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Here’s a series of panoramic photos from Mathew Street Festival 2010. I climbed back up to the top of the Town Hall and grabbed the same shot as I did last year… this time with blue sky! And then whilst riding my bike over the flyover that wraps around the Walker Art Gallery I noticed a pretty cool view of the tunnel stage and out west along Dale Street (third shot down). These shots are composed from multiple images stitched together…
Bigger, better and definitely sunnier! Another Mathew Street Festival is done and dusted – and what an amazing weekend it was! Perfect early autumnal weather greeted the thousands of Liverpudlians who hit the streets, for what is now the biggest street party in Europe!
I’ll be posting photos from the festival in the coming days, so stay tuned! In the meantime, here’s a few for starters…
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Starting off with rain looming – the clouds disappeared and the Mathew Street Festival Liverpool 2010 kicked off with a bang!
Turned out to be a great day for photography. Here’s a quick snap from the Black Eyed Peaz on the Superlambanana stage. There’ll be plenty more photos to come…
That’s what it’s all about right? People from all walks of life coming together for the Mathew Street Festival Liverpool. Sure to be another magic couple of days this year, it all kicks off on Sunday… see ya’ll down there!
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The fantastic Mathew Street Festival, Liverpool is here again this bank holiday weekend.. pray for sunshine! It’s been a crazy year since the last one – and didn’t get round to posting a blog entry from last year. So here goes…….
Liverpool City Centre is literally transformed into one big concert/party area for 2 days. Stretched across 6 stages there’s something for everyone! There’s a Beatles theme running through the Castle Street stage and plenty of other artists all performing as their more famous (and sometimes dead) counterparts such as: Freddie Mercury, Blondie, Frank Sinatra, Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon and the Smiths. Here’s some photographs of the performers from last year. Continually playing catch-up on the ol’ blog i’ll post some of my favourite crowd/people shots before the weekend too…
For more event photography action click here Ant Clausen Event Photography
A break in the weather gave me a window of half an hour to run round and grab some photos of the Pageant of Power, Cholmondeley. Lucky there was some sun otherwise there would only be close-up shots of V12 engines! A fantastic setting down in the Cheshire country-side, the pageant of power is essentially a festival for those who prefer the smell of gasoline to music. Although some might argue, the sound of a supercharged V12 engine is music to ones ears!
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Great night had by all at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory’s first birthday and a great night for photography! Storm clouds were brewing in the distance as the sun was trying to set, provising some lovely ethereal-type light filtering through… here’s a few photos from the event…
For more event photography action click here Ant Clausen Event Photography
So i’ll be heading down to grab a few photos of the festivities. It sounds like the Isla Gladstone Conservatory has had a very colourful history… being burned down, left to neglect, and now has been restored and standing proud in the re-furbished Stanley Park. It’s been a pleasure to be part of its first year with lots of great events going on in the summer.
tonight is sure to be another one! Like most other glasshouses it’s a fantastic venue for photography with lovely light filtering through from different angles. Here’s a few photographs from the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce 160th birthday from a couple of weeks back…
Click here Liverpool Photographer to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Ph Creative – these guys are not your typical creative agency. It seems they like to kick the bog-standard old school design malarcky well into touch. So the brief was to capture their fresh creative take on things in the form of a few relaxed photographs. Without further adieu…
Click here Photography Liverpool to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Was recently commissioned to take a few photos in and around Liverpool. I made my way down to the Mersey one clear evening and grabbed a few shots. Conscious of the number of Liverpool Skyline shots i’ve both seen and taken since i’ve been living here, I zoomed in a little closer and tried to capture a different take on the skyline.
Click here Liverpool Photographer to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Rolled over to Manchester to grab some photos for BBC Olive magazine. This time the brief was to try and catch the “busy TV celebrity chef” Simon Rimmer and his restaurant Greens in south Manchester. Great little restaurant with a fab team of chefs rustling up some great vegetarian nosh! Simon Rimmer was a really chilled likeable guy with no hint of the anticipated “i’m on TV so i’m too busy etc etc to talk etc etc.” So had a good yarn, took a few photos and then got to eat the food afterwards. Sometimes I really do just love this job!
Lovin’ the fact that there was a bottle of Crowded House NZ sav there too!
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After raining all day, the sun came out and I headed down to Liverpool ONE to grab some photos of the new beach volleyball set-up. And what a fantastic set-up it is! Beside the new outdoor plunge pool and next to the tropical cocktail bar is where it can be found. Perfect for the balmy summer evenings, grab a team of workmates and head on down for a quick game of beach volleyball followed by an ice cold cocktail!
