trying to achieve photographic quality in an eBook format, by comparison iBook Author is a dawdle and much more.

So the book should be in the iBookstore in the next few weeks.  I will confirm the date nearer the time.

Meanwhile it is back to the mountains.  Where I belong :-)

The Golden People - Death of Michael Jackson

Trash City Mega Phone Music

Silhouetting The Ting Tings on the Other Stage

The Boss on the Pyramid Stage

Tabernas Turbidites and Cowboys

I always wanted to visit Tabernas in Andalucia and see the deepwater turbidites.  And also the cowboys.  For a week last week we drove around the ramblas and inspected the world class outcrops.  Many thanks to my colleagues and I dedicate these images to all those in Car 5.  May you always be strapped up and your sense of humour never leave you :-)

And here are the outcrops and the cowboy.  I include the perro who is  a contemporary Spanish native.

Perro.

Looks marginal to me - the devil is in the architecture.

Tabernas Europe's only desert world class mostly confined tubidite systems.

Modern cowboys have PDAs and still shoot.

Sunday Morning Reading

A couple of articles in the FT make interesting reading this morning.  One does not expect quality photographic critique on the FT, but these days you take it where you can get!!

The first is an interview with Cindy Sherman.  For those not familiar with her work then this article reveals a great deal.  It is a prelude to her forthcoming retrospective at MOMA.  Say no more:

Cindy Sherman in the FT.


The second is a more difficult concept to get your head around but nevertheless a thought provoking one.  A review of a project on Israel with a group of the most famous photographers in the world.  Sounds extreme and from reading the article, seems.  If you are interested on how Koudelka and Shore and Struth spend their days then this a is a little, but not huge insight.

FT Ways of Seeing.

Finally the reason for my long time silence is that I am busy and that includes another book.  I always wanted to publish my Glastonbury homage.  And with a year off - the Olympics in June will use up all available portaloos in the country- this is the time to do it.


As a taster here is a photo from Chumbawamba in the Avalon Tent - not many musicians can play the tie!!

Everest Here Continents Collided In a Store Near You

Finally and I mean what an amazing feeling to have this book out there!!

You can get a copy here:

https://www.ebookit.com/books/0000001219/Everest-Here-Continents-Collided.html

Enjoy the book.  I wrote it for you :-)

Alex

 Now what will I do next?  Maybe climb a mountain!!!

Latest book to the distributor

Everest Here Continents Collided has now gone to the distributor.  I expect the 160 page book to be available from eBookit in a couple of weeks and thereafter Amazon, iBookstore and Barnes and Noble by October.

You can follow the book blog at

Everest Here Continents Collided

Elsewhere you can already find my "Kate and Wills Royal Wedding" book on Amazon or iBookstoe.  Again in eBook format. 

Glastonbury - Paul Simon and Bono Rock

I feel a bit odd at Glastonbury, and not because you are in a tent city with 180,000 people. And strangely at home at the same time.  There is something for everyone and for me as a photographer there is a compelling photographic story from the moment you get up in the morning to when you crawl into your tent in the wee small hours.  The older acts are inspirational and this year non more than BB King at 85 and Paul Simon at 70.  There is something amazingly uplifting to see an 85 year old man playing the guitar sitting down and in front of 100k+ people.  And then you have the young acts trying to make their mark, but few will be around when they are 70 I would guess!!!

Then there are the headline acts.  U2 were outstanding however I am identifying my generation here.  Coldplay no less so.  For these events I stood up close wishing to photograph the individual artists.  For Beyonce I decided to stand back on the hill to capture the broader perspective. Eventually when I made it up the hill I was sitting on my own watching it all beneath me like a surreal model, but in real life.  The remarkable thing about this image is how clear Beyonce is on the stage.  The image reminds me of a Gursky image I saw years ago where despite having thousands of people present at the event that one key person stands out.  And so she did!!!

 Beyonce Glastonbury 2011

 U2 - The streets with no name

 BB King - The Godfather of Jazz

 Don Maclean - American Pie

 Paul Simon - The Boy in the Bubble.  An understatement to say a living legend

 Dance Village

Glasto  Stonehenge