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I had a lot of fun this year with the camera.  Some weddings, no funerals, some christenings, a lot of events – all great craic.  May to September was dead, business-wise, but then thanks to the day job, I can’t advertise or take on too much.  There are only so many late nights sitting like a zombie in front of Photoshop that I can take.

I don’t like picking out highlights, but much fun was had at the weddings of Scott and Fede, and Robert and Paula.  I thank them for asking me to snap their big days.  Thanks also to the good burghers of Limavady, who joined in for 100faces/100minutes, more an opportunity for the public to see inside their new Arts Centre, and then feature in their own exhibition, than anything else. Your support for the project was appreciated.  Other highlights included snapping this year’s Stendhal Festival, and the fabulous flames of Lance and his chums.

So for next year, I had a couple of paid-work targets in mind, and, disasters notwithstanding, I hope I’ve achieved those bookings.  That’s a great wee boost for someone who sometimes doesn’t have the confidence in his own work which others imbue him with.

FUTURE PROJECTS…

I also want to do a couple of unpaid projects, that I hope will be interesting. I’m also hoping to drag a few people in to help.

My ongoing work with Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre flagged a little from about October on, but that was more because of post-dayjob tiredness.  I want to get this up and running with a bit of a twist.  More on this later.  This year’s work now hangs in the artist’s area/dressing rooms/backstage in the Centre – for that, I have to thank Desima, Daryl, Billy, Stephanie and all the staff for being a big help in so many different ways.

I’m planning – with the help of a few friends – a series called Secret Santa for release next Christmas, either as cards or a calendar.  It’s going to be one of those things which will either work very well or not at all.  But we have the suit, we have the beard, and we have the camera: all we need is the space to do the photos and not get arrested.   These will *not* be featuring in anyone’s gallery.  :-)

I have one long term project which I hope to begin this year, which will need a little help from anyone who’s well connected in such things.  Some years ago, Bobby Hanvey published a book which he had been collecting images for, for some years.  Called Merely Players, it was – at the time – a who’s who of Northern Ireland.  Now, I haven’t the patience that Bobby has, but I’ve been saying for years that I’d love to ‘update’ it – or at least some of it.  I’m working on a target list – probably not the best phrase to use – and I hope to start working on it early next year.  I know some of the people I want to capture, but many of them I don’t. Some letter-writing will be involved, doubtless along with crawling and a general appeal to any of you with the right connections.

AND FINALLY…

If you paid me for work in 2011, thank you.  If you just followed or visited this blog, thank you also.  Special thanks to Twitter muckers @carlpeter, @cath_caldwell, @jasebell and @lancorz, onliners on flickr like Eva and Martin, and folks like Jules, Pete, Joanne, my colleagues at work, and many others for their assistance and words of encouragement. I know that anything from between 22 and 1,150 of you visited here on any given day during the year. I hope in some small way that this site has entertained.

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