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Ant Clausen Photography – ph. 07814 457 247
Dubbed to win the X-Factor in 2008, Laura White was voted off in the finals causing a national outcry and an investigation into the transparency of the phone voting system which proved that numerous votes were not getting through. Two years on and Laura hasn’t looked back – she’s recently been touring with Peter Andre and has an album being released end of the year. Maybe not being another “Simon Cowell Clone” is a good thing after all!
For more photos of Laura White click here Ant Clausen Photography Laura White Photos
Hard to believe the sun came out in Liverpool One for about half an hour yesterday – but luckily enough it did – and gave me the opportunity to fulfil the brief of capturing photos of people out in the sun having a good time at the new Liverpool One beach!
On another note I hope people reading this blog aren’t freaking out too much with the fact i’ve written two blog entries in two days! Will be endeavouring to write my blog a lot more often in an attempt to keep ya’ll updated with what’s happening in Ant’s world. Cheers all!
For more event photography action click here Ant Clausen Event Photography
Some say Liverpool doesn’t have a beach… well that’s all changed down at Liverpool One. All we need now is a summer!
Went down to grab some photos of the launch night tonight and for about half an hour, the sun came out! Amazing transformation with palm trees, cocktail bars and the largest portable roller coaster in the world. Fun for the whole family! Definitely worth a look if the evenings turn out to be balmy, warm and dry at some stage… finger’s crossed!
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As much as I didn’t want to, it was pretty hard not to think of Coco Sumner’s slightly more famous (at this stage anyway) dad Gordon aka ‘Sting’ when I was having my first listen to Eliot Sumner aka ‘Coco.’
So if I was to make the typical reviewer comparison – I would say Coco’s definitely got more of the early Police feel, a cool li’l funky vibe goin on, and a pretty sweet reportoire of songs that were belted out in the sunny Liverpool afternoon. Was suitably impressed.
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Marco Pierre White is spending a lot more time in the Northwest these days with the White Swan restaurant in Aughton and another in Chester. The brief was to grab a few PR/promo photos of him yesterday. And as a few people have already remarked – it was nice to see him smiling too!
Click here for more Liverpool commercial Photography to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Jonathan Pratt and Charles Hanson were in Liverpool last week as part of the new BBC series of Antiques Road Trip. They’re cruising round the UK in an old Alpha Romeo picking up various bargain antiques along the way. There was no love lost between the two and before they came to blows I managed to grab a couple of promo photographs that are going to be used to promote the new series.
“The programme pairs Britain’s best loved antiques experts and sends them on a nail-biting road trip across the UK, competing with each other to make the most money buying and selling antiques. The battle of wits, expert knowledge and egos has proven to be a compelling combination, with the series attracting audiences of up to 2.6 million.“
For more commercial liverpool photography click here Ant Clausen Event Photography
This was one of the last photos I took on the day of the Lord Mayor’s Pageant. The whole scenario of the military marching down the middle of Castle Street had a certain ‘wartime’ feel to it. Help for Heroes is one of the Lord Mayor’s charities and is a very relevant organisation in today’s UK.
As I was walking back to the car I photographed an old rusty roller door (as you do…) and then blended both images together, stripped back the colour to give a grungy war-torn feel to the image. This is in stark contrast to the rest of the images taken that day – they were filled with vibrant colour.
I will post a few of the colourful ones when I get a spare mo!
Click here Liverpool Photographer to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Taking photos on the Saturday of HUB was a bit of a challenge as we were met with both torrential rain and some nice gusty winds! So it was essentially a case of getting in nice and close and trying to keep cameras dry as possible. Sunday was luckily a completely different story with the sun out and blue sky. With all the colours and action associated with HUB – it was always going to be a great day for photography.
Here’s a few pics from both days.
For more event photography action click here Ant Clausen Event Photography
A little while back I photographed the model portfolio of Emily. Watch this space for Liverpool’s next top model! It was a free model portfolio shoot with Emily signing a model release so we could use the images for our stock photography sites. That way Emily gets international exposure and high res images from the shoot and Ant Clausen Photography receives a small percentage from future image sales. We’re currently looking for models for similar shoots, with stock photography being the main theme. The first test shoots will be unpaid, and if the model is successful and has the look we’re after, there will be future paid work.
Contact Ant Clausen Photography on 07814 457 247 for more details.
Here’s some photographs from Emily’s shoot.
Click here Liverpool Photographer to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Yep, quite chuffed getting this photo in the Times. 18 months ago when I started my photography business in Liverpool – I was excited about getting a photo in the Liverpool Echo or The Liverpool Daily Mail.
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Brief – capture photographs of resident Margaret of One Park West. Had a lovely cup of tea and met the most amazing person ever. This was last year and tonight I ran into her again. Margaret has many an amazing story to tell. One in particular was her voyage to New Zealand in 1960 to become a seamstress. It just so happened that my Mum was travelling to the UK at that same time… to become a seamstress. A very enjoyable hour sipping tea, chatting away… and grabbing a few snaps somewhere in the middle. This (below) was the very last shot I took. And this, as I was informed of tonight, was also in the Times newspaper a couple of months ago!
Have to say I love photography and everything it brings – and i’m never surprised where one’s photos end up.. although sometimes it would be nice to know in advance, as I would have been happy to spend a pound to see my first photograph in the Times! (that I know of anyway)
Anyway – here’s Margaret. From a technical standpoint, yes the background is completely blown out etc etc.. but in fairness… the background was a carpark. The shoot was all about Margaret and I really don’t liking using flash, not a big fan at all… so I kinda like the fact that the background is blown out and the focus is more on Margaret (and not the carpark)
photos of margaret at one park west liverpool
Click here for commercial Liverpool Photographer and to view Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Taking photos for the team at Ubiquity PR – I headed down for the opening night of Lenny’s Bar and Smoke Grill, Liverpool.
Free cocktails and food all night was certainly a crowd pleaser… Tis a nice little smokey bar for sure and definitely one worth checkin… and no bar opening in Liverpool would be complete without some celebrities from Hollyoaks! (they’re the pretty looking people halfway down – and, oh yeah this is the first blog posted since July of last year! a’hem… 2010 more time for blogging hopefully!)
For more PR and event photography action click here Ant Clausen Liverpool Event Photography
I managed to notch up 25 miles heading to different learning centres on the Wirral capturing images for their marketing and promotional material.
The last stop was New Brighton and I met a lovely couple who have an autistic child who gets amazing tuition from home. The father was also a photographer – and so joked that they never have any nice photos of them together. So I discreetly snapped this shot whilst I was chatting with them.
Click here Photographer Liverpool to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
A rather wet day greeted everybody who came to the re-opening of the £14m Stanley Park, Anfield. But if you’re patient in Liverpool – the sun will come out eventually! Was good to meet the new Lord Mayor Mike Storey who seems like a great guy. Here’s a couple of photos from the day…
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Come inside and check out some virtual tours and photos of the rest of the show apartments on display in One Park West, Liverpool. They’ve been designed by world renowned architect Cesar Pelli, famous for the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpar and has been heralded as the city’s ‘most desirable place to live.’
Ant Clausen Photography covers the whole of the Northwest and has a 24 hour turnaround with all 360 virtual tours commissioned.
For more commercial Liverpool photography click here Ant Clausen Event Photography
I’ve been going on a bit about the big move across the water… first house purchase… all that… so thanks for putting up with all the banter! Now it’s time to post my first shots looking back on the city that welcomed me almost 2 years ago now. A bit quieter on the Wirral I have to say… “through the time tunnel to the land time forgot” as some might say…
First impressions though – would have to say are most favourable, or bloody good shall I say.
Anyway here’s a couple of quick snaps taken from the side of the Mersey the other afternoon…
Click here Liverpool Photographers to view more of Ant Clausen’s portfolio
Went down to Parr Street studio to grab some photos of Alice Klar - a Liverpool-based “show-stopping electro-pop duo” who were recording a few new tracks. Check it!
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Liverpool is changing – with Liverpool One, One Park West and these new buildings adjacent to the Three Graces… the old Liverpool is becoming barely recognisable.
A classic moody Liverpudlian sky greeted the thousands of people coming to the HUB Festival last weekend. This eventually fined up with an amazing sunny afternoon had by all.
To view the complete gallery from the day – please click here: HUB Festival Gallery
To check out more of Ant’s Event images – please click here: Ant Clausen Event Photography
Described as being the “jewel in the duke’s crown” the final phase of Liverpool One is being implemented. These are the One Park West 17 storey apartments overlooking the Mersey River. I was there for the grand opening by the Duke of Westminster a few months back. Now the apartments are on the market and are being snapped up by savvy Liverpudlians and investors further afield. I was there on Thursday to take a few promotional shots for their new marketing collateral. So, hot off the press, here’s a sneak preview inside…
To check out more of Ant’s commercial images – please click here: Ant Clausen Commercial Photography
One of the things i’m lovin about photography here in the North West is it’s taking me to a few new places I might not otherwise see. Hull for example. Barclays have recently opened a new branch here, located centrally in the town square. Here’s a few photos of the people that both make up the town and visited the new branch that day. I was working this job courtesy of Steve Stills photography who is based in London.
And the Gods smiled on us… the only afternoon in the past month (as far as i’m aware) where the sun shone consistently, brightly, brilliantly… etc etc.. was the afternoon where the brief was to capture images that would persuade students from the planet to come and study English in Liverpool! And why wouldn’t you might I ask?
To view more of Ant Clausen Photography commercial images – please click Ant Clausen Commercial Photography
Another great networking event with the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. Held at the cool Osqa restaurant bar on Roscoe Street – there was lunch laid on, a bit of speed-networking and presentations by local business people. Next event will be when the tennis comes to town.
To check out more event photographs please click here: ant clausen event photography
Mike Brewer of “Wheeler Dealers” fame was in town for a one day photo shoot to promote new accident breakdown company, Call Zebra. The shoot was nice and varied – starting in a mechanic’s workshop we got some shots with some smashed up cars. We then went into the studio and got a few “marketing-type” shots. We finished off with a trip to a car yard for a few more photos. A great day’s shoot, and Mike was the consummate pro and a pleasure to work with.
To check out some more of my commercial images – please click here: ant clausen commercial
Housed inside the dramatic Corn Exchange building – I went across to Leeds to photograph the new Piazza by Anthony restaurant for the BBC Olive magazine’s July edition.
To check out a few more of my commercial photography images – please click here: commercial photography
Ciao!
It was twenty years ago at this exact time – 3:15pm, that the Police decided to close the book. To close the book on any chance the families/friends had of finding out the truth about their loved ones who died on this day at Hillsborough.
It was approx 3 weeks ago that a German reporter emailed me about a story she was writing about Hillsborough. She needed a Liverpool photographer to help document her story. I knew this would be an emotionally-charged story. One that is still so present in the hearts and minds of the Liverpool people. Being from New Zealand, I had heard about it from afar – but I was now going to be catapulted into the centre of it. This disaster not only killed 96 people. It destroyed the lives of families, loved ones and survivors from that day.
The only thing they have ever asked for, is the truth. Only then, can they somehow find peace.
Iris Hellmuth, the freelance reporter from Germany has since sold the story to the Financial Times, Germany (a million readers per week), 2 Swiss newspapers and some Scandinavian publications. 
Three renovated buildings are being finished as part of the overall Liverpool One project. The Russell Building, Stanley Building and the Compton House. Think PR are holding a special opening party tomorrow night which i’ll be popping along to take a few photographs.
Here’s some photographs from the various buildings…
Welcome to the Lightworks – photography studio Liverpool. We’re based out of Static, behind the bombed out church off Berry Street.
There’s a lot happening at Static Gallery, Liverpool at the moment. For one it’s St. Paddy’s day and the smells wafting from the kitchen are getting the ol’ salivary glands ticking over… the Static Cafe/Bar is also getting the final touches and will be open to the world as soon as!
So I thought it fitting – that I put the old panoramic head on the tripod, stand out in the middle of Static and snap off a selection of 360 degree photographs, then throw them into the computer, stitch them together and create a virtual tour… whew!
Enjoy the tour and pop in for a visit sometime!
Hmmmmmmmm scorchin’ even… let’s not beat around the bush… The inaugural “red carpet” event took place on Thursday “slap bang” in the action district of Liverpool. Many pretty people adorned both the bar and the cat walk for an evening of ‘decadence delirium’ sure to please any self-respecting young, hip, wannabe “be-seen-type” individual.
The best thing about it is there’ll be an exclusive night on the last Thursday of every month… so everybody can grab a slice of the action. The lads behind the magic are a couple of NYC entrepreneurs here in liverpool looking to raise the bar in everything that is “late night – don’t tell the mrs.”
Here’s the shots from the night – click here: models night chaya
Churrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!
The Panoramic bar up the top of the Beetham Tower is the perfect place for an evening cocktail. I was up there last week to grab some promotional photographs for them. The view is nothing short of incredible. To see more shots of the bar and the view – click here panoramic bar liverpool
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Also – the Ant Clausen Photography blog is having a face lift. There’s been limited functionality with this blog so far – so the new blog will have far more interaction and features – so stay tuned and please bear with us whilst the changes are being made.
Coming from a marketing background – I always appreciate a good campaign – and this one was a cracker! Red C Marketing from Manchester came up with the mystery tipper campaign to incentivise taxi drivers who wore their sticker on their cabs.
And today a lucky Liverpool cabbie’s ship came in.
After the cheque was presented to a rather happy cab-driver, we drove round Liverpool landmarks to take a few photographs.
To view the full gallery – please click here
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Having photographed quite a few networking events recently – it’s interesting to note their increasing popularity. There was a great turn out at the most recent “striding out” event at the Mandarin restaurant, Victoria street. Perhaps it was due to the quality of speakers present. The theme was “trends for 2009 and how these will affect young entrepreneurs. Speaking were Phil Blything, director of Glow New Media, Claire Walker, freelance sector development manager for Merseyside ACME, Richard Bamford, Executive Chairman of Enterprise Ventures and Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council.
A great night and some valuable insight was gained. Here’s some shots from the night. Please click here striding out liverpool
One of the bonuses of living in the top floor of an apartment is that you can look out the window and immediately see Liverpool from a fresh new angle… you can then poke your camera out the window and take a photograph!
So when it was icy cold yesterday morning… that’s what I did. It was amazing seeing Liverpool blanketed in a fresh coat of snow. I then rode my pushbike down to Sefton Park and grabbed a couple of quick shots. Will be uploading a few more photographs shortly. 
With the whole of England being blanketed in snow… she’s a bit nippy outside… and it’s amazing to see how quickly the city of Liverpool can be transformed with a new fresh coat of white snow…
Here’s a quick snap from outside Static this morning before I jumped inside and threw the heater on..
Have been busy painting the new “Lightworks” photography studio in Liverpool and had to endure an afternoon at Ikea yesterday buying some funky furniture. Dubbed “the Lightworks” it will be taking the collective space of Ant Clausen Photography and Deana Clarke Photography to a new level with a permanent studio set-up and client meeting area. Pretty exciting stuff with the planned use of the space being utilised for creative portraits – fashion/corporate… you name it!
Stay tuned for some shots once set-up and blog entries to let you know what’s happening there.
Ciao!
Back again to photograph the hottest new bar in Liverpool. This time the focus is on the cocktails. “Flaring” which is the bartending equivalent of juggling – was on display and definitely a challenge in low light. I opted to shoot with available light to show movement in the bottles/shakers etc and hope the bartenders weren’t dancing around too much. Was quite happy with the results (see photos below)
I definitely recommend checking the bar out at some point – will be back in there when they’ve got some live acts playing. Stay tuned for a few more shots!
For the complete gallery – click here
Chameleon – a brand spanking new bar in Liverpool opened last week and is going to change the way you drink forever! Well that’s if the bartenders have anything to do with it. From what I saw they are a cross between pyromaniac magicians and jugglers. They also make pretty darn fine drinks too. Just behind FACT on Back Colquitt Street… it’s right in the thick of things and should be on your bar-hopping list this Christmas.
Here’s a few photographs taken this evening…
She was all go at the Bizarre Creations Christmas Party at the Hillbark Hotel on the Wirral. And what a great party to photograph! From what I can tell these guys make some of the coolest video games around – and they know how to throw a good ol’ shin-dig! Was happy to hear their inspiration for the Western Theme was a recent trip down to the heartland of New Zealand… not that I remember ever seeing any real cowboys last time I was home.
Anyway – here’s some shots from the night…
The 19th of December signified the official opening of the One Park West Apartment Complex, Liverpool. To see some of my pictures on the BBC website click here.
The Duke of Westminster was present to open his latest venture after the Liverpool One shopping complex is thriving in the Liverpool Christmas rush. Also present were some budding artists of the future. Here’s a few photos from the occasion:
In the parlour of the Liverpool City Hall no less. The great thing about photography is you never know where it will take you from one day to the next. After recently joining the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce – i’m looking forward to a wealth of opportunities in the new year. Having a cup of tea whilst meeting the mayor was a good start! Recently the Chamber have officially signed Nugent Care as their chosen charity. Here’s a couple of photos from the presentation.
A great night out to celebrate some of the young film-making talent of Liverpool. Sponsored by Atlantic Chambers, and held at FACT – the overall winner was Paul Banner for his short film, The Thing About Being A Man.
The night then carried on over the road to Alma de Cuba. It’s always a challenge to photograph in Alma de Cuba, with there being little ambient light to play with. First shot is taken on a tripod with the ISO cranked up to about 1600. A live band came on later and it was a great chance to get the 70 – 200VR out and meter for the candle light behind the band. Quite like the silhouette of this young Chinese double-bassist – and even though there’s not much light, there’s always a few different shots to be had.
To head back to Ant Clausen Photography – click here
Another frosty morning in Liverpool led me out near the John Lennon airport in Speke for the Merseyside Property Auction. Was also a great opportunity to catch a few shots of the old plane sitting out the front!
The auction soon got under way with many people getting a few bargains – if only I had a few spare pennies! All in all, a great auction!
A couple of months ago I moved into Static Gallery, Liverpool – where i’m sharing a pretty darn cool office space with local photographers Deana Clarke and Matt Thomas
There’s a lovely big studio space, a noodle bar/cafe as part of the Biennial project and numerous other creative businesses all under the one roof that is Static.
Thursday night is the time to come down and sample some Korean culinary delights. Otherwise if i’m not out shooting – you can catch me there most days. Espresso maker is on the premises – so feel free to stop by for a brew!
A great little networking event at the Blackburne House, just off Hope Street in Liverpool.
Held by the Future 100 organisation – it’s all about young entrepreneurs getting together… being inspired by other’s success stories and then speed networking – akin to speed dating where you have a limited time to meet everyone in the room… quite entertaining!
Here’s a few photographs from the event…
To jump back to Ant Clausen Photography – click here
Due to open before Christmas – the dramatic waterfront block that is One Park West will be tempting potential buyers with views out over the Mersey and the new cosmopolitan area of Liverpool One.
The Brief – to capture the views to entice potential buyers in with the dramatic panoramas they can see from their new balconies. The solution… grab the Manfrotto, the D300 and then stitch like mad using Photoshop CS3.
Panoramas are great if viewed say 1 metre plus across… but you often need a bit of close up detail too… so I grabbed another shot where you can clearly see the Albert Dock a bit clearer.
Then wandering back to my eco-friendly bicycle I looked back and noticed the sky had turned quite a cool shade of red – so I grabbed another shot and then did a quick HDR render on it to bring out a bit more detail.
It was all about Cuba and Havana Club rum on Wednesday night in Liverpool. “A Piece of Havana” is a celebration of everything Cuban and is touring the UK, with live Cuban entertainment and most of all… plenty of Havana Club rum.
Alma de Cuba was transformed for one night only into “a piece of Havana.” Having travelled to Havana, Cuba a few years back – I was looking forward to capturing the essence of Cuba in a converted church in the heart of Liverpool. And it didn’t fail to disappoint… with great music, fantastic ambience and plenty of rum – it’s hard to go wrong!
Definitely a great night for photography in Liverpool.
Here’s a selection of images from the night – and for the complete gallery – please click here
And no event would be complete without a “Wag!” Wayne Rooney’s wife Colleen McLoughlin joined the party later in the evening…
To go back to the Ant Clausen Photography main website – please click here
If there’s one place in Liverpool to get a bit of both – it’s the Bluecoat. With the restaurant “Upstairs at the Bluecoat” re-opening this week – it’s a great place to be! Here’s a couple of shots of the interior. With the new look complimenting the old – I think it’s working quite well.
Working with Deana Clarke – we then set up the restaurant with some “guests” and attempted to make it look nice and busy!
Can’t wait to get back there and try some of the cuisine!
To go to Ant Clausen’s main website click here
The call comes in… “Ant, we need you to come down and photograph the cover of the new Red Hot Chili Peppers book… projected on the side of an old dockyard warehouse building”
I’m like “Cool. Very cool.” Having been a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan from the good ol’ Freaky Styley/Mother’s Milk days etc… I was intrigued with the whole concept. And the concept, it turned out, was very hot indeed.
I jumped on my bike, armed with my Nikon artillery – and headed down to the Liverpool waterfront. The idea was to coincide with the “stars/celebs” rolling into town for the MTV Music Awards. Timing was critical, and placement just as important. They settled for an old abandoned standalone dockyard building (plenty to choose from in Liverpool!) but from a strategic viewpoint – this was the business. Set between the “Three Graces” and Albert Dock – it was prime positioning, catching all the traffic making their way along the Strand.
And what a result! It’s amazing what you can do these days… backing up a van, opening the back doors, turning on a high powered projector and projecting an image on a 100ft building across the road. Bl**dy nice work I have to say.
The team at Think Publicity are really pushing the creative boundaries to full effect!
Photographer Tony Woolliscroft is the man behind the book. He’s been travelling and photographing the Peppers for over 20 years. The Peppers regard him highly and it’s with that trust, that Tony has captured images that are intimate and show a personal side to the band never seen before.
I’ll definitely be grabbing myself a copy. To check it out for yourself click here
And to check some more images from last night’s “screening” click here
To go to Ant Clausen’s main website click here
Beer o’clock would have to wait… it’s 5:30pm on a Friday evening and i’m at the Dolphin Dance Studios – Liverpool City Centre. Some of the team are off to France to dance at Disneyworld and need some photos taken! Armed with my portable studio – I get set up and decide to use my white background. The good old versatile white background. I’ve used it frequently over the past few weeks. Great for corporate shots as you can easily turn your backlight down a stop or two and you’ve instantly got a nice light grey background. Crank up the backlight a stop or two and you’ve got pure white. I’m always conscious of getting this right, and sometimes there’s a bit of tweaking involved. Getting it “right” can depend on what your definition is. In my case, i’m talking about not overexposing and not blowing out highlights. Check out the photo below and you’ll see that the direction of the backlight is obviously from the right. The front is lit by a soft box from the left hand side. The fact she’s wearing a white shirt is definitely a challenge, and not something I would recommend by default – unless you’re going for that sort of look.
Next photo we have the same background, with the light stopped down to give a different look and feel – a slightly grungier look which I prefer.
So again – the bonus of using a white background is the freedom to choose which look you want to go for. Once the model/subject is cut out, it can be placed on any different background you like. As you can see from both my blog and website, I like a nice uncluttered, clean background, so there’s less distraction from the image. So that’s my little spiel on white backgrounds! Possibly my most informative post yet! Stay tuned for more shots in the future when the “dolphins” are actually dancing!
And they go by the name of Synergy PT. They have some of the most highly qualified and sought after personal trainers around. Synergy PT are holding fitness camps in the greater Liverpool area… and I got to photograph some of their personal trainers.
I’ll be up, crack of dawn tomorrow morning to photograph their first free fitness camp in Aigburth. Stay tuned… these guys are on the UP!
…was the headline in the Liverpool Daily Post today.
And yep, that’s my boys! In the few hours a week i’m not taking photos – i’m coaching the Caldy Rugby Club’s Under 12 team. And in the first tournament of the year (in Mold, Wales), we came back with the trophy! Well done lads, you played your hearts out and thoroughly deserve the victory.
Here’s a couple of shot of the victors (taken with my camera phone, so apologies there)
More awards, more architecture, but this time with a few flowers thrown in for good measure.
The 2008 RIBA Stirling Prize at the Echo Arena was held last weekend and also had some of the most creative and dynamic flower arrangements i’ve seen for some time – and I was there to capture them!
The chaps over at Verdure are certainly pushing the creative boundaries in floral design.
Was quite interesting shooting the table arrangements whilst the celebs were practising their speeches for the evening – namely Kevin McCloud from Grand Designs
Anyway – here’s a selection from the arrangements…
A lovely sunny day (finally!) led me out to Ormskirk (just outside of Liverpool) for the annual Fraser Wealth Management Golf Day. Joining the guys was Liverpool football legend David Fairclough. A great day had by all!
… to Ant’s blog…
Feel free to stop by and check out what the Ant-man has been up to! A Kiwi living in Liverpool- there’s bound to be a few different perspectives on this massively under-rated little town…
It’s obviously going to be “all about the shots”… so here’s a personal fave taken of the Roman Catholic Cathedral – which coincidentally I look out over every day (small hint to those who want to come and visit!) and yes, it does also look like some sort of weird space ship about to take off!
Righto, ciao for now.
So there I was wondering by, minding my own business – as you do… looked right… and there she was, in all her glory, the dramatic Anglican Cathedral. Rising up to the sky… (p.s. this is a trial blog to see how this works… judging by the preview – she’s all good!) Ciao a doppo!
